A Creature of War, Book 2, CH02 (Patreon)

This wasn’t the first time he’d gone looking for her, but it was the first he found her. It had taken some work. The two of them might have been the only lynx on their plane, but they weren’t the only ones in the camp. Tents were assigned to units, so he’d had to find out which one was hers, that had required locating the human officer who had been on their plane, then he’d had to find the officer in charge of assigning the tents to learn where her unit was housed.

The previous times he’d gone there, she hadn’t been present. The tent had been empty, which meant her unit was deployed. Units were sent out as needed to patrol or take down enemy units. LRK and the other Specialists present went out, often alone or with only a small group, to accomplish specific tasks. In his case, he’d been sent to the shore to sink boats too far for CM to see.

His ability to sense water was sufficiently precise. He could feel how it was displaced by large bodies. He’d give the location to an officer who would check it wasn’t one of theirs, and then he moved the water up around the sides and bring it down on top of the boat, pushing it under.

His sense was so fine that he could feel the people trashing in the water, although there were too small for him to register individually if they were close together. The officer hadn’t said anything about them, so LRK let them go.

Even before he pulled the tent’s flap this time, he knew her unit was there. The question was, had she returned with them? Most of the bunks were occupied, a variety of Anthros sitting on them, cleaning their weapons.

LRK wondered what they did when they weren’t on missions or training. They didn’t seem to have any areas on the base to relax, and the tents didn’t have space like theirs did. They only needed seven bunks, so had removed the rest and used the sheets to give each bunk privacy. The rest of the space was turned into a lounge for when they wanted to spend time together. Rhine and Static had managed to find a television set, and Fade had brought a gaming system.

The humans had a bar where they could relax and drink alcohol. And something they’d just hang out outside, talking.

This tent was silent, except for the sounds of the cleaning. As he watched, a small reptile finished reassembling his gun, put it in his holster and put that on the rack next to his bed, then lied back on it.

The tent wasn’t small, there was ample space between each bed, and yet it felt crowded. He walked among the Anthros who didn’t look up from their weapon cleaning, looking for her. His search had located her tent, but not her bunk. He could have asked Peek to locate her, but considering what the cat had said about them on the plane, he didn’t want to bother him with this.

He found her as she finished cleaning her sidearm, the same model as all of theirs. He watched as she reassembled it with precise motions, much faster than he was able to. If she was aware of his presence, she didn’t show it.

He admired her as she put the weapon on the rack. “What’s your name?” he asked.

She jumped to her feet and stood straight as she recited. “LRK-254, Sir! Support unit assigned to infantry division Alpha-Gamma-Epsilon, Sir!”

“Hey, relax. I didn’t ask for your pedigree, just your name.” He had trouble not laughing. He offered her his hand and after a moment’s hesitation said. “I’m called Lark.”

She continued looking ahead, so he waved his hand in front of her face. Her only reaction was a slight frown. Her ears didn’t even twitch. “You can relax, you know. I’m not an officer or anything.” No reaction. With a sigh he said, “at ease, soldier.”

She spread her legs shoulders wide, and moved her hands to her back, still looking ahead. When she didn’t do anything else, or even look in his direction, LRK stepped before her.

She was a little taller than he was. Her tan fur lighter and her eyes a darker brown. She was beautiful, he thought, if stiff.

“How about you sit down while we talk?”

She sat, back straight, hands palm down on the thighs. “What about, sir?” At least her voice was at a regular volume now and sounded normal. That was an improvement.

The bunk next to hers was one of the few unoccupied, so he sat on it. “What do you do for fun around here?”

The fur on her forehead bunched up in a frown and her ears canted back for a moment before straightening. “Fun? Sir?”

“Yes, fun. You can’t spend all your time sitting here.”

“No, sir.”

“Good, then what else do you do?”

“I go on missions, sir. I participate in training exercises.”

“That can’t be all of it.”

“No sir. I clean my weapons. I rest in preparation for the next mission.”

LRK looked around. Those who were done with their weapons were stretched on their bunks. “That’s it?”

“Yes, sir.”

He grinned. “You didn’t mention going to the latrine.”

“I didn’t think that was relevant, sir.”

“Damn, you didn’t even smile while saying that.”

She glanced at him, questions in her eyes, before looking ahead again.

“Do you even know how to smile?” He tried to remember if he’d known that when he’d woken up, but he couldn’t. The clarity of what he’d known had faded over the following weeks. He still knew everything, at least he thought he did, but he couldn’t simply ask himself a question and get the answer anymore. He had to search his memory for it, and something he didn’t find it.

He’d asked the scientists about it, trying to mask the fear there was something wrong with him. They’d told him it was normal. As he experienced more and more things, his mind became cluttered, but nothing had gone away. They’d reassured him that if he really needed the information, it would come to him.

He smiled for her, a stretching of the lips that didn’t expose his teeth, although he knew the point of his canine showed when he did that.

“Can you do what I just did?”

She frowned. She looked cute when she did that.

“How about you mimic what my lips are doing?” He smiled again.

After a moment of looking confused, she stretched her lips. It wasn’t smooth. He happened in stages, as if she had to consider how to move them to accomplish what he wanted. When she was done, she was showing teeth, and her lips were stretched so much as to be a rictus rather than a smile.

LRK chuckled. “That’s enough. How about we get out of here?”

“Sir?”

“Come on, let’s go for a walk, just the two of us.”

She hesitated, then stood. “Yes, sir.”

“You can stop calling me Sir. Just call me Lark, that’s what everyone else does.” He tried to keep his annoyance out of his tone when he said that. He hated that name. “How do you want me to call you?”

She stiffened and recited. “LRK-254, Sir!”

He sighed. “That’s your designation, not your name. You should find yourself a name. Something you like or you’re going to end up with others naming you too.”

Her only response was the confusion in her eyes.

“Just forget it.” He headed for the exit, and a moment later she fell into step next to him. They walked in silence for a few minutes. Well, he walked, she marched. Body straight, pace even. She saluted every officer they passed.

“What do you think of the base?” he asked, tired of the silence.

“It’s adequate for the purposes it serves.”

“Could it be better?”

Her steps faltered for a moment, but she didn’t say anything. Did she have any opinions of her own? LRK wondered.

“How did your missions go?”

“They were successful, Sir. Minimal loss of life on our side.”

“Can you give me details?”

“No, Sir.”

LRK nodded. That one didn’t surprise him. He too was under orders not to discuss what he’d done with anyone, but that didn’t stop him from talking about it with his friends, what they thought of what they’d done. He knew they were in the middle of a war, but this didn’t feel like any of the war movies in Bear’s collection.

“How is the food?”

“Nutritious.”

LRK spun and walked backward. She almost tripped in surprise. “What can you do?” He stepped aside to avoid the pole. He’d felt it as a void in the humidity.

“Sir?” she asked.

“What are your capabilities?” He couldn’t keep some of the annoyance he was feeling from showing. Maybe Peek had been right and there was nothing to get to know in there.

“Strength, endurance, enhanced reflexes.”

“So they put you on the front lines?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you like it?”

The worry and fear in her eyes made him stop, so she stopped, too.

“Look, I’m not an officer, I said that. This isn’t a test or an evaluation. It’s just the two of us talking. Two Anthros passing the time. Whatever you say, it’ll stay between us.” He could feel the surrounding tents were occupied, but the people in them were either sitting on their bunks or lying on them so they were other Anthros, and like she had before he addressed her directly, they wouldn’t acknowledge them.

“No, sir,” she said softly. “I don’t.”

“Why?” he asked, just as softly.

Another hesitation before she spoke. “I don’t like seeing them die.”

“Your comrades?”

“No, sir. The enemy.”

LRK felt further along the tents to confirm they were the only ones outside. Anthros would stay in the tents, humans would walk about. When he didn’t feel anyone moving, he began walking again.

“Why?”

She searched for words. “I don’t know, sir.”

“Can you elaborate?”

Again, she searched for words. “Did you know they were like us, Sir? Anthros? It doesn’t feel right to kill them.”

“If you don’t, they will kill you.”

“I know, sir. And I sill do my duty, I am a soldier, but I…. You asked if I liked it.”

He nodded, surprised at how similar her words were to what CM had said on the plane. As for himself, he didn’t feel anything when he killed. He wouldn’t kill an ally, but he hadn’t felt anything for the men who had drowned.

“How do you handle doing something you don’t like?”

Her eyes showed confusion again, but before he had to clarify what he’d meant, she spoke. “I do what I’m told, and I avoid thinking about it afterward.”

LRK nodded. “Are you hungry?”

“Mealtime isn’t for another two hours.”

“I know, but that isn’t what I asked. Are you hungry?”

She thought about it. “A little.”

“Good, I’m hungry too. Come on, let’s go grab something.” He turned to walk forward and led her to the officer’s mess tent.

Because of what they could do, the Specialists were treated differently from the rest of the Anthros. They weren’t packed in one tent with others, and they were allowed the use of the officer’s mess.

He pulled the flap and motioned for her to precede him. She just stood there, with what was becoming her usual confused expression. LRK shook his head and chuckled wryly before entering.

The tent had ten long tables with benches, and at the back was a counter where food was always available, with cooks behind it preparing it. He scanned the tables, only a few of which were occupied by human officers, and one bull by himself.

“VeeDee,” he called, heading that way.

“Hey Lark,” the bull responded, then looked beyond the lynx. “Well, I’ll be. You actually managed to get a date. I didn’t think you’d make it happen.”

“VeeDee, this is Ellie, She’s Support Class.” 

A few of the humans observed the interaction, but didn’t comment.

The bull stood and offered her his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She looked at the hand, more confusion in her eyes.

“It’s her first time out,” LRK said. “She isn’t quite up to shaking hands yet.”

“My name is LRK-254.”

“No, that’s your designation,” LRK corrected. “Just like mine is LRK-87. A name is something personal to you and you alone. And I did say that if you didn’t pick one for yourself, someone would do it for you. At least Ellie isn’t as annoying as Lark. Can you imagine that? CM named me after a bird.”

“No, she didn’t,” VeeDee said, “she just put an ‘A’ in your designation.”

“A lark is still a bird.”

“Or a joke,” the bull said, his face serious.

LRK turned to Ellie. “What do you think? Am I more of a bird, or a joke?” Confusion answered him and he chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s get food. We’ll be right back,” he told VeeDee.

“I’ll still be here. Fade should be here soon, if she isn’t already.”

LRK glanced around, not seeing the horse around, but with her that meant nothing.

As usual, there was no lineup. Officers ate when they felt like it, so it was rarely more than a handful of them here at a time. The counter had plates with different food on them under heat lamps. The selection was usually two or three different meats, this time chicken, fish and steak, with various vegetables. It was the same for soups and deserts. There was a large space filled with ice with smaller containers of various vegetables. And past that sweets.

“Just take what you want,” he told her, grabbing a tray and putting a plate with steaks, potatoes and greens. He grabbed a second plate with the same and emptied it on the first one. “They only make human-sized portions,” he explained, “and piling on multiple plates gets annoying.” He placed the empty plate at the back of the counter for one of the cooks to grab. “Come in, grab something.”

“What is it?” she asked, not indicating anything specific.

LRK smiled. He understood her confusion. He’d felt much the same the first time he’d been exposed to it. Until then, he’d eaten the same nutritious porridge, they served in the infantry mess. His first real meal had been at the lab, the Freak Lab many of the humans called it. Because it was only twenty-six of them and hundreds of humans, the mess hall there served human food. That had been an experience.

“This,” he lowered his voice conspiratorially, “is food. Glorious, delicious food.” He pulled out a second tray and placed two plates on it. One with the same steak and potatoes as her, and the other fried chicken with gravy. He added a biscuit to it from a basket. He put a glass of apple juice on her tray, along with one of orange juice, and two apple juices for himself. He didn’t bother with soups, or the sweets. He didn’t like liquid foods, and sweets made him sick. It seemed to do that to all Anthros.

He had her take her tray, and they joined the bull, where he began devouring his meal. A chuckle made him look up.

VeeDee was looking at Ellie. Her eyes were wide in surprise as she slowly chewed. A small piece of the chicken was gone. As she continued chewing, her eyes half closed and she smiled. An actual, not forced, smile.

LRK stared at her. She was even more beautiful when she smiled.

She swallowed and looked at her plate. “What is this?” her voice was filled with wonder.

“That’s chicken,” the bull answered, “doused in gravy.”

“How does it taste so good?”

“I have no idea.” Veedee barely suppressed a laugh. “It’s got something to do with how it’s cooked. I know that because there’s chicken every day, and it doesn’t always taste the same, or look the same. But that’s all I know.”

Fade sat next to VeeDee. Her tray contained mostly vegetables. “What is she doing here?” the horse asked, before eating.

“I invited her,” LRK answered.

Fade eyed her as Ellie took a tentative sip of apple juice and shrugged.

LRK slowed his eating. Watching Ellie savor her food was a reminder that he should also take the time to enjoy it. The food was quite good, the steak had been broiled and covered with cracked peppers; the potatoes had a little butter on them, as well as chives and sour cream.

When they were done, which took longer than when it was only him and his friends, LRK led Ellie to his tent. Inside he headed for Fade’s bunk, pulling the sheet aside and rummaging through her bag until he found what he wanted.

He stood and handed the novel to Ellie, but she was looking around the almost empty tent. Peek was stretched on a couch watching the TV with the volume too low for them to hear. Rhine was on a table, adding rhinestones to a shirt. He saw them looking and raised the shirt to show the sparkles.

“Sir?” she began, but LRK stopped her.

“Call me Lark.”

She shook her head. “Sir, why do you get to eat with the officers? Why do you have a tent to yourself?”

“There’s seven of us in it.”

“But why only seven?”

“We’re Specialists, they only wanted the seven of us here.”

“What is a Specialist?”

“You have to know. CM went out with one of the infantry units, didn’t they talk about what she did?”

“We don’t talk about the missions.”

“Not even among yourselves?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you talk among each other at all?”

“To relay information during a mission, sir.”

“So you don’t socialize with the others at all?”

Ellie took a moment before answering. “No, sir.”

LRK shook his head sadly.

“We’re not part of the infantry, or of the support class. Our abilities are different, and on a different scale.” To demonstrate he extended his free hand and pulled the water suspended in the air to it, forming a perfect sphere in his palm, where it reflected and refracted the light.

She let out a small gasp in surprise. She hesitated a moment then reached for it, touching it and making the surface ripple.

“I can control the water around me. Fade, that was the horse that ate with us, she can turn invisible. CM can move objects without touching them.” He indicated Peek on the couch. “He can speak with his mind. Peek, how about a demonstration for Ellie?”

“No.” The cat said in LRK’s mind, which meant Ellie hadn’t heard it.

“I guess not. But that’s why we have different arrangement.”

“I understand.”

And she sounded like she did. There was no annoyance in her voice like LRK figured he’d be if he found out some of his comrades were treated better than he was for no valid reasons he could see.

He handed her the novel. “Here. Something to read between missions and training.”

She opened it, flipped through the pages. “Why?”

“So you have something to do while you wait. Just give it a try. If you don’t enjoy it, you can bring it back.”

She nodded. “Do you still need me?”

LRK was disappointed she was back to being the soldier. While they ate, she’d acted like a person, she’d even smiled. He’d loved that smile.

“No, you can go.”

She turned and left.

“You’re wasting your time.”

“How do you know? Have you read her mind?” LRK didn’t bother hiding his annoyance, although he couldn’t figure out who it was aimed at.

“No, I told you before. There’s no point in looking into them, they’re empty.”

“You’re wrong. There’s someone in there. Someone beautiful who’s just waiting to discover it herself.

LRK felt the mental shrug.

“Fade is going to be pissed you went through her things.”

“No she won’t. She goes through ours when she needs something, like you do, or VeeDee does.”

“But you took one of her books.”

“How is she going to know? She brought twenty of them, at least. And if she does realize it, I’ll make it up to her, I know what she likes.”

Peek chuckled. “How about me, do you know what I like?”

With a grin LRK pulled the cat off the couch and brought him to his bunk, where he showed him that indeed he knew.