A NEW BEGINNING

CHAPTER FOUR: A New Beginning

Alpha Leon had an habit of sitting in an enclosed outdoor space in the garden and sipping ice tea. Today was no different. It was there he was when Saxon came to report to him.

"Ahh, Saxon. Seat down, seat down," Leon said.

Saxon obliged. "Thank you."

"I take it you have news for me."

"Yes, I do. It's about Lewis and Caesar's training."

"What about it? Are they doing fine?"

"Yes, quite well. Lieutenant Caesar battled with Captain Albrecht and Lewis with Captain Alexander."

"And? What was the outcome?" Leon asked, eager to hear the answer.

"Caesar tied with Captain Albrecht but Lewis lost to Captain Alexander."

"Caesar did?"

"Yes, but don't think it was because of his abilities. The conditions were just favourable for him. Lewis on the other hand wasn't so lucky. He put up a really good fight though. Captain Alexander was wounded gravely, but he's alright now."

"I see. Thank you for letting me know."

"Of course. I'll be on my way now."

Meanwhile, at Base I, Caesar watched in astonishment, soldiers that were recovering gulping alcohol like it was vitamin. In his fight with Captain Albrecht, a number of soldiers fought alongside him and the captain. It was his team versus the captain's. Most of these soldiers had been injured, although not lethally.

After the battle, surprisingly, nearly the entire squad cheered him and commended him for his bravery and tactics. Some even went as far as teasing the captain as they praised him. Then in unison, they agreed that they needed to celebrate. What they were celebrating was unclear to the lieutenant, but he was eager to see what their party would be like. In a matter of minutes, they had set up extra tables in the lobby and filled it with drinks. Caesar was hit with disappointment when it dawned on him that their idea of celebration was only a drinking spree.

Everybody took a seat, including Caesar, and was already on their second or third bottle, except Caesar. He had more troubling issues on his mind. Besides, he wasn't particularly a fan of drinking.

"I don't understand all this," he said. "If you guys are so nice, what's with all the nasty and silly behaviours you've been putting up?"

"What things?" Captain Alexander asked.

"Your men were eating like pigs in the canteen, to annoy me, I'm certain. There's no why any sane person would eat the way they did. Then again, when I was heading to my room, two guys came along forcing me to drink whilst they pretended to be drunk. Finally, two girls knocked at my door. From the way they were dressed, I infer they were sent to tempt me, only to disappoint me and make me look like a fool. They used false requests to tried to get to me. Unfortunately, the girl who asked for a massage was holding a sunscreen and the one who asked me to apply sunscreen on her was holding a massage lotion. It was obvious it was staged. You've all been trying to make me uncomfortable with silly pranks."

Caesar searched for his answers in their eyes but no one could maintained contact with his for he had hit the nail right on the head.

"Well? I need answers. Why were you guys deliberately trying to frustrate me? Could it be that you wanted to bring me out of my comfort zone and show me the need adapt to different situations? Was all of that decadent behaviour and silly act nothing more than a sham set up to create a different environment from what I'm used to and teach me to adapt?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but it's nothing as profound as that. My reasoning is more like this. If a rich kid moves into a ghetto neighbourhood, what do you think will happen, Lieutenant?"

"The kid will most likely have issues relating with other kids because of the differences in their lifestyle and behaviour."

"Exactly! The ghetto kids might pull some serious pranks on the rich kid and call him names, brat preferably. What is their reason? He's rich and hasn't experienced the struggles of the world. They're not only disgusted to see him so posh and classy, they're also jealous that he has all he wants and possibly all they've dreamed, hence they project their insecurities unto him. To find peace in their existence and state, they instinctively want to take advantage of him, humiliate him and practically do anything to see him a state where he's below them. Of course this doesn't apply to every ghetto kid out there. The point is you're from Squad II, the classiest squad in Nocturnal Pride. In your eyes and probably the rest of your squad, we are just unruly and lowly. Simply to disgust and put you in a lower state than what you've conceived us to be, we have done what he have. However, this doesn't stem from insecurity, no. It's simply a desire to have fun with you who consider yourself better. Fortunately, as silly as my actions are, you've found sense in it. I must also add that aside the disgusting display we put up at the canteen, this is our normal lifestyle. The decadence is what we abide with."

Caesar slumped into his seat with a sigh. He was wrong to expect much from them. Nonetheless, Alpha Leon was right. He had learnt something.

"It's great that all this is out of the way now. I think you ought to loosen up, Lieutenant. Take a break, sit back and relax. When you are uptight, life only gets tight," Captain Albrecht said.

"It's hard to get excited with just these," Caesar said, pointing at the bottles. "To think that you even call this a party makes me boil. This is no more than a petty drinking spree. No party could be this lame."

"I don't see any problem here. We've got drinks, what else do we need?"

Caesar got up. "I'll just have to show you. I believe you guys have a grill, every squad has got one."

"We do. Why?"

"I'm taking charge of this party. Have your men move these tables outside and get plates for everybody. Also, I need meat enough for every one of us, pork or beef preferably. If you've got any marinade or barbecue sauce, let me have it too."

Captain Alexander got on his feet. "You heard him boys. Move these tables outside, we're taking this party outside. Martha and Maria, you guys help the lieutenant with whatever equipment and ingredients he needs."

In a matter of minutes, the tables were moved outside and covered with plates. The grill was also brought outside and Caesar was provided with pork ribs and marinade. He soaked the ribs in the marinade for half an hour. He would have left it in longer but the soldiers were all running out of patience. Eventually, he successfully grilled enough meat for all of the soldiers before exhausting himself. Since he had also been showing Martha and Maria the ropes, he had them take over and they grilled enough meat for all the ladies. Caesar had everybody overjoyed. As they accompanied the savoury meat with liquor, they convinced themselves they hadn't tasted anything better.

At Base II, Lewis was lying on a bed, unconscious and covered with countless plasters, courtesy of his battle with Captain Alexander. He only opened his eyes when a sweet flowery scent wafted past his nose, to see Juliet resting her head on his bed from the chair she sat on by his bedside.

"I didn't know you smell so nice," he said.

Juliet awoke with a jolt.

"You're awake!" she said and hugged him.

"How long have I been out?"

"Two hours."

"Your captain is really something. I didn't expect to win but I didn't expect such an outright loss either."

She shook her head. "That's not true at all. Not only did you fight relentlessly, you landed a clean hit on the captain, momentarily overpowered him and almost defeated him. Everyone was impressed and I'm sure the captain was too."

"Should you really be saying things like that?"

"It's the truth," she shrugged.

"Well," Lewis said, sitting up. "Seeing how I'm in a pitiful state capable of evoking sympathy, this seems like the perfect time to ask for your story. Why are you in the military, Julie?"

Juliet withdrew her eyes. To answer Caesar's question would mean she would have to tell him her story, something not much people knew. Nonetheless, she did.

"Six years ago, my father was attacked at the border attack by Raging Canines. He lost his life that day. My mother was heartbroken and not long after, she fell into depression. Three months later, she died. I was only thirteen so I moved into the orphanage set up by Alpha William. Back there, we were provided for adequately and beyond but I wasn't satisfied. Decided I'd join the military once I was eligible. Five years later, I turned eighteen and joined the military."

Lewis rubbed her shoulders. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

"You don't have to. It's been a long time."

"But why would you who lost your parents to war, cling to the very thing that caused you so much pain and can evidently cost your life ?" he inquired.

Juliet shrugged. "Maybe because I didn't want to live anymore."

Lewis shrugged back. "You should have just taken your life."

Juliet just stared at him coldly as if she meant to scold him with her eyes.

He laughed. "I'm just joking, Julie. I'm sorry"

"Yeah, right."

"So how about now? Have you any desire to live now?"

"Well, I think my life is just getting started and I would like to see it unfold."

Lewis nodded. "Good choice."

"What about you? Have you got any parents?"

"It's not something I like to speak about, but you have shared a part of you with me so I'll tell you."

Juliet gave all of her attention. "I'm listening."

"Fourteen years ago when I was nine, my father struck my mother dead. Before then, he was a very promising soldier and in fact the lieutenant of this very squad, but when he was discovered to have been using his influence and authority as lieutenant to oppress people, especially women, he was court-martialed in the Plague and found guilty. The women he exploited came forward as witnesses. In the end, he was stripped of his rank and discharged dishonourably.

"My goodness," Juliet gasped.

"It's just getting good. My dad returned home to me and my mother and sunk into a life of drinking. Day after day, he would leave after breakfast and come back at dinner with a bottle in hand. He became a liability and had no intention of changing, so my mother, lovely soul she was, decided to speak up after a month since he got discharged. It was more than enough time for him to recover, but my father didn't like that she tried to correct him. In spite of this, my mother kept speaking to him softly until frustration made her lose her patience and she began to voice her complaints aggressively.

"Then what?"

"Before long, they got into quarrels whenever they saw each other. Then came the endgame. One day, my father came back home at night as usual and my mother gave him nothing but barrage of insults for dinner. Infuriated and possibly intoxicated by alcohol, he struck her and she hit her head on a wall. She died instantly. I had been watching them from the kitchen out of fear but at that very moment, hate filled me. I took a knife, hid it behind me, approached the man who was kicking his already dead wife from behind and drove it into his guts.

Juliet gasped again.

"My father was no weakling however. With the knife in his belly, he tried to kill me. Since he was wounded though, I managed to get away temporarily. I ran into the kitchen and hid in a cabinet, a spot I discovered when I played hide and seek with my mother. Of course, my father followed me, desperate to bring me down with him. I threw a ceramic plate at his head from the cabinet when his back was turned at me and he fell. Immediately, I jumped down and took the knife that he had dropped and stabbed him dead. That was when..." Caesar paused, trying to remember something. "Now that I think of it, that was the first time I made this smile. Right there as I sprawled on the floor watching his corpse, this smile took form in my face," he said, pointing at the smile on his face.

"I'm overwhelmed. People always think they have it bad till they find someone worse. How did you get along after that?"

"I was a minor so I wasn't charged with murder and Alpha William said that the continuous display of verbal violence, my father's foul nature and negligence towards his family, coupled with the murder of my mother was enough to flick a wrong switch in me or make me go loco," Caesar said, rolling his eyes and twirling a finger by the side of his head to describe insanity.

Laughter escaped Juliet's mouth but she immediately covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."

"It's fine, I did that to make you laugh anyway. So, I got taken into the orphanage but I couldn't grow up like a normal kid. I was distant from the other kids and they stayed away from me out of fear. Eventually, the news that I killed my father spread and it made the kids not only fear but hate me as well. One day, three boys around thirteen years of age came to pick on me, a nine year old. They pushed me around and hit me a couple of times, the normal bullying routine. I didn't care, I just stood, sat or laid, however they kept me, taking all of their insults and hits, until one of them said something that made me lose it. In his exact words, he said, 'I bet you killed your mother too, you devil'. I pushed this kid to the ground and beat him senseless. One of his partner tried to stop me but he got a broken nose, so the other ran to call for help. After that, I was taken out of the orphanage into a..."

"Hold on, let me just get something straight. Three kids attacked you. You beat up one and broke the nose of another, right?

"Yes, and the last one went to get help. Can I continue?"

"Yes, please."

"After that, I was taken out of the orphanage to a private establishment Alpha William set up for me. I had caretakers, private teachers, books and toys that I never played with. The Alpha would visit me at least twice a week. During this time, he noticed my fascination with war and war related materials, so he would tell me tales of war on every visit. Six years later, I was certain I wanted to be a soldier and Alpha William placed instructors to guide and train me. Two years later when I was seventeen, I was allowed to join the military, primarily because of my connection with the Alpha but also because I was overly qualified. I fought hard through all of the years and today here I am, selected to represent our pack in the Hunt," he finished with a yawn.

"You've really been through a lot. I don't even think apologizing is of any use."

"It really isn't. That aside, how is the captain? His wounds seemed deeper than mine,"

"You don't have to worry about that. It's been a little over three hours already. The captain should be healed completely now."

Lewis eyes popped in surprise. "Three hours for such a wound? It looked like half his face was about to spill."

"I know, right? But it's always been that way with the captain. What about your captain? Does he take this fast to heal up too?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Never seen him with a serious injury."

"He's that strong huh?"

"Captain Albrecht? You have no idea," Lewis chuckled.

"Who do you think will win in a fight, Captain Albrecht or Captain Alexander?"

"Before now, I'd instantly picked my captain, but after fighting with yours, I honestly can't make a choice. They're both terrifyingly strong."

"Guess that's a question we might never have an answer to."

"Speaking of questions, I have one and you hold the answer."

"I do?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering," Lewis said. "What does your lip gloss taste like?"

"Why you don't you taste it and find out?"

"No way I'd rather have it," he replied and kissed her instantly.

Ten seconds and they were still going passionately, that is until Captain Alexander walked in.

"What the heck is going on here?" the captain asked.