Author's Note: Alright, so this chapter contains a song named "Honor Our Brothers". This is an original song that I wrote myself. I am an amateur author, not a songwriter, so this song isn't that great, but is serves it's purpose well enough. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

Chapter Twenty: Aftermath

When I get back to camp around noon, I see that the other men are working like busy bees; not a single man goes without a job. Some are collecting the dead men and taking them over to an area where others are digging a mass grave. There are also many men who are helping to transfer injured men to the large medical tent. I search the camp for Captain Li, and after a few minutes, I find him. I hand him the bag holding the dog tags, many of which have blood on them that has now stained the bag in places.

"Good," he states, emotionlessly. "Go to the medical tent. The medics require assistance." I nod my head and give a small parting bow. As I turn to leave, the captain stops me. "One more thing, Ping. I would like you to meet me directly after the funeral tonight by the pond; I have a job for you."

"Yes, sir," I state before bowing again and walking away. I can't help but wonder why Captain Li keeps giving me these special jobs. Once I get to the medical tent, I am immediately set to work doing simple tasks like wrapping wounds with bandages, holding cool cloths to the heads' of injured men, and a variety of other things. Every recruit received basic medical training a few months ago, so I am able to be somewhat useful. Seeing all of the injured men leaves its mark on me though. Never before have I seen such suffering. More than once, I have to stop myself from running as far away from this tent as possible.

Finally, just as the sun starts to set, all of the able-bodied soldiers are allowed to go back to their tents in order to clean up a little before the funeral. I am anxious to get back to tent two, wanting more than nothing else than to see if my friends are okay. When I get there, I am relieved to see that Yao, Ling, Chein-Po, Qing, and Mushu are all alright. The second Mushu sees me, he lets out a sigh of relief before grabbing me and hugging me as tight as possible. I hug him back, so glad that he's okay.

"You're alive. I was so scared. Oh Gods, thank goodness you're okay." Mushu mutters while still holding me tight. When he finally releases me, I watch as a worried look crosses his face. "Are you okay? Your face is covered in blood."

"I'm alright," I state. "The blood isn't mine." Mushu nods. I then grab Qing and embrace him. The poor kid is shaking like a leaf, and I see that his eyes are red from tears. "It's alright now, Shadow." I soothe. "I'm here now." Qing says nothing but hugs me tighter as if he is afraid that I will disappear if he lets go. After a minute or two, he finally releases me. We sit side by side on my sleeping mat. Mushu settles across from us and hands me a damp rag.

"Here, wipe your face off," he states. I do as instructed. Only now do I notice the state of the other men in the tent. Many are either crying or mumbling to themselves. Some seem to be lost in their own world, a dazed look in their eyes. I'm beginning to think that the aftermath of the battle is just as bad as the battle itself.

Around ten minutes later, we hear the beat of the drums. It is time for the funeral, the thing I have been dreading this entire time. Wearily, I make my way out of the tent along with the other men. Qing sticks close to me as we walk to the area where the mass grave had been dug earlier in the day. It is dark out, so torches have been set up around the area to provide light. All of the recruits stand in orderly lines facing the grave. About twenty men stand next to the grave, prepared to shovel the dirt into the pit when told. Captain Li Shang stands facing us, his face as emotionless as always. Once everyone has assembled, he begins his speech.

"Today, you have seen your first real battle. We lost one hundred brave men in that fight. I am sure that many of you want to know what happened. All we know is this: The Huns somehow figured out the location of our camp. They attacked us with an estimated two hundred men. Because of our numbers being nearly double theirs, we were able to drive them out of camp. Shan Yu was not with them, but I am pleased to say that the general that was leading the attack was killed." Captain Li stopped for a moment to let the information sink in. After a beat, he continues. "We will now honor the brave men who died today by singing 'Honor Our Brothers'"

"Honor Our Brothers" is a traditional song that is sung at a soldier's funeral. It is not a hard song to memorize, so we were all taught the words upon arrival. Standing up straight, we begin to sing the words as dirt is slowly shoveled into the grave.

For our fallen brothers we pray

Who we lay to rest on this day

Their sacrifice will not go unnoted

To their country of which they were so devoted

I'll protect my homeland until the end of this war is nigh

Even if it means that I must die

I'll bow down my head and accept my fate

And hope to see those pearly gates

We repeat the two verses three times until the grave is completely filled in. When it is, we are dismissed. I suddenly remember that I am supposed to meet Captain Li by the pond. Best not to leave him waiting. "Mushu, I'll be back at the tent soon. The captain wants my help with something."

"Alright, be back soon. Come on Qing." With that, they leave to return to the tent. I turn and begin the walk to the pond, wondering all the way what the captain needs me for.