Wild Rye Fields I am a Dwarf and I'm Digging a Hole

Takes place shortly after Neko discusses the infirmary with Drestig and Jessie. 53 ° F/12 ° C. For @Cottongrass

Neko was proud of herself for the thought she had put into the infirmary. She had taken the time to check out suitable locations for it and had discussed it with Jessie and Drestig. She had also considered it’s layout and discussed that with the alpha pair as well. She had chosen a good location for the entrance where it was well obscured for security but still observable by the pack’s guardians and accessible to the pack. She knew enough to channel rainwater and melting snow away from the entrance and to dig the tunnel uphill to ensure that water would run out of the den and not into it.

Unfortunately, when it came to executing the plan, she fell short. She had dug out the main tunnel and its branches that would serve as the skeleton of the den with the intention of digging each chamber afterwards. Without thinking, she made the tunnels just big enough herself, probably the smallest adult in the pack. The thought of a larger wolf needing to fit comfortably didn’t even cross her mind. She also left clumps of loose dirt along the walls and ceiling, not realizing that they could cave in and potentially even trap her inside the tunnel.

Digging was harder work than she had anticipated, but she didn’t mind, knowing that her work was serving an important purpose. As she dug, her paw hit another rock. “Stupid stone, get out of my way,” she said in a mildly playful tone, almost as if she were speaking to a puppy and not an inanimate object. Normally, she would feel self-conscious about such a thing, but she assumed she was alone.

There was a hole in the ground.

He was pretty sure there wasn't a hole in the ground there last time he checked. And he checked pretty regularly. It was probably one of his only self-appointed duties around Wild Rye Fields. When he was bored he wandered around pack territory. He probably knew the place like the back of his paw because that's how obsessive he was when it came down to exploring every nook and corner.

So when he stumbled upon what seemed like a freshly dug hole with something just out of sight squirming all about inside of it? He didn't know what the heck he was supposed to do. Because impulse told him to dive right in and explore to his heart's content. What's the worse that could happen! But the rest of his brain—the part of it that wasn't an impulsive and chaotic mess—told him to leave it alone before his bad luck kicked in and he triggered a series of events that he wanted no part in.

It somehow didn't make the impulse any less stronger.

He glanced over his shoulder. Because maybe if this was a really bad idea someone important would just magically appear and tell him off. But no such thing happened and he returned his gaze back to the den's entrance. There was some dirt trickling out. He was pretty sure if he cocked his head and strained his ears he could hear more noises coming from somewhere within.

His self-control wavered.

Screw it.

He took one last step towards the entrance before dropping onto his stomach. It took some awkward shuffling but eventually he wiggled his way into the den itself. His head grazed the ceiling and his broad shoulders dragged along the sides of what seemed like the entrance tunnel. He was pretty sure this was already a very bad idea. But like hell would he admit defeat so easily. Instead he gave one last wiggle deeper before falling still.

"Hello?" He called into the darkness. Like maybe if he let the wolf—or whatever strange creature that was digging random dens across pack territory—know he was there, it wouldn't bite his nose off when it inevitably turned against him. Or at least that was what one could hope. He wasn't too sure anymore.

Neko had dislodged the stone from the dirt and flung it behind her when she heard a voice echo through the tunnel. She thought it sounded like it was actually coming from inside the tunnel. She backed herself up to point where there was just enough space for her to turn herself around then called back with a soft bark before returning to the entrance to find the source of the voice.

This could be bad, she thought when she saw the white wolf wedged in the tunnel. I hope he’s not stuck. She remembered the white wolf from the pack meeting, but she couldn’t remember his name. (There were still several wolves in the pack she had not properly met and a few too many names for her to remember.)

Seeing the medium-sized wolf trying to squeeze through her tunnel suddenly made her realize she had made it too small. It would have to be big enough for even the larger wolves to fit in comfortably, and she would certainly feel bad if the white wolf had gotten stuck because she made the tunnel too narrow. “Oh, hi,” she said and proceeded to explain what she was doing, hoping the white wolf wasn’t stuck. “This is going to be the infirmary, but I guess I made the tunnel a little too small, huh?” She wasn’t quite ready to admit she had forgotten his name.

(This post was last modified: Aug 26, 2017, 05:48 PM by Neko.)