Chapter 4

US Forward Positions, Alpine Mountains

Isaac Hilaire winced as he heard the helicopters, and he quickly shifted his gaze to try and locate them in the starry night. None of the other guys seemed to pay them any mind, though, more focused on their own little world as they waited in the dimly illuminated night. He briefly saw what might’ve been the silhouette of the newer Army CH-47s flying over the distant peaks, but in the darkness of the night, in spite of the starry sky and clear weather, it was impossible to tell.

So back to the usual chatter it was.

“Telling you, at night, when it’s this dark… you see things. All I’m saying.”

“Christ, Frank, it’s all in your head.” Milo grumbled as he tossed some more sticks to the pit.

“Is it? We used to think worlds like these were just in our heads, right? Whole other universe? People with animal parts? Magic? All in our heads before-”

“And our legends.” Hilaire added.

“And movies.” Milo noted.

"And myths."

"That's the same as legends."

"No, it's not."

“Whatever, but now it’s real. And if they’re real, then..." Frank swallowed, "Hell, what else could be real?”

People who could control fire, wyverns, and an entire other world to explore and discover. So, it was a valid question and concern. Fair enough. Still, no one paid him to act all scared in the face of danger. He was a Marine, he got paid for the exact opposite.

“We’re handling it alright, though. I think we'll be fine.” Hilaire replied, quietly going over his camera as he sat there and happily ignored Frank’s incredulous face.

Their camp had let them set up a few fires at the bottom of a slope that led up to a pit. Their guys controlled the high ground, meaning they weren’t likely to be seen or attacked. Not without someone letting them all know quickly. The bad guys didn’t have artillery or bombers, but no one wanted to risk getting burnt alive or hit by large arrows. Not again.

He shuddered at the memories of the wounded from that attack.

Frank started again, gulping down some water before speaking “I’d read about the mages, but seeing them in action? I just…”

He could see the slightly shaken glimmer in the interpreter’s eyes.

“I don’t want to think about it.”

A few nods, less out of sympathy but more to end the conversation about a topic Frank allegedly did not want to think about.

Frank just as suddenly and with that same desire to apparently not think about it, said, “Like… they burnt them, man. I don’t even think they’re desperate right now, they’re just… getting inventive. God help us if they bring out something from ancient folklore… medusas turning guys to stone, real vampires, werewolves, ghosts-”

Hilaire added, “Frank, we already have werewolves back there.”

“Not like that, I mean like The Wolfman. Actually part wolf, with snouts and sharp teeth and claws, not just people who look like they walked out of a costume shop!” then, shaking his head, “God, I don’t want to think about what a vampire could do.”

Milo interjected then with a tired, “Hey, don’t make me think about crap like that here, man. Folks in Yugoslavia talk about enough spooky stuff. Don’t want none of that being real.”

“You-Go-Slavv-Yah?”

They turned to the gleaming eyes of the wolf girl. Her bandaged arms hung by her side comfortably now, though most of the bandages covering her burns weren’t visible given her new outfit.

It had been an interesting addition, seeing the “Lupus” tribe following after the Marines. By now their small group of guides and allies had abandoned their older tribal clothes, with proper military uniforms replacing them and a specially designed patch identifying them as allies.

The wolf girl still carried her large blade on her side, though.

Milo instantly lit up and whispered to Frank, “Hey, ask her how she’s doing!”

Frank glanced at him, closed his eyes, tired, then turned to the woman.

“Luna, how are you?”

“Good!” she barked in English.

“Ooh! Getting better! Can you say my name, too?”

Her blank, uncomprehending stare answered that. Milo quietly deflated as Frank translated, and the wolf girl quickly understood.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Ahh, no-no. Big name. No.”

Miloradovic appeared a touch insulted, but Isaac wasn’t about to let him ruin his own chances. After all, what were friends for? He leaned in a bit towards Frank and spoke quickly.

“Hey, we just call him Milo.” at Frank’s frown, he then turned to Luna and pointed to Miloradovic, then said, “Milo, name, Milo.”

Luna rolled the name over, “Mai-lo… Mai…lo…” and at his nodding, grinned and said, “Ah, good!”

Frank rolled his eyes.

Milo then grumbled, “You got something to say, terp?”

“Not really, just feels wrong to… you know…”

“To what?”

“I’m just saying, we have other things to focus on.”

“Foe-cus-on!” Luna repeated like a kid, then snickered as she grabbed a stick and poked at the fire.

Milo muttered, “Oh, she’s really interested in learning English, huh?”

Frank sighed, “Yeah, they all are.”

More helicopters flew by again.

As if recalling something, Luna suddenly pointed at Hilaire.

“Fox. She ask.” She concluded by pointing at him.

Hilaire briefly froze up at the mention of the fox girl. She wasn’t a bad person, but damn it, he had a girl back home! And it wasn’t like there was a lack of pretty women around, either. Still…

Frank interjected, “You looking to get strange with her, too?”

Milo reached down and grabbed a pebble he tossed at Frank in response.

“Hil has a girl. Right?”

“Y-yeah, of course, I do!”

Luna’s eyes narrowed as if she hadn’t understood the words, but certainly the meaning. And also as if she didn’t believe him.

“I do!”

“Hmph, yes. Do-do-do. She ask. I say. Bah!” she grumbled as she waved dismissively, then went back to poking at the fire with a stick.

Frank scoffed, “Boy, I’ll say you’ve got a weird knack for getting the attention of girls.”

“Not my fault I’m beautiful!”

“No, but it’s your fault if you give her the wrong idea.” Milo growled.

“Wrong idea?”

“Hil, you aren’t that dense!”

“Well, it… it’s not like that. I’m just being friendly.”

Luna seemed to understand that word, and chortled, “Friendly! Friendly-friendly! Then, poking back at the fire, she sighed, “Funny.”

Milo then said, “See?”

“Hey, again, I have a girl.”

“Well good, just don’t give this one the wrong idea.” Frank replied.

“What the ‘terp said.”

Hilaire raised his hands, then said, “I won’t. Cross my heart.”

***

Talia lowered her ears as more of the flying machines- helicopters roared overhead and moved southward. In the few weeks she’d been with these men from another world, she’d picked up a few words, but as usual, mannerism spoke volumes louder than any shout, and the men in front of her weren’t bothering to hide any of it in spite of their overall soft-spoken conversation.

One man, the strange “Central Intelligence” agent who wore strange, dark, spectacles to cover his eyes was pointing at a map at several officers with the “Army”, which were different from the “Marines” that rescued her she now knew. She noted the Marines actually carried some kind of vests that might’ve been a form of armor, while the Army did not. Next to her, the Army interpreter, “Roberts”, sat, fingers tapping rhythmically on the table they sat on. Papers littered its surface, and she still could not understand the words on the page, though the ones with pictures of the mountains she could guess easily enough.

But what did any of that matter?

Her tail swished at the air impatiently as the Central Intelligence man said “Again” after several commanding words.

Shaun Roberts translated them.

“Can you repeat what you know of the Seljuk agents once more?”

She said “Yes” in English, one of the words she knew, and then, in the local tongue said “The one captured does not speak your language, and they barely speak the local language. It seems they communicate through the mind and not quite through speech.”

Roberts translated.

The Central Intelligence man grinned at the Army officer.

Then the discussion started up again. Shaking heads, pointing at the map, everything.

She was sure her expression must have been pitiful, her gaze focused on her hands on the table. Meek. Weak. They no longer called her a slave, and they even seemed very happy to employ her, yet…

Roberts, unlike the Marines who rescued her, kept his gaze away from her. Same for the Army men around the tent. She could sense, not necessarily fear, but certainly unease. The buzzing of the light at the top of the tent was becoming irritating to her as well, and it was not at all helped by the sounds of their machines that flew overhead at times, but she dared not complain.

The atmosphere just felt oppressive.

“Again” she heard.

Roberts did not translate, however, and she realized the Army man had pointed at another paper and pointed an angry finger at the man from Central Intelligence. The man relented and raised his hands in surrender. He nodded to Roberts, who stood up.

“Alright, miss. We are done here tonight.”

“Can I still go see the Marines?” she quickly blurted out. Too quickly, perhaps.

Roberts said something to the Army man.

“No. Too far away now. Too dark. Dangerous.”

Several other words had followed it, but she already knew before Roberts translated.

“I truly apologize, but since their positions are all further ahead, we do not want to put you at any further risk.”

“Oh. I understand.” She said, trying not to sound saddened by the words.

Roberts then said “It’s just the way it is, miss. The war effort has to take priority. Uh, take Luna. She’s more of a guide, so her being further ahead in the line can be worked out, but you and your sisters… well… you are helping us, a lot.”

“I understand.” She said then, smiling politely, hoping to stop the conversation before the young man became irritated with her. They hadn’t gotten angry just yet, but why risk anything further?

“Why do you want to see the Marines, if I may ask?”

She could feel her face growing warmer once she exited the tent, but she knew the darkness of the night could hide it well enough. Quickly, she settled between honesty and dishonesty, finding a balance, and stating it for the interpreter.

“I just wish to find a good suitor. I do not wish to be a slave once this war is over, after all!”

Roberts eyed her a moment, but did not press her further.

Maybe Luna can tell me more later…