Chapter 17
Bloody Dagger
I heard a voice call from the steps. I hurried over to it and found Tormran standing there with a new Tanja and Byte.
"This, Wolfette, is Dagger. He's a good friend of mine," said Tormran. "Dagger, this is Wolfette. She will be your instructor."
Dagger looked me up and down and commented,"She'll do."
Tormran nodded, said that was good, and walked back up the stairs.
Dagger made me feel uncomfortable. I looked at Byte. He still wouldn't make eye contact with me. I sighed and looked around.
"We don't really have anything for you to do right now, Dagger. Maybe we can fix you up over in the Brosbite cleaning corner, or we can..." but I was interrupted just then by a cackle from Dagger.
"Put me to work? Hey, I see those dogs over there don't need any help. You're moving at an impressive pace. You looked tired. Why don't I fix you up a spot to lie down? Maybe you can even tell me a little about yourself?" he suggested, winking at me while still chuckling.
"Well, I'm not really interested in that right nowww...." I began.
"Oh puuuleeeeease! You know you want to," another laugh came from him.
I took a step back and defensively said,"I don't want to."
He laughed and took a step toward me. I looked every which way, knowing what Tormran had said earlier. I was at everyone's ‘disposal'. The machines had all stopped and everyone had gathered near the back wall. They were watching what was going on.
Dagger took another step toward me and smiled when I didn't back away. I could feel my heart thudding in my chest. I took quick, shallow breaths. What would happen? I thought quickly. If I fought, that would ruin my reputation with these Tanjas. They would all be afraid of me. If I didn't...what would happen then? Dagger was frightening me. I couldn't fight. What would I do? Thoughts swirled around in my head. Thousands and thousands of thoughts per second, swarming my brain. Dagger, standing in front of me, scaring me to death... I began to get dizzy.
"Get away from her, you flea infested dog!" howled Byte, and jumped between us, growling.
I backed to the wall and watched the two Tanjas stare each other down.
Byte was slightly bigger than Dagger. Dagger looked like he might have more of a strategic advantage since he seemed a bit smarter. I swallowed the big lump in my throat and tried to take deep, even breaths. What an awful silence!
Out of nowhere Dagger attacked. He jumped at Byte, grabbing his neck in his teeth. I wasn't prepared for a fight. I had hoped one of them would back down and just walk away. Byte yelped and tripped Dagger. They tumbled to the floor, whining and growling, yelping and howling. I pressed myself against the wall as they fought closer and closer to me. Suddenly, Dagger grabbed Byte's neck and yanked it to the side. Byte howled and fell limp on the ground. He was still breathing. The Tanjas were still against the wall, watching my every move now as Dagger walked toward me. I lifted a paw and pressed myself even closer to the wall. I tried to make myself look small and helpless. He came closer, smiling and licking his teeth. I was breathing fast again. I finally decided I would not care about how I appeared to the Tanjas. I needed to save myself before worrying about ‘good impressions' and all that. I shrank to the floor and lay down, staring up at Dagger with fearful eyes. He had a small scratch on his leg, but other than that, he didn't seem to have been hurt. He laughed and opened his mouth to speak. I struck!
"Dog!" howled Dagger and licked his bloody nose.
I slid under him, kicking his belly on my way, and hurried to Byte's side. I saw a pool of blood around his head before Dagger came charging at me. I swung around just in time and tripped him, the same way Byte had. He fell but jumped up quickly. I spun around and kicked his jaw. He yelped and jerked backward. I jumped at him and bit his neck. He opened his mouth to speak, but I kicked him in the side. Dagger was as bloody or bloodier than Byte now. His nose bled, body shook, and tail hung. I stepped back to survey the damage I'd done to him. Then I hurried to Byte's side. I looked him over quickly, trying to figure out if he would live or not.
My neck was clasped in a metal collar with chains instead of magnets as leads. Tanja guards dragged me painfully up the stairs. An observing Tanja had told the guards about the fight, and they had come as quickly as possible. They brought me to a deserted pyramid and threw me in a cage just big enough for me to lie on my side in. It was made of Brosbite. I didn't think I could ever escape from that. They said they hadn't told Tormran where they'd taken me either. With that, they left. I had no food, no water, and no company. I hadn't been hurt, for some reason, and I was glad of that. In enough misery for one afternoon, I let myself fall into a restless sleep. There were howls heard throughout the entire night.
It was morning, and I was troubled by the Tanja called Dagger. He had bloodied Byte, but I didn't have a scratch anywhere on me. I wondered if it was because I was a female. Somehow that didn't seem to be a good enough explanation. I had left Dagger in a pool of blood, just like he'd left Byte. Somehow I didn't fell happy or confident. Everything was falling apart. My legs ached. I wanted some exercise, but my cage only allowed for a crouched down position that made the back hurt. I whine and rolled over. I felt a bit better, but I still wanted to stand up.
"There you are!" cried Tormran as he was led into the pyramid by two guards.
He ran to my cage and poked his nose against the bars. "You okay?" he asked me.
I growled and closed my eyes. I couldn't look away very well in this small cage.
"Look, I'll get you out."
My eyes popped open and I asked,"You will?"
"Yeah, I will. Just hold on. I'll get this all straightened out," he said.
With a wink and a wave, he hurried away and talked to the guards. They left.
"I wonder how he'll manage to get me out," I said to myself.
Half an hour later, Tormran returned with good news.
"Worked my way around the ‘system' and all that. You're home free, but under a little supervision. Wanna see Byte and Dagger, I bet. Well, come on then," he said.
I was let out of the cage. What a wonderful feeling, to be able to walk again I mean. We hurried to a smaller pyramid and went through a few rooms.
"Dara Wolfette!" cried Dagger and Byte when they saw me.
I hurried to the cages they were in. They were on very nice, comfortable looked blankets. It looked to be about a stack of five blankets. They were made from animal skins and stuffed with feathers and grass. I laughed and smiled at them. I was so glad they were both alright.
"I am sorry for the trouble I caused yesterday, Dara. I will never let it happen again," mumbled Dagger.
Byte looked at me and said,"I'm okay. I'm so glad they got you out!"
"Why are you guys locked up?" I asked them.
"Ooooh, Dara. You have so much to learn. The doctors always put us in cages when we're hurt. Being part wolf and all, we tend to get snappy and edgy when we're hurt. They keep us in here so we won't run away and injure and already injured leg again or anything," explained Byte.
I smiled, glad they weren't in cages for the same reason I had been, and asked,"Can I talk to Dagger for a moment, without you intervening?"
Byte nodded and extended a hand, which was telling me to go right on ahead.
I walked the few paces to Dagger's cage and sat down. He looked at me gloomily.
"Dara Wolfette, I am immensely ashamed. You see, I cannot turn down a fight. I never have been able to. It's my nature. I didn't mean to fight Byte, but it was too tempting. I will try harder not to get into fights and provoke dogs. I didn't mean what I said yesterday. It was a joke, but a cruel one at that. Most of the female Tanjas around here are accustomed to those jokes and laugh at them. I forgot you are not a regular Tanja. Please forgive me!" he wailed.
I stared at him. I was so confused, I didn't know what to say.
"I know, you must hate me now. You have a right to. Everyone does anyway."
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and replied,"I don't hate you.
His ears perked up, and he even lifted his eyes a bit.
"Look, Dagger. It was a big misunderstanding. I thought you were, well, ‘putting the moves on me', if you understand that term," I said.
"Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry!"
He was genuinely sorry. I could see that much.
"But it's going to cost us a lot of trouble now. What in the world will those worker Tanjas think of us?" I moaned.
"Oh, they're not disrespecting you at all! As a matter of fact, after that fight everyone's been more respectful and mindful of you. They've all said the most wonderful things about having you around ab eing in the presence of what they call a ‘Daran', which is a Queen," Dagger informed me.
"Really? You mean, this brought on even more respect? I haven't lost any ground I might have gained with them?" I asked, incredulous.
"That's right. You're a pretty lucky dog, if you ask me," he said, chuckling.
I smiled and looked over at Byte.
Byte nodded and added in,"Yeah, it was a big misunderstanding. I thought he was joking at first, and I let it go. When I saw how uncomfortable you were, I wasn't sure. I got in front of him to explain you weren't full blooded. He took it as a challenge, and I couldn't resist.
"Now we're here in these cages, apologizing, and living in absolute agony. Not just because of our wounds, but because of the trouble we caused you. Then a worker Tanja, who said he was so honored to be able to speak to you, who's name was Clendon, said that you had gained respect in the group through that fight. I guess they hold you in high regards and will believe anything you say now, from what I heard from Clendon. So, a wrong makes a right, for the moment," he said.
I smiled, then frowned. "You guys aren't mad at each other, are you?" I asked Dagger and Byte.
"Nah, actually, we've become friends through this experience. Thank you so much, Dara Wolfette," said Dagger.
I laughed and shook my head. All this information didn't make sense, but I believed it whole heartedly.
Tormran and I got the two Tanjas out of the ‘doc pyramid', as they called it, and working within two days. We were back on schedule, and everything was going good. In fact, it was going too good.
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