It had been a difficult two years for the soldier. He’d seen things he wished he could forget, lost comrades, and now he had to come home to an empty home. There was no one waiting for him there. 

The most difficult struggle was the loss of his dog. They were both excited to go home when she suddenly disappeared in combat. He missed her dearly. 

But he found no point in hoping; his home was too far from the battle site. He didn't think there was a chance that she could still be alive, and if she was, she could never have found him all those miles away. As he walked up the porch steps to the door of his small cabin, a dog covered in mud came bounding out of the woods. As the dirt fell away, he instantly recognized his dog. When she reached him, she smothered his face in licks, wiping away his tears.