"So that's why you're here, The Sheriff found out you beat his brother, then he fired you and sent you here" Chase nodded along as he compiled the story into his head, Marshall, Rocky, Rubble, and Brax all stood with stoic faces. Tuska did say he was changed and no longer felt that way about dogs, but it was different hearing it than seeing it. "The Sheriff thinks he's above the law, and the unfortunate thing is, If there's no judge willing to slap a charge on him, then he'll continue to enforce the laws to only dogs and let cats go with a slap on the paw, excluding his brother" Tuska said.
"Assuming Klaus is a well known figure if no one else was willing to put paws on him"
"Oh he is, Reno makes it very clear that nothing is to come to his brother. I was new and made that mistake, It would be wise to see Klaus and talk to him when we get out of here"
"Woah little guy, Lets not talk about the 'When' part of it, more so an 'If'" Rocky stumbled in, He was right, Bold to think whatever plan they had would work to get out, there was always a chance that it wouldn't, and that's a very very big chance too.
"You're right, I guess now I can let you all in on a few secrets here and there. The guards see that I'm a cat and they know I was a deputy. Despite that they sometimes go the extra mile to treat me better and give me a little bit more freedom from time to time." Tuska motioned his canine inmates to follow him, they all eyed each other before getting up and walking along side Tuska who suddenly stopped at the large slop of loose rocks that stacked high.
Tuska moved a few before reaching inside a small crack, pulling out something thin and golden before their eyes, he held it straight letting them all get a good look. It was a key.
"A-A Key, Where did you get that from, Did he steal it from a guard?" Marshall asked, trying to keep his voice down, if any other dog heard their conversation it could start another fight.
"No, A guard gave it to me, It's a key to a bathroom down where the dogs mine. The guards have their own space. They let me walk freely back there to get to the bathroom, theres a lot of rooms back there. I'm willing to bet one room back there holds something we can use" He said.
"Tuska, How old is this prison?" Rubble asked.
"I don't know, but it cant be too old. I remember back when I was growing up this was something else. Why ask?" Tuska asked.
"The tracks when we first came here and the structure of it all, This is an old mine shaft." The British bulldog said, The sudden terminology suddenly made Tuska remember, his eye lit up with nostalgia and new things he hadnt even noticed.
"You're right, This was owned by an old mining company that went out of business, I don't know how but the Sheriff's Department bought the land to it and turned it into this"
"I doubt the Sheriff would think to take away all that equipment from the mine and move it somewhere else. It must be here, Think about it, Other than pickaxes and lanterns, what do miners also use?" Rubble asked, letting them all think, as Brax got the idea first in his head.
"…Explosives" The mountain dog muttered with a smirk of an idea.
"Bingo, If we can find those Explosives they left behind somewhere in that secluded area, we may have an edge in getting out of here. If we cant sneak out, we'll blast our way out" Rubble said with confident and determination.
"Rubble, you're a genius!" Chase hugged his friend as they finally had a break through in their plan. Sneaking out was out of the question for them. "Theres just one problem, how am I going to sneak a bulldog back door with me?"
"Hmmmm, How about Air Vents to sneak in through?" Rocky asked, It was a split second idea that didn't have much thought to it, more so because they were in a mine. Of course there were going to be no man-made vents like you fine in houses to sneak through, like the ones Skye snuck into a Jello's Manor.
"Doubt it, However….There might be some Ventilation Pipes you can use, They're in the mining area. Only problem is they're a bit high up, but there is a ledge you can climb up from. I'd say one of you can give your friend a boost so he can reach there" Tuska stated. The plan seemed to get more solid and they all contributed knowledge and strengths, it was on.
Back in the open air of town, It was the calm before the storm. Cats walking down the sidewalk back from a long day of work or driving back home with their kittens. Atop a large building was Lily, Marshall, Zuma, and Skye over looking the town, it was quite the site with all the lights and sounds. Quite peaceful, but not for long.
"Theres the Sheriff's Department" Lily spointed right in the middle of the town was a building with quite the sizable compound around it, it had a high wall and checkpoints going in and out. It was too far to see if there were any cats in the posts, but it didn't matter, they were going to be pre-occupied either way.
"Ready?" Lily asked, turning to the canines, they all nodded in unison as Lily picked up a small flashlight, she flashed it rapidly toward a wooded area in a sort of signal, and a signal it was. Before they knew it, Dogs came walking out from forrest, marching striaght forward toward the town. Lily couldn't make out faces but it didn't take a theorist to speculate it was Klaus who was at the front, behind him were many dogs, big and small. They might have looked determined on their muzzles, but inside they were freightened beyond belief, it was a death wish to just walk into town as a dog.
Klaus and the rest of the dogs walked into town, walking around cars and pedestrians. Cats looked on with fear at the dogs and digust at the cats who sided with the dogs. There were screams at the first sight of them as just calmed marched all the way to the Sheriff's Department.
"Alright ma'am, Im just going to be giving you a written warning for the..the.." A Deputy said leaning to the side of the car he had just pulled over, stopping in his words as he saw dogs walk right behind him and past him. He was stunned with fear as each dog was bigger than he was, 2 good sized dogs could have through him around like a chew toy.
"D-Dispatch, S-Send more units, We've got a p-problem, Code D" He quivered as he radioed in, his eyes were wide and his tail was stiff. "Copy, How many Dogs?"
"A-A lot" He replied as waves of dogs and cats continued to walk in the middle of the road, filling up the way as they continued. From above, Lily and the other dogs followed, hoping from building to building. Klaus looked up and saw they, give them a concerning look before looking front again.
"Free Ryder" Klaus shouted, not even a second after, his entire dog army shouted back the same words, 'FREE RYDER' Echoed through out the entire town, it gave a solid moral to the crowd as each step they felt like they were actually doing something, feeling as if their cause was meaningful.
"FREE RYDER" They continued to chant. Up above Marshall was hot on his feet, jumping from building to building like it was a parkour track, he must still be glad to be fully healed and back on his paws finally. Marshall suddenly stopped at the last building at the end, there were no other nearby rooftops to jump to.
Lily and the other caught up, walking themselves closer to the edge as they looked over. The Sheriff's Department was right, too far to jump and but just the right distance for the next phase of the plan. Down below all the cats and dogs had gathered outside the front and side entrances of the small compound. "Looks like they'we geawing up finally" Zuma confirmed, seeing movement in the Sheriff's Department, It was hard to make out as there were flashes of cat running by for a few seconds.
Suddenly, the front doors came springing open and out came dozens of riot cats kitted out with full riot gear and equipment. It was no riot of course, no damage and no harm was being done, but the Sheriff was sure going to treat it like it.
"Woah, How'd they get ready so quickly?" Marshall asked, it was a good question, it was only a few minutes back the dogs had made their entrance into the town. It was baffling how the Sheriff's department was kitted up that fast when faced with the fear a dog.
"You're right, How did the Sheriff's Department get ready so fast. Oh well, they're just one step ahead I suppose, They'll be too distracted to notice a thing" Lily said, walking away to retrieve something, slipping her paw into a large air conditioning unit to pull out a device with a sharp hook on the end.
"Where'd you even get that?" Skye asked.
"I planted it here a few hours, Always plan ahead" She replied.
"Out of the way please" She asked, letting the others step aside as she pulled the trigger on the contraption, letting the sharp hook spring out at a fast velocity across the roof, slamming straight against a wall on the top of the Sheriff's Department. Behind it was a rope that sprang straight, thick enough to slide from. The building they all stood on was a few stories higher than the Sheriff's Department, so it was a decline, making it much faster.
"So, Who's first?" Lily asked toward the dogs, seeing they were a bit nervous. "I-Is it safe?" Skye asked. "Probably not" She said nonchalantly. The friends looked at each other before Marshall stepped up.
The Dalmatian gripped the rope with a death grip as he looked down, not a wise thing to do for the sake confidence but it was too late. Marshall wrapped his paws around the rope tightly, letting his hind legs hand down. Slowly pawing in front down the declining rope, his heart raced as one slip could send him plummeting to his death. Maybe the crowd of dogs and cats down below would break his fall, but either way it wasn't something to bet your life on.
"You're doing great Marshall!" Skye encouraged, clinging to the rope right after and mimicking Marshall's movements.
"EVERY DOG AND CAT ENGAGED IN UNLAWFUL BEHAVIOUR WILL BE SUBJECT TO ARREST, LEAVE NOW, THIS IS YOUR FIRST WARNING!" Skye and the other had heard from down below, looking down to see the large crowd of cats and dogs facing down the strict line of cat deputies, making a wall in between them and the Sheriff's department.
"FREE RYDER" they all kept shouting down below, Klaus was cautious as he looked over the line and saw Reno the Sheriff, his brother by blood. Klaus wasn't afraid of his brother, but it still gave him a shiver to know they were on opposite sides. Klaus eyed the roof tops, seeing the rope leading from a nearby building to the roof of the Sheriff's department.
Suddenly he saw the rope had fallen limp, letting one side flop over. Looking to the roof of the Sheriffs department he saw Lily and the dogs all safe and sound as planned, Lily gave a short wave to Klaus afterwards, giving him the signal to continue the plan.
Klaus cleared his throat as he got on top of a nearby large dog, standing onto of the nearby canine gave Klaus a pretty decent view looking over all the dogs there. "All Freedom Dogs, Lets march down to the Park so the cats of the county can hear up louder!" He yelled.
All the dogs and cats yelped with jubilee and the same feeling of hype. Afterwards, all the dogs had turned their focus down a nearby wide road, leaving all the cat deputies puzzled, including his brother Sheriff Reno.
Reno looked puzzled, not knowing why he would make such a move. Unbeknownst to him it was all a ploy to get their attention away, and it was working beautifully. Letting his brother take the bait easily.
"All Officers, I want increase presence at the Katt County Park Area, I don't know what they're planning but keep me updated" Reno said as he watched the crowd of dogs and cats march away from the sheriff's department. The line of cat deputies broke off into small groups, following the large crowd still but keeping their distance.
Reno didn't follow his deputies to where the crowd was going, he held back and walked back inside the station. Lily and the others looked down from below and it was quite the shock. "Dang it, I didn't think he was going to hang back and stay at the Station. I just hope he wont cause that much an issue, Cmon" Lily stated walking over to the door that led off the roof of the Sheriff's Department. It wasn't too much of a hastle, the door itself was unlocked. Inside was dark, but lit enough by the moon light to see the steep set of stairs going down.
Lily took lead, Seeing that if they were caught or faced with a deputy, it would look much better if they were faced with a fellow cat rather than a dog. Once down the stairs from the roof, They saw there were on the second floor, there were multiple doors that had silver and golden name plates on the front, suggesting this where all the offices were for the higher ups, including the one and only….
"10-4, Just keep my updated on whats going on down there, Including what Klaus does" Lily and the other heard a faint voice coming up the stairs from the first floor, all of them dashing behind a corner near where they had come from. Their backs pressed hard against the wall as Lily peaked her fuzzy head from the side to see who it was it. It was Sheriff Reno, he looked exhausted and frustrated, and beside him was another cat she recognized. It was a female, black fur and all dolled up with her white bowtie and shiny studs.
"Well my work here is done, I'll be heading home now I suppose, I have a business to attend to first thing in the morning" Susanna said with a flick of her tail. "Im sure you saved Lou a lot of time and patience, I can have a few deputies give you an escort back to your house if you'd like, Those dogs are unpredictable"
"Oh that's so sweet Reno, but I'm no fragile damsel, Worry less about me and more about your own family. Honestly, Keeping a secret like this from my Griffin is the worst thing you could do, I get you want to protect your brother and all, but you need to think about yourself sometimes" She egged on.
"I-I know, I'll tell him later in the future. Im still trying to convince Klaus to just leave all this behind and flee the county, but he never listens to me. Its like he feel needs to help these dogs, I don't get it" Reno stated, glancing out the window of the second story out in the direction of the park area in town, where he knows his brother is right now.
"Well that's something you can think on in your own time, Be sure to tell Maxwell in the morning that it's done so he can sign off on it too. Goodnight Reno, have a safe night" Susanna wished grace as she pranced back downstairs, seeming to leave the building and go back home. Reno sighed before turning around and walking into one of the offices, most likely his own.
"Clear" Lily whispered, motioning the others to follow her as she slowly crept past the Reno's Office and down the stairs, It was another maze of rooms that were tough to sneak past, the hallway was tight and there was no way to walk around it. Lily eyed into a room that had many felines inside, they didn't have any gear on them and they typed away fast at their computer.
They weren't deputies, these were dispatchers.
"All Units be advised, Multiple reports of dogs Threatening cats is coming in" One dispatcher said in her earpiece.
"10-4, We're looking at around 100 or more so dogs around the park area, Roll EMS just in case something happens" A deputy radioed back
"10-3, You're radio is bad, there's a lot of feedback"
"Responding units be advised, An officer has put out a BOLO for a dog assaulting a police officer. Description is going to be a female Irish Setter, last known 20 would be south of 19th Dunkin Drive" It was a lot of information to taking, information that Lily couldn't care less for except for Marshall who recognized that description.
"That's Ell, She's in trouble" Marshall stated, getting agitated and frustrated that he was stuck with his mission and could do much. " Relax, If they caught her, you would have heard it, Lets keep moving" Lily pressed on, walking past the room with rest of the dogs following.
Stopping at another room that had a metal door frame with the word 'Cells' across the front. "Hewe it is" Zuma called out, his tail wagged at the simple thought of Ryder. They all barged through the door, taking their step as they walked past cell after cell that had cats inside.
Just by the looks of it, some cats they could tell did nothing wrong and some were meant to be there. Some quivered and some hissed with a violent glare at the dogs that walked past. Even though they were separated by metal bars, it still sent shivers to all their spines.
They kept walking until they heard the faint sound of groaning, the sound itself was somber and low, but they all could feel the pain of who ever was making that sound. They looked over into a nearby cell and had it confirmed, It was Ryder, and another cat was by his side trying to help him. It was Mr. Maple the cat, his head twitched up to see the dogs looking at the two from the other side.
"You're that Dog I helped behind my store" Maple said, gesturing toward Marshall. There was time to catch up later but right now, their friend was hurt.
"Ryder, We're here. Ryder, What's wrong with him?!" Skye pleaded to know from the feline. Maple remained emotionless as usual, looking down at the human that had patches a blood and cuts on his palms and face. "He was tortured by a cat to sign a document." He stated.
Suddenly memories started to flash back to Skye and Zuma. They remembered when they spied on the mayor in his meeting. Susanna, she offered to help 'persuade' Ryder into signing over the Lookout, and she was upstairs with Reno just a few minutes ago.
"S-Skye, Marshall, Z-Zuma…" Ryder muttered, lifting his head up to see them.
"Were here Ryder, We're going to get you out"
"I-Im sorry, I'm so sorry"
"Sorry for what Ryder, This isn't your fault" Skye said.
"N-No, I signed it, I signing over the Lookout" Ryder said, his body shacking from the fear and pain still going through his body.