"A...a dog?"

"A Bull Terrier mix specifically, and without a doubt one of the strangest yet bravest dogs I've ever come to know." Kurfürst keep the picture of the dog under the projector light, letting them eye the many medals and honors decorating his vest.

"...Wait, isn't that a German medal? How'd he get that one?"

"Glad you asked Elbe. You see, from what Mr. Conroy told me, and that was his owner, he had tangled with a German soldier and held him down long enough for help to arrive and take him prisoner. They just took his medal and gave it to Stubby."

"Wow, he's a really strong dog..."

Kurfürst smiled before standing up. "He may have been, but he wasn't large at all. In fact, he only went up to my knees, maybe even smaller."

"He was that small?! That's so adorable and cool!" Elbe was standing up as well, looking at the picture of Stubby and imaging the size of the dog. "Oh he would be so cute to hold!"

"And I had the honors to do that after the war...but first, I suppose I should talk about how I first ran into the dog on the fields."

"You fought him in battle?!"

"No, rather, I suppose the dog found me is the better way to put it..."
———————————————————————

It's been some time in the trenches, and it was a few months after the Americans had joined the war on the Allied side. My allies and me weren't too worried at first, until the might of the American industry proved itself and we began losing ground.

We come to see Kurfürst, who was leaning against a wooden wall in the farthest trench to the lines. She was sleeping rather peacefully against it, not having had a good rest for a few days now ever since the constant attacks and bombardment from the French.

No matter how unstoppable she was, she was still one woman, and so she couldn't win an entire war herself.

...

She stirred in her sleep, hearing something off around her that definitely didn't belong. She became a very light sleeper during the war, which was natural for every one of her soldiers as well.

When her eyes opened, she shook off the drowsiness she got and quickly began looking around, hearing the odd tapping of feet somewhere close by. It couldn't have been human with the quickness of it, so some sort of animal got into the trenches.

"Dammit, I swear if there's another group of wild dogs..." she stood up and grabbed her Halberd, marching over to where she heard the pattering, down the trench.

It was a quiet dawn, but that was more dangerous than anything for a normal soldier. If you were heard and couldn't confirm it was an ally that heard you, you're as good as dead. Thankfully, I wasn't in worry of that.

Nobody was down this branch of the Trench due to it being a recent site of a gas launch, so she opted to stay to make sure it was all well and good. The Dogs seemed to take advantage too, looking for any scraps of food the could find.

Turning another corner, she came face to foot with her target of sound, and she was right that it was a dog. Although...

"A...Terrier?"

She saw the little dog, sniffing around, quickly stopping that as she spoke and caught his attention. He was growling at her, not barking like she thought he would.

The question still remained though, what was an English breed doing here? Usually these kind of dogs wouldn't be found so far out from their home, that, or they would have been put to use in...

Her eyes narrowed, spotting the collar on the dog and the text that read "26th Yankee Division"

"An American mutt..." She stepped closer, the dog growling louder with each step she took.

When she got close enough, he lunged at her ankle, biting at the metal and doing nothing. He was so tiny he barely reached her knees, let alone anything close to vital.

With a sneer, she grabbed him by the collar, picking him up and holding him up to her face. "A mutt of the Americans, and if you're here..."

She looked down the way the dog must have came from, and immediately spotted a pair of eyes that were shaking in horror. She knew her assumption was right, wherever a service dog is, the master is never to far behind.

"Boy! Get over here now!" She yelled in English, and slowly, the American stepped out of the corner, his shaky gun aimed at her face.

She threw the dog to him, the animal falling to the floor with a yelp of pain before getting up and rushing back to his handler and turning to growl at her again. "Quite the animal you have there Ami."

He said nothing, still holding her at gunpoint. Just like with the dog, she took slow steps forward, and he took a few back each time.

"Do you really want to shoot that in here? A gunshot from within here may cause alarm, and then you'll be surrounded by my men quickly. Is that worth the bullet that won't do anything?"

"S-Stay back..." The boy spoke his first words, and the dog, seeing his handler's fear, began snarling. "S-Stubby, down!"

"Stubby? That's his name?" She once again looked at the dog. "Quite a good name if I say so. He's small and stout...Stubby is rather fitting."

Another step forward, and another taken back. "Now American, we can do this the easy way if you allow it. Put the gun down, surrender, and I'll make sure you and your dog are kept safe until the end of the war. Persist, and I can promise your corpse gets back to your loved ones at least."

He looked to be seriously contemplating that, and Kurfürst was patiently waiting for his response. After a moment, instead of answering, his eyes snapped to behind her as they widened. "E-Elmer don't!"

She heard what sounded like a war cry from behind, and snapping around, she saw something heading towards her face.

WHAM!!

...

Snap!

"Holy shit!" The man, who was named Elmer as she found, was staring at his trowel...or at least what was left of it.

He had hit Kurfürst with it at full force, and while the impact was solid, it did nothing to the woman and only broke his tool. He looked up from his broken weapon, staring Kurfürst in the eyes as they now stood face to face. "Heh...my bad?"

She grabbed Elmer's uniform by the collar, throwing him over her shoulder and right in front of both the handler and Stubby. "I've changed my mind, I'll kill all three of you."

"H-Hold up ma'am! We'll surrender!"

She stabbed her Halberd into the floor, ripping it up as wood splintered. "You can thank your friend for this boy..."

With her weapon ready, the two boys looked ready to piss themselves as they stared death in the eyes. She grabbed her weapon with both hands, raising it up as the early sun gleamed on it's blade be-

"Bitte aufhören Generaloberst!" She stopped with her motion, looking to the side at the voice who called to her in her maiden tongue.
She saw the young man before her, tall and lanky, but clearly of German descent. However, what caught her eye the most was the uniform he was wearing, that being one of the Americans. "A German fighting for the Americans?"

He stiffened up, but in his eyes reigned a fury at her words. "I may be German, but I grew up a man in America. I'm as American as any Miss Kurfürst!"

"Is that so...?"

...

"Heh...hahahahaha!" She put the Halberd down, shaking away the laughter while the two boys who were about to be butchered calmed themselves. "Well, to say such a thing with so much conviction, and to me of all people!"

She pointed the spear-tip of her weapon at the man. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"It's...it's Hans Schroeder."

She waved her weapon, beckoning him closer. Very slowly, the young man stepped towards her, being very wary of her weapon that was still pointed at him.

Eventually, she lowered the Halberd and leaned it on the wall of the trench, pulling Hand closer and holding his shoulder. "Young man, even if you are on the American side, you know you shall face hatred and distrust no matter what correct?"

"I know that...I've been a victim of it much already."

"That is only the tip of the iceberg here. In Germany, you won't face any of that, surrounded by the men and women you relate too...doesn't that sound enticing?"

"No! Not in the slightest!" The instant shut down actually stunned Kurfürst, who began looking him in the eyes again.

That boy...in those eyes, I saw the same fiery passion that once filled Otto. It was as if peering into my past again, and in the reflection of his blues, I saw a younger me, one not burdened with immortality and strength beyond human compare.

For a few moments, she stood silent and staring, before gently taking her hand away and pushing the young man towards his friends. "Run along, I've changed my mind again."

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Elmer stood and took off back down the trench, while Hans went to pick up the handler of Stubby.

"You're...letting us go? Just like that?"

"Why wouldn't I? All I see is a German man escorting some prisoners." For once, she broke through the cold shell that the war had given her, one of her warm smiles being shown to the men standing in front of her.

"Although...I do wish to ask you boy, what is your name?"

"I-It's James Robert Conroy ma'am."

"Full name and honors? I'm flattered." She looked down to the dog in front of him, who was still giving her a not so friendly stance. "Stubby, continue serving your handler well, and he'll do the same to you."

With that, she gave them a nod, turning and walking off back down the trench. Later when she returned, some soldiers noticed her disappearance, and asked her what she had investigated.

"It was nothing, just a lad and his mutt."
———————————————————————

"You let him go? That's...really lucky on his part."

"Tell that to his friend who managed to convince me, otherwise that dog and those boys wouldn't have been known otherwise."

A hand went up, belonging to Hōshō. "A question miss Kurfürst. Did you manage to know what happened to Stubby and Conroy after the war?"

The battleship smiled, leaning back in her chair with a peaceful look, compared to the one she use to wear of trouble and dread. "I do, in fact, I met up with the young man again in 1922, after the war ended."
———————————————————————

Knock!

"I'll be there in a moment!" Robert Conroy got up from his desk, putting down the law book he was studying from and taking another sip of his cola.

Hearing some rustling, he looked to the small bed next to the desk and saw his little buddy Stubby shaking himself awake. "Hey Stubs, just someone at the door, don't worry."

He made his way through the dorm room, as he was staying at Georgetown University for now. Getting to the door, he opened it up and stepped back.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to..."

His voice was caught in his throat, seeing the same woman who, several years ago now, nearly killed him. "Hello Corporal Conroy."

"Ah...K-Kurfürst..." He never thought he would be meeting her again, but now here she stood, pretty dress and smile all.

"Isn't it rather rude to keep someone at the front door?" Realizing that he was still caught in his thoughts, he shook his head and stepped aside, letting her enter.

She took her shoes off at the entrance, leaving them to the side and looking around the small room. "Quaint and comfortable, you seem to be making it well through life after the war Corporal Conroy."

"While I appreciate the thought...can you just call me James ma'am?"

Kurfürst just smiled and nodded to the young man, before she heard some noise from the doorway to another room. Looking at it, she saw the little terrier there, staring her in the eyes and growling.

"Ah, it seems Stubby still remembers me."

"I'm sorry about that...but why are you here?"

She gently waved at a chair, which he nodded to as she sat down. "I was given a chance by some people to come meet the famous war dog, saying that he was something I couldn't miss."

She spied another glance at Stubby, who was making his way to James to protect him. "Little did they know we already met."

"Stubs, down!" The dog responded near instantly, sitting down next to James and no longer growling, but he was still staring at Kurfürst. "I'm sorry for his behavior Kurfürst."

"Don't be, he's doing his job rather well, isn't that right Sergeant?"

Stubby tilted his head at that, which brought a smile to the woman's face. She put her hand down to the floor, gently putting her knuckles forward towards Stubby.

James seemed to catch onto what she was doing, and he bent down to pet Stubby. "Go on boy, she's a friend now, friend."

"A friend you say? Even when I was your enemy merely years ago?"

The young man met her eyes with a tired, yet thankful look. "You could have killed all of us then, but you decided to spare us, and even turn a blind eye to us having been there. I still remember how that day went...I'm surprised Hans managed to talk you down."

"Yes, well..." She looked down, avoiding his gaze. "I'll admit that I wasn't exactly in...the best state of mind during the conflict. So many pressures made me fall into a cold shell of myself and..."

lick...

She blinked out of her saddened rambling, looking down to see Stubby licking her hand. She chuckled and pet his head, the little dog leaning into it.

James smiled at the scene, wishing he had a camera to immortalize the moment that the Black Hound of Germany found friendship in America's Dog. He sat down on the other chair, Stubby taking position in Kurfürst's lap and happily receiving pets as the two talked about their lives post war.

While unexpected, Conroy enjoyed the visit, and he was certain Stubby did too.
———————————————————————

"Sadly, the little pup died a few years later, but he died in the comforts of home, rather than in the bloody fields of battle."

With that ending done, she could see that many of the girls, while saddened to hear of Stubby's passing, knew it was inevitable and relished in the moments of when she and the dog were together as friends, not enemies. Another hand went up, belonging to Washington.

"Yes dear?"

"I've been meaning to ask: You have a bunch of stories of small things and horrific things, but do you have any that stand out for soldiers themselves? Like a single man or a squad or something?"

...

After a moment of thinking, Kurfürst smiled and nodded. "I do in fact, and I'll gladly share it."

She took the Stubby picture off the projector, turning it off as she took another sip of the water she was given. "Now children, this one should be a bit more well known amongst you all, but it's a tale of a group that, against all odds, survived constant attacks and even harm from their own side."

She paused for a moment, letting the suspense hold the girls before she spoke. "Now...I shall tell you of The Lost Battalion."