Parallels

Chapter Fourteen: Ain't That A Kick To The Head?

"So... well, this is interesting," says the soldier, Matthewson the name strip above her left pocket reads. "I wasn't expecting this..."

"Just what were you expecting?" I ask her. "The army didn't tell you that you were coming to get a whole bunch of animals and two middle aged humans? Just what am I getting myself into?"

"Don't ask me, Sergeant," the soldier says, saluting me. "I'm assuming your... parents... are coming with us too, if you say that humans are coming along. "Good luck to you, Sergeant, now, please, come with me, sir."

Sir? Okay then...

I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I see several other people in the car that we're heading for, the one that I assume is going to the nearest Army base, where that is, though, I have no idea.

"Pardon me, ma'am," I ask, "but just where exactly are we going?"

"To the nearest Army base, sir, I'm trying to get you there as soon as possible, so if you and your companions here would be so kind as to get into the black car that's waiting, I'd be much obliged."

"Oh, of course," I say, heading for the car and everyone else follows suit. I'm glad Mama and Papa are going to be coming along with us, even though my life isn't going quite the way I would have wanted it to; I would have rather not have gotten arrested, but then again, life very, very, very rarely actually manages to go the way that we would want it to, and this is the life I have. I should honestly be counting my lucky stars that I'm even alive and not mounted as a pelt on some Sturgman's wall, not bitching that I'm suffering the consequences of my actions.

"So where exactly is the nearest Army base, ma'am?" Tony asks Ms. Matthewson, tweedling his thumbs in nervous agitation.

"It's about forty, maybe forty-five, fifty minutes from here," Ms. Matthewson (whose first name she still hasn't told us) says, starting the car, and, noticing that everyone's in the car, pulling away from the curb. "We're going to Camp Ethan Allen, sir, and I should let you know that you've been assigned command of the camp, sir."

"What?" I ask, rubbing out the insides of my ears. I can't have heard her right, did she just say that I'm going to be the commander of the Army base that I'm being ordered to? "Did you just say what I think you just said? That I'm going to be in charge of the camp?" I ask, giving voice to my thoughts.

"Yes, sir, that's exactly what I said," she says. "Which, by the way, sir, makes it so you're my CO too, I'm your second."

"My second?" I ask, still trying to wrap my head around all of what's going on. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm going to be your second in command, sir, that's what it means. So what brings you up here, anyways? Fox, right?"

"What? Sorry, it's been a rough last God and Karma only know how long."

"You're a fox, right?" she asks again, and this time, I nod.

"Yeah, I am. Theo Aspen, by the way," I say. "If you don't mind me asking it of you, ma'am, how old are you?"

"Twenty, sir," she says. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious, ma'am," I say. "I'm only sixteen, so... yeah, I'm feeling a little out of my depth."

"I can imagine," she says, laughing softly. "What are you even doing here, sir?"

"Well, for starters, I'm just Theo, Theodore if I'm in trouble, and I got my butt arrested for defending someone I hold near and dear to my heart."

"Your... mate? Wife? Sorry, I don't know the right word for it."

"Both, actually," I say, leaning forward in my seat and stretching out my paw so that she can see the silver band on my left ring finger. "We just got married, actually, and, um, is anyone going to be wondering where the heck we are? We all were under house arrest because of what I was just telling you about, are we still?"