If it ain't raining, it ain't training

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

Time: 0530
Weather 64 Degrees, raining, slight breeze

First Sergeant McMillan stepped out onto the make shift football field that lay idle in the middle of the running track. The wind hadn't picked up enough to sink the cold into your bones too swiftly but the rain didn't help much with that either. It probably would have been a beautiful sunrise had it not been hidden behind all the dark clouds, but he wasn't complaining, sun was usually too bright anyway. He had awoke this morning with intentions of sitting outside and cleaning his gear but that was no longer an option. "Well as my old First Sergeant would say back when I had just a skeeter wing on my sleeve 'Boys, if it ain't rainin, it ain't trainin!!'." Those were the good ol' days back when you didn't have any responsibility, back when if you got up on time and didn't back talk, you didn't get popped in the gut for it and no one said a thing to you all day. Well that was all effectively out he window.

He normally liked to start off his workout with a good slow paced long run but he figured he get on with the ground stuff first this time so there wouldn't be so much mud on the soles of his shoes to weigh him down. "One...Two...Three...One...One...Two...Three..."He always recalled in his mind the memories of basic training when he did PT, always herd the Drill Sergeant's voice counting off, always herd him repeating "Keep your head up and breath privates, don't need any of you passing out, with my record they'd think I choked you." Ah yes the good ol' days. "Two...Three...Thriteen...One...Two..." He often wondered if life would ever be that simple again, he knew it wouldn't but he always left room for such things, just in case. "Ahhh, that was pretty good, I still got it." The mud was starting to show up so he skipped the sit ups this time and started on some jumping jacks. "Now this is TRAINING."

[Stephen Colly]

The rain was pouring down, well not pouring as such, but it was raining. Stephen sat in a makeshift shelter just near the feild, staring down at the picture of his horse, Joey, his mind raced of the adventures they had both had together, and then that day when his father had sent his horse off to war, and Stephen had wanted to get it back, and he knew, one day he would.

Hearing the voice of a man, Stephen's head shot up, he could see through the rain, a figure running....running, in this weather? No...he wasn't running, he was training anyway.
Stephen shook his head, mad, really, really mad. He looked back down at his picture, and then pocketed it, looking back up and watching the man.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

As he completed his jumping jacks he noticed that the sky wasn't getting and brighter so it looked as if the rain was here to stay, least for a good while. He paused a moment to check his watch "Well I have effectively used four minutes." He just found a reason to stall. No one ever wants to PT, especially in the rain but it helps prepare for what could happen. His calves had become tight so he leaned over to start streching them "That would not have been enjoyable, running half way around the track and getting a cramp only having to walk back accrss to go ice it up." It had been almost a week since he had finished a good workout and he expected to get the most out of this one.

In the distance he could hear the rumble of large trucks crank up, probably supply, checking there gear before they roll out. He paused his stretching only for a moment to think about how so many paople have so many different jobs just to get this whole ordeal moving forward. "The more pieces something has the better the chances are that something will go wrong." He was recalling days back when he was younger and nothing ever seemed to come out the way it was supposed to. "Enough of that, better do a few more push ups just to keep the blood warm and then a nice long run."

[Stephen Colly]

Stephen just watched the man, he really was mad...he shrugged and went back to his picture, staring at it.

He looked like an idiot, sitting there with his silly little picture of a horse, it was a drawning and underneath was a photograph of the beutiful bay horse.

He looked up again at the Sergeant and stood up, calling out to him. "You look a bit wet sir!" he shouted as hard as he could and then sat back down, and watching.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

"...Two ...Three ...Twenty Seven ...One ...Two ...Thr, Huh?" In the distance he heard a voice, he hadn't noticed anyone out there with him. He stood up and brushed his hands together a bit and looked in the direction of the voice. He noticed a young man sitting down, didn't have a lot on him but that was no reason not to invite him for a good run. "Hello there, yeah the rain has a tendancy to do that. My old supervisors used to tell me that the harder the conditions were, the better the training was, so I figured I'd take advantage of it. Glass half empty or full, something like that. What brings you into the rain?"

It was one thing to be in the rain to do some PT, it was another to just come outside to sit in it, not that he was wet but if the wind picked up that could change. The young man iddn't seem like he was in the best of moods but this wasn't the best lifestyle to have either.

[Stephen Colly]

Stephen heard the sergeant speak, and he strained to hear what the man said.

"Oh, I just came out to think." what a weild thing to say, it sounded odd and after he had said it, he wished he hadn't.
The rain was starting to become heavier as they spoke, it poured down on the two soiders, "I came to think about the war and home." he said, yes that sounded better, by the looks of it the sergeant had come out here to get fit.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

Home... It had been to long since McMillan had thought about the states. To long since he had anything to go home to come to think about it. "Good thoughts I hope." He said as he started walking towards the man. Figured if he was going to hold a conversation that he may as well do it without having to shout all the time. The rain wasn't going anywhere it seemed like, he had a few moments to spare for a chat. "My name is McMillan, and so far I'm pleased to meet you."

[Stephen Colly]

"Good thoughts I hope.".

The answer came from the older man, Stephen shrugged, "Yes, they are I suppose." he said, nodding and watching as the man came nearer, yes that was better to come nearer so they didn't have to shout across the feild.

As the man got closer, Stephen reconised him as one of the sergeants, he could tell now who was who around here, it had taken him a long time to remember but now her could.

"My name is McMillan, and so far I'm pleased to meet you."

"I'm Stephen Colly." Stephen said, standing up and offering his hand to the sergeant, "and its nice to meet you too!" he said, laughing and putting the picture into his pocket quickly.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

As McMillan neared the young man, a hand was out to greet him and he gladly returned the favor. "Someone that has some manners, I like that. That a keepsake you got there." McMillan noticed him put a picture into his pocket rather quickly figuring he wanted to keep it private probably meant that he held it close to his heart. "It's none of my business, what's personal is personal, just making conversation."

[Stephen Colly]

"Someone that has some manners, I like that. That a keepsake you got there."

Stephen smiled, "Thanks." he then took the picture out of his pocket and showed it to the Sergeant, "it may sound stupid, me telling you this...but the reason I have joined up is...well, is to find this." he gave the sergeant the picture.

"Its of my horse, Joey, he was sent off to the war by my father, they don't know I've joined up." he said rather quietly.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

McMillan took the picture from the Private and gave it a good look. It was a rather well bred horse, looked like it had been well cared for also. "Lot of sentamental value I take it?" He said as he handed the picture back to it's owner. "Might sound like a bad reason to most but at least you had a reason, more than I had when I joined so long ago. How is it that they don't know that you've joined up to fight the war?" He said it with a great deal of curiosity and some concern. He found this rather odd, this young man didn't seem to long out of the nest. The rain was still coming down just as hard as it has been for the last hour so he figured he could continue talking for a bit before he got on with his run.

[Stephen Colly]

Stephen pocketed the picture and listened to the sergeant, he was glad that this man didn't say anything mean or affencive to him about the picture.

He looked up into the man's eyes as he asked him about why his parents didn't know.
"I was so mad at my father for giving Joey away to the war, we never talked to each other until last christmas when he gave me a biycle, and I sort of said...it wasn't as good as a horse...he sort of got mad, and so did I, so I tore this picture out of the scrap book, got on the bike, and went off to join up. I wrote them a note saying that I wouldn't be back for a while...I think they got what it ment..." Stephen trailed off, "I want to find Joey, I need to find him then we can go home together."

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

"Oh, I see. Well I'm no one's parent and I am certainly not one for telling people how to live there lives. All I want to say is that you will regret not having made amends with your dad if you never see him again." McMillan said it as his gaze lowered, the words came out with a little bit of history attached to them. "The least you could do is let them know you are ok. Doesn't matter how mad a parent gets, they always worry about their children. They must be pretty good ones at that due to the fact that you seem like a very well off individual. Know what you want, know what you're going to do to get it. You're passionate about what you believe in. Yep, sound like damn fine parents to me." He said it in such a way that he hoped the young man might just open his mind up long enough to hear him, he didn't have to believe him, just hear him enough to think about it. If this man standing before McMillan can have the emotional capacity to care for another creature this much, there is a good chance he won't sleep tonight until he writes his folks a letter.

[Stephen Colly]

"Oh, I see. Well I'm no one's parent and I am certainly not one for telling people how to live there lives. All I want to say is that you will regret not having made amends with your dad if you never see him again."

"I know, I know..." Stephen muttered, he had been so mad at his father about Joey, he hadn't thought through what he was doing.

"The least you could do is let the mknow you are ok. Doesn't matter how mad a parent gets, they always worry about thier children. They must be pretty good ones at that due to the fact that you seem like a very well off insividual. Know what you want, know what you're going to do to get it. You're passionate about what you believe in. Yep, sound like damn fine parents to me."

Stephen listened to the man, a lump formed in his throat and he sat down on the box, looking down, a tear running down his face..."Its just, when he lead Joey away, I ran after him, I begged the sergeant...his name was Sergeant Nicholles, to let me join up, but he said I was too young, then a couple of months after, we got a letter from the war office, with this picture that sergeant Nicholles painted Joey before the war...it said that sergeant H. Nicholles, killed in action...and....well, that made me want to join up even more...." he trailed off, he had started to ramble like he used to do....now this man would think he was younger then 18...well done Stephen! he thought to himself, put your foot in it there"

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

McMillan didn't really know what to do now. He was never good with emotions. Had to give it a shot though, couldn't stand the sight of a grown man crying, especially a soldier. "Look buddy, I'm not to good with emotions. I'll tell you this, when you decided on your own to join the Military you became a man. It was your decision and you are facing the consequences of that decision alone, that makes you a man. You know as well as I do that sitting here sulking about it isn't going to change anything but you can't go looking right now I believe." He paused a moment so the young man could think.

"Feel like going for a run to help settle your head? Whether isn't great but, if it ain't raining, it ain't training."