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'You'll find boredom where there is the absence of a good idea'

-Earl Nightingale

>In the absence of the enemy, boredom is the soldier's greatest enemy. He must keep himself occupied, for if he has nothing, he will be told how to keep occupied, and it will inevitably be less pleasant than his own choice. Left to boredom too long, a soldier may become destructive, to others, or himself.

Chapter 2: Recovery

>That first night you slept so soundly your internal clock hadn't even saw fit to wake you up for morning PT.

>You were feeling much better and your aches didn't seem to protest quite as intently.

>You were going over old facts in your technical manual, mostly concerning power curves and tuning.

>You were convinced you would be receiving a factory fresh rumbler, that meant adjustments, lots and lots of adjustments.

>The armature was designed to be fitted as closely as possible to the pilot, it had dozens upon dozens of adjustable bars, dials, and settings.

>Adjusting one took a lot of time and careful manipulation for that perfect fit, which is why the pilot did it himself.

>The quickest way to piss off even the most veteran pilot was fucking with his auger, that was a line you just don't cross.

>Eventually you set the manual down, wishing for new reading material.

>Teth'ra stopped by at this point.

>At first you weren't even sure it was her.

>She strode in at a massive height and you wanted to hide yourself in your manual.

>But those blue eyes cored you as always and you didn't reach for it.

>She came and pulled up a seat after giving a curt wave.

>You were thankful that she wasn't just standing over you this time, because she was GIANT.

>Easily she stood at least 7 feet tall, maybe higher, especially factoring in the ears.

>Now that your eyes actually worked and it was light out you could get a good look at her.

>She had a long, thin muzzle, with very tall, distinctly pointed ears, all adorned in a short dusky grey fur.

>She looked like something that stepped off an ancient egyptian mural.

>Once again, Teth'ra surprised you, she wasn't a wolf or a dog at all, she was a jackal.

>Her fur carried a distinct shine to it, healthy and well cared for, she even had some other coloration.

>Distinct markings of dusty gold.

>A thin stripe on her chin, points on the tips of her ears, and even a loose band just below her neck that seemed to hang off her shoulders.

>You asked if it was Fur dye.

>She seemed dejected and then barked that it was natural, and appended her point by presenting you with her right wrist.

>Another loose band of golden fur hung loosely at her wrist, really the only thin parts of her arms.

>"Go ahead, feel."

>The fur parted softly as you smoothed your fingers up her arm, the gold feeling no different from the grey.

>Running your fingers up her forearm further, feeling the soft give of relaxed muscle that quickly became too dense to push into.

>The wide profile of her arms was most certainly muscle.

>"See? No slickness or weight from chemicals or dyes, all natural."

"Sure, I'm not exactly an expert on the topic so how do I know your not lying?"

>She gave a curious twist of her features and smirked again.

>"Smartass."

>She informed you she had more bands, one on the other wrist and two more on her ankles, then she pressed in on talking, mostly her getting a sense of how you were faring interspersed with complaints about duty shifts.

>She would have come sooner to her valiant sir McWhicky if she wasn't caught up being told what to do.

>She looked at you expectantly, likely expecting to send you toppling over yourself in another fit of embarrassment.

>You informed her that last night your nerves were up something fierce and you normally weren't that much of a pussy.

>She cocked an ear, looking defeated, but seemed to brighten with a slight smirk.

>"Fine then, I'll just have to find another way under your armor~"

>The smirk had grown.

>That smile did not make you feel easy.

"I thought you said it wasn't a sex thing?"

>You said this more to reassure yourself than anything else.

>But rather than admit her hypocrisy she pressed on

>"Well.. Your not an expert on the subject, so how could you know I wasn't lying?"

>Oh she's good

>But you fought dirty to preserve your dignity in front of the others in the ward.

>You changed the topic to a subject you were sure would throw her off of attempting to smash through your mental defenses and render you a bright red giggling mess again.

>You had to have this talk sooner or later.

"So. What flavor of incompetence should I expect out of Vilka?"

>That did it, a rumble flowed off her chest and her ears lowered as she looked towards the wall.

>oh shit

>You looked away from her, twiddling your thumbs and hoping you hadn't set her off too badly. Trying to ignore that feeling that you were about to catch claws to the temple.

>She sighed heavily, deflating as she sat.

>You dared to look back, she continued gazing at the wall.

>Her body language was foreign, but she seemed, not angry, just... tired.

>She looked back to you. "I... I'm sorry... It's just. She pushes me so far sometimes."

>Her shoulders slump.

>"I try so hard but, she just won't stop riding my ass about everything. I'm getting to the end of my rope again."

"Again?"

>...

>She huffs wearily, staring at the wall.

"Teth'ra"

>She says nothing, ears held low.

>Okay enough, you can't have the both of you being depressed.

>You know that she has a gentle streak, especially concerning you.

>She won't hurt you, even if she doesn't accept what your about to do.

>Stop panicking brain.

>You reach out with your left hand and delicately cup her chin with your fingers.

>She doesn't shy away from the touch.

>You tilt her head up towards you, she still refuses to look at you.

>You start gently rubbing your thumb and index back and forth, you catch her gaze as her ears raise slightly.

"Teth'ra"

>...

>She gives a half sigh, half whine as she gently moves your hand away.

>...

>"Vilka... has some... issues, with pressing her authority."

>"I don't think she acknowledges my limits. She just thinks I'm the toughest bitch in the outfit."

>"... Everyone does..."

>She looked to you pleadingly, you gave a small nod to hear her out.

>She needs to get this off her chest.

>Her very.. bountiful chest

>WAVE OFF

>NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT

>"I've tried so much to get her to back off, even complained to the higher ups."

>"But they never gave me the same stock they give to that prissy bitch."

>"Eventually she... she pushed me too far. And I laid claws on her, even drew blood."

>"She backed off after that, but after a while she seemed to think about reasserting her authority."

>"So she got back on my case, with a grudge this time."

>...

"So she has control issues and a petty streak, anything else I should lie awake worrying over?"

>That strategic tug at her sympathy seems to have worked, her ears raise and her eyes dance back over you.

>"Well. She has been pestering me about you... a lot, so beware that her attention seems to be squarely on you."

>A thought occurs to you.

"You don't think she know about t-"

>"-The balcony? No." She lowers her voice to a husky whisper so as not to be overheard.

>"All she knows is that I came by that night and got something out of you." She added a laugh as she realized what she said.

"You don't think she's jealous do you?"

>Teth'ra seems to freeze and star off into nothing for a second.

>Motion draws your eyes down.

>If Vilka's uniform was two sizes too large, Teth'ra's unzipped jacket is two sizes too small.

>Damn those things are big.

>You guessed that estimating the cup sizes would be a complete waste of time as those puppies seemed so large it didn't really matter.

>Evidently her white undershirt agreed, the thing so stretched out and abused it made no effort to contain the monsters.

>Leaving it to what must be a bra woven out of kevlar since it hadn't snapped yet.

>You wondered how heavy they were, how they moved, how they would fe-

>MISSION CONTROL WAVE OFF

>EYES ON THE OBJECTIVE

>Teth'ra erupted into a loud, boisterous laughter that startled you, hell it seemed to startle the whole ward.

>Eventually she settled into a low chuckle as you tried to figure out what was so funny.

>She smiled widely "Vilka, jealous. *snrk* Can you imagine her tripping over herself for the smoothskin? Ha ha heeeh"

>The weight on your chest pulled off, relieved that she was out of her slump.

>Wait 'smoothskin'? was that some kind of slur?

>Eh, she must have just thought of the first thing to come to mind, best just forget about it.

>She wears a pleased expression as she fusses with her jacket.

>"Well I'd stay around longer but i got work to do, motorpool. Grease monkeys don't know how to clean up."

"Oh hey, I actually used to work in the motorpool before I joined in with the pilots."

>She turns as she stands with a thoughtful look.

>"Weird, I never saw you there."

"As one of the biggest guys there, I was mostly out running parts during my shifts, that's probably why you never got me."

>Your wondering how differently you would feel about her if you met in less extraneous circumstances, especially considering her size.

>"humph, all I got was some mouthy little coyote jagoff, I could smell how desperate he was for me."

>"Then one day he fell over himself and just kinda... stopped."

>Now you chuckled.

>"what?"

"I think that had something to do with me, one night we were having a debate over some wild rumor that anthro women thought that humans were best in bed, and the little mutt stumbles right into an argument about canine knots, I told him with how long that he would be... erm, coupled, that with his tendency to trip over words he would just fuck everything up."

>She gave you a smirk as her glittering blue jewels seemed lost in thought "Guess thats something else I might have to thank ya for. Later Tom."

>You slumped back in your bed, content that you weren't alone out here.

>mission accomplished

---

<Teth'ra>

>You strode back out of the ward, letting your tail wag lazily behind you. His mood hadn't worsened while you were gone.

>You were even better at this than you thought you would be, despite a few hiccups here and there, You felt a flush of heat in your ears, fucking shameful.

>'smoothskin'

>To think you let that little slang for human penis edge into your conversation.

>Yet it did make you think.

>Vilka, lusting after human cock like a begging puppy.

>You fought back another gut punching incentive to laugh.

>And today you even let him rub your chin... delicately~

>The flush of heat coursing your ears only grew.

>God what's next you absolute degenerate? hand holding? petting? ear scratches?... belly rubs?

>Or maybe even something a little lower.

>It wouldn't be too hard to convince him, he trusted you, sure he wasn't unfit but you outmassed him by a significant margin, and he was injured.

>NO BAD

>You shook your head free of the sin edging into your quaint little story of rehabilitation.

>You were just having thoughts like that because he was a bit... exotic.

>Sure you had seen humans before but to be so close to one...

>Besides he was nice to talk too, such genuine concern over your problems.

>The chin thing too though.

>What else could he do with those hands?

>NO

>Sure your fast friendship was strange, but that was circumstance.

>He magnetized to you so readily because all of his friends were gone, plus the whole savior complex thing, in both directions.

>This murmur of attraction under your breast was just confused nerves talking.

>You were overworked and pent up, you had to distract yourself.

>You thought about something else, namely Vilka's insistent pestering.

>She seemed to be dejected when Tom refused to associate with her that first day after he woke up.

>Of course he refused to give her more than one word answers, because she was an idiot that believed that mask of amiability she wore would just skip over the fact that she was a fresh faced officer that pretty much forced him into a position he didn't want after his personal tragedy.

>She had made herself his enemy just by being in the room and pushing too hard, too soon.

>You smirked to yourself as you remember her pleading with sergeant Baker over how she could win his heart or some shit with the right approach.

>You don't mean to eavesdrop, its just those tall ears of yours pick up so much... you can't help it.

>Keep telling yourself that.

>But your smile dropped and your countenance hardened as you remembered what you overheard after you snuck back in to camp. Careful not to let anyone know where you had gone during your free time.

>Vilka happily psyching herself up to crack open Tom's hard shell and sooth his ills. Waxing eloquent of how she could fix his shattered soul, that dreamy sigh that capped it off about made you shatter your teeth.

>This petty fucking princess was not going to edge in on your territory.

>She would undoubtedly try to drive a wedge between you and Tom, and do more harm than good.

>She about pushed you to the breaking point, theres no way you could let her near him.

>You let out an angry huff and suppressed a growl building in your chest. If anyone was going to be Tom's sapient therapy dog it would be you goddamnit!

>Vilka could take her fuckups elsewhere, he was YOURS.

>...

>shit, were you really getting that possessive?

>You idly scratched your side.

>How long had it been since you... had relief.

>Thinking back you couldn't remember, and you felt just so pent up.

>Maaaaybe it would be best if you got your kinks worked out before Tom recovered enough to be mobile.

>He would be relying on you to help him get around before his legs worked completely.

>And with all that close contact~

>You thought about how gentle his fingers were, stroking through your fur, and how they would feel in your-

>Okay that settles it.

>You tried to ignore the mischievous glance from the chubby snow leopard at the front desk as you left. Sure, sure, you hung out with the human two nights in a row, so what?

>Then you set off on your evening PT run, taking you conveniently out of sight and downwind.

---

<Tom>

>The week floated by in a vague cloud of painkillers, morphine sulfate, and conversation.

>Half the waking day you were out of it, after you were cheerily informed your treatment had been fast tracked, you had been going in for surgery every other day.

>The other half you were trying to ignore the odd ass feeling of your bones throbbing while reviewing for your inevitable tuning over every inch of a brand new rumbler.

>Interspersed were visits from Teth'ra, she seemed far more relaxed after her little slump over a problematic LT you both knew, but that could just be the drugs talking.

>Your conversations were frankly forgettable, between the pleasant morphine haze and the pedestrian topics you stuck to there were no real highlights, but the company and attention were the highlight of your days anyway.

>The concoction the doctors had been applying to the busted bits of your skeleton made you really damn hungry too.

>The other troopers in the ward cheerily held roundabout conversation during mealtimes, mostly reminiscing of their own experience with what everyone referred to as 'bone hurting juice' when they caught on as to how the doctors were treating you.

>Apparently it was some trick they learned from studying the bugs.

>Aliens are fuckin weird man.

>Goddamn you were high.

>The nurse came by with fresh morphine amps all the fucking time.

>How were you not addicted?

>The only other piece of cloud like memory you could actually get your mental hands around was a snickering Private that had been bunked up on your right.

>Was he snickering? maybe something was just fucky about his lungs, you don't know you were high.

>Regardless he relayed a number of stories to you about Teth'ra, and her temper.

>Even dulled by an industrial grade amount of painkillers your brain was keen to seize on the sense of danger.

>In between long bouts of laughing... no your pretty sure it was coughing now, He would spin tales of the jackal in her moments of weakness.

>She wasn't the angel you thought she was at first, but you figured that out pretty quick, she struck a CO (even if in your opinion said CO sounded too dense to even empathize) and she made mention that her record was spotted with troubles.

>The private had seemed convinced he was making you scared of your newfound friend.

>You had faced acid spitting bugs the size of fucking buildings, his little horror stories don't mean shit.

>Eventually the doses lessened and you started climbing down, the last night in the hospital was a little restless, the slightest tinges of withdrawal affecting your sleep, your dreams were strange and disjointed. flashes of light and dancing glints off of things that wore no shine, and a few disjointed memories tied into a loose chain.

>Eventually your dreams edged towards violence, and you saw it again, him, again.

>That bright sash of crimson, and your being flared in rage.

>But then you were rocketed out of your sleep by the sensation of being sat upright.

>You tensed, but elected not to scramble as your senses hadn't all returned to you.

>Bleary eyed, you looked and stared at the doctor who was kicking you out of your plush bed.

>At 6 in the goddamn morning

>Every good trooper uses recovery time to sleep in, being booted off of an actual mattress at a reasonable hour was just taunting.

>By the time you had been checked over, handed your pill bottle and a crutch, and then told to leave it was more like 10 in the morning.

>Wasting your fucking resources. 4 hours of sack time gone!

>And so you hobbled your way out, only to get stalled further in the lobby.

>You weren't sure why the hell the receptionist was asking so many questions about Teth'ra.

>What you were sure about was she stood at roughly your height, was kinda chunky, and very excitable.

>She was also covered in hair and very liberal about showing those meat carving teeth.

>And she was getting too damn close to your face, nose sniffing curiously.

>Making an excuse about elbow grease, you pinned your crutch under your right arm, and hobbled out a pace someone who was not you may have called excessive.

>But you were you, that snow leopard was freaking you out, and that hobble jog was perfectly reasonable.

>And so you found yourself out in the chill of the morning air, with nothing but your boots, cargo pants, under uniform, and your service jacket.

>And no fucking clue where you were going.

>You considered hobbling off to your cot but that was likely moved in the reorganization shuffle.

>Oh! Wait, your gun.

>You weren't lost and confused, you would just have to go to the supply office and get your stuff back.

>Even if it did mean dealing with Chen, the fucking rat.

>Well, he wasn't an actual rat, he may have actually been a pleasant sort if he was. Rats were surprisingly hygienic and social.

>Chen believed hygiene was something that happened to other people, and he spent most waking hours cooped up in a supply bunker.

>Things also went conveniently missing in his care, if he 'misplaced' your gun you would throttle him.

>He likely wouldn't be stupid enough to raise a scene over it, he knew not to fuck with you.

>Before you could continue reminiscing a snicker sounded behind you "Looking a little lost there pal."

>JAYSUUUuuuuus... oh, its just Teth'ra

>OH

>It's Teth'ra....

>Wearing her usual outfit, the too-small shortcut jacket thrown over a white undershirt with baggy camo cargopants and boots.

>Lazily leaning against a young maple and giving a content grin, she somehow seems even larger than she first did that night.

>She clasps her arms above her head as she stretches with a yawn, exaggerating the size difference even further.

>You would be lucky if you came up to her chest.

>A week straight on your back had dulled you to exactly how much larger she was.

>You glanced back as your nerves started buzzing, Her undershirt ridden up to expose her stomach, a rock solid core softened slightly by a layer of fat augmented by the fur.

>All of her hard edges seemed softened by it, evidently she quite happily built up just enough bodyfat to smooth out the impressions her muscles pressed into her flesh.

>You imagined it slightly hid just how dangerous she was, like a sock full of quarters.

>You cringed remembering your older cousin.

>He deserved that belt to the head, you gave no qualms about what uncle Barry had to say.

>But soon you head the soft thump of her raised boots lowering back into the ground, and you were in the present again, feeling heated.

>You tugged at the collar of your leather service jacket, it felt oddly restrictive right now.

>"So, where are we off to?" she asked flatly.

"Er.. su- supply office. Gotta. get my gun."

>You forced a sheepish grin, to play off your nerves as awkwardness.

>She liked awkward, you liked awkward, because awkward wouldn't make her mad.

>But maybe she would assume you were being awkward because you were staring at her tits, oh god.

>breath deep, calm... fuckin calm dammit.

>"Well, lets go. The walk will help me wake up."

>Why the hell would she be tired? it had been 5 hours since the usual time for wakeup call, you at least had been rolled out of bed earlier than usual and were coming down of off a clinical high.

>You opened up your jacket, the cool buffeting air would help you think, thinking was good, thinking kept you calm.

>You followed Teth'ra at a distance, trying not to make the divide obvious, she was your friend... right?

>She led the way naturally, her size seemed to subconsciously push away any obstructing troopers, people moved around her rather than past her, and didn't seem to give much thought to you.

>Something you were quietly thankful for, word had spread far by this point, one of the last of a broken regiment, survivor of a dead unit, you had a reputation now.

>A reputation you weren't eager to have anyone test.

>Teth'ra's ears hung slightly lowered, her thin, brushy tail seemed to bristle as it idly swayed in time with her step.

>Remembering how your old pooch would hold her ears and tail, you hoped that you were reading Teth'ra's correctly as impassive, rather than quiet annoyance over your behavior.

>"Hey... you doin okay back there? I can help you along if you need."

>The question caught you a bit off guard, you looked back up to find her wearing a faint trace of concern.

"No.. no, I'm fine."

>"... alright, just let me know if you need somethin."

>She sighed lightly and went back to looking forward, ears ever so slightly lower.

>Damn you felt awkward, she could probably SMELL how anxious you were.

>You remembered one of your biology lessons from class, predator-spliced anthros had noses keyed to pick up chemical and hormonal signals on others, mostly from their breath or sweat, detection of more primal signals, fear, anger, adrenaline, arousal came more easily than subtler queues for higher emotions.

>Oh God they can literally smell fear.

>This was not helping your nerves.

>And you were going to be working with an entire platoon of them.

>They would know your weakness anytime you were upwind.

>Likely some to be unconcerned with your space like that snow leopard.

>Your throat within easy reach of those teeth.

>Buried instincts stirring at the scent of fear.

>You shuddered.

>Inhale, count to four, exhale.

>...

>She's not one of the bad ones.

>She only wants to help.

>She won't hurt you.

>You were starting to believe it.

>That first night she broke through your guard and only offered kindness.

>The second time she confided in you and let you get close.

>You had to push yourself to accept her. Even with what she was.

>She had shown you nothing but care and concern, even if she had that... potential.

>You couldn't drive her off with your fear.

>Ok, maybe that private's stories got to you a bit.

>You would feel better when you had your stuff back.

>You continued hobbling along the lengthy trek across the base, well it felt long, between your slowed pace and your electric nerves.

>The two of you were passed by a troop marching the other direction, a large wolf lead them, bellowing a marching cadence as a mixed clustering of troopers, mostly humans, repeated the cadence in step.

>He flashed a toothy smile, light gleaming off his sharp canines as he passed, and continued bellowing, the drowning stamp of boots followed him off.

>...

>The glint of teeth

>...

>You shuddered again.

>Inhale, count to four, exhale.

>...

>She won't hurt you.

---

>The trip to the supply bunker was surprisingly tame considering how Chen usually is.

>Of course he tried to deny knowledge and make a fuss when you questioned him as to where your gun went.

>He was already nervous just from Teth'ra being in the room, even leaning over the counter and with him 'safe' behind his blast proofed slab of glass (that still had a hole in it for that dip thing you push stuff through) she absolutely dwarfed him.

>The loud, uneven camber of your forceful limp just set him over the edge.

STAMP

TACK

STAMP

TACK

STAMP

TACK

>Teth'ra looked back to you and her eyes lit with understanding as she moved aside, God she might be as bad as you are.

>But there was business to be done, namely prying your kit out of the ratty bastard's greased palms.

>Of course Chen was trying not to seem like the sweaty pushover that he was, and attempted some gentle resistance to your questioning.

>You, on the other hand, were cranky and impatient from both the heat, and the smell.

>Locking Chen in a hotbox for hours a day was a recipe for bio-weapons.

>He saw your wisdom after you took Teth'ra's hand radio set and made a very pointed threat about having a conversation with a trio of officers from central who would be very keen to know why shit keeps disappearing.

>You congratulated yourself for figuring out who the wonder trio was, and also shrinked at not recognizing their uniforms immediately, you must have really been out of it.

>In short your threat was to expose the on base black market by screaming over the command channel until the right set of officers started shouting at you.

>Chen was cooperative after that.

>Mental note: being this evil gets shit done, do it more.

-this is why we can't have nice things-

>shut it brain

>He had your gun, and all your other stuff, equipment harness, radio set + head set, flak vest (shrapnel wounds are a bother, even if you hate the fucking thing), those nice leather gloves you like (hand triggers chafe something fierce), and your sensory goggles, those things are never supposed to leave your head.

>While he was rooting around in the back you also made him get Teth'ra a shortcut jacket, like the one she wore already, except the correct size. Your libido wasn't opposed to letting her walk around with only one layer, but she may be the only friendly face you have to count on, and if she was going to be working with you, those bloomers needed more concealment than those stressed out undershirts.

>Those things could be, massive, distractions.

>It also served as a peace offering 'sorry for being so fucking weird, please don't leave'

>You stepped out and started clicking on your gear, its bulk settled on you nicely.

>You looked overdressed but all the extra weight and protection eased your qualms, almost like a security blanket for adults.

>Besides you still needed to find where your footlocker ran off too.

>With a comforting snap, you settled the sensory goggles into that familiar furrow pressed into your hair, where they would stay.

>You took the goggles off while you were asleep sure, but if you went fucking anywhere you wore em, those damn things are expensive, loads of useful features built in too.

>Plus the goggles are a badge of honor that says 'yup, I'm a certified mech warrior.'

>'Mech warrior' wasn't the official nomenclature, but it caught on with the civvies, rather than calling everyone different names by the machines they drove, or just 'pilot'.

>Rumbler pilots, like you, were called jocks. Your machines were loud, aggressive, and headstrong. You suppose the moniker fit.

>Strider pilots were mockingly called dancers. Those machines were light, fast, and precise, with the strutting legs to boot.

>Thumper pilots were called boomers. Big guns, thick armor, and bigger explosions, even if they were slow on the uptake, what with all the extra weight.

>Then there were Leaper pilots, everyone called them rocks. They jumped like rocks, landed like rocks, and sat witheringly in enemy fire spraying auto cannon shells and missiles before jumping again, which was vaugely rock like.

>You never got Leaper pilots, they were an odd bunch.

>Then there were the walkers, and technically vertical tanks, like the Juggernaut.

>Walkers didn't exactly have dedicated pilots due to the gyro system, same with all vertical tanks, the larger models such as Juggernauts had dozens of crewmen, and were ran more like ships than a pilot and his machine, along with support crew and riders.

>You only had a sub-gunner to fret about, to sit at the gunnery station behind your armature and watch the screens, gunning down small targets with the assortment of MG and auto cannon posts scattered along the Rumbler's hull.

>A good sub-gunner could keep you from getting swarmed by small fry and augment your environmental awareness.

>Teth'ra joined you outside after you finished gearing up and mentally running lectures.

>Her new jacket looked like she wouldn't bust the zipper if she tried to cover up more.

>You found yourself thinking if she would be a good sub-gunner.

>She seemed like an attentive sort, attentive was perfect, fast reaction times, multi tasking, keen situational awareness, and an ability to track multiple targets at once.

>Those were the main points of a good gunner. The more you thought over it, the more it seemed like she may have a fighting chance to fit the bill.

>Course' anyone who took a crewman position in a machine like yours had to at least hold the rank of technical sergeant.

>That kind of promotion may not fly with Vilka, the way Teth'ra told it, the LT had a vendetta against her.

>Well, you guessed the bitch was your LT now too.

>But you were the new guy to the outfit, you could get away with disruptive moves like launching the platoon troublemaker up a few steps.

>Especially since you were the first jock to be permanently linked with an infantry unit.

>You also made a promise.

>You would select whomever you liked to be your gunner, an effective team bond was a keystone to an effective pairing, and right now the only one you liked was Teth'ra.

>The LT wouldn't be stupid enough to send you out without your gunner, especially since your machine was on its own.

>You would have to talk about it with her later, right now you were wondering where the hell you were even sleeping.

>With your gun at your side your anxiety was far more muted now, a distant sense of dread, rather than a looming shadow of doom.

>"Time to go meet the platoon, Your supposed to be there at 12. Ya ready now that your all suited up tough guy?"

>Something is knocked loose in you, a dark crawling comes bubbling from the drop of your stomach.

>You were wrong, the anxiety is back in full force.

>You meet her eyes as she was giving a knowing grin.

>She must have seen something in you, as her expression lowers, her ears drop.

>You can't bring yourself to look at her as you feel those sapphires slowly burning a hole into you.

>Why doesn't she say anything?

>The silence creeps in from everywhere.

>Not even the wind helps.

>You don't feel the malice of a predator, so why does your breath catch in your throat when you try to speak.

>The unspoken question hangs there like the sword of Damocles. Dangled on a thread

-whats wrong?-

>Dammit just do it.

>...

>Inhale, count to four, exhale

>...

>She's not one of the bad ones

>She only wants to help

>She won't hurt you

>As the words crawl off your tongue, you feel a pit deepen.

>It cuts your chest from within.

"I'm scared of anthros... have been for a long time... I'm not sure I can do this."

>Your throat grasped uselessly as the last tufts of air left you.

>You can't look at her, your feet anchor you to the grass by the road.

>The uncaring pavement looks nice.

>It won't judge you, hold expectations over you, or be disappointed in you.

>It feels nothing. Like your machine.

>A soft whine.

>The pat of her weight on the grass, growing closer.

>She still says nothing.

>You suck in air, bracing.

>No strike comes, no claws, no teeth.

>Instead you feel her on your back, strong arms pulling you in, claws leaving small blotches of numbness.

>You tense and close your eyes.

>She presses her warmth against your front, your jaw hits her shoulder.

>Why isn't she angry? She should be angry.

>Her teeth must be poised right over you.

>Your shaking.

>It flows in your ear, a whisper honeyed with care.

>"I won't hurt you."

>You freeze.

>She's doing it again.

>The tears start warming the corners of your eyes, you fight them, you can't break down, you can't.

>She just holds you, swaying softly.

>The rise and fall of her breath swells into yours.

>There is no rhythm or tune but for the slowing beat of your heart.

>"I don't know what happened to you to make you this way, but I will never hurt you."

>"We saved eachother."

>"I'm your angel right?"

>It comes back like a white dove roosting before dusk.

>What you said as you died.

>'My angel'

>Could heaven have sent her?

>Your pit drops away.

>The cut isn't there.

>The creeping feeling is gone.

>All that is there instead, is warmth.

>Yes, they could have sent her.

>the tears don't edge at your vision anymore.

>Your heart feels elevated.

>Your arms coil up and embrace her in turn.

>Her breath rises against you as she releases a pleased huff.

>She tucks her head over yours, the bottom of her snout tussling your hair.

"You are."

>a happy whine comes out of her throat, she makes no effort to contain it.

"I've pushed myself so hard to accept you despite... what you are... your too kind."

>That earns you another, shorter whine and a nuzzling along your scalp.

>She acts more and more like a lapdog when she feels affectionate.

>You lose track of how long you both stand there, lost in eachother's presence.

>Eventually a thought occurs to you out of the warm stupor, what if someone saw you two like this?

>But you aren't the one that moves first. Teth'ra gently puts you down, you didn't even notice she had lifted you off the ground.

>How the hell does she read you like that?

>How does she manage to put you at ease?

>Scent alone doesn't explain it.

>You swear this girl has some sort of empathetic gift.

>Your caught in her eyes once more, the magic is there all over again.

>She keeps her strong hands on your shoulders, the claws don't exist to you right now.

>"You don't have to present yourself to everyone, your injured and stressed. I can stand watch while you sit off to the side."

>She adds a mischievous grin.

>"Besides, if anyone does get too close. I'll bite em'!"

>She makes a light click with her teeth, pantomiming more of a nip really.

>Still trying her best not to scare you, sweeter than sugar.

>You sound like an absolute sap right now, but she had some sort of disarming effect on you.

>The baser parts of you squirmed and recoiled at her, not understanding, she was one of them, the other, despite how other your real enemy was.

>Your higher functions understood she was a friend, was protective of you, and seemed to better you, even if she was dangerous.

>Something else entirely disregarded the danger wholesale, accepting absolutely that she would never be the predator you feared. And it pushed you to hold fast to her companionship and refuse to let it go.

>Her hands were off you now, and you felt a bit imbalanced as her support left.

"Teth'ra?"

>She looked down at you, expression neutral now, but you could tell something in those eyes was glimmering with expectation.

"Help me walk, will ya? It's almost noon"

>Another choked back whine, does she even mean to be this cute?

>You offer your left arm to her, she snakes her right under it and clasps you on the back, hefting up some of your weight with little effort.

>That warm smile is heart melting, you mentally slapped yourself for being scared of THAT.

>It's almost like she's pulling puppydog eyes as she helps you pick up a much faster pace now, heading out towards the eastern field.

>That tail is definitely wagging by now.

---

>The eastern field is more like a mulling of hills within the base perimeter, pretty much where every unit that can't fit into the overcrowded barracks and isn't carrying heavy equipment sets up their camp here.

>The 512 always camped close by the mech park.

>Where the hell would you even store your machine now? The mech park was on the opposite side of the base.

>You wondered if Vilka was scheming to conveniently solve your problem with her staff vehicle.

>You hadn't even properly met her yet and your already paranoid of her. But Teth'ra's situation gave you that impression.

>If you owed her something before, you definitely owed the jackal for how much of a stabilizing element she was.

>In both senses really.

>With her acting as your other crutch you could move quite steadily now, of course the doctor told you it would be 3 days before the swelling on your right leg went down enough for you to really use it, and even then not to put major stress on it for a week.

>Then there were both times you were on the verge of breakdown and she was there.

>If she wasn't so comically large you could excuse yourself for thinking she was a walking, talking, therapy animal.

>Comical, of all the adjectives to use for her size, you settled on one of the least threatening.

>You were really believing that little mantra now.

>As you closed in towards where the 606 was camped you heard the unmistakable badgering, knife-handing, nagging shouts of sergeants getting their grunts in a row.

>You were going to be propped up on display in front of almost 50 anthros trained to kill, you hoped dearly that Teth'ra was dead serious about staying at your side.

>B company, 2nd platoon. With you onboard that made 49 in this little group.

>EDF rifle infantry platoons were organized into 4 10-man squads, with a command squad of 8.

>Each squad was headed by a sergeant and 2 corporals over 7 privates, the squad operated in 2 5-man fireteams during combat, one fireteam headed by the sergeant with the other usually commanded by the more senior corporal.

>You remembered Teth'ra was rarely given command of the other fireteam in her squad, despite being the most senior corporal in the platoon by her account.

>You soured, wondering if it was the sergeant or the lieutenant responsible.

>At least if it was the sergeant you could technically pull rank and badger them into cutting her some slack.

>Actually are there any badgers in this platoon?

>You saw them lining up around a clustering of tents and crates at the base of one of the hills.

>Well you'll be damned there's actually a badger

>Somewhere above 4 and a half foot, built like a dwarf, and currently making up for her stature with excessive volume.

>One of the sergeants you guessed.

>Looking around at a distance, the whole platoon was female, not a sausage in sight.

-this is either a bad anime or the best anime-

>This is no time for chinese cartoons.

>No this was time to visibly seize against Teth'ra as you saw a small ocean of fur and teeth.

>She stopped and gripped your back more firmly.

>Her touch was relaxing, but it was trying to fight your resurgent fear.

>Then she started rubbing the back of your neck.

>Those eyes are magnetic again.

>"I wasn't kidding about standing guard over you."

>"They won't jump on ya just because your nervous. And if they don't keep their distance..."

>She makes that light snap with her teeth again.

>Your ready... hopefully.

>The both of you sit yourselves on a crate to the side of the knot of officers inspecting the formation.

>One of them, some sort of brightly colored reptile looked like she was about to start shouting.

>You made an exaggerated pantomime to your crutch, Teth'ra did the same.

>The lizard? turtle? snake? whatever stood there for a second, mouth half open before standing down.

>She finished conversing the that familiar monochromatic wolf and then turned and walked away, maybe one of the higher ups over Vilka's head.

>Vilka herself seemed puzzled when she looked at the two of you.

>Teth'ra only returned a raised eyebrow.

>Vilka soured and huffed as she turned back to the formation, 39 troopers all lined up by squad.

>Great, those two might be fighting over you.

-will be-

>Gotta have hope brain, gotta have hope.

>Might as well get the glorified meet and greet over wi-

>"AWRIGHT MAGGOTS LISSEN UP"

>fuck you, that badger was loud.

>And had some sort of speech impediment.

>Don't laugh, badgers are hyper aggressive.

>"YOU BUNCHA FLEABAGS ARE OUT HERE FOR INTRODUKTIONS"

>She punches the hard syllables like they're bugs.

>Vilka then steps forward, puffing out her chest, and from your angle, failing to look intimidating.

>"Alright girls, we have an outside specialist freshly attached to us, our new mech pilot. Tom!" she finishes with a gesture towards you and a too large smile.

>The quiet murmur among the troopers dies off immediately.

>They're all staring at you.

>Your not sure if you should freeze solid or attempt to duck inside your flak jacket.

>Your body does an admirable job of attempting both inbetween coiling every muscle for fight or flight.

>"Hey! That's enough! He's fresh out of hospital!" the jackal barks.

>You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding as they mostly turn away from you, muttering apologies and excuses.

>You certainly got your daily shot of adrenaline.

>Teth'ra lays a hand on your back, helping the electric state of your body to ground itself.

>You catch Vilka eying you like the way a mother eyes their kid expecting them to 'do that cute thing'. Seemingly unaware of how you almost reached for your gun.

>"Well master sergeant. You got something to say?"

>Fucking hell. You can't take this anymore.

"I pilot a rumbler, Don't get underfoot, Don't touch my stuff."

>You pick up your crutch and hobble off.

>Your not sure which instinct is stronger: the racing high of the adrenaline, or the need to curl up in a ball and die from embarrassment.

>Teth'ra moves to follow.

>"And where are you going corporal Magual?"

>"Someone has to settle him in sir."

>She leaves before Vilka can piece together an excuse to keep her from doing work without being ordered to.

>The rest of the afternoon flows by without any more inadvertent heart attacks.

>Most of it is spent sweating, and swearing.

>You hate setting up tents, Teth'ra hates it too.

>Vilka had rather cheerily welcomed you to set yourself up right next to her tent, you pitched on top of the hill instead.

>You acted the paranoid and started balking about sight lines and firing angles to get her to accept it.

>When you started pointing out good chokepoints in the woods just outside the fence for claymores and anti-personnel mines, she backed away.

>Teth'ra had to keep herself from busting out laughing.

>It was a surprise then, as when the sun set and the fucking tent was finally standing upright, Teth'ra dragged out her cot and gear and shoved it in, opposite yours.

>"If it ain't me then you would have to share with some other mutt."

>Can't argue with that logic.

>Having her close by would be nice too.

>You hunched over outside, lamenting how the gremlins in the support crews would usually do this shit for you when you were in a proper mech outfit.

>Teth'ra hadn't broken a sweat (can anthros even sweat?) but she was larger and had function of both legs.

>The two of you just sat in the grass catching your breath for a bit, looking at the darkening reds and purples of the sun turn over to dusk.

>You supposed an idiot who wasn't worn to hell fussing with a tent for the past few hours would call it romantic.

>Then the alarms started.

>Granted they were very far off, you could barely hear them, but you recognized what they foretold.

>They whined for 2 minutes before a staccato beat of 7 rolling booms echoed across the air.

>The static artillery was firing.

>You didn't remember how large those guns were, just that they were absolutely devastating.

>Teth'ra twitched her ears as the ghostly trace of a shell howled overhead far to the east.

>Soon you were looking at her as she smirked to herself, your raised brow was enough to get her to elaborate.

>"A new offensive is starting, that is the initial bombardment going out." She said, jerking a thumb back in the direction of the battery.

"Were already pressing in again?"

>"mhm. Driving north up the coast, support from the navy the whole way."

>"They're trying to get enough men within striking range of their main nest up north."

"Anchorage"

>You remembered the fallen capital of Alaska, overwhelmed within the first months of the invasion, long range reconnaissance had painted it as the biggest hotspot of bug activity in the American North-west. The marauders had turned the place into a breeding ground for bugs.

>Fort Sumter, the base you were standing on right now, had blunted the swarm's advance down the pacific coast long enough to establish a cordon across the northern wilderness, Keeping the rest of former Canada bug free.

>Since then the EDF had been striking into the Alaskan cordon, determined to level Anchorage, the source of the bugs threatening North America, before the swarms became too powerful for the cordon to remain effective.

>The city of Seattle, which was home to millions, Wasn't too far south of Fort Sumter. It would become a dead zone like Anchorage if that nest wasn't destroyed in time.

"Isn't it a bit above your paygrade to be knowing these things Teth'ra?"

>She flicked an ear, smirking "These things aren't for show."

>Her mood became more somber. "I think i know why were pressing so hard on the attack too."

>"It sounds like Europe is in trouble, I know the trans-Atlantic lines have been dark for a while but apparently they get a signal through to us in the new world now and again."

>...

>"I didn't hear it myself, but... What little news we are getting, doesn't sound good."

>"They need help over there, but we have to solve our problems here first right?"

>She tried to remain neutral, but her eyes betrayed a worry, a deep one, that both of you were feeling. 'what if Europe is gone?'

>More marauders would swarm across the Atlantic, overwhelming the east coast.

"Well, we better hope that those defiant few hold on long enough for us to mash some swarms."

>"yeah"

>The stars showed themselves, and you turned in for the night, she waited outside while you dressed down to your under uniform and crawled into your cot, setting your gun and goggles on the folding table at your head.

>You called for her to come in and she changed while you pulled your covers up over your head and turned away, a blatant showing that you weren't looking.

>It wasn't strictly necessary in the military but the acknowledgement of privacy had done a lot in making sure bunkmates don't stab eachother, especially in mixed accommodations.

>"Alright you sap, you can look now~"

>Dare you, with that tone of voice?

>Yes. Yes you do.

>You turned to find her grinning gently, but obviously wilted with fatigue, wearing a form hugging pair of grey shorts, and what was more of a glorified sports bra than a tanktop.

>She stretched with a long yawn as her bones popped softly.

>For the first time you were seeing her as a woman rather than as your weird anthro friend.

>And to your... shame? you liked what you saw.

>Her chest was already on the list of things you may or may not have leered at, but the way they seemed to fight against her top just enhanced the point of how big they were.

>Her solid core flexed and unwound with her stretch, hard edges artfully softened by that layer of fat.

>You imagined if you ever got to run your hand along it, it would feel like steel. Warm, furry steel.

>She possessed berthing hips a pachyderm would be jealous of, and legs built like trees.

>All of this you gleaned in a quick pass over before you lay on your back.

>You were just being polite and not staring, You weren't scared of your genuine uncertainty of how she would respond if she caught you looking.

>Certainly not.

>At this time Captain Richard believed it to be a good time to go join the fight, and you had to mentally wrestle with urges over your bodily control tower to keep the bastard on the runway.

>He coasted for a little while but you managed to prevent the achievement of takeoff speed, your deathly certain she would smell that if you failed in the endeavor.

>She flicked off the lamp hanging from the beam of the tent before lowering into her cot.

>A chorus of straining fabric and belting snaps followed as she settled.

>If cots had a language, that was crying for help if you ever heard it.

>She fell asleep rather quickly, and you steadily willed yourself to follow.

>Once your unit was officially on it's feet, the future was uncertain, interesting, and above all dangerous.

>Best not lie awake thinking about it.

>It's not like you can change it.

[----------------------------------------------------------Chapter End----------------------------------------------------------------]