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Collar

Copyright © 2014 by Timberwoof Lupindo

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The morning breeze blew a chill into the camp as the sun emerged from the eastern horizon. The Alpha of the Patrol Pack reviewed his pack as they stood in a line. Next to him stood a table with a map and some supplies.

"Woofs, I've received a report of an unauthorized landing in our sector. Last night something the size of an escape pod dropped out of low orbit and made reentry near here. Orbital tracking has the flight path, but there's no air traffic control in this park, so they lost them. It's likely to be a small capsule, so it would be well-hidden in the forest; an aerial survey would miss it. So it's up to us to find it."

"Here's a box of cameras. Take one and pass it along."

One of the lower-ranking Patrol Woofs shifted about. He shrugged his shoulders. In addition to his clothing and camping equipment, he wore a collar, his Quest Collar. The Patrol Alpha looked directly at him; he stood straight and fixed his attention on his Alpha.

"Gralfon, you still have your collar from your failed Quest. Here's a new battery for your collar. Beta will install it and reactivate your collar. Find the escape pod and photograph it, then get to a clearing and call for help."

Gralfon's ears felt hot as he felt all the pack's eyes on him. Ever since he failed his Quest, he felt lower-rank than the others, and this didn't help. He cast his eyes down and folded his ears back submissively.

"Gralfon, this is a chance few woofs get: that photo will be your gift to the Lord and Lady and will free you from your collar. If you find the pod.

"One more thing: We're a pack and we help one another. Move silently as you stalk your prey. Keep in contact, coordinate your efforts. Find that escape pod and report.

"Questions?"

"Alpha, is there a map of the area and where the pod came down?"

"Yes, there is. Gather around."

The Alpha spread a map out on the table. It was marked in pencil with a broad arc and some concentric ellipses.

"Is arc is the most likely trajectory of the incoming pod. The ellipses are where Orbital Control think it landed. The outer one is 99% probability that it's in that area. The next one is 85%, 75%, 50%. That's over by Stag Creek, between the Hunters Ridges."

Several of the Patrol Woofs shifted about or folded their ears back.

"That's some rough terrain," said one of the Betas. "Steep, rocky gullies. Even if they landed softly, the'll have a hard time getting out."

"It'll take us a couple of days to get in there," said a Gamma. Others nodded.

"We should assume they will go the easy way: down, find a stream and follow it. We will deploy here and spread out."

Alpha pointed to a stream whose tributaries covered the area of most likely landing.

"Gralfon will take the center. You will go straight up through the center of this circle. You will have the greatest chance to find it. Whoever finds it will bring

The Betas nodded. This will encourage everyone. Some of the Gammas weren't so sure; they would be at the edges and thus be less likely to find them.

"You honor us, Alpha," said a collared woof.

"You honor me, Patrol Woof. This is a tough assignment, and you're all going to do it. Not for me ... for Woofheim."

"For Woofheim."

"Get your packs ready. We move out in half an hour."

Gralfon pointed his ears in many directions; he sniffed the air. Something wasn't right in this forest. The animals were quiet, and not just because of his approach. He followed the quiet. There was a gully; he clambered down one side and up the other, slowly, carefully: didn't want to make too much noise. Up the other side of the small valley, and to the ridge. Topping the ridge, he crept down on all fours and folded his ears back. He looked down on the valley; through a thinning in the trees he spotted orange and white in the treetops, bright white in the sunlight. A great shiny sheet of cloth, with ropes, draped on the trees and hanging down. He tugged at his collar, his constant companion for the past few years. It was still there, of course ... and active again. He considered his course through the forest to the parachute.

He crept up on where the parachute should be ... and found its cargo. A capsule just big enough to hold two or three woofs, four if they were cozy, dangling in midair six or eight taillengths above the forest floor, too high to jump from. He crept around it, keeping out of sight. A hatch had been blown open. He approached the capsule directly toward the open hatch, keeping his eyes and ears on it.

A face appeared in the hatch. Alien, green, bare skin, no ears. Gralfon stopped in his tracks. He held out his hands low and palm-out. I have no weapons.

The lizard-thing held on to a railing by the hatch and extended its other hand likewise. Gralfon hoped it meant the same thing.

He approached closer, ten taillengths, and adjusted his collar to aim the camera. He pressed the shutter release. The camera beeped quietly to confirm it had the image and his location. He turned to walk downhill to find a clearing.

"Eeepkglaakmur."

Gralfon turned to look at the alien. It was trying to climb out of the capsule.

"No!" he shouted.

It stopped and looked at him. He emphatically shook his head from side to side, crossed and uncrossed his hands back and forth in front of him, then gestured as if to push the alien back into his capsule.

"It's too high. Stay in there! I'm going for help."

"Eeepkglaakmur."

"No. Stay there." He pointed and bared his teeth. The alien disappeared from the hatch into the shadows of the capsule.

"Good alien. I'm going for help."

Gralfon clambered down hill in the direction of thinning trees. The valley opened into a small glade, with the creek running next to it. He uncovered the call button. Quivering with excitement he pressed it. Soon they will come. Soon he will be freed from his collar.

"Gralfon?" said a voice from his collar.

"Gralfon here."

"You can come on back. The capsule has been found. There were no survivors."

"No, alpha. There were survivors. At least one."

"Say again?"

"I found the capsule hanging from a tree. I spoke with someone in it."

"Arghwoof found the capsule in a rocky gully. It made a hard landing. Broke on impact. Whoever wasn't killed got drowned. Come on back."

"N-No, Alpha. There's another capsule. Big parachute, orange and white, maybe two hundred taillengths north of me. And the occupant--one, at least--is alive. I. Spoke. With. Him."

"Uh. Go to the capsule. We'll be there in five minutes."

"Aye, Alpha."

Gralfon stood up and walked back to the escape pod hanging in the tree.

"Hey, there."

"Eeepkglaakmur."

"You said that. I don't know what that means. Uh. Help is coming."

He heard the sound of the approaching aircraft. He pointed. The thopper, a rotary-wing vehicle, came into view from the southeast, and flew a circle around them. It flew south a short distance, where Gralfor knew the glade was, and landed.

"They'll be here soon. Stay there."

A few minutes later some other woofs came tramping up the valley.

"Patrol Woofs, here," Gralfon said. "They're up in the tree."

"Gralfon, nice find!"

"How are we gonna get them down?"

"Cut the ropes, let them drop the rest of the way?"

"Oh, that's gotta hurt. Can we lift them out with the thopper?"

The woof wearing the flight helmet and overalls looked at the trees and shook his head.

"That's really dodgy. And that capsule looks heavy. If I can't lift it, we have a real problem."

"Let's just get the survivors out. We can worry about the capsule later."

"Drop it out of the tree?"

"Yeah."

"Somebody better tell them."

"Gralfon!"

"Aye, Alpha!"

"We're gonna get a rope up there. You talk to your friends and tell them the plan. They are to strap in and brace for a hard landing."

He looked at the thopper pilot.

"Yeah, they should be able to survive that."

"Hey, up there!"

A green head emerged from the capsule.

Alpha held up the coil of rope and made as if to throw it.

The alien reached out his arm and gestured inwards.

Alpha tossed the rope up to the capsule. The alien got the idea and after a couple attempts was able to grab it. He latched the end to a rail inside the capsule. He demonstrated that it was good and tight by making a show of pulling on it. He gestured "come up."

Alpha said, "Gralfon, he's your friend. You go up."

Gralfon used a rappelling tool to climb the dozen taillengths.

Once up, he clipped a shorter rope to the rail. There were two green aliens in the capsule.

"Uh, hi." He reached out his paw. One of the aliens, the closer one, reached out and touched his paw.

"Uhhhai," it said.

"Okay, uh, here's the plan."

He knocked on the side of the capsule, held up his fist, and pointed to it.

The alien knocked on the capsule and pointed to his fist.

"Okay. This is the capsule. It's, uh, hanging form the trees."

He held up his other paw and pinched his fingers. He moved the two together to indicate a relationship.

"Ai," said the alien. "Glixxymorgthupp. Ai."

"Uh, we want to cut the cable."

He fumbled in his equipment and got out a wilderness knife.

He made cutting motions in the air on the "rope" and then dropped his fist.

He put the knife back into his holster.

The alien spoke in that funny language to his partner. They discussed it, then came to a conclusion. The alien got into his acceleration couch and strapped don his safety harness. The other alien tightened his. The first one pressed some switches on the control panel and lights went out.

"Glixxymorgthupp. Eeepkglaakmur. Eeepkglaakmur."

He made the sign of the fist dropping down, then made the Go Away motion.

"Eeepkglaakmur," said Gralfon.

He rappelled down the rope a dozen taillengths.

"Did you make contact?"

"Aye, Alpha. They like the plan."

"How do you know?"

Gralfon held up his fist. "Space capsule. Rope."

Gralfon got out his hunting knife and "cut" the rope, and dropped his fist.

"That's when they strapped themselves in tight and told me to get out."

"They?"

"Two of them."

"Ah. They didn't seem angry or scared?"

"No, they had a conversation, then strapped in and gave me the go-ahead."

"Sounds good to me. Get a power saw, climb back up there, and cut 'em free."

"Aye, Alpha!"

Gralfon climbed the rope again, an extra coil of rope and a power saw hanging from his belt. He poked his head into the escape pod.

"Eeepkglaakmur," he said.

He showed them the power saw.

The lizard's eyes got big.

"Eeeeeeee. Eeepkglaakmur."

He pointed up.

Gralfon climbed up higher, and clipped his harness into a higher section of the cable the escape pod was hanging from, where the cable split before it met the parachute. He tested whether it would bear his weight, then hung free next to the cable.

"Stand clear!" he shouted.

"Standing clear aye!" someone shouted back.

"Eeepkglaakmur," could be heard from the cabin.

Gralfon switched on the saw. It howled to life. Slowly he brought the spinning blade to the cable. It spit sparks ... but started cutting the cable.

"Here goes! Hang on tight!"

The cable popped and the escape pod dropped away from below him. Unburdened, the tree lifted up and pulled Gralfon with with it. Gralfon released the trigger on the saw and oped it would stop spinning before he hit something with it. He felt that sickening moment of free-fall at the top of his flight, then fell again. He heard the thump of the capsule on the ground and then was caught by his harness and the tree.

Gralfon looked down and saw his packmates converging on the escape pod. A moment later they helped the aliens out. The aliens and everyone else looked up at him. He waved and got to the business of getting himself out of the tree.

"Rappelling down!"

The woofs cleared away from the area. Someone yelled, "Clear to rappell aye!"

Gralfon attached his long rope to the parachute cable and his rappelling device to it, then dropped the free end of the rope. It dangled over the top of the escape pod and reached the ground with room to spare. He unclipped his short safety line, then rappelled down the rope.

Gralfon stood on the escape pod and looked around ... and heard a few camera beeps. He climbed the rest of the way down as woofs approached him to help and cheer.

"How are the aliens?"

"They're fine, thanks to you," said Alpha.

"Eeepkglaakmur," said the alien.

Gralfon walked to it and extended his paw. The alien touched his paw, then the other one did the same.

"Welcome to Woofheim."

"All right, Woofs," said Alpha. "Pilot, take our guests and Gralfon back to Wester Wood. The rest of us will huff it out on hindpaws."

"Nice work up there, Gralfon," said the pilot. "Help me get our guests comfortable."

"Aye, Pilot."

•••

The Patrol Pack was gathered by the bonfire; a pair of woofs representing the Lord and Lady stood nearby. Two green lizardlike aliens stood by. One of the betas spoke.

"It has come to our attention that a Quest has been completed. Young woof, come forward."

Gralfon, naked but for his collar, approached the Lord and Lady. He knelt.

"It's been a while since we sent you out on your quest."

"Yes, Lady."

"Who speaks for this Quester?"

"I do, Lady."

"Who are you?"

"I am the Alpha of the Patrol Pack, charged with guarding the southwestern mountains of the Wester Wood."

"Tell us his story, Alpha."

"Lady, Gralfon traveled through the Wester Wood, up and over Hunters Ridge, where he discovered an orbital escape pod hanging from a tree. He climbed up to the pod and freed it from its trap, allowing our alien guests to arrive safely in Woofheim."

The Lord and Lady conferred with one another.

"That is indeed an honorable quest and a prize," she said. "I suppose this young woof will want to be freed of his collar. Gralfon?"

"Yes, Lady, if it pleases you."

"What bounty do you offer in payment for your freedom?"

"A picture, Lady, that I took of my captured prize."

She nodded to her Beta, who used a data cable to connect a data pad to Gralfon's collar. He pressed some buttons and an image appeared on the data pad. This he brought to the Lady. She examined it and showed it to the Lord. They both nodded.

"Show it to the gathered woofs."

The Beta carried the data pad around so everyone could see it. There were oohs and ahhs. The photo showed a thinning in a forest, a great parachute tangled in the high trees, and hanging from it a conical escape pod, scorched at the bottom, with a green alien lizard poking his head out the hatch. The alien was too high off the ground to get down safely.

"We approve. Come forward, Gralfon. You have paid your bounty, and so I will free you."

He approached her. He felt a bit shy, naked but for his collar in front of everyone.

The Lady smiled gently. She touched the collar with an electronic key. It clicked. She nodded. Quietly, so only he could hear, she whispered, "Go ahead. Remove it. Throw it away hard. Like you mean it."

Gralfon tilted his head ... and got her intent. He could feel that the collar had released its grip. He pulled it away from his throat ... and felt a curious emotion. Where he had hated the collar as a symbol of his failure to complete his quest, now he missed it as a comforting companion telling him his role in society. By removing it he would have to take on new responsibilities.

His heart beat faster and he trembled. He held the collar in his paw and looked at it; he pulled back his lips and showed it teeth; he growled. He drew back his hand and hurled the collar into the fire, where it kicked up sparks that rose into the night sky. There were some barks of surprise.

"Nicely done," said the Lord. "You earned the right to do that. Gentlewoofs all, Aliens. You have witnessed a great deed today, the completion of a quest. Raise a cheer for our new full Adult. Arf-Arf!"

The gathered crowd cheered, "A-roooo!"

Gralfon looked around and saw that everyone was honoring him, something he had not dreamt of. He turned to the aliens who had made this possible for him. He walked to them and knelt. They were not sure what to make of this; they had a bit of a conversation.

One of them tentatively touched him on his forehead, and the other one did as well. Then it placed a hand under his chin and pressed upwards. He stood. It extended a hand ... and he extended his paw. They clasped; the other alien did the same with his other paw.

Woofs applauded. One of the Patrol Pack betas handed Gralfon a uniform. "Put some clothes on. Make yourself decent now."