The Battle of the Moon

The Battle of the Moon (also known as the Battle of Moon Hill) was a 28 day engagement between a 150,000,000 strong army of dogs, led by the Humans, and a 93,000,000 strong resistance force of cats, led by commander Desmond and general Sparta, both of which are only estimated numbers. The engagement proved to be the bloodiest battle in the war for Jasper, during which the attacking dogs came close to destroying the cats, but we're ultimately repulsed. The Battle of the Moon would ultimately become known as the battle that saved the wolves. There were no reports of wolves on any of the battlefields during the war.

Prelude

The Hunter's League hadn't the numbers or the firepower to take on PetClan, a well organized country of cats several hundred miles west of Jasper National Park. These cats had their eyes on the HL since their recent rise to government power. They had made a promise to protect the natives, including wolves, at the cost of their lives. They also distinguished themselves by their worship-like relationship with a group of cats called StarClan, even basing their religion off them.

The HL was, as far as PetClan could tell, evil in every way. The only was to protect the natives was to stop the HL, easier said than done. They came up with the plan to stay entirely on the defensive, which, they hoped, would force the HL to attack PetClan themselves. The cat they chose to lead the defensive force was a wise one.

The Resistance Campaign

Sparta was a she-cat with more combat experience than any alpha. She was the best commander in the StarClan Guard division, PetClan's elite program. She did have to leave temporarily when she was pregnant and gave birth to he daughter, Theta. Both were inseparable, as were they strongly attached to Joseph, Sparta's husband and Theta's father.

Joseph was left to care for Theta when Sparta was forced to leave the house to rejoin her battalion. This resulted in a stronger bond with him than Sparta. He also trained Theta in the military field. Theta responded by promising a glorious end in battle, a promise that concerned her mother.

Sparta wasn't given a position at the first line of defense, Yellowstone. There, a small 300,000 strong resistance force attempted to fend off a large attack around 200,000,000 attack dogs hired by the HL as their soldiers. The defense failed spectacularly, and the Dogs advanced stronger than ever. Every dog now had a gun and the entire army now had around 1,000 cannons of various calibers. During the advance, however, 50,000,000 dogs were reassigned to the HL Headquarters.

The disaster at Yellowstone shocked PetClan. It became clear that the commander at Yellowstone was a fool and a half. An election was held over who should lead the next resistance attempt. Sparta won with ease. She took her husband and daughter with her.

Sparta's StarClan Guard detachment was assigned to Moon Hill, a large hill several hundred miles south of Jasper. There were already 90,000,000 cats there, and more were on the way. The 93,000,000 strong defense force was complete upon Sparta's arrival.

Initially, the resistance force wasn't expecting much, and was growing overconfident. But, as scouts came running back with reports of the enemy's true strength, they realized that their force might not be enough, but both Sparta and Commander Desmond, a not-so-experienced commander, decided to stand and fight anyway. This would prove a costly decision.

The Battle

Day 1

On the first day of battle, the dogs took their positions at the base of the hill's south flank. They numbered about 50,000,000 strong and formed a long line, with units 15 ranks thick and 100 dogs long spaced about 1 yard apart. The cats formed a similar line that was only 9 ranks thick, totaling 3,000,000 cats.

The two lines positioned themselves around 100 yards apart and opened fire. On the first volley, thousands fell dead in a matter of seconds; thousands more fell screaming in pain. The second volley was just as deadly. Then came the fire-at-will phase that lasted nearly 3 hours. (They fought in a manner similar to the Napoleonic line battles). Afterward, the dogs charged, forcing the cats to retreat atop the hill. There, cover fire from the hill pushed the dogs back to the camp.

Both sides quickly settled into siege mode, the Moon at its fullest. The cats took the defensive while the dogs took the offensive. It's important to note here that both Joseph and Sparta were at the front lines during the first day's battle. Joseph took a round to the chest, while Sparta took one to the front left paw. Both were taken to the infirmary where Theta visited them occasionally. Joseph died of his wounds days later.

Days 2-27

The next 26 days were a semi-repetition of this pattern :

The Dogs had set up their artillery around 1000 yards from the hill. The dogs also positioned their infantry at various positions around the cat positions. The front column numbered around 70,000,000 strong and positioned themselves to the south of the hill. 2 flanking columns, numbering 40,000,000 each, positioned themselves east of the hill. They attacked with various strengths and from various directions in an attempt to tire the cats into surrender, while artillery bombarded the hill from afar.

To protect the hill, the cats formed themselves in a circle, a clever move. Unfortunately, the cats didn't have enough infantry to cover their rear, a weakness the cats were not so keen to forget. Fortunately, the dogs failed to detect the weakness. That was due to the dense forests that covered the hill's north flank. Without a clear field of view, the dogs were unable to see the weak rear guard.

Sparta recovered from her wound, and, with Theta, returned to the parapets to find the situation far worse than before. Both sides had taken heavy losses over the past 15 days, and losses were only going to build. Theta proposed a daring plan to break the deadlock, only to have it denied.

Finally, on the 27th night, the guns fell silent. Both sides breathed a sigh of relief. The full moon was high in the sky as the howling of two wolves in love echoed across the blood-drenched battlefield. The common guess was that the howling was coming from Howl Rock, a tower of rocks where howling was common place.

They couldn't be closer to the truth. In Jasper, a marriage was taking place that night. The bride was an alpha with her groom, an omega, but it seemed love for both. The marriage proceeded, the participants unaware of the bloodshed that was taking place on a hill several hundred miles away.

Day 28

As the sun rose on the 28th day of battle, the dogs prepared for battle once again. Their generals had come up with a foolproof plan to crush the cats. A massive attack force would bear down on the cats from the front while a small flanking force would attack them from the rear. The front would have strong flanks but a weak center, the idea being that the cats would be forced to form into a circle allowing them to surround them and finish them off. The plan was so popular, that the generals joked that their soldiers would only need to walk past the enemy lines when the fighting was over.

The cats were thinking the same thing. The constant attacks from the front had prevented them from reinforcing their rear guard, and it was also to be delayed now by a colossal assault on the front of the hill. The rear guard was now tasked with covering the front while they dealt with the frontal attack. Once again, Sparta was at the front, this time with Theta.

The First Engagement

The two sided took their spots 100 yards apart and fired upon each other. This phase of the final battle was not very interesting.

Theta's Charge

Theta was quick to realize the dogs plan. Due to the greater number of dogs and fewer number of cats on the cat flanks, the cats there couldn't last long. Theta made a daring decision. She lept upon a boulder and shouted, "let all those willing follow me into victory!" At that call, the strong cat center charged the dog ranks.

Theta's bold maneuver was well timed. The dogs had yet to break the cat flanks and reinforce their center. The dogs there, upon seeing the aggressiveness, panicked and scattered. The cats that broke through the dog center now split their force and surrounded the flanks, causing them to crumble.

Meanwhile, the dog commanders where perplexed. Their flanking force hadn't arrived when it should've. What was taking them?

The Rear Guard's Stand

While the battle was going on at the front, the flanking force was having trouble navigating through the forests on the hill's north face. The rise was shallow, but the woods were thick with pines. The cats in the rear guard now used this forest against their attackers, by using guerrilla tactics. These were tactics the dogs weren't trained to fight. They soon found themselves launching waves of infantry into enemies they couldn't see. Ultimately, they were forced to retreat, but not before they inflicted heavy losses on the cats.

The Dog's Retreat

After Theta's charge and the collapse of the line, the dogs reformed and began a slow retreat, firing along the way. The cats responded with fire of their own. Rifle volleys and canister shots ripped through both ranks. The dogs finally gave up the fight as the sun began to set.

Theta stood fixed for a moment, then collapsed right into her mother's arms. An enemy round had found her chest minutes before, and blood was now pouring out of the wound. As her mother coaxed her, Theta said her last words : "I'll tell father you said hi." Theta died seconds later. As the cats yowled in mourning, the dogs retreated from the battlefield. The Battle of the Moon was finally over.

Casualties

It is estimated that the cats lost roughly 62,000,000 killed and wounded, including Theta. The dogs lost roughly 112,500,000 killed and wounded.

Aftermath

To be added, provided the page still exists by then.