The Wolf's Marine

I'm Home

I drive my old ford truck down the highway, trying my best not to scream swear words at the other drivers. My time in the marines taught me a valuable arsenal of swear words.

After five more minutes on this highway, I'm done. So I turn the radio on and music starts blaring out.

My dog, Cowboy, sticks his head out the window. Most likely trying to not have his ear drums popped by the loud music.

Just because I love the dog to death, I turn my music down to a more reasonable level. I can tell this makes Cowboy happy.

After another thirty minutes on this highway, we are off it and heading towards my hometown of Jacksonville, Minnesota.

I haven't been home in six years, so this is going to be really exciting, not.

I just hope I'm not immediately bombarded with questions. A few minutes of peace would be nice, then I'd answer whatever questions were asked.

I don't know how long Cowboy and I were driving for, but we are finally home!

The sun is just starting to set as we roll down Main Street. Kids on the street point at us and whisper among themselves. I don't care though.

"I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive." The radio sings.

"Carved my name into his leather seats." I sing. My windows are rolled down, so those poor people have to hear my tone deafness.

I pull off of Main Street and drive down my favorite dirt road. Cowboy has his head out the window, clearly enjoying the wind blowing through his fur.

"Hey Uncle Sam, put your name at the top of his list. And the Statue of Liberty started shakin' her fist." The radio sings.

"And the eagle will fly man, it's gonna be hell when you hear mother freedom start ringing her bell." I sing along.

Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue is a song me and my men used to sing when we were over in Afghanistan.

Hearing it now brings memories back, and tears rush to my eyes. But I don't let them fall.

I miss my men more than anything, and I'll never get to see them again. Damn terrorist sons a bitches.

A few more turns and I'm home. I park and turn off my truck, then I open my door and before I can even get out Cowboy goes barreling out.

He lands on his feet, which is shocking cause my truck is pretty high up.

I may have my baby jacked up a little too high, but it is what is.

I watch with amusement as Cowboy runs around the farmyard. Sadly I have to ruin his fun.

"Cowboy, heel!" I command, and he's instantly at my side. The two of us slowly walk up to the old house.

I'm still not quite used to my prosthetic leg, so my walking is still a little slow. I can drive pretty good with it though.

A few more steps and I'm on the porch. The front door swings open and there stands my parents. "Storm?" My mother asks timidly.

"Yes mom, it's me." I smile at her. "What happened to your leg?" That's my father, blunt as always.

I knew wearing shorts home would be a bad idea. Now I have to deal with questions.

"An IED decided I didn't need it anymore." I frown, looking down at Cowboy. He just grins back up at me.

"Honey I'm so sorry." My mother says apologetically before hugging me. "It's not your fault, I knew the risks of what I was signing up for."

Before I can do anything my mother ushers Cowboy and I into the house. Looking around, nothing's changed.

But then I see him, the man I had a crush on when I was eighteen. Nasty, I know.

He's sitting on the couch, watching me with cold blue eyes. He has the start of a beard, giving him a rugged look, sort of.

He's still as handsome as the day I last saw him. Yuck, I did not just think that about him.

"Ah Storm, so nice to see you again." My dad's hired farm hand says. "Same to you Mark." I nod my head, clearly lying through my teeth.

Mark actually is a nice guy, if you ignore the fact that he shot my old bird dog and all of my chickens. That exact moment is when my crush on him died. I say good riddance to that crush!

"And who is this?" He asks as he walks over and tries to pet Cowboy. Cowboy growls at him, clearly not liking Mark's actions.

I grab Mark by the collar of his shirt and pull him down to my level. "If you so much as look at my dog again, I'll shove my boot so far up your ass your grandchildren will feel it." I whisper is his ear before letting go of him.

He stumbles back, clearly shaken at the fact that I said that. But the core changed me, I don't take bullshit lightly anymore.

I'm not the girl I was before I left, I've been rebuilt from the ground up.

At that moment is when I realized mom and dad were in the room when the whole boot up the ass thing happened.

"Storm Gauge LeDoux! Apologize to Mark, now!" How did mom hear what I said to Mark?! Curse her bionic hearing!

"I'm not apologizing, he deserves that and more for what he did to Lassie and my chickens." Yes, I named my dog that cliche name and no, I don't regret it.

Mom starts giving me the stare, and I just fire it right back at her. I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I'm never going to apologize to that idiot.

"Storm, why don't you just go to the barn for awhile?" Ah dad, always the peace keeper. I nod my head, before taking Cowboy outside.

I don't go to the barn though, too many bad memories in there. So instead I pop down my tailgate and with a bit of struggling, I sit on it.

My prosthetic leg makes getting up hard, especially with my truck being as high up as it is.

Cowboy runs and jumps, trying to get up here with me. But he fails. He tries a few more times before giving up. But with a little help, Cowboy is up here with me.

The sunset gives the farm a beautiful look. God how I missed this place. But defending this beautiful country was something I had to do after realizing some things.

I couldn't spend my whole life here, so I left without a word and didn't talk to my parents till now.

It was stupid to not talk to them, but they supported Mark on shooting Lassie and my chickens. And that is something that I could not deal with. So I left.

I drove my truck wildly with the country music blaring, not caring if I crashed and died.

The radio must have known something I didn't, because it started playing all of these patriotic country songs. Which is what caused me to decide the marines was where I was going.

As Cowboy and I sit on the tailgate, I notice a big hulking shape on the edge of the woods. It's at least six feet tall, what animal is six feet tall and walks on four legs?!?!