This part is longer

This part is longer! I hope you all enjoyed the first part, even though it sort of sucked. And as for having the squirrel's name be Axel, it was the only name I could think of at the moment. Thanx for reading!

Axel drummed his fingers on the suitcase as he looked out the window. The sun was just starting to rise and he wanted to leave before his mother woke up. He just couldn't stand to see her crying the way she was the day before. He did feel rather guilty about just leaving like that, but if he didn't leave that way, he may not have found the nerve to leave at all.

The bus hit a few rather large bumps in the road, jarring him out of his thoughts now and then. He usually just brushed it off and continued looking out the window, after taking a quick look at his fellow recruits that is. He wondered what their stories were, if their mothers cried as much as his had, but he tried not to think about it too much. All that was left to think of now was his training. Tears ran from his eyes as he yawned. Guess I'm a lot more tired than I thought. He rubbed his eyes and tried to shake the sleepiness out of his head. He wasn't used to getting up so early, but he was going to have to adjust. Still, it couldn't hurt to get in a few hours of sleep before they reached the camp.

He placed his suitcase on the floor under his feet and leaned up against the wall. He gripped the window with his paw and leaned his head against it, almost like a pillow. He closed his eyes and sighed. He could already feel sleep overwhelming his brain. The bus began to run a bit smoother, allowing him to immediately doze off.

The evil Tediz had been terrorizing the squirrel society in anyway that they could. They would even stoop as low as raiding towns, murdering and raping young squirrels in the streets. That was no surprise, as the Tediz were pure evil. They had even fire bombed Axel's hometown once. He remembered that day very clearly. He was just outside the city limits when it happened. While driving back, he heard the sirens fill the air as the Tediz planes swarmed the sky. Canisters rained down on the city, then exploded into a sea of fire that engulfed half the town. It took fire fighters ten hours to put the flames out. Axel and his mother lived on the other side of town, as did many of his friends, so they were safe, however….

"Sarah!" Axel nearly jumped out of his car and ran into his girlfriend's house, which was still blazing. That didn't matter at all to him though. He could practically hear Sarah screaming in agony as the flames engulfed her alive. Spectators were yelling at him as he kicked the door down, but he didn't care. Sarah was in there, maybe she was still alive. He held his shirt over his nose while he called out her name in a muffled voice. The flames were practically cooking him alive as he ventured deeper into the house. He checked in room after room only to be encountered by a wall of flames, until he finally made it to her room. He nearly busted the door off of its hinges when he kicked it and gaped at what he saw. Sarah, his girlfriend, was lying nearly unconscious surrounded by a small ring of flames. He leapt into the inferno and nearly singed his tail as he picked her up and carried her out the door.

Just as he got outside, a fire crew had arrived and rushed past him to check for anymore survivors in the house. Axel fell to his knees and cradled Sarah in his arms. She was badly burned. Her left arm had almost all of the skin burned off and was bleeding uncontrollably. The skin on her legs was melted and pussing while blood poured from her other burns. She was in pure agony and struggling just to breathe. Fresh tears ran down Axel's face as he held his dying love in his arms. "Sarah, I'm sorry." He managed to whisper as his tears splashed on her face. She opened her scorched eyes and struggled to get air into her lungs. "A….Axel…" Her breath suddenly caught in her throat as her eyes rolled back into her skull and her entire body went limp. "Sarah!?" Axel knew very well what had happened, but his mind refused to listen to logic. He tried shaking her, no response. "Sarah," He patted her lightly on the cheek, no response. "Sarah," He tried kissing her gently on the forehead, no response. Tears overflowed in his eyes as he clung to her body tightly. Finally, he arched his back and screamed at the sky for all he was worth. "SARAH!!!!"

"Axel, wake up!"

Axel struggled out of the dream and found himself back on the bus. He felt a paw gripping his shoulder and turned to his left. There, sitting beside him, was his best friend Riley. He, too, had signed up for the military when Axel signed up the very next day after the bombing. That was a little over a week ago, and Axel had vowed to kill those Tediz bastards for what they had done. "Ya all right, man?" Riley asked as he patted his friend's shoulder. Axel rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look so good,"

"I said I'm fine!"

Riley removed his hand from Axel's shoulder and folded his arms. He gave him a quick smirk and a sympathetic look. "You had that dream again, didn't you?" Axel didn't respond and began staring out of the window, trying to escape the memories that haunted him. Almost every night after Sarah's death he had nightmares. It hurt him so much when she died and his mind was refusing to let go. It was as if suffering was his only way of remembering. He knew that wasn't true, but his mind still played that trick on him. His mind enjoyed watching his heart suffer. "Don't worry about it, man, we'll get there soon." Riley said, patting his bud on the back. "I'm not really looking forward to getting to camp too much." Axel replied, still looking out the window. Riley chuckled a bit, causing him to take his gaze off of the scenery for a second. "What's so funny?"

"I forgot, you were asleep. The bus driver said we'll be stopping by a café for a quick meal before we actually get to camp. I think he heard your stomach growling."

Axel pulled back his fist and punched Riley right in the gut. "Very funny, fuck head." He said as he cracked his knuckles. Riley clutched his chest a bit as the punch knocked a bit of wind out of him. "Damn, I was just kidding!" Axel sighed and crossed his arms. "I know, I'm just nervous. I've got too much to think about right now, most of which I don't want to think about period." Riley nodded his head in understanding. "I know what you mean. Breakfast is on me, how 'bout that?" Axel looked up at his friend with a small smile on his face. "Really?"

"Sure man, why not? I've got extra cash to burn anyway."

"Thanks Riley. I'm starving,"

"What? Your mum forget to pack you your macaroni and cheese?"

Once again, Riley felt pain hit his chest when Axel elbowed him in the ribs. "Your rather violent today, aren't you?" Riley replied as he massaged his bones. Axel crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the seat. "The warrior inside burns, Riley." Riley shook his head and sighed. "You're a weird one, my friend, you're a weird one."

Axel stretched out his arms as his stepped off the bus. The bus ride seemed a lot longer than it should have and it's hard to sit still when you find yourself with the need to punch your friend here and there. "One of these days, I'm gonna use your face to practice my left jab!" Riley yelled while rubbing his right shoulder. Axel looked over his shoulder and grinned sinisterly. "You wouldn't dare! Not after what happened to Chuck McArthur back in 9th grade."

"I never liked that guy anyway. I'm glad you kicked the flying shit out of him."

"It was rather rewarding, even though I got suspended for a week."

"All right guys," the bus driver broke in and made sure he had everyone's undivided attention. "We have a half hour before we need to get going, so eat fast and get back on the bus. We'll be leaving with or without you so don't get left behind." With a nod to confirm they understood, the recruits piled into the diner and took random seats. Riley and Axel took two empty seats at the bar and the latter immediately turned his attention to the small TV in the corner. "Uh, two specials please," Riley said before the waitress could even ask. He then turned to his friend after placing his order. "Just when you thought it was safe to watch CNN." He motioned his paw to the screen. More and more reports on the Tediz activities filled the screen as the bad news of the squirrels getting pushed back followed each broadcast. Axel sighed. "I don't suppose it could get any worse, but it probably will." Riley shook his head and playfully punched his bud in the arm. "If you think like that it will. There's got to be someway to win, we just have to find it." Axel was no longer looking at the TV, his gaze was fixed on the bar and he weakly shook his head. "I hope you're right, but whatever the outcome, I'm going to give those Tediz hell like they've never seen before."

"That's the spirit!" Riley declared as he slapped him on the back. Axel looked up and smirked, then gave him a good sock on the arm. Soon afterward, the waitress returned with their meals, which they immediately dug into. "You got eggs on your uniform, Riley," Axel pointed at his shirt with his fork. "I don't think they're going to like that."

"Not any less than they'll like you talking with your mouth full." Riley replied as he brushed the bit of scrambled eggs off on to the floor.

"Touché."

A sudden blare from the TV made the two squirrels jump and everyone's attention was quickly directed towards the television. "We have just received word that at 7:27am this morning, the town of Sharmon had just been attacked by a Tediz air raid. Over 25,000 are reported dead and 12,000 are injured. Victims range from children to the elderly as rescue workers desperately….."

Every squirrel recruit stared shocked and angry at the report. Those Tediz bastards had done it again, but this time they had gone too far. One can only take so much abuse before being pushed over the edge. Axel was especially enraged by the broadcast. It was the Tediz air raids that had taken Sarah from him, and he would be damned before he let anyone else suffer like she had. His paws shook violently as he clenched them tightly. His grip on the fork became so great that it looked as though he'd break it. "I…am going….to kill those bastards!" he whispered harshly. "Get in line, buddy." Riley said as he examined the expressions of the other recruits. "There is gonna be hell to pay, I promise you that."

To be continued……

Yes, I liked that part better myself. What did you peoples think? Please review!