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What happened after mounting the wall is more of a haze it all happened so fast. Our machine gun opened up and we began firing at everything that moved. Lieutenant Coker pulled me down and yelled to me over the crash of gunfire and artillery that was slowly intensifying around us, "Command is calling off the attack! We are pulling out in 10 minutes!"

I nodded and got back up to continue firing. Usually repelling an attack is the easy part, but the enemy artillery fire seemed to double every time I fired. Finally one shell found its mark and out of the corner of my eye I saw the far right end of the trench erupt into a column of dirt. Then more shells hit along the edge of the trench across our small line. I pulled Snow down to take cover and tried to pull Lafayette down with us but he was a rock from the waist down and a machine from the waist up, firing and reloading.

Just as it didn't seem like it could get any worse, Lafayette got hit as an explosion erupted just outside the trench, sending dirt everywhere. He fell back into the trench clutching his shoulder. I dove over him to cover him from getting hit further. I could tell that he probably just caught some shrapnel in the shoulder and would be okay for the time being.

The artillery suddenly stopped, which was nice unless you knew what that meant. I quickly stood back up and turned around to see a wave of enemies about a couple grenade throws away. I hauled Snow up quickly and we both began firing again. He looked a little shaken up but I couldn't blame him, I was shaking with every shot myself. I felt a paw grab my shoulder and Lieutenant Coker yell in my ear, "Grab the wounded! We are out of here!"

I tapped Snow and could see the fear in his eyes as I motioned for him to help Lafayette. He quickly slung his rifle over his shoulder and helped Lafayette to his paws while I kept firing and yelling for everyone to fall back. I turned to start catching up when I could see everyone pulling back, that is when the ground erupted again. Heavy artillery shells were exploding in the enemies ranks and quickly sweeping back towards the trench. I hopped out and ran as fast as I could towards Snow and Lafayette, who was running on his own again with a little help from Snow once in a while. The artillery died down as quickly and suddenly as it had begun.

The battlefield was taken over by an eerie silence. I could hear myself breathing heavily, feel my footpaws hit the ground with every stride, and hear my heart pound like it was trying to escape my chest. It wasn't long before a crack flew by me and Snow fell to the ground. I'm sure more bullets began to fly by and hit others as everyone scrambled to get back to friendly lines. But the world became a dark, grey and silent place when I saw Snow hit the ground. In that moment, I could have cared less about making it back, as long as I made it to Snow. Lafayette dragged Snow into a crater and I jumped in. Snow was crying out in pain and clutching his side. If he was clutching where he was hit, hopefully it would be low enough to not be life threatening. Regardless, I had to get him out. I threw my rifle aside and lifted Snow into my arms and I hefted him out of the crater.

The countless dying around me meant nothing as I sprinted across the cratered terrain. Lafayette led the way, picking the fastest and easiest route as bullets flew by and kicked up dirt, artillery shells rained and the fallen littered the field.

Somewhere close to our trench, things settled down on the battlefield. Lafayette was helped into the trench as a stretcher was laid out for Snow as I eased him into the arms of the Dogs below. I hopped down and started to follow after the stretcher when I heard a familiar voice call out to me, "Sergeant!" I looked at Lafayette and he mouthed the word Major to me.

Figures, just my luck. I turned and saluted the older Dog who returned it. "Sergeant, where are the officers? I want to see the NCO's and officers in the command post at 21:00 hours. Is that clear?" the Major commanded.

"Yes s-" I was cut off by the entry of Lieutenant Coker jumping into the trench in between the Major and I.

"Ah Lieutenant, so nice of you to join us. I told the Sergeant here that we will be having a briefing at the command post at 21:00 hours. Take a head count and report to me personally with the numbers when you get them Lieutenant. Dismissed." The Major finished and started walking down the trench again; inspecting the walls, the soldiers, the sky, like he was on a morning stroll through a park.

"Interesting fellow that one," Lieutenant Coker turned to face me after watching the Major for a moment.

"Indeed sir, but he is a good Dog," I replied. My ear began to twitch from the anxiety in my gut. I wanted nothing more than to break away and track down Snow, but I knew better than that.

"Right then, well Sergeant, time to pick up the pieces I suppose. Can you please start gathering your section and taking down names of those who are here? I feel as though that list will be much shorter than the list of those who aren't. Then report back to me at 20:00 hours. We don't have the luxury of time unfortunately but I know you will do a good job. I am going to-"

"Sir if I may interrupt," I interrupted knowing full well that it was disrespectful. "I think that you and I could cover more ground if one of us stayed here to count those in good shape, while the other went to the medical station to count the wounded regardless of what section they are in."

Without missing a beat Lieutenant Coker followed along, "Indeed, Sergeant, and your misconduct is noted. I suppose you would like to go to the medical tent then?"

"Yes sir, I am a licensed Veterinarian back home and I believe that my skills could prove useful."

"Very well, good luck Sergeant," He saluted and started picking his way through the trench to check on everyone.

I practically ran to the medical station and arrived just as Lafayette was being checked in. The station was in disarray with wounded lying everywhere in all stages of treatment. I dove in and slogged my way through the never-ending landscape of wounded Canines. I spotted Corporal Jennings being lifted and carried into what I could assume was the surgery section of the station. I passed by gruesome sights before I finally came upon the Dog I was looking for. The nurse, a slim otter, was applying pressure to the side Snow had been grasping when I carried him. The bandage she was using was bloodied but not soaking through. I approached and knelt next to the nurse.

"No friends allowed, too many bodies in here as it is," the nurse said to me sternly without taking her eyes off the bandage.

"How is he?" I asked politely.

"Did you not hear me? Get out!" she insisted.

"I asked how he was doing and if you do not answer me, I will take over myself," I growled.

She sighed and looked at me, "A doctor hasn't seen him and he is bleeding from a wound here" she gestured to the bandage.

"Well I am a doctor back home, let me look at it," I replied in a more controlled manner. She lifted the bandage and blood began to trickle out and Snow groaned. The fur was caked in blood and becoming matted; making it impossible to see what was really going on. "Do you have shears? We need to cut away the fur to check the wound."

She huffed and produced a pair of shears from her gown and handed them to me. I started cutting away the mats and progressively cutting shorter and shorter until I could make out an entry wound and another burn looking mark. The entry wound wasn't far from missing him entirely so depending on the exit wound, there was a good chance he could be largely unharmed.

"We need to tip him over to see the other side" I said as I moved up Snows' body to get his torso. "Hey Snow, you are going to be just fine. I promise," I assured him, and myself, as I looked into his eyes. He was in a lot of pain I could tell. His breathing was heavy and shaky. I was dying on the inside that I could let this happen to him. He nodded back up to me as I looked over at the nurse and we both lifted and turned him over. Snow yelled out in pain as we laid him on his good side and started trimming away at the fur on his back.

There was a thick blood patch on the opposite side of the entry wound and it was obvious the nurse hadn't thought about this side of him. I hastily finished trimming the fur away and found an exit wound closer to the edge of his body. Thinking back to my anatomy classes of anthro bodies, this was a hopeful sign that he would be okay.

"Bandages and disinfectant please, he is going to be okay. I believe that it only hit muscle," I leaned out of the way a little so the nurse could see.

She examined it and nodded, "I agree, let's hope that we aren't wrong." She got up and went to the nurses' station to collect the supplies as I walked around to look Snow in the face.

"You're going to be fine, they didn't get you and they won't get you again," I leaned in to touch our noses together which prompted a small smile from him.

"I love you, Jaz," he whispered to me as I pulled back a little.

"I..." I paused as the nurse returned. "I think you need some rest." The nurse handed me a gnawed block of wood. "And this too," I stuck the block in his mouth and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "remember that I love you."

The nurse disinfected the wound, I reluctantly held Snow down as he convulsed in pain. She finished up and I helped wrap a bandage around his waist to put pressure on the wound and to cover it up. Deep down, I had no idea if he would live or die from infection but all I could do was to tuck him under a blanket and watch him.

I watched him for as long as I could before I had to leave to report in. The countless others laying around and in much worse shape than Snow didn't even phase me as I stood to leave. Asking a nurse quickly if the doctors kept a record of those coming in today and she nodded stating that they tried their best and reported to the Logistics Ministry for distribution of the information.

I wandered back through the trenches. I was looking for the Lieutenant, but admittedly, I could care less if I had found him or not. All I could think about was Snow. Maybe I was overreacting, but the thought of losing him again was almost unbearable. I almost didn't see Lieutenant Coker pull me aside into a room.

"Ah good to see you again Sergeant Silverback," he sat down in a chair and leaned against a desk that was pushed against a wall with some papers scattered about it. The room itself looked like a normal officer's quarters with a bed, some personal belongings and various furniture items scattered about. "What news do you bring from the medical station?" he waved me in and signaled for me to shut the door.

I entered fully and shut the door behind me to stand in the middle of the room standing at attention. "Sir, there are many wounded from the regiment itself, not just our platoon. I spoke to the-" I stopped as he held his paw up.

"Let me guess, they said they would submit a report to the Ministry of Logistics when they sorted through everyone? Oh, and how is your patient doing?" he sat back with an expectant look on his face. I closed my mouth with a soft click of my teeth and attempted to gather my thoughts before he continued, "Sit down Sergeant." He gestured towards the bed. That was when I noticed that there was only one chair in the whole room. I sat down on the edge of the bed uncomfortably and looked at him questioningly, the worry in my gut seeming to twist my insides upside-down. He leaned over to rest his arms on his knees and stared at me, "Do you know why I joined up Sergeant?"

"No Sir, I do not."

"I joined up because of you and the brave Dogs who fight with you. Sergeant, there are articles in the newspaper about your heroic charges and victories. Reading those stories was truly inspiring and I figured, what better way to fight in this war than to lead the best? Good, brave and honest soldiers like yourself, soldiers worthy of admiration, which is why I was suspicious when you interrupted me earlier. A good soldier like yourself with no history of lashing out despite everything you had been through was out of character to say the least. Sure I could have let it slide, but curiosity overtook me since I would assume you would have already known that the medical station files reports of the wounded. After assigning a few rankers the task of taking a head count, I followed you to the medical station." He got up from his chair and made his way to sit next to me on the bed, perhaps a little too close for comfort. He continued in a quieter tone, "I have to say, for a Sergeant and a doctor with such compassion as you show your Section, I was taken aback by how many soldiers you walked by, only to zero in on one. You worked quickly and efficiently, but don't think your subtle touch and your lingering went unnoticed."

I couldn't help myself but to flinch and close my eyes, What the hell is going on? This can't be real, I thought to myself. I didn't notice him scoot closer to me until the bed tilted slightly in his direction and I could feel the warmth of his body close to mine. I heard him whisper, "There is no need to be ashamed of who you are Sergeant. The army compels me to turn anthros like you in, but that would be wrong of me. To turn in someone like myself, someone I have feelings for."

I opened my eyes and shot up off of the bed. Not because of what was said necessarily, but because of his delicate touches around my waist and my inner thigh that accompanied his confession. The sounds of troops marching outside in the trench brought me back from my shock, reminding me that I could easily leave. But something held me back. I felt so violated and shocked by everything and yet, he only sat there. Unmoving even as I looked over my shoulder at the door. I looked back and with a shaky breath I asked, "Why now? What do you hope to accomplish?"

He remained seated and smiled softly, "You see, the glamorous and glorious idea of what this war is like is woefully distorted, romanticized to the point of sounding fun. I know now the truth behind all the war stories given to the public. The 'Sweeping advances into enemy territory with great cost to the enemy' doesn't capture the great losses that we ourselves are sustaining in order to achieve victory. But one light shines through the thickest of smoke." He paused and got up, slowly walked over to me to stand next to me and once again whisper into my ear, "After the shocks of the battlefield, Sergeant, I was overjoyed to see that my hero had survived. But with the fresh knowledge of how fragile life was, I was more conflicted than ever." He casually walked behind me to my other ear, "Imagine my delight to find that the one I loved, was hiding the very secret I myself was carrying." He returned to my front and leaned in, almost touching my nose with his. I gathered the strength to look him in the eyes and perhaps to try and not inhale his quickly overpowering male scent. A clear look of confidence spread across his muzzle but his eyes also offered a glimpse of sincerity. He continued in a quieter tone, "So I gathered up my courage to act before something happened to you."

I took a deep breath of mostly his scent as it hung thickly in the air around us. There were a million things that came to mind, but all of them seemed like horrible ideas. I glanced back towards the door knowing that the best option was to leave as politely as possible right now. I stood at attention and asked in a louder tone to maybe draw attention from the outside, "Is that everything sir?"

I could see the wheels turning as he looked back at me silently for a moment. He shifted back slightly before replying, "Yes Sergeant that is all. See you at the briefing."

We saluted and I promptly left. Closing the door behind me, I took a deep breath of the outside air. The thick haze from the battle certainly wasn't an improvement by any means but it helped me clear my head. I was able to finally notice that I myself had begun to swell a little, possibly due to his scent. I started walking down the trench towards the command station at the rear of the line in the remnants of the town that used to stand here.

"You look a little beat there Sergeant," a familiar voice said to me as a grey wolf in uniform walked up next to me.

"You think? What am I supposed to do?" I asked pleadingly.

"I can't do everything for you dear Jazcal," he replied with a chuckle.

I felt like crying but didn't know why, "I just have no idea what happened."

Wolf switched to a low growl, "From what I remember, Coker just expressed his feelings for you in an all-out attempt to possibly find happiness. Not too unlike a certain jackal I associate with. Much like my associate, Coker seemed to get no response and was left alone to pick up the pieces of his shattered dream."

I stopped walking and looked up, my ears dropping and my tail instinctively tucking as he stopped and turned to face me with an expectant look. "Holy shit," I whimpered to which he only nodded and waited for me to continue. "I... I just... what was I supposed to do?" I whimpered in confusion and shame.

"I'm sure that there was much more you could do to stop him before he completely laid himself out there for you instead of standing there scared like a puppy," he growled before placing a paw on my shoulder and leaning in. He whimpered softly, "I don't blame you, for how you reacted. But for all the confusion you are feeling, I guarantee, he too is feeling a lot worse right now. For all his courage and careful planning, he could not foresee the twist you just threw him."

It hit me that he never once asked about Snow in detail. But why should he? Despite my experience, gays were few and far between and it wasn't a wild assumption that Snow would not have feelings for me and was just a close friend. My expression must have said it all as Wolf only smiled and nodded before taking a step back as a paw pushed me from behind at the small of my back. Lieutenant Coker appeared next to me as he pushed me down the trench with him.

"Excuse us Private, but the Sergeant has a briefing to attend." He retracted his paw as I began to walk on my own.

We walked in silence through the trench. As the command station came in sight, I broke the silence, "Sir I-"

He cut me off in a stern tone, "Sergeant, this is hardly the time or the place wouldn't you agree?"

I nodded and held the door for him as we reached the command post. The command post was set up in one of the few remaining buildings in the town. The building itself was two stories and all the windows were blown out from our attack. All the walls remained solid miraculously as there must have been a massive amount of artillery used on this poor town to nearly level it.

The briefing was long. The Major opened up with how proud he was of us and how terribly sorry that it had to be us. The regiment itself was shattered with nearly a whole company being wiped out and countless sections reduced to a pawful of soldiers. The only silver lining to the briefing was our new assignment. We were being redeployed back home. We were getting put on guard duty and training at the capital. Our job would be to perform the traditional rights and role of the Royal Fang Garde at the Royal Court. Which was fine with me, it gave Snow a chance to fully recover and maybe even never have to fight again. I myself couldn't believe that after almost a year of fighting, we were being pulled off the front entirely. The other noteworthy event was Lieutenant Coker being given command of my platoon.

Once the briefing ended, I found myself walking with Lieutenant Coker once again. We left the command center and he pulled something from his coat and handed it to me without saying a word. I took the package and looked it over. It was a ration package that was traditionally given to only officers.

"Thank you sir," I muttered.

"Are you a good cook Sergeant? Oh never mind, give it back," he held is paw back out and I gave it to him. He put it back in his coat before saying, "How about this, I will cook, you check up on the platoon seeing how you were the only Sergeant left in the Platoon from the briefing, and then we can sit and talk about whatever you like."

I let his proposal hang between us for a few minutes. It sounded like another one of his well calculated schemes to get me into his quarters. I replied, "That sounds fine sir, thank you. Would you mind if we were able to keep an eye on the troops? I think it would be important to be there for them after a day like today."

"Agreed," he nodded and whispered to me as we walked, "For what it is worth, I am sorry for my behavior earlier."

I gave him a comforting smile as we parted ways. I checked up on everyone who had gathered at our rally point when we first arrived on this front. Some were eating, others were trying to sleep as the sun began to rapidly slip behind the horizon and cool down the evening, but most were still trying to piece everything together in their own way from what I could tell.

Good on his word, the Lieutenant returned with two trays of food shortly after I had finished making a makeshift eating area with whatever I could find for a table and chairs. Daytime quickly turned to night and the endless flairs from both sides began to fire off to light up the battlefield. I set the table up apart from the rest of the platoon to give us some privacy, but we remained in full view of those who looked our way.

It didn't take long before I felt like I had to break the silence between us as we ate. I started in a hushed tone, "Sir, I want to apologize for..."

"For what Sergeant? I do believe that I was the one acting out of conduct," he interrupted.

"For not showing you the common decency to decline," I continued.

He shifted uncomfortably and poked at his food. He muttered in a defeated tone without looking up, "I see, is that all you wanted to talk about then?"

"No I..." I was at a loss for words. Too much had happened today and I felt like I was going to vomit from it all. "You are right about me, sir, but that Dog that I stopped for and aided in the medical tent is more than just... an interest to me." I leaned in and whispered, "He loves me back. We are in love."

He took a deep breath and sat up to look me in the eyes before letting it out slowly and shakily. "I understand now. He must have done a great deed out there to gain your affection," he said quietly and gestured towards the battlefield.

"No sir, it is nothing like that. I loved him before the war and much like you did to me before coming, I confessed my feelings for him only to be left with nothing. I know how it feels to be left with silence and I'm sorry I did that to you.

He remained silent and lowered his gaze to his tray. As the flair that was currently illuminating the rally area, drifted lower and cast a wall of shadow over the platoon, I reached across the makeshift table and gently touched his paw. It tensed under me like he was about to retract it and then it relaxed again in my grasp. I squeezed his paw as I continued, "You are a brave, respectful, kind and intelligent Dog, Lieutenant. I am honored you hold me close and in such high regards. If it isn't too weird, I would be honored to have you as a friend."

I retracted my paw to finish eating as another flair was fired into the night sky revealing an embarrassed Wolf with a shy smile across his muzzle. It was good to finally see him surprised in a good way.