Chapter 58: Battle Plans

Darkstripe was just resting in the medicine den when Bluestar padded in. Then came Whitestorm. Then Fireheart. Finally came Cinderpelt and Sandstorm. The medicine den was packed tight, and Darkstripe had no clue why.

"What's going on here?" Darkstripe asked hesitantly. Nothing good comes from all these prominent cats in one place.

"We're here to talk strategy on the dogs, and since you're the only cat who killed one, we thought your opinion would be necessary." Replied Fireheart with a mixture of respect but underlying playfulness.

"Do you think your dog killer could work on all of them?" Asked Whitestorm.

Darkstripe shook his head. "No. It can only work once from ambush. Seeing as I injured myself from it, I don't think trying to land four of them would work out for us. Maybe we could take out the biggest like that, but after that, we'd be stuck with our standard battle skills."

Sandstorm spoke next. "Where did you even learn that move anyways? Maybe they have a tactic."

Darkstripe shook his head again. "I can't tell you that. I can tell you I technically did the move wrong. In the one demonstration I saw, they had two cats to roll the dog away from the side the user was on. At least now I know why." Darkstripe mewed gesturing to his leg that was now bound tight against a thick branch.

Fireheart, being the thinker he is, asked an astute question. "Do we have any more info on what the dogs are? We know there is four, but which one is the biggest threat?"

Darkstripe tried to think back on the dogs from their assault on the apprentices.

"Yes. I can describe them to you. One was a short bruiser, white with a brown patch above its eye. It had a short muzzle, lots of sag to its face, and short tail. It's all power no speed. The apprentices tagged that one pretty good on their own. The second was all grey, medium length muzzle, about two and a half cats tall, short ears, and a decently lengthy sleek tail. This one is a large threat but didn't take the fight seriously. It seemed to prefer chasing over fighting. The third had brown paws and jaws but was otherwise black. It was a bit bigger than the last one. This one was nippy and went specifically for tails. It seemed flighty when given a good scratch. The final one and possibly the threat of the group was only about two cats tall with a white belly, black pelt, and brown markings about the face. It didn't fight, but it did pressure the apprentices into a corner so the now dead boss dog could strike."

The other conscious cats in the room were silent contemplating and visualizing these dogs. Darkstripe could hear each of them muttering about how they'd handle even one of those dogs. Finally, Bluestar called for their attention.

"So, we know about the aspects of the dogs. How do you think we should handle all four?" She asked to the cats in the room.

Darkstripe looked to Sandstorm knowing she also knew the dog killer attack. "I think you'll only have to take on three if Sandstorm can land the dog killer."

Fireheart looked at Darkstripe with surprise and a bit of hurt. "Sandstorm knows the dog killer?"

Darkstripe chuffed at that. "You think I'd just horde a move as important as the dog killer?... Because I totally would. Sandstorm just caught me practicing, so I taught her it."

Darkstripe's joke landed leaving most of the cats in the room with a faint grin. He felt the tension in the room was too stifling anyways.

"Anyways, which dog would we want out of the picture?"

Fireheart spoke next. "I think the herder is the biggest threat. It may not fight as well, but it's the one who could mess up what we plan after the first strike."

Whitestorm and Bluestar nodded respectfully. A look of focus crossed Sandstorm's face as she tried to visualize her now destined target for the attack.

Whitestorm spoke. "Darkstripe said one will chase and another tends to go for tails. Do you think we could get those two to chase us to a more advantageous location?"

Darkstripe nodded remembering how those two dogs were the first to the tree when Brightpaw and Swiftpaw tried to get out of reach.

Sandstorm mewed in her input. "If the short one is alone, I think we can get it with hit and run tactics and trying to wear it out."

Darkstripe then asked the big question. "What of the other two? Where could we take them anyways? I wouldn't want to fight either of them straight up on a good day."

Something sprung to mind that Fireheart had seen during their return trip from Windclan. Just past the border was a gorge cut by the river. The drop was steep and deep enough that it would definitely kill whatever fell in there. Anything that did survive would be dragged off by the rapids.

"What about the gorge? Any able-bodied cat could make the jump. If I remember correctly, there's a clump of brush near one of the edges. As long as we jump first, the dogs won't see the edge until it's too late."

The strategy seemed solid enough. Darkstripe, being the devil's advocate, a question.

"Not saying you won't land it, but if the herder survives the first strike, what then?"

Whitestorm answered. "I trust Sandstorm, but say if it did happen, I'd say we try and keep it separated or with the short one. Getting the others to the gorge would be the priority."

Bluestar, sounding like her old self, closed out the meeting. "Right. So, the strategy is take out the herder, single out the short one, and guide the other two over the gorge at the tall brush. Anything else will have to be dealt with on the fly."

Cinderpelt decided then was a good time to say something. "As nice as it is to know you have a strategy to deal with the dogs, can you get out of here! It's crowded enough with three patients, and Whitestorm has already knocked some of my herbs off their shelves with that stupid bushy tail. I need to get to the marigold, but it seems a wall of uninjured cats is in my way."

Fireheart and Whitestorm ducked their heads sheepishly as they moved to exit the den. Whitestorm muttered an apology on the way out. Sandstorm made her way out quietly while Bluestar exited unapologetically with a confidence that matched her authority. It really was like the old Bluestar was back.

That left Darkstripe alone with Cinderpelt. Only two unconscious forms accompanied them. Cinderpelt's aggressive demeaner dropped to something soft. She looked at Darkstripe with slight worry.

"Darkstripe. It couldn't have been easy to recall those dogs. You were very brave to try and remember them to such detail, but you don't have to keep strong. You're safe here. No cat can judge you."

Darkstripe didn't even really notice he was shaking until that moment. That cold mechanical side of him slipped away as the rest of those memories hammered their way into his mind. Those dogs… They were so terrifying. How he managed to ever scare them was beyond him. The shaking was becoming more violent as he pulled himself in tighter. His own mind made the threat and idea of those dogs very real. He could hear their panting like it was right in his ear. The blood-tinged breath of those things he could feel and smell despite them not being real. He could only cower at this. He could feel himself crying, but he could not move, could not run.

Then he felt warmth beside him. Cinderpelt had laid down beside him. Her warmth didn't compare to Fireheart or Sandstorm, but he didn't feel alone now. She just sat with him a while. His shakes eventually settled down as his panic faded.

"You aren't alone. They won't get you. We're here and we'll protect you. That's what it means to be a clan."

Darkstripe's panic attack had left him exhausted. He felt himself drifting into sleep, Cinderpelt's presence not disappearing the whole while. In his dreams, the dogs appeared. He felt so scared until a cat appeared. It was bigger than the dogs and sort of looked like Lionheart with its massive mane. It stood over him with fire burning through its pelt as it drove off the dogs. Then it curled around him like a queen would their kits. The rest of his sleep was mercifully silent. Just the warmth of the large cat remained.