The first drill—
Was a disaster.
"Advance!"
Silas Moore gave the signal—
A specific bark.
A short forward hop.
Ironfang and Lightning reacted instantly—
And charged.
Full speed.
Ironfang went too hard—
CRASH!
He smashed straight through a mock wall.
Lightning hit the pipe entrance—
Slammed the brakes—
And got rear-ended by Boulder.
Both rolled into a tangled mess.
Meanwhile—
Tracker slipped silently into the grass.
Perfect stealth.
Then…
Nothing.
No movement.
No report.
He had gotten distracted—
Sniffing the fake grass.
Very seriously.
Silas Moore stood there.
Still.
Then slowly—
Lifted his paw—
And pressed it to his "forehead."
(Or where a forehead should be.)
His blue eyes said everything:
"I cannot carry this team."
Lin Wan almost burst out laughing.
Barely held it in.
"Stop!" Old Wu barked.
"Reset positions!"
Then he turned to Silas.
"You need clearer assignments."
"Ironfang—power type. Breakthrough and front-line control."
"Lightning—speed type. Mobility and harassment."
"Boulder—defense. Cover and fallback."
"Tracker—recon. Detection and intel."
"Your commands need to target individuals or units."
Silas Moore nodded.
Then called them in.
No sound.
Just—
Touch.
Head.
Shoulder.
Body contact.
Silent communication.
Scent.
Presence.
Intent.
Roles reassigned.
Formation recalibrated.
Second Drill
Much better.
Silas gave a barely audible cue.
A soft "shh."
Combined with a sniffing motion.
Tracker moved.
Slipped into the grass again—
But this time—
Seconds later—
He peeked out.
"Woof."
Soft.
Precise.
Enemy spotted.
Silas reacted instantly.
A sharp bark—
Lightning launched.
Like a bullet.
Zig-zag movement.
High-speed distraction.
At the same time—
A low, sustained growl.
Ironfang and Boulder moved.
Slow.
Heavy.
Controlled.
Flanking from both sides.
The formation locked in.
Clean.
Efficient.
Alive.
Mistakes still happened—
Lightning got too excited—
Almost body-slammed the dummy target off the map.
But overall—
The improvement was obvious.
Visible.
Explosive.
Silas stood on an elevated platform.
Watching.
Calm.
Commanding.
Every movement—
Adjusted in real time.
Through:
Micro barksSubtle gesturesEye direction
This wasn't training anymore.
This was command.
He even executed a cross-cover maneuver.
When a gas-emitting device activated—
Silas issued a specific roar.
Boulder charged forward—
Took the hit.
Shielded the team.
Meanwhile—
Ironfang and Lightning flanked.
Destroyed the device.
Clean execution.
Chen Lin watched in silence.
Then muttered:
"…Unbelievable."
"This isn't a pet."
"Not even a standard K9 unit."
"This is a tactical system."
"Built on intelligence… and trust."
Old Wu nodded.
"And Silas is improving."
"Fewer vocal commands."
"More micro-signals."
"Better for stealth operations."
Break Time
Lin Wan handled supplies.
Water.
Food.
Ironfang and the others were panting hard—
But their eyes?
Bright.
Excited.
They circled Silas.
Tails wagging like crazy.
They loved this.
Craved it.
A pack.
A mission.
A leader.
Silas himself was tired—
But mentally?
Sharper than ever.
He drank electrolyte fluid slowly.
Eyes gleaming.
That look—
Predator.
Strategist.
Commander.
He was enjoying this.
Control.
Planning.
Execution.
This—
Was his domain.
…And Then There Was Ironfang
Training wasn't perfect.
Not even close.
Some moments—
Were ridiculous.
Case in point:
Stealth drill.
Objective:
Approach target silently.
Use cover.
No barking.
Ironfang—
Decided to impress.
He chose a route.
In his mind—
Perfect.
Reality?
A narrow pet tunnel.
Designed for small dogs.
He went in.
Halfway.
Stopped.
Stuck.
Completely.
Front half inside.
Back half outside.
Only a fluffy rear—
And two kicking legs—
Visible.
"Wuuuuu…"
Muffled whining.
Silas Moore: "..."
Lightning trotted over.
Curious.
Sniffed Ironfang's butt.
Ironfang kicked harder.
The tunnel shook violently.
Lin Wan was shaking too—
Trying not to laugh.
Eventually—
Old Wu and Chen Lin stepped in.
One pushed.
One pulled.
After a struggle—
POP.
Ironfang was freed.
Covered in dust.
Emotionally destroyed.
He slowly walked to a corner.
Sat down.
And buried his face in his paws.
Social death.
Complete.
Silas watched him.
Walked over.
Gently bumped his head.
A low rumble.
Comfort.
Ironfang peeked up.
Eyes slightly wet.
Then wagged his tail.
Just a little.
Recovered.
The team—
Was learning.
Growing.
Breaking.
And rebuilding.
Together.
And at the center of it all—
Silas Moore stood.
Not just leading.
Forging something new