Tails of Sanctuary

    “Why does this always happen to us?” Atrix asked with a worried glance toward me. The dogs began to approach before a gruff voice spoke up from the back, “Their ok. Let’s take them home.” a small brown dog appeared in between two of the dogs. I felt a rough coat come from behind and nudge me forward, “It’s not far” a kind voice whispered from behind me. I looked back to see a friendly looking black lab. She had her tail up and wagging and moved her nose to gently nudge me forward.  “Who are you?” I asked  The small brown dog turned her head back to respond, “We are the Seers dogs.”  “Who’s the Seer?” Dagney asked as she looked to me.  I shrugged my shoulders but saw a smile curled at the edge of the small brown dog’s face, “You’ll see soon enough.”      They wouldn’t answer anymore questions from us and soon we heard the familiar sound of waves crashing against the shore. This time I could see dark water lig...

Name: Fiona Breed: Papillion First Time at Sanctuary: 10/24/16 Description: Fiona has made a name for herself running along the borders of the Darkness and the Scorching Desert serving as a faithful scout for the Oak. Seen as little more than a flash of black and white, some have reported a Marshmellow bouncing along the border and whispering to the trees. It's been rumored she has been running that border for more than eight cycles without stopping. On the fourth level of the Oak stands a carving of Fiona racing to stop a group of squirrels from crossing into the Darkness.

   We said goodbye to our friends and walked toward the sounds of crashing waves. The Darkness felt like a veil, and as soon as we crossed through it, we were lost. We couldn’t see anything, and if it wasn’t for the fact that we were standing shoulder to shoulder we wouldn’t even know the others were there. I turned to look behind me to see that I couldn’t even tell where the veil was—it was all dark. The sound of the water against the shore was nearly deafening.      We awkwardly walked forward. Each dog carefully placing one paw and then feeling the ground to make sure it was safe before moving the other paw. We did this one at a time, with Atrix on my back. It was very slow moving. We tried moving away from the sound of the water, but it didn’t matter if we went left or right, the sound of the water grew louder, as if we were walking on a bridge, zig zagging from one side to the other in a vain attempt to escape the water that surrounded us on either...

Name: Autumn Breed: Australian Cattle Dog First Time at Sanctuary: 08/05/19 Description: Autumn's fall like coat makes it easy for her to blend in with the piles of leaves covering the forest of the Land of the Oak. In the days after the fall of Sanctuary, the forest was a littered with dogs lost and confused. This mattered not for Autumn who had the time of her life running from one hiding spot to the next. She would bide her time and then jump out just as a group of dogs passed by to scare them. Everyone in the forest could hear her giggles as she drifted around the woods blending in with the new fall colors.

Old Friends and Goodbyes It was a long and quiet walk toward the Veil of Darkness that separated the Land of the Oak from the rest of the world. At one point in time Dagney asked me what Eli meant when he talked about the consequences of Hojan going into the Eternal Desert. I told her the truth; the consequence of going into the Eternal Desert is spending eternity there, hence the name. If, however, Hojan were able to win his war, and topple the lion who has reigned there since before the Great War—well, we aren’t entirely sure what would happen.  “What do you mean?” Dagney asked as she lapped up water from a stream.  I shrugged my shoulders, “Just that. We don’t entirely know what would happen. According to the Sentinels the lion would be set free from his bondage—all creatures would be. While that would allow them to return to the Oak, it would also start a new war.”  Dagney didn’t look up from the water but asked, “Because the Oak wouldn’t want them?”  ...

The Oak as depicted by Sentinel Eleven "The Oak stands tall among the trees. As the last vestige of an age of heroism and fantasy. The Oak shines bright calling all of it's chosen home. It's light illuminates the many paths of the forest. It protects them from the ever encroaching darkness. The Oak is home to hounds both old and young. They protect and keep the Land of the Oak for all the peaceful animals. From the smallest of squirrels to the largest of elephants the Land of the Oak is home and the Oak is all that stands between them and destruction." Excerpt from the Sentinels Code

I stood shocked, ‘What? That doesn’t make any sense, how could I be your enemy?’ Bailey looked down at the ground, ‘He said you didn’t listen to the plan and led the group straight into a trap. He said only himself and Bonnie were able to avoid being captured. He said because of you Bonnie had sacrifice herself so the rest of you could live and he said you did it because the Oak told you too.’     I took a step back as Bailey’s eyes began to well. She looked up at me, ‘Bonne told me stories of you. Of the dogs of the Oak as well. Is he right, did you really do this?’ I shook my head, ‘No, of course not Bailey. He’s lying.’     Bailey looked up, ‘Why would he do that?’ I glanced behind us to make sure no one was watching and couldn’t see anyone. ‘I don’t know but we’ll find out.’ I looked down at Atrix who went to nuzzle Bailey, he whispered in a calm voice, ‘It’s ok Bailey.’ I heard her whisper, ‘I want to come with you.’ I stepped toward her, ‘Bailey ...