Resilient is determined to be a runt-maker. I am still aggravated every Rise by his continued string of impulsive decisions. He doesn’t make pack-decisions. I am also perpetually afraid of what damage to himself, this pack and Pack he could do with his next rash decision. Thankfully the rest of the pack are obedient and circumspect. We have managed to minimise the impact of him. After his first decision that he could pass cross-pack (which he has so far but only because we are constantly covering for him), I have been wasting time fixing his messes rather than getting information to Pack. As it is, both Wary and Bold are suspicious of him. At least that has taken noses off Still Runt^.

Then he put the idea into Amiable First Eyes’ head that we could, not only steal Soil from Sets to make it look like Rises did it and sow unrest, but to replace it with Rise tainted-earth to ensure Sets ask the right questions. Amiable First Eyes thinks he is amazing and as lowered his barriers to him a little but, no matter what we do now, the damage cannot be undone subtly. There will need to be a Pack-wide realisation comfort-units have been violated. Even if we can stop The Event. Resilient seems completely unable to make a balanced, considered decision. He sniffs the advantages and does not stop to think what drawbacks there might be. Under normal circumstances, I would put him on a season-long scouting stealth-mission with some experienced warriors. He would learn when to be cautious if he had no stealth-pack at his haunch.

My rage continues to gurgle in my stomach as we approach our destination. I can smell the Soil in my cache-pouch calling^ to the Soil-cache. I am with Flighty and Calm Runt. We are delivering our most recent haul into the single Soil-cache Amiable First Eyes is now hoarding (it began with several, but when they were filled and none of our pack seemed like good diggers he found a large enough natural chamber to act as cache). It is right against the barrier since few dogs come out here, but having a single store seems, as even a pup could figure out, risky. Amiable First Eyes put down hides, so it is contained, and we backfill the mouth of the tunnel closed when we leave. I can smell Soil before we break the seal. If we were sure this was the only cell, then it would be completely reasonable if this was “discovered” and shut down without suggesting internal betrayal.

We quickly dig the tunnel open and are covered in an overwhelming scent of Soil. It seeps through my skin and into my soul. We go in to deposit our cache-pouches. We have travelled in silence, the other two are intimidated by my gruff doga^. I tip my cache-pouch and shake it thoroughly, taking the hide liner out without touching Soil. I then go to the back wall to wait for the others to complete their emptying. We cannot expand the store this way because the barrier comes down into the earth. Leaning against it, and not the earth beyond it, feels unimaginably smooth through my fur, pushing against it more evenly than soil would. It is unyielding. I always touch it when I am here. It is strange to feel calmed by something so alien while in the presence of the most dog thing across all the worlds.

Flighty and Calm Runt find excuses to be in contact with the Soil pile. They think they are pulling off nonchalance. I let them have it. I pity the new recruits in this pack. They are pups in the main. They think this is for-Pack. They are like Resilient, they cannot smell any not-for-Pack in their actions. Amiable First Eyes knows. As do Wary and Bold. Calm Runt is making a show of shaking Soil free from his liner hide. I know that he is creating a cloud of Soil he can savour but I pretend to be impressed by his thoroughness. He loses grip of the hide. It tumbles down the pile and comes to a rest against the barrier near me. I stoop to pick it up and betray nothing as I pull it from the earth it is impacted in. On the far side of the barrier. Somehow this thing passed across the barrier. I fumble and drop it. When it rests against the barrier, I can push my nose through the barrier covered in the hide. Finding confirmed, I give the hide back with a disapproving scowl.

“Well, we best get this covered, check ourselves and go back to Service.” I am my usual grumpy but thorough character as I check them each for any trace of Soil. They are both obviously much more coated than I am, but we are sufficiently clean in a few short cents^. The taste of (Set) dog and Soil in the back of my throat takes me back to the first season I spent with Generous. Now, even after this separation, Generous smells like my own body and soul. Then, she was a new dog, and I find myself reaching for notes of familiarity in Flighty and Calm Runt that I learnt in Generous. They do not smell like her. The scent of her intelligence is a peppery sharp note that cannot be ignored. This discovery might let me go back to den. We might be able to use this to give the separatists what they want without any Event. Then they could be gone. And I could train recruits. And Generous could tell me about hers and I could scar Resilient as he tries to get at our comfort-unit. I didn’t realise how much I had inadvertently trained all my stealth-dogs to be of perfect Service to the separatists.

I try not to let myself hope as we go back on our designated route and separate towards our Service-packs. I need to get a message to Honest straight away. We need to confer. Meanwhile, I need to provide. This whole thing falls apart if we can’t keep up our veneer of provision-pack.

As I wait under the trees by the barrier (the opposite side of Sweetment^ to where I do anything for the separatists), I hope Honest has been able to get everything we need. I lean against the barrier, here only apparent to my back. I tell it we have it beaten. The Overseers have grossly underestimated dogs. Dogs may go where they please and trust Soil to be the one to make sure that remains true everywhere dogs go.

I would never smell Honest approaching, his scent-mask is as good as mine. Sweet-Pack Guider^ Sleek Runt Rise, however, does not have such a good mask. Why would he? I stand to attention for when they come between two flowering bushes. Honest is in First Eyes, ensuring Sweet-Pack Guider arrives safely for this conversation. Pack Guider himself carries the cache-pouch which I assume contains both hide and Soil, the only two possible elements that might control crossing the barrier.

“I barely recognised your smell Cunning Runt Set; you can relax and smell like yourself with us.”

“Thank you, Sweet-Pack Guider Sleek Runt Rise, it is something stealth-dogs tend to avoid. It has taken over a season to get this far into this scent, this doga. You will have to tolerate the smell of this Cunning Runt Set.”

“Pack thanks you for your commitment, dedicated Service and skills that have meant we have been able to contain this separatist movement so effectively. I am dealing with some other separatist packs on the far side of the compound, they seem to be more of a threat.” He must smell my interest and answers before I ask, “They’re Rise. They are not the mysterious other cells Amiable First Eyes Set has been alluding to. So, what did you want to tell us?”

“In that cache-pouch is the secret to letting dogs go as they please. Either that kind of hide or Soil are able to cross the barrier. I think it might be a game-changer for this pack and possibly your Rises too if they have similar ambitions to Amiable First Eyes” If only Amiable First Eyes knew the dogs he had most in common with are Rises. And they’re doing better than he is! I chuck into the pack-bond, the feeling of warmth from Honest is what I want but cannot have in this moment. Pack first. “If we can figure out the mechanics of it, then we could leak the information into the separatist packs and let them leave. Then, without Soil, they are no risk to Pack, and they can form whatever pack they want to out there with the aliens. No need to let them know anything. They will think they have succeeded, and Amiable First Eyes at least is too short-nosed to notice he is losing until he’s away from Pack. Pack can be safe in a quarter-season!^”

“That sounds like an excellent idea to deal with your lot. It might take a bit of manipulation to get it to serve with the others but that is not beyond Bewildered.” If she is the stealth-pack guider, they will find a way. There is no other Set stealth-dog as gifted at controlling a pack without them knowing. She and I have had parallel Service since training. A good dog. “Do you think we could get your lot to leave before The Event they are planning? Then we just have to figure out how to redistribute Soil in a way that causes the least Pack-disturbance. Their aim was just to leave?”

“I think, if they found out they controlled the key to leaving, they would want to make sure they got as many Set dogs through as possible. The Event is meant to ‘reveal the true nature of Rises’ (by manufacturing it) and I think it’s crucial to recruitment. Though, if Amiable First Eyes could be persuaded to leave behind a trusted dog to let later dogs out, then we might be able to get him and the others out. Then ensure no-dog joins them.”

( Hate to think it – Resilient is the dog for that task. )

( You are right – on both counts. Of course, it will firm up the idea he has about himself being the greatest stealth-dog that ever lived. )

“Enough chat – show me what you’re talking about.” Honest throws me the cache-pouch and I tip out the Soil and hide. The hide is dusty. I take it to the barrier, put a stick against it so that the others know where the barrier is. It looks surreal, leaning against something that cannot be perceived. I push my nose through the barrier, beyond the stick. I lick the centre of the hide and push it again. The wet patch is stuck while the dusty part goes back through.

“So, it is Soil. It seemed more likely.” I expected more excitement from the effusive Sweet-Pack Guider. He is thinking. He already has applications for this. Or is he regretting letting our pack stockpile something that now has even more value than the most valuable thing to Pack? He snaps to it.

“That is truly a world-changing discovery. I will need to discuss the implications of this with the other high-notches.” (( He wishes All-Pack Guider No Eyes First Eyes Runt Rise was able to advise him. )) Honest didn’t need to tell me that but I think the novelty of the easing of pack-ache is making him giddy. ( You’ll be den soon. Generous has been so sure that this must come to an end soon, she will be so pleased. )

( I am so pleased. We can be Soil-dogs for a bit. Just find out what Soil-dogs on Sweet World are. Train up some new dogs to go do the bit that means stretching pack-bonds so taut. )

“I will leave ye to figure out how you will persuade Amiable First Eyes this is a viable option. It goes without saying, it would be not-for-Pack for him to discover this before we have a clearer plan.”

He turns and leaves. Honest and I are left in awkward silence for a moment. We already have a plan and what we want to say to each other cannot be time-bound. There is not enough Soil for either of us to cross the barrier in full, but we rub our heads and ears in it, and stick our heads out the barrier next to each other. The sweet scent I barely notice anymore within, is much stronger and cloying Outside. We chuck, then try to turn to each other. As the barrier pinches at our manes, the chucks cease. We come back through to the now almost sour smell of air so sweet that the best scent-scientists went into seclusion. We groom each other’s heads clean. I send him the most pack I can, to pass to Generous. I rub on him, but I know I do not smell like myself. He smells of pepper. I musn’t smell of her. She will taste me somehow. We leave.

I am not yet back to den. Still Runt approaches. She has been doing separatist comfort-unit raids. She knows there will be new orders. I rub over her (I can legitimately smell of her). I roll and rub all over. She seems taken aback at first but joins in with me. She goes on to deliver her Soil to the cache and I go to den, smelling of something familiar, even if it is not pepper.