I am eating provision in a provisioning-spot in a den-complex that I am not familiar with. I am sharing with Still Runt^ and several other dogs, mostly Sets. We are eating, ignoring each other, as many strange dogs do. Resilient Rise enters, exuding cockiness and entitled thought. He muscles in between Still Runt Set and me. We turn from him and try to ignore him. He grabs a choice limb of provision from under my nose as I try to sink my teeth into it. He stinks of Rise. I can’t take it any longer. I spring on him and grab him by the mane and shake him viciously back and forth. He is defiant and shocked at this sudden turn of events. I growl him down and look to pin him to the ground but stop before I would have to touch him. I stare him down and, as soon as he slinks away, belly down, I start to groom furiously. Still Runt chases after him and pounces. She bites him, opening the two healing wounds on his shoulder, and returns to my side.
Still Runt and I, pace the feeding area stinking of our rage and violation. We then leave furtively, for our agreed meeting spot – far from the one the Set separatists use. We wait there, leaning against each other and reminding ourselves to mutually groom, for several degrees^. We eventually head back to our new den. This forced intimacy to accelerate a pack-bond is essential but feels uncomfortable while we still do not yet know each other. Maybe one day we would have been pack anyway, but this is hard Service. We go everywhere together at the moment, standard for forcing a pack-bond. She comes with me as I visit Generous. But she has enough tact to stay in the tunnel.
( Sooner than we thought my Soil and World, ) Generous sends before I enter what was almost den on this cloying world. For the first time since I became a stealth warrior, I ache to stay with Generous. I have been on so many missions and been away, for even cycles, and I have never felt so unwilling.
( It is for Pack. It is harder to leave you and our den-pack on Sweet-World than on World. ) Our emotions flow down our pack-bond and swirl together. Our pack-bond is very strong. It has always been deeper than most dogs’. We have no excuse to renew it while I am developing this new bond with Still Runt. ( We set the wheels in motion today. If it serves, we will be on our way by the end of the eighth-season^. I will be denning in the next complex over with Still Runt Set. I will send you comfort by the pack-bond every night. I will feel your warm coat on mine and count your spots every Set. I hope your research is successful and by the time we next renew our pack-bond, we can show each other what we have done for Pack, and the dogs on the Sweet-World will be closer to getting home to World and Soil. ) She is the scent of my soul. She will never be away from me, but I will not be able to touch her with anything but my mind for, possibly a third-season. We spend some moments touching and grooming gently. I know we should not, but I just need to feel this quickly. Still Runt didn’t intend to set the herd moving so early, but the moment to pounce is now. Sweet-Pack Guider^ Sleek Runt Rise is excited to be able to root out dogs not-for-Pack as soon as possible.
( You do excellent Service for Pack. You will return to den before you know it. I will hold you in my nose until then. I look forward to updating you on all the things my scent-pack have discovered and all of the drama when you get home. I will watch over our comfort-unit since all your pups are still trying to get at it! I will keep scarring them until you are back. ) We say nothing else and part.
Still and I walk to the den-complex we are now living in. She is silent in sound. Our pack-bond still has its eyes closed so we cannot communicate yet, just feel any strong emotions the other is experiencing. We find our den compartment. I am too exhausted to think.
“I think Resilient Rise did well,” tries Still Runt.
“Yes, he did.” I then just curl up, against Still Runt Set, and deep-sleep immediately.