Out of Your Element

You know that feeling when your dreaming and it turns scary real fast, then you wake up and still feel the fear?

Well why the hell wont I wake up?!

I stared in fear at the monster in front of me. Wide eyed. Fearful. Bladder feelin' a wee bit full.

No...no... You're not a middleschooler. Control yourself. Your a Marine for Gods sake. You've fought Taliban in hand-to-hand combat, in shootouts, and faced death every time you left your bunk. Your a Marine.

It stared into my eyes. It with its green, deep, malevolent eyes. And growled a deep and very terrible growl. A growl that said it wanted my blood. It wanted to eat me. A growl that said that it had spotted its nighttime meal. I dared not move, as I was mesmerized. Stunned. Frozen with fear. I was scared beyond belief, and I could hear my own heartbeat - and it was racing. I felt a heart-attack would take place if I was older. My breathing was shallow.

"T-t-thats... a timber wolf?" I asked, looking back at Minuette. She nodded, cowering behind me. I looked back at the beast before me. It was no ordinary wolf at all. It looked to be made of wood, it was giant, its eyes glowing and misty with the color of green. A light green. It took a step forward, snarling the while.

"Minuette.... run.... run and don't look back!" I yelled, taking the initiative and throwing the flare at the monster. It recoiled from the bright light. The perceived threat of fire. While it was busy, I scurried for my rifle and catching a glimpse of Minuette fleeing down the trail, unbeknownst to the monster. I heard a roar and turned to see the beast charge at me. I leveled my rifle on the beast, keeping my breathing steady. It was putting one big wooden paw in front of the other, advancing towards me.

"Get back!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. The beast did not halt its advance. Big fucking surprise.

"I said get back!" I yelled once more, firing a burst at the wolf. It backed up from the sudden flash and (I hope) pain, judging from the wood splintering off. It growled and stared deeply at me in anger.

Hey! I believe had convinced it to keep some distance. Seriously! Haha!

"AWOOOOOO" It howled with much stentorian. It was ear-piercing, but I refused to drop my rifle so I could cover my ears.

I steadied my aim on the wolf and steadied my breathing as best as I could. The thing kept its distance, but was close enough that I needed five steps before I was in arms reach. It was watching me. Seemingly studying me. Minutes passed as we both watched one-another. I it, it me. I watched for any movement, but it seemed to remain in its defensive posture. My posture refused to falter as well, with me keeping my sights lined up with its head... Though, with the lack of blood this creature had, I doubt that any bullets to the head would end its life. As I sat there watching the beast, a thought occurred.

If too many factors favor the prey, a lone wolf will wait for the rest of its pack.

The realization hit me, and with a few thoughts, I decided a preemptive strike might be in order. I looked into the beasts glaring eyes with a glimmer of pique, lowering my rifle slightly. I started having second thoughts at this.

This is not an Insurgent. Hell, its not even fucking human! This is not like conventional warfare. I shoot this thing, which is larger than me, then I might die.

....

No. This is all a dream... Ill be fine... Besides, I don't feel like testing out the die-in-your-dreams-die-for-real myth.

I raised my rifle back up to eye level, my vision lurching down the sights of my rifle. Aimed right at its head. And slowly, ever so slowly, I pulled the trigger. In an instant, the once quiet situation was interrupted, and destroyed, by gunfire. I let loose a hail of bullets on the beast hoping that I would put it down before its friends arriv-

Gagh!

I hit the ground hard, my head landing first. My vision went to black for a second before it returned and showed me what had happened. The beast... The timber wolf... had pounced and pinned me. It was growling at me, looking down at me. It had its prey right where it wanted. Fuck that! I'm no ones meal! I raised my rifle (which was still in my hands) and fired it upwards on the wolf. The bullets teared through its neck, but it did not stop the beast. It barked in anger and raised its claws befor-

Sonamotherfucker!

It had brought its claws down on my in a swift motion, slicing through my body armor and tearing the uniform underneath. My flesh itself was diced and I could feel a warm and sticky sensation gushing over my skin. I tried to resist the wolf, but my strength did not match its own, and it teared at me again. Slicing more wounds into my skin, and shredding my uniform. I could feel my blood gushing down my stomach and chest... I could see it through my uniform. Staining it.

God... The pain!!! You-fuck- You shoul- cant feel this much pain in a dream! Fuck! Agggh!

The beast grabbed me in its mouth before tossing me aside. I landed hard, screaming and yelling in pain and terror all the while. It barked and pounced on me again. Ripping at my flesh and bloody uniform. I could no longer feel my helmet on my head. The pain.... God! Unimaginable! It kicked and bit and clawed and scratched! And all I did was thrash, wail, and resist as best I could. None of it worked. None of it convinced the monster to stop.

But, with one final scratch, it stopped its relentless assault and stared deeply into my eyes. Challenging me for more. I could see the marks where the bullets had impacted with its wood skull. I could feel warmth all over my body. There was pain everywhere. If I moved a limb. Pain. Opened my jaw? Pain. Moved a muscle?

Pain. Deep, scorching, hellish, pain. Pain I could not put into words perfectly. There was no fucking way to describe the shit I felt. NO FUCKING WAY!

I had claw marks all over me. Its claws? All bloody. There was blood in its maw. And I was covered in said blood. I must've looked tasty to it. In the end, I felt like I was going to die. I wanted no more. I wanted to not feel pain anymore. It was all excruciating. I could not bear it! My vision began to blur, as I was losing blood all to fast. Though, if he slashed an artery, i'd be dead at this point so I must've "lucky" to not have died yet. But I felt death was inevitable at this point. But, with one quick thought, I decided to take him with me. I had no grenades, not on me at any rate, but what I did have was a pistol.

With a quick motion I drew it, and quickly shoved it into the glowing green eye before it could react and pulled the trigger so many times I couldn't even count. The beast growled in pain and pulled back as I continued to pull the trigger. Even when the pistol was no longer in its eye, it continued to fire bullets but soon ran dry. I continued to pull the trigger in my terrorized and shocked state. Its right glowing eye no longer glowed. It was dark, unlike its undamaged left eye.

*CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK*

I still continued, even after the beast got off of me. I was scared. Eventually, I quit and dropped the sidearm and stared wide-eyed and the hunter in front of me. I was sure I was finished, but I was surprised at what happened next. The monster turned and slinked away into the dense foliage. Limping was more like it actually. And soon, I was left alone in the dark. The fire was dimming, and my flare had died while I was being mauled. My rifle laid by the fire and my Beretta by my legs. My bloody, bloody legs. Slowly, and painfully, I lifted an arm up and placed my hand on my chest, where I could feel the most warmth. My retracted it and looked at it in the dim light.

Red. Blood. I gulped in fear as the revelation came upon me hard and fast. All the pain I suffer, the blood pooling from my open wounds. Why a pinch wouldn't wake me up... I'm not in a coma. This is real life.

"Oh shit." I murmured to no one in particular.

I looked over to my rifle and reached for it, but all that did was solicate a yelp of pain from me causing me to retract my arm back to my chest in a foolish attempt to put pressure on my wounds. How I was not dead was a miracle in its own right. I looked around for my helmet, but I couldn't see it amongst the grass, dirt, blood and cloth. My breathing was heavy, so heavy it was all I could hear. I attempted to steady it but it didn't work. I could feel no calmness inside me. I felt panic. Fear. Stuff I shouldn't be feeling. I mean, they say that fear is a logical and rational response to actual danger but you should never show fear to the enemy. They can perceive it as weakness. But... ehm.

My vision, which was now a blur, was getting worse. I could only see shapes now. And soon, the urge to sleep came upon me. To pass out and enjoy a nice and comforting nap as I die. I tried for a good few seconds to stay awake, but to avail. My head slumped over and laid on its side, and I slowly dozed off -- bleeding out.

Through this though, I swear I heard someone say "Its over here!"

<><><>

"What is it?"

"I don't know. But its name is Sergeant Crouse."

"What kind of name is that?"

*grunt*

"I don't know. But... it... it stood up to a timber wolf to allow me to run away. It can't be evil, not like what lives in the Everfree."

"Well. It seems badly hurt. So many cuts... all the blood.... But, I've dealt with stuff lik-err-- similiar to this before. So...well.... I can probably help it but, i'm not too sure. I've never seen a creature like this before."

"Well... can, uhh, can Harry pick it up?"

"Well, I didn't just bring him to help ward off the wolves.

"Alright, well. We cant leave this or that pack. He seems attached to the pack and this seems to be a weapon of some kind. According to Sergeant."

"It talks?"

"Yes. Fluent English."

"Alright... How exciting! Hehe. Well, lets get it out of here. Harry, be a dear and pick it up. Be careful though, it is hurt bad."

*grunt*

"Ill gather its things."

<><><>

My eyes opened, and a wave of light burned my eyes. Not too much to solicit a groan but enough for a squint. It seemed the light was coming from a nearby window. But that didn't concern me. What really concerned me was my location. I dared not move a muscle, as soon a wave of pain crashed over me. This actually earned a painful groan, but I still refused to move. Every muscle hurt. Those that didn't hurt like a motherfucker was sore like a motherfucker. My eyes searched my body. I was no longer wearing my BDU, and was completely nude. Someone had stripped me in my coma state. Gauze and bandages covered my nude form. A dark red being a main feature on most of it.

"Where the fu-"

Nearby in the room, a door opened. Though I could not see this door, which in turn mean't I could not see who had opened it.

"Sounds like somepony is awake." A feminine voice had said. I dared not move my head as I didn't want another wave of pain. My captor came into my peripheral, but I couldn't see her clearly. My training kicked in.

"Sergeant Daniel Lemmings Crouse. Service Number 28101 Born June 25th, 1975. Born at Albion, Washington, United States of America."

"W-w-what?" She responded. I could see her back away out of my peripheral.

"Sergeant Daniel Lemmings Crouse. Service Number 28101 Born June 25th, 1975. Born at Albion, Washington, United States of America." I stated once again through gritted teeth. Whenever I moved a muscle, I felt pain and soreness. But it was necessary. Part of the US Military Code of Conduct required me to give that information. Nothing more. It would be high treason to answer any further questions.

"Umm.. O-ok, err, Sergeant. How are you feeling?"

"Sergeant Danie-"

"Oh no no no no. No need to repeat that, whatever it means, I heard you the first time. I just wanna know if your OK. If you need another pillow or.. something." She said. I remained silent.

"Ummm. Ehehe.. Well, Ill be back with something to drink. Do you like tea?" What an odd interrogation.... maybe they are just trying to get on my good side.

Remain silent, Crouse.

I didn't reply to her question, but instead elected to stare at the ceiling. I could no longer see my captor, but I could hear her voice. It sounded very timid, now that I think about it. But calming as well. And despite the timid vibe i'm getting from her I still feel like she is comfortable around me. Calm, if you will. She coughed in an attempt to get my attention, but my eyes remained forward. As if captivated by something on the ceiling she did not notice.

"Well... OK. Ill be back later to check on your progress." She said. I heard footsteps before a door had closed. Despite the pain I would have suffered, I turned my head towards the door. It was made of wood (now that I mention it, this house looked to be made of wood. Which was an uncommon thing here in Afghanistan.), but it was shut. No traces of my captor. Another part of the Code of Conduct flooded my mind.

I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape.

I had to escape. I would not allow the enemy the satisfaction of torturing me, nor could I handle it. I feel broken all over. I feel like....fucking shit. Slowly, I moved my arms and got pain as a greeting from this sudden movement (sudden for my arms. Who knows how long they have been in place.), but it did not deter me. I had to get up. When I got a feel for my movement, I slowly rose to my feet. Groaning softly in pain as I did not want to alert my captors of my activity. When I was upright, I looked around more, ignoring the pain I was receiving from standing up and otherwise moving. Around me, it seemed to be a bathroom. Large enough for me to lay down in, but it was also small enough to where my head was grazing the ceiling. Medical supplies layer scattered on the counter, and the medical cabinet was left open. The toilet was a small thing. So small that I guess if I sat on it, I would probably break it. The tub looked big enough for me to stand in, but not sit nor lay down in.

When I was finished scanning the room, my eyes landed on the door. About ten feet away. My BDU was not in here, nor was my pack or my gun. Which meant I had to go commando until I found something to wear. No weapons also mean't I had to rely on my hand-to-hand training if I met opposition. I wasn't to worried about that, but then again one chop to balls and I might down for the count. Or, god forbid, a fucking bullet to the dick.

I slowly moved my legs, trying to get a feel for them. It hurt. Like Hell. But I had to ignore the pain and move. My captor could return any moment and I had to get moving. One foot in front of the other. I reached the door, what would normally take a few seconds took about a minute or so as I shuffled the whole way. The door was smaller than me. To small for me to just walk through, no, I had to bend over to get through. I put my hand on the knob but stopped myself, and slowly withdrew it. I knelt and put my ear to the door. Nothing. No sound.

I stayed in my kneeling position and opened the door slowly. Making sure not to make a sound. I opened the door slightly, and scanned what I could see. Just a hallway. A door or two but nothing worthy of note. Still made of wood and the rugs made of... I guess fur? I don't fucking know. I then opened the door all the way to reveal the rest of the hallway. Still nothing noteworthy. After deciding the coast was clear I proceeded out of the bathroom and slowly shut the door behind me. I should check the rest of the rooms. Cunningham, Kelley, Ray, and the others might be here. If their lucky, they are not. And I just don't mean if they weren't captured. Trust me, I've heard stories and you'd rather be dead than face Taliban torture.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I walked in a crouch. Careful not to make noise and also careful to not allow any creaking from the wood. When I arrived at the door, I put my ear to it. Nothing. Silence. I silently prayed that my comrades or my BDU and supplies, or both, were in there. I then put my hand on the doorknob and slowly opened it until I could see the full interior. What was inside was...strange to say the least. There was a bed, an armoire, a bench and other miscellaneous items that didn't particularly catch my attention. What did captivate my attention was the pictures on the dresser. They were colorful. Come to think of it, everything looked colorful. Happy, I might say. I slowly crept into the room and shut the door behind me, careful as always to not make a sound. No sign of my compatriots but I did see my rifle on my captors bed. But before I went to equip myself I staggered quietly to the pictures, keeping my painful groans to a silent whisper.

"What the fuck." I murmured. It was more of a statement than a question.

The pictures were of a yellow horse with...wings? A... Pegasus? What? Most of them were of this horse standing next to a bunny. A little white thing that did not at all look happy. In fact, it looked downright pissed. But the horse didn't seem to register that. I backed away from the pictures in a fright as I faintly remember dreaming about a colorful world... mythical horses.... and a mythical land called Equestria... oh god.

I stammered to the window as best I could and slightly pulled the edge of the curtains to allow me vision of the exterior of the building. What I saw shocked me. As what I did see was... beautiful grassy plains and hills, a stream with fish swimming about. A bridge going over said stream and....

A fucking yellow Pegasus with butterflies on its ass tending to a garden.

I could hardly believe my eyes. This was not Afghanistan... No, no way. This.. this -- I looked down at my wounds, the realization kneeing my in the nuts again -- This was real. I turned to my rifle and quickly grabbed it, checking the ammo to see that there was half a clip left in it. My pistol lay next to it, but was empty, no bullet in the chamber either. I looked around, eyeing the room for my BDU and my holster. Nothing. Suddenly, a thought came to me. I packed an extra pair of desert cammies before I... well... blew up. If I can find my pack, then at least I wont be running around with my dick slinging every which way as I run. I grabbed my rifle and left the pistol, determined to come back for it later.

I exited the bedroom, making sure to clear the hallways. I had limited to bullets so every shot had to count, at least until I got to my pack. Five extra magazines is something I also can't leave behind. I checked the other room, but all that was in there was another bed. A guest room, perhaps? I turned towards the stairs and started towards the stairs, staying light on my feet and ignoring all pain. I didn't exactly feel in my element, what with being naked, patched everywhere with gauze and bandages, and in a Pegasus's house, but training keeps you alive in these situations. As you have no idea what's going to happen. No idea.

I soon reached the bottom of the wooden stairs. Keeping on the alert, I scanned the room. It was a one-room downstairs. It seemed to house all the necessities for life. A kitchen, a living room (no TV. Just a tea set. Yes, with tea cups.), a few closets (I assume), a front door, and other things not worthy of note. What I did notice, however, was a pack sitting on a couch. A pack that looked to be the very same I was looking for. I advanced to it, continuing to scan for unknowns. It was pretty quiet. I reached my pack, and set down my rifle, unzipping the main compartment of it and digging around in it. Everything seemed to be here, my chocolate, my rations, my MP3, clothes, ammo. Everything. I grabbed a few magazines and sat them next to my rifle, grinning the while. Then I found what I was really looking for. A change of clothes. I mean, don't get me wrong. Being in your birthday suit is fun and all but when your getting shot at, would you rather rely on your skin to protect your precious flesh and manhood? Or a Kevlar? I didn't see my helmet, but one problem at a time. I took out the pants and looked around for my boxers and decided instead to put those on first. As I was getting ready to slip the boxers up my legs, however, the door behind me opened.

Instinctively, I dropped my boxers and grabbed my rifle before doing a one-eighty, aimed and ready to fire. Ready to kill...

Author's Note

Military Code of Conduct

I
I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

II
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

III
If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

IV
If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

V
When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

VI
I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

EDIT 12/3/16: A friend seemed to have problem with a sentence or two and I thought about it for a bit, and decided to be more clear with the "Fear is a weakness." and changed it to "Never show fear in front of the enemy. They will perceive it as a weakness.".

EDIT 12/18/2016: I would've tagged gore, but there isn't enough to constitute the Gore tag.