Uncle Marco, Top Dog, Stephan, Flippy Strong, Truth Strong, and Rayovac Strong were then on their way to the maize field. The trip takes them outside the strong, deep walls of the hold and outside. There, food to sustain the hold was back-breakingly eked out of the soil. The situation that Licorice Whip described was still on-going, to some degree.<br/><br/>Amidst the maize rows the workers had the members of the Shephard Dogs assigned to oversee the work cornered. Those still on their feet, anyway: there were workers and Dogs alike on the ground, bruises on their faces and heads testifying to their unconsciousness and impending concussions. A handful of workers were simply on their backs, staring up at the sky with wildly diluted pupils, their mouths moving wordlessly and saliva draining from either side. The half-dozen Shephard Dogs were outnumbered probably three to one, or a ratio roughly on that scale. Each side had lengthy weapons - or lengthy farm implements, in the case of the workers - and were making jittery, testing probes at the other. The Dogs were doing their best to keep the workers at bay, while the workers were howling for blood and gnashing their teeth.<br/><br/>The water cart was overturned, and the wooden barrels used to transport water had rolled away. Each lay on their sides, their precious contents spilled into the ground.