The abandoned warren that my dogs was talking about sounded like it was haunted from their description and when I asked the mayor about any nearby mines or old dog warrens, he pointed to me in the same direction that the diamond dogs gave me. As it turns out it was indeed a former griffon silver mine, all of the silver veins having been long since plucked out leaving behind nothing but rocks and pebbles and old mining equipment.

And as for the moaning sounds that is originating from the ditched mine, the griffons say it's because of the wind that gets blown into it and the way it reverberates on the stones within its depths.

So now I have a bunch of theories as to why it is making the strange noises but the main one that sticks out to me is why would the dogs leave because of the moaning? Now if it was zombie moaning that would be understandable, I'd leave immediately as well if my home was infested with zombies or something akin to the undead and was making that much noise all the time. Hell, I'd probably also burn the place down if I could just to make sure nothing follows me outside nor come after me.

Getting to the abandoned mine will be the easy part, finding the source of the disturbance in a mine that has been left alone for about a decade and some change is going to be difficult even without the assistance of the diamond dogs. Seeing how they are afraid of the source of the disturbance even though they are at home in the depths of the earth, I was hoping they would put aside that fear to reclaim their home, but it would appear not so. And since the mine has been abandoned for so long that whatever supplies of torches that may have been left behind or forgotten about would have either been taken by looters or deteriorated over time so we will have to get some from the village who still hates these dogs with a fiery passion.

Turning to the five guardsgriffons standing to the side of the prison I asked where they were keeping the weapons, armor and the equipment that the diamond dogs brought with them during the attack. The head griffon in charge of the group didn't even look away from me as he used his right talon with the spear and pointed off to the side and as I turned my head to follow the spear I saw a fairly massive pile of weapons, discarded armor and other miscellaneous items in a heap.

"Uh...how did I not see that on the way here?" I said mostly to myself but one of the griffons heard it as she let out a small yawn before addressing the pile.

"Don't know, half the time we forget it is even there as well until the direction of the wind changes and the smell of wet dog hits us. At least know we don't have to worry about it since you are taking it with you along with these dogs to their new home. And they better stay there this time instead of coming here to start a fight." one of the guards said just as she opens her beak a little too wide and yawns before shaking herself to stay awake.

Walking up to the pile I waved at the dogs and told them to grab their belongings and get ready to head out to the abandoned mine.

"Alright everyone, grab your junk and make sure it is actually yours, there will be no stealing from one another. We are heading out to the mine, and I want all of you to be equipped and ready for whatever that may be lingering in the mine, assuming it is still empty and not occupied with a new host." I said as I addressed the assembled dogs, a lot of them nodding their heads in agreement while a few gave worried looks at the prospect of heading to a haunted place.

Once my mob of dogs got their gear (and with a few of them starting fights over whose sword or club was whose) and sorting out the mess when some dogs got uppity, we all started to make our way to the eastern gate to head towards the mine, but I told my dogs to go to the gate and stay there till I get back as I had something important to do.

Walking to town hall with a bit of a hobble took a little longer than expected but eventually I made it to the building and walked inside, the guards already knowing who I am and that they have greeted me before I left to conduct the executions on the minotaur's. Making my way to the mayor's office I knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds before pushing the door open, the old griffon still sitting in his seat writing something on a piece of parchment before looking up at me with a bit of a grin on his beak.

"Ah, Sir Wilkinson, what can this old bird do for you?"

"I just need some parchment to write on and a quill n ink to write with, I have two letters to write."

"I see, well here you go, just make sure you don't put any ink on my table. Removing ink stains is a pain in the neck to do at my age you know." the mayor said and with that I gave him a nod before taking the provided parchment and writing utensils and started to write the paired letters, one for the king and one to my girls, here is hoping that they are delivered properly instead of how being delivered to the wrong building like the way Uber Eats sometimes did to my orders.

Writing a letter for Gilda and Greta to read was easy as they know that when I write to them it is usually about either me being late because work is keeping me at my post, I am not in town because of my duty, or that there is something we need to talk about in the privacy of our own home, and sadly this letter will be having all three. I know that they will understand what I am writing and hopefully will not be upset or at the very least be only a little upset instead of pissed off beyond all reason, and if so than I know a few things that can calm them down, mainly it being me preening their wings or giving them tummy rubs.

While griffons are predators and try to act like it most of the time there are in fact quite a few rare moments when you can get them to act like a common house cat, or in my case, very often. You see Gilda seems to like the cat toy with the feather at the end of the stick when she is alone, but whenever any form of company is over, she ignores it to the best of her abilities, but one can tell that she is agitated that her playtime was cut short when you see her tail just flipping about in a rapid manner. And as for Greta, she loves tummy rubs and she does not deny that fact as she has grabbed my hands on multiple occasions and made me rub that tum-tum of hers till she is a sleepy mess of feathers.

And as for the letter to my king, I tend to keep those straight and to the point with as much details as possible all the while keeping it straightforward and no nonsense in it. Normally these reports are short and sweet because placing flowery words that offer nothing is pointless to me and I'd rather let my king know what is happening with facts than use words that may mislead or confuse him. Attached to this letter will be the two letters that the minotaur's had left in my tender care along with a written confession from the porter that has agreed to assist us in this matter, in all honesty just writing this letter will be draining on me as I have to include as much information as possible before handing it off to the legion before they leave to return to their designated fort.

With careful thoughts, shaking hands and a few crossed out words I managed to get the letters written and sealed, with the letter to the king sealed thrice over, before returning the ink and quill to the mayor and wishing him a good day before exiting his office and town hall. Letters in hand I made my way over to where the legion has set up camp and when I asked for a courier, they directed me towards the communications tent. Finding a griffon that was willing to take the letters back to Griffonstone wasn't that hard since they had a few coming back and forth on a regular basis to keep themselves still connected to the empire all the while still going about their business.

Nailing down a griffon wasn't that hard, telling them to who the correspondence was going to was so easy, telling them what was at stake was a little harder.

"So, what you are telling me is that what I am holding is the equivalent of the royal family jewels?"

"In a manner of speaking yes, but these jewels are incredibly important and that if they are lost than the attack here would be all for nothing. This information is critical that the royal family receives this package at all costs, for if you lose it there will be far reaching consequences that will cause ramifications beyond mortal comprehension."

"I see..."

"Yeah, it is paramount that they get this package at all costs."

"It will be done you can bet on it, sir!"

"Good, see to it that it does." and with that said I left the communications tent and went back to my dogs to get things underway.

The diamond dogs perked up at my approach and when I was thoroughly amongst them, they all started to bark and speak to me, asking what is going on, what is taking so long, and when are we going. I had to raise a hand and clear my throat to get their undivided attention with a few outliers still barking and yapping before they too were silenced by those standing near them.

With our destination determined, our supplies secured, all of the dogs in attendance and only moderately paying any remote attention to what I am saying, I began to tell them the game plan.

"Alright boys and girls, we will be heading out now to the abandoned warren and I want no funny business from any of you, which means no shenanigans, no pranks or gags, no tricking your fellow dogs, because we will never everybody at their best and if we face something I will not be happy to know that my dogs got injured because someone decided to do the typical 'pull my finger' joke and the jokester got decked for their troubles."

"Now let's move out, we are burning daylight and we best get there before nightfall. If we have to stop for the night than we will make sure that any wild beasts that lurk amongst the trees don't pick off any stragglers or those wandering off to take a shit in the middle of the night. Am I clear?"

Most of the diamond dogs nodded with a few voicing their approval with a few throwing in their two bits about what we should do.

And so begins our collective walking simulator.

There was a time where I wondered what it would be like to have a moment just like they do like Lord of the Rings, to think that it wouldn’t be boring or at the very least mildly entertaining. Walking to our destination would have been a breeze if I had my music to listen to our if we had a bard to play us some jaunty tunes to invigorate us all, unfortunately dogs are notoriously bad at playing string instruments.

I was wrong, not only was the journey to the ditched mine a long and boring one but also that apparently diamond dogs can actually play string instruments with only minor difficulty.

The first problem arose three hours after we left Talons End, while we were all marching in a somewhat coherent formation, we were stopped by a passing patrol of griffons who stopped to ask what our business was for being here. The diamond dogs weren't too happy to be stopped by a bunch of turkeys in chainmail so they called me to the front to deal with said problem birbs.

After that it was a food problem. What little food we had was not going to be enough for the trip let alone be enough to sustain the diamond dogs long enough for them to make themselves self-sufficient. Which means that whatever food we can get is what we find both from hunting the local wildlife, what we trade for from what the dogs mine up, and from what they can grow in the mines which means mushrooms, lots and lots of mushrooms.

Then the third problem came to light when night began to fall upon us. We didn't have much in the way of tents and that most of the dogs grumbled when they had to sleep on the floor with the exception of those still injured, old or pregnant (yes they actually sent pregnant dogs to fight, my guess is that they were being thrown to the slaughter to be removed from the colony) so we had to make do but the grumbling didn't stop there.

And lastly we get to the final problem, our injured. Almost seventy percent of the dogs with me are injured with most of them bandaged up and/or in splints and since we no longer have access to the infirmary in Talon's End we will have to make do with reusing the ones we have after boiling them in hot water, sadly that may result in infections or the spread of disease between dogs if the bandages are shared or passed around.

Handicapped from the start I was starting to think that I was in way over my head.

'What the hell was I thinking? I should have kept my mouth shut and let the guards keep a handle on the prisoners and let them handle it. I am a knight first and foremost and I am loyal to the king...'

Casting my glance to the dogs in my company I found that many of them cast their gaze away from when our eyes meet, a few stared back but either in respect or fear I could not tell. Many of the dogs I saw would whimper every now and then from their injuries or from the onset of hunger or were already hungry to begin with when they attacked the griffon village, many of the female dogs were mothers, cradling their pregnant bellies and whispering to them that everything will be okay.

It didn't take a genius to figure out why they were so quick to pledge themselves to me.

They saw someone that not only wasn't a griffon in the employment of said griffons but was also of a higher rank than a mere guard or slave, but someone that is respected and held in high regard.

'But these diamond dogs deserve a better life, everyone does, they just have to work towards it instead of stealing it from others. I will make sure that these pups find a new home, a new way of life, new friends and family to safeguard and protect them from those that will try and take it from them.'

Turning my head back to the front I kept up the pace with the rest of the diamond dogs, making sure that my presence was known, letting everyone know that I am here and that I will lead them to safety.

When nightfall came, we stopped and made camp as several dogs spread out and started to make the area more comfortable by removing rocks, cutting down fledgling trees, chopping up bushes to be used as kindling for fires, finding small game to briefly feed those that need it, and while they were doing that, I was busy directing some of the uninjured dogs for guard duty and the rotations for them.

"We will camp here for the night, in the morning once the sun has risen, we shall move out and head towards the mine. Hopefully we will arrive before nightfall, and nothing gets in our way or delays us further." and truth be told I really didn't want to be delayed any more than we already are.

...

Dawn came earlier than expected.

The sound of dogs barking and howling woke me from my peaceful slumber, kicking off the heavy quilted blanket I rolled out of my tent after putting on some of my armor, leaving behind the gauntlets and the greaves and only putting on my breastplate and boots before exiting the tent to see what the commotion was about.

Grabbing my longsword and exiting the tent I made my way to the cause of the commotion and after pushing my way past several diamond dogs I saw what was causing my dogs to be in an uproar.

Kneeling in the center of the crowd of angry dogs was naturally a diamond dog that looks like they had the shit beat out of them, and standing off to the side was several diamond dogs going through what looks like a backpack, taking things out and from the looks of it all it appears to be alot of food and bandages.

"Alpha! My Alpha!"

"Fido, what is the meaning of this?"

"Alpha, we caught thief trying to steal supplies!" and lo and behold the 'thief' in question is a diamond dog wearing rags, no blood stains on them but it was filthy with mud, dirt and the usual stains one would acquire from life on the road and as I look over this diamond dog, this one in particular looked like akin to a Dobermann with the usual exception to it being bipedal. It was tall, slender, black fur on its body with brown patches on their legs, arms, snout and ears, and it looked like it hasn't eaten in days.

Walking towards the thief I placed a hand on the pommel of my sword, to act as a reminder that if there is any funny business it can and probably will become serious business real fast if necessary. Stopping in front of the thief I squat down to be at their eye level and started talking to them.

"Do you know who I am?" I said as I started with something basic, to address to the thief who they were robbing.

The diamond dog slowly raised its head and looked at me for a moment before shaking their head no.

"So, you don't know who I am... shame. You see, what you did was nearly succeed in stealing from Clan Halistro, and the alpha you tried robbing is squatting right before you." I said as I finally get a reaction from the thief as it let out a startled yelp as they fell on their ass and attempted to squirm away but was stopped when one of the guard dogs stepped on their chest and placed some of their weight and stopped them in their wiggly motions.

Standing up from my spot I made my way over to the thief, advancing slowly as I moved my hands behind my back, looking down at the thief before squatting once more.

"You know, I really think you are not getting the whole picture here. It is very simple, you tried to steal from me, you got caught, and now you get to pay the penalty for committing a crime. Very simple, wouldn't you agree?"

"So, here is what is going to happen. You are going to be clapped in irons, you will be marched along with the rest of us, and when we get situated in our new home, you will be working off your crime until one year has passed. And before you ask a year from now, no, it will be one year the moment you start working in the warren." I said as I looked down at the frightened diamond dog, and with a bit of a huff I stand up and motion for the dogs to do their job.

Leaving the thief in my dogs' capable paws to their task I went back to leading the masses from the front, and on the third day at midday we finally arrive at our destination. The thief tried to escape a few times with varying degrees of success, the first attempt was simply the thief asking to be let free and one of the dogs almost listened to him but thankfully another dog was nearby and bopped the pair upside the head, the second attempt he tried to make a run for it when he had to take a piss, third attempt he waited for the guards to be distracted but I dropped the bastard by clotheslining him, and the last attempt he tried to bribe one of the dogs with the things he stole and in turn got a gut punch for his troubles.

And just as the griffon elder has said, it is truly an abandoned mine with all of the fixings of one.

There were several decaying wooden shacks that looked like that they will fall apart at any moment, a pair of rusty cart tracks leading in and out of the mines that had a pair of wooden doors covered in moss blocking the way into our new home. The shacks themselves will need to be torn down and replaced with fresh materials, the rails might need to be replaced but it really depends on how rusted they are and if any parts of it are missing and naturally, we will need a pair of new doors for the entrance to the mine itself since those have clearly fallen off their hinges and have rotted to such a point that moss is now growing on them.

"Alright, lets setup camp here at the entrance and begin stripping these buildings down to their bare bones and see what can be salvaged. Rover, get some dogs and start cutting down the surrounding trees for wood, we are going to be needing a lot of it for firewood and also for building materials. Pokey, get some scouts and go into the mine but tell your dogs to stay within eyesight distance of one another, I don't want to be losing anyone to accidents or any creatures that might have turned the mines into their nest. Maggey, take stock of what we have and report back if we need anything else, we will have to take note on what we got and what we don't got so that when we get this mine back in working order as soon as possible. Panny, I am going to need you to keep the pups together and keep 'em happy because after all a happy puppy is a good puppy and out of the way of the adults so they don't get trampled under paws."

So, in all I have my work cut out for me.

The exterior needs a total overhaul and redesign and the interior...I don't even want to think about how bad it is in there, but I sadly don't have a choice on the matter as the nights are getting colder and that sooner or later winter will arrive.

Better get to work.

Next Chapter: The Abandoned Mine Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 26 Minutes