“Hey, wake up!” A paw shook Charlie’s shoulders.
Charlie groaned and blinked up at the wolf shaking his shoulder. He was rather portly and had his whiskers waxed into a proper moustache. Charlie tried to sit up, but his head throbbed and he found himself looking up at a light far up in the air above him.
His head swam angrily.
“What happened?” Charlie muttered.
“Don’t move.” The wolf said. “We’re at the edge of an even deeper chasm. It’s a miracle the coffin hit the wall where it did.”
“Coffin?” Charlie rolled his eyes over to a cracked crystal box.
“Yeah, the ones those golems put people in. Are you sure you’re okay? What do you remember?”
“I was…” Charlie winced as another lance of pain hit his brain. “I.. I don’t remember.”
“My name is Rodrigo.” The wolf, Rodrigo, apparently, said. His eyes were searching Charlie’s. “You remember me, right?”
“I’m.. sorry, I can’t, my head hurts too much.” Charlie looked up, “So we fell? Is that the hole up there?”
“The hole?” Rodrigo glanced up and chuckled. “No, it’s my Light spell. We must have bounced a bunch. We’re lucky to have survived the fall at all.”
Charlie groaned.
“What’s your name?” Rodrigo asked.
“Charlie.” Charlie replied.
“What’s the last thing you remember? Seriously.” Rodrigo asked.
Charlie tried to recall, but things were so jumbled.
He was a human, but also a wolf pup who was experimented on? That didn’t make sense. He dug in his pockets and pulled out the hand mirror. It had broken in the fall, but Charlie was able to pull out a sizeable shard and viewed himself.
Charlie stared at the black wolf in the mirror. He looked familiar, though his memories of his human face told him that parts of his facial features were similar to that form too. The wolf recalled polymorph spells existing. Maybe he’d transformed?
More disturbing was the blood-matted fur near the top of his skull. There was a gash there, the blood still wet. He thought he could see the sickly white gleam of bone. That meant the wound hadn’t closed yet. If he had to guess at the recency of the injury, he’d say, perhaps… thirty minutes old?
So he’d fallen and hit his head about thirty minutes ago.
“Just… a bunch of weird things.” Charlie carefully shook his head, but it still made his head hurt.
“Do you remember Diamond Hollow?” Rodrigo asked, and Charlie was a little disturbed to find the other wolf was wagging his tail.
“No. That’s a place, right?” Charlie had a vague recollection that it sucked.
“Yes.” Rodrigo patted Charlie’s shoulder. “You have retrograde amnesia induced by head injury. I’ve seen miners get it when they get hit by falling rocks.”
“But I know my name, my childhood…”
“Yes, but your last memory was not entering a dreary logging town, right?” Rodrigo persisted.
“No.”
“So your recent memories are missing. That’s retrograde amnesia.”
“How long does it last?” Charlie asked.
“With a healer? Until the healer is finished treating them with magic.” Rodrigo sighed. “Without a healer, anywhere from a week to a few months.”
“Not good.” Charlie said.
Even with his memory messed up like it was, they were clearly in a survival situation.
Charlie-the Wolf version of Charlie, at least- had been trained to deal with these situations and having as much information as possible was key to survival. Information he no longer had, thanks to the head injury. He patted his pockets, wondering if he had a healing potion on him.
“Looking for a healing potion?” Rodrigo asked.
Charlie swallowed and tipped his head forward slowly in a nod.
“I… kinda have a healing potion.”
“Kinda?”
“It ages the wound. I’m going to have to be cautious with it and not touch anywhere else, okay?”
“Alright.”
"I only have the one," Rodrigo said, producing a phial of crimson liquid. "I'll just apply a little bit to your wound. Steady now."
Charlie held up a small mirror as Rodrigo retrieved a silk handkerchief, deftly uncorked the phial, and gently pressed the cloth to the gash on the wolf's head.
At first, the concoction tingled slightly, eliciting a sharp hiss from Charlie. Then the itching set in, fierce and unyielding. Rodrigo deftly pulled the edges of the wound together, causing a sudden surge of pain to jolt through the wolf's body. But he continued to apply the potion in tiny dabs around the perimeter of the cut.
Charlie's mind was reeling, but Rodrigo's presence seemed to anchor him. As the other wolf dabbed a red liquid onto his wound, Charlie couldn't help but marvel at the gentle, yet skilled way Rodrigo tended to him.
To Charlie's amazement, the gash began to seal up before his eyes.
It was like watching time-lapse footage of a wound healing, only accelerated a hundredfold. The throbbing subsided, and the wound shrank into a small, inflamed bump. As the throbbing in his head receded and the wound began to seal itself up, Charlie found himself feeling grateful for the wolf's care. He looked up at Rodrigo with newfound appreciation, and in that moment, felt a spark of something more than just gratitude. The fur around the fur around the wound shifted, the black strands speckled with white where the potion had been applied.
Charlie was too relieved to care about the odd effect.
“Feel better?” Rodrigo asked, patting Charlie's shoulder.
“Much. Thank you, Rodrigo,” Charlie said.
Rodrigo's eyes met Charlie's, and there was something in them that made Charlie's heart skip a beat. It was as if the world around them had disappeared, leaving only the two of them standing there. Charlie couldn't help but feel drawn to Rodrigo, and he realized that he had never felt this way before.
“You remember anything yet?” Rodrigo asked, breaking Charlie's reverie.
“No,” Charlie shook his head, trying to push away his sudden attraction to Rodrigo.
“Our potions can only heal wounds naturally.” Rodrigo shrugged apologetically. “No clerics or druids in Diamond Hollow, I’m afraid.”
Charlie inspected the wound again, noting the inflammation had gone, but the hair was still a stark white.
It bothered him a bit, now that he didn't have throbbing pain to deal with. Charlie could always dye it. He stood and got his bearings. They were on the edge of a chasm. He searched the area for more supplies.
“Why did I come here?” Charlie asked himself.
“To rescue me, I suppose.” Rodrigo smiled and bowed. “I’m the mayor of Diamond Hollow. The townspeople have been captured by golems.”
“And we are where?”
“As far as I can tell, far below the dungeon in the mines we accidentally opened.” Rodrigo replied.
Alright. That meant Charlie had come here prepared. He couldn’t remember coming here, but he knew what his usual packing list was. There should be a grappling hook and silken rope somewhere around here.
He found it a few feet away from the coffin, the hook caught on the edge of the chasm with the rope dangling far below. Charlie shivered and recovered his gear. It would help him scale the chasm, but Rodrigo didn’t look particularly athletic.
Not that there was anything wrong with it. The wolf looked rather handsome and kind of regal, now that he had a better look at him. But it would make rescuing them both harder.
He searched around for a ledge or something and found a trail along the side of the chasm leading up.
“Here, let’s see if we can find a place without all this overhang.” Charlie nodded at the path.
The two men carefully shimmied along ledges and walked up rough slopes until the came to a place where the path above them opened up.
Taking his grapnel hook, Charlie flung it up and lodged it firmly in place before scaling the side of the chasm. Then he threw the rope back down and gestured for Rodrigo to wrap it around his waist and attempt to scale it himself. He leaned down and helped the huffing and puffing wolf the last few feet.
“Whoa. Are we on some kind of path?” Rodrigo asked, looking around.
Charlie realized the wolf was right. They were now on a carved stone step, chipped in places from age and tear. It followed the side of the chasm up. To where? Charlie had no clue, but you didn’t put stairs to nowhere. Something was at the top and bottom.
“Let’s go. We don’t have much food or water.” Charlie said and started up the stairs.
“Hey,” Rodrigo placed a paw on Charlie’s shoulder. “Thanks. For saving me.”
As Rodrigo placed a paw on Charlie's shoulder, a warmth spread through Charlie's chest. He turned to look at the other wolf and was struck by how handsome he was. His tail wagged involuntarily, but he pushed aside those feelings. They had more important things to worry about right now.
Still, when Rodrigo thanked him for saving him, Charlie couldn't help but feel a flutter in his heart. He carefully removed Rodrigo's paw, but not before relishing the touch of his warm, furry skin against his own.
"We don't know how far we fell or where these steps lead," Charlie said, trying to keep his voice steady. He didn't want Rodrigo to think he was being overly emotional.
But Rodrigo seemed to sense something in Charlie's tone. "If you say so, Charles," he said, his eyes locked on Charlie's.
As they walked up the stairs, Charlie couldn't help but steal glances at Rodrigo. He noticed how his chest heaved with each breath, how sweat trickled down his skin. Charlie wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel his warmth against his own body.
Finally, when Rodrigo could go no further, Charlie helped him to the ground. His body was hot to the touch, yet he shivered in the cool air.
Charlie knew he had to act fast. "As soon as we get somewhere with shelter, you're going to need to strip," he said, trying to keep his voice even.
Rodrigo looked at him in amazement, his tail wagging. "I didn't know you felt like that about me..."
Charlie rolled his eyes, but inside, his heart soared. "Your sweat is going to kill you, dingus," he said.
"Oh," Rodrigo's tail and ears lowered, but then he looked up at Charlie with a glint in his eye. "But what if I want you to help me strip?"
Charlie felt his face flush, but he didn't back down. "We need to focus on survival right now," he said, though his heart ached with longing.
But as they sat there, huddled together for warmth, Charlie couldn't help but feel the distance between them closing. He took Rodrigo's paw in his own and stared into his eyes.
"I'm an expert, and I'm going to save you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Rodrigo smiled, and for a moment, Charlie forgot all about the danger they were in. He leaned forward, his heart pounding in his chest, and kissed Rodrigo softly on the lips. It was just a brief touch, but it sent shockwaves through Charlie's body. He pulled back, feeling embarrassed and vulnerable.
But Rodrigo's eyes were shining with something that looked suspiciously like love. "We'll make it out of here together," he said, and Charlie knew that he was right.
“Yes,” Charlie replied, his voice filled with newfound confidence. “But I’m a leader as well. I understand you’re just reassuring me. Neither of us know how far down we fell or how far up the surface is.”
Rodrigo's grip tightened on Charlie's paw, and he leaned in closer. "I believe in you," he said softly, his voice filled with trust and admiration.
Charlie coughed and looked away from the other wolf’s intense gaze.
“I estimate we fell less than a mile,” Charlie said. “The coffin likely slowed our descent and dispersed the impact forces. It’s also possible that the crystal was shock-absorbent. We can’t have fallen more than a mile or two.”
“How do you know all of this?” Rodrigo asked, his eyes wide.
“I wasn’t trained like most people,” Charlie replied, looking away. “I was a normal wolf given an anthro form. The scientist who created me put me in a school with other successes. We learned about the world through pictures. We weren’t allowed outside until after graduation.”
“Graduation?” Rodrigo asked.
“A competition to see who could survive,” Charlie replied. “Only 50% of us made it.”
“I see,” Rodrigo said. “So this whole… survival stuff. It’s just logic?”
“Yes,” Charlie replied. “We’ll use our knowledge and instincts to survive this.”
“Wow.” Rodrigo stared at Charlie in amazement. “As much as I’m impressed with your schooling, I’d love to hear more about your childhood.”
Charlie blushed and shook his head. “It’s a sad story, really. Come on.”
Charlie extended a paw and helped Rodrigo up to his feet.
“Shall we continue for a mile or two more?” Charlie suggested.
“How far have we gone already?” Rodrigo asked.
“Perhaps half a mile,” Charlie replied, looking around. “But we’re not ascending vertically, so it’s hard to say for certain.”
“Only half a mile?” Rodrigo groaned. “I despise stairs. I wish I could find the inventor of stairs and push them down a flight or two.”
“Where do you think they lead?” Charlie pondered.
“The Depths Below,” Rodrigo whispered, his tail curling between his legs.
Charlie knew why Rodrigo was so frightened.
The Depths Below were where all the ancient terrors of the First Age were entombed. Symbols of death and sharp, pointy monoliths surrounded the tombs to warn away anyone who dared to disturb them. And yet, every once in a while, someone opened one. That was usually the end for them, and for the civilization above.
The ruin that Charlie had fallen from was part of the Depths Below, a place that no one was meant to open.
Exactly how desperate was Diamond Hollow that someone would take such a risk? Charlie pulled Rodrigo closer to him. He couldn't help but feel a sense of protectiveness towards the plump, handsome wolf. Charlie wanted nothing more than to keep him safe and close, to cherish him and hold him in his arms and-
“Thank you,” Rodrigo said.
“Of course,” Charlie replied, holding Rodrigo tighter than was necessary. “Stay close to me from now on, alright?”
Rodrigo nodded, a small smile on his face.
They traveled further up, trying to keep silent. Every once in a while, Charlie thought he heard a noise from far, far below. It wasn't a footstep or a slithering sound, no, it was like... feeling something. A displacement of air pressure with no real noise attached to it. An absence of noise would be more accurate, as though someone were trying to mask their movement and mostly succeeding.
Charlie knew that noise well, as he was usually the one making it when he crept up on his targets.
“If this is the Depths Below, where are the monsters?” Rodrigo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Predators congregate where there is food,” Charlie explained. “No one has been down here for thousands of years, so there's no man-made horrors beyond our comprehension. But...”
“But?” Rodrigo prompted.
“But we must have made a lot of noise,” Charlie said, his voice heavy with concern. “Let's hope they have as much trouble with the stairs as we do."