Grant, Burk, Talon, Rux, Silas, & Eli.

The heat only continues to shine across the Afghan valley, where Grant and five other Marines will occupy a squad in a small outpost named Hamlin.

The job for the outpost was simple: provide observation across the valley and report to the chain of command of any suspicious activity. The problem was that while outposts like this can be spread thin with the possibility of an attack, with reinforcements and air support arriving late, there wasn’t that much activity going on across the valley. Meaning Grant and his soldiers were not only bored, but were getting exhausted by the heat.

Talon, the marksman hawk, gave his observation duty to Eli, a recruit doberman, so that Talon could work out naked, unbothered by the sand or heat, and not let the boredom get to him. Eli will be overlooking with binoculars, finding nothing as he sneak glances at Talon, blushing softly as he secretly admires him, given Eli’s secret sexual interest. Talon finished his reps as his flaccid cock and furry balls swung softly between his legs, holding a small smirk with his beak before looking up at Eli at the tower. “Nothing as always?” Talon shouts with a soft smile, smirking softly.

Eli blushed as he quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. “Uhh, yeah… nothing…” Eli shouts back enough to be heard, blushing as he tries to focus back on the binoculars.

Meanwhile, Burk is leaning back on the foldable chair, shirtless and fidgeting with his dog tags as he’s near the entrance of the radio room, listening in as Grant, the muscular Staff Sgt. and tiger, continues to listen in on the radio chatter. Grant was resting his head and arms on the table, just listening and staring silently at the radio with a bleak mind, while Silas, a Corpsman, checked the storage to ensure the water bottles were well stacked and preserved in cold storage. That was until a radio chatter made Grant snap out of it. “Kilo-1 to Olive-4, do you copy?” Olive-4 is the code sign for the outpost, as Grant grabbed the radio and replied with a boost of energy. “Olive-4, reading you loud and clear. What’s the status?” Grant listens in as he’s being informed how someone will arrive at their post soon. As to who it is or why, Grant cannot tell, as the Radio was messing up with signal interference again. Grant groans before saying “Copy,” ending the call as he got up, passed by Silas, and headed out the door to shout. “Alright, everyone, listen up! We're getting a visitor, so clean up your shit!”

Grant heads over to the barracks, knowing damn well Ruk is asleep again. As Grant steps out of his radio room, he groans upon seeing Talon naked. “For fuck sake, we got a visitor today!” Talon smirks, knowing Grant is unbothered by the nudity as much as Talon, as Talon knows Grant is only grumpy because of the visitor. Still, Grant heads over to grab his clothes and goes back to being modest.

Grant was now in the Barracks, finding Ruk sleeping with only underwear on. Grant groans as he grabs and shakes Ruk harshly. “Wake up, you big stinky Hyena! We got a visitor coming over!” Ruk groans from his slumber, slowly getting up as he’s aware, wishing he could just keep sleeping, as now he’s struggling to fetch his fatgues.

Burk came back with a shirt on, asking Grant a simple question. “Any idea as to who?” Grant groans, shrugging as he firmly states, while trying not to raise his voice for others to hear. “Fuck if I know, the radio signal is shit, barely clear through half of the chatter.”

Grant will soon take a deep breath, watching as Talon returns to wearing the Marine digital pants and basic shirt, a common attire for Marines in the theater. Eli climbed down the tower as he was ready, along with Ruk, who finally found his clothing and boots, walking over half-awake and standing in line with the rest. Silas was already ready, as he just stood over firmly with a soft, cheeky smile, wondering what today would bring. Grant will hear a car approaching, believing it’s the visitor. Grant doesn’t bother to wear his pistol holster and duty belt, as he’ll just wave over at the car. “Well, come out, I know you ain’t no general.” Grant states firmly at the car, seeing if it’s just a cab dropping someone off, as Grant knows how no important figure will bother to stop by a small, unimpressive outpost like this. All while Burk and the rest of the squad, Eli, Talon, Silas, and Ruk, will wait from behind, wondering who decided to stop by, or rather, decide to stay over.

Grant and his squad had completed their time at the outpost, for it was finally time to be deployed back home, serving the Marines as they still have time in their careers.

They’re deployed in a decent Marine base, tasked to continue their service and upkeep not only the squad, but also the base.

Grant will be at a briefing, doing his best to pay attention, but it’s clear how he’s growing bored and losing focus, for he thinks back about their deployment in Afghanistan, how it feels different being back home, something the squad is still getting used to.

Sargent Burk is overlooking a few Marines, helping other sergeants train and manage them, showing how he trains them differently, for he treats them like kids, showing they still have a lot to learn, all while the other sergeants hold their own personal ways of training and judgement. Still, Burk does his best to look after them, the same way he had looked after his squad.

Rux is doing marches alone, not because of training or a course, but because he was punished for sleeping, as an NCO noticed him being drowsy and punished him by forcing him to run a mile and report back to training. He knew his tired character would get to him, but he didn’t think it would be this quick. Still, he does his best to focus on his breathing, trying to get ready to report back to training, for the NCOs still want him to redo the machine gun training course, ensuring he remains fit for the job.

Lance Corporal Talon is at the marksman course, for he’s assigned to maintain his training, proving he still has it in him. It still took a while to get used to his character, as he does his best to hold back a smile and show off, and he got a light slap on the head by an NCO for being silly, for the slap is gentle compared to doing push-ups and marches. It sucked, but it wasn’t the worst.

Private First Class and Corpsman Silas is in medical field training, teaching the new privates about the basics of first aid, learning how to stop the bleeding and apply certain medical drugs in certain conditions to ensure the patients survive. Silas speaks gently and calmly, as even with the struggling privates, he still takes his time, ensuring everyone does their best to understand and follow the assignment, not as a teacher, but as a guide to trust them for what’s best.

And finally, Private Eli is doing training courses and a standard fitness test to ensure they remain fit. While Eli is agile, he lacks strength, for the instructor had already put pressure on Eli, ensuring he can carry for his squad. Eli does his best, but it’s clear he has his weaknesses, no doubt doing push-ups on the regular, given how he failed to carry certain items for his team.

After the long day at base, the Squad will be together by their barracks, a moment to relax before they can get ready for bed. Their experience here is different from their deployment, as it was obvious, for it wasn’t the environmental changes, but the entire structure that changed. No longer was it about slacking off while doing work, but keeping a professional look while ensuring work is being done, as it’s different where it’s only Grant and Burk watching over them, but other higher-ups watching over the entire Squad, watching carefully for any slips and calling them out on it.

Still, despite the pressure, the squad continues to hold their bearing. “At least it’s not hot anymore.” Talon chuckled, trying to show some humor before he noticed Rux, who was panting heavily. “Hey Rux, I saw you on the tracks alone. What did you do this time?” Talon asked, as Rux took a moment to catch his breath. “I dozed off during training, got chewed out and ordered to run a mile and run back to the course, having to rush to ensure I get back before the course is over.” Burk smirks, patting Rux’s back. “Damn, well, at least you made it back in time. But don’t sweat; I noticed the other Sergeants are still hard on the new guys, as I noticed I might be the only one who shows some compassion for them.”

As Rux nods, Grant is seated in the corner, smoking as he lies back, sighing since he’s bored and exhausted, still adapting to the lifestyle compared to their deployment in Afghanistan. Since here, they can no longer take off their shirts and relax while they do work; they must show basic principles and not get chewed out, which is pretty much daily. Silas and Eil were seated on their beds, for they’ve been listening, not having much to add or say to the conversation before Grant stood up, groaning as he stretched. “Get to bed; we still work tomorrow.” With the conversation concluded, the squad starts to pack up, getting ready for the next day, for there’s no telling what’s in store.

Finally, after their deployment at Afgan, Grant and his squad earned the time off, sent back home where they can be citizens again. They’re still in the military, ready to be called if a new situation arises. But for now, they put aside their uniforms and get back into their casual lifestyles.

The squad will meet up together outside a bar, ready to head in. Grant is wearing the field cap with a black jacket, white shirt, and green cargo pants with boots, still having a sense of character that stuck with him from the Marines, for it’s taking a while for him to get comfortable being a civilian again. Grant was smoking, looking over to see his mates arrive. He nods at Burk, seeing him wear a T-shirt and jeans. Burk holds a soft smile, ready to relax with his guys again. Owen Rux, the towering hyena, wears a white shirt that hugs his chest tightly, along with jeans, a basic attire that struggles to hide the massive strength and size of him. Owen yawns, for he’s still tired, but holds a soft smile, ready for some drinks and a night to remember, assuming he doesn’t fall asleep, that is.

Talon arrives, wearing an unzipped hoodie with a sports-team shirt and cargo pants, holding a cheeky smile as he asks. “So, Grant? Down for some cold beers?” Grant smirks, looking over at Silas, as Silas wears a flannel shirt with cargo shorts, no doubt relaxed and casual. And finally, Eli, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, basic attire, yet still not hiding that nervous yet passionate energy Eli holds, wondering what type of cold beers and energy they may hold.

Burk smiles, seeing the sun going down, just the right time to have a good time in the bar. “Alright, let's get in, have a good time before it’s too late.” They all nod, ready to head in with soft smiles, seeing what moment awaits them this night.