Canid Undead: A Dog's Story

35 - Myriad

A war was coming.

This called for weeks of preparation, which they did.

It had almost been a year since Fellinground had risen from dirt. It was May 23, 2031, the day before the supposed clashing of the two groups. If the Regals played it fair. To be sure they did, the humans would be keeping an eye on the Regals, including the territory Fellinground bordered.

Luckily, they would play it fair, it seemed. The many leaders of the Regals had concluded that they would, as Fellinground had stepped up their game. Also, because Regals "ain't no motherfuckin' cheaters".

Now, it'd be hours before this clashing and thrashing.

Tom and his allies, some dogs, an assortment of animals unlike the canidae, and humans would be chosen to stand atop one of the rocks that sat just outside Fellinground's walls.

"Your people need you," the human would say to one of their human allies. They and (hesitantly) the two other humans stepped up onto the ever so slightly colossal rock.

"You better go up there!" a dog would tell Tom and Gunner, who had his pack with him, the lot watching from the back of the gathered members of Fellinground. Being too old and in so much pain, Gunner instead walked up on that rock, where they'd stand beside the humans, announcing themselves to those that awaited their words in the crowd.

Mostly, the animals disregarded Gunner's presence, following along with the humans instead.

They devise their plan, both the humans and the animals separately. Gunner, Tom, and the other animals come to an understanding of what they'd do during this thrashing, as well as the humans. Many of them were going to follow the humans' orders.

Officially, they were ready to initiate the clashing and thrashing. You've read this phrase five times by now.

Fellinground would not fail this time. Tom simply would not accept defeat, nor would Gunner, and nor would their humans.

***

In a closely knit group, almost as if they were a marching band, Fellinground grew close to a stretch of wilderness, weapons in hand, a road sitting far behind them.

The animals paired up with their packmates and their humans, some in lone groups.

From afar, Tom and Gunner caught a glimpse of the Regals' group growing massive as they approached - but they were not quite as big as Fellinground. The Regals were outnumbered by ten or so members.

Tom and a few canines wiggled their way out of the group of theirs, all of them retreating to some undergrowth. Both Tom and a wolf carried first aid kits in their mouths, setting them in the grass as they crouched, watching the Regals and Fellinground stand just inches away from one another. The humans glared at the few Regal leaders, some kids and teenagers being in the front - a nasty look they'd shared.

They shared few brief, quiet words. After this, they clashed. Gunshots went off initially, many battle cries ringing out from the now massive whirlwind of the two groups, both sides fighting ruthlessly. The Regals and Fellinground became one enormous flurry of humans and animals.

Two humans staggered towards Tom and a human that sat beside him, the both of them carrying an injured dog.

The human orders the other two humans to apply pressure to the dog's wound. Another human limps over, wounded, out of ammo. More humans clamber over towards us, tending to his wounds, reloading his gun.

The Regals have a barricade of half alive zombies stuck on sharp poles. You cut through some wilderness to enter through to their shelter after crossing over some roads. I've heard of a path that makes for a shortcut to one of their camps.

I see that most of the humans on either side are armored, blades and battle axes and heavy duty guns being the weapons they yielded.

In the midst of this, Tom catches a whiff of a familiar scent. One he'd not tasted in... maybe two years. Or three? Or four? Has it really been that long?

He couldn't believe it for a moment.

Amanda? Amanda was here?

Past the whir of humans and animals that fought endlessly, several dying in the first few minutes, Tom spots a young adult human. It looked exactly like Amanda, even smelled like her, but... older. She was no longer a pup. It really was Amanda.

Tom sprints towards the pool of humans and animals, feeling young once more as he gained forth. He leaps, his force so strong that he'd knocked Amanda flat on the ground.

Looking down at the human, he could see from the imminent shock and overflow of love that poured from her eyes... that this was Amanda. She hugs him tightly, the human bursting into tears. She screamed, happy.

Jumping to her boots, she howls. "STOP! STOP! TRUCE!" She shoots a pistol, aiming it towards the sky.

One last gunshot sounds off before the two groups had paused their war, the flurry slowed, and the bloodshed was no more. Tom had forgotten why they were fighting in the first place. The core reason to their war had completely slipped his mind in that moment.

That day, the Regals and Fellinground went home at a truce. Both Fellinground and the Regals weren't too happy about it.

Amanda forced most of the Regals to accept this alliance, bowing down to Fellinground, helping to heal their members; very few rebelled, parting ways with the Regals.

Luckily, barely five died within Fellinground, almost seven dying within the Regals. Memorials were crafted for the five that'd fallen to the Regals. It seemed that they didn't die in vein, and certainly not for nothing.

Tom parted ways with Fellinground, following Amanda to the Regals' main camp.

The following day, over the walkie talkie, the humans had proposed that the two groups become one.

The Regals venture to Fellinground, making Fellinground much bigger and far more reinforced, the two groups becoming one: Myriad.

Once we'd conjoined into one, what used to be the Regals had assisted us in reinforcing the walls and security of the place. They'd abandoned all their camps, bringing all their supplies and such to what became Myriad.