Connie whimpered softly, the hard ground cold beneath her hands and knees. Behind her, the human soldier thrusted into her, occasionally giving the collie's ass a hard slap to make her yelp for his amusement. He slammed his hips against her, concerned only for his own enjoyment and nothing for her discomfort.


   She'd lost count of how many times this had happened to her since her home town had been attacked and she'd taken up arms to protect her fellow citizens. How long it'd been since she'd run out of ammo during an enemy push and they found her easy prey for capture. How many times she'd been used and abused for these invader's sick pleasure. Days had quickly bled into weeks, and weeks into months.


   Or so she assumed. Telling time had become difficult for her since she'd been handed over to the soldiers. When she wasn't being used, she was usually kept locked away in a cage, feeding and sleeping never on a regular schedule, if they bothered to feed her at all. She never left that cage except to serve the soldiers.


   Well, except for the beatings...


   She tried to fight at first. She struggled against her fate, biting spiting, and clawing whenever she could manage it. The scratches she could inflict cost her several beatings at the hands of those she attacked, usually followed by a round of particularly brutal rapes.


   They were trying to break her. Trying to turn a former combatant into a weak, submissive, sex toy. To humiliate her to the fullest extreme and parade her in front of fresh slaves to show them their future and sap their morale.


   To her shame, they almost succeeded. More than once, she wanted to just give up, to stop resisting. They were kinder if she obeyed; they fed her more scraps and the sex was not as cruel. More so when an officer took an interest in her. Rank and file troops wouldn't even touch her, didn't want to harm the commanders' toy. It had been so tempting to just give in, to accept her new lot in life, pick an officer to favor and become his pet.


   But something inside of her just wouldn't accept it. Some part of her they just couldn't beat or starve out still yearned for freedom. That piece of her soul still plotted her escape.

 

  And tonight, that plan would come to fruition, for better or worse.


   The man behind her moved his hands to her tits, squeezing and mashing them harshly as his speed increased. Connie cried out in pain as he manhandled her poor breasts. He was always the roughest with her, and she had several bruises under her fur from him.


   The collie's eyes watered as a part of her questioned, for what must have been the millionth time, why it had to be this man? Why did it have to be Colonel Rickson of all the officers? Of all the humans, he was the roughest, the most cruel with her. He enjoyed inflicting pain on her, liked her screams and whimpers. The other officers liked to hoard her for themselves, but Rickson frequently threw her to crowds of his troops. He liked watching her being swarmed and forced to ‘service’ several of them at once. Why him?


   Connie forced herself to calm down, even as tears rolled into her muzzle. She turned her head towards the dresser in the Colonel's tent, where his clothes lay discarded from when he decided to make use of her, to the pair of pistols laying on top of the dresser.


   That was why, she told herself, it had to be him. Why she had to endure Rickson, why this would all be worth it.


   Rickson was the only officer dumb enough to keep his weapons loaded and just laying around his tent. The only one arrogant enough to just leave them laying around when Connie was around. He believed fully that she was a broken bitch, too afraid to cross him or any human.


   After she'd been called to service him a few times, she had noticed the pistols he left laying around every time. After that, her plan began to formulate. It had taken weeks of making sure that she stayed near the Colonel, making sure that he noticed her every time, that he called her to his bed as often as she could, that he believed that she was broken and eager to serve him.


   Connie also had to work to not just be his sex toy but do whatever she could to be near him as much as possible. Whether that meant cleaning his tent, serving his food, or just being his favorite object for his physical abuse. The Colonel had maps and reports in his tent that she needed. She needed to know as much as she could. Connie needed to know where she was, how many human troops there were nearby, who patrolled and where. Where were nearby towns where she could get supplies, and where the Astrax military might be.


   It also helped that while she was the personal pet of Rickson, the other troops wouldn't touch her, instead taking advantage of the other slaves they had acquired. The Colonel was abusive, but he was still only one man, and she would need her energy.


   Collie gasped as she felt Rickson slam into her one last time with a grunt. His hot, vile seed spilling deep inside of her. The feeling made her blood boil, and she could taste vomit in her mouth but she forced it back down. He gave her poor nipples a harsh twist before pulling out.


   "Get back to your cage, bitch," he told her, one of the few humans on the base who could speak more than a handful of words in her own language. He rose from the cot-like bed and walked towards the table in the middle of his tent. The table was covered in reports and maps, the same ones Connie had secretly been studying.


   Just as she'd hoped. Rickson would frequently lose interest in her after he was satisfied. Panting from their previous activity, Collie used the blanket to clean herself, wiping away as much of the mess as she could. She knew she'd be in for a severe punishment if he saw her, but she risked it to ensure that he was truly not paying her any attention.


   The collie's heart was pounding as she reached under the bed and retrieved a short length of rope she'd planted there a couple of days ago. Collie's breath came in short, quiet gasps as she slowly started forward. She knew that if he threw her off, if he alerted any of his soldiers, the punishments she would face would make everything she'd gone through so far seem pleasant by comparison.


   The canine's keen ears were hyper focused on the man standing in front of her, listening for any change in his breathing or heartbeat, any sign that he was aware of her.


   Her heart felt like it was going to explode as she finally got into position. She could hear it pounding in her ears as she shakily raised the rope. She took a deep breath and lunged.


   As soon as the rope went over his neck she twisted it and pulled back as hard as she could. The surprise of the sudden caught Rickson off guard and he tumbled backward with Connie to the hard ground.


   Connie landed flat on her back with the Colonel landing right on top of her. The collie groaned in pain but didn't loosen her grip. The human on top of her was grunting, trying desperately to get a breath. One of his hands was pulling futilely at the rope around his neck while the other was lunching wild blows against Connie, hitting her hip, let, and head.


   The struggle seemed to drag on and on to the dog, who was silently pleading with whatever higher power would listen that the Colonel would just die before he got free or someone found them. She grunted with the exertion as his blows became softer and less coordinated. She could hear his heart slow, and she allowed herself a glimmer of hope this would all work out.


   Rickson let out a gurgle as he passed out, but Connie didn't loosen her grip. Not until she could no longer hear the faint beat of his heart.


   Connie collapsed, finally relaxing as the adrenaline faded. She felt utterly exhausted, like she'd just run a marathon, even though the whole ordeal had only taken a few minutes.


   She forced herself up. The clock started now. She didn't have a single second to waste.


   Connie grabbed the former Colonel's arms and started to slowly drag him back to the bed. The canine groaned and grunted with the effort, reconsidering her plan. Rickson being far heavier than she had anticipated.


   It took longer than Connie was comfortable with, but she finally managed to get his body back onto the bed. Panting, she spat on her tormenter before covering his body with the blanket. Hopefully, the soldiers would be too scared to wake him and would buy her some time.


   The dog jumped as she heard a voice call out from just outside the tent.


   "Colonel?" A man called inside. "Sir?"


   Connie's adrenaline shot right back up. She dashed across the tent and grabbed the guns. She cast a brief, longing glance at the clothes left behind, but knew that survival came first. She went to the opposite side of the tent and lifted up the fabric, slipping under and into the night.


   She quickly glanced around but didn't see anyone on this side of the tent. Wasting no time, she began to move, darting between shadows and behind whatever she could find, making her way through the camp.


   Connie didn't expect to run into many patrols in camp, she knew from experience that most of the soldiers would be near their own tents, enjoying the other slaves at the camp, their 'spoils of war.' She was still as cautious as she could be while moving, taking no chances.


   Connie felt a ping of guilt in her heart as she thought of the other girls, and how much worse their lives would become because of her escape. She quieted her conscience as best she could. She was one woman against an entire battalion. There was nothing she could do for them.


   Soon, Connie reached the edge of the camp, near the rear of the perimeter. Here were parked broken vehicles damaged in the attacks against the Astrax military nearby.


   The collie ducked down beside a demolished APC, waiting to a patrol to clear so she could make a break for the nearby tree line. She couldn't believe how well her luck had held up until now.


   Taking a moment, Connie ejected the magazines from the pistols she had taken. Twelve rounds in each. The canine shivered under her fur. Less ammo than she would have liked, but if her luck held out, she might not need any of them. If not, twenty-four shots would hopefully be enough.


   No. Twenty-three shots. She wasn't going back. No matter what, she was not going back.


   Once the coast looked clear, Connie made her move. She moved as quickly as she could without making noise. The forest was only sixty feet away. Fifty. Forty. Why was it so far?! Twenty. Ten...


   "Stop!"


   The cry nearly made her jump out of her fur. It was the human language, close, and definitely yelling at her. She recognized 'stop' from all the times she'd bitten someone here.


   Connie spun around, already raising up the handgun in her right hand.


   She could see two humans in the light of the full moon. One of them was still back at the base perimeter on a radio, no doubt relaying her escape attempt. The other one was charging straight at her, only about twenty feet behind her.


   By the time the man running towards her realized what she had, it was too late. His eyes filled with terror and he tried to say something but Connie was quicker. She pulled her finger and the man's head snapped back, a spray of gore and an angry red hold where his left eye was a moment before.


   She couldn't savor her small victory though. The collie quickly fired a few rounds at the other human who was diving behind the armored vehicle she'd been hiding behind just minutes earlier. She missed every shot, but she only needed to cover her retreat. She quickly turned tail and ran into the forest as fast as she could.


   Her legs burned and her chest heaved as Connie ducked around trees. Behind her, she could hear alarms going off at the base. In the back of her mind, she felt a little panic. She was just trying to put as much distance between herself and the base. She didn't know where she was going, or if she was going to run into one of the scouting parties in the woods.


   No sooner had the thought finished then she crashed through a clearing and straight into a trio of angry looking soldiers. They didn't seem surprised to see her, so word of her escape must have made it to the scouts already.


   Connie yelped and dove back behind a tree as they opened fire on her. Once again, she wished she had some kind of clothing to protect herself as the wood around her shattered from the bullets, spraying her fur-clad body.


   Connie knew she couldn't stay hunkered down like this. If she didn't move, reinforcements from the base would catch up and overwhelm her. She said a silent prayer and waited for the barrage of bullets to lessen by some reloading to make her move.


   Her canine ears picked up the sound of guns being unloaded and Connie let out a howl. She jumped out from behind the tree and opened fire with both pistols, surprising the humans with her boldness. They ducked into cover themselves as she ran into the foliage, still firing covering shots.


   Connie kept running, even as she felt the heat of near-shots pass by her. She didn't hear them running after her, however. Maybe she hit one of them?


   As Connie burst through a bush, she went to take her next step only to find her foot never found solid ground. The collie screamed as she tumbled forward over a small cliff. She grunted and groaned as her body was slammed into the ground and rolled down a slope.


   Her decent was stopped as she crashed into cold water. Connie inhaled a lungful of water in surprise. She couldn't even remember a river on the map. She flailed in the water, desperately seeking the surface and air. She panicked, swimming up until her head broke the surface.


   The canine gasped and coughed, trying to get her bearings. The current was moving too fast for her, washing her away with it. The sounds of the humans quickly faded away. The poor girl wasn't sure how long she was forcibly carried away from the camp, tossed around and pulled under the water.


   It took all of the strength she had left, but Connie was able to swim to shore. She couldn't even be sure which short she was on now...


   To make matters worse, the shivering collie realized she'd lost her weapons during her unexpected swim. Connie shivered again, not from the cold this time.


   Connie shook the water from her fur as best she could, but her pelt remained damp, providing no protection from the cool night wind.


   The border collie cast a nervous glance up to the sky, to the pale moon that was beginning to fall. She knew that she had to find the Astrax troops or at least a place to hide before dawn. Her black and white fur would be too easy to spot in the daylight.


   With no idea where she was or where she was going, Connie began to stumble forward into the forest again. Her body protested, both from the pains and aches she'd gotten in her fall and the lack of sleep, but she forced herself to march forward anyway.


   As she shuffled forward, Connie's anxiety began to pick at her thoughts. Where was she? Was she even going in the right direction? Was she just wandering deeper into enemy territory?


   Connie's heart quickened at the thought.


   Just as the first rays of the morning sun began to peak over the horizon, Connie's focus shifted from her forced march to finding somewhere to hide until sunset. She looked around, rejecting a few spots before her eyes fell on a large, fallen tree. The trunk looked hollowed out, with just enough room for her to squirm inside. The poor girl shuddered at the thought of the nasty dirt and bugs inside of that rotted tree, but she couldn't risk going any further.


   Connie approached and got down on her hands and knees, allowing a single whimper to escape her throat before she steeled her nerves and started to crawl forward into the log. It wasn't completely hollow, as she had thought. If she really squeezed and curled up, she might just be able to fit inside, as long as she could ignore the strange scents her canine nose was smelling. She just needed to clear out whatever was in the back of the hallow space. The low light made it impossible to tell what it was.


   As she reached out, expecting dirt or rocks, her fingers instead brushed over cloth. Connie was confused, with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She pulled the cloth tarp away and felt what was underneath. Her blood ran cold as she felt around. She didn't need light for this. After all her time in the militia, the collie could recognize the hard supply crates and metal ammo boxes.


   This tree was a stash for patrols!


   Before Connie could think any further, she felt four hands grab her legs, still outside of the log, and pull harshly, dragging the canine out.


   Connie screamed in a panic. No, no, no! This couldn't be happening! She couldn't go back! Not again!


   The soldiers pulled the crying girl out. The collie continued thrash and scream, desperately trying to squirm free. They used their bodies to pin her down, not that it helped with her struggles, and tried to restrain her arms.


   Connie was sobbing, trying in vain to get free. She couldn't go back again! She couldn't take it anymore! She'd rather die! Her thoughts briefly flickered back to the pistols she'd lost, and the bullet she'd been saving for herself.


   "Shut up and stop moving!"


   Connie froze. That wasn't the human language she'd been forced to endure since her capture. There was also none of the accent of a human mouth trying to speak an Anthro language.


   The collie twisted her head back to look at her captors. Her heart skipped as she looked up at the, albeit rather annoyed, faces of a skunk and a fellow dog, a red furred husky.


   Connie broke down into harder sobs but stopped resisting, a flood of emotions overwhelming the poor girl. Her mind was awash with thoughts, but she'd done it. She'd escaped.


   She was free again!


   The soldiers tied her wrists behind her back before they helped her sit up. She noticed their eyes lingering over her, but rather than indulge themselves like she'd been subject to since her capture, the skunk dug into the tree and retrieved the tarp while the other called their discovery on their radio. The pair used it to cover Connie as best they could, tying it around her neck to at least cover her front.


   The soldiers led her deeper into the forest as the sun started to rise. Once again, Connie was reminded just how exhausted she was, now that safety was so close. They walked for about an hour before military base came into view. The one the Elenorian soldiers were fighting against.


   Connie was reminded of her nudity once they reached the base's perimeter and the soldiers there stared as she passed by. The blush she felt under her fur felt strange to her; having been ogled at after so long.


   They took Connie to the medical building where a couple of female nurses were waiting. The soldiers released the binds on her arms and left her in the care of the nurses. This new pair brought her to a shower room and directed her to one of the open stalls.


   Connie moaned softly as the warm water crashed over her tired body. The humans had let them bath to avoid their toys stinking, but only in tubs of ice cold water. She scrubbed the dirt and muck from her fur and hair. She used to take pride in her silky fur and hair, and for the first time in months, she remembered just how proud of her appearance she used to be.


   Once she was clean and dried off in one of the fur dryers, they took the collie to one of the exam rooms. They told her they were going to do a quick exam and started to carefully looked her over. They cleaned and bandaged a few of the scratches she'd gotten during her escape and documenting the bruises all over her body. Occasionally, they would ask a question, but didn't press her for details she wasn't comfortable sharing.


   Connie was appreciative of how gentle they were with her during the exam. It'd been so long since she'd seen genuine kindness shown to her.


   Once they were done with their examination they brought Connie in a set of clothes. The collie's tail wagged subconsciously. She hadn't worn clothes in months. Just the thought of no longer being just fur-clad was overwhelming. They were just a plain shirt and some comfortable pants, but just pulling them on made her feel so much better.


   Now that she was dressed, Connie hoped that perhaps a bed might be next. The nurses smiled and told her that she would be given a bed in the women's barracks for her to use. They did warn her that the Commander wanted to see her as soon as she was rested.


   She was taken back outside where the husky solider that brought her here was waiting. He gave her a brief but friendly greeting before leading her to the barracks. As they walked, Connie couldn't help but think he looked rather familiar.


   He didn't speak as they walked except to ask if she'd seen a vixen at the base. A blonde with green eyes named Brittany. Unfortunately, Connie hadn't spent much time with the other slaves, and hadn't seen any vixens at the camp. The soldier was disappointed but didn't press any further.


   Connie was left alone after they arrived inside, the husky giving her directions to her room before leaving. The border collie was reminded of her days training for the militia as she wandered through the halls, arriving at last to a lone cot in the corner of the room.


   Connie didn't mind that the cot was hard, or the blanket was thin, or that the base outside was loud. Tired as she felt, Connie could have slept on a solid stone slab. No sooner than her head hit the pillow than she was lost to slumber.


   She was awoken later by a soldier standing at the foot of her cot. Connie groaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was still daylight outside, but it looked closer to evening than morning now. The soldier informed her that there was a meal waiting for her in the mess, then the commander wanted to speak with her.


   Connie was led, yawning and grumbling, to the mess hall next door to the barracks. As promised, a warm meal was waiting for her. Nothing fancy, the same meals she ate back in training. She ravenously ate, unconcerned for the soldier who stood by. He said nothing but she swore she could see a smile tug at the corner of his lips.


   Connie was still hungry after the last mouthful was swallowed. She knew she couldn't expect more either. Instead she stood and turned back to the soldier, giving him an affirmative nod. This was the part she had been dreading, even though she knew it was necessary.


   The collie girl was led to the command center, to a small debriefing room in the back. Inside was a thick wooden table with a single chair on one side and three chairs on the other. In the left chair was a feline sitting behind a laptop and a stack of folders. She didn't even look up as Connie entered, instead typing away at her computer. At the one on the right sat an otter, the insignia on his uniform marking him as a Lieutenant. He gave her a nod as a greeting but said nothing. Standing behind the third chair was an imposing badger, his face as hard and unreadable as granite.


   As soon as Connie entered the badger raised his fist to his chest in Astrax military salute. "Militia private Cox. I'm Major Rook," he told her, his voice deep but smooth, betraying no hint of his feelings.


   Connie was stunned for a moment for a couple of reasons before regaining her composure and quickly returning the salute. First, as just a member of a volunteer militia, Connie wasn't a part of the Astrax military. Soldiers never saluted militia members, and militia members didn't even salute each other. Second, Connie was quite certain she hadn't told anyone about her militia service or even her last name.


   The feline stopped typing briefly to open a folder and place it on the table. Inside Connie could see a file on her, from her militia service to her civilian life.


   Major Rook explained that her body had never been recovered from her home town five months ago, so she was assumed captured. When he'd heard that his patrol had found a border collie in the forest, he had all matching MIA files pulled.


   Five months? It had been Five months since she'd been captured? Connie almost couldn't believe it.


   The Major offered the free seat to Connie before she could really think too much about it and sat down himself across from her. Hesitantly, the collie sank down into the chair. There was a few moments of tense silence before Rook spoke up, telling her they needed to know as much as she could tell them.


   Connie took a deep breath and started to tell them about the day of the attack, of how it all started with surprise artillery strikes, the scramble of the town's defenders to get their arms and get into position. Of how her unit was picked off one by one during the battle until she was pinned down behind a car in the middle of the street, running out of ammo and with no backup to be found. She told them about how the soldiers surrounded her, mocking her with what they were going to do to her as they tied her up and took her away with the town's civilians.


   As she spoke, the feline soldier typed away, recording everything she said. The Lieutenant grew more stern as she described her treatment, but Major Rook just listened, not moving, his expression never changing.


   She trailed off after she talked about the others being drug off to the auction. She had been picked up by the Elenorian military instead. Everything after that...


   Major Rook pressed her to continue, telling Connie they needed whatever details she could tell them about the camp.


   Connie surprised herself by snapping back. There wasn't anything she could tell them! Nothing they wanted to know about. She didn't walk around the camp freely! They didn't share their plans with her, or in front of her! The soldiers didn't introduce themselves before they...they...


   Rook's expression softened for the first time as the collie before him started to cry. He told her he understood, but if she could tell them anything, they needed to know.


   Connie sniffled, trying to recover herself. She hadn't been expecting everything to overwhelm her so suddenly, but it occurred to her that this was the first time she'd really stopped and just thought about what had happened to her.


   It took a few minutes but Connie was able to compose herself. Quietly, she began listing off the officers she did know, which was only a few. She told them about the reports she'd snuck looks at but they were nothing but scouting reports so she could plan her escape. It wasn't until she told them about Colonel Rickson and her escape that they became really interested. The Major congratulated her on her resourcefulness and being able to take down their commanding officer on her way out.


   Connie listened to his praise numbly. It wasn't as if she taking him out was her plan from the beginning. If she could have gotten a weapon and escaped without potentially exposing her plan by killing him, she would have. Not that she managed to keep the weapons for long anyway.


   Once she told them everything she could, she sat silently as the two officers spoke quietly to each other. Connie wanted to ask when what happened next, but she was almost scared to know the answer.


   After a few minutes of whispering and asking the stenographer a few questions, the two of them turned back to the young collie. The Lieutenant spoke for the first time, telling her that her bravery, both at her village and the camp, were to be commended. He informed her that the Triumvirate was in need of soldiers like her. As he told her, the feline slid a folder to him, a black folder with the crest of Astrax on it's cover.


   Connie gasped as she laid her hazel eyes on it, her body tensing. Every Militia member knew that black folder. In the Triumvirate, any militia member could be conscripted into the army for up to five years if the highest ranking military commander in the region decided it was necessary. Any militia member handed that folder would be conscripted.


   They didn't seem surprised by her reaction. The Lieutenant explained that this could be her chance for revenge, both for her home and her dignity. Her chance to save others from that terrible fate. He also added gently that her town had been destroyed and she had no home or family to return to, no money to support herself.


   Connie quickly shook her head in denial. She didn't want revenge. She didn't want to fight anymore. She didn't care if she was selfish, if others called her a coward, she just wanted to be done with the war. She couldn't do it again. She pleaded with them to let her go. Her grandparents lived in Epharc, and they would take her in.


   The three soldiers listened to Connie's impassioned pleas until the border collie fell to sniffles and crying again. The Lieutenant looked over to the Major for his decision. Even the feline stopped typing and glanced over to the older badger.


   Rook stared down the young woman before him, his expression still unchanged. His eyes seemed to stare through her as he thought over his decision. He simply asked her if she was sure.


   Connie nodded without hesitation. She was sure.


   Rook let out a disappointed sight but to Connie's immense relief, the Lieutenant slid the folder back to the feline who put it away.


   The Major informed her that they would have her transported to a town nearby tomorrow. From there, she would be able to contact her grandparents and catch a train to the capital. Lastly, he told her that while they were disappointed by her choice, they understood, and none of them thought lesser of her for it.


   Connie let out a sigh of relief and thanked him for his understanding. She couldn't believe the bullet she just dodged.


   Connie was escorted back to the barracks after her meeting for the rest of the day. She was given a brief meal but otherwise didn't leave her cot. She expected she would spend most of the day asleep again, but the events of the day just left her to restless so instead she just laid on her cot, staring at the ceiling until she fell asleep as night set in.


   Connie was awoken the next morning by another soldier informing her that her transport would be ready soon. Connie was impatiently rushed by this lynx soldier to the showers, dressed in a clean set of clothes, and ushered to the mess for a quick breakfast.


   Once she'd been fed, Connie was brought outside where a small Jeep was waiting for her. The lynx climbed into the driver's seat and gestured to her to sit in the passenger's seat. Connie didn't need to be asked again, eager to be as far from the frontlines as possible.


   As soon as her rear hit the seat the jeep took off, traveling down a road leading out of the base. As they drove Connie tried to strike up a conversation a few times but couldn't get more than direct answers out of the soldier. Rook said that he understood her decision and didn't judge her for it, but she wondered if the troops under him felt differently.


   Instead, Connie used the long ride trying to figure out what she was going to say to her grandparents. It had been five months since she'd gone missing. How was she supposed to just call them out of the blue? What would they say? What would they think? Did they even think she was still alive? These thoughts went round and round in her mind.


   It was nearly midday when the town finally came into view. Connie's tail thudded against her seat, unable to hide her joy at seeing something other than soldiers or the military. The lynx drove Connie right up to the train station before parking the car.


   He pulled a bag from the back of the vehicle and handed it to her. He explained there was a couple changes of clothes inside, as well as a pass to get her on the train to the capital, as well as a little money for food and necessities. Connie thanked him before he sped away back towards the base without another word.


   With a ping of guilt prickling the back of her mind, Connie headed into the train station. She was a bit surprised how easy it was to get her ticket. As soon as she handed over the pass to the ticket agent, she was handed her ticket with no further questions asked. Connie guessed the base must make use of the trains here often. After a quick lunch at the station's restaurant, Connie was finally forced to make the phone call to her grandparents.


   Connie's hands were shaking as she dialed out their phone number on a public phone. She half hoped as the phone rang that they wouldn't answer, if only so she could delay having to tell them what had happened to her.


   After a few rings, she heard the phone being picked up and her grandfather answering with a simple, "hello?"


   Connie opened her mouth to speak but just hearing her grandfather again tightened her throat. She tried again but no sound came out. Instead, she felt tears slip from her eyes into her muzzle. On her third attempt, she managed a whimper before she started crying.


   "Connie?! Is that you?!" Her grandfather asked.


   She still couldn't manage any words but she managed a "mm-hmm."


   Her grandfather pelted her with questions in between calling for her grandmother but Connie couldn't speak for a few minutes. By the time she'd calmed down enough to speak, her grandmother was huddled around the phone with her husband.


   Connie didn't want to tell them everything, not over the phone and especially not in public. She settled for telling them that she had been captured when Elenor attacked. She'd just escaped a couple of days ago, and-


   Before Connie could even mention staying with them, the both demanded that she head straight to the capitol. A grateful smile covered her muzzle as she wiped her eyes. She assured them she would. She was about to board a train and would be there tomorrow.


   She could tell her grandparents were eager for more answers than a brief phone call could provide, but they didn't press her. Instead they promised they would meet her at the train station as soon as she arrived.


   As much as she hated to, Connie told them she had to go, the train would be leaving soon. She told them she loved them and regretfully hung the phone back up. She grabbed her bag and headed to her platform. She joined a line of other waiting Anthro’s before the all slowly shuffled onboard and found seats.


   Connie settled in for the long ride, laying her head against the window as the train lurched forward then started forward on it's journey. All of this didn't seem real to the poor girl. How had this become her life? She half expected to wake from this nightmare at any moment.


   But waking never came. The train continued along it's tracks and Connie went with it. She spent most of the trip napping, her body finally truly relaxing. Other than to eat dinner and trip to the small shower stall in another car, Connie just alternated between watching the countryside and sleeping.


   The next day, Connie stepped off the train with the other passengers in the capital city. The collie had only visited the large city once a year, when she visited her grandparents during the holidays. It seemed strange to her that she would be living here, in this crowded, noisy metropolis after living in her quiet little village her whole life.


   Her attention was brought back by the sound of someone calling her name. She looked around the platform and saw two older border collies heading her way as fast as they could, calling her name. Connie rushed over to them, the three of them embracing each other tightly.


   For the first time in five months, she truly felt she had escaped. She felt safe with her family. She felt free.