Chapter 16

Camp Basilone

11:32 AM

Dear Sheena,

Things have been really interesting since the whole operation started.

We’ve set up a good camp here, and have pushed out a fair bit. This portal opened up high up in the mountains. I hear the first Army helicopters that came through struggled with fuel, so we’re pretty high up. It’s actually kind of beautiful. The peaks kind of remind me of the Rockies at times. I sent some photos the brass were alright with me sending back.

Now, we were pushing out pretty quickly in spite of that, but recently these Romans have gotten craftier. They’ve blocked the highways we were using to go down the mountains. Our guys are clearing them out, though.

Isaac paused, eyed his handwriting, and erased a few words to then write them smaller and make a needed correction. His pencil went to the paper again, but he paused. He stared, hunched over on his bunk, eyeing the paper held between his thumb and his journal. With the slightest twitch of his lower lip, he wrote a little more.

Shot a man last week.

He stared at the words on the page. There it was, plain as day. His lips now formed a thin line as he began to write again. The thoughts turned into words on the page almost automatically. Like he was watching it on the TV.

We got some information that there were these roads that some of these Romans use to bring in special slaves, and we went in with these locals who lead us to this part of the paths where we can set an ambush. Sure enough, a small convoy of these Romans comes up. Cooper told us what to do, and we did it. It was quick. I didn’t actually shoot when the ambush started. Neither did Milo. I think Aranov got most of ‘em with the M60. Anyone not dead with that first burst probaly died when the rest of the platoon opened up with M14s anyway. We even started walking down to check for noncombatants, and there they were. This man was threatening a girl, holding a knife to her, screaming, and I had a shot at one point even though we all had our rifles aimed at him. He even looked kind of like a monster. He had cat ears instead of ears like we do. Cat eyes, too. You know, with the iris all weird. But I still feel a little…

He stopped.

A little what?

Scared? Ashamed? He’d been putting the thought off for a fair bit now but now, with his photos posted, a lull in the main fight, and some time off, he was able to think about it without the distraction of his surroundings. He forced his hand to write.

But I still feel a little wrong about it. I shouldn’t, right? I saved a girl. Nice girl, too. Fox ears and tail. A real kitsune, Sheena! Six of them! They recently agreed to help us out, too. But still, I don’t know. It happened. Told me I did a good job. All of us. I guess we did.

He paused again and stared at the letter.

Gee, Isaac, be less mopey about it…

He was quick to flip the pencil around and start erasing the paragraphs. Then read the letter over again, and erased some more. Once he was satisfied, he wrote again.

The girls we rescued are definitely Kitsune, as I said. The one I saved is Saseo, her sisters are Talia and Aurelia, though those are their local names. I think they come from some equivalent of Japan in this world. They even spoke a few Japanese words, so I guess that will give the scientists here a lot to talk about.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Hey, Hilaire!”

Milo had come into the tent.

And just like that, he had to detach himself from his inner thoughts once again.

“Yeah?”

“Come on, Lieutenant Cooper’s calling us out for a briefing!”

“What? Now?”

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

He got one glance at his watch. It was indeed, later than he thought. He stuffed his notebook in his pocket with the letter, picked up his camera and M14, then chased after Milo without another word.

Lieutenant Cooper was with the rest of the platoon, the guys forming a half circle around him, while the Lupus guides stood by Frank a few feet away.

“Alright, boys, the brass is preparing for another push so we can break out of these mountains once and for all. Now, the Army has their guys and we have ours prodding the blockades they set up. Clear the roads, and we can keep pushing to wherever the bad guys are.”

He looked around for a second, then continued, “Fourth Marines has been trying to clear one of the blockades, not far from where we first met our wolf friends.”

Frank translated and Luna gave a toothy grin. Alan just grunted.

“So, we’ll be heading to provide support. Romans have been carrying out small raids, and we’ll be helping them deal with ‘em. Once we’ve got that out of the way and we’ve pushed out… well, it’ll be open country all the way to the enemy’s capital.”

Isaac saw that there were a few nods and crooked grins.

The fighting so far had not quite been on America’s terms. The Romans just weren’t cooperating by standing in neat lines on open fields waiting to be blown apart by artillery and tanks. Isaac thought back to the fact they were fighting a genuine professional army. At least by ancient standards.

Then his mind darted briefly to the last big war with an empire. The feeling he got after pulling the trigger came back just a little stronger now.

He shuddered.

A minute later, they had gathered up their things and began heading out of the sleeping quarters and towards their waiting LVTP-5s, their engines rumbling steadily as guys moved into them in full combat gear.

“Ah! Hilaire!”

He glanced in the direction of the familiar voice.

Just outside the barbed wire, Talia was waving at him and he felt his heart skip a beat.

“Jesus…” Milo mumbled as he whistled back to him.

Isaac hadn’t noticed he’d stopped walking just to stare at the girl.

She was wearing more casual clothing now. Handouts from the civilian volunteers, probably. Pretty ones. A flowery blouse that seemed just a little too tight for her chest. The plain skirt hung just a little too low to expose any leg as the breeze blew through the field, but it pressed against her just enough so that he could see her figure just as much as his teenage mind needed. As her fox tail waved along with her right arm, her left holding something, some blankets it seemed, he awkwardly waved back. A part of him was urging him forward towards her. Another part trying to suppress that desire. In the end, a decision was made for him.

Milo’s arm grabbed his flak vest and pulled.

“Come on, Casanova, you can say hi when we get back.”

“Y-yeah." He said absentmindedly before the words really struck him, "Wait, what?”

“You heard me.”

“I-it ain’t like!”

“No, no, I get it. I’m sure the Japanese are very liberal when it comes to polyamorous stuff, right?”

The noise of the LVTP-5s closing doors dampened the expletives he threw at Milo.

***

Talia sighed as the machines the Marines used moved away and out of the field, the pair of Wolves with them. It did not look comfortable as they moved slowly through the valley before hitting the rocky paths of the mountain and slowly lumbering its way through. But such it was.

After they’d vanished from sight, she turned slightly and frowned at the “gift” she had on hand.

Or perhaps the fox has a sly plan in mind?

Aloud and to the memory of the wolf, “Plan? Yes. Sly? Not at all.”

No one was around to hear. For once.

Forget it, he has a girl waiting for him back home.

And yet a part of her couldn't quite do that.