“So, what happens now?” Jenkins asked, as he sat up, and, with the werewolf’s help, started to get dressed.
“Well first off,” the werewolf said. “You will be taken to the Mess Hall, where you will get some real food in you, and meet up with a few of the real instructors. Once the rest of the recruits wake up, and are briefed, then your real training will begin.”
“By the way, is Bloodtooth really your name?” Jenkins asked.
“Yah,” Bloodtooth said. “Although I will tell you this, I don’t like to get blood on my teeth or claws for that matter. Then again, father was a vegetarian. He taught me to not take another person’s life, to eat them as if they were food, unless there was absolutely no other choice. Of course, believe it or not, the military is the safest job one can get.”
“What do you mean? Don’t soldiers have to fight wars that could get them killed?” (Jenkins)
“True, but, even the worst human soldier, who gets the worst scores in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, stealth tactics, fails written tests, and everything else, is not to be harmed by any civilian. Also, any family they have is under the military’s protection as well. Also, if you get an honorable discharge, you are still protected, even as a civilian.” (Bloodtooth)
“Why is that?” (Jenkins)
“Simple, to do something that may prevent a soldier, especially one that volunteered, from doing his duty, is considered an act of treason. After all, if you heard that a loved one of yours was raped or murdered, you would be more fixated on revenge than doing your job. Also, if a civilian kills, or eats you, they will be treated as a traitor of the highest order, even if you were not a soldier anymore, as long as you had been given an honorable discharge. Of course, there are rules that have to be followed.” (Bloodtooth)
“Like what?” (Jenkins)
“Well, for instance, a soldier that rapes another person, even a civilian, is drummed out of the military, and will no longer be under the military’s protection. In fact, should he be accused of committing a crime in the vicinity of a soldier, that man will find himself dragged here, or the nearest barracks, tried, and if found guilty, executed. Though, if he is found innocent, he still won’t be released into the civilian population. Instead, he will end up as one of those who help grow the food for the base.” (Bloodtooth)
“Um, what do you mean by that?” (Jenkins)
“We have recruiters that go to the prisons and buy prisoners that are being held there. Now mind you, these recruiters are the most scary looking, and acting, of all recruiters. However, if you are a prisoner, they are your best chance at freedom. They will go through your record, and if you didn’t commit rape, or murder someone, unless it was for a very good reason, he will say, ‘Do you choose to be food, or, a soldier, meat?’ Well, most of the prisoners elect to be soldiers, although those who decide otherwise, for whatever reason, end up as, well, as farmers, in a sense. However, if you just raped or murdered someone, he will say, ‘Do you want to be turned into food, or grow the food, scumbag?’ Needless to say, most of those guys choose to grow the food. As for the very few who don’t, well, you don’t want to know, though we try to make their deaths quick, and only the officers, not the enlisted men, are allowed to even eat those people.” (Bloodtooth)
“So, you guys don’t really eat other people?” (Jenkins)
“Yah, however we do eat others, on occasion. Traitors are usually those that non-human soldiers are allowed to eat. Also, if a soldier kills another soldier, he will be eaten by that soldier’s squad mates. However, there is an exception to this, should a soldier take the life of someone under the age of eighteen, even by eating them as part of a meal, should another soldier see him, or her, do this, that soldier is authorized to kill that person, as that person is not a soldier anymore, and the body is to be marked as such.” (Bloodtooth)
“What do you mean by that?” (Jenkins)
At this, Bloodtooth made a fist and hit her left shoulder.
“All soldiers are given a mark on their left shoulder,” she said. “It means that you are in the military, in any branch, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard. When you choose the branch you want to join, an additional mark is put on, followed by any promotions you get. If you get an honorable discharge, you will be marked as such. However, if you get a dishonorable discharge, every soldier in the squad will, with a claw, talon, or knife, cut into your shoulder, giving you an ‘X’. Kill an underage civilian though, after the other soldier kills you, and gets the kid out of your stomach if you ate it alive, he will carve an ‘X’ through the whole mark, and effectively erase your records and achievements.”
“So, this mark, it basically shows that you are a member of the military?” (Jenkins)
“That’s right kid, and mind you, when they put it on you, you will think that every thing else was nothing compared to the pain that you get when they put it on.” (Bloodtooth)
“What do you mean by that?” (Jenkins)
At this, Bloodtooth pulled up the sleeve on her left shoulder, exposing what looked like a cattle brand.
“They heat an iron to one thousand degrees Celsius, strap you down to a table, press the iron to your shoulder, and hold it there for thirty seconds, and you won’t be given any anesthetics or painkillers," she said. "Also, no medic is to do more than to cover it with gauze to prevent infection. You will have to deal with the pain on your own. Also, the same thing occurs when you choose the branch you want to serve, and with each promotion that you earn.”
“Well, I doubt I’ll get many of those,” Jenkins said, dejectedly and lowering his head slightly. “After all, I’m just a human.”
“Actually,” Bloodtooth said, holding Jenkins’s head up. “Unlike most militaries in which, to them, might equals rank, in our military, a human could end up leading a platoon consisting of mostly giants, and they are expected to obey him, or her, as if he, or she, was another giant, and an even bigger one at that. In this country’s military, in any branch of the service, merit equals rank. In fact, rumor has it, at least one of the branches is ultimately, at the highest level, is lead by a normal human, and one with absolutely no magic at that.”
“Are you serious?” Jenkins asked, with amazement in his voice.
“I wouldn’t know,” Bloodtooth said, lowering the sleeve on her shoulder. “My clearance is not high enough to give me more than names, ranks, combat information, branch of service and birthdates. Then again, unless they tell me, I don’t even know the ranks of my squad mates. Here on the barracks, or in combat, the only difference between uniforms is if they are worn by a member of another branch, and even then, only the emblem on the hat is what’s different, at least that’s the way it is in the barracks. In combat, you wear the clothes that fit the environment. Out there in public, or on parade, though, full uniforms are what the rules state. However, while medals can be worn, rank is never to be shown, not to anyone outside of the military, not even your family. Then again, people would take offence if a lieutenant, who was a human, stole their meal, a human child, from them. Of course, the anger that the man was human would be second to the fact that the man is a soldier, which would be second to the fact that he was a lieutenant. That is why; if you are off base, stick with others from the barracks. Should you see something that infuriates you, like someone trying to eat a child, let the others know. At that moment, ranks are told, and the one with the highest rank will lead the group over, and ‘confiscate’ the child. However, if your rank is the highest, the man next in rank will use it, and your name, as you are the real leader in that situation, and he, or she, is just a stand in, a decoy if you would. This is for your protection, because out there, most non-humans will not respect the requests of a human, yet alone an order from one. Also, if that civilian comes here looking for you, everyone, and their squad mate, will claim to be you, in name and rank. Then again, they won’t even bother asking a human who they are, or their rank. It’s a very useful tactic. As for the child, we will keep it.”
“Why would you keep the child?” (Jenkins)
“Well first off, if that child was sold to a restaurant, or some such place, it’s dead to the rest of the world anyways. Second, the streets are no place for children. Third, the kid deserves the best care that they can be given, even if it is that of being raised by a bunch of soldiers that the rest of the world hates. Fourth, the kid could make an excellent soldier, and can officially join up when he or she turns eighteen. After all, that kid may not have much fear of others, just because of their race, at any rate. Of course, we’d have to send him or her to a different barracks, so that the instructors here won’t be tempted to go easy on the kid during training. After all, we don’t want the other recruits to get jealous of any of the others. Now, can you stand up?” (Bloodtooth)
“I think so,” Jenkins said, as he placed his feet on the floor and tried to stand up.
“Okay,” Bloodtooth said. “Now, walk up to that black brick on the wall, in a straight line, place your hand on it, and walk back.”
Jenkins looked at the wall that she pointed at. There was a single black brick on the entire white wall, at the very top of the wall in fact.
“Are you serious about me touching it?” he asked. “This ceiling must be at least sixteen feet high.”
“Yes, everyone has to do something like this,” Bloodtooth said. “The military wants soldiers who can think about ways to handle things that, at first, seems impossible. Of course, if you can’t do it, well, maybe you don’t belong here.”
With that, Bloodtooth got out a stopwatch and said, “On the count of three, start. One, two…. Three!”
With that, Bloodtooth pushed a button and Jenkins started walking, and found out that he was walking very slowly, as if his feet were encased in cement.
When he looked down, he saw the floor was really a strip of paper that covered a thick layer of mud that reached halfway up to his knee.
“I forgot to mention that the floor was really mud,” Bloodtooth said, covering up a bit of laughter with a coughing fit. “However, I will warn you, the mud will get a lot deeper the further you get.”
“You’re serious?” Jenkins asked, looking back at her.
Bloodtooth just nodded her head, showing little emotion, though privately, she was a little bit amused.
With that, Jenkins looked back at the wall and started rubbing his chin.
“I know this much,” he said. “I probably won’t be able to reach that spot on my own, so what is there that I can use here to help me.”
“You have every thing that you need already in the room,” Bloodtooth said, watching him, barely looking at the time on the stopwatch. “You can use anything you want to help you reach it.”
“Let’s see what I have to work with,” Jenkins said, looking around.
First, he saw an old ladder which had a length of ten feet.
“That might help,” he said. “But, it is still too short, especially with the mud.”
However, besides the ladder, the medical table, which was attached to the floor, and himself, there was only one other thing there, and that was Bloodtooth herself. In her current form, she was easily eight feet tall.
“Are you sure that I can use anything in this room?” he asked, with the beginnings of a plan in his head.
“What are you suggesting?” she asked.
“Well, I know that I can’t do it alone,” he said. “That ladder might help, but even without the mud, it would still be too short. That table is bolted to the floor, which means; the only other thing that I could possibly use…. would be you, madam.”
At this, Bloodtooth smiled and said, putting the stopwatch into her pocket, “That is correct Private. I am the only other thing that you could possibly use, and you can. Now, what is it that you need me to do so that your goal can be reached?”
“Well first of, could you get that ladder? I’ll need it for my plan to have a chance of working,” Jenkins said.
“Okay, anything else?” Bloodtooth asked, as she grabbed the ladder.
“Well, I need to see if I can get to the wall on my own first,” Jenkins said. “If not, you will need to carry me. When we get to the wall, you will climb up, with me on your back, and maybe I can reach it.”
“Not a bad idea Private,” Bloodtooth said, with a smile, as she walked into the mud, carrying the ladder. “Most people don’t think to ask for the instructor to give them some assistance with the challenge, until about two hours, or so, into the challenge.”
“Is that some other record that I broke?” (Jenkins)
“I’ll say so, usually it is when one has about given up hope that they ask for help.” (Bloodtooth)
With that, Bloodtooth stood next to Jenkins and said, with a smile, “Lead on, commander.”
As the pair walked forward, the mud kept on getting higher and higher, until it got to the point that Jenkins could not put another step forward, without eating some of it.
“Okay,” he said. “Now that I know that I can’t go any further on my own, I need to get on your back.”
“Alright,” Bloodtooth said, as she stood in front of him, with her back facing him. “Let me know when you are ready.”
After he got on, Jenkins gave Bloodtooth the go-ahead to walk further.
By the time that Bloodtooth got close enough to place the ladder down, so that she could climb it, the mud was up to her chin.
“Okay,” Jenkins said. “Let’s see just how far it is that you can climb up.”
When she got as far as she could safely climb, Jenkins saw that there was eleven feet between him and the brick he had to reach.
“This might be tricky,” he said.
“Why is that?” Bloodtooth asked.
“I’m going to have to stand on your shoulders, at the very least, so that I even have a chance," Jenkis said. "Can you hold still that long?”
“I’ll try, but be careful," Bloodtooth said. "Sudden impacts hurt, and it would be difficult for me to get you out of this mud if you fell and sank into it.”
“I kind of figured that,” Jenkins said, as he started his climb.
However, when Jenkins stood on Bloodtooth’s shoulders, and reached as far as he could, he found himself two feet short.
“I know standing on her head and jumping up might work,” he thought. “But the sudden shift in weight could break the ladder, causing her to fall and be buried in that mud, which would also be my fate afterwards. However, the other way would give me plenty of reach, without jumping, but it would be risky in its own ways.”
He then looked down, and thought about the two plans in his head, and decided that the second would be safer, for Bloodtooth at any rate.
“Hey,” he asked carefully. “Could you tilt your head up and open up your mouth?”
“Why do you ask for me to do that?” Bloodtooth asked, with a bit of amazement going through her head.
“Well,” Jenkins said, slowly. “If I were to do my one idea, both of us would be buried in that mud. With this, well, at least you might make it if I fell.”
“I understand,” Bloodtooth said, tilting her head up and opening her mouth.
As Jenkins looked down into that dark and saliva dripping cavern, he gulped nervously, as he slowly put a foot on the top of both Bloodtooth’s upper and lower jaws. He then slowly reached up, and just as he touched the brick, a part of the ladder broke, causing him to slip and fall halfway down Bloodtooth’s throat.
“Hold on kid,” he heard Bloodtooth say, in a muffled voice. “I’ll help you get out. Just stay calm and don’t move.”
He then saw, as his head and arms were still outside of Bloodtooth’s jaws, as well as felt, her beginning to slowly, and carefully, climb down the broken ladder.
When there was a rung that he could reach, and hold onto, Bloodtooth said, “Grab onto the rung. I don’t know how much longer I can hold you like this before either you fall or my swallowing instincts take over.”
At this, Jenkins grabbed the rung, with both hands, and waited as Bloodtooth climbed down the ladder.
When his feet were out of her mouth, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
“That was close,” Jenkins said. “Maybe too close.”
“I’ll say,” Bloodtooth said. “It took me all of my control not to gulp you down.”
“Let me guess, the skin on my bare feet was tasty.” (Jenkins)
“Yah, very tasty,” Bloodtooth said, as she gave a nervous chuckle, as Jenkins climbed back onto her back.
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