Dog On A Rope

2 - Welcome To Veal Tribe

The wolf dared not speak as they walked slowly back through the winter woods, but his mind raced. He wondered if these two dogs leading him even knew the Saluki that he had just killed; but even if they only knew his name and nothing else, shouldn't they still be upset for him?

And then, a small thing clicked. The wolf realised that these dogs were not capturing him for fun; they were only following orders. Those two dogs had not been friends with the saluki that he had killed; they were just coworkers. With this realisation, the wolf grew a small fear, a small disgust towards the dogs. Did they have no empathy?

His body became heavy with exhaustion and pain as he calmed, dragging along slowly through the forest, and he began to limp on a back leg. He licked his lips, trying to clear them of blood, still panting with anxiety.  He had mud, dirt, leaves and blood smeared across the back of his pelt, his legs, and face. He wanted to shake it all out, but refused to move too quickly or out of turn in the stiff presence of the two dogs. He walked along slowly but obediently.

Soon, the forest opened up slightly to a commonly walked dirt path, and the path led to a tall wall constructed of tree trunks. The walk seemed to have taken forever. It was dark, then, and the moon casted a soft blue glow across the three dog's hides. The foreground was black. The wolf's paws ached sorely, as did his back and his wounds. His bites throbbed with pain, and it sent pulses of agony throughout his body any time he put pressure on the hind leg beneath his haunch bite. So he didn't, and he held it high.

Another dog met them, a black one, walking along the top of the tall wooden wall. He called out behind him, "The hunting party has returned!" And there was a clamour of several behind the wall. Then, a large door was pushed open, nearly indistinguishable from the wall. The Kangal and the Saluki pulled the wolf inside of Veal Tribe.

It was overwhelming. The thousands of scents, the loud noise, the darkness and gleaming eyes and teeth and different pelts and sizes and the stench of domesticated canines. Dogs stopped, stared, walked towards the wolf and grumbled and mocked and conversed concernedly and gossiped. They surrounded him, and he looked down at the ground, struggling to breathe. He suddenly felt suffocated.

The two dogs led him along the wall and down a path separate from the rest of the dens and leather huts; they soon arrived at a large rock formation, an opening at its base. A large dog with tall ears guarded the entrance.

He glanced the three up and down, eyes gleaming under the moon, in the dark, and then spoke matter-of-factly, "The Saluki and the other may enter, but the Kangal must go. The Baron appreciates your help, and you will be rewarded generously."

The Kangal seemed rather disappointed, and gruffed, but gave the lead to the Saluki female and walked away heavily. She sighed, almost as if she were anxious, and then pulled the wolf into the grey rock corridor. It wasn't too large, but also not too small; it only took a few moments of walking before the cave opened up to a larger area. There, waiting, was The Baron.

He was magnificent. He was graceful, a lean build, and yet very large- as large as the Kangal, almost as large as the wolf. A body built for fighting and protecting and running, all. His wiry coat was solid white, his ears cropped close to his head, and his tail very short. His nose was a bit short and fringed with a wire coat's typical bearding and feathering, and his eyes gleamed- one amber, the other blue, with an ebony nose. He wore leather armour strapped to his back and head with elegantly laced twine, inscribed and carved with drawings of oceans and rivers and suns; atop of his head was a simple crown of dried blue wildflowers and greenery. Around his neck was a simple loose necklace, a twinkling clear gem on the end of it. He expressed power and position.