“I called us together because I think the QPG^ coalition is being distracted from our shared goal of keeping all dogs safe and in-Pack.” Silence follows Direct’s announcement. No-dog contradict him. He continues, “We have been focused on keeping DustyLeafment^, HollowLeafment and EdgeLeafment provisioned but that is less of an issue now we have Outside providing. I know we’ve all used this time to improve stores and I’m not denying the palpable successes with clot-moss” (it grows draped over branches and both clots and seems to have anti-infection properties like the strong-smelling Leaves this World is named after.) “but, we have not considered the other settlements.”
“We have! I asked several warriors and stealth-dogs if they could get messages through to Healthy Rise. She has not replied, but the warriors say she is getting them. Now we have time, maybe we could send the roll-pack since they’re sniffing for stuff to do.” Rough First Eyes hasn’t been able to let go of the fear-tension; her jaws have remained clasped tightly to it all this time.
“That’s precisely the thought we had,” I still find Even’s eye a bit upsetting, he seems to have recovered but it is a visible sign of the deterioration of Pack that will always be with him, for any dog to see. But not him I guess, that is a kindness. “We tried to walk towards the SlopeLeafment and there are warning walls dug in the woods less than a day^ from here. We decided to not go until we were in a bigger pack.”
“I’ve suspected something suspicious is happening with the other settlements for a little while. Bushy has been very cautious in what she says to me. She’s also improved her pack-communication since finding out who I was.” Broad speaks slowly and cautiously. “It is possible that some of Trustworthy’s pack might have some information.” They were so removed from us, I didn’t even ask them if they knew anything! “Determined Runt^, mentioned not being able to reach an academy-mate from SlopeLeafment.” Ideas spring up in my mind. When did I become a stealth-dog? Despicable plots I would never have imagined a cycle ago are now fighting for pack guider^. “What advantage would Pack Guider Large Runt Rise have in keeping these three settlements from those three?” Broad murmurs, deep in thought.
“I’m not sure, but I notice we are split to the Rise and Set of the compound.” Even's observation fills my stomach with dread. Something that would have made sense to me on World seems grotesque out here on Leaf World.
“But we’re all mixed. It’s not un-unified Pack.” Rough First Eyes sounds confused to the point of panic.
“Maybe these are new Rise and Set.” Broad says to her, unhelpfully. I cut across him,
“But why? It is not like it would make anything better for Pack Guider.”
“He could be completely out of his mind! It is the clearest explanation for all… this.” Direct says with vehemence and exhaustion.
“But All-Pack Guider No Eyes First Eyes Runt Rise is checking in on him. I can tell when Bushy has to mediate one of those meetings, not a hair out of place, all alertness and controlled fear.” Broad says this as though the reason for her presentation was obvious to every-dog.
We’re on our way back to EdgeLeafment. I’m re-running our debate of proposed explanations back and forth before Broad and Rough First Eyes brought us back to what we can do. Which is send trusted dogs (including the roll-pack) who would be legitimately and unthreateningly hunting for medicinal plants to any stealth-dog observing. I used to make decisions on how best to use resources available to me. Now I find plausible deniability before anything else. Broad veers off the path. I follow without considering an alternative. I don’t know this area of the forest well. There’s a fast stream, around which last twentieth^ we found the weird, fat plant that has so many small useful traits. Mellow and Masculine have spent every day since drying it, crushing it, chewing it, eating it, grooming it onto each other, mixing it with other plants and generally trying to unlock its Service to Pack.
Broad leads me next to the stream a little way. The smell of Pack diminishes behind us as we reach ground possibly never trod by a dog. I try to feel the wonder of discovery, but I can’t even pretend it’s compensation for even one life lost so far.
Broad squeezes through a gap in the bushes, I follow, thorns pulling at my coat and mane. On the far side, the stream takes a wide bend around a stone and, where the ground is sandy and flat, it has formed a pool with a gentle flow. Water rushes in one side, eddies, swirls, frolics, settles then leaves the pool and rushes on. Broad bounds in. I join him immediately. I’ve not had a paddle on Leaf World.
The water is cold enough to slow my progress into the water. It is perfect for paddling, no risk of having to swim but deep enough to splash and pounce. Every serious, sensible thought slips away as we chuck and play in the pool. I grab him by the leg. He throws me off into the entrance of the pool. The cold touches my side and I gasp a breath. I’m on my feet and crouched to launch before he can apologise for getting me so far in it. He feints but I know his style, so I launch to Rise… Where he is as I land! We both go fully under. My chest tightens and his shallow gasps tell me his does too.
“Now I am actually as wet as I’ll get, I might as well impress you with my stealth-training.” His normally serious tone missing. He paddles upstream to the stream opening and launches himself confidently into the flow. He swims up the stream a dogs-length before looking back at me and getting swept back down to bump me off my feet and we tumble into the pool together.
“Very impressive. I have tried swimming in my time, actually.” I go to the downstream end and let the flow carry me out into the stream less than a tails-length before cutting across it like a well-trained warrior.
“Very impressive, Brave Set. I should have known you were just as worldly as a stealth-dog.” He grabs me from the bank, back into the pool. We tumble over each other from bank to bank.