The troubles have begun. Direct and Even brought a message from DustyLeafment^ before Rise. A dead Runt^ was found in the wild area near the stores. If they had died for an unpreventable reason, the pup would have been returned to (Leaf-)Soil with (unearthy^ smelling) flicks, as any other dog who cannot Walk independently. This pup had been abandoned. They Walked, alone, unknowing, in the night, because some-dog did not want to share their provision or their energy. Broad and I are still sharing the horror. Called by the pack-bond, Slender comes in at a trot and asks us if we need support.
“Thank you, but no. We just noticed that we are running low of Heat-doses. So many dogs have asked for multiple doses that we have eaten into the stores.” Broad is good at coming up with explanations when his emotions are caught out in a pack-bond. I am not as adept at explaining erroneous emotions. I am not as adept at having them either.
“I shall tell Bushy at once.” And he’s gone. Broad and I briefly rub muzzles. The horror of such an act is palpable. Before they rushed back, Direct told us they concealed it. It would do better to not let the average dog know that this is happening. We discuss briefly, what we will do when we find one. We know where they are likely to be left in our EdgeLeafment and how we can make it seem like they Walked into the Wilderness rather than were essentially made-prey.
More and more dogs, who have any spare time, such as low-ranking warriors, are sent into provision-Service. They bring more strange provision every time they come back. Some are harvesting berries, fungi and bark. Anything a dog could eat. They bring back more than we thought possible. But it is not much with all these mouths to feed and so many of them needing more, for longer.
We have no cached flesh-provision, we have some berries, roots etc. but they won’t stretch far. High-notches have not yet admitted there is an issue. I know that Bushy has her misgivings about the situation, even though she is not sharing them yet. In times of early Set and Rise, dogs who did not contribute were not fed as generously as others. Of course, they could go to a quarter-dog^ direct, then it is at QD discretion. With all dogs being fed less, every-dog is suspicious of each other. Why would Pack feed them less? Is every-dog being fed less? It is only a small decrease, as yet. The Runt was a shock to happen so soon, but a strange world maybe is making strange behaviours. Maybe the high-notches want dogs to serve harder, in my experience telling dogs what is happening helps them serve Pack.
The after-Set visits from dogs are daily now. We are moving weapons away from the main stores. If hungry dogs manage to break in looking for provision and end up finding weapons, I am not sure what we will do. Slender is managing the removal of weapons, slowly, over several nights, to a selection of other caches that Broad and I have found or dug. Trouble is coming.
I am on the night-shift with Bushy. We will catch up with our plans. We have been stalking around anything beyond practicalities since tensions began to grow in Pack. She is a clever dog. I am sure she knows we are in trouble. Maybe she has orders to not discuss it with us non-warrior dogs. She sits on the entrance-ridge. She is scent-projecting power and alertness. Only the most brave or desperate of dogs will be approaching tonight. I am in the entrance, sitting alertly but preoccupied with how we will get around the feeding situation.
“Slender is approaching.” She didn’t need to tell me, I could already feel Slender’s proximity.
“I’ll fetch a load for them.” His pack have been shuttling very few weapons at a time, so they are not obviously moving anything. No-dog under Slender knows where the others in their Pack are going. They could probably find out, but we would rather that no individual quarter-dog had easy access to all the weapons. It is not that we think they would use them but who knows what a frightened dog will reveal if cornered. I go into the now, half-empty weapons-store and drag together some two-dog operated slings. The solo weapons went first. Slender comes in behind me and nuzzles into my flank. He is still very naïve and he finds this situation unsettling. He has not considered that Pack Guiders^ might just be dogs too, trying to make difficult decisions for Pack. He is sure there is a plan, but I am smelling his confidence decline. It is almost as distressing as watching young anxious dogs go hungry, thinking they have failed Pack somehow.
He and his pack collect the slings and set off separately to the stores they are populating tonight. I return to the mouth of the stores. Bushy is trying to clear a dog away from the entrance. The smell of young pups and regurgitated provision tell me he is a Soil parent.
“Please, there are so many Runts and I have been regurgitating all day and I am tired. They are going to get sick if we cannot feed them well.”
“You should not have regurgitated your own provision for them. We have no spare provision. You could go try the little- wild over there.” She is not unfeeling, but she is firm.
“I can’t, I have never been a provider, that is why I am Soil parent and do Soil’s Service. That is how I serve, why isn’t that enough?” the acrid smell of his panic brings bile to my own throat.
“That is all I can offer you. We have no provision at these stores.”
“That is a lie, every-dog knows there are extra stores. Leaf-Pack Guider Large First Eyes Rise is keeping stores for deserving dogs. Why am I not deserving? I am caring for pups. So few have progressed onto first-eating. We are all getting sick. Soil would help! They would not let us all wither. I wish we had stayed, why did they not try harder to keep us with World and Soil! What is wrong with us that we got sent away?!” The Soil parent is feeding his escalating panic. I step forward, scenting calm and comfort.
“Pack-mate, we do not have anything we can give you. But, if you are hungry and are prepared to search a little, the little-wild to the far side of this den-complex has not yet been pillaged for prey-fungus^ which can provide a similar fulfilment to animal-provision. I can arrange for a dog to come with you, show you how to collect them. Then, maybe you can go there next time you have regurgitated too much.” He looks at me, eyes wide. He is smaller than both of us individually and he could not force provision out of us, even if he had been at full strength. He slumps onto the earth and I look to Bushy. She acknowledges that I can run to Trustworthy.
He is not pleased when I wake him (who is happy to return to Leaf-stink?) though he understands the situation. He would have loved to have been a Soil parent, but his skills do not run that way. I know he will be kind to this desperate dog. He leaves his den-pack and trots up with me. I know he is worried about the impending problems. We meet every day to review and discuss how we will get to the next twentieth^. Soon enough that will be how to get to the next day.
Bushy and I watch the two of them crossing to the, as yet, un-plundered little-wild that lies behind the den-complex.
“We are going to be in real trouble soon aren’t we.” Bushy surprises me. Yes, she was whelped many cycles after me, but she is advanced in a stealth-pack. They don’t wear notches so, for all I know, she only was promoted to Stealth-Pack Guider the day we arrived. What a first commission! She might have been given this role because it would be less prestige than other stealth-missions. I wonder if any-dog is regretting promoting such a young dog to, what may be, a vital area. Though she could be trying to root out any lack of Pack.
“I am not sure what the high-notches are planning. It seems to me, that if there are extra stores on Leaf-World, it would be good for QPGs to know where they are. But maybe there are QPGs who know about them. I think it is best to not worry about the bigger picture and just make sure every-dog gets fed tomorrow” I hope this is enough to prove I am for-Pack. She is silent for a long time while my mind chases its heels.
“I would like to know where these stores are too. So much has changed in the last cycle, I am not sure which things are real. You are a Set. I don’t think you are sneaky and full of lies. If those things are lies, then maybe Pack Guider would –” she stops, she doesn’t like where her thoughts are going.
“Whatever the reason for telling us there are extra stores, it is what they need Pack to believe. You are still young, but I have seen Pack Guiders tell Pack various things required to help Pack towards safety. If we can feed Pack for a another tenth we may find out if there are extra stores, or, if there aren’t, why Pack Guider wants us to believe there are.” The deafening scent and auditory silence that follows makes me panic. Has she heard evidence that she needs to find a reason to exclude me? Eventually a wave of relief radiates from her.
“Thank you. We can keep going a little longer” I seem to have passed this test either as a Pack-mate to a stealth-warrior or as a den-mate to another. I am going to arrange a meeting with the QPG coalition – we need to think about this differently.