Underhowl- Rise of the Pures

Chapter Three

Chapter Three 

The small piece of earth Jeda stood on was falling into the ground. Wind blew Jeda’s fur around, and the dirt he was falling past was a blur. He dug his claws into the ground, hoping it would be enough to keep him safely stuck on the rushing platform. Over the edge of the dirt, ground was rushing up to greet him, where they would smash into a million pieces-

    The platform of dirt stopped so abruptly Jeda slammed into the ground. It slowly edged down to the light down below. It stopped completely with an echoing bang, resting against a few rocks shaped like a stairs.

     Jeda was petrified. He was in a cavern like place where one flickering torch hung in a bracket, showering the room with light. He could smell many dogs now, none he recognised though. He stood as far back from the stairs as possible, shaking with his tail between his legs.

    Everything was quiet. It took a while, but Jeda bravely made his way to the stairwell, each small foot step echoing around the room. He hesitated, and then placed a paw on the stone. It didn’t feel cold, it felt strangely warm.  Again, he stepped on the next step to the odd warm feeling on his paws. He made it the bottom, and was startled by the sound of falling dirt. Whirling around he saw the dirt platform floating up into the ceiling, some dirt falling off the edges, and a small green plant blowing in the breeze. It was floating up slowly, nothing attached to the bottom, and then in a blink of an eye it was gone.

    Now Jeda was really scared. There was no way he could return to the surface, and no way to get back to Oliver. He started circling the edges of the room, and was just about to begin digging at a small hole at the base of the rock wall when he was bathed in sudden light.

    Narrowing his eyes against it, he smelt another dog’s presence, a wild smell with a hint of something unusual yet familiar…

    It came into his field of vision as a silhouette, a large creature with pointed ears and a long swishing tail. Jeda instinctively backed into a corner and the creature came up to him. At this close range it smelled very wild, but there was a hint of dog in it too. The dog stood over Jeda, and said in a powerful voice;

    “Follow me.”

    It was a female, and she swished her tail out behind her as she trotted into the bright light. It became a doorway- one that seemed to be there forever yet Jeda hadn’t noticed it before. As Jeda left the cavern, he took in his surroundings.

    The walls, rooves and floors were an orange colour, and they were all lined with flickering torches. The ceiling was very high up- taller than the trees back at the park. The corridor they were walking down was only three or four times as wide as Jeda was, the torches hung twice as high. Jeda had never seen anyplace like it.

    The wild-dog walked down the corridor and turned into another door like hole in the wall. Jeda followed behind her, but only then realised with a jolt to his stomach that two dog-creatures were flanking Jeda from behind, both looking a lot like the female dog but more muscular. They both had deep grey fur and yellow-green eyes.

    The room was dark, a lot like the cavern Jeda had been in last.

    The two muscular dogs pushed Jeda into the middle of the room.

    “Sit,” one of them growled, baring his teeth. Jeda crouched down out of fear.

    The hole in the wall closed up, and the darkness consumed all of them. Jeda didn’t know what was happening, and he was very scared. He was shaking all over.

    He couldn’t hear the two creatures breathing, and a thought struck that they weren’t there, that he was going to stay in this dark room alone forever.

    Unexpectedly, a spotlight fell from the ceiling and hit the female dog. She was standing on a rock that protruded from the wall, and she towered over Jeda with a defiant look on her face. Only then with the bright light glowing each of her features, did Jeda recognise what type of creature she really was.

    “I am Corrine. This is Fabio, my husband. We are the leaders of Fierce Coven. We are wolves of Underhowl.”

    She looked down at Jeda, her silvery fur glinting in the spotlight, and a very large and muscular wolf loomed up beside her. He had silvery fur too, but with an ash coloured patch below his chin. He looked at Jeda with blue eyes and sniffed. After a while, he narrowed his eyes.

    “Are you a mutt?” He barked.

    “Y-yes…” Jeda stuttered, his ears flat against his head, trying to make himself as small as possible.

    “He doesn’t smell like a mutt…” Fabio muttered to Corrine.

    “That’s what I thought…”added Corrine, narrowing her eyes the same way Fabio did.

    “Who are your parents?” Fabio barked.

    Jeda didn’t know what to say. Lie? Say he had parents and they will look for Jeda if they don’t release him? Or tell the truth, and possibly take him in as their own?

    Jeda’s eyes darted from Corrine to Fabio, not sure which one would find out the lie first. They both looked like they were born from steel, a hard soul with no compassion. Jeda swallowed.

   “Who are your parents?” Fabio shouted, a growl in the tone of his voice. He was lowering his head, the fur on the back of his neck standing up. He was beginning to reveal his teeth, which scared Jeda all the more.

    “I-I…” If you lie you might get out of here, but if they find out they might kill you. Fabio was starting to get angrier.  Say something! Now!

    “I don’t know! I never found out! I was adopted from an animal shelter and I want to go home!” Jeda cried. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes.

    Corrine leaned over to Fabio. “He’s just a puppy. Let him be.”

    “Yes, but exactly the same type of pup they would send here to spy on us!” Fabio growled ferociously, but slowly leaning back upright.

    Jeda was somewhat confused. Who are ‘they’?  He wondered. Why would anyone want to spy on these dogs?

    “But he doesn’t smell like them. Or look like one.” Corrine pointed out. Fabio looked at Corrine. Corrine cocked her head once in Jeda’s direction, a meaning look in her eyes.

    Fabio looked at Jeda and sighed.

    “We will decide your fate in private. Until then you are to stay here, under our constant supervision. I will summon someone to give you a tour.”

    Jeda’s eyes widened in shock. “No! Please, I want to go home- I don’t want to stay here!”

    “Silence!” one of the wolves beside him snarled.

    “You will do as you are told. You are to be escorted by the guards to your guide. Away with you.” Corrine ordered, and then she and Fabio left.

    The guard beside Jeda shoved him in the shoulder towards the door.  They left in silence. Jeda was trapped in a place he found by accident. Now what were they going to do with him?