The Dog Brothers: A Dufiro Story

The Council

The Great City of Ahyk is the largest and most densely populated city within the Dufiro Realms. It may be the largest single city in the Multiverse, excluding a few Planetwide Cities, such as Corusant and Trantor. The city of Ahyk spans more than a few Shadows and holds the largest collection of Dufiro Races found anywhere in the Multiverse and also supports, perhaps the largest collection of Non-Dufiro Races as well. Within the city can be found homes, great and small, businesses offering every possible good or service and of course, one can also find an abundance of Halls dedicated to Civil Services, Social Services, Ideological Parties, and the numerous Halls of the Dufiro Hierarchies that represent each of the multitude of Dufiro Races.

Within one of these Hierarchy Halls there is a Chamber used for Meetings, Screenings, Rituals and Ceremonies, as there is in all such Halls. Within this Chamber sits a Council of Dufiro, many onlookers in the Gallery and three Miniature Poodles at the center of the circular chamber. The center area is well light from above, the gallery and council areas surrounding are heavily shadowed.

"Speak." A masculine sounding voice says, coming from nowhere, everywhere and in everyone's heads. The light in the chamber seems to fluctuate slightly, for just a moment.

“Bark?.... Me?” the long beige one asks.

“Bark, bark..... No, me.” the small white one replies.

“BARK! Whiiiine..... NO! Meeee...” the first pleads.

“BARK! BARK!...... NO! ME!” the second demands.

“BARK!!!!..... QUIET!!!!” the third one interrupts to silence them both. He is silvery gray in color and the tallest of the trio.

Their minds quiet, then they speak as one, guided by the third.

"Bark bark.... grrrr bark BARK grrrr....... We are... thinking like Humans think. We are the Dog Brothers. Three and One. Separate and Joined. Different and the Same. We are Dufiro... Movement Elementals. Circus Dogs. Guard Dogs. Companions. We are Good Dogs... Our Master says so.” They all wag their tails in unison, but not quite in sync.

“Yes, you are Good Dogs” says a soft feminine voice in Vomos, with a hint of amusement. She smells of Dog and dirt and trees.

“Yes” says the masculine voice from everywhere and nowhere, also in Vomos, but not so softly nor amused. He has no smell. “Tell us about your Master.”

“Bark bark... Master is good...”

“Bark bark... We love Master...”

“Bark bark... Master loves Us...”

“Bark bark... Master FEEDS Us...”

“Bark bark, hooowl, bark... Our Master is a Good Master. A Good Human. He cares for Us very good. He saved Us from the scary Big Death Place. He teaches Us many things. We learn many things. He protects Us. We guard him and Friends. Master has many Friends. We like Friends. Master is a Good Master.”

The Dog Brothers wag their tails in unison again.

“Bark, whimper, bark-bark, ..... Good Master not Our Best Master....” says the smallest of the trio. Suddenly their tails stop and they all seem sad.

Before the masculine voice can ask, the feminine voice cuts him off, and asks in a soft, caring tone. “Who was your Best Master?”

The trio of miniature poodles seem both happy and sad at the same time.

“Bark bark bark....... Best Master was Our Second Master. She saved Us from the Angry Troll. Angry Troll was Our First Master. He had Stick of Authority to hit dogs. He had Mean Dogs to attack the Dog Brothers. Angry Troll is a Bad Human!!! Our Best Master took Us away from the Angry Troll. Our Best Master never hit Us. She loved Us. She was our Mama. She protected Us from the Angry Troll and the Mean Dogs. She gave Us warm soft places to sleep. She gave Us food. She trained Us not to fight for food... She... taught Us to Share. She took Us with Her many places. Places to run and smell and pee and play. We loved Our Best Master. We miss Our Mama.” Again, the trio seem sad.

The feminine voice asks, again in a soft and caring tone, completely genuine: “What happened to your Best Master... your Mama? Why do you miss her?”

“Bark Bark, whimper.... Our Best Master is dead. The Big Sickness made all the Humans dead. Then the Big Sickness made Our Mama dead. Our Good Master was her Mate. Good Master was sad. Dog Brothers were sad. We howled... so did Good Master. Good Master put her body in the ground. She has Returned to the Earth. But..... SHE.... is......” The trio feel confused... unsure... they do not quite understand where She is.

“They do not understand?” The masculine voice asks, sounding a bit surprised.

“They are having difficulty grasping the concept. They are young...” The feminine voice counters, but is cut off by the masculine voice.

“They are Dufiro. Their understanding of the Heart Fire and how it lives on after the body is destroyed is ingrained into them. This concept should not confuse them.”

“They were not born Dufiro, they were born normal dogs on a world of normal humans. The basic understanding of Final Death is born into them, as in all Animals. The understanding of Dufiro Heart Fire living on beyond Physical Death is now a part of them, as they are now Dufiro. But the understanding of a Human Afterlife is something they only now learning, as a human child would.” says the feminine voice.

“Is this Knowledge, or conjecture?”

“Part Knowledge, from similar experiences. And part Understanding, from those same experiences.”

“That sounds more like conjecture, than actual Knowledge of the Elementals' experiences. This matter grow complex. Their Language Skills and understanding of higher concepts is limiting. Let us simplify the matter. My Heart Fire will Inhabit their bodies, I will enter their minds, and I will relate their life experiences in a more comprehensive manner.” says the masculine voice authoritatively.

“No. I will do it. You lack.... the perspective of an organic.” says the feminine voice.

Someone stands in the Council Area and steps forward, out from the shadows. A humanoid canine about five and a half feet tall with the colors and markings of, what would be called on the Dog Brothers Home World, an Irish Setter. One of the lights overhead floats down, an orb of swirling colors of blues and purples, shot occasionally with tiny arcs of pink lightning within. The masculine voice says:

“No. You lack the strength and the control. It must be me.”

A somewhat nasal and very snarky voice comes from the back of the shadowed council area.

“Sparky's right; you lack the strength, but I know you have enough control. However, I have both... as well as an 'organic perspective'.”

A humanoid Raccoon about two and a half feet tall, wearing a red leather vest steps forward.