After meeting a pair of men at a local bar, Taurus later learns that they are both military men in the United States Army, bearing the rank of Four-Star General.

Bull Service

Taurus has stopped by at the local Bull’s Run tavern to share a few drinks with a few friends and colleagues of his. He also came here to unwind and view some entertainment on the TV overhead. While Taurus is happily chatting away with his associates, he happens to spot two felines entering inside the tavern.

“Hold on guys, I'll be right back.” Taurus raises up from the six-man table he is seated at and the bull swings his way over to meet the feline pair. Upon coming to meet them, a closer look reveals the two felines to be two middle-aged males - a snow leopard and a Bengal tiger, both muscular.

“Well, hello boys! What brings you guys here to the Bull's Run tavern? I'm Taurus!” The bull introduces himself to the feline pair as a customary greeting to welcome them.

“Well, we are coming here just for a break. We've had long days ourselves. I'm Paulo Eriksson, and this is my best friend, Peter Frazier.” The snow leopard introduces himself and the tiger beside him, respectively while revealing the reason why they are here. Then to fill the bull in, the snow leopard patriarch reveals, “It's been a long while since we've coordinated in the Army.”

Taurus smirked, “Both of you served in the Army? You guys must have a lot of stories to tell! Or are you retired?”

The Bengal tiger, Peter, drapes an arm around his snow leopard friend while answering confidently, “Paulo and I are still on active duty until we retire! And we're not gonna let age stop us!” While Peter removes his hand from around Paulo, the tiger switches to the bull next. “You're Taurus, right? What do you do for a living?”

The bull acknowledges, “I'm a firefighter. It may seem like a boring job, but it's lifesaving work. We not only fight fires but we also render first aid if necessary, and optional assistance with police.”

“Like police pursuits??” Paulo queries with a questionable frown. When Taurus nods to confirm this, Peter remembers, “Hey Paulo, do you remember that time when an ambulance intervened in a police pursuit to stop a runaway driver?”

The snow leopard only rolls his eyes at the memory being brought up. Still, he acknowledges the tiger with an answer, “Peter, first aid vehicles are rare to see in police chases, let alone assisting in them. If they're stolen, that's a different story.”

“How old are you guys? You look too young to be military generals.” Another question by Taurus directed to the two felines before him. And this time, Paulo reveals, “I’m 58 while Peter is 56. And you're right, we do look too young to be Four-Star soldiers!”

Laughter breaks out between the trio due to Paulo’s sarcastic, yet humorous jab at their age and Taurus' claim. Even Peter adds, “And we're still in shape too! Gotta keep up our training to meet the physical demands!”

“Hey guys, come over here! There are a couple of grunts I want you all to meet!” When Taurus calls out to his squad nearby, Paulo and Peter both freeze in fear. An interview or crowd is the last thing on their minds and they simply did not want to go through with that. But at the same time, they didn't want to be rude either.

“Eh Taurus, what did you need?” One of the firefighters, a timber wolf, approaches the trio nearby, only to find the two felines across from the bull. Immediately, he picks up on what the bill is asking for and he introduces himself, “Well howdy, I’m William Jacobs! You two seem like fine men! What are your names?”

Whereas the timber wolf puts his hand out for a handshake, Peter takes the liberty of introducing himself and his snow leopard friend to the others, “I’m Peter Frazier, and the snow leopard beside me is my best friend, Paulo Eriksson.”

“Paulo Eriksson and Peter Frazier! I recognize both of you now! You two haven't gotten any older, have you!? Ha ha ha!” Recognizing the duo, William extends his congratulatory remarks and praise to them, “We firefighters of the 6th Firefighting Brigade are congratulating the two of you on your military service in keeping our country safe! Your hard work and team spirit are the driving force behind our defenders! For your courage and bravery, we salute you, for you've done splendid work!”

Paulo blushes at the praise and humbly remarks, “Mr. Jacobs, my friend and I are just doing our jobs. We are not heroes; it is our duty to put the safety of our country on our agenda as #1. But it is not just me and Peter, everyone contributes to safety one way or another.”

“Like you guys, for instance, with your firefighting duties.” Peter interjected, joining the conversation abruptly. Ignoring the annoyed pink daggers from the snow leopard, the tiger returns the praise back to the firefighters, “You guys play a small role, true, but a small role in safety goes a long way. And some of you also happen to be paramedics too. Speaking from personal experience, I ran across a police officer who was also a paramedic. Needless to say, he was the nicest one I've met. Shared laughs and everything. But the point we're trying to make is this - everyone has a part to play in keeping the public safe, whether big or small.”

Another firefighter, a lighter brown bull, queries, “How old are you guys, really? If you guys are military generals, you can't be pushing no more than 60.”

Paulo answers for himself and his friend, revealing their ages respectively, “I'm 58, and Peter is 56. It should come as no surprise how we don't look our age.”

“How do you guys stay in shape, though? It can't be that easy given how old you guys are.” The bull gives an impressed whistle, wanting to learn more about how they manage to keep themselves fit and active.

“Keeping up our physical activity is necessary to remain in peak condition for our military lifestyle. It's something that all service members should be doing.” Peter shrugged, relaxing in his chair. “It's nothing new, really.”

“You guys and your service are all impeccable. We should celebrate!” Taurus offers. Paulo immediately turns the request down, quickly raises his hands up, “No no no, Peter and I only came here just for a break! We appreciate the kind gesture but we're not up for that yet!”

“Maybe another time will suffice. But for now, no celebrations are necessary. Just time spent between friends and family alike.” Peter conceded with Paulo’s statement.

“Much better than what we've dealt with a lot. You guys must really have some stuff to share in your free time!” Taurus acknowledged as well. Might as well keep the conversation casual in this case.

A growling noise comes from the table with Peter pressing down on his stomach in surprise and annoyance, followed by laughter running throughout the whole group. One of the firefighters comments, “Looks like someone's hungry! Why don't we all grab a bite to eat!”

~~~~~

Taurus belongs to  Alnair Yorim, Paulo Eriksson and Peter Frazier belong to me!