IMPORTANT AN:

So sorry for the long delay, we're all alright and healthy, even though recently we experienced really bad weather the authors of the story are still kicking. The reason for the hiatus was mostly my fault; my new job got really busy and I find myself traveling and writing constantly, even now I meant to post this last night but was too tired after covering a game to do so. Also writing two different characters with different sub-characters, settings and arcs really wore me down. Thankfully we may have a solution; TheMarineLycan, a good friend and longtime supporter is making his writing debut in the next two chapters which have been edited by me. He was nice enough to finish Ash's next chapter as well as Tom's, but from this moment forward I will be writing Ash's story, TheMarineLycan will write Tom's, and BadStoriesComeToMe will be writing Sam's. We're planning for the chapters to come out monthly if not sooner. We thank you for your patience and understanding knowing that all our lives have been changed and uprooted in the past year alone, lets stay positive, hopeful, and work for a better tomorrow, stay safe out there

Frozen Blood: Part II

By TheMarineLycan

It was terrible, Ash and Oleg had no choice but to regroup at the reserve trench while the mighty German typhoon was on their tail. The snow continued to fall from the sky, and it got cold…stupid cold.

In the back of her mind, Ash remembered seeing an old sign encrypted in rock spelling "Moscow 10 miles." This wasn't good, if the Nazis got past the reserve trench, their last line of defense, then Russia was theirs.

With explosions crashing behind them, they finally reached the "safety" of the reserve trench.

"There you are!" Petr cried as he rushed up to them. "What happened?"

Both Ash and Oleg were shaken and out of breath, but Oleg was able to wheeze out some words.

"The Germans are pushing, but slowly, with all they have," Oleg reported. "They are suppressing us with large numbers of armored vehicles and soldiers, they decimated the forward position, Sir." He paused as if remembering something. "Also, I believe Ash got hit."

Petr turned to Ash, but she looked fine. Except for her shaking due to her first taste of battle as well as the cold. Then he saw the bloodstain on her shoulder. Ash noticed what got Petr's attention

"It's alright, just a scratch" she said, but Petr's face showed no conviction. It was clear for him she was lying but he couldn't help admiring her will and determination. He probably would have been shocked to learn she wasn't putting on a brave face, with her Bodark's ability the shrapnel really was just a scratch to her. Now though all Petr was thinking about was that their medical supplies were scarce and unless she was close to death, she couldn't get treatment.

"Very well, returned to the rest of the men" he left them and proceeded to the command post where Tromfin was managing the radio for the other officers.

The Soviet soldiers were rushing to their defensive positions, mounting the antitank weaponry along with the riflemen in the line. Their heaviest weapons, the 76mm field guns and the machine guns, were hidden in small cabins or windmills being used as improvised pillboxes. They were connected with the trench system while others were hidden in the nearby forest.

Ash and Oleg reunited with the rest of the squad who were taking their place in the line. There they were inspecting their equipment, nervous about what was to come. The fear obviously covered Anton, this is it for him to "do or die" and he certainly didn't want to die. Able was cleaning his rifle until he saw Ash's bloodied jacket.

"Ash, your shoulder, are you alright?" he said. "Let me cover that." He reached for his small pack of first aid but Ash stopped him.

"No, it's fine, nothing serious just a small cut. But thanks, Able," she said with a confident smile. She didn't want him to waste his med kit just for her with no resupply available. Although she was grateful for the thought.

"Ash that doesn't-" Able tried to protest but was interrupted by Oleg.

"Enough talking!" Oleg roared. "Check your weapons and focus on the battle, the Germans are coming!"

Everyone did what he said, the tension was building even if the Nazis weren't in their sights yet. Ash could hear the clanking sound of the vehicles as they howled, iron striking against metal like a giant metallic monster getting closer to them. The so-called German war machine at its finest. The sound was getting louder and louder until the tanks finally crested the horizon and not far behind them were their infantry following in their wake. Ash heard a whistle; it was time to release hell.

All of their firepower was unleashed on the attackers; the bangs of small arms mixed with the booms of cannons. Some of the tanks were destroyed by the artillery, but others remained and returned fire, continuing to advance forward with the infantry behind them. The invading soldiers dispersed and attacked when they got close to the defense line. The soviet's 76mm hit the moving Panzers III, but it gave away their positions, making them targets for the Panzer's fire.

The shooting became intense as the attackers made their way through the trenches. A German soldier threw a sick grenade at Anton's position. Everyone hit the dirt as Ash tried to cover Able and Oleg to absorb the blast as the grenade explodes. Ash felt her side burn with intense heat, but she was fine. The pain of the shrapnel was annoying though, like being cut by thorns. Looking for Anton she saw a body laying still close by, but realized it was too short to be him.

Then she saw Anton running away as fast as he could from the battle. He just made it out of the trench and was sprinting to the forest only to be caught by soviet soldiers who shoved inside a nearby cabin where he would be put to work supporting the machinegun team inside. His face showed confusion and fear during the whole process. Meanwhile, Able and Oleg shook the dirt off their faces.

"Where is Anton?" ask Able.

Ash answered and pointed out the cabin he was in.

Able exhaled, "Well at least he is safe." Oleg however doesn't share the same sentiment.

"What? No!" Oleg said. "He must be here with us as a team! Being in machinegun nest is no saf-" before he finished, a Panzer round boomed and an instant later the cabin disappeared in a cloud of snow and smoke. Everyone was shocked, unable to comprehend how a standing structure just a few moments ago was reduced to splinters the next. Black smoke was still billowing up as it revealed most of the cabin was still standing. Ash moved to see if there were any survivors, but Oleg got in front of her.

"Hey, both of you!" he said. "Stay focus, I'll check and see if anyone is still standing to fight. Stay here."

Ash and Able nodded reluctantly while Oleg ran to the ruined cabin.

The battle raged on. Some Panzers tried crossing the trench only to meet their doom at the hands of AT-grenades, Molotov's, or the remaining 76mm in the forest. The enemy infantry jumped the trench, the soldiers were so close that both sides attacked with bayonets and submachine guns.

An anti-tank rifle user who was beside Ash was hit by machine-gun fire from the Panzers. Reacting by instinct, Ash picked up the PTRD-41, handling the large-caliber riddle as if it was her Mosin. She lined up her shot with the large shape of the Panzer and fired. With great precision, she continued to shoot at the tanks. At first, she hit the broad side of the target, but saw they weren't doing much damage. She then tried hitting their tracks, successfully stunning them out of commission, forcing its drivers to get out and be shot in the process.

Each time the enemy spotted her position, she moved to a new one while Able covered her with his rifle. She was running low on bullets, but thankfully, like a miracle, all armored vehicles stopped their advance and began to pull back.

'The Germans are retreating? Is it finally over?' Ash thought. With a weary sigh, she rests her back against the wall of dirt and slid down until she was sitting on the ground. Able sat with her, then met her eyes. They stared at one another before breaking out into crazy grins.

"Heh, you did well," Able said. "I'm amazed at how you busted those tanks; you didn't waste the chance." He gestured at the weapon at her side. "How did you manage to control the recoil and move that heavy thing?

"Oh, like I said before, being a country girl has its advantage " she answered with a smile. She felt terrible lying to him, even if it was a half truth.

"Hm, yeah I guess," Able said. "And have to say, you saved us from that grenade earlier, thank you."

Ash felt her cheeks blushing, being a mythical force had its perks, and using them to save lives felt good, especially for her friends. "Don't worry Able, I was just taking care of the pack."

"What?" Able asked with a confused face.

Ash realized what she said sounded weird. If she were in the company of wolves it would be a casual thing to say but with a normal person…

"Sorry, it's just a family thing," she said quickly. "We always take care of each other's backs like a wolf pack that is how I see this team."

"Oh well…yeah, but not all of us," said Able looking to the demolished cabin.

Ash caught what he meant; she looks down, sad about what happened to Anton. Who knew she would feel bad for someone who was a general pain in the butt since the beginning of their disastrous trip? Hopefully, he didn't feel any pain in the end, he just wanted to go home like them. Thinking of home added more salt to the wound.

The snow finally stopped falling when they heard heavy footsteps approaching. Looking to the source, it was Oleg and, to their surprise, he was dragging Anton with him by the scruff of his neck. The Russian dropped Anton in front of them before he casually sat down next to them. Anton remained still, his eyes shut and clothes still smoking. Quickly, Ash and Able moved towards him. Able tried to find a pulse while Ash looked at Oleg with worried eyes.

Oleg knew what she was thinking. "He's fine," he said before reaching into his pocking and pulling out a silver flask. "Here, take this and show it to his nose."

Ash immediately did what Oleg instructed. When she opened the flask, she was met with a strong smell that almost burned her nose before she held it away from her and did her best not to wrench. She was able to catch a hint of potatoes, wheat, dill, and something similar to the Alaskan ginseng.

"What is this?" she asked, coughing a little while shoving it under Anton's nose.

"Just Vodka with Siberian ginseng," Oleg said casually. "Hold it there and give it a moment"

In a matter of seconds, Anton exploded into grunts and coughs as he woke up.

"What was that?!" Anton exclaimed as his eyes started to water while he tried crawling away from the flask.

"Oh, don't be such a cry baby comrade," Oleg said as he took back the flask and took a long drink. "Your luck saved you from a grenade and a tank. The smell of Vodka won't kill you."

"Well, its good to see your charm again Anton" sarcastically said Able as he stood up, unable to keep a straight face as he smiled at his friend.

"What happened Anton?" asked Ash, still couching next to him.

Anton avoids eye contact "I don't want to talk about it" he looked around and confusion hits him "Eh… what happened? Did we win?"

"I think so," said Ash, almost too scared to hope.

"Huh, I guess we got them on the run," Able said, making them all smile, but Oleg interrupted the joy.

"No," he said in a serious matter voice. "It's not over, they will return. This was a fraction of what we saw on the front a few weeks ago. That attack was only to test our strength. Now they know and will try to wipe us out with an artillery strike, with 10,000 guns if we're lucky. We need to seek shelter now! Follow me!" he ran to the trench system to find a dugout with Able behind him. Ash helped Anton up before following.

They separated to cover more ground to find shelter, but all the dugouts were full of soldiers too tightly packed together to let them in. Right when Ash's sensitive ear heard the whistle of incoming fire, they heard Oleg calling out.

"Hey! Over here!" he called.

She started running towards the voice at the same time the barrage arrived.

Ash got to the partially dug bunker first, she ran like never before and pushed Oleg inside before turning and shouting to her friends. She screamed at the top of her lungs. encouraging them to move quickly. Able got in next with Anton coming up behind him, but he fell behind and tripped as the explosions were getting closer. Without thought, Ash ran to get him. She hauled him to his feet, and they both ran inside the dugout with a cloud of dirt following them inside.

Everyone coughed as they hugged the wall for stability while the strike continued. Ash listened closely to the commotion outside. She remembered once Oleg saying the guns sounded like a symphony, she had thought he was talking crazy but now… Each caliber of the different guns made a distinctive sound, combining with one another to make an unnatural melody. Whoever the artillery officer with within the German army must have been a compositor once in his life.

On the other hand, the Germans must be desperate; the barrage is unmerciful each impact sound close to the other, filling the air with fear. The team could hear the screams of unlucky soldiers who got hit, sometimes their cries for help would be cut off with a single loud boom. Ash covered her ears as the explosions began to hurt her head, for once her supernatural abilities weren't helping her. She looks to her side and noticed that Anton praying and shaking like crazy. He got three close calls from death today, but his scent was quickly filling the air with his fear.

Ash reached towards him and pulled him into a one-arm embrace, muttering that he looked cold so he didn't lose any more of his pride. The constant booms and uncertainty of the future were bringing back the horrible memories of the air raids back at Moscow. She wondered if Anton and Able were remembering those times too.

She looked over to Able who was holding his rifle tightly in one hand with a serious and worried look on his face. Maybe it was the bombardment, but he looked angry for some reason. When he caught her staring, he turned away so she couldn't see his eyes. Oleg meanwhile was lighting up a cigarette, he didn't give a damn about the situation, obviously this wasn't his first time. She wondered if this was how he and his cousin lived before meeting them.

Oleg offered to share some of his cigarettes with the group.

"The nicotine relieves the stress," he said.

Anton took one, his fingers shaking as he lit a candle and lit it. He took one puff before coughing, the smoke, in turn, blew into Ash's face and started to make her cough as well. Oleg laughed at the spectacle before offering the cigars again. Both Ash and Able declined while Anton continued to try and smoke much to her dismay, tempting her to release him from her hug. An artillery shell hit very close to the dugout pushing a cloud of dirt to the entrance. ost of the group shiver, but Oleg was unphased as he dusted the dirt off his rifle.

"Do not worry," he said calmly. "In a couple of minutes, it will be over. But then we must return to work, the fascist will hit us with everything they have, so we must give them a good impression"

"What do you mean impression?" asked Anton. "After this everyone might be dead and then what?" his doubting starting to infect both Able and Ash.

It was a worrying fact. If they lose too many men and the Germans charged, then it would be all over for them.

Ash noticed it was getting dark and thought about her bodark's appearance; it should be enough to make the bravest soldiers flee and may even turn the tide. But she was not confident in fighting alone, she always hunted with her brothers, as a pack. Maybe if they were here; Tom could destroy the entire German Army by himself with his uncontrollable rage while she and Sam covered his back. She had seen how angry Tom could be and the thought of facing him in battle made her shiver. But her thoughts were interrupted by Oleg answer Able question.

"Is this what it means to you to surrender or die?" Oleg demanded with obvious anger in his voice. "If you give up now, you'll give the fascists satisfaction as they take Moscow, then take the rest of the country. To feast on the people suffering, then maybe they'll get to your homeland and mercilessly tear your family apart. Believe me, they will."

His eyes blaze and his voice shook with raw emotion. "If we take them out here, burning their tanks, killing their men, we'll give them the impression that we are not weak, and they love to hit weak spots. With the chaos, they will realize their mistake and run away. After that you'll forget about death or surrender, just survive and burn those fascists." He stared Anton in the eye then he looks down in shame, it seems Oleg put him in his place for now.

During Oleg's tirade, the explosions finally receded, and the sound of war faded. They slowly started moving their limbs wearily when a familiar face suddenly popped in.

"Anyone alive?" Trompfin asked but blinked in surprised as he gave a small smile. "Hello comrades, all alive I, see?"

"Yes, it good to see you alive too, Trompfin," Oleg said. "What happened to Petr?"

"Good, get out and help take the dead and wounded out of the trenches. A shell hit the command post all officers are dead, Petr is in charge now and managing the radio. He sent me to see how many of our boys are dead."

"How many? Oleg asked.

"Too much," he said with a weary shake of his before turning back and continuing his search.

Exiting the dugout their eyes met a grim landscape. The sky was dark with clouds, illuminated by the setting sun, it would have looked beautiful were it not for the war. The dirt was blown everywhere, the brown soil tainting the white snow along with the dark red smears of blood. Separating their trenches with the fresh white snow giving their position, they were surrounded by craters, some filled with corpses they need to pull out as well as the wounded who were lucky enough to survive.

Carefully, the team dragged the wounded to the wagons so that they can be taken to Moscow for medical care or burial. There was confusion whenever the horses started to stomp and neigh wildly in fear, but nobody noticed this only happened whenever Ash was close by. She wished she could soothe the animals but there was no time for her to talk to them, especially not with everyone watching. She did her best to stay downwind of the horses who kept looking back and forth for the wolf they could smell but couldn't see.

After loading the last of the wagons, they returned to the trenches and found it was as bad as they expected. Over half of their original number was missing. Petr showed up, still covered in dirt but his face looking resolute.

"Tromfin what is our strength?" he asked.

Tromfin exhaled hopelessly.

"We got three dozen men, two cannons low on ammo, three anti-tank rifles also low on ammo, one machinegun, as for rifles well… there are plenty. We really need reinforcements"

"I'm afraid there are no reinforcements," Petr said. those words took the men by surprise with worry and a puzzled look. "The radio is dead, the transmission got toast after the impact. I sent a runner but never heard back from him. There is no way to call reinforcements in time. We are on our own"

The news broke the men then Tromfin give a suggestion "Then we should flee while we have the chance"

Not a moment later, a fist slammed into his face and sent him sprawling in the snow.

"No!" yelled an outraged Oleg who tried to hit Tromfin again before a fellow soldier pulled him back. "We still got a chance to fight, coward."

There was mumbling among the troops as the survivors split into two; with half of them wanting to stay and fight while the other half wanted to flee and live.

But that made Petr angry."

Comrades!" he bellowed. "Listen to me!" Everyone shut up and paid attention. "Look at all of you fighting like children, while the Fascist is at our doors. Disgraceful! After everything your fathers sacrificed to create this land, this free, glorious sovereign land for you, you're willing to give it up? No!

"Comrade Stalin's orders are as follows; we cannot fail! Failure would mean our brothers had died in vain. Failure would mean the death of our wives. The enslavement of our children and the eradication of our people. For the motherland, for comrade Stalin, we must hold! Will you stand with me comrades?"

His words set the men to agree with determination and cheer.

"Very good now ready the cannons, one at the left and the other on the right flank aiming at the field to set an ambush. This will trap them and set the machinegun in the middle behind the trench line it will be our wild card. All riflemen hold the line, craft anti-tank grenades and Molotov's, now go!"

The soldiers quickly went to set their new improvised defenses, there was no time to waste. At first the American trio were confused about what to do, but Oleg directed them to help craft the Molotov's and gather the grenades to make the anti-tank ones. The soviets brought all the crates containing vodka and grenades with Ash's fast learning skills and energy, they made enough to bring some decent defense. She may not be as strong as Tom, but she still possessed superhuman endurance, allowing her to work longer while her friends took breaks.

Done with the preparations, they returned to their positions. Able was given the role to use the Anti-Tank rifle but he protested at first and claimed that Ash should carry it. Oleg only laughed, thinking it was a silly story, unable to believe Ash, with her small frame, could fire the rifle let alone carry it. Able tried to defend his statement but Ash pleaded with him not to continue and to forget about it, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to herself.

Finally, it was decided she would be Able's helper. she briefly taught him how to use the rifle and warn him of the recoil. Anton was with them to be a backup in case Able was down and someone else needed to pick up the rifle. Meanwhile, the rest of the soviets will cover the line.

Now it was a waiting game. It was getting dark, all guns aim at the white horizon as the sun finally disappeared. The, like last time, the horrific howling of metal was loud and clear getting close. Some soldiers were shaking from the nerves of the inevitable doom and others praying for salvation.

And there they were, the SS war machine for a rematch this time bigger with more tanks and half-tracks.

The large numbers surprised the defenders, but no matter they will hold their ground and make sure the invaders wouldn't pass. The Soviets let them get close enough within their sights before the cannons opened fire, followed by the rifles. They started with a good pace; destroying the armored vehicles the German infantry went in, briefly panicking the enemy but they regained control of their senses.

Sometime later the task of destroying the tanks became difficult for the defenders. Each time they destroy one, three more will take its place, it was like killing a hydra.

One of the canons ran out of ammo, giving the attackers the chance to annihilate it then the other. Without the heavy guns, the infantry moved in with their tanks supporting them.

Able was giving his best in taking out the tanks until a wild round hit him, knocking him out on the ground.

Ash quickly checked him and found he was alive, but his arm was another story. Without his full strength he couldn't take on the recoil. The state of her friend woke something dark in Ash. In a strong commanding voice, she told Anton to take care of Able while she used the Anti-tank rifle. He didn't question her.

Picking up the big rifle, she sighted her first target and shoot. This time she didn't aim for the brakes, now she was on a rampage to destroy the tanks; hitting the fuel and killing the drivers. The half-tracks were no problem, but the consequence was unleashing the infantry inside them. Ash could only hope the Soviet riflemen would kill the scattered enemy as she didn't want to waste the tank-killing caliber on a soft target.

Like last time she changed position with ease and destroy the enemy armor, then return to her original position where Anton was taking care of Able. Some enemy armor passed the line and infantry jump into the trench. Petr and his men unleash submachinegun fire and threw a mix of AT grenades and Molotov's. No one was spared.

A tank shot at Ash's position; the shell hit nearby and knocked her out. An enemy soldier in the trench ran forward to finish her off, but Anton intercepted. Anton knocked his rifle out of his hand but the soldier quickly wrestled Anton's own weapon out of his. Soon both of them were fighting with their fists, but the German pushed him down and pulled out a knife to stab him. He plunged it towards Anton's chest who barely grabbed the hilt to keep it from piercing skin. It was a battle of wills as the blade slowly came down towards his chest. Body pumping with fear and adrenaline, Anton pivots the wrist and pushed it to the floor. He then grabbed his own knife from its sheathe and stabbed it right into the Nazi's heart. He moved the body out of his face and sat there in shock, looking at his bloody hands. Evidence of his first kill.

Ash woke up, the world was mute, her ears ringing, the mind foggy and unaware of her surroundings. She turned and saw Able weakly throwing Molotov's; Anton frozen in shock beside a dead SS soldier and to the rear saw Petr and his men firing at the enemy. Returning her sights at the front, she saw a massive Panzer III partially on fire a mere 20 yards away, preparing to shoot in her direction. Acting quickly, she picked up a nearby AT grenade and prepared to make an impossible throw, but the tank spontaneously explodes. The shock wave pushes her back to the trench.

Her mind was full of questions but then felt the ground violently start shaking.

'An earthquake?' she thought but it was followed by a thunderous "URRA!"

A massive horde of Soviet soldiers and T-34s suddenly appeared out of the dark, rushing head on onto the battlefield. It felt like a miracle from God, probably the only time she ever felt so happy to see so many soviet soldiers show up. The Germans had no choice but to retreat from the overwhelming forces, the Soviets have them on the run. Oleg showed up smiling and offers his hand to help Ash get up then she checks on Able.

"We need a medic here!" exclaimed Oleg then proceed to check on Anton "Come on boy snap out of it!" he shakes him until Anton looked up but remained quiet.

Able on the other hand had just woken up and was groggy, very confused about what just happened. Ash consoled him until the medic arrived, he protested "I'm fine is just a scratch I can still fight."

"A scratch that might have a bullet left inside of you and a lot of blood loss Able. At least let him check on you," insisted Ash like a mother chicken. Able reluctantly complied with her request.

A few minutes later and Petr with Tromfin showed up "Great job! We held the rats in this line now we have them on the run" announced Petr with joy.

"Yes, but what now?" asked Ash.

"Now? Now we rest because we earn it then we push them out of Moscow reach" said Petr with a taunting smile.