Max – Chapter 1: The War Dog

~Kitty


May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And
let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay
Forever young

- Bob Dylan, Forever Young


Inuyasha climbed out of the well, sniffed, and resisted the urge to gag. Ugh… He hated the smell of this time. It was loud and stinky, and the food was probably the only thing it had going for it. 'Why did I let that stupid monk convince me to come here again?'

The sun was just setting behind the horizon and Inuyasha snorted. "Oh yeah…" he said aloud.

It was his human night, and it was probably safer for him to be here. A would-be growl awkwardly tried to release itself from changing vocal cords and he felt his senses dull as the sun finished disappearing. He hated new moon nights the most in the winter. Not only was it damn cold, but the night was longer. Inuyasha glanced toward the house with its cheery light and inviting smells. At least now with this safe haven, he had a place he could relax.

"Osuwari!" Slam! Inuyasha found himself eating dirt beside the well. 'What the fuck?!'

"Good boy!" Kagome's voice crooned. Inuyasha stood slowly, now fully transformed back into his weaker half. Angry that Kagome would punish him for no good reason, he stomped out of the well house in order to give the girl a piece of his mind. Just as he rounded her corner, he heard her voice issue another command.

"Down!" Inuyasha cringed. It took him a moment to remember that only that "O" word could have the devastating effects. He growled the best he could.

"Oi, wench," he growled angrily, "The fuck do you think you're doing?"

The girl in question turned sharply, startled. Inuyasha was a picture of grumpy annoyance, arms folded, eyebrows knitted together in a ferocious glower. He was only able to hold the pose for but a moment, because the next second, a shape appeared from behind the girl, low to the ground, and dark in color.

The creature regarded him stoically, almost analytically. Its nose twitched continuously, gathering the subtleties about his body. The dog even opened its mouth, as if to taste the air like a snake.

"Hi Inuyasha," Kagome's voice broke through his surprise, "You're here for the night?"

Recollecting himself, he regained his aloof stance and muttered his trademark "keh". But he couldn't keep his eyes from the creature for long. Kagome noticed the direction of his gaze and smiled to herself.

"His name is Max," she offered, "This is the military dog that fought alongside my father before he died." Inuyasha seemed shocked. Kagome had never mentioned her father during their travels together. There was no sadness or pain when she spoke of him now.

"We spent several years begging the government to adopt him." The girl turned to Max and gently scratched his ears. The dog turned his attention from analyzing the stranger to lean in against her, enjoying the attention from one that smelled so similar to his previous master. Inuyasha watched the animal jealously for a moment.

"Keh, why should I care?" he said callously, brushing past her to enter the house. Max seemed to sense Kagome's displeasure from his behavior and lifted a lip with a soft growl of warning. Inuyasha rounded on the dog, fangless teeth bared, growling the best he could with human vocal cords. The dog met his challenge calmly, as if aware that it was an empty threat, all show and no bite. His stance was sturdy and strong between the dark haired demon and human girl, protecting her, claiming her. Inuyasha didn't like that one bit. He stomped towards the dog, fully intending to grab Kagome's arm and hauling her to her proper place by his side. The dog stood his ground, issuing a clear warning: "one step further and I bite!"

"Really Inuyasha," Kagome's voice cut through the tension, "Are you trying to pick a fight with a dog?"

Inuyasha snapped back, "What of it, bitch?"

Kagome frowned, hurt but his crude words. Hadn't they gotten past the name-calling already? She patted Max's head and moved past him into the house.

"Keep it in your pants, you don't have to start a pissing contest over some old dog," she said scornfully. Max followed her fluidly back into the house, leaving Inuyasha outside with his thoughts. A small shiver rolled up his back. He growled, unpleasant memories returning to his mind before being shoved back into the darkness of his subconscious. With a small sigh, he stomped into the house, a frown deeply etched into his forehead.

With the old war dog present, no one had attention to give to Inuyasha and after a hearty dinner, he spent the night sulking in the living room while Kagome and Souta fawned over the mangy creature. They had an old scrappy notebook they kept referring to and tried a variety of different commands with the dog, with varying success. Kagome seemed to be the natural and Max followed her movements and tone with attentive eagerness.

"Why does he always listen to you?" Souta complained with a huff, feeling frustrated. Inuyasha snorted from his corner, earning a bit of attention for himself.

"Do you want to try, Inuyasha?" Souta asked, holding out a strange red object. Inuyasha looked down at the rubber toy quizzically before huffing.

"The mutt's not gonna listen to me."

"Hey, you never know! Maybe he'll listen to you because you're both dogs?"

"Keh, I ain't its master."

"What, and I am?" Kagome asked, joining the conversation. Max followed at Kagome's heels and settled himself down at her feet when she sat down on the couch next to the human-for-the-night hanyou. The boy tried his best to ignore it, but his eyes kept sneaking over to watch as Kagome absently stroked the dog's head, between the ears. Long, soothing strokes just like his mother used to when he was uneasy…

Inuyasha blinked and shook himself and looked away. "Mutt seems to think so."

Kagome frowned at Inuyasha, surprised he would refer to the dog in such a way.

"His name is Max, and he's a purebred Belgian Malinois, he's not a mutt," she informed him. "Why would he think of me as his master?"

Inuyasha had felt his heart twinge when the girl clarified the dog's lineage, clearly not a dirty mutt like himself. Looking back at her, he paused before answering her question.

"He can smell the battlefield on you," Inuyasha replied, "And you probably smell a little like your old man. That's probably why."

"The battlefield…," Kagome repeated, frowning, "You mean all the fighting we do on the other side of the well? He can smell that?"

"Er, well, maybe not smell, but it's obvious you've seen battle."

"Really?" Souta chimed in curiously, "How can you tell?"

Inuyasha was beginning to feel flustered by his inability to explain properly. "Keh, I just can and the dog can too. Ok?"

He stood with a huff and marched outside, belatedly remembering it was a cold winter's night and that he no longer had the aid of his demon blood to keep him alive. He stayed outside for as long as he could bear, thankful to hear Kagome decide to turn in to bed and he crept back inside after she'd disappeared up the stairs. The house began to grow quiet as the rest of the household retired for the night, and Inuyasha remained in the living room, wanting to wait until all residents were asleep before taking up a watchful post outside Kagome's door.

The forgotten notebook on the livingroom table caught his eye and after checking that the coast was clear, he reached for it and turned to page one.

Today I met Max.

Inuyasha physically flinched, realizing that he was reading the private thoughts of Kagome's father and that it was probably something he ought to get explicit permission for first. Still, the tug of his curiosity soon beat out common sense and his eyes returned to the pages and continued.

This little pup is so uncoordinated, I'm not sure he'll make it as an MWD. Ah well, he sure is cute. I know my daughter would love him.

Inuyasha sniffed, cute doesn't save you in a battle.

The drive this dog has though! He'd do anything for a Kong and a good ear scratch. The little shitter is obsessed with that thing and he wears my arms out play fetch with it. And he has the stinkiest shits.

Inuyasha snickered, enjoying the faceless man's tone as he described his dog. His partner. The rigors of training and the slowly budding friendship between military working dog and its handler.

A dog is a man's best friend and I'm starting to see why they get that title. I love this little pup already, and I swear to God I'll take care of him forever.

Inuyasha bit his lip, should he continue? This was personal stuff after all… Maybe just a few more entries…

I truly couldn't have asked for a better dog. I swear he knows me better than anyone else, even myself. Whenever I've had a bad day, whenever the stress gets to me, he'll come up and press himself against me and… there's nothing I can say to describe it, to feel the presence of someone who has your back. I love that dog. I'd give my life for that dog. His eagerness to work everyday inspires me to try harder. For my country, for my brothers in arms, for my family. He's already a better man than I can ever be and he's barely a year old.

There was something uncomfortable about reading this journal. Perhaps it was the fact that he knew how it would end. Unless Kagome's father was still alive and kicking somewhere without his family's knowledge, this story was going down a dark path and he wasn't sure he should be privy to it. Yet despite himself, he had to read on.

I miss home. I miss my wife. I miss my kids. It seems like every time I close my eyes, I can feel Kaya and Kagome and Souta in my arms. God, I miss my family. Out here in the dust and blood, these little traces of memory haunt me. This place, the explosions, the gunfire, it's like an alternate reality, a nightmare. My grounding force is Max. Reliable Max. Just when I feel like the chaos is about to tear me to shreds, there's Max. Working harder, pushing further, always eager, always ahead. My whole team relies on Max. To keep us safe, to keep our spirits high.

It's hard to admit it. I mean, I already accepted that we have to rely on Max's nose to keep us safe. I never expected to rely on Max's strength to keep us sane. There's nothing like the tireless work ethic of a dog to make you pull yourself up by your sorry bootstraps and fight on for one more day. He doesn't rest, he doesn't cry. He gets up every morning and puts his life on the line for me and my men. If I had one goal in life, it would be to be worthy of such a noble sacrifice.

Inuyasha couldn't bear to read further. Somehow, reading about this dog that was now guarding Kagome made him feel entirely inadequate and he hated it. Inuyasha crossed his arms and brought up his legs to curl into himself as he struggled with a strange surge of emotion in reaction to the journal. No more. He shut the journal with a determined smack and set it down on the table.

A soft shuffle alerted him that he wasn't alone and he looked up to see the dark figure of the old, battle-worn, war dog staring back at him. He wasn't sure he liked the judgement he thought he saw in those deep brown eyes and he tried to growl at the creature.

Max didn't see the internal struggle the hanyou boy was going through. He didn't see the complex thoughts that clashed with each other as they stared at one another. Max saw a boy, a boy who was fighting a battle, in some way, shape or form.

He saw the battlefield in this boy and felt kinship with it.

So he crept forward, despite the cold reception the boy gave him. He crept closer and sat beside this strange boy with strange scents. Pressing his body against the boy's stiff side, he laid himself down and sighed. Inuyasha stayed rigid for a breath, confused by this act of compassion, before relaxing. Awkwardly, he patted the old dog on his graying head and settled himself deeper into the couch. And together, the two with canine blood dozed lightly, but stayed mostly awake, guarding this house that had come to represent home.


A/N: A little something I started after watching the movie Max about a dog that served in the marines. I'm not normally emotional during movies, but there's just something about the unfailing loyalty of a dog that was put through combat training (not like he had a choice) and then sent ahead of troops to ensure the safety of his human masters with his own life.

I wonder what they're thinking when they're working, if they ever have an off day, or if they would rather be out there in the fighting. I wonder how they feel when they're retired, if they feel like they've lost their purpose, or if they're glad to be removed from battle.

What really gets to me is the fact that these pups never have a choice. Since birth they've been assessed and trained to put their lives on the line for their human handlers. I know the handlers develop a strong bond with the dog, but the handler volunteers to be a handler. The dog doesn't get that choice. It will never cease to amaze me, the loyalty of dogs. I'm so glad I have them in my life.