Argos (20 page)

Then there are days where you are so busy that they seem to flash by in moments. This is how those two days passed. Simply put, Butal and I were working on our escape. I set him to work gnawing at the bars that separated us while I started chewing on the other side. Together, we would have a chance. If I could get into his cage then we could attack the door as a unit. The wood around the latch was the obvious target and it looked slightly rotten in his cage. Other dogs, not possessing my intelligence, would never have thought of attacking the weakest part of the
cage. Dogs do not think like that. They are instinctual creatures, not logical ones.

I had enough logic for both of us but lacked the strength to tear through the latch. With Butal's formidable jaws, it was possible, but it would still take both of us.

I also spent some time honing my skills controlling the other dogs that were within my mind's reach. I directed the ones closest to begin gnawing the wood around their own latches. Their chances for success were slim but that was still better than none at all.

My plan was simple. I had noted that Red and Plump did not always lock the door to the corridor. I suspected that this was out of laziness. Whenever Amycus was around, they always secured it in order to avoid a tongue-lashing. But Amycus wasn't around. He was busy with the new arrival.

All Butal and I had to do was free ourselves and wait inside our cages for Red and Plump to unlock the door to the corridor. Then leap out, overpower them, and make our escape. Easy. With any luck, some of the other dogs might escape too, adding to the confusion and hindering recapture.

But time was against us. Two days were almost up. Butal and I had destroyed the bars linking our cages and were both busy gnawing away at the latch. Frustratingly, we had been disturbed several times by the arrival of Red and Plump distributing food and water to the inmates. They came in at other times to deliver more dogs or take animals up to the arena. Each time, I would retreat back to my cage, hoping that neither man would notice the gaping hole. It would have been unlucky if they had. The
angle was all wrong for them to see it.

Although my teeth started to hurt, I actually enjoyed the monotony of it. I also developed a bond of sorts with Butal. Working together in such close proximity was very intimate. Not since I was a puppy had I spent this much time with another dog. By necessity, Butal and I were almost constantly rubbing shoulders.

During my experimentation, I realized that my ability to manipulate emotions had a limited life span. In other words, if I didn't tweak his mind state from time to time, he would revert to what I considered his baser nature. I had learnt this the hard way. One moment, he would be happily chewing on wood, the next snarling, poised to attack. Once or twice, he surprised me and I was lucky to escape with only a couple of bites.

After a time, I began to look for warning signs. Watching the colors of his emotional state over time, I could see a gradual shift from blue to red. But once he turned fully red, I had no choice but to change him back again.

But something changed over the course of days we spent together. It took him longer and longer to shift to red and even then, his rage seemed to have lessened. Finally, there came a moment when he was about to change from blue to red. I watched closely, ready to alter his mood but it was unnecessary. His emotional state went green instead. I didn't know what to make of it but he didn't seem aggressive so I continued to work.

I was still working when I felt a soft tongue in my ear. I started in alarm but then relaxed when I realized what green meant. Butal had finally shown me his true colors. He wasn't a crazed killing machine. That was what humans had made him.
When shown some kindness and companionship, Butal was becoming the dog he should have always been.

I stopped and looked at him. There was a little slobber around his jaws but he was wagging his tail. I knew what was expected of me and returned the favor. From that moment on, I realized that I would never again have to alter his mood in order to keep myself safe. Butal and I were, for lack of a better word, friends. I had never had a friend other than a human before and I found this concept a little challenging. Pack mates would probably be a better word but two dogs hardly constituted a pack.

We had almost gnawed through the latch when I heard the tell-tale sound of the door unlocking again. I snarled in frustration and darted back into my own cage. Then my nose caught a scent and my heart sank. Amycus was with them. We had run out of time. All that work for nothing.

I heard the door being locked again and then the three men strode into view. I noticed Amycus was walking gingerly, wincing with every second step. Whatever punishment Meges had metered out to him, it was still bothering him.

All three made their way toward my cage. There could be no doubting their purpose. Amycus was here for one final gloat.

He bent down and met my baleful stare; my own hatred reflected in his eyes.

“Time's up,” said Amycus, savoring the words. “I'm going to enjoy this.” I growled at him and he backed away a little. I smelled fear oozing from him.

“I think we'll bind him and use the muzzle this time,” he said. “Just to be sure.”

“I hardly think that's necessary,” said Red. “You saw him last time. Docile as a sleeping goat.”

“You don't get paid to think,” snapped Amycus. “Just do it.”

Red sighed and exchanged looks with Plump. Plump shrugged.

Red bent down and undid the latch on my cage. He opened the door while Plump readied himself behind his colleague.
This is it
, I thought.
This is the moment
. I could attack and get Butal to burst out behind me. But that was pointless. The door to the corridor was still locked.

While I hesitated, Red reached in with his loop and fastened it over my head. Plump jostled next to him and put his own loop on top. Together they dragged me out. And it was a drag. I wasn't going to make it easy for them. Once out of the cage, Amycus deftly bound my feet with thick rope. Finally, they secured a muzzle around my snout. They repeated the procedure with Butal, who had flown into a rage at my rough treatment. I hadn't even needed to change his emotional state. He did that himself.

Eventually, we were both firmly incapacitated. Red and Plump lifted Butal between them. Amycus bent down, removed my bronze-studded collar and pocketed it in his tunic. The collar was my most cherished possession. In fact, my only possession and it meant everything. It was a symbol of my love and bond with Odysseus. I struggled mightily but it made no difference.

“You won't be needing this where you're going,” said Amycus smugly.

Slinging me over his shoulder like a sack of grain, Amycus grunted, clearly pained by the effort. I got a certain amount of
satisfaction knowing that I was the cause.

The three men set off, swiftly climbing the stairs. In the holding pens above, we were thrown into separate cages and our bonds and muzzles removed.

Almost immediately, the cage doors separating us from the arena were dragged upward. I considered refusing to move but realized it would be useless. They would just prod me with spears until I complied.

Butal, calm again, trotted placidly out into the open arena and I joined him. We stood side by side, nervously awaiting our opponent. The tiers were completely filled with a throng of jostling, excited humans, their strong emotions contagious.

Meges was there of course and with him his son, Elatus.

The king stood and the noise of the crowd gradually abated.

“My people!” he said proudly. “My people, welcome. Welcome to the most fascinating spectacle you will ever have the pleasure to witness. I would like to tell you more, but given that all this is my son's doing, I will allow him to make the introductions.”

There was a spattering of applause. I gathered from the response that Elatus was not universally liked. The younger man stood and waved to the crowd. The applause died.

“Today is a great day,” he said. “A great day for you and a great day for the Kingdom of Doulikhion. Today you will see a creature you have never seen before. A creature brought from the east at great cost by my noble father, Meges.” More applause and cheering, this time with more enthusiasm.

“A creature thought to only exist in legend, a figment of our wildest nightmares. It is so powerful, that no man, armored or
not, is capable of defeating it. Today, we are pitting its fearsome might against two of the greatest dogs that have ever lived. Argos, dog of Odysseus, and Butal, the most deadly dog ever to have fought in this arena.”

It pained me to admit it, but Elatus wasn't a bad orator. The crowd were even starting to warm to him. It was hard to focus on his words though. My stomach was a hot ball of nervous tension. I cast my eyes and other senses around, trying desperately to garner a clue as to the nature of this beast. There was a large gate at the far end of the arena, shrouded in thick cloth. A strange scent emanated from it.

“I will tease you no longer,” said Elatus. “The time has come to reveal the magnificent beast that will challenge these two dogs for supremacy.”

With a flourish, Elatus indicated that the cloth should be removed. When he did, there was a collective intake of breath. For a moment, the crowd was absolutely silent and then they erupted into wild cries of delight.

“I give you the rhinoceros,” said Elatus, smiling broadly. The gate confining the rhinoceros was slowly drawn upward and the great beast charged out, looking around wildly. Its thick hide was the color of an overcast sky and it was the size of a large horse, although built much more stoutly. Its most defining feature was the large horn protruding from its snout. A fearsome opponent indeed.

A rhinoceros?
I thought.
That's a rhinoceros?
For a few moments, I did absolutely nothing besides control Butal, ensuring he did not move. It was an effort. Butal was petrified and so was I. Our
instinctive reaction was to flee but logic had to prevail here, not baser desires. It was our only chance.

Our inaction revealed something important. The rhinoceros was still searching for something to vent its range on, turning its head this way and that. Even though it looked our way, it did not charge, continuing its search. I realized that the rhinoceros must have exceptionally poor vision. If we didn't move or it didn't get too close, it couldn't see us. I could use this to our advantage.

I tried reaching out with my mind, but the rhinoceros was still too far away. I would have to get closer.

I fired up Butal, feeling surprisingly guilty about manipulating him, like I was betraying him. But I needed him angry now, not scared. I turned his mood from yellow (presumably fear) to red, indicating with my thoughts what I wanted him to do. He sprang to the attack, using his greater speed and agility to get behind the rhinoceros. As soon as the great beast saw movement, it swung in Butal's direction and charged.

Butal was too quick for it, snapping at its thick rear legs, trying to hamstring the creature. He might as well have tried to bite through a rock. It kicked out and by pure chance, connected with Butal, hurling the huge dog some distance away to lie stunned on the dusty ground. The crowd went wild. It was impossible to hear anything over that noise.

Using the distraction, I joined the attack, deciding on another, altogether more risky tactic. With a great leap, I managed to clamber up the side of the huge beast and onto its back. The rhinoceros pivoted wildly, trying to throw me off but I clung on stubbornly.

My plan had always been twofold. To escape, or if that failed, to use my newly acquired powers to control the beast and escape that way. I searched for its emotions, confident that I would be able to control it just as easily as Butal. My confidence evaporated immediately as I realized that the rhinoceros was a blank slate. I could sense absolutely nothing. It was like the creature didn't exist. I would've had a greater chance to control a human. For a moment, I was stunned into inaction and realizing this, cursed myself. To hesitate now was to die.

Snarling, I opened my jaws and bit down on the base of its neck with every bit of strength I possessed.

I had expected to rip the flesh from it, perhaps sever some vital cord, but that is not what happened at all. I barely even punctured its hide. In fact, I couldn't even smell blood. Not a good sign.

Surprised, I lost my grip on the furiously spinning rhinoceros. I tumbled to the ground and got to my feet just in time to avoid being trampled. Butal had also regained his feet but I sensed he was still a little disorientated.

This is not going to end well,
I thought. Both my plans had failed. In my arrogance, I had not imagined for one moment that it would come to this. If Butal and I were to survive now, we would have to use our wits and not our teeth.

Thinking quickly, a plan of sorts came to mind. The rhinoceros charged again but I darted to one side, easily evading its lumbering bulk. I got Butal to worry it from behind, even as I goaded it, barking furiously.

The rhinoceros became even more enraged, torn between
trampling me or turning and goring Butal behind it.

We lured it back to same gate it had entered from—directly opposite the gate leading to the outside.

Barking again, I sprinted toward the gate leading outside. Behind the rhinoceros, Butal continued to dog its heels, giving it an added incentive to chase me.

It did so. The rhinoceros charged toward me. Careful not to get too far away otherwise it could not see me, I also had to ensure that I didn't get too close for fear that I would be crushed underfoot. Lastly, I also needed it to charge with all its speed. My hastily conceived plan depended on it.

I stopped just before the gates and turned, barking in a manic fashion designed to annoy any but the most docile creature. It seemed to work. The rhinoceros hurtled toward me, Butal in close pursuit. The ground shook as it approached. I had to time this perfectly.