City of Kursk 1943
Holo stumbled as Dmitri led her out of the medical tent. Even after two days of recovery from the battle, Holo was still uneasy as she walked. As she looked at Dmitri, she couldn't help herself to notice how his hat made him look as if he had wolf ears.
"Dmitri, I want to ask you something about that hat you are wearing."
Dmitri just gave a sigh as he started to answer.
"Look Holo, I will get a helmet as soon as I can. Stop worrying about it."
"No, it's not that. It's just that the ear flaps on that hat make it look like you have wolves' ears, don't you agree?" Holo asked.
Dmitri took the hat off his head and examined it. Once finished, he placed the furry hat back on his head.
"I guess it does. Are you saying that I look like a wolf, because these ear flaps are nothing like your ears. Besides, I am a man not a wolf."
Holo just smiled to herself.
"True, but you are more wolf then you think." Holo thought to herself.
Holo gained more control of her body as the two walked to a semi destroyed building. Inside, Malik and Sasha where cooking food over a hobo stove. Holo could smell the food reeking from inside the building. The smell was so bad, that Holo pulled the collar of the uniform over her nose in order to prevent herself from smelling the air.
"Oh come Horo, the food isn't that bad. Once you get past the 99% of inedible content of the food, it actually tastes good." Sasha laughed. Holo just wanted to kick the man and see him suffer, but refrained from acting on this impulse.
"Stop joking Sasha. Don't worry Horo, the food isn't from the rations; neither is the smell." Malik said, taking a drag from his cigarette. Holo became curious and started sniffing around for the source of the putrid smell. Malik saw Holo's confusion and just pointed to a window. Holo walked to the window, and gasped in horror. She saw young men, practically boys, line up in front of a trench. Then, soldiers aimed their guns and fired at the prisoners. Holo looked away from the massacre.
"There no different than the Germans." Holo said under her breath. Quickly she turned her head, expecting to see Malik comfort her with words of wisdom. Instead she saw Malik look away, a sense of shame could be felt. He wasn't the only one, as Dmitri and Sasha had the same look.
"Could we go someplace else to rest?" Holo asked. The three men got up and walked back to camp, with Holo following behind with the food. Once in a barracks tent, the four opened the pot and served a red soup that Holo knew as borsht. The soup was semi warm and was more potato then soup, but it was food. Holo did not complain, she just ate the soup. As she was eating, she noticed Malik, Sasha and Dmitri staring at her. Holo wondered what was wrong.
"Horo, you do remember to breathe when you eat. Right?" Sasha asked. Holo had no idea what he meant till Malik held up a signaling mirror. Holo blushed with embarrassment when she saw that most of her face was covered with the red soup.
"You look like you just killed an animal with your mouth." Dmitri joked.
"Oh, and you do not?" Holo remarked, showing Dmitri's reflection with the mirror. All over his face was the red soup, it dripped off his chin like blood. Dmitri stared into the mirror and then laughed, followed by Holo and Sasha. Malik kept to himself, as he noticed Holo's teeth were less than human. To him, the borscht made Holo's fangs look drenched in blood. As the squad's laughter started to die down, Dmitri pulled out a box and letter. Interested in the book and letter, Holo questioned Dmitri.
"While you were unconscious Horo, the four of use received awards for our bravery on the field." Dmitri said before opening the letter and reading from it.
"For heroism and courage and sacrifice you endured for the Red Army, mother Russia, Stalin, Lenin, Marx, and for the global revolution, you four soldiers under command of Field Marshall Zhukov destroyed an undetermined number of invading tanks at the battle located near the industrial city of Kursk. For your valor and courage in the face of the invaders, Junior Sargent Dmitri, Efraitor Malik Lone, Efraitor Sasha Ivanoff, and " Dmitri paused for a moment, staring at the letter before continuing. "Soldier Horo Lawrence, have each received the Medal of Courage, the highest an enlisted soldier may receive. "Dmitri put down the letter and opened the box. Inside where four medals, one being an older issue medal due to its red lanyard. Dmitri passed the medals around, giving Holo the older medal.
"I see that you wish me to have the older medal." Holo said in a sarcastic tone.
"The red lanyard goes well with your eyes." Dmitir answered. Holo merely blushed at her descendant's remarks. Dmitri then laughed.
"Now it goes well with your cheeks" Dmitri said as he laughed. As he laughed, Malik came up to Holo
"I had no idea the "Lawrence" was your last name. Where do you hale from? "Malik asked.
"It has been a long time since I have been called Lawrence. As for where I come from, it has since been destroyed." Holo then looked away, remembering Lawrence and her former home back in Yoitsu. Malik go the idea and backed off to his cot, wondering where in Russia Holo could come from with a name like "Lawrence". Then something hit Holo's mind.
"Dmitri, why are you a Junior Sergeant? Both Sasha and Malik are older then you, plus Malik has more experience." Holo asked. Dmitri looked at his friends, then at Holo before he talked.
"You see Holo, Malik is a Chechen. The Government doesn't like Chechens due to Chechens being mostly Muslim. Sasha, on the other hand, is a former criminal. The party doesn't like criminals high in power." Dmitri answered. Holo looked at Sasha.
"You were a criminal?" Holo asked her squad mate. Sasha just chuckled
"I was caught steeling gold rings from a jewelry store back in Moscow. One day the Malitsiya caught me. Thankfully Stalin needed workers for the mills, or I would be in a cell right now going crazy" Sasha then laughed. "It's funny really; my mother always said that we had an ancestor who was a shepherdess that smuggled gold from the church." Sasha just gave another chuckle. "I never believed her, and just took it as another story she told." Holo's eyes became wide
"Was this ancestor's name Norah and did she have a dog named Enekk?" Holo asked
"Hell if I know, I barely listened to my mother" Sasha said surprised at Holo's question. Holo backed off from Sasha and walked over to her cot. She wondered how many more descendants of people from her past she would meet, and whether she would recognize them as such.
As Holo thought, she noticed Sasha playing with something in his hand. Curious, she moved closer for a better look. In his hand, Sasha had an epaulet medal from a German uniform. What caught Holo's eye was the design. The outside of the medal looked like the ancient symbol of the black sun, while the inside had two lightning bolts of Thor with an arrow coming forth from the center. Somehow, this symbol was strangely familiar to Holo, yet she could not put her finger on it. Just then, Holo felt a chill up her spine. Turning around, she saw the dominating force that was Commissar Boris. A fast as an eagle, he snatched the Medal.
"Where did you get this contraband Sasha? Tell me now, or you will go back to prison where you belong." The commissar said with a booming voice. Sasha stood up at attention.
"Commissar, I picked up off a dead Fascist." Sasha answered. The commissar looked at the medal, then back at the squad.
"If any of you are ever found with German contraband, even one, then all of you will go straight to the Gulag. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" Boris ordered. Everyone in the squad, even Malik, started to feel fear in their spines. The Commissar turned around and marched out of the tent.
"What's his problem" Sasha asked. Holo just shrugged her shoulders.
Boris walked out from the tent, clenching the medal in his hand. He knew what the medal was, and his superior had to know of its existence. He walked to a tent guarded by two soldiers wielding submachine guns. They saluted him and allowed him to enter. Inside was a man behind a desk. The man was around his fifties, yet his shaved head made him look younger. Next to his paper work as a peaked hat, the hat of a Marshall.
"Ah, Boris, how long has it been since that little skirmish with the Japanese?" The Marshall asked
"Too long, Marshall Zhukov, too long" Boris replied. Zhukov put the paper work away, and listened to what his old friend had to say. Boris took out the medal, placing it on the desk. Zhukov examined the medal, his face turned from happy to serious
"Where did you get this?" Zhukov asked.
"One of my soldiers had it." Boris replied
"Is he in the same squad as the wolf" Zhukov asked
"Yes, I can tell that this worries you old friend" Boris answered. Zhukov threw the medal back on the table
"The Vrill society seems to be fascinated with her, no?" Zhukov asked
"She is the first supernatural being they have encountered, of course they fascinated with her. That also means they want her back. They will kill anyone just to continue the Beowulfe program." The commissar replied. Zhukov gave a sigh at the comment. He knew that he had to hide Holo elsewhere, but where. Zhukov thought a moment before an idea came to him
"Leningrad" the Marshall said under his breath "We will hide her in Leningrad."
"Leningrad, why there?" The commissar asked.
"Germany is losing, especially at Leningrad. The massive amount of refortification will make it easier to wright her off as a regular soldier refortifying the city. The Vrill society will think we are using her as a secret weapon and expect she will be fighting elsewhere. What's more is that Hitler will be less likely to send troops to a city that has proven to be not worth the fight, thus he would not send troops to support the Vrill if the Vrill does choose to attack the city." Boris took in what his superior said. He then gave a quick salute, and left the tent with the order. He climbed up on a tank, holding a megaphone. He barked into the device, telling his troops that they move tomorrow for Leningrad.
Dmitri removed his boots to examine his feet, checking for blisters. Thankfully, he had none. He sat back against the log, feeling the cold nip his face. It was the middle of winter, a cruel Russian winter. He had little fear for the season for his Telogreika and Ushanka kept him warm. He looked at his fellow squad mates, noticing the differences in equipment. Holo had a Telogreika over her sniper uniform, but it was modified with ameba camouflage due to her sniper role. Sasha also had a Telogreika, but it was worn due to him always wearing it. Malik did not have a Telogreika, but instead he had a great coat that looked a lot warmer than the Telogreikas. Dmitri then opened a can of SPAM with his knife. Jamming the knife into the frozen SPAM, he saw the meat substance shattered into two pieces
"Shit" he said under his breath as he saw that now he had to unfreeze the meat. While Dmitri started a fire, Sasha was oiling his DP machine gun with oil he pinched of a dead soldier back at Kursk. God knew what would happen if he used the oil supplied with the gun by the army. Malik was watched over his squad like a sentinel, stopping only to relight his cigarette that kept his insides warm. Despite the cold, Holo was sleeping. To her, the cold felt like the home she was taken away from. Her noise started to twitch when she smelled the SPAM.
"Half of that food is mine Dmitri." She said in her sleep. Dmitri did not argue with the she-wolf, only eating his half of the SPAM. Holo woke up and sat next to Dmitri. He passed the SPAM to Holo, expecting her to grab the can. Holo did not; instead she jammed a bayonet into the meat and placed into her mouth.
"Oh come on Horo, what am I supposed to do with the can?" Dmitri whined
"I don't know, you find out." Holo replied. Dmitri gave Holo a nasty look before he threw the can into the fire. Dmitri then pulled out photo and stared at it.
"Friend of yours?" Holo asked. Dmitri then put the photo away
"She was my ex-girlfriend" Dmitri answered. Holo saw the look on his face and looked away. She did not wish to bring pain to her descendent. Just then, a photo appeared in front of the two. Looking up, Dmitri and Holo saw Malik holding the photo.
"This is my wife Nabeeha, my daughters in order from eldest to youngest Taisa, Valida, and Toita, and my oldest son Muhammad." Malik said as he pointed to each of the figures on the photo graph. Then Sasha came up with a photo
"This is my older sister Sanya, and my adopted brother Chekov." Sasha said as Malik put his photo away.
"Why does Chekov have dark skin Sasha?" Holo asked. Sasha smiled
"He is a black Russian, and proud of it." Sasha said as he beat his chest. Holo stared at the picture, surprised that a person's skin could be that dark.
"I am going to put this away; Chekov doesn't like being stared at." Sasha said as he put the photo into his jacket.
"I am sorry, it's just that most people I have seen have lighter skin" Holo said in her defense. Sasha laughed, which Holo took as Sasha accepting her apology. Holo then watched as Dmitri pulled his Nagant revolver out. He then tossed a empty vodka bottle into the air and fired. The bullet hit its mark. Holo was not that impressed with the shot, but she still complimented Dmitri on his marksmanship. Holo then starred at his revolver. From what Holo had seen among troops in the red army, not many carried pistols let alone a revolver. She asked where Dmitri received such weapon. Holo noticed both Sasha and Dmitri both become somewhat tense.
"This weapon used to belong to a former friend name Nikolie. Back at Stalingrad, where Sasha and I were hiding among the dead, Nikolie just ran like a coward. He left this pistol behind, with no bullets in the chamber. While we were at work fighting, he got promoted to officer for doing nothing. I can tell you this Horo, he is a bastard that neither Sasha nor I trust anymore." Dmitri answered.
Wanting to be alone, Holo got up and walked away so that her squad could not see her. As she sat down, she allowed her tail to be out in the open. She was saddened at the state her tail was in. The fur had lost most of its silken qualities and was now as rough as sand paper. Stroking it, she felt the dirt particles falling off her once clean tail. She started to cry, her tears falling onto her tail. She then felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Dmitri giving a smirk.
"May sit with you Holo?" The soldier asked. Holo allowed him to. Dmitri stared at Holo tail, gawking at its beauty.
"Cat got your tongue, Dmitri?" Holo joked.
"No, it's just that I have never seen your tail before. It looks so beautiful and feels so soft." Dmitri said as he stroked the tail. Holo smiled.
"You should have seen and felt it when it is clean and combed." Holo commented. She then felt Dmitri's hand pull the hood of her uniform off, revealing her ears.
"Do you do this to all the girls you meet." Holo commented. Dmitri just chuckled
"No, I just wanted to see you when you are not hiding in that uniform." He said. The two turned away from each other, and stared into the woods. Holo then turned her face back towards Dmitri, staring at his face. Despite the scratches and small scars that war gives to a person, Dmitri still looked like her Lawrence. Feeling tired from marching, Holo laid her head on his lap and started to close her eyes. Holo then felt Dmitri's hand stroke her hair, his rough hand treating the hair like a fragile treasure. Although Holo despised being treated like a dog, she allowed him to continue. The memory of Lawrence stroking her hair was pleasing to her. As a result, she wagged her tail in pleasurement. The rest and comfort she received made her forget that there was still a war to be fought.
As dawn broke, Dmitri opened his eyes. Looking down, he saw Holo stretched out on his lap like a dog resting on a person's lap. He did not blush; he only got close to Holo's ear
"Wake up Holo, we have marching to do." He whispered. As he said this, he felt Holo's tail swiping him away. Holo did not want to wake. Sighing, Dmitri pulled out his revolver and loaded a shell into one of the chambers. Aiming the pistol close to one of Holo's ear, he fired a shot. Instantly Holo got up and slapped him.
"Don't you know one never startles a wolf when they are sleeping?" Holo yelled at Dmitri in an angry tone.
"Well I have more bullets then food, so I made the choice that prevented me from going hungry." Dmitri said as he tried to dull the pain of the slap.
"You are lucky that I did not go deaf, or you would be dead by now." Holo yelled at Dmitri. Dmitri just got up, and started walking to the road. Holo hid her ears and tail back in her uniform before throwing a rock at Dmitri. She missed.
Back on the match, Holo just looked forward. She did not want to make eye contact with Dmitri. She did not blame him for waking her up, but blamed him for waking her up with the gun. As they marched, Holo saw in the distance a ruined city. As they got closer, Holo noticed a sign that read "Leningrad". She expected bombs to fall from the air and bullets to start flying. Instead she noticed Germans being marched out of the city. It was then that she realized there would no fighting for today or tomorrow. As they marched into the city, Holo saw red army soldiers cook there rations. She looked elsewhere, seeing German troops being rounded up before being forced into a death march. The formation stopped, as Boris climbed up on a tank with his megaphone.
"Soldiers, welcome to Leningrad. Today you rest, but tomorrow you work. Get as much sleep as you can." With that, the formation broke up. Holo went to her squad, still angry at Dmitri. As she sat down on some rubble, she saw Dmitri walking up towards her. In his hand was the revolver. Holding onto its barrel, he handed the gun to Holo.
"I am sorry that I used this weapon in an unfit way; please take it as a sign of my apology." Dmitri said in a silent voice that had a sense of shame. Holo smiled and pushed the revolver back into Dmitri's hand.
"I will accept the apology, but you may keep the gun. I do not wish for you to be caught off guard without it." She said to her to descendent. Dmitri holstered the gun and sat down next to Holo. Both knew that tomorrow would be a rough day.
True to the Commissar's words, the next day was indeed a day of hard work. At least to Dmitri it was hard work. Standing on a ruin, he oversaw the invaders being marched out of the city. Most where German, but some were Finnish, and even fewer where Italian soldiers. He then saw two soldiers run out of the line, only to be shot down by Sasha machine gun. Dmitri felt pity for these troops. The lucky ones would be executed and buried in mass graves. Those not so lucky would be sent to a labor camp in Siberia, forced to work for the rest of their lives. Looking back at the bodies, he gave a sigh
"Maybe those two had courage for choosing to die running instead of being executed." He said in a depressed tone. As he moved his eyes, he caught sight of Malik standing guard. The Chechen took a drag from his cigarette, puffing the smoke away from the prisoners. Dmitri did not know if Malik did this out of respect for the troops, or as a way to insult the Germans through their suffering. Looking away, he saw Holo standing up. Again he sighed
"She needs rest. Maybe on our brake, I could get her to a shower." Dmitri thought. As he thought, he saw an officer walk up to him. Tapping Holo's shoulder, he tried his best to wake the She-wolf up
"Let me sleep Dmitri, I need it." Holo responded. As the officer came closer, Dmitri gave up on waking up Holo and just stood at attention. The officer came up to Dmitri, and stared into his eyes. Then the officer smiled
"It has been too long since we last met Dmitri." The officer said. Dmitri recognized the voice, his blood boiled as he saluted the man
"Not long enough Nikolie." Dmitri said in a respectful, yet disrespectful manor.
"Oh come on Dmitri, I left my pistol for you to use."
"Sure you did, but you neglected to load it you idiot."
"In my defense, those Nagant pistols are used only to show rank. They are not meant to be fired." Upon hearing this, Dmitri aimed his pistol into the air and fired.
"I have been wrong before comrade." Nikolie responded. It was then that Holo started waking up. It wasn't the shot that woke her up, but the bickering of the two men did.
"Will you two SHUT UP!" Holo screamed. The two men looked at Holo with disbelief as they became silent. Then Nikolie tenderly raised Holo's head and looked into her eyes.
"Your eyes are as red as the banner that flies over the Mother Russia, you hair is like the color of wheat that has reached its maturity, and your voice has the rage of a survivor of many winters. Tell me fair maiden, what is your name so that I may be humbled by your presence?"
Holo merely batted the man's hand away; disinterest could be seen in her body language. In a less stressful time, Holo would have flirted with the officer like she did the money changer many years ago. But with a war going on, survival was more important than flirting.
"My name is Horo, and I cannot say that I am…" before Holo could finish, Nikolie grabbed her head and lustfully stared into Holo's face
"Listen Suka, we officers require certain services from women. Now I see no fire in those mere peasant women, most of them have already been raped by the Nazis. But you have a fire in you that I like, and I like that in a women. You will be in my cot tonight, or I will have you shot for treason. GOT IT!" Just then, a click could be heard. Turning there heads, Nikolie and Holo saw Dmitri pointing his rifle at Nikolie.
"Get away from her Nikolie." But Nikolie was calm as he let go of Holo and pulled out his SVT 40.
"Pointing a weapon at an officer is treason, Dmitri. At any rate, all you have is a bolt action Nagant. I, on the other hand, have the superior SVT 40. I will not hesitate to riddle your body with bullets Dmitri."
Dmitri just lowered his rifle and stretched out his arms.
"Then fire, Sir" Dmitri said. Nikolie leveled his weapon. Holo wanted to stop the madness, but then she noticed something. She just smiled to herself. As Nikolie pulled the trigger, the magazine fell from the rifle.
"Stupid weapon, I thought this issue was taken care of after the war with the Fi..." Before Nikolie could finish, Dmitri had his rifle pointing at the officer.
"You're lucky that I have heard good things about you Dmitri, or I would have you shot. You got lucky today, next time you won't be so lucky." With that, Nikolie grabbed his rifle and walked off. Holo merely looked at Dmitri before slapping him
"You idiot, you could have been shot."
"True, but I know that Nikolie never loads his weapons. Besides, I noticed your face when he was about to shoot." Dmitri said with a grin. Holo just stared at her descended and walked off to take a shower.
"If this war keeps on going, soon I will be as insane as he." Holo thought as she walked over to a field bath.
The bath was little more than rusty pipes with a nozzle over the piping. Holo took off her uniform as she entered the shower. She had little to fear of someone noticing her true self, as it was winter and warm water was basically one degree warmer then cold. Even if someone tried to enter, she could smell Dmitri outside guarding the shower. The water was cold to the touch, but was nothing she wasn't used to. She remembered when she would bathe in the Yoits streams in the spring, just after the ice melted off the stream. She remembered when she teased Lawrence at how he thought the cold made bathing impractical. Suddenly, the cold got to her. She sat down, feeling the water rush over her.
"Lawrence" She whispered. She could feel the dirt fall off her tail and body, but she wished the water would wash off the pain she felt every time she remembered Lawrence. Turning off the valve, she dried herself off. Upon exiting the shower, she put her uniform back on. It was then that she noticed someone starring at her. Turning her head, she saw a little girl no older than 10 holding a stuffed toy in one hand and her brother in another. Holo looked deep into the child's eyes and saw hurt. Holo turned away; she knew that these children lost their family to the Germans. Holo then felt a tug on her uniform. Looking down, she saw the girl and boy holding up there hands expecting to receive something
"Please, wolf women, we have had very little to eat since the invaders came. Please spare some food." Holo was shocked in two ways. The first was that these children saw her ears and tail. Second, she could see in the children's body language that they had eaten meat that humans should never eat.
"DMITRI! we have a situation." Holo cried out. Dmitri came running into the shower, trying to figure out what Holo needed. As he entered, He noticed the children around Holo.
"Please, wolf women, we have no food to eat." The two children cried. Dmitri got down on one knee, holding a ration in his hand. The girl tried to grab it, but Dmitri prevented her.
"I will give you this, if you promise not to tell anyone about my friend here." Dmitri said in a calming voice. The children just nodded their heads and ran off with the ration. Dmitri stood up, brushing the snow off his uniform.
"They are children Holo; others would think they are playing if they said anything about you." Dmitri commented trying to cheer Holo up, but the she-wolf only looked at Dmitri with sadness.
"Those children had desperation in their eyes Dmitri. Those two were so desperate; I saw in their eyes that those two ate flesh of their own kind." Dmitri stepped back from Holo when she said this.
"How did you… I mean how do you know this?" Dmitri asked. Holo only raised her head and stared at the soldier.
"There is a fine line between desperation, and hopelessness Dmitri. I could see it in their eyes. I myself have never seen such desperation that bad before till now." Dmitri saw Holo clench her fists. "As for hopelessness, what I saw was worse then what those children did. I saw humans that where little more than bones and skins, each being shot by…" Before Holo could finish, Dmitri grabbed Holo by the shoulders and brought his face to Holo's
"Snap out of your depression, what you did and the saw in the past cannot be helped or undone. All that matters is what you do now." Despite his words, Dmitri noticed Holo cry. He tried to comfort the deity, but Holo kept pushing him away.
"I am sorry, it's just that the way you spoke, you reminded me of my husband." Holo said as she tried to distance herself from the soldier.
"Holo, you can't go take on your past alone. Let me help you." Holo only looked at the soldier with anger.
"What makes you think you can help me. My problems have existed before you were even conceived. You cannot comprehend the pain I feel."
"Just because I cannot feel your pain, doesn't mean I cannot help you. We are a squad, a pack. We are only as strong as our weakest link." Holo stopped looked at the soldier's face and saw Dmitri worried. Worried for her wellbeing, so much like her Lawrence did so many years ago.
"I am sorry Dmitri; it has just been too long since I have felt compassion and concern from any creature. But still, you cannot comprehend the loneness that I feel." Holo felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Dmitri smile. He understood enough for now.
It was then that the two started smelling the smell of burning Tabaco. The two turned their heads to the entrance of the shower and saw Malik looking at them.
"When did you get here Malik?" The two asked. Malik merely dropped the cigarette butt from his hand, crushing it with his foot once it hit the ground.
"Sasha found an old theater with a film projector. Do you want to come?" The Chechen asked. Holo looked at the Malik with confusion.
"What's a film projector?" She asked with confusion. Dmitri laughed at Holo's question.
"Come with me, Horo, I will show you what a film projector does. It will amaze you, I promise." Holo only nodded her head, curious at what her descendent wanted to show her. Malik pulled out another cigarette, lighting it with an American lighter.
"Come with me then." Malik said as he led his comrades out of the bath area. He pondered at what the children meant by calling her "Wolf Women".
"Another curiosity to add to the list" Malik thought.