The Arctic War
#1 of The Arctic War
The Arctic War
The Cost of War
We are out in the Arctic Tundra fighting a war. Not that I mind I'm suited for this kind of environment. Being an Arctic Fox does have its advantages, like I don't get cold as everyone else does. I blend in just perfectly into the environment, and those we are fighting really can't blend in into the area like I can. These bastards turned my home into a fucking warzone.
I entered into the military to protect my family, my father, and my four other siblings. Out of all of my family I am the only boy my four sisters and dad can't protect our country. My dad, Richard, is a quadriplegic, and my sisters are all still in school. Mira, the youngest is still in elementarily school. Jess, and Heather, they are twins, are both in intermediate school. Sabrina, the oldest of my younger sisters, is in high school and is planning to go into collage.
Our countries army is small considering this is the first war we have ever really had in thousands of years. We were a peaceful country until the attacks began. They attacked our center of commerce and then took outlying towns. By the time we had actually declared war on them; they were five months into our country. All of the battles up until that point were called skirmishes. The government is too slow to react, hell they debated for a month on whether they should even start thinking about declaring war; for a fucking month.
Meanwhile I had already enlisted into the military, and got through basic by the time war was declared. It's only been a year and I have been through hell. My friend that went through basic with me has been shipped home in a body bag. That happened in the first month of this war. A sniper got him right between the eyes. Poor bastard didn't stand a chance, he was a bit strong headed thinking he was the best even though he was still very much just a FNG.
I get letters from my sisters periodically, about once a week. Most of what I can tell them is just how I am doing and give them advice. I can't tell them where I am, what we are doing, or anything like that. It sucks because they just want to know I am ok and where exactly I am. I try to write back as soon as I can, but this just isn't exactly right. I'm going home for about a month after this week is over, then I'm heading right back to the front line.
We are heading to a hostile encampment about three miles south, south east of a small town that was infested with enemy's. We lost four good men in that battle since then we have been reinforced and are heading down to the encampment. We are expecting heavy resistance before we get there.
"Hey Igor, what's your take on the situation," Jake asked.
"I don't form ideas I just follow orders, you should do the same," I scolded and thought to myself damn recruits.
"Sorry sir," was all he said after that.
"One mile left," the driver in the forward hummvee announced.
About ten minutes later the forward hummvee was hit by an artillery round. We were ordered everybody to get out of the vehicles and head into the forest. It would be only a thirty minute march from here. We met up with Sergeant Major Howe.
"Okay ladies, listen up we got to reach the encampment, and hold position outside it for one hour, while we wait for ground support," Sergeant Major Howe told us.
So we travelled for thirty minutes while hearing trees explode all around us. Then we got to where the clearing was, we discovered they were as snug as a bug in a fucking rug. We spread out the line so we all wouldn't be taken out by artillery but not so far that we wouldn't be able to help the guy on either side of us. We started to fire controlled bursts into their perimeter. Everything was going fine for the first half an hour upon arriving there. Ground support would be there in about another half an hour. We were just inside the tree line and then an artillery round struck a tree about 10 feet away from me and shrapnel from both the tree and the round knocked me flat on my ass.
I was going in and out of consciousness. They were trying to keep me awake, and then next thing I knew I was being carried out of the forest and loaded onto a truck. They drove me out to the village and then from there I was taken into a hospital going in and out of consciousness. Then finally I just blacked out.
The Next Day...
I woke to the sound of "beep... beep...beep" I remembered almost nothing. I just couldn't seem to figure out why I heard that sound. Then it all came back to me in a haze, the artillery round going off... the pain... the blood. As this came to me a grey wolf came up to me. He wasn't a doctor or nurse, it was a Capitan.
"Good afternoon Staff Sergeant Ricker," he said,
"Sir, good afternoon, sir," I replied.
"Okay cut the military shit for now,"
"Okay, Capitan," I replied.
"You are going to be fine. You are getting sent home tomorrow. I am also putting you up for Gunnery Sergeant," he said
"I don't want that promotion," I said flatly.
"I didn't ask you if you wanted it or not, you are getting it," he replied.
From there the rest of the conversation was pretty much the same he didn't ask me things he told me things I didn't want to hear or do like. I am going to have to stay home longer than a month; I will be out of service for three months. I love my family but I want to protect them. He said the reason was because I hadn't been home since the start of this war. I think there is a different motive behind his actions.
So anyway I was taken out of the hospital because my injuries were not as severe as some others were. They flew me to my hometown hospital and got me out of there and from there I was on my own. I would need to come back weekly over the next few months and actually get the medical treatment I needed. Since I was in my hometown and my family had no idea I was here I decided to walk home.
Honestly I got home sooner than I wanted to. It isn't because of my family it's my neighbor next door. I have always had feelings for her but at the time she was with someone else and I wasn't about to tell her when I was engaged to my ex-fiancé. The bitch sent me a "Dear John" letter telling me that she turned out to be a lesbian and didn't want to hurt me with it later. Yeah, tell someone who is fighting for your safety on the front line that you are breaking it off.
Well I got over it a long time ago. Now is now, and I better start living in it. Our house was painted an off white just like my mother's fur... god rest her soul. She died shortly after Mira died. I was really upset when she died. She was in the People's Army like I am. My Dad was never a soldier too hard on a softie like him, although if you called him that he'd try to kick your ass. I saw my dad's van parked in front of the house.
I walked up to the front door, I didn't use my key, and instead I figured I'd have a little fun. I took off my hat and rang the doorbell. I had to wait a few minutes. The only one home right now would be dad. All of my sisters were at school considering it was the fall. He answered the door and automatically assumes that I am there to tell him his son died. Did I really change that much over one year?
"How did he die," Richard asked.
"Your son isn't dead," I replied.
"Then why are you here," he asked.
"I am your son, just got back from the war," I replied.
"Well why the hell, are you knocking," he demanded.
"Surprise," I shrugged apologetically.
He told me to come on inside and sit down. We talked for a few hours about how life had been here. Then he started to talk about mom, I got a little upset at that. Not that I didn't love her it's just that he never really talked about her and the memories she left me and my sisters, he talked about what she did wrong with us. In truth I hate this man standing in front of me right now.
After we were done talking I went out back. I walked up to a grave stone in the very back of the yard. She wasn't buried there, it's just where we could pray to her and talk to her. She was buried five hundred miles from here so this is the closest we can get to her. She was the military person of the family my dad was the wimp in the family. He made some bad 'friends' and when he didn't have money they beat him severely. So that's how he became what he is now, a bitter shell of a man.
"Rest in peace mom. I will always love you," I said and walked back inside, seeing the familiar form of Sabrina sitting in a couch watching TV.
I snuck up on her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped in the air ten feet. She then looked over her shoulder to see me. The look of glee in her eyes made it worth coming back home a little earlier. I just had that smug grin on my face probably not so smug considering it was worn down by the war.
"Hey how have you been," Sabrina asked noticing my grin was a little off.
"Well I just got back home and the welcoming party was dad," I replied.
"That bad huh, well things haven't improved much here either," she referred to our dads drinking problem.
"Well let's not talk about that," I said trying not to broach the subject.
We started talking about school and her boyfriend. Apparently he was pushing her to have sex. She kept telling him no and he just kept asking her. And she didn't know whether to break up with him or not. She has been hearing rumors about him being with another girl. I told her I really didn't know what to tell her. In my opinion I'd break up with the little bastard anyway, but that was just me. After that I told her I was heading off to get my hair cut.
While we were supposed to have our hair cut in a regulation style you find it just a little hard to keep it regulation when you are in the middle of a warzone. So they tend not to get on our asses about how we haven't been able to keep it trimmed. The only barbershop I liked was out on the other end of town and, of course, it was snowing like it usually does here, but I didn't mind. So I went to Louie's Barbershop.
"Hey Louie," I said to the Lemur with the paunch.
"I'll be a monkey's uncle, if it isn't Igor Ricker," he said while getting a seat ready.
"Semper Fi Mac. High top low fade, number 2 on top and one on the sides and get rid of the sideburns," I said.
It took a while to cut my hair which was as white as me. I wasn't really surprised, my hair was as thick as a jungle. Along with that it grew about 50 times faster than ever thought possible. Another month and it would be about half as long. In the field I had resorted to my combat knife to trim my hair so it would stay out of my face. When I finished I paid Louie and got out.
It was an hour later I was sitting with my sisters and was getting to know Mira. We had dinner and watched one of my favorite movies when I was just a pup. Then after the movie was over it took Mira up to her room and she asked me to read the story I used to before I had actually left. I couldn't help but remember all the times Sabrina and I had taken care of Mira. After mom died we knew dad couldn't really help with her since he was mostly black out drunk those days. The others were in bed by the time I got back so I figured I'd sit there and just there and relax before going to bed. As soon as I sat down there was a knock at the front door.
Who the hell could be coming here this late at night? I got up and walked over to the door. There was the form of one of my old high school friends. The look on her face was one of pure shock. I could tell she was not sure who I was.
"Hi, Linda, what are you doing here," I asked.
"Sorry, how do I know you," she asked.
"It's me, Igor, I went to the same high school with you," I replied.
"Oh, I'm so sorry you just look... um, different," she said.
"Been getting that a lot lately, I don't see a difference but everyone else does," I said.
"Oh, well reason I was here was to check up on your sisters. I knew you used to take care of them and then you left. So I figured I'd stop by every once in a while to check on them," she explained.
"Well I really appreciate it," I said.
"Say weren't you going to get married to Elisa," she asked politely.
"She broke it off, we had a lot of the same interests in women," I said sourly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," she said.
"Don't be, if anyone should be upset it should be me,"
"Well I'm sure there is someone else out there for you. I know I had a crush on you back in high school," she admitted.
We chatted for a few more minutes, and actually set a date up for tomorrow since she doesn't have class tomorrow. I was looking forward to it. In truth I had a crush on her as well, I was with Elisa at that time and things were pretty serious, and in truth I believed that I had loved Elisa.
After she left I went to my old room. It was trashed there was dust built up everywhere. In my opinion it was trashed out because of all of the dust. So I went downstairs and got the duster. It took me an hour to clean it but at least it was clean. After that I finally got into my bed and drifted off to sleep.
The sky was dark muzzle flashes were going off in the distance. I fired my service rifle at the muzzle flashes. I couldn't see anyone but I knew we were on this side. Then I heard someone get hit I looked over at him. It was me...
I woke with a start, sweat running down my back and face. I got up and went into the bathroom. I washed my face with cool water and took a long look at myself. I saw what everyone was saying. My eyes had lost that gleam of a innocent child, my mouth had taken a more reserved look, the smirk of a young man was gone, and more likely what everyone else was seeing was that the once shiny fur coat I had had lost all of its gleam. Is this the really me, I didn't look anything like myself...