Welcome to the frontlines

The sound of a horn blew. Senko felt the cool breeze blowing in from a slit in the tent's corner.

"All soldiers to formation!" A man's voice shouted outside the tent.

Senko opened her eyes. Her heart suddenly pounding, not in surprise though. This was just part of the everyday drill. She had to put on her armor and get into formation on time. If she didn't, she'd be discaplined again. Senko quickly sat up. The tent was full of other rookie marksmen rushing to get ready. They struggled to put on their own armor. To Senko's left was an axolotl trying to put on it's chainmail, but it couldn't manage to out of sheer panic. It ran in circles trying to put it on. It's beady eyes were wide in panic. Senko was a hybrid. Half fox, half human. The only thing that made armor hard to put on was her large fluffy tail. She managed either way. After she was done, she found she still had four minutes before they'd be in trouble.

With that she helped the axolotl put on it's armor. It smiled, moving its head up and down as if saying thanks. The axolotl itself looked like it was always smiling. Like some cute thing that shouldn't be in a warzone.

They all made it outside and stood in formation. Rows of tanks lined up in the distance. The tanks themselves were big, with dual cannons. Other more elite soldiers marched before them. The elite soldiers were adults, some were dragon-kin, others various types of beastmen and other various creatures. All marching in rows.

"Attention!" The war lord shouted.

The war lord was a lizardman. Although you couldn't see his face, because he was fully armored in magic circuited steel. That meant it was advanced.

"I know some of you rookies are abondoned children. Others come from war families. You have my sympathy for those of you that had little choice." The war lord started walking to the right. Watching the ground carefully.

Everyone he was making a speech too were less than four feet. He himself stood about seven feet tall.

"Although some of you will not be allowed to fight. Not until you show results." The warlord stopped and looked at them.

"Before coming here. I was told you learned the three forms of combat. Is that correct?" He questioned.

Nobody moved an inch.

"I said! Did you all learn the basics! Of Luna damned combat!" He shouted louder.

Senko saw a young boy jump in surprise to her left.

"Yes sir!" Everyone shouted simultaniously.

"Good. I'm going back to my office. We are at an outpost near enemy territory. So I have a lot of work to deal with. Meanwhile I've chosen squad leaders to teach you marksmanship. That is what you all signed up for afterall." The warlord said.

The war lord gave a good skim at everyone one last time.

"Good. Squad leaders! Whenever you're ready." The war lord swirled his finger to the sky and he was on his way back. Senko stared at his lizard tail. In armor it looked like a thick crystal wire with loose metal over it. Unlike hers. His looked powerful. She heard stories of lizardmen and how amazing they were at sword combat. The tail did most of the work though. Senko's was so puffy at times, it could get twice her size if the weather was humid. Even now, the rookies behined her couldn't see past her. What made it worse was the fact she was the only fox girl there.

Three human men stood before them. Senko hadn't even noticed them walk up.

"We're splitting into three. You'll learn from that instructor until you're sent back to the homeland! Any questions!" The instructor in the middle shouted. The other two simpley stood there with their hands behined their backs. Their uniforms were black with some red and they wore military caps.

Senko knew these men were leaders of active squads. That meant they fought and seen the enemy. Somewhere over the large fort wall lurked the enemy.

Senko's group was lead by commander Saul. He was a blonde human man, maybe around thirty. The lesson was the task of shooting targets in an open field. The human shaped targets looked like half cut cardboard torsos. They had red and white rings, getting smaller as they neared the center.

"Everyone grab a gun and shoot five bullets at the targets, don't take your time" Saul said.

Senko saw various guns on a raw wooden table, all of them pistols. She picked up the prettiest one she saw, unfortunately it was a magnum.

Senko gulped nervously as she raised her gun. She felt its heavy handle as she stared at her target. The iron sight seemingly wobbled left to right. Her finger rested on the trigger.

"Remember, don't put your finger on the trigger unless you're willing to fire. Keep it off the trigger when your sure you don't need to fire emediately." The commander said as he walked by. Everyone else was already shooting. Senko froze as she heard the gunshots.

"Hey cat girl…is everything alright." The commander said. Senko knew he was talking to her and her face turned red. She quickly put her finger off the trigger and on the side of the gun. Then she turned around.

"I'm a fox sir.." Senko whispered.

"What was that? Speak again!" The commander yelled. By now the firing stopped and everyone was watching. Of course this would happen, Senko thought. She was a fox girl and the fox race was known for their craftsmanship and culture. Not so much for being soldiers at all. People even called them marshmellows as a prejudice term during the war against Necro, almost forty years ago.

"I..Said.." Senko said louder, but was interupted.

"I don't give a flying fuck! Fire your gun, fire your gun!" He shouted.

Senko's eyes widened in a panic. She turned around and pulled the trigger and the gun spun out of her hand. It flew in the air and then it fell graciously on the instructors foot. Everyone burst into laughter. Saul just kept his serious expression. Senko's left eye started twitching and she knew what was about to come next. Senko turned and saw the axolotl standing a few sections away. It frowned and tilted it's head. Then it happened. The crying started and Senko couldn't stop it.

Saul facepalmed, Senko knew because she heard the slapping sound. From that day on, the others made fun of her for that too.

A month had passed since the first day they'd stepped in that fort. Senko kept on practicing her marksman. Embrassasingly enough. She was given a sling shot instead of a gun. Even axolotl had a rifle on its back.