"Ablaze"

West sits in her squadron's bunk room. As she reads her magazine, a lit cigarette occupies her lips. A bad habit picked up after her reassignment. The raised windows of the barracks provide a view of the night sky. On the wolf's side is a holster, containing an M1911 pistol. One of her squadmates, a male river otter, rushes into the room.

"They're starting the operation early! We're leaving ASAP!" He says before rushing back out of the door. West closes her magazine and heads for the exit, followed by a few others who were also previously relaxing. They're all heading to the armory building. A line of soldiers spills from the entrance. West ends up in line behind the otter and in front of another squadmate, a black bear. West is the tallest of the three. Soldiers in line speak to one another about the sudden course of action.

"We're assaulting the Soviet camp already?" West asks the otter. "Command said our air support wouldn't be ready until oh-seven-hundred."

"Air support's not comin', Murray." The otter replies to the wolf. "We've just been ordered to proceed without them."

West crosses her arms. "I sure hope the higher-ups know what they're doing. We don't even have night equipment."

The bear behind the two speaks up. "I'm with Murray on this one. My night sight's not so good." She says. By now, the line has progressed enough to place the three chatters at the door.

"I think everyone here shares that thought." Says the otter. "Command hasn't been too forthcoming about their plans lately."

Once again, the bear leans in. "They've been hush-hush about things since we lost Nevada. Now we're damn near about be pushed out of Utah." She gestures, her arms open. "Let 'em have this big track of dirt, that's what I say."

"Some people call this big track of dirt their home." The otter states.

The bear changes her demeanor. "Oh- right." She says. "Sorry, Cook."

The otter picks up his weapons from the armorer. "It's alright, Fuller. Just remember we're fighting for more than dirt here." He makes his way outside as the wolf steps up to the counter.

"It's a suicide mission if you ask me." West states. Before her lies an M16A2 rifle with loaded magazines. She assures the weapon's safety is engaged before slinging it over her back and retrieving the ammunition. She leaves the armory and heads for her squad's transport truck. Around the trucks, soldiers equip their gear from scattered cases. Arriving at one of the cases, West equips her helmet and tactical vest. The wolf crawls into the truck behind the otter, Corporal Cook. Private Fuller, the bear, appears shortly after. The truck starts to move.

The convoy of troop transports leaves the base. A pair of armored personnel carriers, each equipped with a light machine gun, lead the convoy's path down the desert road. Behind the two armored vehicles is a Humvee equipped with a fifty-caliber machine gun. The middle of the convoy consists of five canvas-topped transport trucks, occupied by soldiers. Two more Humvees guard the convoy's rear, armed with machine guns as well. The line of vehicles kicks up a flurry of dust as they continue along their route. According to the mission plan, they will be meeting up with another unit before assaulting the nearby Soviet camp. Another conversation picks up shortly after mobilizing.

"Damn." Cook says. "I should have took a leak before we left." He shifts in his seat.

"Raise a leg and piss over the side." West jokes with a smile.

Cook sets the butt of his rifle on the floor, holding the handguard with one hand. "I can wait, Murray." He says.

"Hey, Cook, you keep up with this shit." The bear begins. "I thought we were supposed to be getting ahold of those fancy German rifles."

"You didn't hear? Two hinds took out that supply run." He wipes his nose. "That's why they've got us using reserves."

"And the French are using up what little can get through." West adds.

Fuller rests a hand on her cheek, pouting her lips. "Us Americans should come first. It's our land to defend."

"If the French lose their hold in Wendover, we lose our foothold for this entire sector." Cook reasons. "Soviets can push all through the desert without any resistance." A series of rumbles echoes across the night sky.

The bear pauses for a moment. "I just think that-" An explosion at the front of the convoy cuts her off. The vehicles grind to a halt.

Soldiers peak out of their transports, attempting to see what happened. Chatter on the radio confirms that an APC was hit by artillery fire. Troops near the front of the convoy dismount to rescue injured soldiers from the burning vehicle. Another burst of rumbling can be heard in the distance.

The unit captain's voice blares over the radio. "All troops disembark! I repeat, all troops disembark! Find cover!" Personnel flee their vehicles and run from the sandy road. They attempt to seek shelter within any indent in the terrain they can find. A volley of shells wrecks the convoy. Most of the vehicles are destroyed in an instant, the blasts shaking the ground and kicking debris into the air. West, along with the rest of the scattered soldiers, are pelted with shrapnel and chunks of earth. The wolf grips her rifle tightly.

"Sound off." The captain says over the radio. One by one, soldiers report. West, Fuller, and Cook are all among them. About a third of the unit doesn't respond, however. As they observe their surroundings, any of the unit's previous confidence begins to fade. West peaks out of the ditch she's found herself in.

"Murray!" The wolf hears to her left, her ear twitching in response. She heads to the source of the call. Behind a bump in the sand, Private Fuller lays.

"You hit?" Asks the wolf.

"No." The bear says. "Just shaken up." The captain can be heard shouting orders nearby.

"You'll be fine." West says. She raises her head from behind her cover, spotting movement. Soviet vehicles press forward down the path in the distance.

West pats the bear on her shoulder. "Incoming, Fuller." The bear attempts to glance from behind the sand. "Stay put. I'm gonna go check in with the captain." West moves from behind the bump, in the opposite direction of the incoming vehicles. Staying low, the wolf approaches the group of three crouched in a gully. The captain, a male elk, is speaking into the radio, operated by a coyote woman. Her FN FNC rifle lays with her radio equipment. Next to them, kneels a cheetah. He wields an M21 marksman rifle.

"Command, this is Barracuda-Two, do you read? Over." The elk asks again. He waits a few seconds. West gets the captain's attention, pointing to the line of approaching vehicles. The elk's eyes go wide. He returns to the radio.

"Command, this is Barracuda-Two, do you read? Over." He says in a clearer tone.

A voice responds. "Barracuda-Two, this is command. Return your status, over."

The elk looks slightly relieved. "Command, we're under fire from artillery. Soviet light armor and transports are advancing on our position. We have many wounded and missing. We need support. Over."

"Two, we can't allocate any resources. You're on your own. Out." The radio falls silent. All of the group sits with their eyes trained on the captain. The microphone remains in his hands.

The coyote pushes his shoulder. "Captain, what do we do?" The elk switches his view to her, still silent before appearing to collect himself.

"Uh." The captain trails off. He pokes his head out of the gully and observes the terrain. Forming a strategy in his head, he squats back down with the group. "Samson." The elk says to the cheetah. "I want you on that mound to the west. Pick off anyone you can."

"Yes sir." The cheetah sprints to his designated position.

The captain switches to the radio operator. "Wright, stay low and keep on the radio. Tell the troops on the other side of the path to check their gear and form a defensive line on whatever cover they have. They should have at least two support gunners over there." He picks up the rifle, presenting it to the coyote. "Hold onto this. If they get close, you'll need it."

The coyote grabs the rifle with one hand and begins sounding off orders into the radio.

Raising out of the gully once again, the captain begin to peer around. "Ortiz! Whittaker!" He calls.

A pair of voices respond from across the sand.

"Take care of that armor!" The captain shouts.

The two rise from the sand, one holding a Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapon over their shoulder. The other loads a shell into the weapon's rear.

West continues to crouch in the gully. "What about me, captain?" The elk looks at wolf, rifle readily held in her hands.

"Corporal Murray." He pauses. "Do what you do best."

She nods. West pops from out of the gully. The Soviet vehicles have halted about 400 meters up the road. Troops dismount their transports and the armored vehicles take position. As the wolf runs back to Fuller, the anti-tank weapon fires and lands a shell on the Soviet light tank. It's armor is damaged by the explosion. Enemy forces return fire. West lands on her stomach next to Private Fuller, displacing sand as she does so.

"Fuller." The wolf says, keeping her cool. "Get fire on those troops."

Once again, the bear peaks from behind the cover. She lets out a whine. "Murray, I can't see shit."

West looks at her. "Alright, well... watch for muzzle flashes. Return fire where you see 'em." The bear nods.

Moving her attention away from Private Fuller, West fixes herself in a firing position atop the sandy hill. Soviet troops slowly push forward on either side of the road. The advancing soldiers move between pieces of cover and provide covering fire for one another. West's unit located on the other side of the road has already begun firing, contesting the enemy. The wolf follows suit. She fires off a few rounds at a time at the closest enemies to her position, managing to pick off a few. Another anti-tank shell fires past the two's position. It strikes the sand next to another Soviet light tank. Unfazed, the tank continues firing at the group across the road.

West pauses to reload her rifle. She ejects the empty magazine from the firearm, and it falls to the sand with an empty thud. "Those guys across the road are getting pretty hammered, huh Fuller?" The wolf asks, sliding a full mag into her rifle. Chambering a round, the wolf pokes out of cover and returns to firing at the enemy. An explosion strikes a patch of empty sand near the two, kicking sand on them. Another strikes farther away. It looks like enemy mortar crews have set up. West hears the captain shouting again behind her.

"Samson! Get some fire on that mortar!" He orders. West attempts to provide any covering fire she can for the cheetah.

Click West disengages again to reload. She glances over to the bear. "Fuller! Help me cover-" The wolf stops herself. Private Fuller lays next to her, a bullet wound in her head. West finishes reloading her rifle.

"Murray!" The wolf hears from her left. She looks over to the anti-tank crew, a single silhouette waves towards her. West retrieves ammunition from the fallen bear and crawls towards the hole. Arriving next to it, she rolls in and bumps into the limp body of the anti-tank gunner. She knees up and looks to the one who waved her over, a skunk.

"Murray." The skunk says, fatigued. "I can't operate this thing on my own. Can you fire one of these?" He gestures towards the recoilless rifle laying next to the gunner's body. The wolf nods. Picking it up, she mounts it over her shoulder. Behind her, the skunk opens the weapon's breech. He slides out the spent casing and loads a fresh shell. "Clear!" The loader says.

The wolf sets her sights on the enemy tank. "Firing." She pulls the trigger, launching a round. The shell makes contact with the tank's side, immobilizing the vehicle and igniting it. The tank's turret rotates towards the two as it attempts to reverse. "Another, another!" West demands. The skunk repeats the loading process again before sounding off. "Clear!" This time, the wolf fires without announcement. The munition strikes the tank's side once again. The impact sends a burst of sparks outwards, and the vehicle is rendered inoperable. The skunk glances over West's shoulder.

"Thank god you hit it." He says. "That was the last of our shells."

West sneers, her eyes locked to the burning tank. She turns to the skunk. "We should move before they fire on this position. Let's go check in with the captain." She says. The skunk responds in agreement, and the two run back to the gully. While running across the sand, a bullet clips West's left arm. She stumbles a moment before regaining her footing. Arriving at the gully, the pair jump down into it. The captain is taking a moment to observe the situation through his binoculars.

Hearing the two land beside him, the elk puts the optic away. "We're about to be overrun here." The captain states, sinking into a sitting position. "Command contacted us." He points to the radio. "Said the rest of the assault is going just as bad. They're sending some sort of support to us, but didn't say what."

The coyote glances over. "They were really vague about it. We should keep our distance to be sure." She says. Fighting continues across the path.

"We just have to hold our ground until help arrives." The captain continues. "The other group across the road is taking the brunt of the assault. Most of our unit's on that side, sounds like they got flanked." The elk attempts to wipe the sweat from his face, his helmet makes it difficult. "If we just sit here and let them get wiped out, the Soviets will move on to us anyway. I say we join up with them and hold off the best we can." The rest of the group looks at each other, none of them object to the idea.

Satisfied to see the troops in agreement, the elk explains his plan. "I'll take the few of us over the path and link up with the unit. Samson and Murray will stay and draw fire. Once we're in position, I'll give the signal, and we'll do the same for those two while they move. Any questions?" The group remains quiet. "Good." The captain turns to the radio operator. "Wright. Tell them we're coming from the east." As the coyote begins talking into the radio, the captain continues his orders. "Get ready, corporal." The wolf nods and assumes a firing position.

The elk stands up. "Samson! Covering fire!" He shouts and waves for the squad to move. "Let's go!" All but the wolf run out of the gully. West begins her covering fire, popping off a few shots at a time towards the enemy. The small group continues across the road without issue. West pauses to reload while the cheetah continues firing. Suddenly, the wolf's ears perk up. A metallic whistle echoes across the road, the captain's signal. The cheetah begins running towards the path, jolting behind West's position. As he passes the wolf begins to follow, but is forced back into cover by a barrage of bullets. She hunkers in the sand.

As shots fly into the sand around her, a short and sudden booming sound grabs the wolf's attention and shakes the ground immensely. The noise is followed by a wave of dust roaring over the gully. West uncovers her head to look upwards, where the night sky once was. A hazy blue glow and rushing dust takes it's place. An arching jolt of electricity painfully stabs the wolf's lower back, on her right side. The shock vividly stings across her body, up to her neck and down her leg. She grabs her side and returns to her hunkered pose. More sounds of sparks can be heard in the distance. After what feels like minutes, the sound stops. The wolf once again - more carefully this time - peaks upwards. Small blue particles float in the air.

Steeling herself and putting aside her pain, West swiftly aims her rifle out of cover again. Instead of assaulting Soviets, she is met with an astonishing sight. Only a short distance past the position of the enemy, a deep-blue mushroom cloud extends above. The wolf has to turn her head upwards to view the entire thing. Her face is illuminated by the blue glow. In front of the cloud, the dark silhouettes of Soviet vehicles lay dormant. No motion besides the blue particles and dust suspended in the air can be seen. She doubts any of the opposition could still be alive.

The wolf stares more at the blue cloud. It's nostalgic. She remembers the sight she saw as a child from her bedroom window. A small piece of that wonder has returned, at least momentarily. Is this her unit's support? A cobalt bomb? The news said it wiped out the whole town. The wolf snaps back into reality. She stands, gripping her aching side, in the gully. Her left arm is sore and bleeding from it's bullet wound. Not even thinking to grab her rifle, she climbs up the sand and makes her way to the path. Blue scorch marks are peppered across the terrain, increasing in density farther down the road. A uniformed cheetah lays near the path, his rifle having tumbled some distance away from him. It looks like he hit the ground with some force. The wolf kneels next to him, turning him over. He's dead.

West stands up once again. Walking through the ruined convoy, she discovers an array of bodies littering the sand. The wolf goes from body to body. Many of them exhibit blue burns, some unrecognizably so. All of them are lifeless. Cook, the captain, everyone. The wolf turns again towards the dissipating mushroom cloud. Now, it's obvious no one else survived. As the sky clears, the faint light of sunrise begins to light the desert. The wolf removes her helmet and tosses it to the sand. Shifting aside her vest, she pulls up her uniform. Her burn appears the same as those found on her unit's bodies. She pulls her clothing back down.

Observing the battlefield around her, West finds no motivation to return to the Army. Her unit is gone. The wolf knows the only shelter she could seek nearby is the city of Enola. She sees no reason to wait around. Assuring her direction with a compass, West collects herself and begins walking through the desert. Just like the Army, she retreats east.