"Dogs?" asked Roran.
"Yeah, big fluffy ones."
Roran had never had a dog before, though there were plenty of cattle dogs around the various farms from Millgrove. He shrugged. "Sure, I guess. I don't dislike them or anything."
"Excellent, come with me."
Chase led Roran back into the twisting labyrinth underneath the coliseum. He was once more blindly following someone in hopes of escaping his situation, if only for a moment. This trek didn't take long. After a few brief turns, Chase led Roran to a large, barred door that smelled strongly of animals.
"Here we are, just a second." Chase produced a key ring and unlocked the door, gesturing for Roran to enter. Inside were rows of cages stacked on top of each other. At the far end of the room was one large kennel, filled to the brim with dogs. They were the biggest dogs Roran had ever seen, much larger than the cattle dogs that he'd seen running around his town.
The dogs perked up as soon as Roran and Chase entered the room. They first growled at Roran, then panted and whined as they saw Chase.
"Don't you mind them," said Chase, "these big goofballs really just like to play."
He went over to the cage and gave a sharp whistle. All of the dogs came to attention, lining up in front of Chase and sitting down.
"There's my good little fluffballs." Chase unlocked the cage and gestured for the dogs to come out. They filed out of the cage and, with another gesture from Chase, headed towards a staircase at the end of the room.
"This is my primary task here in the Crucible," said Chase, picking up a wicker basket next to the cage. "Exercising the dogs." He grabbed a leather pouch hanging from a hook headed for the stairs with Roran. At the top was a set of big double doors. "Here, give me a hand with this."
Roran joined Chase and, together, they lifted a bar off the doors and pushed them open, revealing the big open arena where Roran had fought for his life only half a day ago.
"Alright boys, cut loose."
At Chase's command, the dogs tore out into the arena. They tore across the ground, swift and silent like shadows. It took them only a few moments to reach the other side of the arena and begin circling back.
Setting down the wicker basket, Chase pulled a large, leather ball out of it. Winding up, he heaved the ball into the air, arcing out into the arena. Several of the dogs caught sight of the ball and moved to intersect it. The ball hit the ground, bouncing once, before one of the massive hounds leaped up and latched onto it with its teeth.
Satisfied, the dog trotted back to Chase.
"They've got some pretty good hounds here in King's City," said Chase. "I've seen more breeds than I can count but none of them are as smart or as fast as these ones."
The dog dropped the ball at Chase's feet. He reached into the leather sack and produced a scrap of meat, tossing it to the dog as a reward. Then, Chase picked up the ball and heaved it again, watching as the shadows darted towards it, snarling and snapping.
"How long have you been training dogs?" asked Roran.
"Oh I don't know, most of my life I suppose. I used to train them for my old lord out in the southern plains. Once our province fell, I decided to head to the capital of our new little kingdom and ended up getting a job here in the Crucible, training the dogs."
One of the dogs came back, ball in tow. It dropped it at Chase's feet, received its reward, then took off again as Chase once more threw the ball.
Roran nodded. "How long ago was that?"
"Two or three years now. I haven't even worked here for a full year yet, but I like the dogs, and they seem to like me. They're sure smarter than the old hunting and war hounds I used to train."
While the majority of the dogs were excitedly chasing the ball and wrestling each other, a handful were content to wander around the arena. A particularly large dog came up behind Chase and settled down next to him.
"This here is Herda," said Chase, glancing behind him. "She's a bit on the lazy side."
Herda was large and bulky, with long shaggy hair. She had a handful of scars along her body but it didn't seem like they slowed her down at all. She looked over at Roran, regarding him for a moment, before settling back down and dozing in the dirt and gravel.
"What breed are they?" asked Roran.
"They come from the city, take a wild guess."
"Kingly dogs?"
"Close," said Chase, laughing. "King's Hound. They're a mix of war dogs and hunting hounds. I think some lord gifted them to the Kings in exchange for better treatment when they were consumed by the empire."
"Does that happen a lot?"
"Lords giving the Kings gifts? All the damn time."
"No," said Roran, shaking his head, "do the Kings conquer a lot of countries."
"Oh, yeah about one or two a year. They build up their armies, send them out to do some conquering, then spend some time securing their new lands and resources while they rebuild their armies."
"That's sad," said Roran, squatting down and extending a hand to Herda. The old hound lifted her head just enough to sniff his knuckles. She gave them a soft lick and then laid her head back down.
"That's how this empire works kid," said Chase. "I never wanted to work for those bastards, but here we are. At least I get to do something I'm good at, and I love working with the dogs."
Roran started stroking Herda's head. She rolled over, getting closer to him so he could pet her neck and ruffle her ears. The old war hound let out a huff of satisfaction and closed her eyes, enjoying the affection.
"I guess it's not all bad here," said Roran. Even in his dire situation, he'd managed to have a bath, a hot meal, and got to play with a dog.
While Roran spent some time petting Herda, Chase continued the games of fetch with the other dogs. At first the beasts had been playing, warming up as the games got going, but as the night wore on, they became more serious, chasing after the ball harder and faster.
After a few rounds, a couple dogs started fighting over the ball, growling and snapping at each other. Roran found the display intimidating but Chase had a relaxed grin on his face and didn't seem to mind. Once one of the dogs had the ball firmly in its mouth, the others gave up the pursuit until the ball was thrown again.
Chase continued throwing the ball until his bag of treats ran dry. Once he no longer had any material motivation for the dogs, he gave a sharp whistle. The dogs came running back in, lining up in front of Chase and awaiting his next command. With a gesture, he sent the hounds shuffling towards the stairs and back down below. Even Herda rolled back to her feet, gave Roran a final lick, then trotted below.
"I hate to say it, but it's time kid."
Roran nodded. He stood up and followed Chase back into the darkness.