Will and Seline walked single file to the commander’s tent which had been set up for him by troops that were at the beginning of the procession, that way it was ready when he got here. Will told the guard that he was ordered to report to the commander once his camp was ready. The guard walked to the tent door and was told to enter. In a moment he came back out followed by the commander who was now without his uniform jacket and smoking a cigar. He walked up to stand in front of Will and Seline. He saluted and Will saluted back Seline followed suit a little late. The commander noticed but did not say anything. He stopped and looked right at Seline, “What is your name boy and where are you from?” “His name is Samuel and my name is Will. He is my brother sir. We are from Jessup county.” The commander looked first at WIll and then at Seline. “I know you can speak boy. Don’t think he will always be around to answer for you. You are in the army now and that means no more hiding behind you
The next morning Seline and Will both awoke at the same time to the bugle sounding reveille. There was a murmurs of voices outside as men went to relieve themselves in the nearby woods. Seline dressed quickly needing to walk further into the woods then the men so that she could have some privacy. She grabbed a bucket pretending to go down to the stream to get some water. No one questioned her. Will followed her to stand guard while she went. Seline was not thrilled about the lack of privacy, but it was better than being found out, or worse. They filled the water bucket at the creek. Will took off his shirt and washed up there as well, Seline waited and washed up in the tent when they got back to camp. Will took a detour on the way back to give Seline some privacy, but to also scout around and see if he could get any more items for Seline that she may need. He came across a supply wagon that had tents, blankets, uniforms, mess kits, etc. He walked up and asked for a few of the things t
The commander had ridden beside Will and Seline for the entire trip. Once they reached the training grounds he rode ahead to his tent that had already arrived and was ready and waiting for him. He stayed on his horse and turned to the men passing by him and said, " Be sure to pick a good dry spot to pitch your tents we will be here for a few weeks while we train. It may rain and the storms can bring lots of running water in the area. Stay away from beside the creek. Be sure to bed down early tonight we start training at first light." with the he dismounted and disappeared into his tent. Will and Seline continued to the back of the camp again. The further away from the commander and the cook wagon the less chance of issues. Seline wanted to camp near the woods again. It was easier for her to know when there were less men in the woods and easier times to find privacy to go. She also wanted to use the rope from Will's saddle to make a laundry line and wash their uniforms, but
Will returned to the tent to find Seline under the blankets waiting for him. He leaned over her on his hands and kissed her. As she reached her arms up and out from under the blankets he saw that she was naked underneath the covers. Will wrapped his arms under her and pulled her closer to him. He deepened their kiss licking and sucking her lower lip then pushing his way in her mouth to explore. One arm pulled her closer as he rested on his elbow and the other grazed her skin down her sides leaving spark and waves of heat in its wake. Selina’s hands moved to Will’s chest and began to undo the buttons on his uniform. Will released his grip on her some to allow her hands to continue down undoing all the buttons down his shirt and continuing to the ones at the top of his pants. Seline then moved her hands slowly up his chest and to his shoulders where she pushed his shirt off his shoulders and reached down the top of his back. Will rolled onto his hip and took off his shirt. He threw it i
The next morning they awoke hot and sticky in the tent. It was going to be a hot humid day and the sun was just peaking over the horizon. No sooner had the bugler finished morning revellie than the commander, the officers and the trainers were all going down the line and pulling men out of their tents. Will could hear them coming their way. He quickly grabbed Seline’s clothes and the two blankets. He stood up hunched over in the tent and wrapped the blankets around her. At the mouth of the tent he stuck her clothes in her hands and told her to head into the woods to get dressed and then come back quickly. Seline ran out of the tent and darted into the woods. Will had stuck her hat on her head, over her newly cut hair, as she ran out. She got into the woods and out of sight just in time the sounds of hooves and the groans and shouts of men could be heard just out of sight. Seline stopped and leaned on a tree and pulled on her pants as she listened. “Where is your brother boy?” The com
The commander was true to his word and was there waiting for them at the training field when they arrived. “I am glad to see that you are taking me seriously. Take your spots right there in the center of the front row. I want you where I can see you.” He turned and walked back to where there were an array of weapons displayed on a makeshift table. He selected what looked like a large stick with a spear on the end. He brought it forward with him and stood waiting at the front. When all the rest of the soldiers had arrived and taken their places, The commander stepped forward. “This is where it all starts. We do not have a lot of time here. I need every man here to listen and learn everything that we teach you as if your life depended on it, because it does. If you do not learn you will not know how to defend your self. You will not know how to use the tools that we will give. You will meet the enemy and they WILL kill you. I am not one to waste words and I am not one that wastes time.
The morning moved on like this with Seline finding out that she was good at almost everything that she tried. They used the rifles for every scenario that they practiced. Seline was surprised at how well she did but scared at the same time. It was one thing to do this in practice where no one will get hurt, she knew that she could not hurt someone else. By the time they went to lunch, she was exhausted. As she walked to find Will, many of the other men were coming up and patting her on the back or shaking her hand and introducing themselves. Will came up from behind her and grabbed her upper arm as she finished shaking hands with an older man named Ryan. Will dragged her off to a quiet spot by a tree, out of ear shot of most of the men. “Are you out of your mind! You are supposed to be keeping your head down and blending in so that no one will notice when you disappear. What the hell was that?” Will looked like he was about to pull his hair out. He ran his hands over his face. “You r
Will and Seline were led inside by a young but strong looking boy. “Are you two working here also then? I am Oliver. I am one of the stretcher bearers. They wanted strong young men for that job. I guess that is what you are here for.” He says as he turns to Will. “You must be here to assist the surgeon. I hope you have good hands, steady nerves, and an iron stomach. I saw some action with the small unit that we had before we came to the training camp to train all of you. It was gruesome, but a few of the men did make it.” The youth saunters on through what appears to be a grouping of several tents that are all connected together. they passed through a few areas with empty cots not set up and what looked like supply storage. There was also an area that looked like a make shift surgery. The last was a small area with men laying in the beds. Most were asleep, some were moaning, a few were looking at them as they walked through. At last he came to a set of tent flaps and raps on the tent