A/N: Your commitment is noted and appreciated.

The absurdity of the situation wasn't lost on McCoy. He knew perfectly well that he was being held captive by a large group of larger canines, but- heaven help him- logic dictated that staying put would increase his chances of being rescued. It had been a full night, and the better part of a day. Jim and Spock would definitely come looking for him. Heck, as soon as the ship got back- provided he hadn't already been rescued by that point- they could scan the entire planet and beam him up in a heartbeat.

And this wasn't half bad. They had given him his weight in fruit in exchange for some head pats. He'd stayed in prisons before. There was the brig of the Klingon vessel he'd spent a good couple of hours in before being rescued, there was that dungeon, and the other one, and the list went on…

But, McCoy was starting to get used to the setup. His stomach told him it was lunch, but none of the dogs stopped working to eat or anything like that. They likely had a different schedule since they were trained around work hours.

The green fruit was the best one. It was easy enough to peel, and it wasn't too messy. McCoy had dribbled just a little on his shirt, but it didn't smell or stick too bad. Overall, something he'd definitely recommend to Jim. There was a wide selection of things he'd tell them about, even if the Matrians already knew about a lot of this fruit. The purple ones were hardest to open, but they had pomegranate-like seeds inside. McCoy decided Spock would like the red ones that were shaped like spoons and tasted like grass. It seemed like an efficient-yet-bland combo the hobgoblin would be all over.

Sometime during McCoy's foray into the last of his green fruits, Chance appeared in one of the tunnels and padded over to him. The doctor stuck out his hand as was customary by this point, and Chance wagged his tail happily. The big puppy plopped down next to the blanket and lowered himself all the way to the floor. McCoy found that the gigantic head was easier to scratch when it was closer to a level he was used to. That, and Chance had spots on the top of his head as well.

"Well, howdy there, puppy dog. Miss me much?" McCoy licked the juice off his fingers before giving Chance a proper scratch. Chance, in turn, wagged his tail happily.

McCoy smiled. "I missed you too. Seems like nobody around here even remembers I'm here unless I try to leave. It's awful lonely all by myself…"

Chance looked appropriately sad, and McCoy redoubled his efforts. This dog was an excellent listener.

"I miss Jim. Spock too, for all the green-blooded computer gets on my nerves… I'm worried about 'em. If they… If whoever grabbed me got their hands on either of them…"

McCoy's hand slowed and he shuddered. The first time had been one thing. He was willing to take that so Jim wouldn't have to. The chill of the wall at his back, the icy fingertips pressing on his face, they were worth it if it meant that Spock wasn't going after Jim instead. But, this time McCoy genuinely knew nothing. He couldn't keep Jim or Spock safe. He couldn't protect either of them if he didn't have the information these people wanted…

Chance pushed up off the ground and started licking McCoy's face. Just a little slobbery, but it helped him shake the gloomy train of thought.

"Shucks, boy, you sure know how to cheer a feller up." He reached a hand around to rub Chance's neck, and the big puppy dropped its head into McCoy's lap. The weight came as a bit of a surprise, but Chance was warm and he needed some company right now. McCoy smiled sadly and went back to work on the puppy's ears. Poor thing only wants to help. He's a big sweetheart, that's what he is.

They sat there like that for a long while. McCoy rested his bad arm between Chance's head and his stomach while he chatted away at his puppy friend. Chance's tail swished on the floor at the edge of the blanket. They had peace for a good little bit.

Unfortunately, Asta was raining on all sorts of parades today. One little rumble and Chance was on his feet, standing at attention. McCoy shuffled back quickly. When one of these big dogs really moved, you needed to get clear fast. Asta gave him a sidelong glare before returning to his task. Almost on cue, Shadow joined the party. To McCoy, it seemed like the two dogs were never separate for long. He and Chance seemed to work together all the time.

Not a moment later, the pair of them took off down one of the exit tunnels. McCoy was left alone with the giant. Asta glared down his nose but did nothing else. That was one of the more unnerving parts about this. Most all the dogs were friendly save this one. Asta looked at him like he was a worm, lower perhaps. When McCoy stood up straight, he could look the big guy right in the eyes. He swallowed hard, silently praying Asta wouldn't use him as a chew toy.

His luck held. The big bully left with only a glare. McCoy breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't stand a chance against any of these dogs, let alone the suspected Security Chief. As soon as he forgot the danger he was in, something else would come around to remind him. These dogs meant business. Whether it was for their own good or the colonist's ill, they would be a formidable force to contend with.

'Impending doom' couldn't have had better timing if McCoy had written it out himself. No sooner had he relaxed than Asta reared his ugly head again, this time with Lady Rev and Rin Tin Tin in tow. McCoy had the urge to scoot back as far away from the large trio as he could, but he was frozen in place. The best he could do was curl his bad arm against his chest and hope they wouldn't go for the throat.

Rin Tin Tin made the approach first. He came up as he always had, surveying his patient and the doctor's improvised dressing. But, when McCoy was obstructed by Doctor Dog's body, the big goober gave him a quick peck on the forehead. That was a surprise. But, the look in the big guy's eyes was nothing like the half-lidded glares he'd been dishing out all day. McCoy felt a little better about this. Whatever was coming down on him, Rin Tin Tin had his back. Who knew doggy kisses could be so reassuring?

His colleague backed off, and McCoy found himself facing the two people- dogs- ultimately in charge of his fate. He had to mentally shake himself and remember that this was all real. Stranger than fiction, or so they say. I think I understand what they were driving at, now.

Lady Rev approached next. He was awed by her commanding presence since, well, she was a dog. A very big dog, but the fact of the matter was still out of his grasp. How did this pack work? What sorts of hierarchies and pecking orders had been ingrained into the minds of these animals? They behaved almost like a colony. Maybe that was it. Maybe the Matrians had instilled so much of their process into these animals that it had imprinted. The escapees might have subconsciously edited their pack dynamics to match their training. It was all very fascinating, but there was still one big question: What did the dog colony want with him?

Observation had told him she was in command, so McCoy sat as still as possible. He'd let her conduct whatever search she wanted, and then she might leave him alone. Sure enough, Lady Rev was investigating. She sniffed his hair, his clothes, even the fruit stains on his shirt. One odd thing he noticed was that she kept going back to his head and face. That long snout was combing his hair. She even went so far as to give his face an experimental lick. McCoy sat very still and waited.

Eventually, Lady Rev stopped nosing around his face. She moved on to his arm, giving the injured one only a cursory glance, before looking at the other. The last of the fruit juice was examined. McCoy's fingers were given a thorough sniffing. Lady Rev nosed his hand up off the floor and held it on the end of her snout. He froze. Heart stuttering, McCoy hoped this wasn't the trick where the dog held a treat on the end of its nose, and then at the command….

The big Lady wasn't too keen on eating him yet. She bounced his hand on the end of her nose for a minute before letting it flop more in the middle of her face. They sat there like that a long while. McCoy wasn't willing to try anything, not with Asta glaring daggers at him, and Lady Rev was absorbed in her study. By all appearances, McCoy was a fascinating specimen.

Eventually, she stood and exchanged some silent signal with Asta. The big bully looked affronted, but he paid attention to whatever nonverbal signals Lady Rev was giving him. Finally, Asta grunted and left. McCoy could breathe much easier.

It seemed like the big Lady noticed his relief. She cocked her head sideways and stared at him. It was a funny look coming from such a grand dog and McCoy couldn't help but grin. That caused an even greater reaction. He could see her figurative eyebrows rising. It was almost a Spock look, now that he thought about it. The comparison dimmed his smile a little. Spock and Jim were still somewhere outside, and he didn't have a clue as to where.

Lady Rev was still watching him. She paused a moment before moving closer and angling her nose up towards his. The stately Lady was crouched comically in front of him. If he didn't know better, McCoy would say she was concerned.

When she just blinked at him, he had an idea. Lady Rev hadn't bitten his hand off yet, so maybe- secretly- she liked head scratches like so many of these big doggies. McCoy lifted his hand slowly and worked his fingers around the backs of her ears. He was amazed by her patience with him, but his thoughts kept straying back to Jim and Spock. Where were they? Were they safe? Had they… He couldn't help but think that they'd been captured and tortured as well.

After all, if these people wanted information, wouldn't they go to the highest ranking officers first? It occurred to him that Jim and Spock could've already been worked over long before he was abducted. They could be lying out in the fields, hurt and alone… Maybe they'd been separated. Maybe Jim had been taken at the Minister's dinner, and Spock after the power plant tour. They probably never knew, same as him. Didn't see it coming. Should've-…

A wet nose nudged his face. McCoy had entirely forgotten about Miss Rev. She was still crouched next to him, and he had his hand resting between her ears. McCoy withdrew, worried he'd upset the big Lady. She didn't seem affronted, but she did stand and retreat to the far corner of the chamber. A reddish dog was bringing in a large basket, and she stopped her at the entrance. McCoy watched the short exchange. Miss Rev was giving orders, and the other dog was complying. Perhaps this was a messenger dog, since she left pretty quickly.

Soon, Miss Rev was standing at his side again. She eyed him for a moment before bending down and nudging his leg. That said 'get up'. McCoy obliged her. He got to his feet and awaited orders, because right now, that looked like what she was giving out. He couldn't forget that she was the pack's leader, however the hierarchy worked here. She nosed at the blanket and he picked it up.

McCoy was bid to follow. He wadded up his blanket and stuck close to the big Lady's side. She was moving quickly, but his legs were working fine. A quick pace was no problem. They were headed a different direction from where he had explored before, anyhow. He saw new mineral fixtures and more streamlined lighting, but the method was the same. Someone or something had it fixed to where this glowing mineral was shoved into just the right cracks to light the room. They passed several more dogs as they came this way, but no one stopped them. The privileges of traveling with the pack leader…

The further they went, the stranger the tunnel layout became. The walls looked smoother, less jagged, and consequently the light started to dim. More mineral deposits were found on the ground. The tunnel took on that cave-like quality that the rest of the caverns were missing. That, and the next chamber they came into changed everything.

McCoy stopped in the entrance. The room was dim, enormous, and cold. He noticed these things second. The main attraction was the lake.

In the center of the room, ringed by stacks of glowing rock, was a fair sized body of water. The pool- for it was more like a pool than a lake- looked deep and cold. It wasn't an underground hot spring. That was for sure. The cave system would've been a heck of a lot warmer if it were.

Miss Rev continued into the chamber. She padded forward and started lapping at the water. Safe, then. Safe for these canines, at least? Is it even water? What I wouldn't give for my tricorder right now…

She stopped drinking and looked at him expectantly. McCoy swallowed his concern and moved forward. He stopped at the edge of the pool and sat down. While a swim might be fun in other circumstances, he didn't want to freeze to death. The dogs had the advantage of a fur coat to keep them warm. McCoy just had this blanket. He opted to cross his legs and scoop water out of the pool. It tasted clean enough, and he hadn't realized how thirsty he really was.

Miss Rev watched him for a minute before getting another drink. McCoy did some theorizing in between sips. This was an ample supply of water, but no one else seemed to be taking advantage of it. And it was deep in the cave. Quite a nice reserve, should they need to stay underground. That meant that there was either a secondary internal or external source. Maybe they were far enough from the colony to roam free.

It also meant that McCoy was not to leave. He was given water in the farthest depths of the cave, the most secure point in the whole complex. It either said a lot about what they thought of him, or a lot about their organization. Perhaps they'd kept other prisoners before him.

After a few minutes. Miss Rev moved away from the edge of the pool and indicated it was time to depart. McCoy got to his feet and moved to follow her. He thought about the bright side. At least his new warden was letting him stretch his legs.

Jim woke up in a heap at the foot of his bed. He blinked groggily. Judging by the crick in his neck, he'd been dumped here. Wasn't too unusual. People dropped him places all the time. Enemy commanders, bartenders, Bones…

Bones. Jim shot upright and almost threw himself off the bed. He was in time to see the half-second of panic before Spock's mask slipped back down. It looked like the First Officer had been meditating on the little sofa in the Captain's temporary quarters. So much for that, then.

"Captain. Are you well?" The question was laced with a bit of concern, Spock-style, but Jim recognized it.

"I am, Spock. How about Bones? Any word?"

Spock's expression wasn't promising. Jim's heart sank.

"No. And the Matrian investigator I spoke to said he had no other leads."

Kirk scowled and pounded a fist onto the bedspread. Of course the locals would give up too soon. Bones was still out there somewhere, his gut was telling him so. If the doctor… if he'd run into some sort of real trouble, Jim would be able to feel it. He couldn't explain it, he just knew.

"Then I suppose it's up to us then, Spock."

Spock stood. "Indeed, Captain. I suggest we being our search outside this building. Perhaps we can discover something the officials have missed."

Without further discussion, they left the building and began combing the grounds. Any clue as to where McCoy went wouldn't be as fresh as they'd like, but something was better than nothing. There wasn't anything missing from his room, but that didn't mean nothing had been left behind. It was only logical. No crime was perfect, and Kirk was convinced that this was indeed a crime scene.

Searching along the path first, Kirk had one heck of a time sifting through large paw prints. The dogs seemed to use this route just as often as the people did. These big canines were making things difficult.

Several dogs passed by, bearing loads, but none stopped and none confused the scene further. The Starfleet Officers easily ignored them. Neither of them noticed the reddish dog pause after the corner, after her third lap around the complex.

McCoy had been left in another chamber. This one was small, too big to be a closet, but smaller than any of the other chambers he'd been in so far. Lady Rev left him to sit on the floor in the corner. The instructions seemed clear enough- sit, stay- but McCoy had to say he was getting antsy. The later it got, the more concerned he grew. Anything could happen in these caverns, never mind the fact that these animals could turn hostile at any moment. Just because Lady Rev was taking him around didn't mean that Asta didn't still have it out for him.

He heard one of the canines approaching and made himself as small target as he could. If he squeezed just so between the crates… It was only Lady Rev, carrying a lumpy sack in her teeth. That was a relief. McCoy sighed. "Oh thank goodness. I thought you were Asta." Lady Rev wasn't catching his drift, but she was a dog and he was expecting too much. Instead of making any attempt to explain, he eyed the sack she was carrying. It was almost a sleeping bag, except it looked more suited for potatoes than people.

"Don't tell me that's gonna be mine." Grabbing the blanket, he pulled it back over his shoulders. "I'm just fine thanks. See? Doctor. Not a potato." Lady Rev gave him that look again, but she decided to leave the sack by the entrance. McCoy couldn't deny his relief. I'm finally getting through to them. Maybe his success was lucky, maybe it was something else, but the bottom line was that he wasn't sleeping in a bag tonight. The small victory felt good.

The big Lady circled around to his corner of the room. She nosed open one of the crates and started fishing around inside. It wasn't a minute before McCoy got another blanket dropped on his head. It seemed like these dogs couldn't just pass things along like sensible beings. No, they had to toss blankets around willy-nilly.

McCoy said as much as he struggled to get his head clear of the wool. "Confounded giant dogs, runnin' around without so much as a chew toy between any of y'all to occupy your time. No, gotta drop stuff on people's heads like it's some kind of fun…"

Lady Rev was giving him that look. "Aw, cut it out. Ain't you ever seen kolache before?" She bent down and licked all along the side of his face. Maybe food jokes weren't the order of the day, but she couldn't understand him anyhow. Next time, though, I'm not mentioning pigs-in-a-blanket.

This attitude change was interesting. One minute, he was beneath her notice, then he was a science experiment, and now…? She was giving him as much attention as the rest of them. More, even, save that from Chance. That big puppy couldn't seem to stay away unless ordered.

Did this mean… McCoy was trying to wrap his mind around a good couple of ideas all at the same time. He was stuck on the theory of the dogs as a military. Obviously, they had commanders. Asta was one, and Lady Rev was heading the operation. Did they still have that dog-like instinct of open affection to those who showed them kindness? Were they really innocent of all this, simply adopting the social model impressed upon them by the colonists?

That made him pause for another thought. Had the colonists been training these dogs for war? It made a certain kind of sense. That would be something the Federation would try and put a stop to for sure. Maybe that was why he'd been dragged out into the middle of nowhere and interrogated. These dogs may have escaped a regime more sinister than any of them had realized.

Lady Rev nudged him and he had to stop thinking. She was after something else now. Not for the first time, McCoy remembered his position. He was a prisoner of whatever system they were running out here. Shuddering not entirely from the chill, he paid more attention.

It wasn't too much longer before he figured out what she was driving at. The big Lady made it very clear. She padded over to a covered spot on the floor and pawed at the ground. He was to come over there. She put her nose to the floor. He was to sit. Further. He was to lie down.

Lady Rev made a couple of passes in front of him before settling down between the doctor and the door. Something had changed. McCoy rolled himself into as small a ball as he could. They were keeping a closer eye on his movements, restricting the areas where he was permitted to go… There was something going on outside, he was sure of it. Something the dogs didn't want him involved in. By all signs, now was the time to lay low and not try any more stunts. It wasn't like he could now, what with the big Lady fixed between him and the door.

McCoy shut his eyes and breathed a quick prayer. Whatever was going on outside… He was more afraid for Jim and Spock than he was for himself.

Night was falling and Captain Kirk was irritated.

He'd spoken with this investigator and had come away with an impression similar to Spock's. As surprised as he was that it was Cadrit, Kirk was disappointed more than anything. They hadn't found a sign. True, these were living quarters and people did come and go, but most of the rooms in this unit were empty. It was a newer, as-yet unfilled building, but neither of them could find anything out of the ordinary.

Spock had broadened his search to the sidewalk and roadside, while his Captain took another crack at the bushes. The concrete was clean, recently installed, and devoid of clues. However, Spock was determined. He paid no mind as commuting canines passed him by. Wholly focused on his task, Spock examined every crack in the sidewalk, every inch of the grass edging.

His vigilance was rewarded.

"Captain!" Spock called. Kirk poked his head out of the bushes and began disentangling himself. While the Captain was coming, Spock pushed back the edge of the grass so he could get a better look at what he'd found. It wasn't garbage, he could tell that much immediately. The piece of crushed plastic was significant.

"Spock." Kirk was breathless from the hurry. "What did you find?"

The First Officer indicated the spot in the dirt. "It is the cap of a hypospray, Captain."

That changed everything. Kirk put his hands on his hips, scowling at the shards. Now there wasn't a doubt in his mind.

"Then he's been taken, Spock."

His First Officer nodded. "I had come to the same conclusion. It appears that Chief Cadrit was wrong. Someone in this colony does have reason to harm the Doctor."

Kirk shot another glare at the plastic before straightening up and surveying the area. The sun was going down quickly. If they wanted to do any more searching, they'd need equipment. Maybe they could convince Dalarian to lend some hands. If Chief Cadrit was going to be as thorough as Spock had said…

Before he could put his thoughts into words, one of the outdoor speakers crackled to life.

"All residents are advised to return to their homes. All residents—A pack of wild canines has been detected in the vicinity of the colony. The Defense Squadron has secured the border. Please return to your homes for your own safety. All residents…"

Kirk and Spock exchanged a look. The wild dogs certainly threw a wrench in their plans.

"Should we ignore the advisory…?" Kirk scanned the area. All of the people and dogs he'd seen milling around had disappeared. It looked like everyone was heeding the warning.

Spock spent another moment contemplating the hypospray cap. "If we retreat to an area of relative safety only until the danger has passed, we will avoid the window of highest risk."

"And Bones?"

That gave Spock a moment of pause. "If he has been taken, his captors will likely take care of him."

"And if they don't? If they're using this attack to… to…"

Kirk couldn't finish and Spock couldn't formulate a response. In the end, they returned to the housing unit and stayed by the window. If there was something to be seen, they hoped they could see it from inside.

His throat was sore and it was altogether too warm. McCoy didn't want to be awake, but he was slowly coming to realize that he couldn't avoid it. Shifting his weight a little, he discovered he was on the hard floor, but there appeared to be another blanket between him and the ground itself. He also observed that he wasn't alone.

McCoy cracked a puffy eyelid. There was a paw draped on top of him, and the paw was connected to none other than the highest-ranking officer in this whole organization. Lady Rev looked like she'd been dozing, but now her eyes were on him. He blinked, feeling the swollen skin around his eyes squish in response. Must be allergic to these things… The night spent in close proximity to this big dog had done a number on his sinuses.

The big Lady didn't look like she was about to move. McCoy knew he should probably start to keep his distance, but he was bone weary and too cozy to care. It hadn't been a restful sleep, but he couldn't recall any dreams or bouts of insomnia. It's this cave floor and these shedding dogs. He decided at last. If they don't end up eating me, they'll make my immune system destroy itself.

It wasn't strictly true, but he was in no mood for speculation. He supposed his compliance had been key to his survival thus far, and McCoy wasn't about to do anything to upset that. These canines knew he couldn't overpower them, outrun them, or escape by any means of his own. He didn't know where the cave system even was, in relation to everything else. It was a disconcerting thought, but he knew he was dependent on Jim and Spock for his rescue. Anything he did on his own wouldn't pan out. No, he had to be patient if he wanted to make it out of this.

Whatever she had been doing, Lady Rev decided that now was the time to get up and go about her business. She removed her paw from his person and headed towards the exit. Almost on cue, Rin Tin Tin appeared in the door. He inclined his head towards the big boss and padded over to where McCoy was laying on the ground.

"You're up bright and early." He mumbled, turning over and readjusting his blanket. Lady Rev had been supplying most of his warmth, McCoy realized.

Rin Tin Tin prodded him in the back. "Aw, quit it!" McCoy tried waving him off with his good arm. "I'm sure you can respect 'let sleeping dogs lie'! Leave me alone."

There were some small noises and then Doctor Dog took charge of his patient. He rolled McCoy over using only that big snout of his, and then ripped the blanket away with his teeth.

McCoy yelped and curled his knees up closer to his body. That was quite a shock, being exposed to all that cold air. But, it served its purpose well enough. Rin Tin Tin had his undivided attention.

It was only then that he noticed the leaves. "Oh. It's time to change the dressing?"

The dog stared at him, almost as if to say 'Really? You don't say?' McCoy scowled back at him and started undoing the bandage work from earlier. This seemed to interest Doctor Dog immensely. Whatever medical techniques had been taught to him, it didn't look like they quite covered dressing a wound beyond that leaf plaster business.

"It would be a mite hard to do this without hands, wouldn't it?" McCoy glanced back up at his pal before removing the last of the cloth. "There. Fire away, Doctor."

Rin Tin Tin gave him another look before going to work on the leaves. The wounds stung less today, but that deeper pain still lingered. McCoy had worked his fingers into the blanket creases to distract from the ache. It was made all the worse by Rin Tin Tin's jostling, but he knew it would be over soon. And he was right. Not another minute went by before the dog stepped back and McCoy was left to redress his arm.

"Talk about chilly beside manner." He remarked. "Didn't say a word about the whole procedure. What kinda doctor are you, anyhow? Some kind of quack?" Rin Tin Tin didn't look amused. He was a dog, and couldn't care less about the chatter. "More like a bark, I'd say. There. All patched up. You wanna watch me do the sling, too?"

Doctor Dog cocked his head to the side. McCoy shrugged and continued. Another minute passed and he was finished. He showed off the sling before crawling back under his blanket. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

He didn't have time to get settled. Rin Tin Tin's ears perked up, and he lunged. Before McCoy had sucked in enough air to yell, the dog had him by the collar and was bolting. Rin Tin Tin knocked over a basket by the door, scattered its contents, and dropped the Doctor inside. McCoy landed on his good shoulder- small miracles- before he felt the whole thing rise into the air. It wasn't too large a basket, more like an average sized crate, but Rin Tin Tin had made sure the important bits of McCoy made it inside before he tore out of there with it in tow.

He was in for a bumpy ride and sure enough, Rin Tin Tin got to a good jogging pace before they slowed down in a different part of the tunnel system. The basket was upended again, albeit more gently this time, and McCoy tumbled out onto the ground.

"Blasted oversized mutts! What in the name of all that's holy-"

He saw the blood. It was dark blue, but it was unmistakable, even in this light. They were in the barracks. Some dogs stood around, tails low and floppy faces anxious, but many more were laid out on the ground. Wounded. Rin Tin Tin had recognized McCoy for what he was and had brought him here. Even more dogs were trickling in through an opening at the end of the room. These were new arrivals- perhaps all of them were. Something had hurt these poor things.

But, that concern was secondary. Right now, he had work to do.

First things first, he flagged down the messenger dog he'd seen Lady Rev with earlier. The reddish dog was lean, a runner, and didn't happen to have anything better to do.

McCoy gestured to the napkin slung around his arm. "Bring me more of these. Lots of these, and on the double!"

The dog stared at him blankly. McCoy had to improvise. He tore off the sling and shoved it in the dog's nose.

"Listen here, Lassie. Why don't you fetch something really useful? Get me a whole lotta these so I can help your puppy friends here!"

Rin Tin Tin dropped whatever he'd been doing and came over to reinforce McCoy's point. Whatever he conveyed seemed to get through to her, and the newly dubbed Lassie took off down the tunnel. McCoy turned back to Rin Tin Tin and repositioned his sling. The hand was usable enough to hold things, but the rest of the arm would be a whole other matter. Doctor Dog was giving him another look, but this one was a lot less condescending than the others.

Rin Tin Tin broke off from the main group and started rummaging around one of the big open-topped baskets. When he came out with a mouthful of leaves, McCoy realized just how large the task ahead of them was. There were dozens of dogs, definitely upwards of thirty, and only one Rin Tin Tin.

But, there were bystanders. Bystanders became nurses-in-training when it came to his Sickbay. And for all intents and purposes, this was it. He hurried over to a couple of the nearest rubberneckers and threw his arm around one of their necks.

"Come on, Fido, you've been drafted."

McCoy dragged this dog over to the basket he'd seen Rin Tin Tin fishing around in. He gestured to the top and even had to go so far as to push the dog's head down in there before the big lummox got the gist of it. After that, it wasn't hard to get a line going. Several dogs joined up and started chewing leaves.

Back in the thick of it, McCoy met Rin Tin Tin halfway. He shoved between doctor and patient seldom to never, but with communication barriers like this, he had to make an exception. McCoy's one hand was more efficient in placing bandages than his canine counterpart's tongue, and it only took a second to prove this. Rin Tin Tin left immediately to instruct the new recruits or some such thing. McCoy just earned himself a new job.

They worked out a system pretty quickly. The dogs would chew the leaves and activate whatever made it so useful as a healing agent, and McCoy would dress the wounds. He moved from patient to patient, finding a new pile of leaves to work with every time. Rin Tin Tin's organization was efficient. Between dressings, McCoy saw the influx of volunteers was steadily growing. That, and Lassie had indeed come home.

When that rusty dog returned, McCoy could've just about jumped for joy. She brought not only a good number of napkins, but some other dogs she'd recruited had found proper bandages. He mentally cataloged each new piece of material. Some would go to the heavily wounded, and other large pieces might be put toward splints or impromptu casts. McCoy hadn't been able to get very far through the barracks. In fact, he'd been so caught up with sorting out supplies, that he hadn't realized that there were more levels of casualty than he had initially thought.

Some of these dogs looked awful. There were several lacerations on even the best cases, and the worst were truly a sight. Something had torn them to shreds. His knees almost buckled when he realized what. The wave of nausea was close to overwhelming, but McCoy took several deep breaths. He had patients. Now was not the time.

He began sorting. A majority of the casualties were light. Only a few, less than ten, looked to be severe. McCoy would begin with those. He found Lassie and gave her a good pat on the head for her work. She'd brought enough linens, napkins, and usable bandages to make this task feasible.

McCoy gathered enough bandages, rolls, and napkins as he could into one sheet, and then he got ahold of Rin Tin Tin. The worst cases would require more strength and attention than he was capable of giving. This was a two-person… two-doctor job.

A/N: I'm posting these all at once, since they're already all finished and I know you'd all rather be reading a Leonard McCoy Knows update anyhow... If it's any consolation, this was 4,000 words short of done in December. I haven't been procrastinating that hard.