Dog was a sentient Raven on the planet Nest.[1] She was first introduced in The Last Shadow.
History[]
The Last Shadow[]
When Peter Wiggin II and Si Wang-mu arrived on the surface of Nest for the second time, they were swarmed by Keas who took their belongings. When Dog appeared they scattered. Dog invivted them to meet the council of birds, and they followed Dog. Peter noted that Dog was not merely imitating speech, and Dog responded that they created their own sentences, and wondered why it took so long for those in the "dancing star" in orbit to land. As they exchanged names, Dog said that no human could produce the sounds of their names, however she said that the humans of the planet called her Interpreter or Speaker or Barking Dog, which Wang-mu decided to shorten to Dog. Wang-mu also stressed that if their belongings were not returned, they would not return to the planet. Dog asked why they thought the planet would have diseases, to which Wang-mu explained how they had recieved transmissions for how to build the Descolada molecule from the planet previously. When Wang-mu again requested for their belongings back, a swam of Ravens appeared, and Peter teleported them several kilometers away. They returned shortly with the Raven named Phoenix, to which Dog asked why they risked the life of their messenger. Dog asked if they would take her, but they refused until they had their belongings back. Within moments, the Keas had swarmed all over them, returning everything. Wang-mu asked for the Kea that had origininally spoke in her ear, and she named him Royal Son after explaining her own name. Royal Son asked to return to their planet with Peter and Wang-mu, to which Wang-mu deferred to the Council. Dog said that Royal Son was of little impotance so they agreed. The Humans and Royal Son teleported away.[1]
When Peter, Wang-mu and Royal Son returned, Dog flew over to the two and requested to go with them to Lusitania but refused to stay in the Q-Bay. Peter originally refused but Dog said she would wait out any quarantine procedure before going out to meet the other creatures Royal Son had told them about, which were the Pequeninos and Formics. Peter still balked but Wang-mu stilled him and insisted that it was a fair trade, as they had seen a fair amount of the Ravens' and Keas' planet. Before leaving, Wang-mu asked if they could take more samples, such as a flower, but Dog said that they could not as the flowers were precious. Dog also accused them of stealing the bee from earlier, which Peter said that they did not think or speak. Dog screamed in his ear, rebuking him for judging lives based on whether they could speak or not. Wang-mu affirmed her accusation, saying that both humans and other sentient species (Formics) have judged worth whether or not they could communicate. Dog, calmed down, admitted that the Ravens and Keas do the same. They began to collect samples, and returned to the Q-Bay. Dog was checked for viruses and then released into the open. Jane took her to visit the Pequenino Fathertrees and the Hive Queen of Shakespeare.[1]
Soon after, Dog met the Hive Queen. She was surprised that the Queen could speak directly into her mind. Dog immediatley asked if the humans could be trusted, as they had previously destroyed the entire Formic species, with one exception being the Queen herself. Dog feared that if they were discovered the humans would send a fleet to destroy their planet, but the Queen told her that the humans of Lusitania would save them, and later move them to other colonies. Dog asked her how long would it take her to build a new fleet of starships that could challenge the human empire. The Queen guessed twenty years alone, but with her Sisters on the Lusitanian Colonies, three years. The Queen suggested that the Ravens and Keas trust the humans and keep no secrets, for they will know.[1]
When Sprout Delphiki returned from Nest, he explained that he had met Ruqyaq the Yachachiyruna and learned about the history of Nest. Jane collected Thulium, Peter, Wang-mu, Miro Ribeira, Ela Ribeira and Quara Ribeira, Dog, along with 3 Pequeninos and 3 Formic workers to meet with Sprout. With everybody assembled, they watched the video recordings that a Yachachi had made of Sprout's activities on Nest. After seeing proof, Ela said that she would not have called the meeting if she knew the proof existed. Thulium asked Jane if Sprout had developed the ability of Outside-in travel, which she confirmed. Jane also explained that Outside-in travel came easily to Leguminids, as well as Peter, Wang-mu and Miro, but that the Hive Queen had told her that most lacked the ability to bring anything except themselves through. Dog expressed disappointment over this, but Sprout explained that it would be disastrous if all Keas learned how to and created chaos on all the worlds. Jane expressed a desire to meet the Runa, the normal humans of Nest, and Dog said that she would set up a meeting. Sprout asked Dog if he did a good job meeting the Yachachi, and Dog said that they could not have chosen a better emissary. The Pequenino Fingers talked with Dog about helping them proccess the data in the video, and explained that his name was Fingers (digits) because he was good with computers.[1]
Wang-mu and Peter returned to the surface of Nest and spoke with Dog. Wang-mu and Peter discussed Thulium's theory that the Folk were driven underground by the mischief of the Keas and to avoid a war. Dog, who was listening, explained that around 300 AX, the Folk began to tire of the Keas' harrassment and started to trap them, which broke out into war between the birds and humans, which drove the Folk underground and bearing deep resentment. After Dog said that the Lusitanians were not more advanced than the people of Nest, Peter asserted that the Formic Hive Queen could wage terrible war with the knowledge of her species and the destruction they are capable of. Dog said that humans waged worse war, which Peter agreed with. Wang-mu said that there would be no war, as they would not raise a weapon against the Folk, but if the Folk did they would simply leave. Dog suggested they leave and ignore Nest, but Wang-mu said that they could not do that without everyone else agreeing. Wang-mu said that they would likely decide to visit the Folk, but Dog tacitly warned them not to go with them, that the Folk would harm them.[1]
After the Folk attacked the Lusitanians with a biological weapon, the Keas and Ravens knew they were next. Dog spoke with the Hive Queen about sending the Keas, Ravens, and Yachachi to 5 of the Lusitanian Colonies. As the Keas needed to be separate from the humans, the Queen asked Dog if she wanted to share a continent with the Keas but no humans, or a continent with humans but no Keas. Soon after, the Folk turned against the other species of Nest with an ultrasound and infrasound riot control weapon that the Yachachi Ruqyaq had created 20 years ago, killing hundreds of Ravens and Keas. The Lusitanians returned with a Box that could take the Ravens, Keas, and Yachachiyruna to Lusitania and they swarmed in. Jane sent the Box full with birds back and forth dozens of times, including Dog.[1]
The humans then went to the meadow to sort the birds. Jane told them to divide themselves into their breeding populations, and after speaking with Dog she instructed the Keas to form a group who wanted to be alone and a group that wished to be with the Ravens, as they could not be trusted with humans. One by one the patches of birds disappeared as Jane sent them to the colonies. However, Dog and Phoenix stayed on Lusitania.[1]
A week later, Dog and Phoenix were noticed by Sprout and Delft Delphiki walking in the meadow and they called them over. Sprout asked why they were not on one of the colonies, and they asked to sit down. Dog explained that she could hear the Hive Queen when she first came to Lusitania because the Ravens already used philotic communication. Hence, they stayed on Lusitania to test if they could communicate with the ravens on the colonies lightyears away with philotes, and they could. Dog also explained that she was already 20 years old, and that Ravens could now live to be 40. They also explained that Keas could not philotically communicate, and that the level of proficiency in philotic communication differed among Ravens. The birds encouraged Sprout and Blue to see the colonies, and to also visit them to hear knowledge that even Ruqyaq did not know.[1]