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"120", "thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "pools": [], "description": "Following Kyle Jacksram, a young puma from Kentucky who enlists in the US Army during World War 2. Done in a journal format, and following his life from Private all the way to... well, you'll just have to see.\n\nNo overt sex in this, and all the death is related to the war/s happening. There is some implied things, though. Mostly a lore kinda story.\n\nI'm also going to point out: Any inconsistencies from this and reality, please remember, it's my fictional world, not the real world. Also, assume any misspellings or improper grammar that aren't in italics are intentional on my part, as this is written by an imperfect person.\n\nI might do a follow up to this at some point, either with Kyle, or one of the other characters introduced. Kinda want to see more of Rosko in the future.\n\n- - - - -\n\nA massive thank you to my top tier subscribers:\nSedyna | [fa]jafferroshak[/fa] | RoleplayCentral | [fa]akinkyyfox[/fa] | [iconname]Karmandel[/iconname]\n\nIf you would like early access to my stories, weekly previews and updates, access to my private discord, chance to have your character become part of the lore, and other bonus content, please consider subscribing to my [url=https://subscribestar.adult/xp_author]SubscribeStar[/url]", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Following Kyle Jacksram, a young puma from Kentucky who enlists in the US Army during World War 2. Done in a journal format, and following his life from Private all the way to... well, you'll just have to see.

No overt sex in this, and all the death is related to the war/s happening. There is some implied things, though. Mostly a lore kinda story.

I'm also going to point out: Any inconsistencies from this and reality, please remember, it's my fictional world, not the real world. Also, assume any misspellings or improper grammar that aren't in italics are intentional on my part, as this is written by an imperfect person.

I might do a follow up to this at some point, either with Kyle, or one of the other characters introduced. Kinda want to see more of Rosko in the future.

- - - - -

A massive thank you to my top tier subscribers:
Sedyna | \n\t\t\t\t\tjafferroshak | RoleplayCentral | \n\t\t\t\t\takinkyyfox | \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKarmandel\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKarmandel\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t


If you would like early access to my stories, weekly previews and updates, access to my private discord, chance to have your character become part of the lore, and other bonus content, please consider subscribing to my SubscribeStar", "writing": "[center][b]Journal of a Common Soldier[/b][/center]\n[center]By XP Author[/center]\n\n[i]Excerpts from the journal of Kyle Jacksram[/i]\n\n[u]March 28, 1944[/u]\nI decided to start keeping this journal because... well, because I've seen the news reels. I know what is going on right now. And I know I might not come back. But that won't stop me doing my part for my country.\n\nFour days ago, I turned 18. Three days ago, I applied to enlist in the army. Ma was upset, but I had to. Uncle Rich died in the attack at Pearl Harbor. People are dying all over in this war. I know one more body might not help, but it might. I wanted to enlist in the Navy, to go take the fight to the japs, but they said I would make better Army. I guess all that wrestling I did was part of it. Hunting with Pa, too. I know how to handle a rifle already. I got my papers today. I'm to catch a train in a few days headed to Fort Benning, in Columbus, Georgia. I ain't never been to Georgia. Hells, I ain't never been outside of Mayfield, let alone Kentucky. And if training goes well, this country Puma will be heading to Europe before the year's done. Don't know where they'll be sending me. I guess I'll find out soon enough.\n\n[u]April 8, 1944[/u]\nI been here at Fort Benning a few days now. Bootcamp. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Sarge has us running daily, when we're not doing drills. I think Sarge hates that I knew how to field strip a rifle before I got here. Pa taught me how to clean them when I was just nine. Sarge said I was showing off and made me run ten extra laps around the barracks.\n\nI already made a buddy here, too. Rosko Montgomery. Raccoon from Chicago. I know what my pa would say about that. He still thinks them scavengers should be working fields, but there are a bunch of scavs here, and they're all some of the ones working hardest. We all bleed red anyway. And we're all on the same side. Ain't no need to be saying scavs don't belong. Well, I don't need to tell Pa about Rosko when I write him.\n\n[u]April 21, 1944[/u]\nSarge hates me for sure. He makes me run extra laps every time I do anything. I'm getting real good at running with a bunch of stuff on my back. Did get one minor praise from him once, though. On the range, he had us shooting distance targets. I hit mine easy. Things ain't got nothing on chasing tiny wild rabbits in the woods. So he had me shoot a much farther target. Hit that, too. Hit the one even farther than that. Saw Sarge actually crack a smile for once. Of course, he had me clean every rifle afterwards. And then run another few laps just for good measure. I ain't gonna let him break me, though.\n\nRosko's been a good friend. Found out why he enlisted. His older brother's in Italy right now. He's a corporal over there. Company B, 15th Infantry Regiment. Rosko says there's a real crack shot with them, too. Some young coyote from Texas. Murphy or something. Rosko wants to tell his brother he's got a crack shot buddy, too. That'd be me, of course.\n\n[u]May 3, 1944[/u]\nI did it. Say hello to Private Jacksram. We're being assigned to the 29th Infantry Division, 115th Regiment. We ain't got much time to celebrate, though. We're being shipped out in only a few days. Heading to England for some reason. I know there have been bombings, but I didn't think there was any fighting in England. We'll probably get other orders once we're there. Rosko says he thinks something big is going to be happening, but I dunno. Maybe. Rosko's got good instincts. The man can predict a thunderstorm days before it comes. Maybe he's right? We'll see.\n\n[u]May 20, 1944[/u]\nI hate England. It's cold and it's wet. I think it rained more since I got here than I've seen in a year at home. Not heavy rain, just a constant miserable drizzle.\n\nTurns out, Rosko was right about something big. We're running drills constantly to prepare for a huge push soon. The brass only just briefed all of us on what we'll be doing. In two weeks, we'll be participating in something called Operation Overlord. We're all going to be loaded into a bunch of armored boats and head across the big old river channel and land on the beach in France. Not sure which beach, though. I've been told three different ones. It's one hell of an operation, so I get why they're saying a bunch of different things. In case there's a Jerry spy among us, they won't know what the right place is. Pretty smart.\n\nThey have been pretty open about how dangerous this mission is going to be. I won't lie. I'm kind of terrified. Excited, too. My first combat and it'll be the biggest push we've done yet. There's half a dozen divisions here getting ready for this, too. I ain't never seen so many people in one place. And we're all ready and raring to get a piece of the action. Hitler don't stand a chance against us!\n\n[u]June 9, 1944[/u]\nThank the gods for Rosko.\n\nWe landed at Omaha Beach two days ago. I have never felt fear like I did in that little boat. Bullets flying everywhere, like a swarm of angry wasps. They pinged off the walls of the ship, but some got through. Three of my company died before we even made it to land. And that's when the chaos really happened. We hit that sand and it was blind panic. Charged down the beach while Jerries rained the fire from every hell down upon us from machine gun nests. There was so much blood. So many dead bodies littering the sand.\n\nBut we pushed. My company made it up one of the hills. I still don't know how. Rosko tossed a grenade into one of the machine gun nests and took it out. We bunkered down from there. Our company laid down cover for others to get up the hills and start taking out the nests. I ki [i](several half-written words are hastily crossed out)[/i] Rosko helped calm me down.\n\nI now have fifteen confirmed kills. Not bad for my first day actually fighting. We've been ordered to hold the hill for now. More troops have landed, and more are coming. We'll be pushing farther into France once the next wave comes. Only Eight of us from Company Charlie made it here. Eight out of eighty five. Lieutenants Rosters and Garman are the only officers that made it. Rosters has taken command of our group for now.\n\n[u]June 18, 1944[/u]\nI miss England. France is terrible. Everything is mud. And there are damned Jerries everywhere.\n\nWe've had to fight for every inch into this gods forsaken country. Our platoon got ambushed on the way east, and Lieutenant Rosters was killed. Took several rounds to the chest. Still didn't die quick. He was an arrogant prick, but he deserved better.\nGarman is in charge now. He's having us meet up with an armored division. It'll be nice to have a tank to hide behind for a while.\n\nRosko thinks we're going to get promoted already. I don't know, though. We've only been here for two weeks and we've only made it a few miles inland. Not sure what they'll promote us for. You don't get more bars for just staying alive.\n\n[u]June 27, 1944[/u]\nApparently you get more bars for just staying alive. Rosko was right. Our company got shot to so many pieces that those of us still alive got bumps to our rank. We met up with the 3rd Armored Division, and the Captain in charge, Thomasterson, gave us field promotions. Rosko and most of the enlisted got Private first class, and Garman is First Lieutenant. I caught a sniper in a tree and shot him down before he could shoot us. I guess that impressed Tommy, because now I'm a corporal. And he said something about a bronze star. I don't need some pretty medal, I just didn't want to see more of my friends get shot.\n\nWe're going to be heading farther into France soon. We're to meet up with some of the French resistance soon. I'm sure they'll be happy to get some fresh food. Hopefully they don't mistake us for Germans.\n\n[u]September 19, 1944[/u]\nI thank the gods for Rosko again. He is my lucky penny. Wonder if Pa would change his tune about scavs now.\n\nWe were pushing into a town. No clue how to even say the name, let alone spell it. French. But we ran right into a whole damned platoon of Jerries bunkered in a an old building. Rosko and his sixth sense somehow knew. He tackled me and Lieutenant Garman to the ground just before machine gun fire ripped through the air. Right where we had been. Saved my damn life!\n\nI returned the favor by taking out three of the Jerrys on the roof. Tried to lay more fire down, but the damned machine gun was pinning us. That's when the 3rd showed back up out of nowhere. One of the tanks comes barreling through a half-broken wall and blasts into the building. Blows a hole right into the side of it! Germans come pouring out like a bleeding wound. Tank had to back out as a panzer showed up and they start duking it out while the rest of us have to take care of the men pouring out of the building. Not sure how many I got this time. But the panzer got blown up at some point.\n\nOur tank got pretty banged up, though. We've been stuck here for two days while they work to fix the thing. And yet again, Tommy, now a mjor, is talking about medals. I think he's a little touched in the head. I've already got two bronze stars and a silver. I don't need more. Oh, and more promotions. I'm now a sergeant, Rosko and Dick are both Corporals, and Garman... well, Garman's a captain. That's all that's left of Charlie Company. But we've joined Delta and Echo, and troops from the 116th and 117th infantry regiments.\n\nOnce the armor is fixed, we're heading north, towards Belgium. Apparently the Allies have managed to establish a forward base somewhere called the Ardens? Something like that. We're to meet up with others at somewhere called Antwerp. I hope they have some real food. I'm getting used to the rations, and actually like the coffee, but I want something a little more filling for a change. And some cigarettes that don't taste like they've already been smoked would be nice, too.\n\n[u]December 16, 1944[/u]\nI don't know what I expected, but Antwerp isn't the worst place. I've managed to get a solid meal for a change, and more than once. And sleep in an actual bed.\n\nIt's not exactly peaceful, though. We're right on the front lines, so there's constantly something happening. Charlie, Delta, Echo, and the 3rd Armored have all been tasked with holding the city for now. It's an important port for supplies and troops.\n\nRosko's worried, though. There haven't been more than a few small skirmishes in the last few days. We didn't do anything to push the Germans back yet. He thinks something big is coming. I've learned not to doubt him now. He must be some kind of sage or something. He always knows when something is about to hap [i](the entry ends abruptly, with the last pen stroke trailing off the page)[/i]\n\n[u]January 28, 1945[/u]\nI have seen hell. I have walked through it, and come out the other side. That was D-Day. I have done it again here at Antwerp. The beach was only a few days. This was a damned month. In winter.\n\nThe Germans suddenly pushed. Tanks, troops, shells. Antwerp's in ruins. More than when we got here. For almost a month they kept sending more troops, dropped more bombs. Airplanes flew overhead constantly. Our and theirs. A bunch of them crashed all around. But somehow, we did it. We survived, and even pushed back. The tanks came rolling in and finally broke their line and have been charging ahead to drive them back. We lost a lot of good men... a lot of people died. But I think the Jerry's lost more than we did. A lot more. This feels like it was a desperate final attempt to push, and they lost. We might actually be near the end of this war. Rosko thinks so, too. We've been hearing reports that the Soviets are hammering away at Hitler's eastern front and pushing deep into Germany.\n\nI should tell what I did. I was assigned as a lookout atop one of the old towers here. Lookout pretty quickly became sniper. Dick came up with a radio and we called out movement when we could. What I couldn't hit with a round, we called artillery or bombs from our air boys. At least until the German planes came back. I guess I've made a name for myself, because the boys are calling me the Kentucky Crackshot, even ones I haven't met yet. Some Canadian General stationed here supplied me with a Springfield rifle. New one, too. With a great scope. Guess I'm officially a sniper now. I have 86 confirmed kills. Which I'm told is a lot. 42 of them were from this last month.\n\nOh, I'm also a Master Sergeant. I don't know how I keep getting more bars, but it's definitely official. General Patton himself awarded a lot of us with the promotions... and more damned medals. I got a second oak leaf cluster for my Bronze Star, which means I have three of the damned things, something called a 'V' device for heroism, and a Silver Star. The V thing was because I did something really stupid. One of our planes came down in the middle of the city. Dick and I were just changing positions when it hit right in front of us. I don't know why I did it, but the next thing I know, I'm pulling this fox out of the burning rubble. The gods must be looking out for me, because I burnt up my uniform a bit, and my fur got a little singed, but somehow I didn't get injured at all. Guess that makes me a hero? I don't know. The fox was pretty badly hurt, but I think he'll live. I hope so. We lost enough people.\n\nDick... Dick didn't make it. Another time we were moving positions, a shell took out the tower we were in. I just got out, but Dick [i](There are several scratched out attempts at words)[/i] We found his body in the rubble three days later. Most of it.\n\nGarman's a Major now. Rosko's a Staff Sergeant. The three of us are all that's left of Charlie Company now. Rosko took some shrapnel during one of the raids, but it was nothing too bad. Cut up his arm a bit, but he's tough. He joked that he'll finally get a medal I don't have once he gets a purple heart for this.\n\nFor now, we're here to recover, but we'll probably be sent out soon. Most of the tanks already left. They charged on ahead to keep up the momentum after crushing the assaults. I think this might be our final big push. We'll be marching right into Germany next. Gods know how hard the Jerrys will fight to keep us out.\n\n[u]March 19, 1945[/u]\nWe followed the 3rd Armored again. I guess Charlie is part of them now. We got involved in something called Operation Lumberjack. Captured a city called Cologne. Wasn't easy. Nothing's been easy. But I got to see why people are calling the 3rd the 'Phantom Warriors' now. Bunch of us infantry grunts caused a big fuss that got the Jerrys' attention. Then the tanks came barreling in out of nowhere once the panzers started moving. Ambushed an ambush. Left half the panzers smoking rubble while the others tried to flee or surrendered.\n\nImagine that. Germans surrendered to us, right in the middle of what used to be their own territory. And scuttlebutt is that the Soviets are pushing into Berlin. This war really is going to end soon. Gods, I hope so. From what I've seen of France and Belgium, I don't know how they'll ever recover from this. I'm not sure how I will, either. There's talk among the troops about what we'll do once the war is over. Most are just happy to go home. Rosko said he wants to meet a nice French lady and make many little babies. I couldn't help but laugh. I think he'll be a good father.\n\nI don't know how to answer the question, though. I never thought much about a future. Pa would probably want me to find a sweet girl and give him many grandkids. Ma would be happy for that, too. But I don't know anymore. It feels like I've been out here a lifetime. I don't know what I'll do out of uniform. Maybe\n\nMaybe I'll enlist again. I mentioned that to Garman, and he said I should try for officer's training. I don't hate the idea. Something I'll have to think about.\n\n[u]May 8, 1945[/u]\nIt's over. Today is officially the end of this war. At least here in Europe. They're saying it'll be a holiday. VE Day. Victory in Europe. Navy's still fighting the Japs, though. But that probably won't last much longer, either. But we're going to be shipped home soon.\n\nHome. I don't know why, but I'm scared to go home. I'm more scared of that then when the shells were falling in Antwerp. I wrote a letter to Ma and let her know I'll be back soon. But I didn't tell her that I've chosen to follow Garman's advice. I'm going to try to enroll into officer's training.\n\nWhat I am looking forward to is some home cooking. I miss Ma's grits. With some good old fashioned cornbread. I am going to miss some of these French cigarettes, though. I've been trading the ones in my rations for some of these French ones. You'd think that they would be making terrible ones what with the occupation. Not a fan of the wine though. Not sure why it's supposed to be famous. I'll take a whiskey any day over it.\n\nRosko. Oh Rosko.\n\nRosko showed me a side that I didn't know. I don't know if I should write this down or not. When we got the news the war was over, he just gave me a big kiss on the lips. I thought he was just caught up in the excitement, but he asked if I wanted more when we were in private. I didn't know he was queer like that. He seemed too take it well when I turned him down, but I could see he was real worried. Promised that I wouldn't tell no one about him being queer. He tried to say he's not, still wants to find a good woman to make some babies with. I'm not sure what to feel about all that. We're like brothers now. I will keep my promise. I won't tell no one. Maybe he should stay in France after all.\n\n[u]July 21, 1947[/u]\nIt's been some time. Say hello to Lieutenant Jacksram. That's right, I made it through officer training. Wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.\n\nThey immediately shipped me back out to Europe. I'm in France again. A lot has changed in only two years. I'm being stationed in Paris for now. I never got here during the war. They're still reconstructing major parts of the city. There's also talk about tension with the Soviets about how to handle Germany. Something bad is brewing again. Everyone is real tense about the Soviets now. We just finished fighting the Germans, do we really need to start pointing guns again? So much for being allies. I guess without a common enemy, we lost a reason for being friendly.\n\nI miss Rosko. I didn't think I would miss him as much as I did. But I spent almost every day with him at my side for a year. He didn't stay in France. I still write letters to him. He congratulated me on becoming lieutenant, but couldn't be at the ceremony.\n\nIronic, I met a nice French girl here, Allaine. Sweet rabbit. Terrible cook. Her English needs work, too. I don't know just what our relationship is yet, but she's... Well, let's just say, she's been very friendly, and her bed is softer than my cot.\n\n[u]September 8, 1949[/u]\nWhoever thought splitting a city in half was a damned idiot. Especially one deep in the other side of the split country. I've been moved to West Berlin. Tension here is sky high. It feels like we're ready for shooting to start again any day. I half expect to be woken up by the sound of tanks coming down the street.\n\nOh, I'm also a captain now. It feels very strange to be in charge of so many people. Only a few years ago, I was one of those young privates. Now I'm a leader. Gods help me, I hope I never have to order them into the same kinds of situations I was forced to march into.\n\nMet a nice German girl, though. Elga, a kind of plump boar. Her English is surprisingly good, and her food is even better. I can see how she got so plump. If I'm not careful, I might be the same soon. Her mother doesn't like me at all. I've only learned a little bit of German, but I know when someone is insulting me. She's not a fan of soldiers in general. I don't blame her, honestly. At least Elga seems to like the uniform. REALLY like it. Though she's happy enough to strip me out of it, too.\n\n[u]January 6, 1951[/u]\nIt's funny. When I first enlisted, I wanted to join the navy so I could take the fight to Japan. Now here I am, almost ten years later and I'm in Asia only to fight a completely different bunch of people.\n\nGot promoted to Major, and immediately shipped off to South Korea now. The Chinese and Soviets are backing North Korea, and for some reason, the US got involved. And there's quite a lot of shooting already. So much for this being a cold war. I guess we're not fighting each other directly. What was it the General said? Proxy war? Though we're not supposed to call it a war, I guess. Still, there's going to be a lot of these happening if this one is anything to go by.\n\nI'm back to my old sniper tricks again. Only this time, I have a squad of riflemen to back me up. Not as many buildings to hide in, so we've been using the trees. It's a bit trickier. Equipment is better, at least.\n\n[u]May 3, 1952[/u]\nGot a letter from Ma today. Pa died. He collapsed at the factory. Heart attack. He was dead before he got to the hospital. I'll miss the funeral, too.\n\nGot a letter from Rosko, too. Better news. He found himself that wife he was looking for. A possum named Sarah. He sent a few pictures. She's pretty. And holding a little baby raccoon. Their son, which they named Kyle after me. I'm real happy for him. Don't have a girl of my own. I've met a few sweet Korean ladies, but I've learned not to go falling for a local girl. I'd only go breaking their hearts. Maybe after Korea, I'll actually go back home and try to find a nice girl for a change. Someone I can actually be with for more than a few months.\n\n[u]February 3, 1953[/u]\nAnother promotion. Lieutenant Colonel. If this keeps up, I'll end up being a General before I'm 30. Actually feel like I earned it this time. I lead a small team into the hills and we set up sniper positions outside of a supply depot, while another team infiltrated. We provided cover while the team set explosives. It was ordinance and weapons, including a lot of anti-air and artillery shells. Wish we could have taken the supplies, but denying them to the enemy is still good. The sabotage team got in and out without taking a single casualty or setting off any alarms, and we blew the whole depot to kingdom come. It's a pretty major blow to this region. The next day, we were able to roll tanks through and push the front forward without risk of shelling. It's not much, but it's more than we've done in months.\n\n[u]July 28, 1953[/u]\nThe war... sorry, the 'conflict' is officially over. Or to put it more accurate, the fighting is done for now. No side surrendered, and they didn't even sign a damn peace treaty, just a cease fire. This whole thing was so pointless. Didn't accomplish a damned thing, just killed a whole lot of people. The US is leaving troops stationed here in South Korea, but for the most part, we're pulling out. Most of the boys are going home. I'm happy for them.\n\nI'm not. I'm being sent somewhere else. Here's the real kicker. I'm being sent to a navy base in Japan. The irony is so thick I could wear it like a blanket. It's only temporary, though. I'm not sure where I'm going from there. Maybe after my next mission, I'll actually go home. Even if just for a little bit. I haven't seen Ma in so long. And it'd be nice to visit Rosko. Maybe I could track down old Garman, see what he's up to.\n\n[i](All the following entries are written in code. Translated for the reader's convenience.)[/i]\n\n[u]August 17, 1958[/u]\nMy Russian is improving. Still not good enough to go behind the Iron Curtain yet, but I can at least understand what the Ruskies are saying. When they're not talking in code, at least. My German is coming along quite well, though.\n\nMy team has been in East Germany for three months now. We finished setting up a second intel route back to West Berlin. Of course, we haven't managed to find out anything of any major importance just yet. Mostly names of ranking officers moving around the region.\n\nWho would have guessed that an old grunt like me would be recruited into intelligence. Or that I'd make full bird colonel by only 32. Life sure has a way of taking you by surprise. I think someone in DC has an eye on me. Only way I can explain things. Or I'm just lucky. If you can call it that. Still, I have a good team. I'm going to be out here for another few months, and then head back to West Germany by early next year. We have one more intel route we'd like to establish first.\n\n[u]February 9, 1959[/u]\nI don't know if I should be writing this down. Even in code. But I wasn't told not to.\n\nI had... a dream. Or vision. Or something. Religious experience is probably the best way I can put it. I went to sleep, but found myself suddenly in the presence of a lion. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Tall, powerful, exuding danger. She wore aggression and conflict like a dress. I can't explain it any better than that. It was like she wore ideas as clothing. When she spoke, her voice was booming and subtle at the same time. I immediately knew who she was, but she still introduced herself. Ket, god of war. I thought I had died and she had come to take me. That made her laugh. Oh how I wish I could hear that laugh more.\n\nNo, she came to me with an offer. She has chosen me to be one of her champions. She did not explain why. I'm just a boy from Kentucky. All she told me is that I will do great things. That I understand the necessity of war, but also the futility of it. Conflict need not be violent, but violence is always just around the corner. She let me take as much time as I needed to answer. I felt like I thought for days. But there was only one answer. When a god reveals themselves to you, and offers you to be their chosen, how can anyone say no? She was pleased. Still raked her claws into my chest. Felt like burning fire.\n\nI woke only a few hours later. I thought it had been a dream. Or that I had finally lost my mind. But the marks on my chest are still there. Three claw marks. Not scars. My fur's color has changed, white where it once was tan. The mark of Ket. I am also more powerful than I once was. Stronger, faster. My eyesight seems even better than before. My muscles are bigger. My reactions are faster. I feel ten years younger. I even look younger. I think I'm taller, too. My uniform doesn't fit nearly as well. Even my claws and teeth seem sharper. I don't know what my lady wants of me, but her gifts feel amazing.\n\nBut I need to be careful. My aggression is also stronger. I nearly lost my temper at a corporal for simply not saluting quick enough. I think I scared the poor man half to death with the glare I gave him. I will need to keep myself in control. These gifts are great, but the power of a god now flows through my veins. A very dangerous one.\n\nAnd I worry what great things She has in store for me.\n\n[u]October 20, 1962[/u]\nTatiyana Kolovanovitch. The Magpie. Tiger, Russian spy, assassin. Champion of Ket.\n\nTraitor.\n\nShe infiltrated the base several nights ago. I don't know how I knew she was there, but I was woken from a sound sleep by a feeling. I've come to know it as Ket's influence. A predator's warning of a threat. Another apex predator in my territory. She was waiting for me. Just standing there in the middle of the base like she owned the place. She did not need to tell me what she was, a fellow champion. I knew before I saw her. She then did something I never expected. She offered me a deal. Fight her. Win or lose, she would surrender, and even defect, offering all the intel she had to give. I should have refused.\n\nThere was no way I could refuse. I needed to fight her. Some instinct compelled me. We left the base, found a nice clearing where no one would see us. I should have expected some plot to lure me away, to assassinate me or infiltrate the base while I was away, but I knew she was sincere. Champion to champion, there was nothing to hide. She came to fight me. And fight we did. She was faster, I was stronger. She was better at close combat, but I could break her grip easily. She could get close, I could throw her away. We were equals in different measures. We fought. Oh did we fight. I have never fought like that in all my life. We fought until the sun rose. Muscles ached. Both of us bleeding from claws and teeth, clothing in tatters.\n\nAnd then we fucked. Not made love, not had sex. No. It was not so romantic. Not so clean. We fucked. Hard. And long. And many times. And still it was a fight. I got just as many new claw marks from that fucking than I did from the fight. Gave just as many, too. And teeth. I have never met a woman like her. When it was done, we were both spent, bloody, aching, and exhausted. She honored her deal. She surrendered, while still pressed against me. If I had it in me, I would have taken her again right there.\n\nI took her back to the base. Troops gave some very strange looks as we both walked in wearing tattered, bloody clothing and wounded as we were. She was put in cuffs and taken by the MP, but I still made sure she got looked at by the docs. I have granted her temporary amnesty while she is on the base, as long as she cooperates. She has been in interrogations since, spilling all kinds of dirty soviet secrets. A general is coming in two days to take over the interrogations. I know she will be taken away. I wonder if I can convince the brass to let me follow. She is the most talkative to me.\n\nShe defected for many reasons, but the biggest was the execution of her sister, Anya. For nothing more than talking back to an off-duty officer, she was taken and shot. She was only 19. I know spies. I know they can make up stories for cover and play the emotions. But I know she is not lying. She came to me, another champion, because I would know she was telling the truth.\n\nKet has been silent about this, too. I have asked Her, but She has said nothing to me. I'm taking that to mean Tatiyana's actions are sanctioned by our shared divine matron.\n\n[u]September 2, 1967[/u]\nBrigadier General Jacksram. Who would have ever thought such a thing was possible. Not me, that's for sure.\n\nAnd I'm back in the states. I'm working with US intelligence more directly now. My work in East Germany and with the 'capture' of known Soviet agent Tatiyana Kolovanovitch, along with several covert operations that I was in charge of following the intel Tatiyana gave us, has apparently gotten more notice within the intelligence channels. I've been specifically trying to help root out soviet spies that may have infiltrated into the US. So far, we've only found two, a couple in California, but we are hopeful to find more.\n\nThanks to the information she has given, as well as my... almost pleading to the upper ranks, Tati's defection has been allowed. She has been given a new name and identity, Tanya Milova, Russian immigrant that came to the states with her parents shortly before the start of the war. Those parents have since died from illness. She now works closely with me. She does a lot of other things with me, too. We're going to need a new bed. Again. New kitchen table, too. Higher ups were not particularly happy with me marrying her, but they can kiss my ass.\n\n[i](The following is not a journal entry, but a clipping of a newspaper article. The article describes a three star US general who has vocally supported Vetlife, an organization dedicated to helping better the lives of veterans of the Vietnam war. The photograph shows a scarred, middle-aged puma in military dress uniform, with a pregnant tiger at his side, her arm in his. Two small tigers are also nearby, both saluting. The caption under reads: 'General Kyle Jacksram and his wife, Tanya Jacksram, along with children Ronald (age 6) and Mary (Age 5). May 6, 1981')[/i]\n\n[center]* * *[/center]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Journal of a Common Soldier

By XP Author


Excerpts from the journal of Kyle Jacksram

March 28, 1944
I decided to start keeping this journal because... well, because I've seen the news reels. I know what is going on right now. And I know I might not come back. But that won't stop me doing my part for my country.

Four days ago, I turned 18. Three days ago, I applied to enlist in the army. Ma was upset, but I had to. Uncle Rich died in the attack at Pearl Harbor. People are dying all over in this war. I know one more body might not help, but it might. I wanted to enlist in the Navy, to go take the fight to the japs, but they said I would make better Army. I guess all that wrestling I did was part of it. Hunting with Pa, too. I know how to handle a rifle already. I got my papers today. I'm to catch a train in a few days headed to Fort Benning, in Columbus, Georgia. I ain't never been to Georgia. Hells, I ain't never been outside of Mayfield, let alone Kentucky. And if training goes well, this country Puma will be heading to Europe before the year's done. Don't know where they'll be sending me. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

April 8, 1944
I been here at Fort Benning a few days now. Bootcamp. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Sarge has us running daily, when we're not doing drills. I think Sarge hates that I knew how to field strip a rifle before I got here. Pa taught me how to clean them when I was just nine. Sarge said I was showing off and made me run ten extra laps around the barracks.

I already made a buddy here, too. Rosko Montgomery. Raccoon from Chicago. I know what my pa would say about that. He still thinks them scavengers should be working fields, but there are a bunch of scavs here, and they're all some of the ones working hardest. We all bleed red anyway. And we're all on the same side. Ain't no need to be saying scavs don't belong. Well, I don't need to tell Pa about Rosko when I write him.

April 21, 1944
Sarge hates me for sure. He makes me run extra laps every time I do anything. I'm getting real good at running with a bunch of stuff on my back. Did get one minor praise from him once, though. On the range, he had us shooting distance targets. I hit mine easy. Things ain't got nothing on chasing tiny wild rabbits in the woods. So he had me shoot a much farther target. Hit that, too. Hit the one even farther than that. Saw Sarge actually crack a smile for once. Of course, he had me clean every rifle afterwards. And then run another few laps just for good measure. I ain't gonna let him break me, though.

Rosko's been a good friend. Found out why he enlisted. His older brother's in Italy right now. He's a corporal over there. Company B, 15th Infantry Regiment. Rosko says there's a real crack shot with them, too. Some young coyote from Texas. Murphy or something. Rosko wants to tell his brother he's got a crack shot buddy, too. That'd be me, of course.

May 3, 1944
I did it. Say hello to Private Jacksram. We're being assigned to the 29th Infantry Division, 115th Regiment. We ain't got much time to celebrate, though. We're being shipped out in only a few days. Heading to England for some reason. I know there have been bombings, but I didn't think there was any fighting in England. We'll probably get other orders once we're there. Rosko says he thinks something big is going to be happening, but I dunno. Maybe. Rosko's got good instincts. The man can predict a thunderstorm days before it comes. Maybe he's right? We'll see.

May 20, 1944
I hate England. It's cold and it's wet. I think it rained more since I got here than I've seen in a year at home. Not heavy rain, just a constant miserable drizzle.

Turns out, Rosko was right about something big. We're running drills constantly to prepare for a huge push soon. The brass only just briefed all of us on what we'll be doing. In two weeks, we'll be participating in something called Operation Overlord. We're all going to be loaded into a bunch of armored boats and head across the big old river channel and land on the beach in France. Not sure which beach, though. I've been told three different ones. It's one hell of an operation, so I get why they're saying a bunch of different things. In case there's a Jerry spy among us, they won't know what the right place is. Pretty smart.

They have been pretty open about how dangerous this mission is going to be. I won't lie. I'm kind of terrified. Excited, too. My first combat and it'll be the biggest push we've done yet. There's half a dozen divisions here getting ready for this, too. I ain't never seen so many people in one place. And we're all ready and raring to get a piece of the action. Hitler don't stand a chance against us!

June 9, 1944
Thank the gods for Rosko.

We landed at Omaha Beach two days ago. I have never felt fear like I did in that little boat. Bullets flying everywhere, like a swarm of angry wasps. They pinged off the walls of the ship, but some got through. Three of my company died before we even made it to land. And that's when the chaos really happened. We hit that sand and it was blind panic. Charged down the beach while Jerries rained the fire from every hell down upon us from machine gun nests. There was so much blood. So many dead bodies littering the sand.

But we pushed. My company made it up one of the hills. I still don't know how. Rosko tossed a grenade into one of the machine gun nests and took it out. We bunkered down from there. Our company laid down cover for others to get up the hills and start taking out the nests. I ki (several half-written words are hastily crossed out) Rosko helped calm me down.

I now have fifteen confirmed kills. Not bad for my first day actually fighting. We've been ordered to hold the hill for now. More troops have landed, and more are coming. We'll be pushing farther into France once the next wave comes. Only Eight of us from Company Charlie made it here. Eight out of eighty five. Lieutenants Rosters and Garman are the only officers that made it. Rosters has taken command of our group for now.

June 18, 1944
I miss England. France is terrible. Everything is mud. And there are damned Jerries everywhere.

We've had to fight for every inch into this gods forsaken country. Our platoon got ambushed on the way east, and Lieutenant Rosters was killed. Took several rounds to the chest. Still didn't die quick. He was an arrogant prick, but he deserved better.
Garman is in charge now. He's having us meet up with an armored division. It'll be nice to have a tank to hide behind for a while.

Rosko thinks we're going to get promoted already. I don't know, though. We've only been here for two weeks and we've only made it a few miles inland. Not sure what they'll promote us for. You don't get more bars for just staying alive.

June 27, 1944
Apparently you get more bars for just staying alive. Rosko was right. Our company got shot to so many pieces that those of us still alive got bumps to our rank. We met up with the 3rd Armored Division, and the Captain in charge, Thomasterson, gave us field promotions. Rosko and most of the enlisted got Private first class, and Garman is First Lieutenant. I caught a sniper in a tree and shot him down before he could shoot us. I guess that impressed Tommy, because now I'm a corporal. And he said something about a bronze star. I don't need some pretty medal, I just didn't want to see more of my friends get shot.

We're going to be heading farther into France soon. We're to meet up with some of the French resistance soon. I'm sure they'll be happy to get some fresh food. Hopefully they don't mistake us for Germans.

September 19, 1944
I thank the gods for Rosko again. He is my lucky penny. Wonder if Pa would change his tune about scavs now.

We were pushing into a town. No clue how to even say the name, let alone spell it. French. But we ran right into a whole damned platoon of Jerries bunkered in a an old building. Rosko and his sixth sense somehow knew. He tackled me and Lieutenant Garman to the ground just before machine gun fire ripped through the air. Right where we had been. Saved my damn life!

I returned the favor by taking out three of the Jerrys on the roof. Tried to lay more fire down, but the damned machine gun was pinning us. That's when the 3rd showed back up out of nowhere. One of the tanks comes barreling through a half-broken wall and blasts into the building. Blows a hole right into the side of it! Germans come pouring out like a bleeding wound. Tank had to back out as a panzer showed up and they start duking it out while the rest of us have to take care of the men pouring out of the building. Not sure how many I got this time. But the panzer got blown up at some point.

Our tank got pretty banged up, though. We've been stuck here for two days while they work to fix the thing. And yet again, Tommy, now a mjor, is talking about medals. I think he's a little touched in the head. I've already got two bronze stars and a silver. I don't need more. Oh, and more promotions. I'm now a sergeant, Rosko and Dick are both Corporals, and Garman... well, Garman's a captain. That's all that's left of Charlie Company. But we've joined Delta and Echo, and troops from the 116th and 117th infantry regiments.

Once the armor is fixed, we're heading north, towards Belgium. Apparently the Allies have managed to establish a forward base somewhere called the Ardens? Something like that. We're to meet up with others at somewhere called Antwerp. I hope they have some real food. I'm getting used to the rations, and actually like the coffee, but I want something a little more filling for a change. And some cigarettes that don't taste like they've already been smoked would be nice, too.

December 16, 1944
I don't know what I expected, but Antwerp isn't the worst place. I've managed to get a solid meal for a change, and more than once. And sleep in an actual bed.

It's not exactly peaceful, though. We're right on the front lines, so there's constantly something happening. Charlie, Delta, Echo, and the 3rd Armored have all been tasked with holding the city for now. It's an important port for supplies and troops.

Rosko's worried, though. There haven't been more than a few small skirmishes in the last few days. We didn't do anything to push the Germans back yet. He thinks something big is coming. I've learned not to doubt him now. He must be some kind of sage or something. He always knows when something is about to hap (the entry ends abruptly, with the last pen stroke trailing off the page)

January 28, 1945
I have seen hell. I have walked through it, and come out the other side. That was D-Day. I have done it again here at Antwerp. The beach was only a few days. This was a damned month. In winter.

The Germans suddenly pushed. Tanks, troops, shells. Antwerp's in ruins. More than when we got here. For almost a month they kept sending more troops, dropped more bombs. Airplanes flew overhead constantly. Our and theirs. A bunch of them crashed all around. But somehow, we did it. We survived, and even pushed back. The tanks came rolling in and finally broke their line and have been charging ahead to drive them back. We lost a lot of good men... a lot of people died. But I think the Jerry's lost more than we did. A lot more. This feels like it was a desperate final attempt to push, and they lost. We might actually be near the end of this war. Rosko thinks so, too. We've been hearing reports that the Soviets are hammering away at Hitler's eastern front and pushing deep into Germany.

I should tell what I did. I was assigned as a lookout atop one of the old towers here. Lookout pretty quickly became sniper. Dick came up with a radio and we called out movement when we could. What I couldn't hit with a round, we called artillery or bombs from our air boys. At least until the German planes came back. I guess I've made a name for myself, because the boys are calling me the Kentucky Crackshot, even ones I haven't met yet. Some Canadian General stationed here supplied me with a Springfield rifle. New one, too. With a great scope. Guess I'm officially a sniper now. I have 86 confirmed kills. Which I'm told is a lot. 42 of them were from this last month.

Oh, I'm also a Master Sergeant. I don't know how I keep getting more bars, but it's definitely official. General Patton himself awarded a lot of us with the promotions... and more damned medals. I got a second oak leaf cluster for my Bronze Star, which means I have three of the damned things, something called a 'V' device for heroism, and a Silver Star. The V thing was because I did something really stupid. One of our planes came down in the middle of the city. Dick and I were just changing positions when it hit right in front of us. I don't know why I did it, but the next thing I know, I'm pulling this fox out of the burning rubble. The gods must be looking out for me, because I burnt up my uniform a bit, and my fur got a little singed, but somehow I didn't get injured at all. Guess that makes me a hero? I don't know. The fox was pretty badly hurt, but I think he'll live. I hope so. We lost enough people.

Dick... Dick didn't make it. Another time we were moving positions, a shell took out the tower we were in. I just got out, but Dick (There are several scratched out attempts at words) We found his body in the rubble three days later. Most of it.

Garman's a Major now. Rosko's a Staff Sergeant. The three of us are all that's left of Charlie Company now. Rosko took some shrapnel during one of the raids, but it was nothing too bad. Cut up his arm a bit, but he's tough. He joked that he'll finally get a medal I don't have once he gets a purple heart for this.

For now, we're here to recover, but we'll probably be sent out soon. Most of the tanks already left. They charged on ahead to keep up the momentum after crushing the assaults. I think this might be our final big push. We'll be marching right into Germany next. Gods know how hard the Jerrys will fight to keep us out.

March 19, 1945
We followed the 3rd Armored again. I guess Charlie is part of them now. We got involved in something called Operation Lumberjack. Captured a city called Cologne. Wasn't easy. Nothing's been easy. But I got to see why people are calling the 3rd the 'Phantom Warriors' now. Bunch of us infantry grunts caused a big fuss that got the Jerrys' attention. Then the tanks came barreling in out of nowhere once the panzers started moving. Ambushed an ambush. Left half the panzers smoking rubble while the others tried to flee or surrendered.

Imagine that. Germans surrendered to us, right in the middle of what used to be their own territory. And scuttlebutt is that the Soviets are pushing into Berlin. This war really is going to end soon. Gods, I hope so. From what I've seen of France and Belgium, I don't know how they'll ever recover from this. I'm not sure how I will, either. There's talk among the troops about what we'll do once the war is over. Most are just happy to go home. Rosko said he wants to meet a nice French lady and make many little babies. I couldn't help but laugh. I think he'll be a good father.

I don't know how to answer the question, though. I never thought much about a future. Pa would probably want me to find a sweet girl and give him many grandkids. Ma would be happy for that, too. But I don't know anymore. It feels like I've been out here a lifetime. I don't know what I'll do out of uniform. Maybe

Maybe I'll enlist again. I mentioned that to Garman, and he said I should try for officer's training. I don't hate the idea. Something I'll have to think about.

May 8, 1945
It's over. Today is officially the end of this war. At least here in Europe. They're saying it'll be a holiday. VE Day. Victory in Europe. Navy's still fighting the Japs, though. But that probably won't last much longer, either. But we're going to be shipped home soon.

Home. I don't know why, but I'm scared to go home. I'm more scared of that then when the shells were falling in Antwerp. I wrote a letter to Ma and let her know I'll be back soon. But I didn't tell her that I've chosen to follow Garman's advice. I'm going to try to enroll into officer's training.

What I am looking forward to is some home cooking. I miss Ma's grits. With some good old fashioned cornbread. I am going to miss some of these French cigarettes, though. I've been trading the ones in my rations for some of these French ones. You'd think that they would be making terrible ones what with the occupation. Not a fan of the wine though. Not sure why it's supposed to be famous. I'll take a whiskey any day over it.

Rosko. Oh Rosko.

Rosko showed me a side that I didn't know. I don't know if I should write this down or not. When we got the news the war was over, he just gave me a big kiss on the lips. I thought he was just caught up in the excitement, but he asked if I wanted more when we were in private. I didn't know he was queer like that. He seemed too take it well when I turned him down, but I could see he was real worried. Promised that I wouldn't tell no one about him being queer. He tried to say he's not, still wants to find a good woman to make some babies with. I'm not sure what to feel about all that. We're like brothers now. I will keep my promise. I won't tell no one. Maybe he should stay in France after all.

July 21, 1947
It's been some time. Say hello to Lieutenant Jacksram. That's right, I made it through officer training. Wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

They immediately shipped me back out to Europe. I'm in France again. A lot has changed in only two years. I'm being stationed in Paris for now. I never got here during the war. They're still reconstructing major parts of the city. There's also talk about tension with the Soviets about how to handle Germany. Something bad is brewing again. Everyone is real tense about the Soviets now. We just finished fighting the Germans, do we really need to start pointing guns again? So much for being allies. I guess without a common enemy, we lost a reason for being friendly.

I miss Rosko. I didn't think I would miss him as much as I did. But I spent almost every day with him at my side for a year. He didn't stay in France. I still write letters to him. He congratulated me on becoming lieutenant, but couldn't be at the ceremony.

Ironic, I met a nice French girl here, Allaine. Sweet rabbit. Terrible cook. Her English needs work, too. I don't know just what our relationship is yet, but she's... Well, let's just say, she's been very friendly, and her bed is softer than my cot.

September 8, 1949
Whoever thought splitting a city in half was a damned idiot. Especially one deep in the other side of the split country. I've been moved to West Berlin. Tension here is sky high. It feels like we're ready for shooting to start again any day. I half expect to be woken up by the sound of tanks coming down the street.

Oh, I'm also a captain now. It feels very strange to be in charge of so many people. Only a few years ago, I was one of those young privates. Now I'm a leader. Gods help me, I hope I never have to order them into the same kinds of situations I was forced to march into.

Met a nice German girl, though. Elga, a kind of plump boar. Her English is surprisingly good, and her food is even better. I can see how she got so plump. If I'm not careful, I might be the same soon. Her mother doesn't like me at all. I've only learned a little bit of German, but I know when someone is insulting me. She's not a fan of soldiers in general. I don't blame her, honestly. At least Elga seems to like the uniform. REALLY like it. Though she's happy enough to strip me out of it, too.

January 6, 1951
It's funny. When I first enlisted, I wanted to join the navy so I could take the fight to Japan. Now here I am, almost ten years later and I'm in Asia only to fight a completely different bunch of people.

Got promoted to Major, and immediately shipped off to South Korea now. The Chinese and Soviets are backing North Korea, and for some reason, the US got involved. And there's quite a lot of shooting already. So much for this being a cold war. I guess we're not fighting each other directly. What was it the General said? Proxy war? Though we're not supposed to call it a war, I guess. Still, there's going to be a lot of these happening if this one is anything to go by.

I'm back to my old sniper tricks again. Only this time, I have a squad of riflemen to back me up. Not as many buildings to hide in, so we've been using the trees. It's a bit trickier. Equipment is better, at least.

May 3, 1952
Got a letter from Ma today. Pa died. He collapsed at the factory. Heart attack. He was dead before he got to the hospital. I'll miss the funeral, too.

Got a letter from Rosko, too. Better news. He found himself that wife he was looking for. A possum named Sarah. He sent a few pictures. She's pretty. And holding a little baby raccoon. Their son, which they named Kyle after me. I'm real happy for him. Don't have a girl of my own. I've met a few sweet Korean ladies, but I've learned not to go falling for a local girl. I'd only go breaking their hearts. Maybe after Korea, I'll actually go back home and try to find a nice girl for a change. Someone I can actually be with for more than a few months.

February 3, 1953
Another promotion. Lieutenant Colonel. If this keeps up, I'll end up being a General before I'm 30. Actually feel like I earned it this time. I lead a small team into the hills and we set up sniper positions outside of a supply depot, while another team infiltrated. We provided cover while the team set explosives. It was ordinance and weapons, including a lot of anti-air and artillery shells. Wish we could have taken the supplies, but denying them to the enemy is still good. The sabotage team got in and out without taking a single casualty or setting off any alarms, and we blew the whole depot to kingdom come. It's a pretty major blow to this region. The next day, we were able to roll tanks through and push the front forward without risk of shelling. It's not much, but it's more than we've done in months.

July 28, 1953
The war... sorry, the 'conflict' is officially over. Or to put it more accurate, the fighting is done for now. No side surrendered, and they didn't even sign a damn peace treaty, just a cease fire. This whole thing was so pointless. Didn't accomplish a damned thing, just killed a whole lot of people. The US is leaving troops stationed here in South Korea, but for the most part, we're pulling out. Most of the boys are going home. I'm happy for them.

I'm not. I'm being sent somewhere else. Here's the real kicker. I'm being sent to a navy base in Japan. The irony is so thick I could wear it like a blanket. It's only temporary, though. I'm not sure where I'm going from there. Maybe after my next mission, I'll actually go home. Even if just for a little bit. I haven't seen Ma in so long. And it'd be nice to visit Rosko. Maybe I could track down old Garman, see what he's up to.

(All the following entries are written in code. Translated for the reader's convenience.)

August 17, 1958
My Russian is improving. Still not good enough to go behind the Iron Curtain yet, but I can at least understand what the Ruskies are saying. When they're not talking in code, at least. My German is coming along quite well, though.

My team has been in East Germany for three months now. We finished setting up a second intel route back to West Berlin. Of course, we haven't managed to find out anything of any major importance just yet. Mostly names of ranking officers moving around the region.

Who would have guessed that an old grunt like me would be recruited into intelligence. Or that I'd make full bird colonel by only 32. Life sure has a way of taking you by surprise. I think someone in DC has an eye on me. Only way I can explain things. Or I'm just lucky. If you can call it that. Still, I have a good team. I'm going to be out here for another few months, and then head back to West Germany by early next year. We have one more intel route we'd like to establish first.

February 9, 1959
I don't know if I should be writing this down. Even in code. But I wasn't told not to.

I had... a dream. Or vision. Or something. Religious experience is probably the best way I can put it. I went to sleep, but found myself suddenly in the presence of a lion. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Tall, powerful, exuding danger. She wore aggression and conflict like a dress. I can't explain it any better than that. It was like she wore ideas as clothing. When she spoke, her voice was booming and subtle at the same time. I immediately knew who she was, but she still introduced herself. Ket, god of war. I thought I had died and she had come to take me. That made her laugh. Oh how I wish I could hear that laugh more.

No, she came to me with an offer. She has chosen me to be one of her champions. She did not explain why. I'm just a boy from Kentucky. All she told me is that I will do great things. That I understand the necessity of war, but also the futility of it. Conflict need not be violent, but violence is always just around the corner. She let me take as much time as I needed to answer. I felt like I thought for days. But there was only one answer. When a god reveals themselves to you, and offers you to be their chosen, how can anyone say no? She was pleased. Still raked her claws into my chest. Felt like burning fire.

I woke only a few hours later. I thought it had been a dream. Or that I had finally lost my mind. But the marks on my chest are still there. Three claw marks. Not scars. My fur's color has changed, white where it once was tan. The mark of Ket. I am also more powerful than I once was. Stronger, faster. My eyesight seems even better than before. My muscles are bigger. My reactions are faster. I feel ten years younger. I even look younger. I think I'm taller, too. My uniform doesn't fit nearly as well. Even my claws and teeth seem sharper. I don't know what my lady wants of me, but her gifts feel amazing.

But I need to be careful. My aggression is also stronger. I nearly lost my temper at a corporal for simply not saluting quick enough. I think I scared the poor man half to death with the glare I gave him. I will need to keep myself in control. These gifts are great, but the power of a god now flows through my veins. A very dangerous one.

And I worry what great things She has in store for me.

October 20, 1962
Tatiyana Kolovanovitch. The Magpie. Tiger, Russian spy, assassin. Champion of Ket.

Traitor.

She infiltrated the base several nights ago. I don't know how I knew she was there, but I was woken from a sound sleep by a feeling. I've come to know it as Ket's influence. A predator's warning of a threat. Another apex predator in my territory. She was waiting for me. Just standing there in the middle of the base like she owned the place. She did not need to tell me what she was, a fellow champion. I knew before I saw her. She then did something I never expected. She offered me a deal. Fight her. Win or lose, she would surrender, and even defect, offering all the intel she had to give. I should have refused.

There was no way I could refuse. I needed to fight her. Some instinct compelled me. We left the base, found a nice clearing where no one would see us. I should have expected some plot to lure me away, to assassinate me or infiltrate the base while I was away, but I knew she was sincere. Champion to champion, there was nothing to hide. She came to fight me. And fight we did. She was faster, I was stronger. She was better at close combat, but I could break her grip easily. She could get close, I could throw her away. We were equals in different measures. We fought. Oh did we fight. I have never fought like that in all my life. We fought until the sun rose. Muscles ached. Both of us bleeding from claws and teeth, clothing in tatters.

And then we fucked. Not made love, not had sex. No. It was not so romantic. Not so clean. We fucked. Hard. And long. And many times. And still it was a fight. I got just as many new claw marks from that fucking than I did from the fight. Gave just as many, too. And teeth. I have never met a woman like her. When it was done, we were both spent, bloody, aching, and exhausted. She honored her deal. She surrendered, while still pressed against me. If I had it in me, I would have taken her again right there.

I took her back to the base. Troops gave some very strange looks as we both walked in wearing tattered, bloody clothing and wounded as we were. She was put in cuffs and taken by the MP, but I still made sure she got looked at by the docs. I have granted her temporary amnesty while she is on the base, as long as she cooperates. She has been in interrogations since, spilling all kinds of dirty soviet secrets. A general is coming in two days to take over the interrogations. I know she will be taken away. I wonder if I can convince the brass to let me follow. She is the most talkative to me.

She defected for many reasons, but the biggest was the execution of her sister, Anya. For nothing more than talking back to an off-duty officer, she was taken and shot. She was only 19. I know spies. I know they can make up stories for cover and play the emotions. But I know she is not lying. She came to me, another champion, because I would know she was telling the truth.

Ket has been silent about this, too. I have asked Her, but She has said nothing to me. I'm taking that to mean Tatiyana's actions are sanctioned by our shared divine matron.

September 2, 1967
Brigadier General Jacksram. Who would have ever thought such a thing was possible. Not me, that's for sure.

And I'm back in the states. I'm working with US intelligence more directly now. My work in East Germany and with the 'capture' of known Soviet agent Tatiyana Kolovanovitch, along with several covert operations that I was in charge of following the intel Tatiyana gave us, has apparently gotten more notice within the intelligence channels. I've been specifically trying to help root out soviet spies that may have infiltrated into the US. So far, we've only found two, a couple in California, but we are hopeful to find more.

Thanks to the information she has given, as well as my... almost pleading to the upper ranks, Tati's defection has been allowed. She has been given a new name and identity, Tanya Milova, Russian immigrant that came to the states with her parents shortly before the start of the war. Those parents have since died from illness. She now works closely with me. She does a lot of other things with me, too. We're going to need a new bed. Again. New kitchen table, too. Higher ups were not particularly happy with me marrying her, but they can kiss my ass.

(The following is not a journal entry, but a clipping of a newspaper article. The article describes a three star US general who has vocally supported Vetlife, an organization dedicated to helping better the lives of veterans of the Vietnam war. The photograph shows a scarred, middle-aged puma in military dress uniform, with a pregnant tiger at his side, her arm in his. Two small tigers are also nearby, both saluting. The caption under reads: 'General Kyle Jacksram and his wife, Tanya Jacksram, along with children Ronald (age 6) and Mary (Age 5). May 6, 1981')

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