The Dogs of Chernobyl

1

30 years later

A shaft of rich golden sunlight sliced through the green canopy overhead, illuminating the patch of grass that Rake lay on, his forepaws sprawled out in front of him and his tongue lolling out the side of his slender black snout, in bright gold. The sounds of birds singing their afternoon song reached his senses from deeper in the woods, and the German Shepherd sighed, content in the heat of the sun and the peacefulness of the Pripyat Forest.

Suddenly, a rustling sounded in the bushes behind Rake, and he swiveled his head around, just in time to see the slightly smaller frame of a Border Collie come sliding out of the underbrush.

"Good morning, Thunder," Rake greeted his Alpha, dipping his head in respect.

"Morning, Rake," Thunder rasped, his breath hasty and coarse in his throat. Rake had to keep himself from wincing. Thunder was getting old. He had been Alpha of the Forest Dogs for nearly eight earth cycles, ever since he was two earth cycles old. Rake knew that the time would come soon when Thunder would have to go, and being one of the Alpha's closest advisors, Rake would more than likely take the stick for next Alpha.

Rake stood and stretched, his mouth gaping in a massive yawn. "Anything specific we're doing today, Thunder?" he asked his Alpha courteously.

"Definitely hunt," Thunder told him, sitting down and beginning to rasp his tongue over one of his forepaws like a cat. "We need to stock up on food before the weather starts growing cold. It's still sun-scorch, but its nearing its end and soon it'll be amber-sun, and the leaves will be falling. Then it'll be sun-chill and we'll have snow."

"True," Rake agreed. "Maybe we can-" he was cut off suddenly as a loud, piercing howl sounded from the bushes behind him, and be spun around and darted towards them, Thunder following close behind. The howl sounded again and a Golden Retriever came bursting out from the fronds, its dark eyes wild with terror. Rake's heart stopped with alarm when he noticed that its pale fur was streaked with blood.

"Orb!" Thunder shrieked the dog's name, and it skidded to a halt in front of him, panting heavily. "What's going on? Why are you hurt?"

His head and plumy tail drooping, Orb stammered, "It's the City Dogs. I went to go speak to the Great One. I got halfway there and I was approached by an ambush. They attacked me."

In the abandoned city of Pripyat, there were two large groups of dog packs that dominated either end of the community- the Forest Dogs, which lived in the highly radioactive Pripyat forest, and also which Thunder was the Alpha of and Rake and Orb were members of, and the City Dogs, which lived in the more urban part of the city, and were ruled by a vicious husky named Garbage. Also located in a far-off part of the Forest Dogs' territory was the infamous and heavily damaged Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, or the Great One Of Chernobyl.

Thunder frowned, obviously confused. "But why would Garbage's dogs attack you? Usually only Alphas go to speak to the Great One, but any dog is guaranteed safe passage through Garbage's territory to speak to it."

"Not this time!" Orb breathed. "Garbage claims the Great One is on his territory now, and his borders are closed. No dog is allowed in."

The fur along Thunder's spine bristled, and his eyes lit up with fury. "What?" he growled.

"Yes!" Orb's tail waved. "They chased me all the way to our border and stopped there! They said they'd wait there for a bit to make sure I didn't come back."

Thunder gasped. "You mean to say they're still at the border?"

"Yes," Orb told him. "Garbage told me not to come back, but he wants to speak with you. He's waiting there now."

Immediately, Thunder whirled around, and began barking out a string of names in the direction of the bushes at the edge of the clearing. "Dark! Brit! Nightingale! Cloud!" Four rottweilers came slinking out from the underbrush, their eyes glittering with anticipation and their muscles bunching beneath their dark fur. 

"We overheard that Orb was attacked," Nightingale growled, her voice low and husky for a female dog. 

"Yes," Thunder told her. "We need to go to the border. Now."