//------------------------------// // Never Neglect Nature // Story: The Diamond Dog's Guide to Engineering // by Tolerance //------------------------------// Standing at a forward position, Gruff waved the signal that he could hear something above. A few moments later, and the dog standing nearest Aaron was hearing something too, his ears twitching in an attempt to locate the source. "Aaron, sir. We ready at-" Allee whispered before being further shushed by everyone present. 'Almost there.' Aaron thought. It wasn't long before he could hear it too. Armor clinking against armor. Aaron put two fingers to his mouth and gave out a piercing whistle, signalling the operation. He'd had the dogs spend the last hour rigging the trap. Aaron had them build up temporary supports down the center of the tunnel, which mirrored the one on the first level above. They then removed most of the walls, widening the shaft, until the ceiling above threatened to give way. Gruff and the other dog, the largest of the three that were assisting him, were instructed to barrel towards Aaron as soon as they heard the signal, making sure to demolish the pillars as they stormed past. The earth groaned as the supports dominoed into collapse, taking the surrounding terrain as they went. "Run!" Aaron shouted as he pointed towards the south. Allee did as instructed. Briefly wondering why he wasn't taking them towards the rest of the pack, before she let her instincts kick in. Then she saw it. more pillars, just at the crossroads. Aaron was going to take out more of the den to stop the intruders. They stopped to knock down three more sets of pillars before the group stopped running, coming face to face with an already collapsed wall of the outermost cavern in the second level, east side. Aaron stopped to catch his breath. "That should keep them busy for a while." "You very good at making rockslides, Aaron, sir. Very calm." "Thanks, Allee. Just let me catch my second wind." Aaron let himself breath as deeply as he could in the dust-ridden air before coughing it all back out. "Uh, right. Next step, start up a single-width tunnel here, if you would Gruff? Allee, think you can seal it up behind us?" Allee nodded as Gruff started digging away. "Try to be quiet from here on out, please. We don't want to give away our position." Gruff slowed his digging a bit, but the effect was immediate. With the exception of a few more rocks losing their purchase, the den was ghostly silent. Only a few moments later, the group was on the third level, walking in a round-about way back towards the pack's escape tunnel. Only a small hole in the wall hinted at the path's existence. Allee had seen to it that the wall looked almost identical to the ones surrounding it. Once the group was inside, she sealed up the hole. No more Diamond Dogs were inside the den. His voice barely above a whisper, Aaron congratulated his pack for getting everything out, they'd made their initial escape a success, but there was still a long ways to go. Until the Pegasi gave up and left them alone, they'd have to keep digging. ~~~~~ What was initially a mixture of fear and excitement as the pack traveled away from their home turned into a collective, somber realization that they could never return to that place. While the group had traveled three days through the earth, they had kept quiet for the most part, especially when they felt the need to dig a ventilation shaft to the surface. When that was not the case, however, murmurs spread through the group like wildfire, feeding upon rumors and uneasiness alike. Aaron decided to do something about it. "My pack, I know this is a difficult time for us all. I wish it had never come to this, but there is no turning back now. I believe we must move forward, and find a new home. So, I want you to stop moping about while we march. Instead, keep your senses sharp. We need water, and we need gems. If we can find both in great enough quantity, then we can hope to rest there until this whole thing blows over. Only then, can we start to rebuild our home." The pack could do this, Aaron was sure. So long as the Pegasi were unable to split them up they could survive and rebuild. He was, however, unsure whether he could survive the trip. Deep down he could feel himself getting weaker, and the dim, possibly magical, lighting of the tunnel wasn't what was giving his skin an unnatural pallor. Of the plants they'd managed to salvage from the gardens, very few were going to survive much longer. Worst of all would be the loss of the protein-rich legumes that never really had the chance to thrive. His diet needed to be corrected, and soon, before he became to weak to fix it. A very real problem as it would force him to leave the safety of the tunnels to do so, an action which would very likely give away the pack's position. "Anything wrong Aaron, sir?" Allee asked as she handed him his old backpack, the pack beginning to move along without them. "Nothing's wrong at the moment, Allee. But I'll need to go above ground and get some food eventually." "I will help!" "No. You'll stay here and help the others. The more of us up there, the greater chances are that we'll be discovered." ~~~~~ The next day, and the digging team had pulled the tunnel near enough to a stream to divert some water for the pack. The rocky ground of the mountainside provided some additional cover from which Aaron was able to observe their surroundings. No Pegasi in sight, but then again, there was always the chance that they simply flew higher than he could see from his vantage point. What he could see though, was a lush forest just downstream. Aaron gave the diggers new orders to dig down the slope, and to open up a new access shaft. His options were limited, but Aaron would make his scavenging run later that night. Hopefully the darkness and the overgrowth would be enough to keep him concealed from any unwanted pursuers. ~~~~~ Since the new tunnel entrance had been excavated, the pack had been able to continue several hundred meters in their original direction. At the access shaft, only Aaron and Allee remained. "You sure about this Aaron, sir? "Yes Allee. If I don't find what I'm looking for, then I won't be able to keep up with you guys much longer. So I'm going to scout around and see if I can find what I need." "Then why you no want help?" "Because, well, depending on what I find, it may not be something you non-predator species want to get involved with. I may have to hunt for some food." "But we do whatever you say, even if it means that-" "I know you would, Allee," Aaron said, patting the dog between her ears, "But there's also the fact that those ponies are looking for Diamond Dogs. None of them have seen me before, and that means that I've got the best chance of sneaking away from them. But because of the situation, I need you to stay here and do something specific for me. Can you promise me you'll do it." "I already say I do anything for-" "No, Allee, I need you to promise me you'll do what I tell you." The canine sat there quetly for a moment. "I promise, Aaron. What you want me to do?" "If I'm not back by sunrise. Seal this access tunnel. Take charge of the pack and make the tunnelers switch direction." "But that would mean- I can't do that to-" Aaron placed an open palm against her nose, silencing her. "You must keep your promise, Allee. The pack needs a leader. And if something happens to me out there, then it wasn't meant to be me." And with that, Aaron stood up and slipped into the dark.