"Aya, how is he faring?" Hal barked. Around them, the evening was coming, the sky above was growing more and more angry and the shadows about them more and more bold. The light gray dog glanced at the wolf and back at her alpha.
"He seems to be keeping pace well enough. His leg still is not in use, but he is not physically over-exerted." She reported. The wolf padded quietly between her and Lanos, his muzzle low and his tail dragging in the dirt.
"It is odd that he does not mind us talking about him." Lanos observed. The tall dog seemed to hold no grudge against the wolf, despite the loss of his sister. The only interest he had expressed so far was purely curiosity. "Normal creatures prefer to be spoken to directly."
"Obviously he is not a normal creature." Kilowog answered. "No normal creature would attempt to take lives in the masses and hold no remorse for his actions."
Hal bit his tongue. He had not yet told his pack of Razer's desperation to be killed, nor did he have plans to. The wolf had tried to kill them all and would soon enough be out of their fur. Judging from the plume of smoke, the mysterious pack of humans would be right behind those large boulders just ahead. All of the dogs perked up at the sound of singing.
They rounded the boulders and stopped to take in the sight. Female humans were dancing around their fire and the men were singing. One old man watched the dogs from across the fire. When Hal locked eyes with him, the man stood up.
"Silence!" He shouted. Immediately the action died. Everyone turned and watched the small pack. "What do you want from us, Brother?"
Hal looked from pack-mate to pack-mate, not sure exactly what to say.
"Can…can you understand us?" Hal asked tentatively. The humans around him erupted in laughter.
"Of course we can. We are Speakers, as your humans call us. We have been with this land much longer than the new settlers. We have learned and passed on the gift of Speech." The old man chuckled. "My name is Myglom. How can we help you?"
"We have a wolf who needs healing and rehabilitation…a local pack told us of your ability to calm animals. We were hoping you could help him." Hal explained and stepped aside to reveal the wolf. The old man rose to his feet, surprisingly well, he walked across the camp and knelt beside Razer's disengaged body. The wolf didn't respond in any way to the contact of the man's coarse palm on his forehead. A tanned thumb tugged at Razer's eyelids, forcing first one eye then the other open to examine. Bony fingers pried his mouth open for a glimpse at his teeth. When he was done examining, Myglom rose to his feet.
"We can help this one." His answer was short and simple. Hal glanced at Kilowog, then wagged his tail.
"Great. We will be on our way then. We really need to bet back on the trail of the Red Fangs." Kilowog rejoiced. Myglom spoke not a word, but nodded and looped a leash over Razer's neck before leading him off. Hal turned and led the pack outside of the fire's glow. Aya paused, just outside the ring of light. She watched for a moment while Myglom led Razer up into the mountain. Her green eyes traced the path they were following and looked curiously at the cave mouth the path ended in.
"Aya!" Hal barked, startling the young she-dog into action. She quickly caught up with her pack.
Inside the cave, the old human chuckled. Razer looked around curiously. Myglom noticed the interest of the wolf and gritted his teeth. As they went deeper into the cave, smaller caves branched off. One small branch-off was guarded by another human. Myglom peeked inside, smiling at the scruffy wolf-dog inside.
"That one looks ready. I'll make you a trade, hm?" Myglom chuckled, kicking Razer into the mini cave and unhooking the leash over his head in one fluid motion. A small growl escaped the wolf as he collided with the bone-thin animal, which did not move.
"Lireve royu krateds omemonst ebrak royu ulos." Myglom muttered under his breath. Razer suddenly felt his body relax and hit the ground. His eyelids grew heavy. Thoughts began bubbling up in his mind without his meaning to. 'Ilana…'
"Kawena nad eb cefrisacid." And the wolf-dog suddenly animated.
"Oh! Oh!" The dog chattered. Despite his unhealthy exterior, he managed to slip between the two men. His long, bony legs carried him easily down the tunnels and to freedom. Back in the tunnel Myglom frowned, but shrugged and turned back to Razer. "Well, I suppose you will have to do…"
Out in the forest the dog pack was bedding down. Lanos and Aya were next to each other, their proximity keeping each other warm. Hal and Kilowog were a bit distanced out.
"I feel so much better now that that wolf is gone." Kilowog snarked. Hal sighed.
"Yeah, I know. You've said that ten times by now. Now get some sleep." Hal grunted.
"Hmph." Kilowog snuffed and tried to settle in. Just as he closed his eyes, he heard something move in the forest around him. At once they were all awake, all at attention. "Did you-?"
The sound again, this time nearer.
"Pan out, catch whatever that is." Hal woofed softly. The pack set to work, silently treading around the proximity. Lanos caught sight of something before a weight landed squarely on his back.
"Who is you?" A scratchy voice asked. "Is you dog or wolf? Will you help poor Goggon?"
"Yes, of course we will help you." Aya answered. Lanos located his sister by her voice. She was behind him, probably not more than a few feet. The weight on his back shifted.
"Goggon is tired." The weight coughed. Finally, the creature stepped off of Lanos and sat down to scratch at his nappy fur. "Goggon has run far."
"Where did Goggon come from?" Lanos asked quietly. He was now able to get a good look at the creature. It looked like a wolf, but was red colored like a dog. It was also very bony, too bony to determine age.
"A bad, bad prison. Humans! Humans kept Goggon away in a dark tunnel. Goggon lived in darkness and bad dreams. Myglom not let light in." The canine said, his speech slowing as the weariness crept in. By now, both Hal and Kilowog had found the three. Hal and Aya looked at each other.
"Razer." Aya whispered.