Welcome to Doge Town

[Doge]

Closed to Phi, open to read for anyone!I received an odd letter addressed to my humble self one odd Tuesday. I assumed that once again my fame had preceded me and that one of my adoring fans had written to ask for my help, or perhaps just lavish upon me gentle words of praise. I have, and will always, adore the loving support of the community.

As a slight issue however, I was not currently in the position of having the ability to read the words of praise written on the letter. Once more a worthy challenge befitting my keen canine intellect arose. What was this humble yellow dog to do? Well, I jumped to it and made my way through the streets of Radasanth with letter clenched safely in my mouth. The easy light of the afternoon caught my fur in a wonderful sheen of custard yellow that extenuated my form of justice as I weaved around people's ankles. Small of form, massive of might, that was me.

The destination I had picked was the citadel. I didn't know much about people, but I knew that monks knew how to read. Up the mighty citadel steps I hopped, through the giant doors I scampered and against one of the giant tapestries in the entry hall I marked my territory.

Relieved, and a little hungry, I tottered from the tapestry and towards the closest monk. I looked up at the rotund man, careful my view point didn't include what was hidden below his billowing robe. An unfortunate status of affairs, but I often was forced to avert my eyes from human’s nether regions given my size and angle. The monk must have been nervous at my presence as he pretended not to see me. I politely explained my need for him to read the letter.

"Woof"

Ignoring the feat of communication I had achieved by talking with a letter in my mouth, I succeed in gaining his attention. His face seemed confused at first, obviously at why the great Doge would want to speak with him. He bent and took the letter from my mouth and studied the words therein.

"A fight huh?"

A fight? I thought, realising that this person must want a spar to test their metal against my fur. To tell the truth I nearly gave into selfish emotion and turned down the offer right there. I am guilty of many things, and every day the struggle to maintain righteous justice occurs within my humble physic as well as outside. I could not rest, nor dine while someone waited to become a herald of justice under my tutelage. The four day old herring would wait! I had work to do!

The monk turned and walked away, pausing to signal me with a whistle. I followed, allowing the man his indignant gesture. My mere presence often devolved humans into a series of clicks, whistles and ‘coochy coos’.

"Think of where you want to fight pooch, the room will do the rest," spoke my portly escort.

There was simply no place I'd rather spar a young pupil than that where I had learned my skills. The ancient temple steeped in a history of justice and truth, the home of canine foundations in martial prowess! The ancient temple of Dogfu.

The monk that hadn't taken a vow of subsistence pushed open a door and held out the letter for me. I twisted and pointed the bag tied around my waist towards him. He frowned as he shoved the letter in, I assumed it was as to why I would give him the honour of serving me, or perhaps bending down caused his stomach to push his lungs into his neck. Regardless, I entered and the door soon after and was ready to face my new student.

The ancient temple greeted me like a four day old herring; with love. The ancient yellow stone walls stood proud as vines crawled up along the tiny cracks. The stone beneath my feet was warm from the morning sun, and the air cool and crisp that befit the mountain weather. It was good to be back! Although I knew the place wasn't real, it tugged me heart strings regardless.

The temple was sprawling, with dozens of room, secret nooks and crannies. You could spend days exploring it and never see the same thing twice. That however was not for today, instead I was standing on the training platform. The yellow stone square was 15 by 15 feet, or 12 doge lengths. Around the ring was clear blue water filled with coy and giant lily pads. As students we would leap from pad to pad playing catch while trying not to fall in. The single bridge on and off the platform connected with the viewing seats that formed a ring around the training area. High above the ring looked down the four giant statues of the dog profits. Their yellow glory caused long shadows across the training platform. Finally, to my absolute delight the viewing stands were filled with dogs. There were large Salvar hounds with their long matted grey coats, small yellow doges like myself from Akashima originally, the white, brown and black hounds of Corone and mutts of all shapes and sizes. It truly felt like home. With nothing to do but wait I sat and, well, waited.

[Philomel]

Sorry it took me so long to reply, Mutt. I was waiting for my level 5 to go through the RoG. I was also working on getting over the 'flu.

Along the corridor the wild elf strode, the butt end of her war-hammer handle scraping mercilessly along the wall. Upon her head she had her trademark dragon-shaped helmet, with its wings spread out over her temples. Her lips were pursed, shaped so to form the notes of the whistles that spawned from her throat, each one different to the last, higher and lower in a discordant melody. Her plate armour clunked noisily, barely sound-proofed by the thin tunic that separated steel from flesh and her boots stomped like a herd of stampeding bison. Sweeping around into the room with a maneouvre so perfect it could have been blessed by angels, she came to stand, her hand throwing open the door without a second's thought.

Heavily, with a great thud, it slammed against the stone wall in a thunder. Various winces happened from inside the room, at least three at the elf warrior's count, with the last, and most obvious occupant, having her back to the doorway. This figure was a little taller than the rest, and shaped differently. The others seemed to navigate their way around her, with delicacy and honour, trepidation and care. It was as if the woman, she at the centre, was the epitome of their entire universe, their personal sun, and they her planets, revolving in slow circles had only an eye for her in all their deeds and wishes.

Currently two of the attendees were tightening the buckles of their princess' breastplate. It was a fine piece, made of a deep red drakescale, and though it only covered from diaphragm up it certainly made the night sparkle around her. Her belly and lower back was left bare, and nothing currently separated the elements from the flesh there, until one's eyes wandered down and noticed that this female had chestnut brown fur covering her entire bottom half - and then they would begin to realise just who the f**k this girl was.

"Matriarch," the elf warrior grunted. "They say its ready for you."

The attendees grew still. They were all female, and all of exceptional beauty, or at least were at one time. One had burn scars covering the entire side of her face - a whisper of a terrible past - and another had her head shaved, exposing a sickly white disease covering much of the skin of her scalp; yet this did not bother the fur-legged so-called Matriarch. As silence fell in the room, and the eyes grew large, the woman with horns adorning her brow slowly turned.

In her wake the tighteners of her straps fled back; and from the shadows of the room a fox-formed creature leapt. His white-tipped tail clipped around her hooves as both of them twisted to face the announcer, staring at her straight in the eyes. A subtle peace took over the silence, and reigned in the victory of a smile that grew upon the faun's face. Slowly she raised a hand to the right, and into it the hilt of a bladed weapon was placed. Directly. Attendee on the Attended, a waiting woman to her Lady.

"Thank you, Maverick," Philomel Serkena van der Aart said. She pulled the sword from the sheath, and in a moment the bright white blade shone as the ray of hope and love they had always desired. "Thank you. Tell them we will be there presently."

Maverick of the Fiesty Fox, formally called Bouncer Mavrikka of the Ugly Duckling, Eluriand, grunted again, and then turned. She stood to the side, allowing enough room for her Matriarch and Captain to move past, as well as Veridian himself. As he trotted back on his tiny white paws, he looked up to Maverick, and gave her a little grin, before the two of them - him and his beloved Phi - moved off down the corridor, away to meet their competitors.

~*~

The room was deadly silent. And deadly ugly. Her eyes darkened and her brow furrowed as she stepped onto the dais. With her, as always, Veridian moved, the second act to her murderous dance. Behind them, staying on the shore at the edge of the bridge, Maverick waited, her hand clutched around the hilt of her weapon.

The elf-warrior's heart pounded as she watched her saviour, Philomel, walk towards their greatest enemy - the abomination of nature that was the shinu inu mutt, Doge - and her stomach knotted. Of all she had heard of this beast, this merciless monstrosity, she feared for her Matriarch's life, truly. But, but ... Philomel had been determined. She had ordered the writing of the challenge, and the charge to hand it to him, bloodstains and vehemently all, to the extent where Maverick was beginning to suspect there was something deeper going on that just hatred. As she quickly remembered the throwing daggers and the rest of the weapons that Philomel should have, a barking began, bellowing from the throat of some bulldog announcer.

He roared. And his growls resounded. And Maverick found herself throwing the wrapped bundle of throwing knives and keris dagger right at Veridian. Seeing them from the corner of his eye, he leapt, and caught them, chomping his jaws around them - but his hold was not great. Teeth slipped, and buckles loosened, and one of the steel throwing knives slipped out from its holder. It flew uselessly towards the centre of the dais, towards Doge but not far enough - to a place where it would stop dead, but where the fight would begin.

[Doge]

When my new charge appeared I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not a huge fan of those weird hairless bodies humans have, so the nice furry ears and fluffy hindquarters was a nice touch. It was a shame how ugly her face was; barely a hair on it! Regardless, I would endeavour to teach this woman the ways of justice and a life thereafter devoted to good.

Wait… fluffy rump, that slight look of constipation… had I met her before?

I thought about it for a moment, twisting my head in the universal sign of thought. Nothing came, I might have seen her at some point, but it must have been a minor occasion. She also had with her one of the oddest looking dogs I had ever seen. Its tail was too long, and face oddly narrow. Probably one of those ‘designer’ breads that human’s like to keep. Poor soul.

Gerald, our presider finished his speech about honour and the code of Dogefu before gesturing to me. I nodded with grace as he turned his jowl heave face back to his seat. I then pressed upon my new charge the merits of her decision to engage me as a teacher, and her good fortune that I was presently free of engagement (it would have been rude to mention my waiting herring). I also pressed upon her the proper fighting code and form that we would take.

“Woooof,” I barked, condensing the complicated diatribe into a few long syllables like the talent orator I was.

I then took a moment to encourage my fluffy ended charge to plan her first move, and that I would provide a thoughtful and engaging dialogue on my thoughts of her martial prowess. Her dog dropped a bag she tossed to him, a failure of his small jaw I supposed.

“Woof,” I summarized my thought elegantly, adding that her dog should sit out or it might get hurt.

[Philomel]

I am giving you Veridian, at least for now, to fight with. Just as you suggested in the firest place.

"Bark all you like, mongrel," Philomel grinned, reaching to take the bundle of knives from Veridian that he had caught from Maverick's steady throw.

She did not wince as the single steel dagger fell out and spun away quickly until it came to make its rest in the room's heart. Instead she kept the eye contact with the beast steady, and took its patient time whilst the thing just sat there. Sliding her sword back into its sheath the Nightingale set about strapping on the thigh sheath for all of her throwing daggers (minus one of course), and tugging out her keris dagger to shift that into her right palm. Something told her, that for now, in front of all these sleazy flea bags, simple was best, and thus the Lover took place of the white mythril flame of bad attitude and self-styled justice for now.

The shinu inu seemed much more interested in Veridian at this moment. As he stood there, opposite them, clearly waiting for something to happen, his dark eyes flicked from fox to faun. Neither looked at the other, though both had the same idea in mind. In their minds.

He is truly a horror, Philomel wrinkled her nose, Ridiculous, and a curse on nature.

The earth-goddesses meant for us to look as they created us, Veridian summed up his thoughts on the Doge breed, Not in that way. No wolf-descendent would dream of the impracticalities of such a size, colour and coat.

Behind them, the large elf woman shifted her weight to the other leg and foot, extremely uneasy. Here she was, surrounded by these beings called 'dogs,' something she entirely associated with nasty pimps and their obsession with power. As her Matriarch and her familiar were deep in conversation, Maverick found herself muttering under her breath. As Veridian less-than-admired Doge's looks, she was commenting on the entire disgusting feature of this battle - similar thoughts to such an extent that the two non-canines in the room found themselves speaking exactly the same words in sychronisation.

"Mutts, all of them," Philomel and Maverick said.

Veridian's jaws ripped apart. Savagely, and suddenly, he leapt forwards, right before Philomel's hooves. Flickering his long fluffy tail he let out a high string of bark-imitating sounds, but ones that were not barks. Instead, unmistably, he let out a high string of gekkers, the sound truly native to the vulpes vulpes formed creature. They pierced the sandstone sky, and caused ripples in the surrounding pond. Koi fish beneath the lily pads darted for cover as the noises of a natural predator bellowed through the air.

The earth spirit in the shape of a fox loosened his sharpened claws from their sheaths. Springing forwards he lunged towards Doge with the simple speed of a hunting carnivore, lips pulled back from his fanged teeth. Roughly the same size as his victim, Veridian rushed straight for the dog that had caused such a blight on the face of nature herself, and as he did so he let out the demon lying in wait who resided deep inside his soul.

Flames like dancing hungry bursts of sunlight suddenly raged around his body. His eyes glowed a hot saffron and his coat a bright crimson. As the small piece of the fire wisp once known as the Behemoth danced into life in Veridian's system, Philomel found herself drawing back. Taking a step back, the Lover in hand. She realised, she suddenly knew.

This fight, in this arena, until it looked like Veridian would need help, or until he called for it, would be in some way dog-on-dog.

Fire twisting from his mouth in the smallest curling pieces, the fox aflame lunged right for Doge's throat.

[Doge]

It felt as if I hadn’t moved in a month and half, but I assume you dear reader of my exploits, that is not what happened. In fact the small creature of my new student stepped forward to be tested. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly disappointed. He wasn’t much to look at, not like the heavy hoofs of the furry rumpped madam. Thankfully my fears were allayed when the creature channelled something not completely unlike my Doge Punch. It lacked a certain je ne sais quoi as the Corone nobility of the wine region would say, but close.

“Woof!” I urged the fox forwards as I leapt to the side, my mighty trotters of justice scratching the stone beneath them as they skidded.

“Woof!” I said, easily expressing my congratulations on the creature’s attack.

I didn’t have much time to react as my flame clad spar partner lunged again. I was placed then between a literally hot and another literally wet place. It was as my mighty seven inch legs pushed off the ground and launched myself backwards through the air. The mutt’s teeth slammed shut with a hiss of extinguished fire which, to be honest, was somewhat frightening. This is a moment of shame dear reader, because the fright caused a certain ancient instinct buried deep within to tumble forth and me to loosen the control of my bladder. A trail of urine shot rather unceremoniously towards the flaming creature as I landed upon one of the large lily pads.

I felt terribly apologetic as my accidental piss-projectile attack, and I explained as such as I stood on the wobbly lily.

“Woof!”

I shifted my trotters slightly and looked with great shame at my sparring partner. Ear’s lowered, I gave him the opportunity to make the next move from my plant-based spot. The lilies were quite amazing things, able to carry the weight of most dogs with ease. My furry rumpped sparring partner was somewhat heavier however, so I wasn’t sure if her generous girth would be supported.

[Philomel]

This is my fight, Veridian cried as he flew like a phoenix to his mark, My fight, my fire, my beauty.

He was a picture of pure brilliance. Flames rolled off his fur like petals curling from the central stem of a flower. They rose in height, coming to a climax along his curved spine, that flexed and moved like the perfection of a cheetah's in full chase. Smoke billowed from him in dancing spirals, filling the air around him to a heat not unlike a kiln. His tail swam out in the air behind him, a whipping keel in the waterless sea, direction his path with a neat, precise set of motions.

Still hoisting that keris dagger, the formidable weapon that had sealed the fates of many other enemies of her and her beloved fox, Philomel got The Lover ready to turn it to its full capacity, despite the fact it likely would not come to that for some time. She could feel Veridian's passion leaping from his chest like the fire he was now made of, but she did not let the knife fall from the air. Neither did she release her finger from its ready stance on the trigger, especially as Veridian's lunge failed, and the mutt skipped to the side. He lunged again ... but the shina inu raced onto a lily pad.

Low standards, she muttered to him.

The fox-form Earth Spirit could not help but agree. His rage increased, adding to the fire already radiating from his large over-sized body. In this body he could feel the genuine power of the Behemoth, the one who had first ever "gifted" it to his sister-kin, the rabbit Farragise. Though he only had a maximum of one tenth of the aged beast he knew that it wasenough to set the world alight and dance whilst it cried for release. Claws out, he watched the mongrel dance away, and hissed, coldly, through his fangs.

Now it was on the plant, Veridian had few choices, but it was obvious to him that he did not want to get wet. Too long also on a plant might end up setting the ground on fire, and he certainly did not want that. Wet led to his flames dying, staying still too long meant burning the floor. Besides, there was no direct guarantee that the pad would hold his weight. So either Veridian had to retreat or go on ...

Or ...

He kept snarling at the mutt, as one large and impressive, prowling on the close shore but not going any further. His body was like a shield, or a wall, hiding the small creature from the view of Veridian's beloved as she set to work. Minds in sychronsation, the ideal match for each other, she took his movements as he desired and prepared herself. Veridian was prowling for maybe ten seconds, making sure that the thing called Doge was thoroughly distracted before he ducked and barked.

Philomel grinned, and she threw. As Veridian through his massive and firey body flat down like a rug, the blade of a throwing knife whistled through the air. It was a sweet set of actions, blocked at first sight by the fox, and then performed by the faun. The blade sped, hungrily, towards its chosen mark - the side of the mutt, disguised and using surprise as a cover.

Desiring to taste that canis blood.

[Doge]

I found myself watching a most peculiar display as the odd dog and furry-rumped woman seemed to conspire against me. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that one does not enter a battle without an arsenal suiting the situation, but this was a simple training exercise with me as the learned teacher. To go to such lengths seemed like the actions of the under-pawed Cat-jutsu rather than the noble Doge-fu. It was at that moment I decided that I’d have to be somewhat more brash than I had intended to teach these upstarts a thing or two about chiverally.

With that in mind I lifted my paw out of the water I had been idly splashing and planted it down on the lilly. With legs pressed apart my body became the taught god-like creature I was. With single bark, empowered by the ages of Doge before me I unleashed the power of justice. The lilly shot backwards, the water in front of me lifted into the air and the dagger my furry-rumped pupil had thrown was redirected towards the small flaming creature.

I knew not if the redirected dagger would find purchase upon my small pupils body, nor if the water would have much effect either. I sought to show both of these young upstarts what true disciple looked like. As I sat on the slowly rotating lilly pad I had to wonder if perhaps I had gone too far.

My thoughts briefly drifted to the day before last. Now, my mind flashed these images up quickly, as I’m sure you’d expect from a dog of my intellectual capacity. For you I shall slow it down and summaries the complicated nuances of the lesson I had learnt. It was during one of those rush hours where everyone seems to want to either eat, defecate or both and the streets become filled with humans. I had seen someone knocked to the ground, and so with justice and righting the wrongs on my mind I jumped to the person’s side and unleashed a similar blash of sphymonic justice. It turned out that the man had tripped over a herring that I had left on the street to ferment in the sun, and I had just knocked over a woman with two walking sticks. Well imagine my shame, and despite jumping on the woman’s face to help with any damage I had done to her elderly body, people didn’t seem too happy with me. This just goes to show how fickle some people can be.