Lieutenant Ram smiled as he read about his new moniker. They called him ‘The Wolf of Dras*’. Social Media was brimming with stories of his bravery, he was being celebrated as a hero. He had single-handedly decimated an enemy camp amidst heavy shelling. “Brave” was a word that came up repeatedly and that was the reason for his smile. His mind flashed back to his childhood. He had always been a anxious child, scared of his bullies, scared of the dark, scared of disappointing his parents, among many other fears.
The funny thing was that not much had changed since then. He was still the same scared child inside. He was still scared of the dark. He was petrified of losing his family. He remembered how worried he had been when he was posted into a war zone. How then did he let go of his fears and face his enemy head-on? He certainly had patriotism in the right proportions, but death was really his worst fear. His survival depended on not being shot, so he shot them.
The Wolf of Dras really wasn’t a wolf at all. He was just a sheep in a wolf’s clothing.
Nice thought there.
Thank you, Indrani!
Rightly expressed. Salute the spirit.
Thank you, Chaitali!
A beautiful tribute, remindes me of the Captains we lost recently.
They certainly were on my mind when I was writing this. Thank you for commenting, Alok!
You're very welcome!
I am so moved by this piece.It's so humbling to think of the 'brave' soldier who guards our borders yet how much fear must they hold in their hearts. Sigh.
You're certainly a delightful find in recent times, Hema 🙂 Glad to have found your blog!
Thank you so much for that incredibly encouraging comment, Shylaja! It really means a lot coming from you. This topic is really close to my heart, especially with my dad being in the armed forces. I believe that there is no such thing as being fearless. Everyone is scared of something. We just react to fear in different ways. Fear either shuts you down or wakes you up!
Interesting thought. I never imagined a prompt could promote such alternate views. Having said that, our soldiers are probably the most important yet ignored lot. Made me stand up and salute the spirit. Good job!
Thank you, Akshay! That's why prompts are so much fun. I was thinking on the lines of a wolf in a sheep's skin. Could there be a sheep in a wolf's skin? I realized that all of us are sheep, soft and vulnerable but we turn into wolves when faced with adversity. And yes, you're right, we cannot thank our soldiers enough.
Bravery can also be a mask for inner insecurity! Good one.
Thank you!
A nice way to express tributes to the departed .I join your views on the jawans A wellwritten .My salutes to them .
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Thank you, my dear daddy! I knew you would love this post 🙂 Talk to you soon 🙂
Bravery is the capacity to perform properly when when scared half to death. -Omar N. Bradley
What a perfect line! Exactly what I was trying to convey.