A challenge for FlightClan.
Honeytail stared at the camp. Normally, it was bustling with activity. Now, it was silent, forlorn. His cream-furred tail flicked uneasily from side to side. It was the next sunrise, after the dog attack. He gasped as he saw a little body. A kit.
Daisykit lay on her back, her belly split, her jaws gaping soundlessly, her glazed blue eyes staring up in terror. Honeytail let out a cry of grief as he nuzzled his dead kit.
Hawkpaw's dark tabby fur lay still next to Daisykit. His throat had been torn apart. My apprentice. You fought well until the end. StarClan will honor you.
Sunmask's limp paws had brown dog fur clumped in them. His head was split open by vicious teeth. His face was fixed in a snarl, and Honeytail could almost see the warrior's last moments. My father. Rest in peace.
Hawkpaw charged into camp. His brown tabby fur was bushed out, and he was trembling. "Dogs!" He cried. "So many dogs!"
Honeytail leapt to his paws. "Where's the rest of the patrol!" He demanded.
Hawkpaw trembled. "Dead."
Darkberry... Dead... I'll never see her again. Honeytail stared blankly at Hawkpaw.
"What happened?" Cried Needlestar.
"Dog attack!"
Needlestar's ginger tabby pelt lay in a lifeless heap. A large wound gaped in his neck. An instant killer. He had been on his last life, and two dogs teamed up against him. He never stood a chance.
Sorrelfang's tortoiseshell pelt was relatively clean, though her neck fur was stained. She had never felt any pain when the end came.
Ashpelt's gray fur was blood-red. Her body was ripped apart, and Honeytail could scarcely recognize her. He bowed his head. You were a good warrior. You didn't deserve this fate.
"They're coming!" Sorrelfang yowled. She let out a screech of fury and terror that was abruptly cut off. Honeytail bounded up the slope to see a dog shaking its head, wildly swinging the limp warrior around. Countless more dogs barked behind the lead one.
The dogs flooded into hollow. Shrieks rang around the camp. A flash of white fur hurled itself onto a dog. Cloudkit! Even the kits had to battle. This was a fight for survival. There would be no survivors. The only thing that existed now was blood and pain.
Cloudkit shrieked as he smacked against the ground, the noise cut off ominously. Redkit cried out in grief and flung himself forward, only to meet the same fate as his brother.
A dog darted forward and tore his claws into Needlestar's throat. He was dead. Mousefeather, the deputy, screeched and flung herself onto it. The dog snapped its head around and rolled onto its back, crushing her.
Cloudkit was curled up with his littermate, Redkit. From afar, they looked asleep; then Honeytail could see their blank gazes, and the red that coated the kits' pelts.
Darkdapple's tabby pelt was streaked with red stripes rather than ginger. Honeytail touched noses with the fallen warrior.
His heart cracked. Tigercloud. His brother's dark pelt was no more. His bloody fur lay in shreds around the warrior. His tail snaked out behind him, torn and mangled. He too, was dead.
Honeytail snarled defiance at the big dog before him before launching himself at it. Tigercloud circled around it and sank his teeth into the dog's hind leg. The dog howled, and another of its kind launched up and pulled Tigercloud away. His brother's desperate cries were lost in the sea of noise.
Darkdapple fell, his eyes bulging as blood gushed out. Ashpelt leaped by, and clawed at the dog that had just killed the warrior. More dogs loomed out of the mist and the gray warrior was killed.
Bramblespring launched herself out, and Mossflight hurtled next to her. Honeytail bounded over to help, and watched helplessly as they both fell.
Mousefeather's brown fur huddled limply next to her mate's. She was lying on top of Needlestar. Honeytail's heart twisted at the sight of them.
He gasped in shock when he saw Bramblespring's spotted pelt among the dead, piled in a heap. She's a medicine cat!
Mossflight lay in front of the she-cat's body, his pelt torn to shreds. He had clearly tried to save Bramblespring, and died because of it.
Hawkpaw and Weaselpaw attacked a giant dog, bigger than both of them combined. As one, they struck. The dog stumbled backwards, then snapped out and caught Hawkpaw by the leg. The dark tabby cried out, and Weaselpaw lunged forward, only to be knocked away by another opponent and killed. The first dog tore apart Hawkpaw's throat.
Honeytail lurched forward, trying to save Sedgeflower and Daisykit but he was too late. The dog snapped her neck and sliced Daisykit's belly. He let out a yowl of grief.
The clan was outmatched.
Sedgeflower's eyes stared blankly at her denmate's as she lay there, crumpled in a pool of blood.
Swallowspring and Fogstalk laid side by side. The two lovers' tails were twined. Pain tore at the black and cream warrior. Swallowspring's flanks were matted with blood.
Fogstalk's back was bent at an unnatural angle, and one paw was twisted. He head was snapped back. An instant death.
Swallowspring and Fogstalk leaped into battle, claws gleaming. They clawed and scratched at their foes, but were driven back to the nursery. A dog charged forward and snapped Fogstalk's neck. Swallowspring wailed in sorrow and another dog tore deep into her hindquarters. In her last moments, she looked into her mate's eyes and twined her tail with his limp one.
Herontalon, Splashleap, and Sunmask hissed and spat at the dogs. Their fur bristled, and teeth bared. A dog flung itself toward the three elders, and Sunmask met it head-on. The dog's fangs sank into the cat's head, and blood spurted from the wound. Honeytail lunged toward them, but a dog snatched at his tail and flung him into the wall. By sheer chance, he was wedged into a crack and forgotten about.
Herontalon curled his tail over Splashleap. The two cats looked at each other and closed their eyes, accepting their fate. The dogs attacked. Honeytail was alone.
Herontalon's tabby tail was curled over Splashleap. The thickset elder was clearly trying to comfort his denmate in their last moments.
Splashleap's eyes were glazed over and dull. Already, maggots had started on her. Honeytail shuddered as he stared at the elder.
And finally, Weaselpaw. The light brown tabby cat had his lips peeled back in a snarl. His amber eyes, though glazed over, still had the light of battle within them. You fought well, Weaselpaw.
The dogs howled their triumph as Honeytail watched helplessly from the crack in the wall.
The battle was over. The dogs had won.
The dogs.
They had done this.
The whole clan dead.
Because of them.
They were beasts of destruction.
Honeytail threw back his head and let out a yowl of pure grief. Then his wounds took hold and he buckled to the ground, his legs collapsing beneath him.
His clan.
Gone.
Gone.
Gone.