Private Kate Kipton: The Beginning

Kate looked at the mangled bodies before her feet. She cried softly as she stood over her brother, his black fur matted with blood. His eyes were wide, his breath short, and his mouth opened and closed with no voice. “Shhhh…” She soothed, making sure he didn’t speak. “If you talk, you’ll lose more energy.” She whispered. He smiled, his eyes beginning to close. “Marcus!” She yelled at him, making his eyes open a bit more. “K...K...Kate…” He whispered his voice raspy and hard. She said nothing, and merely stared at him. “Kate,” he repeated “Tell our brother that I’m sorry. I tried, and I’m sorry.” Kate licked his cheek for comfort. “Don’t worry Marcus, you’ll…you’ll be fine. Then we can go home. Maybe we can retire, if we just…” Marcus nodded and smiled as he closed his eyes. He laid his head upon the ground, took a large breath, and stood still, a smile still on his face. P.K. looked at him, her eyes watery with sadness and anger. “Marcus? Marcus! MARCUS!” She called his name between gasps of air, and began to think of everything that had happened, and everything that used to be.

Happier Days

Kate looked around for the first time in her life. The strange cell she was in felt safe to her, though she didn’t know why. She turned around and saw her wolf mother, and her 2 slightly older brothers. Her mother, Mandy, smiled when she looked at her. “Craig!” She called out. “Kate finally opened her eyes! Hurry and look!” Not too long after her mother called out, a male hyena from the cage next to them peeked his head out from his cage and looked into theirs. Kate turned to face the male, and when she looked at him, he smiled and said “Hi sweetie.” She had heard his voice before, though he didn’t seem familiar. She grinned and yapped at him. She crawled over to him quickly and stuck her head through the bars. He looked at her eyes and smiled. “You have my parent’s eyes! A perfect dark emerald green.” he exclaimed. She giggled and went to go back to her mother.

She tried to pull away from the bars but her head was stuck. She yipped in frustration and began twisting her head. The male hyena tried to calm her but she struggled even more. Just then, a human came in and saw Kate between the bars. “My goodness!” He exclaimed “Calm down girl, you could break your neck.” Kate didn’t know this man, and he smelled strange too. She struggled to escape him, but he grabbed her head, pushed her ears down, and pushed her head back through the bars. When he let go, she nipped at his finger, barely missing. He smiled. “Trying to get a good look at your father huh?” He was wearing a strange white coat, with thick glasses. His blonde hair looked shiny and clean. She tilted her head in confusion. Father? The hyena was her father? She looked at the other cage but he had disappeared from sight. The man whistled, and in a few seconds, her brothers joined her and watched the strange man.

Her oldest brother, Marcus, had an all black coat and dark brown eyes. They made you look down at the ground in submission, especially when he was angry. Her other brother, Jesse, looked almost like her, but their colors were different. He was a dark gray, with snowy white tufts of hair on his head, back, and chest. He had a back tipped tail, and black stockings as well. His eyes were green, just like hers. Kate, on the other hand, was a snowy white color, with dark gray hair and chest. She had a gray and black tipped tail and silver gray on her front legs. Strange markings were on both arms, and she was proud of them. They watched the strange man in amazement as he whistled a tune to them. Marcus, who grew frustrated with the man, ran over to the front of the cage and barked angrily at him. They weren’t really barks, but more like angered yips. Jesse ran up to join his brother, and nipped at the man. The man laughed at them, then left. Kate sat in the same spot, and watched her brothers strut about the cage triumphantly.

After several weeks of being in the “lab cages”, Kate began to feel restless. She had been in a cage for her whole life, and she was tired of it. She paced about the cage as her brothers stared out across the long room. “Kate, I hate it when you pace. Please stop.” It was her mother. She had seemed more tired lately. Even a bit harsher. Kate stopped, and moved the tuft of hair in front of her face away. “Yes mother.” Kate said sadly. She joined her brothers, and stared at the same counters and tables she had looked at the day before. And the day before that, and the day before that, and… Kate’s attention focused on Fred. Fred was the first human she had met. His blonde hair today smelled of watermelon, and shone brightly. She yipped at him and wagged her tail happily. “Kate my beauty, how are you?” He crouched by the cage as the puppies swarmed around the bars, jumping and whining excitingly. He opened the cage, and grabbed Kate. She licked his face, and barked loudly. He laid her on the counter, and began to inspect her. She stood still, and watched him open her mouth and feel her muscles. He smiled, and lifted her off the table. She whined, expecting to be taken back to the cage as usual. But instead, Fred walked toward a door. She stopped struggling, and looked around at the part of the room she had never seen before. Her mother sat up and yipped worryingly. Her father stood up and looked through the bars at his daughter. He whimpered loudly, but Fred didn’t even look at them. Her brothers watched her sadly, and whined softly. Her family’s uneasiness made her uncomfortable, and she struggled to get away from Fred. Fred held her tightly though, and ignored her yips and whines of protest. He took her to another room, where 3 other scientists stood, chatting amongst themselves. “James, come look. I think this is the one he wants.” Fred carried Kate to the cold metal table in the center of the room, and then said “Look. Her ears are the largest of her family, so she will be able to hear the best. She has a great nose, and eyes like a hawk. Her paws are large, her legs are powerful and stocky, and she’s already got a great deal of muscle. I think she’s what he wants.” “Plus, he could breed her later.” One of the men suggested. All of them nodded. James looked her over, and when he opened her mouth, she growled and bit down on his fingers. He yelled in pain, and tried to free himself, but Kate held her jaws tight. She tasted a small amount of blood, and bit even harder. Fred pried her mouth open, and James pulled his bloody fingers out. “She’s strong!” He managed to say between small gasps and groans of pain. Kate glared at all the men, and each one smiled at her. “Great” said an unnamed man. “I’ll alert the General immediately. Take her outside and put her in the yard. He’ll probably get here too soon to need to put her back in her cage.” Fred nodded, and placed Kate outside in the sunny grass. She quickly began sniffing the ground, and running freely. She stopped when she sniffed the strange, musky, oily smell. Not too long after, a large army truck pulled up and a man of about 45 stepped out. He was dressed in a green uniform, and had a large black moustache on his face. Kate snorted at him, and walked away. He laughed, and called her name. How did he know her? She walked toward him slowly, and watched his every move. Fred came up, and picked her up by her scruff. She yelped, and struggled. “So this is Kate?” the man asked. “Yes General Kipton.” Fred responded. “She’s gorgeous isn’t she? Shows you what a bit of selective and careful breeding can do.” The general nodded. General Kipton looked at Kate, and said “You’re coming home with me young lady. From now on, you are a soldier of the United States of America!” Kate growled at him, and he laughed heartily. “I’ll take her brothers as well. I wouldn’t want her to be lonely. Plus, I need a few real men in my unit. All my soldiers are new little weaklings.” Fred smiled, and placed Kate in the Generals arms. He hugged Kate to her chest, and she stood still. She liked him… but only a little. “Kate.” He said to her. She looked up at him, her green eyes looking into his strong brown ones. “From now on, you are part of my unit and family. From now on, you will be known as Private Kate Kipton.” She wagged her tail. He thought for awhile. “Kind of a long name though. Better call you P.K.” He looked down at her again. “It stands for Private Kate. Not Private Kipton.” She yipped happily, and he laughed again. She liked him a lot more now. It wasn’t long until her brothers were brought out, and after a small goodbye to the scientists, they were taken away in their new owner’s car. They never saw their parents again after that day.

Basic Training

When Kate, Jesse, and Marcus arrived at the base camp, they were carried to the yard. “Attention!” the general yelled, and all the men from his unit lined up and stood in straight rows. Kate watched in amazement, but her brothers were more interested in a small fly. “This here is Private Kate Kipton, Private Jesse Kipton, and Private Marcus Kipton. They have been specially bred, along with their parents, to become mean, lean, army fighting machines! They were meant for strength, stealth, endurance, and