Soldiers And Beasts

10. Help Those Without Recognition

(Warning: at some point, as you read through the chapter, there is a moment where a character will speak about rape and sexual assault, and it will involve some gore as well.)

Faith Pov.

I sat in my bedroom, my thoughts consumed by worry as I gazed out of the window. The requisitioned house we now used as a temporary safe house - as I'd like to call it - provided a vantage point over the town of Castle Evenings, a place once occupied by enemy human soldiers that served Dr.Attwell's private army. They had defeated the Anthro forces who had valiantly tried to protect this town, and now we were left to rebuild and strategize.

Lt. General Hoffman dispatched a group of soldiers who scouted the other houses, and we retrieved a somewhat decently large group of Anthro survivors, among them were human survivors. We were unsure of how to react to this discovery. 'Humans among Anthro survivors?' Is that I thought to myself when I saw them huddled together as if they had been friends for a long time. It was frankly something I hadn't expected to ever see. Yes, there was John and the rest of us, but this was different.

39 years of war could not lead to Anthros and humans huddled together, found scared and defenseless. But regardless, Lt. General Hoffman took them all and had them put in camps. Lt. General Hoffman decided to keep the Anthros and humans together, instead of diving them. I never understood why Lt. General Hoffman never divided them, not that I wanted her to, I just found it sort of odd that she didn't do it despite the war. I assume Lt. General Hoffman saw the humans among the Anthros as survivors who were allowed to live among the Anthro community in Castle Evenings, but we couldn't know. Until then, all we could do was just watch over them and treat them with respect, human or not.

As I stood by the window, my eyes roamed across the neighboring houses and the bustling activity of the Anthro soldiers stationed in this area. They were our fellow soldiers, fighting for a common cause, but my mind couldn't help but wander astray to the safety of Ruth and John - especially John. He was a human, and if the enemy soldiers who were loyal to Dr. Attwell's private army discovered his true identity as a human aiding Anthros, the consequences would be dire.

Deep concern etched lines upon my face as I mulled in the risks John faced. If his true identity as John Kingsman, the son of the renowned founder of The Kingsmen was revealed, it could be disastrous not just for him but for the fragile alliance between Anthros and humans, a bond we had fought so hard to forge within The New World Leadership, and in the Spec Ops Division. If they did capture him, they would probably either torture him, kill him on the spot, or send him back to the Kingsmen - if they knew who he was - and let the Kingsmen kill him for treason.

Leaning against the window frame, I let out a sigh, my voice heavy with worry. "I'm just so fucking worried," I confessed softly to the empty room, that and to no one in particular as I was the only person in the room. Lt. General Hoffman realized we were better off in separate rooms so we all moved into different rooms rather than staying in the same one. "He's put himself in harm's way with him being out there, and if they discover who he truly is, it could spell a shitshow of disaster, not just for him but for all of us."

The weight of the situation settled upon my shoulders as I pondered the implications. 'Would John's involvement be a catalyst for the enemy's retaliation, further escalating the already volatile conflict?' my thoughts were filled with the potential dangers that lurked around each corner, threatening to dismantle the unity we had fought so fiercely to establish.

A mixture of determination and worry swirled within me as I continued to contemplate John's well-being. I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that danger lurked around every corner, threatening to expose his true identity and unravel the fragile unity we had fought so hard to establish.