The Great Eight

Chapter 6

Riley threw back his head, a bellowing howl involuntary erupting from his throat. Ricochet joined in. They had done it! They had defied all odds, and been accepted! They howled until their throats grew sore, and then realized that Thunder looked a bit annoyed.

"Eh, sorry, sir," said Riley sheepishly.

"Anyways," Thunder cleared his throat. "Blackjack, please show these two around. As for the other platoon leaders, you are dismissed."

"May I say goodbye to my sons?" Rex asked.

"Yes, of course." Thunder then turned and walked away as the crowd dispersed. Blackjack waited patiently as Rex nuzzled Riley and Ricochet.

"I'm so proud of you both," he said thickly. "And your mother will be proud too, once I give her the news. Please promise us that you'll visit now and then."

"Of course we will," said Riley, burying his face into Rex's thick chest fur.

"We'll miss you." Sadness flashed in Ricochet's mismatched eyes as he leaned his muzzle against his father's shoulder.

"And I'll miss you too," said Rex. "But I am very happy for you both."

The collie nodded to Blackjack. "Thank you for giving my sons a chance."

The platoon leader nodded back. "I know potential when I see it."

"Goodbye, dad," said Ricochet, his voice choking as Rex stepped away.

"Goodbye, both of you." The collie's eyes shone with warmth. "Good luck. I hope to see you again soon."

With that, Rex trotted away, disappearing around the bend of a building. For a moment, panic enveloped Riley. He'd never been away from either of his parents before—he didn't want Rex to leave. He almost took off running after him...but that would not be soldier-like. Riley had worked hard to get into the Flashing Fangs. He swallowed hard, refusing to throw away this great opportunity, and turned to study his new leader.

Blackjack's coal black pelt was crisscrossed with scars. One particularly thick one ran across the top of his muzzle. He appeared to be not too young, but not too old either. Powerful-looking muscles rippled under his dark fur. A slight ruff around his neck, along with his tall pointed ears, gave him a somewhat wolf-like appearance. Riley had to admit he was a bit intimidated—he was glad this dog was on his side.

"Um...thank you for accepting us," he said shyly.

"No problem," said Blackjack. "Come, follow me."

The platoon leader led them down the road, back towards the pit. He looked straight ahead, not saying anything else. Riley frowned—he didn't seem like the talkative type. Were all dogs in the Flashing Fangs this stoic? Was he going to become like that?

"So, how many dogs, besides us, are in the platoon?" Ricochet finally broke the silence as they headed towards the area around the tower.

"Four," said Blackjack. "So there are seven of us in total now. You'll meet them when we get to our quarters. But we're not going there right away—first I'm going to show you the rest of this place."

He stopped near the tower. More dogs were out now, some passing by in groups and some seeming to be on guard duty. Riley felt dizzy—he'd never seen so many dogs at once before! They came in a wide variety of shapes and colors...although they all seemed to be larger than him. Riley's ears twitched as he heard two dogs talking nearby.

"Did you hear the news? They just let a beagle join as a soldier!"

"What!? You're shitting me."