“When I was a half-turn, I knew a guy just as big. He was a lifeguard,” Austin said, joining the others on the tiled floor.
“A werewolf lifeguard?” the brown werewolf said with a chuckle. “How the hell did he manage that?”
“Never asked. I thought werewolves just had normal jobs like that. What did you do before you ended up here, Blake?”
“Probably the same thing we all did,” the black werewolf grumbled. “The only reason I signed up for this shit was because I’d actually get paid a real salary so I wouldn’t have to sleep on the sidewalk.”
“Me too,” Steve said.
“Same,” Randall added.
“I just want to get stronger,” Austin muttered, looking at his toothbrush. “This is a stupid waste of time.”
Blake dipped his toothbrush in a small bowl of soapy water and continued scrubbing. “You’re already huge. How much stronger do you want to get?”
“That’s not what I mean. I just—” He looked around at the others and slumped forward. “Never mind. I guess this is fine being told what to do. I can turn my brain off and just keep myself focused on the task.”
“You’ve only been here five days,” Steve said. “Another couple weeks of this you’ll be singing a different tune.” He dropped his brush and knelt next to Austin. “At least we’re not alone. Like it or not, you’re a part of our pack now. Werewolves gotta stick together.”
“A pack?”
“Never had one?”
Austin shook his head.
“It’s like a family, but closer. How long have you been a werewolf?”
“A couple weeks. Right when I turned, I came back home to the mountains. Didn’t sit well with that lifeguard friend I had, and we had a falling out. I needed to do this. Joining the military would make me stronger, and having more structure could help me forget some things.”
“You’ve seen some shit, haven’t you?” Steve asked, and the others gathered around.
Austin gritted his teeth and looked down at the drain on the floor. “Something like that.”
“You don’t have to talk about it. The pack’s got your back. Ain’t that right, boys?”
“Yes sir,” the other two barked in unison.
Austin went stiff as the three wrapped him in a group hug, their tails wagging. Eventually he closed his eyes, a slight, contented smile replacing his normal rigidity, his arms now resting on the backs of his new friends.
Those names…
I remembered seeing those names etched on his dogtags. Even though it hadn’t happened yet, I knew what was coming. Now that I could put faces to the names, my heart broke at seeing just how eager they were to bring Austin into their little family. This was the moment he’d felt like he belonged somewhere, but even that would be taken away.
All that time I spent resenting him, thinking he was a cold, heartless asshole. I never wanted to know what he went through because I didn’t care. I had my own problems to deal with, and I wanted him to support me.
The scenes played out like the sad montage to a coming tragedy. The four became inseparable, and eventually did get to do something more than basic training or cleaning buildings. Now they sat in oversized seats of a civilian jumbo jet, the other three excitedly looking out the window like dogs, their tails wagging and ears perked. There were other military personnel in the surrounding seats, many watching movies or listening to music, but Austin remained serious, his nose buried in a yellowGerman for Dummiesbook. Over the intercom, the pilot mentioned the weather in Saarbrücken, and Austin soon joined the others in looking out the window.
“You gonna order for us at restaurants when we’re allowed off base, Austin?” Randall asked, shoving the larger werewolf’s arm.
“Someone’s gotta learn the language. You guys are way too dumb.”
“Guilty,” Steve said. “Never thought I’d get to go to another country. I’m gonna eat so many sausages.”
Blake grabbed the straps of his backpack and pulled it into his lap. “Glad they sent us together. I thought for sure they were going to split us up this time.”
“All right boys,” Steve belted out. “When we land, let’s take it all in. Who knows when they’ll let us do this again.”
Thunder crashed as the scene shifted quickly, four of the werewolves huddled in a tent as hail pelted the trees and ground around them.
