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CH 5

Memories and Success

Aeddan awoke the next day still feeling tired and run down from the previous night's events. He also awoke with the sensation of movement underneath him, which he hadn't expected. This startled him and made him lose his balance. That is if it hadn't been for a hoof like hand that caught him and pushed him back up. Aeddan turned around to see who had caught him. It was the large ram, that until quite recently, had stayed in the back of the ground throughout this whole ordeal.

"Thanks" Aeddan said as he grabbed ahold of something rough and horn like.

"No, thank you" the ram replied, patting Aeddan on the back.

The ram trotted back in to the group that was following close behind. For some reason they looked more organized, more like a team rather than a thrown together rag-tag group of kids. Whatever Aeddan was on swayed a bit under him.

_"What was that about I wonder"_Aeddan thought leaning back some more to get a better view of the ram.

"Mind not leaning back so much? You are kind of pulling on my horn" Marcus said over his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry... wait, why am I riding on your back?" Aeddan asked as he righted himself.

"Well, you kind of passed out after we got you out of that hole"

"Crevasse" Aeddan corrected Marcus.

"Huh?"

"That hole you pulled me out of is called a crevasse" Aeddan said, resting his head on Marcus's the way a child does when they get a shoulder ride from their father.

"Ah, well you passed out all the same. How you were able to function all that time without sleep, food or water is an achievement all in itself" Marcus said as he slid down a dune at a controlled speed, the rest of the group following suite.

"What's more you found extra supplies and a gun. Right now as it stands we all owe you more than you know" he finished saying as he went up the next dune.

"Speaking of that gun, what happened to it?" Aeddan asked.

"Miia has it, she's keeping it safe for you" Marcus said, jerking a claw in the direction of Miia. "also, you will be glad to know that Johnny is now un-easy around her so he tends to avoid her if he can"

"Ah, and the other supplies? How are we on those?" Aeddan continued to ask, making a mental list.

"We haven't touched them yet, but each of us has had our share of the one day supplies we originally had. Melody is in charge of them right now and I think she set aside your share" Marcus answered topping the dune before walking along the edge of it.

"And exactly how long have I been out?"

"About a day now. We didn't think you were going to wake up so soon what with your injury, exhaustion, and prolonged lack of food" Marcus answered again.

"Any chance of getting some now?"

"Can it wait? We are almost at the end check point on your route" Marcus said as he shifted Aeddan a little bit on his shoulders.

As Aeddan and Marcus topped the next dune, they were met with the sight of a huge door in the side of the dome wall. You see, the training dome wasn't just one dome, but rather a set of eleven domes set in the shape of an "S" formation. On one end of the "S" was the desert biome, while on the other was what was known as the mountain biome. In the center of the "S" was the large city biome where soldiers, after having traversed over and through the other biomes, came to test all of the skills they should have learned in each biome they went through. In combat training simulations, soldiers are normally given paint bullets and permanent markers for knives. This was obviously not a normal training simulation, or a simulation of any kind. It was a survive or die trying situation.

Soon the desert team reached the large door. They had signs of wariness starting to show and they looked about ready to drop.

"Here," Marcus passed a canteen up to Aeddan "this one is yours" he said before taking a swig of his own.

Aeddan gladly took a few swigs of his, his dry throat beginning to moisten again. Aeddan noticed Miia wasn't drinking hers and asked Marcus about it.

"Sigh she made sure you didn't get heat exhaustion by using her own water supply. She said she would be fine but she's been showing considerable signs of dehydration, I don't know how much longer she will last" Marcus answered, sipping his water.

"Let me down" Aeddan said extracting himself from Marcus's shoulders.

"Careful, your ankle isn't fully healed yet according to Jamie. Frankly your ankle should be swollen like a balloon and Jamie can't figure out why it isn't. So just take it easy ok?"

"Yeah, I can do that I guess" Aeddan said landing on his good foot first before his bad foot so that most of the impact would go in to his left ankle and not his right. Once he was on the ground he limped over to Miia and sat next to her.

"Hey, how's the ankle?" she asked, her lips looking a little dry and cracked.

"It's better, not great, but better...here" Aeddan said proffering the other half of his canteen towards Miia which she took a sip of "I heard what you did for me yesterday. Looking after me and all. I uh, just wanted to say thank you" he said scratching the back of his head with his paw, as started to become embarrassed.

"Yeah, after you passed out, Johnny tried to take control of the group in an...unconventional way" Miia said handling the gun with some familiarity before handing it to Aeddan "I don't want it, you can have it back".

Aeddan took the gun and shouldered it before asking:

"just what exactly happened after I passed out...and when did I pass out in the first place?"

"Well, I guess you have a right know huh? Let's see..."

"Y-yeah, right..." was the last thing Miia heard from Aeddan before he passed out in front of her, landing on the sand covered ground with a soft thwump.

"Aeddan!" Miia exclaimed rushing to where Aeddan lay, un-responsive and definitely out cold. "hold on Aeddan, just wait right there, I'll go get help".

She hurried off down the tunnel to where they had fallen down. That's where she found a wolfess lying face down in the same spot and way Aeddan had. The wolfess had a long, blonde mane with flecks of red here and there. It was like her mane was on fire the way the light hit it. She was, if she was standing, exactly five feet tall, half a foot shorter than Miia. Like everyone else, she wore the same pants, shirt, and boots.

"You ok? You didn't hurt anything?" Miia asked her.

"Mrrfergu...arfumirag?" the wolfess said in to the sand, giving Miia the thumbs up with her paw.

"I'm sorry could you say that again?" Miia asked.

"Pitu, pitu, blegh. Sand in the mouth, not exactly the best thing to have" she said with a slight Texan twang "but to answer your question I said "I'm fine, are you Miia?" I'm Jamie by the way" Jamie said sticking out her paw for Miia to shake.

"Miia" Miia said taking Jamie's paw and giving it a hurried shake "I need some help, Aeddan, the folf collapsed just now. He has a turned ankle, and I don't know what to do"

"Well then you're in luck, I happen to be in to the whole doctor thing... well where is he?" Jamie asked in a way that kind said: "hello? Mcfly."

"Oh right, he's this way" Miia said leading the wolfess down the tunnel by the paw, not waiting for either of their eyes to adjust.

Soon the two of them reached where Aeddan had collapsed. Aeddan looked much like that of a rag doll the way he was laying there on the floor. His arms and legs splayed out around him like the iconic crime scene chalk outlines that people usually see in crime drama shows. Jamie made a point of noticing that detail.

"You sure he isn't dead? He looks like one of those chalk outline bodies you see on crime dramas" Jamie said half-jokingly.

"I hope not, I don't know what I would do if Aeddan was dead" Miia said, suddenly fearing the worst for Aeddan.

"Don't worry, I was only joking. See?" Jamie said flipping Aeddan over to show Miia that he was only asleep "just taking an exhaustion nap. Speaking of, how are you holding up?" Jamie said taking Miia's wrist in her paw.

They stood like that for about a minute before Jamie was satisfied with her "checkup" of Miia. She then did a carful once over of Aeddan. Checking his heart rate, then feeling his chest for any broken bones. She was extremely careful and gentle with Aeddan's turned ankle, Miia looking on like a worried house wife.

"He's fine, but we will need to move him and get him warmed up before we can be absolutely certain he didn't get any serious adverse effects on his body." Jamie said picking Aeddan up in a fireman's carry.

As the two were about to leave, Miia spied the gun on the ground next to where Aeddan had passed out. Picking it up, she loaded a clip in to it, pulling the bolt back to load a bullet in it before she slung it over her own shoulder along with the ALICE pack already on her back. From there the two of them, Miia carrying the new gear and Jamie carrying Aeddan, made their way back down the tunnel to the crevasse opening. There, Miia saw a tied together, makeshift rope hanging from one side of the crevasse. On the other side however were the other seven anthros in their group.

"Mission accomplished sir" Jamie said saluting cheerfully.

"Good job Jamie" a rather familiar voice said from the edge of the crevasse on the rope side.

"Hey, who's up there? And why are you in charge?" Miia asked haughtily.

"Oh sorry" Marcus said coming over to the edge and sticking his snout down in to the crevasse "guten abend lioness. My name is Marcus, I'm the one who organized this rescue mission"

"And? How are you the one in charge? I never got the memo on a vote or discussion or anything." Miia said getting riled up.

"I never said I was in charge and I completely agree that there should be a vote, discussion or anything thereof to decide that" Marcus said in an agree-able tone "now would you mind tying Aeddan to the rope please? I would kind of like to get my friend out of there sometime soon"

"There you go sir, already done it" Jamie said giving the knot she tied around Aeddan while Miia was ragging on Marcus.

"Ok, ready everyone?" Marcus asked the rest of the group which gave him a number of random confirmations in response "alright, heave!"

Aeddan soon began to rise up through the crevasse and then out of sight as paws and claws pulled him up. Jamie went next so she could see to Aeddan's needs. After that was the pack holding the new gear; when it reached the top an exclamation of happy cheers bubbled down from the opening before it was Miia's turn. Soon Miia was above ground and feeling none the worse for wear.

That's when she saw Johnny with a knife sitting next to Aeddan, the point of the knife pointing down towards Aeddan's chest. She watched the knife rise, and she re-acted. She drew a bead on Johnny and pulled the trigger. Luckily Miia closed her eyes at the last second and the recoil from the gun moved her aim off just enough so that the bullet meant to hit Johnny, hit the knife instead, knocking it from his paws. The silence that followed was deafening. All eyes seemed to be now directed at Miia. Some of the others seemed to have moved away from her a little bit as well, hoping they weren't next to get shot at.

"He was going to kill Aeddan. He had a knife, it was pointed down at Aeddan and he was about to stab him, and and and..." Miia said being reduced to stammering, tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes.

"Johnny?" Marcus said questioningly, like a father that just found out his son was smoking pot behind his back and couldn't believe it.

"'e started it!" Johnny exclaimed, scrambling to stand up "'e comes in with his book smarts and 'is cool ata'ude tords everythin', and I bet all yawl are gonna decide he should be the boss of this here outfit"

"Well he did kind of come up with the plan to get moving, he can read a map, he seems to kind of know what he is doing...did I miss anything?" Jamie asked Marcus, listing off the things Aeddan had done so far since the group had been dropped in the worst possible scenario.

"Ah don't care, I am Johnny McLaren the third and I demand tha' you all do as I say. Ah demand that you make me the leada' of this group. I am clearly tha' betta choice over this worthless halfa and I will-"

Johnny never finished his sentence as he was struck from the side by the panther that had, until quite recently, made no motion to stand out.

"Man, that guy was pissin' me off" the Panther said with a heavy "black" New York accent "that's how we do things in my hood if you go and run your mouth off to the wrong people" he finished, cracking the knuckles in his paws. The panther himself was just roughly over five feet tall. He had a strong jaw line that looked like it had taken a few hits earlier on in his life. He had no marks to really distinguish himself from other panthers, he was just plain black. Like the others in the group, he wore the same outfit.

"He was pissing us all off. Thanks for that uh, wait who are you and when did you get here?" Melody asked suddenly confused not being able to remember the panther.

"I'm Steven Black, and yes that is my last name. Got a problem with that?" Steven said slightly threateningly.

"No no, we're all good here" Jamie said holding up her paws in a "I give up" pose.

"Good, now that that's out of the way, what are we going to do about the spoiled brat here? He did just try to kill Aeddan." Steven said picking up the knife Johnny was going to use to kill Aeddan "I vote we leave him here to fend for himself"

"I like that idea as well" the shark man said, his voice still sounding like pressurized water.

"I don't like him and it would be a fitting sort of justice, but I cannot condone leaving a living person in a wasteland like this. It kind of goes against the whole doctor's code thing" Jamie said checking Johnny for any serious injuries.

"Well first of all we are going about this wrong" Marcus said coming to stand over Aeddan.

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked, a frown of curiosity upon her brow.

"Well, he did just try to kill and it would be up to Aeddan to decide his fate, but seeing as how Aeddan is un-available at the moment we need to ask our selves this: what would Aeddan do?" Marcus said, squatting next to Aeddan.

"Aeddan would probably...he would probably tell us to forget about what happened and concentrate on the plan" Miia said quietly "then he would continue on, trying to do his best"

"Are we all in agreement then?" Marcus asked the group.

Marcus got a few nods of approval, a couple exasperated paw gestures, and one shoulder shrug.

"Good, now someone help me with Aeddan, we need to get him to a more comfortable location" Marcus said picking up Aeddan gingerly, afraid he would hurt him. Jamie took Aeddan's legs and they soon had him lying in a comfortable position under the arch.

"We will need someone to keep him warm while his body recuperates from his lack of food and rest...Miia, you seem to like Aeddan well enough" Jamie said grabbing Miia by the arm and pulling her down to where Aeddan lay.

"But it's not right, I can't just-" Miia started to stammer before she was cut off by Jamie whispering in her ear.

"If you don't I will. I saw how worried you were about him. That only comes from liking some one a whole lot. Here's your chance to get some close time with him" Jamie whispered, taking the gun from Miia's stiff paws. Jamie handed the gun off to Marcus, gave him a pat on the shoulder and went back to her "spot" under the arch.

"I'll take watch with Steven. The rest of you should get some rest, tomorrow we need to plan to be moving before we do anything else" Marcus said shouldering the rifle as Steven fell in line next to him.

Miia watched the two of them go back and forth for a time. Before long however, her eye lids began to feel heavy. She felt tired and worn, the adrenaline finally starting to leave her body. Aeddan looked soft and warm to her, so she curled up next him, her tail circling around his. Her eyes drooped and eventually she fell asleep to the dead silence of the desert.

"After that evening, the group became a lot more cohesive and we took on different roles as we traversed the desert" Miia took another sip of the canteen Aeddan had given her "Jamie took on the job of doctor, Melody is our keeper of supplies, Steven is our go to trainer in paw to paw combat, and we all kind of agreed that Marcus would be the second in command" Miia said handing back the canteen.

"Keep it, and what do you mean by second in command? Isn't he in command? He looks like he would be good at it" Aeddan said feeling confused as he looked over at Marcus.

"He wouldn't take the job, and no one else really wants to be it. Well, you know except for Johnny. But he can't be the leader seeing as how he tried to kill you and all, and no one wants him as the leader after that incident" Miia accepted the canteen and took a gulp from it "so we are kind of at a loss as to who should lead" Miia finished saying with a sigh.

The two of them sat there in silence for a time. Aeddan watched the group rest a while before he looked out at the silent desert. It was eerie how silent it was. Aeddan would have expected some sounds, even artificial ones, but there was nothing. As he sat there, he thought about next moves the group could take and what they would do when they really did come in to contact with another group.

"Are we going to have to fight? Or can we resolve our issues and team up? Will I have to use this?" Aeddan thought as he looked down at the rifle in his paws.

Aeddan hadn't had time to really look the rifle over since he and Miia first found it amongst the supplies in the crate. It was an old bolt action rifle. To be more specific it was an M1895 Lee Navy. It was a straight-pull, cam-action magazine rifle adopted in limited numbers by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in 1895 as a first-line infantry rifle.

"That would explain the .6 mm bullet rounds Miia and I found in the crate" Aeddan thought to himself as he checked the rifle for any imperfections or issues.

The rifle itself, used .6 mm bullets, that at close range, could pierce the hull of a wooden ship. These bullets being .6 mm, also let the Navy use them in more than one gun. More specifically, a .6 mm Colt Browning machine gun. The rifle was also "dead" accurate up to 750 yards. Being "dead" meant that the bullet traveled so straight that whatever direction you pointed it at, it was going straight in that direction up to the 750 yards mark. The gun over all was rather reliable in battle and was easily fixed if broken.

"So not that bad of a gun really. Just really old-"

"Aeddan, if you have the time, some of us would like to discuss a few things with you" Steven said, coming up to Aeddan with Melody and the currently nameless shark man in tow.

"Of course, how can I help?" Aeddan asked standing up and shouldering the M1895.

After limping a ways from the main group, Steven stopped and turned to face Aeddan. Steven wore a worried expression as did Melody and the shark man.

"Look, some of us have been wondering what the next step should be. Unfortunately, none of us can fully agree upon the next course of action. We don't have a leader and that makes decision making hard for the rest of the group" Steven said, his tail swishing back and forth nervously.

"Ok, what does that have to do with me?" Aeddan asked, suspicion rising in him like an incoming tide.

"A lot actually. You started us on this trip across the sands and your quick planning kept us from our despair" Melody said, picking up after Steven.

"You have shown exceptional nerves in times of stress and you have stayed optimistic even though there were a lot of odds stacked against us" the shark man hissed through his respirator.

"Ok, so what are you trying to get at here? Is there a point to all this?" Aeddan asked, his suspicion starting to peak.

"The point is that we want you to lead us. That is what we have been trying to get at. How much more do you want us to spell it out for you?" Steven exclaimed, throwing his paws up in exasperation.

"You can't be seariouse? I couldn't possibly lead this team. I wouldn't be the right fit for it" Aeddan said, taking a step back.

"We are dead seariouse Aeddan. We can't think of any one better than you, other than Marcus, to lead us" Steven said, gesturing with his paws.

"I...I need to think this over. I can do that right?" Aeddan asked feeling slightly dizzy at their proposition.

"You can think about it, but we still want you to lead us" the shark man said as Aeddan walked back to the door.

The huge door it's self was inset in to the wall of the dome. It looked to be made of some kind of metal, but because of "weather" it was always submitted to, it was impossible to tell what kind of metal. The door looked to be roughly twenty-five feet high and thirty feet wide. The door was made to allow a number of different vehicles through without incident. This meant that if they had one, they could drive a medium sized tank through the door opening.

"But how to open it..." Aeddan thought giving it a knock "there are no handles, no locks, not even anything here that would give us the slightest hint to opening it either"

"Frustrating huh?" Jamie said from behind Aeddan, making him jump a little at the sudden sound of her voice.

"What is? The door? I'm sure there is some way to opening it, we just have to figure out what it is" Aeddan said turning to face Jamie.

"Well that too, but I was talking about no one wanting to step up to the plate and take a swing at leading this little shin dig of a team we have here" Jamie conceded, "Everyone wants the smart guy who seems to know what's what to lead us. Then there's the issue of trying to figure out Miia" Jamie said, a knowing smile playing across her muzzle.

"Huh? I think you have made a mistake I'm not...I don't...uhhh, eheh" Aeddan said scratching the back of his head and looking like a little boy with his paw caught in a cookie jar as Jamie gave him a look that said "oh please".

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. You know, because of the whole doctor patient confidentiality thing" Jamie said turning to walk away "oh and before I go, you should know that I also give consoling sessions for free for team leaders".

Aeddan watched her walk off to start a conversation and give a check up on Melody. Aeddan then returned his attention to the door. As far as he could tell, there was no conceivable way to open the door. This troubled Aeddan, he didn't like how a plan didn't come together. That's not to say Aeddan always planned to get beat up or stuffed in a locker on a daily bases before all this happened. He did how ever take in to account the amount of time it usually took for him to get beat up and shoved in a locker so that any plans he did make wouldn't go awry. This door however was really starting to gum up his plan for getting the team to a better situation.

"Aeddan, we need to talk" Marcus said coming over to him.

"Sigh let me guess. You want me to be the team leader. You also want to discuss some of the issues the rest of the team is having right now with not knowing what to do next" Aeddan said, not even turning away from the door, afraid he would miss something.

"Yeah, how did you...?"

"Steven, Melody, and the shark man came and pitched the idea to me earlier. Then Jamie, and she will deny this, kind of mentioned something about me being team leader" Aeddan said, starting to thump his fore head against the metal door which created a hallow "thuuung" sound ever time his head struck.

"Well, yes actually. I would do it but the only in depth knowledge I have is on socialization and copulation between different races" Marcus said, color rising to his face in embarrassment at admitting that was all he really knew.

"Yeah, I can see how I would be the logical choice. I don't have issues with anyone here. I'm not spoiled like Johnny. I have more than one knowledgeable skill at my disposal and I'm not big and muscular so I wouldn't be leading on fear" Aeddan said, listing off all the logical reasons as to why no one else but him could possibly be the right choice.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, we can let you think it over first" Marcus said sitting down next to Aeddan in front of the door.

"No, because everyone will still feel the same way about it. If you can't beat them, join them. I'll be the leader, I accept my elected duty of leader" Aeddan said, thumping his head against the door again.

The door made a clunk sound like something had unlocked inside it. Then the sound of several quiet clicks could be heard from the door. Then louder ones, and louder ones, and even louder ones. This got the attention of the team and drew them in around Aeddan and the door. Soon the sound of the clicks within the door was deafening and Aeddan, along with the rest of the team, had to cover their ears lest they be deaf by the time the door stopped it's clicking. Then as soon as the clicks had come, they were gone. After that, the sound of what Aeddan thought was a door bolt could be heard being thrown back.

"Is that it?" the snow leopard with the cockney accent asked.

"I don't know, let me just see if..." Aeddan trailed off as he gingerly pushed against the door. It swung in easily, perfectly balanced on hinges hidden somewhere within "ladies and gentlemen, I give you a better situation"

This was met with a smattering of applause and a couple of cheers from the team.

"Maybe being team leader won't be such a bad thing after all" Aeddan thought, shooting a glance in Miia's direction...

Well this chapter took longer than expected. Especially with these pain killers the doctors have me on. It's not easy typing this all up when you get vertigo from sitting down. I also went back and reread this chapter for errors and to see if I could change anything. But I am starting to see why artists and writers use drugs more often than not. Not to say that every writer and artist is high all the time. Well anyways, leave me a question or comment below on the chapter, leave me a shout, subscribe or watch me if you want, and keep those paws moving everyone. Oh and if you were wonder about those copyright marks at the end of each chapter, they are there for a reason. Someone decided they liked my story so much that they started to copy each of my chapters and post them as their own. I got the admins to put a stop to this but I now put that symbol at the end of each chapter. Ciao everyone.©