Dog or Pony?
"We caught it yesterday. Clary tried to feed it a carrot but it didn't like that, then Folly threw a lump of coal and it ate it up." Midi clambers onto an upturned bucket and peers through a gap in the wall. "Dogs don't eat coal so it has to be a pony."
"Ponies eat carrots," Grom says grumpily as he pulls out a sausage to munch on. "So it's not one of them either."
"But they pull the coal waggon. I've seen them."
Midi's argument stumps Grom and in the silence that follows you have a look through the crack in the door. The room beyond is dark but you can make out a jumble of ladders and collapsed beams. Something large and hairy moves in the shadows before leaping at the door. You fall back to howls of laughter from Midi and the children.
"It's going to bring the wall down if it does that again." Grom gestures with the sausage at a cracked beam over their heads. "You've caught a wolf. Dromae knows how it got into the city but best call the local guard in and have it sorted."
"No! It's our friend," Midi cries as she jumps in front of the door even as the wolf claws at the other side. "You have to help it."
Grom tosses his half-eaten sausage to the ground in frustration and takes a step back leaving you in charge.
Leave it to the guard to sort
Help Midi tame the wolf
"I knew you'd see sense," Grom says with a satisfied nod. "Midi, go and tell Trig about your wolf and he'll sort it."
"He'll kill it," Midi says glumly but as she lowers her head you catch a glint in her eye.
"That may be," Grom says sagely. "Better it than-"
Before Grom can finish his sentence Midi throws the latch on the door and kicks it open.
The wolf escapes
The wolf growls as you approach the door but Midi stops you before you lift the latch.
"Give it this," Midi says and hands you a lump of coal.
"You get mauled by a wolf you'll not be getting a refund," Grom says but you ignore him and open the door.
The wolf leaps out of the dark knocking you on your back. Dangerously sharp teeth come close to your face and you get a whiff of fire and smoke on its breath.
"Bad pony!" Midi yells and the wolf swings its head around to glower at her but you remember the lump of coal and thrust it in its face. The wolf snatches it from your hand and proceeds to crunch down on it, showering you with black dust. All the anger and rage that flowed through the animal only moments before vanishes and it settles down at your side to gnaw at the coal.
"Lucky," Grom says as he helps you onto your feet. "It almost took your head off. We can't leave it here though."
"It's got a collar with something scratched on it," Midi says from somewhere under the wolf. The children rush forward to pat the now placid animal.
You dig around in the thick fur until you find Midi holding a name tag with 'Sparky, Chains Pub' etched into it.
"I know the Chains, cracking pub next to the iron works." Grom clicks his fingers. "This is their dog. The ironworkers rescued it as a pup from a coal bunker and gave it to the pub. No wonder it loves coal. They'll likely pay a reward for its return."
"Will you take it home?" Midi asks as the dog gets to its feet and has a good shake. The children giggle as they get out of its way. Sparky comes over and licks your hand. "We haven't got any more coal to feed it."
You promise Midi that you will and that if there's a reward you share it with her and the other children.
"If you're going to the Golden Temple you should go through there," Midi says pointing at a curtained doorway. "Just ask anyone and they'll point you to it."
You thank Midi and set off with Sparky and Grom in tow.
The quiet dead
Parent Plot
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