The Write Place

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

“Rudolph the big, scoped Sniper, had a very shiny scope. And if you ever saw it, you would even say it blows,” sang the snowclad figure in a hushed voice from behind his sniper scope. In the distance, a large, black wolflike creature crept out of the forest. A booming cry echoed through the hillside, returned by the creature with a fierce howl.
“Your head off!” Umberger chimed in with a whispered yell to Jaeger’s singing. Jager and Umberger had hidden themselves, blending into the snow with their winter gillies. Oblivious that it was being watched, the creature let out another howl into the wintry landscape. The creature stopped, it’s large snout pulsing as it began sniffing the air curiously. A small drone buzzed overhead, backing itself away from the open field, spraying a white liquid into the air as it did. “Then one foggy Christmas eve, his captain came to say. Rudolph with your scope so bright! Won’t you shoot Dogmen tonight,” Jaeger said as he pulled the bolt-action lever into position.

“Then all the Snipers loved him, and the shouted out with glee, Rudolph the big, scoped Sniper, you’ll go down in history!” Jaeger sang as a shot from the .50 cal rang out through the valley. The crackle reverberated through the valley, covering the sound of breaking bone and the spurting of blood.

“Good shooting,” Umberger said. Both men kept their eyes forward, knowing from their military discipline the mission was not ended.

“Got him good,” came the word over the radio. “No visual on any others. Watch the trees. That should bring them out if they’re near.”

“Hoping they take the bait and that we didn’t just take theirs,” Jaeger said examining the creature through the scope. The creature writhed, and as it writhed, Jaeger noticed something. “Well, we did. Fired too soon, he sent a female as bait. Only one so far but they pack has gotta be in the forest.”

“Keep your eyes open,” came the commanding voice of their head officer over comms. “Den is West of our position. Expect the remainder to come from that way.”

“10-4 Colonel,” Jaeger said into his comms. “Or…”
“He’s got a good woodline southwest” Umberger cautioned. The two repositioned themselves.

“Still on the heat vision Chaps?” Colonel McCready asked over the radio.

“Three similar shapes, looks to be one adult and two juveniles not far into the woods. Tracking, them. Now from the West,” Chapman said. “That means at least three unaccounted for.”

“Gotta be another group flanking. Alpha is covering himself. Taking the kids…We knew the risk getting them so close,” said a deep resonating voice pulsed through the comms.

“Surefire way to get them all though, especially with such a clever male,” said McCready. “Eyes open.”
“Eyes very open,” Jaeger said. One large wolf-like creature, flanked by two smaller companions fast approached their position from the West, bolting across the snow. Jaeger could tell this was another adult female leading the charge. The king was still out there.

“Expect more,” MacCready cautioned.

Umberger dropped his rangefinder and cocked the light machine gun he had at his side. Controlling his breathing Umberger tried to get his body into instinct. Combat is at it’s height when it’s felt, not thought. In a way, it was addicting and it was where he needed to be.

“Another group coming Southwest,” Chaps called out.

“All nests cover nest one,” McCready ordered. “They got you spotted One but I don’t think they see us.”

Three more black wolf-like creatures dashed out of the woods to the Southwest in a flanking maneuver toward Jager and Umberger’s position. Jaeger pulled the pod to face the creatures, the largest, oldest leading in a vicious charge of their position. The Alpha had appeared, behind cover and after they were occupied by his expendable companions.

Umberger began firing at the lead group encroaching from the West. Heat and the pounding feeling of adrenaline running through his chest made the world seem red. He felt as if the whole world was engaging in their fight. The strange quiet of its large steps in the freshly fallen snow increased in their speed. Jaeger fired, the female fell. A pair of shots rang out, taking two juveniles. The group from the Southwest had closed the gap. Jaeger fired hitting one of the smaller wolves first. He squeezed the trigger only to hear the irritating sound of the gun in his hands jamming. Umberger positioned himself to face the approaching threat. Without a thought, it occurred to him what he needed to do.

Umberger jumped between the pair of leaping monsters and his partner. He could see the hairs on the juvenile as the rounds ripped through its body. Losing huge chunks of flesh the thing persisted until it fell, carried by the momentum of its run. Emerging behind it as it fell, appeared the large, amber colored eyes and cold frosted breath of the Alpha wolf.

Rounds cut into the large Wolf. The whole world slowed down for Umberger. He could hear each round striking the creature, and the casings as they discharged and hit the ground.

“You’re on the naughty list,” Jaeger said as he watched the scene and he worked hard to clear the jam in his weapon. After several seconds of fire from the M249 the wounded beast kept coming. The black wolf leapt over the fallen juvenile, swiping at Umberger’s chest. He stepped back as fast as he could to avoid the sharp claws of its extended hand. Umberger had million thoughts as he began to fall backwards. The creature’s speed, ferocity, the hatred in its eyes. As he fell, he heard a rifle shot ring out. The massive head of the walking wolf burst.

“Leflore,” said Jaeger, looking up to where the sound had come from.

The large creature’s frame had dropped like a heavy weight, falling precariously over Umberger. Jaeger stood and walked over to the creature with his pistol drawn, checking to see if any breathe escaped into the cold winter night. Much to his relief, he found nothing escaping from the creature’s nostrils except the redness of blood.
“I thought they smelled bad, on the outside,” Umberger quipped.
“You were right about that. Be glad you aren’t spending the night in it. You good kiddo?” Jaeger asked, his procedural tone masking both his adrenaline and fear for his partner.

“Could use a hand. This fur coat is a little heavy,” Umberger said, his head poking out from under the large body. Covered in blood, he looked about attempting to orient himself.
“You should stay away from fur. Not your look. Camo that’s your thing,” Jager said as he pushed the upper body of the monster off Umberger.
“Really? It is warm in winter.”

“Well, I’m sure you’d prefer the skin off the animal,” Jaeger said, putting away his handgun and reaching out with a free hand. The two locked eyes. “Thanks kid”

“You’d do the same for me,” Umberger said, taking Jaeger’s extended hand to stand. “Son of a gun actually tore into the plating a little bit. Ruined a perfectly good gilly suit.”
“You got him better. Ruined the only suit he had,” Jaeger said, keeping a tear at bay.

The two stood in the quiet snowfall. As they stood catching their breath, they heard the crunching sound of boots pressing into the snow.

“You good Umberger? Saw the thing swiping you,” asked the Colonel. They all wore their winter camo and gillies, leaning into the environment of the cold winter day.

“Yeah, yeah I’ll be fine. Just catching my breathe. And hoping supply won’t be upset I cost them a vest.”

“Vests can be replaced with a little material. Men who know what they’re doing however are harder to come by,” McCready said. His eyes were somewhat sullen, something that cut Umberger to the heart.

“I’m fine boss. Maybe some bruises from getting knocked around but I’m fine,” he said, finding himself eager to reassure the older man. “Maybe next time they’ll give us those claymores.”

“That would be the smart thing to do. We also got the job done and didn’t lose anybody. So, it may not be in the budget,” MacCready opined.

“Yeah, as long as it we still get it done we have plenty right?” Jaeger said.

“I see why they burned down the poor guy’s house. An Army guy too,” Umberger asked, finding himself wishing to move the subject for even a second as he got his wits about him.

“At least it wasn’t a Marine,” a third voice chimed in coming from behind them. Two men joined the group from the north. A somewhat short man dwarfed by his large, equally black-haired partner grinned, his camo mostly hiding his Asiatic features.

“You see that I wouldn’t have minded so much Kim. Still wouldn’t like it, but would it be as bad?”

“Semper fi,” Jaeger said with his now trademark smirk.
“That’s our word for each other,” said a baritone voiced figure clad in white.
“Sure Jefferson. Two words, leave it to a Marine to fail to count,” Jager said, his smile seeming to get deeper without changing.

“You’re just not pronouncing it right,” Jefferson said. “Words can have three syllables. And by hyphenated.”

“Best had it been a bureaucrat’s house,” Kim chuckled. “They organized the crapshoot the first go around.”

“You can bet that’s who ordered the house too,” said Jaeger. “Sounds like brass. They would be insured too you can believe that. They love paperwork like a man loves a woman.”

“You gonna eat that Leflore?” Kim motioned to the nearest body, joking to the large gillied man with high cheekbones who stopped at his side.

“No, you can have it. Thought you ate dogs anyway?” Leflore teased his spotter.

“If we don’t, the squatch will,” Chapman chimed in, walking up to join the group. “Let’s em know who is the top of the food chain.”

“Well, the Squatch will be happy, and I’ve got an appetite. Dogs are great, but not for eating, red blooded-American that I am. Dogmen however…” Kim let out a sigh of relief, before turning to address Umberger. “How you fellas doing? Lucky, we had sights on you.”

“Yeah the box really worked,” said Umberger. He found his hands returning to the torn plating across his chest. His body, if not always his mind, hadn’t left the moment behind.

“That’s why we do it. The trick is to not let any of them get away. They remember and they talk,” McCready said. He walked up to the first of the fallen beasts. Pumping his shotgun, he fired into the head of the large female.
“Just like a woman,” said Jaeger. “But women smell better.”

“Usually. Guess it was seven huh?” said Umberger.

“Was,” said Jefferson.

“That’s what I like to hear. Good shooting Leflore,” Jaeger said. “Saved at least one of us.”

“Anytime. I hate learning new names anyway,” Leflore said. Their talk was serious and unserious in the way only old friends could speak. They had both been forced to learn names a few times over the years. That was an experience and an exercise they did not desire to repeat.

“Always a challenge, just like the Dogmen. And now we know who killed Rodriguez and half his team,” McCready added. “The Black One won’t cause anymore trouble, beyond transporting his heavy corpse. We’ll blow the den and finish the pups if there are any more there. Remember, whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.”

“Merry Christmas fellas,” Jaeger said, wearing a tired smile.