The Epic of a Diamond Dog

by Ravencrofte

Ch.3 No meat for me Part 2

Ch.3 Part 2 No Meat for Me

I was roused from my dream by a frantic voice.

It had been a bad dream: I had been eating dogs-head at some unknown point along the river Yark. It was palatable if cooked, but still tasted bitter.

I heard that voice again and raised my head to investigate.

Kitty Hawk was thrashing in her sleep, moaning, “No, don’t leave me.”

Was it better to wake her from her nightmare? I decided against it and stood up, stretching as I went. My muscles felt cramped and my back hurt. I was not going to spend a second night on the floor.

“Mom! Dad!” cried Kitty Hawk. She bolted up, looking around expectantly. She spotted me and sighed before lying back down.

“You miss them, don’t you?”

She nodded.

Was there anything I could say to help? Sorry about breaking your wing. Your parents still love you, but right now they probably think you’re dead. That definitely wasn’t going to work.

The silence was dragging into eternity.

“Here’s some food if you’re hungry.” I slid over the bowl of cold meat and soup. She sniffed it critically, and then took an experimental taste. She leapt back as if the soup had bitten her. Frantically, she wiped her tongue to be rid of any traces.

“It tastes like blood! What’s in it?”

I examined the soup critically. “Water, oil, fat, and meat.”

“I can’t eat that,” said Kitty Hawk.

What a spoiled brat!

“It might not be the same kind of food that you’re use too, but you need to eat it.”

“No,” she insisted, “you don’t understand. I cannot eat meat. I am a herbivore.”

“A what?”

“A herbivore; I eat plants,” she explained.

“Plants!” That was like saying I should give up being a Diamond Dog and go live alongside the wild game.

“Show me your teeth,” I demanded. She did, presenting two rows of flat, crushing teeth. They were remarkably similar to the kind found in goats.

Ponies really did not eat meat. It looked like many of my books needed revision, especially in the fiction books where ponies devoured their helpless Diamond Dog victims. Was that the only thing they’d gotten wrong?

“Ponies are very strange,” I said to no one in particular. I grabbed the cold food and dumped it outside.

“Come on; let’s go find you some… plants.” The sheer thought of eating nothing but plants was horrifying.

I led the way to the community kitchens.

The sun had yet to crest the horizon. Most of the village was still asleep. Two pairs of tired-looking sentries guarded each gate.

A light mist hung in the air: the promise of another hot day.

Elder Rose was watching the kitchens. She was one of those aggravating few who never seemed to sleep, and at the same time have limitless energy. She was getting old enough that she now required a cane to walk on her hind legs. Sure enough, she was using it to support herself while she stirred a simmering pot on the brick stove. I sniffed the air. “Is that leftovers from last night?”

“Yes indeed, Ember. I always said you had the best nose in camp.” She spotted Kitty Hawk. “Oh my! And you brought your pony. I haven’t seen one since I was a young woman.” She dropped to all fours and padded over to Kitty Hawk.

Kitty Hawk inched nervously towards the door. “Hold still, girl,” said Elder Rose. “I don’t bite; at least not too hard. My husband never complained, bless his soul.” She examined Kitty Hawk as she would freshly caught game: moving her head side to side, running her paw through her mane and along her back. She unfurled the right wing, staring intently as every feather, and then turned to the left one. With soothing words, she carefully stretched it out. Kitty Hawk winced but otherwise made no protest. “Looks like you did as good as job as any,” she said, studying the bandage. She carefully refolded the wing. “I don’t see why the emperor makes such a fuss about ponies.”

“Where did you see the other pony?” I asked.

“It was many years ago,” said Elder Rose, staring whimsically off into the distance. “A merchant came by with a pony he purchased. He was on his way to sell her in the capital. A ‘Desert Pony’ he called her, charged us two small jewels just to look at her; she wasn’t nearly as pretty as yours.”

She smiled at the memory before shaking herself back to the present. “Oh, there I go, telling old stories again. Where are my manners? I’m Elder Rose, and what’s your name, little pony?”

Kitty Hawk put on her best smile.“My name’s Kitty Hawk, ma’am”

“Oh, aren’t you too cute. Would you like something to eat?”.

I quickly interjected. “That’s why we’re here. Kitty Hawk can’t eat meat. She only eats plants.”
Elder Rose looked taken aback. “Plants? Well, I never.”

“Ma’am,” piped up Kitty Hawk. We both looked at her. “There were some bags of wheat and oats in the wagons. Do you know where they got to?”

“Wheat and oats? Hm… were they those little grains? The chickens took a liking to them, so we stashed them in the shed as feed. Would you be a darling, Ember, and go retrieve two of them?”

I did. They were anything but light.

Kitty Hawk and I stood amazed as Elder Rose immediately went to work, mixing the grains with water and honey. She made several “cakes,” which Kitty gobbled down until she looked like she was going to pop.

Suddenly Kitty Hawk started to cry.

Elder Rose wrapped her in a hug. “What’s the matter, dear? Did they taste that bad?”

“No, they were delicious, just like how my mom use to make them,” she sobbed.

Not knowing what else to do, I went to the back of the kitchen and grabbed three dried sausages.

“I’ll leave her in your care. Make sure you show her around,” I said on my way out. Elder Rose, still cradling the crying pony, gave me a reassuring nod.

The sun had finally made its appearance. Other dogs were moving about now. I spotted Rod and Spoke.

“Here you go,” I said and threw them each a sausage. They devoured them.

The three of us hustled to the village center, where my father was issuing assignments for the day.

“Three volunteers for the Western Patrol,” I called out.

My father nodded his agreement. “Be sure to take full weapons and armor. There’s been movement along the boundary.”

We left by the western gate in full battle gear: breastplate and helmet, spears carried by leather straps attached to the armor, belt and sword. A packed lunch would see us through until we returned in the evening.

I set the pace: starting off in a walk, then a lope, and then an easy run. The exercise warmed me up and stretched out my muscles. It was refreshing to stop thinking and just focus on the ground under my paws. I didn’t slow until we reached the hunting grounds. We kept going west, occasionally deviating for a drink of water. We stopped for lunch at midday. A quick swim in the river provided a great refresher.

We were strapping our armor back on when we heard a terrified bleat upriver. I turned to Rod.

“Are we the only clansman out this far?” I asked.

Rod nodded. “We won’t hunt this far west for another week.”

“Oh, oh oh! Let’s go find it! Let’s go find it,” Spoke barked excitedly.

“Easy there. We’re close to the border. If it is Bone Clan activity, I would like to sneak up on them quietly.”

Spoke quieted down but pranced around excitedly.

We silently worked our way through the underbrush, moving as quickly as we dared. My nose told me what lay ahead before we found it. There was a pool of blood mixed with hoof and paw prints. The Diamond Dog tracks led away.

We soon found them: one held a spear while another dragged the goat. They wore no collars. I couldn’t tell if they were Bone Clan or not. If they died here, they would do so as nameless dogs. Needless to say, they were still Diamond Dogs, and they were stealing from my clan!

“Attack!” I cried and then charged.

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Author's Note:

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Ch.3 No Meat For Me Part 2

Comments

[Black--Soul]

Impressive! Hes indeed a kind D-Dog.
It seems he is a born leader. His Alphas bloodline stands strong and it seems his Packs future will have a skilled heir leading it.