Ch 23 Their Own People

When Ivan finally wished to end this kiss, he raised his head wanting to have a good look at the person in his arms, but Wang Yao who was meekly receiving his kisses now burried his face deeply in the other's chest.

So he followed Wang Yao's lowered head, adhering his lips beside Wang Yao's red burning ears.

"My dark-eyed little fool. My naughty little white horse!"

So what if this naughty little white horse didn't wish Ivan to see his face for the moment? Ivan's whole chest could feel that face clinging against his heart, seperated by only a thin layer of shirt. This face had long since turned into a living portrait, painted into his heart with all the moments of their converging paths; but, his hands couldn't picture it on the paper all along.

Because his heart was not so generous. It was not willing to share the most beautiful thing it cherished to the palette, paper, brush or even his own two hands.

When Ivan heard the enemy had left the woods returning back to the village, he carried Wang Yao out of their hideout and rushed to the ranger's cabin. And what set before his eyes struck him lightheaded—it seemed that Dimka couldn't lead the enemy to Ivan, but found gramp Mikhalech who was looking after the injured lieutenant Kaletin in the cabin, so they mercilessly shot them both.

"Two more on his debt…" Ivan pronounced word by word. He felt his shirt was wetted with warmth, so he freed one hand to gently lift Wang Yao's burried face and kissed those tearful close shut eyelids.

"I'm taking you back right now."

Then, by the dim stove that was about to go out, he picked up the military coat that Wang Yao took off before entering Bereza and patched up by old gramp, carefully wrapping Wang Yao inside. He couldn't find any extra boots, so he got out two sturdy scarves and wrapped them around Wang Yao's naked feet. After that, he buttoned up his jacket, put on his coat and carried this delicate little body in front of his chest, striding into the woods which were suffused with navy night haze.

When he walked to the other end of the woods, preparing to return to the base, Ivan turned around to this sleeping majestic world made of shadows, snow holes and black coniferous branches and nodded in salutation. This was his own woods. When he carried his beloved one, chased by traitor and had nowhere to hide, the woods of homeland did not betray him. Once upon a time in the peaceful years, the woods watched him growing up. And now in the abominable days of foreign occupation, he was no longer the master of this woods, but still its brave and faithful son.

"I will strike back." His voice wasn't loud but clear and forceful. "Because I'm a man of happiness—whatever I wish to do can all be done."

He wished to be an artist, so he got into the art academy; he wished to ride horses, so he learned to ride; he wished to rescue Wang Yao, so he did that, too. Now, he wished to carry his beloved one back to their own people—and so he certainly would.

Many years later, Ivan couldn't even remember if they had encountered enemy's hunts around on their way back—even if they did, perhaps it was overcame by some inconceivable forces. He only remembered himself carrying Wang Yao in his arms, walking on the endless snowfield. He also remembered the stars that night were like infinite number of sparkling eyes.

At the distant horizon where their own people located, the light blue snowfield was as though mingled into the sapphire-blue night sky into one. In the snowfield, Ivan's two feet left a long trail of footprints that belonged to the two of them. The splendid Milky Way above their heads was also like a trail of footprints spreaded by countless stars, in the whereabouts of the highest and the furthermost, extending into the front, to the direction of their own people.

"Vanya…Vanechka!"

He paused his footsteps and Wang Yao was peering at him. From those night-like dark eyes reflected glorious stars. He suppressed the urge to kiss the small starry sky in his arms and sped up his steps.

"Keep talking, I'm listening."

"Do you remember that night…the night when you came over to our side, Toris was talking about the stars…"

"I do. He said that the night belonged to us scouts. The Milky Way in the sky is the road of scouts."

"Vanechka, do you know what I'm thinking about? Please don't laugh at me… There are so many scouts fighting for the cause of justice, and so many footprints they will leave behind… But I think, whether they have lost their lives or not, those footprints will all become stars in the sky, and formed the Milky Way…"

"I thought the same way as you." Ivan smiled, "Look at the Milky Way, it's extending to the direction of our own people. "

"In there are Pavlik, Sasha, Kareshev, Egorov, lieutenant Kaletin…"

"And you, and me…"

Stars listened to their conversations for the whole night. When they returned to their own people, all the stars closed their tired eyes.

People hurried tending Wang Yao, preparing to send him to the military hospital. Ivan reported to the headquarter about the squad's activity and politely refused the division commander's order of letting him rest in defence. He was very proud of catching up with the scheduled time of counterstrike.

"Like I said in the woods." He said to himself as he packed, "When I bring Yao back, I'll turn around and strike back. This time, I'm going back to the village as a master. I shall watch and carry out everything that's about to happen—of how the ones alive shall get happiness and of how the ones lost their lives shall be burried in peace. The ones going to die tombless shall be sent to the end they deserve."