The Last Watch

As the sun began to fade, warm orange and crimson colors were seen scattered across a battered landscape where silence was now dominant. Trees stood like crooked skeletons. Mild and green soil was hardened and scarred by the war.. Soft screams were heard in the fields, but the breeze was too gentle for their surroundings.

Under the shade of a fallen tree, Corporal Elias Ward stood near the edge of that silence. He had ripped his uniform, covered in blood and dirt. His rifle strap still fit, but his fingers were still curled up around it, indicating that the fight had long since left his body. His face was peaceful, despite the chaos surrounding him, and it was still a peaceful atmosphere that only existed when one relinquished their pain and fate.

Elias was familiar with the feeling of being dead. He had witnessed colleagues disappearing, composed conclusive notes for the dying, and retrieved corpses in the rain. He had walked away from the scene, feeling exhausted but alive.

Until that day.

An unidentified mine had caused the mission to come to an early end. But he had missed it by a second. He had already given a warning before the explosion. His squad, though injured, survived. Elias didn't.

But he wasn't alone.

A small brown puppy, with a matted fur and sorrowful eyes, was lying on his chest. Scout.

Scout had entered the unit's camp weeks before.... He was small back then, feeble and sickly-looking just short of being old enough to make ends meet on his own. While rummaging near the mess tent, Elias discovered him carrying a biscuit in his mouth. The little creature spattering as Elias came near, but refrained from running away. It.

There, I see you're welcome," Elias whispered, on his knee. "It'll be unsafe for someone like me.".

It was a lazy sweep to wad Scout's tail, not fast. Elias smiled. There was nothing written in their communication since then.

The other soldiers made a joke about adopting the boy. "Will you take him in?".

He may have adopted me,' said Elias.

He dispensed food from his plate to Scout. Washed him in a helmet. Let him rest by his side in his sleeping bag at night. Despite hearing the sound of bombs in the distance, Scout let out and avoided Elias. It wasn't as brutal as it seemed with the pup in close proximity. In a world built on orders, ranks and survival Scout offered a quiet friendship that didn’t require words or medals.

Despite the dangers, Scout persevered on their final mission. Elias had tried to attach him to a post while at camp. Scout chewed through the rope.

Having scratched his ears, Elias sighed and said, "I told you to stay.".

The sky had become too quiet that afternoon. The birds weren't singing. There were no shots or yells, only stillness, which made the soldiers feel uneasy. To stop, Elias raised his hand.

Then the mine exploded.

There was a scream. A flash. Dirt rained like ash. Screech, retreated and looked for each other.

Elias was unable to move, suffered from gasping, bleeding, and eventually dying.

Scout reached him first. The sound of howling, his paws on the chest, and bloodlicking over his cheek were heard. For a brief moment, Elias's gaze flickered.

With a tone similar to that of sand, "Hey, buddy..." He whispered:"It's okay...

Scout whimpered.

Elias remained present and smiled. "You held me in my arms.".

Those were his last words.

Under the tall tree, his companions laid him to rest, and the roots wrapped around his last resting place.. A crude wooden cross, with a knife inked into it, was placed at his head:

CPL. ELIAS WARD.

BROTHER – FRIEND – WARRIOR.

Scout was the intended companion they sought. He wouldn't go. He barked. Bit. Fought.

They gave up.

As he had in his past, a place where l was once placed beside Elias. He couldn't leave due to the rain and scorching heat.. Every day, farmers who passed by the field would whisper about the dog that guarded the area like a statue. He was tempted to have food by others.' He wouldn't eat. One senior citizen provided a water bowl. Scout examined it, then returned to the grave.'

He wasn't hungry. He wasn't thirsty.

He was grieving.

Days passed. Scout began to thin. He experienced shaking in his legs while standing.'Unbelievable. But he stayed. Head on the dirt mound. Eyes on the cross. Maybe, he was willing to listen for a voice that remained unreturned.

Scout sat on Elias' grave one last time, as darkness shrouded the valley and dew soaked the grass on the sixth morning.

And never got up.

They laid him to rest, without any burial rites, and only as a guarantee, by placing him beside Elias.

Elias's final resting place was on a large mound, with reeded crosses at its head. The grave of Scout, which was smaller and less elaborate, was located beside it, a quiet patch of earth that spoke its own words.

The loyal puppy's news was widely circulated.. Initially, it traversed adjacent towns and then traveled between military units and nations. It was called "The Pup Who Waited" by newspapers and "I Will Take You To The Rescue" instead by soldiers.

Despite the war being over and peace having been established, the army returned to the site years later. They found the body and reinterred the soldier and their pup in a memorial garden for heroes.

The statue displayed Elias seated under a tree, his helmet on the knee, and Scout resting against him with eyes closed. The plaque read:

"The Last Watch ".

A soldier's final breath. A puppy's eternal vigil.

Veterans came often. Some saluted. Some cried. The youngsters deposited flowers and dog biscuits.

Because sometimes love doesn't march.

Sometimes, it simply stays.

Despite not always being the strongest form of loyalty, orders or oaths can still be used to demonstrate these commitments.

A heartbeat that persists in staying put.

Even when yours has stopped.