Saying Goodbye (US War Dogs Tribute) by ShinoPuppy < Submission

Keywords dog 183060, death 13431, battle 3485, german 3427, war 1792, american 1250, army 787, loss 376, shepard 362, memorial 204, veteran 63, iraq 11, us war dogs 1

Saying Goodbye

Prologue

I pressed my cold nose up against the still warm flesh, hoping for a response. I nuzzled his ear again, hoping he would jump up and start cursing me for waking him up like I do every morning. I waited and hoped... hoped that he was still alive.

Chapter 1

I looked up happily into the smiling face of my owner as he strapped on my vest and petted me on the head. It was 0430, time to do our morning patrol of the Kazakhstan mountain range east of base camp. We had to make sure that there were no enemies trying to sneak up and ambush the rest of the team while they slept.

He unwrapped one of those really tasty peanut butter bars he always had on him and threw me a good sized chunk. I immediately snatched it up off the ground and gobbled it down. I loved those things, and I always had a bunch of energy after he gave me one. I looked up and barked happily at him while he munched away at the remaining half, my tail wagging and my tongue smacking my lips. He looked down with a frown on his face and made a shushing noise, putting one finger over his lips. I immediately lowered my head and rubbed up against his legs, trying to apologize for making so much noise. He bent down and put his human-paws on both sides of my face and said "Sorry boy, but you don't wanna wake up the captain do ya? You know how cranky he gets." I nodded, agreeing with him, remembering the last time the captain chewed us out. My ears still hurt from that one.

We exited the tent and headed towards the only other tent with a light on in the early pre-dawn twilight. It was still a little chilly and everything was still covered with dew, but that was normal. I'd gotten used to the big temperature swings and the endless sand in this weird land. I still missed the big base back home and the wide open fields where I could run around and play fetch and dig holes as much as I wanted without getting sand caught in my paws.

He stuck his head into the tent with the light on and said something about "heading out" and "back in time for breakfast" before exiting the tent and picking my leash back up. He turned around and looked at me.
"Ready boy?" He said with a smile.

I barked happily and we both took off at a jog for the east trailhead.

Chapter 2

I felt a tug on my leash as I stopped at another rock in the pale sunlight, sniffing intently. I could tell that the creature had been through here recently, most likely some sort of lizard. My owner didn't seem to be very interested though, because I felt another impatient tug on my leash. "Come on boy, we've still got another half-mile to go before we head back!"

I stopped sniffing and looked up at him, weighing the pros and cons of finding that lizard versus getting back to camp and having breakfast. Breakfast won out, so I bounded up the trail and caught up with him, the thin little retractable leash making a “zziiiippp” sound as I rushed back up to him. He resumed walking, speaking over his shoulder as I looked down and went back to sniffing the trail. "If we get done soon, we might get back before all the eggs are gone." he said with a thoughtful smile. "In fact, I'll bet ya Donny will make us some pancakes if we ask hi--"

CRACK!

A loud bang caused me to leap backwards and bark loudly, putting me on alert instantly. I spun around, looking for signs of an attacker. I couldn't smell anybody, and I didn't hear anything, not even breathing...

I spun around in a panic, suddenly no longer hearing the heaving panting usually coming from my companion. I looked down and saw him collapsed on the ground, his back to me, a pool of crimson forming beneath his turned away head. I dashed to his side and nuzzled him under the arm, trying to encourage him to get up, to tell me everything was okay. He lust stayed there, not moving, the pool of blood getting larger. I went over to his ear and placed my nose behind it, something I usually did to wake him up in the morning when he ignored the beeping from the ticking thing strapped to his arm. I rubbed his ear again, harder this time, hoping that he would jolt awake like always, but nothing happened. He just lied there, lifeless.

My vision blurred as I rested my paws on top of his chest, my ears drooping as I looked up into the pale sky. I heard myself howling, a low and sad sound that was surely heard the world over, for my owner, my friend, my lifelong companion... was no longer with me.

Chapter 3

I awoke in a stupor. My head hurt and I was lying on something soft. It didn't feel like the ground. I slowly raised my head up and tried to get my bearings. The sun was beating down on me from the bright blue sky, causing my fur to heat up like an oven. I was still up in the mountains. I guess I lied down during the patrol; I must have been more tired than I thought. Something smelled weird. I took a few sniffs and recognized the smell: blood. My mind instantly sharpened. Everything that happened flooded back into my mind: the patrol, the big bang, the sight of... of...

I got up, pushing myself off the body of my fallen comrade, the pool of blood mostly soaked into the gritty earth. His familiar musky smell mixed with the unpleasant tang of blood and death, leaving a foul taste in my muzzle. I stood there, frozen, my body numb, my mind racing. Why did this have to happen? Why didn’t I protect him? What was I going to do? He wasn't there to guide me, and I couldn't just leave him lying there. He didn't deserve to be left lying there like one of our enemies.

I looked around, trying to find somewhere sheltered I could take him, somewhere I could keep him safe. Of course there wasn't though... every hiding place on the mountain face had already been checked and protected by the team to keep the enemy away. I had even seen some of the others on the team put those oversized Frisbees that make blow up if you get too close in some of the areas, saying that it would "keep them secure". I didn't want us to blow up, so I decided that the boulder a little ways down the trail was the best I could do. It wasn't really very effective, but at least it would give us a little shade.

I padded around behind him and took a deep breath before grabbing the drag strap on the back of his vest in my mouth and tugging gently. I dragged him around the blood pool and slowly backwalked my way down the trail as gently as possible, a sad whine escaping from around the strap in my muzzle.

Chapter 4

I centered his body in the little bit of shade the boulder cast on the trail. It wasn't very big, but I knew that if the boulder was anything like the tents back at camp, the shadow would start getting bigger soon.
Lying down next to him, I panted heavily, the exhaustion and lack of food and water starting to get to me. I looked back at him, wondering if there was still anything in that bottle thingy that held the water. I hated to disturb him any more than I already had dragging him down here, but I was getting really thirsty. I gently stuck my nose into the big pocket on the front of his vest and managed to grab the top of the bottle in my teeth. The pocket made a tearing sound as I pulled the bottle out, but given that all of his pockets made that sound every time he opened them, I didn't worry much about it. I put the bottle between my paws and the ground and started gnawing on the top, trying to get to the liquid inside. Eventually, the top popped off and started spilling the liquid onto the dirt below. I quickly lapped up as much as I could, trying not to waste any in this heat. I wished I could have found one of those tasty peanut butter things too, but I didn't know where to look for that, and I wasn't about to start tearing up his clothing.

I lied down again, panting from the heat, as I tried to figure out what I could do. I was pretty sure I knew the way back to the camp, but I didn't want to leave him lying there, and I didn't think I could drag him that far what with the way the trail was and how tired I was feeling already.

I looked down at him and hung my head in shame. I was going to have to leave him for now.

Chapter 5

I cast yet another glance over my shoulder as I headed back down the trail towards camp. I felt torn at leaving him back there, but I had to get someone, let them know what had happened. As I approached the trailhead, I began to smell the acrid tang of smoke. This wasn't smoke like the campfire made though. This smelled more like the smoke I smell when we go through a village that has just been attacked... the smell of things burning that shouldn’t be.

I dashed towards the camp at top speed, the smell of smoke getting stronger, a dim glow and a wisp of smoke in the distance apparent in the evening twilight. I didn't want to find what I knew was coming. I didn't want to find more death.

As I approached the camp, I came to a stop and stared sadly at the smoldering remains of my home away from home. I shuffled up to one of the team lying on the ground outside of the southern tent we always stop at before we leave. The walls were shredded with holes, and a splatter of reddish black framed the entrance to the tent. Whimpering, I nuzzled the fallen soldier and felt his cold skin, smelled the scent of death upon him. I looked around and found others of the team spread about, some fallen in the clearing in the middle of the camp, others in their tents as if they were caught by surprise. Every single one of them was dead, their blood streaked and staining the earth.

As I came to the captain's tent, I heard a whimper escape my mouth. The captain was slumped in his chair, his head on the table in front of him, blood dripping off the edge and pooling on the ground. Behind him, the foldable picture-box with all the buttons he was so fond of working with had a hole through the blackened picture part of it, and several of the buttons were scattered on the table and ground around it, as if someone had smashed it really hard. The talking box thingy that usually sat next to his picture-box was also destroyed, and the stack of papers that was usually balanced on the top of it had been strewn all over the tent.

I wandered out of the tent in shock and plopped down on the scorched ground. I didn't know what to do. My whole family, the entire team, everyone, was gone. Who could I go to for help now? There was no one left, and there was nothing but barren sand and desolate mountains all around me. My best friend was dead, and even the captain had been killed in the attack. Worst of all, I couldn't find a trail to follow, so I had no one to track down, no idea who did this to my friends. I buried my head in my paws. It was over. It was all over.

Chapter 6

I awoke with a shiver and a splitting headache. I couldn't remember how long I had been lying next to that boulder, how many blistering days and frigid nights had gone by since I lost my family… at least a few to be sure. I was weak, tired. My stomach hurt, and my head was pounding. I looked back at my owner, still lying there next to the boulder where I had brought him; protected somewhat by the minimal shelter I was able to give him. The stink had been getting worse, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to leave him lying there for some bird to come along and nibble at, not that they hadn't tried already. They knew better than to come near me for now, but I didn't know if I still had the strength to keep them at bay much longer. I'd already grabbed as many of the water bottle thingies as I could, and I'd found some food in a few of the backpacks back at camp, but there was pretty much nothing left at this point.

I decided I would make one last trek down to the camp, see if I couldn't find a little bit more food or water, but by this point, I could tell that I had pretty much reached the end of the line. I decided I would bring back the last of what I was able to find. Bring it back with me and then settle in next to the person that had taken care of me my entire life and go to sleep one last time.

I stumbled along the trail, my paws sore, my strength failing me. As I reached the trailhead, my paw snagged an exposed root and I fell forward and tumbled to a stop a few feet away. As I went to get back up, my right paw gave out and I collapsed back to the ground. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I looked down and saw that my right paw was pointing at a weird angle, as if somebody had folded my paw the wrong way. I attempted to stand up again and more waves of pain exploded up my limb, forcing me back down to the ground.

No. I couldn't stop now. I couldn't let it end here. I gritted my teeth and with a growl in my throat and the last of my energy reserves, I forced myself up onto my three remaining limbs, wobbling back and forth as I tried to keep my broken paw from touching the ground. I looked out in the direction of the camp, determined to complete this one final trip.

Chapter 7

As I approached the camp, I began to hear things, smell things… different this time, familiar. It reminded me of the base back home. The sounds of people talking, the smell of those big loud machines we would ride around in sometimes. I tried to hurry, quickening my hobble of a walk towards the remains of the camp. Just as I got close enough to see the big ride-in machines, I saw a cloud of dark smoke pour out of the tops of them and they started to pull away.

I tried to bark, but my throat was too dry. All that came out was a muted wheeze. I put my bad paw on the ground and straining against the intense waves of pain, I ran faster and harder than I had in my entire life, pushing myself far beyond my own limits. But it wasn't enough. They were getting smaller and smaller, further and further away. I collapsed and tumbled to a stop, a plume of dust going up around me, my bad paw giving out one final time, the pain making it clear that paw was out of commission for good. I felt the darkness begin to overtake me, the numbing cold I had staved off for days finally winning out over my bruised and broken form. Broken thoughts drifted through my mind. "I couldn't do it... I couldn't save you."

"I'm sorry."

Chapter 8

Blurry shapes swam in my vision. Everything hurt – my head, my eyes, my paws, everything. There wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t ache. The soft surface I was lying on was vibrating, shaking slightly. A muted roar filled my ears, making my head hurt worse. I heard whispers, the sounds of people having a quiet conversation nearby. I felt a sudden jab in my right paw, and tried to jerk it away from whatever was causing the pain, but I felt numb, I couldn’t move. I whimpered and saw another blurry shape move into the bright light, a silhouette awash in a field of white.

“You’re finally awake. I was afraid we’d lost ya for good. How ya feeling boy? You’re banged up pretty darn good.” The blurry figure said softly, his form slowly coming back into focus. I couldn’t do anything other than whimper and close my eyes. “I’m sorry boy, I’m trying to patch you up best I can. I wish your buddy was still here, but…” He trailed off with a sniff and a heavy sigh as he turned away from me. He took a moment to compose himself, then turned back around and inserted a small plastic plunger into the clear tube running down into my paw. “Don’t worry boy, it’ll all be ok. Get some rest now, ya hear?”

I nodded slightly and closed my eyes again, drifting off into dreamless slumber.

Chapter 9

The shots fired in unison from the old-fashioned rifles rang in my ears, chilling me to the bone. I stared through blurry tear-soaked eyes at the polished wooden box in front of me, the box my owner now lay in. I howled softly, adding my own goodbye to the staccato booms of the honor guard’s rifles. I felt a hand reach down and slowly stroke my head, the owner of that hand sharing my sadness at the loss of someone she loved too.

It went quiet, then a man in dark robes stood up and began speaking in low soft tones as the box slowly lowered into the hole beneath it with a soft hum of the motors. I felt the woman next to me reach out and pull me into her arms, her body racked with sobs, our two lost souls sharing our pain with each other.

I turned my head to watch as the last of the box disappeared into the hole. “Goodbye my friend.” I thought somberly, tears streaking my fur.

“Goodbye.”

.

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