The morning rays shined across the land, dancing on top of the grassy plains that swayed in the gentle breeze flowing in its direction, undisturbed from any other forces. A small puppy, with three black stripes covering its creamy-orange back, rested in the thicket of tall blades, shielding parts of the sunlight from the small sleeping dog.
The large grass knelt towards the pup, tickling its black nose. Its muzzle twitched to the sensitive brushing of the wet blade, so the small dog attempted to whip away the nuisance that prevent its peaceful slumber. Finally giving in, it slowly opened its green eyes, adjusting itself to the light that poured from above.
Rolling onto its side, the pup pushed herself upwards from its laying position, greeting the morning breath with a wide yawn, its teeth radiating a perfectly white shine. After its final exhale, the dog started scratching its fluffy, cream-brown chest fur before shaking its entire body.
“Man, what a dream last night!†a graceful feminine voice exclaimed from the puppy, who stretched her paws in front of her with a light moan. “Maybe I could do that one day…â€
She tilted her head up towards the blue sky; only a few clouds travelled through the air on the beautiful morning atmosphere. A great morning, she thought to herself as a smile formed on her face. That means it will be a great day ahead of me too!
She quickly pounced through the long maze of tall grass, avoiding any stubborn root that stuck up from the ground that has tripped her in the past, before finally reaching an open and flat field. A small dirt path crossed through the otherwise flowery meadow, creating a straight-way towards the place of living hopes; Grassroot Town.
“I wonder if anyone’s around in Grassroot…†she spoke mostly to herself as she walked onto the straight path. “I haven’t been around for a little while ever since becoming a traveler… It might be a bit awkward to walk in with so many new faces. But then again, it will be so exciting to see how the town has grow-Eep!â€
A small paper flew into the face of the poor unsuspecting puppy, temporarily blinding her to the path she travelled. She quickly swiped her paw over her face to remove the contraption that limited her for that moment. She stomped the handicap into the ground, her two claws striking holes into the small note.
Fright turned to curiosity as she carefully read the contents of the black scribbling. “New dungeon discovered… Great treasures to be found…†She gasped in surprised as she then exclaimed, “No one cleared it yet?â€
She reverted her gaze towards Grassroot Town in wonder. No one has cleared it… I wonder… Could I be the first? Her long, bushy, tan-colored tailed started swishing side to side as the thoughts of accomplishment fill her mind.
She looked back at the scrabble of ink meshed together. “Found in the northern part of the land… It has no name as of yet… Oooh, I can’t wait anymore! I have to go immediately! I want to be the first to conquer it and give it a name!â€
The puppy then ran off, sending the paper flying with the gentle breeze as she headed towards the mysterious mountain from the far North.
The orange-coated puppy finally arrived at the base of the giant mountain, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she inched closer towards the large rock formation. Her tail swung side to side in quick motions —possibly uncontrollably, due to her high-range excitement— as she stared at the huge boulder that would be soon conquered by her own paws.
She started walking towards the mountain slowly, digging in her paws into the ground as she pushed herself forward. She continued staring at the large stone structure, nervousness settling in, though she knew that wouldn’t stop her. Something then caught her attention. A brief orange blur ran on the mountain before disappearing from view.
“Aw man! Someone beat me to getting here first!†Her ears drooped down as she looked down at the ground, disappointed. She shook her head, looking back up towards the large rock. “No, I shouldn’t give up that easily! I just have to rush through to get to the end!†she assured herself, thrusting her body forward in a huge rush of speed. She skated over the stairs, her tongue flapping from her mouth as she scoured up the mountain-side.
She treaded over the last of the stairs to find herself face-to-face with a cave opening. Sniffing her surrounding with her glossy black nose, she could sense that the orange blur traveled into the black-abyss of the mouth. She exhaled before rushing through the passage into the darkness. She followed the strange scent of salt and water, not realizing the walking boulders creeping behind her.
After moments of walking in silence, aside from the soft scratching of her claws scrapping the ground, she found a set of stone stairs connected from the ground towards the top of the next level. Though she explored many times in these types of places, she still could never understand why stairs like these existed.
As she climbed towards the next floor, she realized the scent she followed no longer lingered. She sniffed several times to retrace the strange smell, but all she could sense were the stifling dust in the air. She quickly shook it off, reminding herself that this usually happens in places like these.
Quickly changing pace, the pup rushed through the corridors, attempting to find the way out of the cavern. She heard loud footsteps ringing behind her, like stomps from giant beings. Fear started to prick at the pup, but she ignored the feelings of disaster as another set of stairs appeared in front of her.
She quickly sprinted towards the steps leading upwards, looking back to see the pursuers. A bunch of boulders, with arms and feet sprouting from them, glared at their enemy with determination to destroy. She gave a smirk before climbing the stairs, leaving the rocks behind.
Or, so she thought.
She found herself climbing a long rock snake, eyes equally fierce as the boulders behind. She cursed under her breath, jumping away from the large serpent of boulders. It slammed its tail towards the pup, slamming her into the wall of the small room, causing a yelp to emit from her throat.
She regained her balance on her feet, muttering a low growl at the rock snake. She knew time was short before that orange thing would reach the top, so she quickly burrowed into the ground, splitting rocks to the side to create an opening into the soft soil below. Without hesitation, she dug her way underneath the nuisance and sprang up on the other side of him, hoping onto the stairs and making a mad dash to the next floor.
She finally reached the next floor to see many of the boulders waiting for her. They mocked the pup with their evil grins, each ready to smash her with either fists or with non-living boulders. She groaned in protest, wishing for better luck.
Soon, each of the living rocks started coming towards her with their weapon of choice. The pup jumped from one boulder’s fierce punch that split the ground from the force. Another enemy responded with a fast throw of a stone, but she avoided the boulder with blazing speed. A third and fourth foe came in with their fist. She leaped just before both collided with each other.
She landed on each four paws before pouncing into a run, leaving the strange boulders behind. She carefully maneuvered through the maze, panting heavily as she reached an empty stone-covered room. Walking towards the corner, she could feel her hyperactive energy draining from her very paws. Hearing the storming footsteps coming from the path she took, she pounced into a scamper through another corridor.
Finally, she reached the stairs once more, climbing them without hesitation. She was relieved when she reached the top to see no monsters of any kind lurking about. Floor after floor, her trot turned into a walk, then to a slow crawl, finally to the point where she felt like fainting from exhaustion from each step. The pup’s mind twisted from being the first to reach the peak to just getting out of the mountain alive. Her aching legs echoed the same plea of escape. She would have criticized herself for being so weak if she wasn’t the one climbing.
The thing she hated most though was that she didn’t come prepared.
The pup’s empty stomach roared. Her wistful breaths, slow and ragged, wished for the fresh air of her living place. Her leg’s ache spread throughout her entire body, commanding her to collapse. Her will, though, continued to persevere in its path to completing the treacherous dungeon of death.
Enemies continued to stamp her whole being away, but the pup didn’t give in. She somehow managed to avoid each attack placed on her. Even from her aching body, she bolted past each rock that attempted to smash her, dodging each punch of the opponents and escaping the claws of destruction.
But, with each floor she travailed, the lighting of each floor steadily dimmed to where it became hard to see her paw in front of her face. She depended on her sense of smell to continue assisting her in the dark cavern, since her fire she used to create light wouldn’t last long, and it drained her from using the flames inside her belly.
She wanted it to end. She just wanted the misery she was placed through to cease its terrible work of torturing her mind. Even as an adventurer, she couldn’t handle so much pressure as she did now.
She cursed her curiosity and excitement. She hated that she was too focused on being the first to clear it and used up too much energy because of the orange blur that threatened that title. She didn’t care if the next creature that crossed her path would kill her.
Many negative thoughts coursed through the mind of the tormented puppy, motivating her to fall to the ground unconscious. But, even with the terrible thoughts pounding her mind, she continued to press forward.
Finally, she climbed the last set of stairs. She emerged from the ground to see stars glittering in the sky. She looked up in confusion before her soft-green eyes lit up. Somehow, she cleared it. She completed her quest in getting to the top of the mountain.
She walked forward towards the open area of the mountain-side. Many trees from far down below dotted the ground with its green points. She slumped to the ground, allowing exhaustion to finally take her into a peaceful slumber.
Behind her, a dark figure of orange placed a piece of paper underneath her foreleg, before covering her with a small scarf of black and white squares. The orange figure gestured a wave before walking off into the darkness of the night.