Learning is light and ignorance is darkness!
"Dmitry, AP shell!" Victor cried loudly, peering tensely into the slightly dirty telescopic tank sight.
Almost simultaneously, an armor-piercing tracer shell sent into the breech of the 76-mm gun clinked. Victor aimed at the German T-3 tank, which was five hundred meters ahead.
"Fire!" he informed the loader to be careful, so that the recoil of the gun's bolt wouldn't accidentally hurt him, and pressed the pedal trigger.
"BOOOM!"
Having sent the shell where Victor Reznov had aimed, the gun spat out a shell casing into the fighting compartment, simultaneously dousing the tankers with "refreshing" gunpowder gases.
For a moment, Victor couldn't see anything because of the gunpowder smoke and the cloud of dust raised by the gun's shot.
But then the dust and smoke settled a little, and the T-3 was still standing quite intact, contrary to the expectations of the Soviet tankers, and was already aiming its 50-millimeter long-barreled gun at the Soviet tank that had revealed itself with a shot.
"Fuck, is the shell defective or something?! Sergey, reverse and turn right!" trying to keep his voice strong, the tank commander yelled, hoping that he would be able to hide behind the nearest haystack before the German gunner had time to aim at them.
The driver-mechanic shifted the gearbox into reverse mode with great difficulty and began move back carefully, trying not to break the transmission. But it was too late.
The monstrously loud sound of German shell breaking through the turret armor deafened the tankers. It's fragments and turret's fragments seriously wounded Victor in the chest and Dmitry in the legs. However, there was something worse.
Pieces of burning tracer and incendiary composition fell on the shells that were attached to the inside of the right side, and on the shells lying on the floor of the fighting compartment. The fire extinguishers were in the control compartment.
Despite the severe pain in his chest, Victor was about to squeeze through there to take one of them that was near the driver-mechanic, when another unimaginably loud roar was happened. It was another German shell hitting the front joint of the turret and hull.
The T-34 stopped. The shell that had defragmented killed both the driver-mechanic and the machine gunner-radio operator sitting next to him with its fragments. But, in addition to this, some of fragments had pierced the internal fuel tanks located on the inside of the hull sides, and the leaking diesel fuel immediately caught fire. A fire started.
"LEAVE THE TANK IMMEDIATELY!" the stunned Victor yelled, not yet knowing about the death of the driver-mechanic and the machine gunner-radio operator, after which he grabbed Dmitry to push him out of the burning tank first.
The flames had already engulfed the tank commander's shoulders, and the smoke had completely filled the turret, but he was still able to push the loader out through the top hatch, after which he himself jumped out of the tank and, screaming in terrible pain, began to roll on the ground, trying to knock the fire off his burning uniform...
...Victor opened his eyes, sat up in his bed and looked around the ward he was in for a few seconds in shock. Although it was a gloomy early autumn morning, the light coming through the window of the ward was enough for Victor to understand that what he had seen a few moments ago was just a nightmare from the past.
Only after getting out of bed did the man notice that the bed linen was wet with sweat, and he himself was also sweaty. He wiped himself with the dry part of the blanket, got dressed and began to do exercises, trying to distract himself from the difficult memories caused by the nightmare.
Two days had already passed since his last "talk" with Nora, and since, in general, his health and the latest tests had become even better, Victor expected that he would be transferred to the general therapy department today.
He was finishing his exercises with the dumbbells when there was a knock at the door of the ward and Nora entered, in a great mood.
"Good morning, Victor! How are you feeling? Do you have any complaints? However, I see that you are in quite satisfactory condition," she "addressed" the man.
"Good morning, Nora! You know, I feel quite well, if only I could gain even more strength and weight. And how was your weekend?" the man "inquired" of the vixen-doctor.
"Oh, thank you, Victor, my weekend was very good! My whole family and some of our friends and their kits went to the forest to pick the berries and mushrooms that were still left... Wait, Victor, why is the bed linen wet? Are you sure everything is okay?" Nora "asked" the man anxiously, approaching his bed and noticing dark spots on the bedspread and blanket.
"Yes, I'm fine, don't worry! It's just... I had a nightmare related to my past," he "answered" with a sad sigh.
"Poor Creature! But, okay, Victor, I think I can find some medicine that can improve your mental health. Or I'll ask Twitchel to make these medicines. I'm sure it won't be difficult for him, considering that you're not the only one experiencing mental problems.
Anyway, enough talk about the sad things! Based on your tests and how you feel, I'm transferring you from the intensive care unit to the general therapy department right now, as I planned earlier. So, follow me!" the vixen "said", which clearly raised the mood of Victor, who was already bored of being alone in the ward.
Having collected a few his own things, the man followed the vixen to another part of the hospital, where the general therapy department was located.
However, the "trip" along the hospital corridors took only a few minutes, and very soon the Soviet sniper and the vixen found themselves in the general therapy department at the door of the necessary ward.
Having knocked, Nora opened the door and entered the ward, Victor did the same.
The ward, new to the man, turned out to be very similar in terms of interior to the one he left only a few minutes later, with the only difference being that there were no racks with oxygen cylinders, and the window faced west, not south.
However, the man was not particularly interested in the interior of the new "home". Of much greater interest to him was his new neighbor, who had been in this ward for quite a long time, namely, a large, strong, dark-gray jaguar in a lilac hoodie with a partially bandaged muzzle, who was sitting on the bed and reading a book. The jaguar looked up from the book, greeted Nora and looked at the man with surprise and interest, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Good morning, Isaiah! I would like to introduce you to your new neighbor, the human Victor Reznov. I hope you will get along with each other, despite his species and the fact that he can only communicate using Trissol gestures!" Nora introduced the human to the jaguar, then turned to the first patient.
"So, Victor, meet your new neighbor - the jaguar-glassblower Isaiah Gaffer! I've already told you a little about him before. He's a calm and peaceful Creature, so I'm sure you'll be able to find a common language with him! And by the way, his girlfriend is the she-cat Avery Tailor, who was repaired your clothes. She was planning to visit her boyfriend this morning, so if her kittens don't mess up her plans, you'll have a chance to "say" "thank you" to her. I'm going to talk to Isaiah about the state of his burns now, and you get comfortable! - the vixen "introduced" the now jaguar to the man.
Having finished introducing the new roommates to each other, the vixen began a short talk with the jaguar regarding the current state of his face burns; the human simply sat down on his bed and began to watch the Creatures' talk, although he did not understand their language.
Nora, having found out that the healing was going as it should and there were no complications, informed Isaiah that the bandages and dressings on his face would be changed in the evening, and that his girlfriend Avery was expected to arrive soon, after which she said goodbye to both patients and left the ward.
For a couple of minutes, the jaguar and the man simply looked at each other, sitting on their bunks.
"Hello, Isaiah Gaffer! Nora has already introduced me to you, however, let's get acquainted – Viсtor Reznov," the Soviet sniper was the first to start a dialogue, after which he approached the jaguar and extended his hand in greeting.
"Well, nice to meet you, Viсtor! Isaiah Gaffer, or Isa for short, the local glassblower," "answered" the jaguar, after which he got up from his bunk and extended his paw as well. Having exchanged a firm handshake, the man and the jaguar sat back down on their bunks.
"So, Viсtor, what winds brought you here?" the jaguar "asked," simultaneously looking curiously at his new roommate.
"Well-l-l... Some troubles happened in my life, and that's why I ended up here. Although initially I could not even foresee such a development of events. Let's say I had pneumonia and extreme exhaustion, but thanks to your doctors, I was saved, and now I'm on the mend. You, Isa, as I understand it, became a victim of an industrial accident?" "answered" the man, at the same time showing sympathetic interest in the cause of the burns on the jaguar's face.
"Yes, several damn bricks in the wall of the furnace turned out to be defective, and as a result I was almost doused with hot liquid glass when I tried to reproduce a new brand of glass with a slightly higher melting point.
Luckily, I managed to quickly jump back, and only a few drops fell on my muzzle and burned it a little. But, damn, how terribly painful it was! And even now, even after skin transplantation, my muzzle still hurts noticeably in the places where the burns were... I can't wait for the burns to heal completely so I can quickly return to the glass workshop and take care of unfinished orders.
And now, I'm reading a book about optical science. I want to learn how to reproduce optical glass, and not just window glass, dishes, and some sorts of trinkets."
"Wow! I see... Yes, Isa, it's good for you that you turned out to be as agile as your distant ancestors! If you had been doused with liquid glass just a little bit harder... I can't even explain what a horrible painful death that is! It's just that I happened to witness how some of my colleagues were doused with hot metal when an enemy air bomb hit a blast furnace...
Hey, Isa, can you explain one thing to me? I've been in your town for a little over a week now, and I've noticed that some of y'all wear a full set of clothes, while others creatures go around without pants or dresses, or without clothes at all. It's not that it particularly worries me, I'm just curious to understand - are these some peculiarities of your fashion? Or do you have special rules regarding the wearing of clothes for different Creatures?"
"You know, Victor, we don't have any special rules regarding wearing clothes for ordinary Creatures, except for those who by profession need to wear clothes, such as, for example, our doctors. Each Creature decides for itself what and how to wear clothes, and whether to wear them at all. It's more a question of... M-m-m, what is it called... Ah, it's a question of aesthetics and self-expression, that's how it is! Especially since almost all of us, with rare exceptions, have fur, which protects us well from heat and cold," the jaguar gave the man a "crash course" on local fashion, after which he suddenly "asked", - "By the way, Victor, is it true that you don't have any fur at all? It seems that you don't look like a lizard, a dolphin, or their hybrids like our school teacher Callie."
"Well, yes, Isa, I don't have fur on my body, except for the head and groin, unlike almost of y'all. That's why representatives of our species always wear... I mean, we wore clothes, even in the summer, because it's vital for us! Something like that..."
"Oh, how interesting! Thank you for revealing one of many secrets of humans! After all, we know practically nothing about you, except for the scribbles in some tales and chronicles, which only show humanity in an extremely bad light... And the Edicts..."
"Yes, yes, Isa, I know that "That which is human shall be destroyed" and other such crap in your laws and legends..." the man "informed" the jaguar with a harsh look that he was already aware of the content of some of Silver Sage's legislative acts concerning humanity.
"Oh, sorry, Victor! I see that you are already aware of our laws. But these laws were given to us by Parliament, and formally, they are sacred and obligatory to execute. Then again, several centuries ago there was a Great Interspecies War between your species and ours, but personally, neither I nor anyone else living here have anything against you. At least I hope so. Especially since, it seems, you are not the only one of your species who lives in Treehollow," the jaguar "said" excitedly, calming his "interlocutor", who clearly showed with his facial expressions that he was not delighted by the reminder of his illegal position here.
"I assume you're talking about Tamberlane, Isa? Tell me more about her! Nobody offends her?! Who is raising her? What happened to her parents?!.." Victor began to bombard the jaguar with "questions", showing genuine interest in the main mystery of Treehollow.
"Hmm... You know, Victor, she is a very unusual kit by our standards! She is also, except for her head, furless, just like you. Her skin is much darker than yours, and the color looks like coffee with milk. Her muzzle is amazingly flat, unlike ours, and we don't even understand how she manages not to get colds often in the winter! She is only slightly taller than your waist, although she is already five years old. At first, she was a little behind our kits of a similar age in intelligence, but now she has almost caught up with them. But most of all, she is amazingly kind and caring, especially considering her sp..! Um, never mind! In general, she is a very sweet human kit! As for her parents, we don't know their fate. She was founded alone in a ravine in the forest near our town two years ago, and the adopted daughter of the Baker couple, the bat-squirrel Belfry Baker, took her in to raise. And so, she is our everyone's favorite, and no one offends her now! True, a little less than a year ago, a strange incident happened to her and Jonas, which almost cost them their lives, and local young "street rats" were involved in this. But everything turned out okay, although Jonas ended up losing three fingers on his paw. And the "street rats" are now under our close attention, and it seems they even got along more or less with her," the jaguar "answered", after which he stretched sweetly and yawned, revealing his pretty big fangs.
The man just chuckled thoughtfully.
"Well, thank y'all for saving her and giving her new home, but..." Victor was about to carefully find out Tamberlane's possible fate considering Silver Sage's laws, when there was a careful knock on the door of the ward.
"Here is my girlfriend Avery!" Isaiah "exclaimed" joyfully and began to quickly preen himself.
"Avery, is that you? You can come in!" he said, finishing smoothing down the slightly ruffled fur on his head and neck.
The door of the ward gently opened and a graceful, short, smooth-haired cat of white color entered the ward, but her left ear and the part of her head next to it, as well as her left shoulder, were the color of sugar caramel. The right shoulder was dark gray. The short, thick white tail of the cat was also decorated with dark gray-fawn spots. A faint, pleasant scent of mint emanated from the cat.
The cat was wearing an elegant yellow dress with a small cutout on the back. In her paws she carried a small women's orange leather handbag.
Not paying any attention to the person in the ward, she quickly walked to her jaguar boyfriend, sat down on the bed next to him, and gently hugged him. The jaguar also gently hugged his girlfriend, and they both gently touched each other with their noses, and then exchanged light, short kisses.
"Oh, my dear kitty, how I've missed you! How are you doing, how are your burns? I hope the skin grafts take root well?"
"I miss you so much too, my little marshmallow! Yep, you're right, the grafts are taking well! Although, of course, my face still hurts noticeably... But if no sudden complications arise, then I'll be discharged in a week or two. How are Anthony and Piper? How are you doing? And how are the repairs to my glass workshop going?"
"The kittens are doing well, except for the fact that Anthony almost accidentally burned the house down a few days ago during his chemical experiments with minerals. Fortunately, he and Piper were quick-witted and managed to put out the fire on the table. The smell of burnt amber still hasn't completely dissipated, though."
Piper herself behaves quite well and even passed her planimetry exam with an "excellent" mark!
I'm doing as usual - finishing the remaining orders for winter clothing for some of our neighbors in town, and waiting for the delivery of special fabrics from Tangled Branch. The "Jumping Guppy" should return from this voyage in the next few days.
And your workshop seems to be almost in order.
Gunny and Bleddyn rebuilt the destroyed part of the furnace, cleared away the layer of glass from the floor and re-routed the gas hoses.
Otherwise, everything is going according to plan in town - everyone is preparing for winter.
Oakewood believes, based on the signs, that winter will come earlier than usual, and will be colder...
Oh, and it seems that the "Jumping Guppy" is also expected to bring the Parliament's response regarding the investigation of Jentzen's attempt to publicly discuss one place. I really hope that Parliament will show mercy and will not demand that our Council send him there, but will propose a less severe punishment..."
"Eh, my dear, I also hope that he will not repeat the fate of his parents. But let's not talk about sad things now! You probably didn't notice, but now I'm not alone in the ward..."
With these words, Isaiah turned his head towards the man sitting on the next bed, who had been silently watching the conversation of the Creatures in love with each other. Avery did the same. Seeing the unfamiliar Creature, about whom the most incredible rumors and speculations were already circulating in Treehollow, wearing the clothes that she had mended a few days ago at Nora's request, the cat quietly gasped in surprise and pressed her upper paws to her chest. Her eyes widened greatly, her ears perked up, and her head tilted slightly to the side.
"My dear, let me introduce you to my new roommate, a human Victor Reznov! You know, even though he is the human... It seems that he is not such a bad Creature as our legends and laws claim! Imagine, he saved Kira, managing to reach the staff room when she began to choke, being almost at death's door himself! And a few days later, he was able to stop Sir Leon Crow from falling in the dining room when he got an attack of severe back pain! If you want, you can talk to him, but he cannot speak Growl, and can only communicate with Trissol gestures," the jaguar introduced his new roommate to his girlfriend.
Victor, realizing that the Creature's conversation was now about him, greeted the cat with gestures.
"Rea-a-ally? The human Victor Reznov, you say?.." the cat said thoughtfully, after which she got up from the bed and came very close to the Soviet sniper.
The man just continued to sit on his bed, waiting with interest to see what would happen next.
Coming close to Victor, Avery began to sniff the face of the man, who was somewhat taken aback by this, almost touching him with her nose.
However, the man was more surprised by the fact that her hot, frequent breath, as well as her body, didn't have a noticeable specific cat smell, but only a barely perceptible shade of it mixed with the pleasant minty scent of her perfume.
In parallel with sniffing, the cat also periodically met the man's gaze. Her expressive green eyes examined the previously unknown creature with lively interest.
Having finished sniffing the man, the cat took a step back.
"Well, hello... human Victor Reznov!" the cat began the "conversation" with a greeting, slightly squinting her eyes and with a slight smile on her face.
"Hello-hello, kitty Avery!" the human "answered", also smiling a little.
"He-e-e-y, Victor! Thank you for the compliment, but although I look like a young cat, in fact I'm already a mature Creature, I'm the mother of two beautiful kittens, and have already become a well-known tailor not only in our town, but even on the main Silver Sage! And, by the way, I also repaired the clothes that you are wearing now!" squinting a little more, the cat playfully "said", after which she slowly extended her upper right paw to the face of the "interlocutor" and very carefully touched the tip of his nose with her index finger with a slightly exposed blunted claw.
The man's "muzzle" took on a surprised and funny look for a moment, which clearly amused the cat, causing her to giggle quietly, and Isaiah only broke into a wide smile. However, as soon as Avery began to remove her paw from the man's face, he quickly but carefully grabbed it with his left hand and pulled it back to his face.
The cat froze in amazement with her eyes wide open and her ears pressed to her head, feeling the "paw" of her "interlocutor" on the wrist of her paw. The jaguar also froze in surprise, trying to understand what his roommate was planning.
Victor carefully unclenched the cat's paw, which had instinctively clenched into a fist, slightly bent her index finger away from the rest of her fingers, and then also carefully squeezed it with his index finger and thumb in the area of the distal interphalangeal joint.
"Wow! So interesting! Just like an ordinary house cats of my time! Except that she is several times larger than her distant ancestors, confidently walks on two legs, and has a mind like a human mind... like the rest of the upright intelligent animal-Creatures here. Although some of them clearly try to distance themselves as much as possible from their very distant animal ancestors. I wonder if these Creatures keep pets at home, and what kind exactly? It would be very ironic to see an ordinary cat in her home... And what other secrets are there in their anatomy? I should ask Nora about this, but first it would be nice to learn to fully understand and speak their language, because long-time tricks with fingers are quite tiring for me..." the man thought slowly, simultaneously examining pretty big claw that had showed out as a result of his manipulations with Avery's finger. However, the Soviet sniper had already realized that the Creatures were generally much more peaceful than humans, and therefore was not particularly afraid of the possible negative reaction of Isaiah or Avery herself from his action.
Having finished with the study of the anatomy of the cat's paw, who was still watching his actions in amazement, the man aligned her index finger with her another fingers, then bent his head down to her paw and kissed it gently.
The cat shuddered and gasped in surprise, while the jaguar fidgeted nervously on his bed.
However, the man immediately released Avery's paw after the kiss, and she, pressing her freed paw to her chest, sighed in relief. Isaiah also stopped being nervous.
"Thank you very much, honorable cat Avery, for repairing my clothes, and now they are almost like new! I hope that I'll be able to thank you for your work before I'll be banished, as your laws require! But I have no idea how exactly to do this, considering that I have nothing special to offer you..." Victor "said" words of gratitude, which finally defused the situation in the ward.
"Thank you too, Victor! Now your previous gesture... of politeness has become much clearer for us. And I'm pleased that you highly appreciate my work, especially considering that repairing your clothes took quite a long time. As for the opportunity to thank me... Well, by the way, maybe you will first tell me about yourself: what do you do? What skills do you have? Do you have a family?" Avery began "approaching from afar", trying to find out what other talents the person has, besides gallantry and insolence.
"I have a family... or rather, I had one - a wife and a little son and daughter. But now they are so far away that I can't get back to them by any transport... As for my skills... I was an ordinary worker, then I became a repairman, then a wa... - Victor stopped short, seeing that the cat had perked up and wanted to "ask" some question.
"Forgive me for interrupting your story, but you "said" that you can repair something?" Avery "asked" the man impatiently.
"Well, yes, I can repair some sorts of things. Some sorts of machines, mechanisms, control electromechanical devices, etc... Well, I can also repair household appliances like gas water heaters or sewing machines..."
Victor was surprised to see how the cat's eyes lit up with joy after his last remark.
"Victor, how wonderful! You know, I just need one of my sewing machines repaired: it recently started jamming sometime, and without it I can't complete some orders on time. And our wolf-repairman Bleddin is too busy repairing the glass workshop. Perhaps you could come to my house in the next few days and repair the machine, if your health and Nora allow it, huh? Luckily, my house is near the hospital. That would be your best gratitude for repairing your clothes!" Avery "asked" for help, looking at the man with hope. "
Um... Well, perhaps I can try to repair your sewing machine. True, I don't know about your sewing machines' structure, just as I don't know your writing language to read the instructions for it, if there are any. I hope that the structure of your mechanical things isn't very different from the structure of human mechanical things... In any case, if Nora allows it, I can come to you even tomorrow, and at least inspect your machine. But I heard that one of your kittens... Piper is her name, if I'm not mistaken, is distinguished by... a wayward character. Can you guarantee the no-hurts of my legs when I come to your house?" Victor "answered" affirmatively, trying to get guarantees of his safety from the cat.
Avery's eyes widened in surprise for a second, but almost immediately she laughed loudly throughout the entire ward and lightly slapped the man on the shoulder. Isaiah just smiled silently, spreading his paws to the sides.
"A-ha-ha-ha, Victor, even you have already heard about my brat daughter Piper! You know... Yes, she has a rather difficult character. But she is trying to become better, and there is already noticeable progress in improving her behavior. And I, Isaiah, her brother Anthony, and her biological father Jason - we all try to pay more attention to her and direct her unbridled energy into a more creative way. So, you can safely come to me, without worrying that my lovely brat daughter will bite or scratch you! And now I'll leave you both - it's time to get back to the children and work. I look forward to seeing you at my house, Victor! See you, bye!" the cat confidently "said", after which she approached Isaiah – "Darling, it's time for me to go home, but in a couple of days I'll visit you again! I hope that you and Victor will become good friends! He really doesn't seem to be such a monster as our chronicles say, but more like just as a very nice male Creature! Well, that's it, I'm leaving!"
"Bye-bye, my love! I also hope that I can be friends with Victor, despite our strong differences in appearance, and our laws and legends. And tell Anthony and especially Piper to be polite and courteous to him when he comes to you to repair the sewing machine!" said Isaiah Avery goodbye, quickly hugging and kissing her, after which the cat first went to Nora for permission for Victor to temporarily leave the hospital, and only then went home.
Silence reigned in the ward again. Victor and Isaiah simply looked at each other for a couple of minutes, after which the jaguar decided to break the "silence".
"You know, Isaiah, your girlfriend is like... The very self-confident cat who knows how to sew clothes well, knows a lot about perfume, and, most likely, is a good mother to her kittens. But, as I understand it, she still communicates with her "ex"... Jason, I think his name is. I'm not intruding into your personal life; I just find it curious... Among us, humans, wives usually try not to communicate with their previous husbands, and even if they do, they certainly do not inform their current husbands about it. Although, of course, there are exceptions. It's just that jealousy and suspicions of adultery are things that sometimes lead to tragic consequences. Moreover, I myself condemned and condemn husbands beating their wives, and vice versa, regardless of whether there was adultery or not. Yes, you can just quarrel and break up, but that's all! Not to mention murder... Yes, this is not uncommon among human beings, unfortunately..." the Soviet sniper shocked the jaguar with a revelation about human domestic violence.
"Oh, Holy Jesus, Victor! We don't have anything nearly as horrible as beating or killing our partners just for a fleeting love affair! Again, Jason and I are very good friends from a long time ago, so I know him well - he wouldn't even try to do something like that. Moreover, he already has a new girlfriend - navigator Amber. And they both are now on a working voyage on the ship "Jumping Guppy" which is supposed to sail back to our town for winter parking in a few days," the jaguar "said", thoughtfully scratching his chin.
"I see... Well, at least in something y'all turned out to be better than us, humans. Hey, Isa, I want to ask a question: can you teach me your language, at least in terms of reading and writing? I want to get acquainted with your literature, or at least get acquainted with your laws more specifically, since I'll be staying with you, presumably, until next spring. And about payment... I can carry sacks of raw materials for glass melting, I can help with your work within my capabilities, or whatever else you need," the man "puzzled" the jaguar with an unexpected request, simultaneously glancing at the book that was lying on the bed near to the jaguar.
"Teach you to read and write Growl, Victor? Well, I can try to teach you our writing, especially since you are clearly not a stupid Creature, judging by our conversation. But with spoken language it will be more difficult... I suppose we can start right after breakfast? A cook should be calling us to the dining room now, judging by the time," the jaguar agreed and looked at the time on his pocket watch.
He was not mistaken: a few minutes later there was a knock at the door, and a plump and fluffy female Creature in a dark-blue kitchen robe entered the room, whose fur was brown with slightly lighter spots and stripes of the same light, and in appearance resembled a hybrid of a red panda and an aboriginal dog. In height, this Creature was slightly shorter than a Soviet sniper.
"Yeah, Maya is our cook today, Victor! I think you'll like her food!" Isaiah happily rubbed his paws in anticipation of breakfast and greeted the dog-panda, - "Hello, Maya!"
"Hello-hello, Isaiah, a-a-n-d... Victor, if I'm not mistaken?" Maya said in response, after which she turned to the man and looked at him with surprised curiosity.
"Yep, that's right, Maya, my new neighbor is a human, Victor Reznov! But he can't speak Growl yet, he only "speaks" Trissol!" the jaguar confirmed and began to watch with interest the beginning "conversation" between the man and the dog-panda.
"Hello, Maya! My name is Victor Reznov, and I'm a human," the Soviet sniper "introduced" himself.
"Hello, Victor! Yes, I'm Maya, and I'm a hybrid of an Amaruq dog and a red panda. Nice to meet you!" the dog-panda "answered" affably, after which she went to the door of the ward and addressed both patients with gestures, - "So, boys, it's time for breakfast! Don't be late! Victor, follow Isaiah, he will lead you to the dining room! Not saying goodbye, see you a little later!" - and after these "words" the dog-panda left the ward.
"Well, Victor, let's not waste time, let's go to the dining room," the jaguar "said" to the man, after which they both went to the dining room.
The man and the jaguar had barely crossed the threshold of the dining room when the first stopped dead in his tracks. The teenage hybrid Kira, already familiar to him, whom he had last seen little more than a week ago dying from an attack of suffocation, was sitting alone and bored at the nearest table in a small, empty dining room – almost the same as the one in the intensive care unit.
Hearing the door opening and footsteps, she turned her head and shuddered, seeing the strange furless patient, who was already familiar to her. The jaguar, who was walking in front of the man, also stood up and looked puzzledly first at Victor and then at Kira.
"VICTOR... REZNOV!" a slightly hoarse, but very loud joyful cry of the hybrid was heard, after which she jumped up from the bench, almost knocking over the table, quickly ran up to the dumbfounded man, who clearly did not expect such a reaction, and hugged him tightly.
"E-e-g-h... Kira!" he only quietly exhaled, burying his face in the hybrid's fluffy cheek, and in return, but much more carefully, hugged her.
"What soft fur she has! And this barely perceptible pleasant scent... Like nutmeg!" Victor noted to himself with surprise.
"Hey, Kira, what on earth are you doing? This, you know, is a little tactless!" Isaiah tried to remind the hybrid of the norms of behavior.
But the hybrid ignored the jaguar's remark, holding the man in her tight embrace for a little while longer, then letting him go and sitting back at the table. The jaguar only sighed silently and reproachfully and sat down opposite Kira.
"Victor, I'm so glad to see you! I see you feel better too! I was transferred from ICU here a couple of days ago. If I'm lucky, I'll be released from the hospital in a few more days. How are you? - the hybrid "asked", being in an elevated mood, and even adjusted her bangs to see her "interlocutor" better.
"Kira, I'm glad to see you too! And what about my health... Well, the pneumonia has almost cured, but I'm still too exhausted, so I'll definitely be here for about one-two weeks or little more," the man "answered", and as proof he pulled up the sleeve of his tunic on his right arm almost to the elbow.
"Damn, dude, it's really too early for you to leave the hospital!" – Kira "said" sympathetically, seeing the still too skinny arm of her "interlocutor", but then "continued", "Well, it's okay, you'll be fed and treated normally here, and you'll be better than before! Aunt Nora and her colleagues are very good doctors, believe me! Although, perhaps, physical exercise wouldn't hurt you either..."
"Thank you, Kira, I'm already working on it," "answered" Victor and sat down next to Isaiah at the table.
However, almost immediately a quiet, measured footsteps was heard from the kitchen, and Maya looked out of the serving window. Seeing that all the patients of the therapeutic department are here, the dog-panda gestured: "Well, friends, breakfast is ready, come to the window!"
The man, the jaguar and the hybrid stood at the window and took turns taking trays with their breakfasts.
The jaguar received scalded chopped venison mixed with raw eggs and vegetables for breakfast, the hybrid received pea porridge with boiled chicken meat, and the man got chicken soup with pasta. For dessert, everyone got sweet herbal tea with oatmeal muffins.
Having sat down at one table, all three patients began to eat their breakfasts silently and slowly.
Victor was the first to finish his breakfast. Having eaten the cake and drank it down with tea, the man began to peacefully watch his table neighbor, who was already finishing her porridge. Isaiah was the last to finish his breakfast. All three of them breathed a sigh of relief and sat in silence for a while, enjoying the pleasant start to the day.
"Hey, Isaiah, Victor was transferred to your ward, right?" Kira asked the jaguar.
"Well, yes, you guessed it right. Now he is my wardmate. And why are you asking this?" the jaguar answered, slightly closing his eyes and looking at the hybrid searchingly.
"No, nothing. At least now you both won't be lonely," said the hybrid, looking more closely at the man sitting opposite her. She was especially interested in the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Voroshilov Sharpshooter medal hanging on his tunic.
"Hey, Victor, what are those things hanging on your shirt?" the hybrid "asked," pointing her finger at them. Jaguar also turned to the man, waiting with interest for his answer.
"Well... Kira... How can I put it more simply?.. I received the Gold Star during the Great Patriotic War, when I stood up to defend my Motherland," the man pointed his finger at the Gold Star, after which he pointed at the Voroshilov Sharpshooter, "And I received the Voroshilov Sharpshooter before the war during shooting training courses as one of the most best shooters. I don't want to go into the details of that war and what I saw and experienced in enemy captivity, so I'll answer figuratively.
Just imagine that you live on your land with your loved ones, friends, compatriots. You work hard in the field or at the factory to earn your bread; and raise children, make plans for a better future... And then somebody invade you with weapons in their paws... No, not even humans, but approximately the same creatures as you, and they begin to kill you all with the greatest possible cruelty and without any pity, including kits, old creatures, pregnant females, and so on under the slogan "Death to the subcreatures, and their lands, food, houses, and everything else - to us!"
And those who were not killed then immediately - they are dragged into "death camps", where an even more worst painful death awaits them as a result of crime medical experiments, backbreaking work, hunger, torture and executions. Of course, those of you who can resist begin to give armed resistance to the enemy. And how skillfully and bravely you act depends on whether you and your compatriots will live or whether y'all will be killed... This is the essence of the war in which I participated before I ended up in the "death camp", and after that I was able to accidentally "escape" to you...
The dining room was dead silent. The jaguar and the hybrid looked with genuine horror at the Soviet sniper, whose face had hardened and beads of sweat had covered his forehead.
"Uh, Victor... Thanks for the excursion into the history of your medals, but I think it's time for us to return to the ward and study Growl," the jaguar carefully "changed" the topic, after which he turned to Kira, "Okay, Kira, Victor and I are going back to our ward. I'll teach him our language and writing. You shouldn't stay up too long either; the hospital's daily routine hasn't been cancelled, so go to your ward too."
"Yep, Isaiah, you're right, I'll also go to my ward and take a nap! Maybe one of my classmates will visit me during the day..." the hybrid answered thoughtfully and got up from the table.
Victor, having recovered a little from the surging memories, silently watched the conversation between the jaguar and the hybrid.
"Wait! Did it seem to me, or in addition to the mention of Isaiah, me and Kira, I also discern a highly distorted mention of our ward and our studies?" the man caught himself on an unexpected thought. He had a feeling that Growl might be a little closer to English than he had thought before, when he had just arrived here and was not yet accustomed to the strong difference between human speech and the speech of the Creatures.
"Well, Victor, let's go to our ward, let's get to your learning of Growl" Isaiah "addressed" the man.
"Yes, I agree, Isa, let's go. Let's not waste time!" the man "agreed" with the jaguar, after which all three said goodbyes to Maya and went to their wards.
"So, Victor, now I'll give you a sheet of clean paper and a fountain pen, and now we'll study the letters of our alphabet and how to write them. And then in ascending order - spelling, punctuation, words, pronunciation..." Isaiah immediately got down to business as soon as he and Victor entered the ward.
Victor nodded his head in response, after which they both sat down on Isaiah's bed.
Jaguar took out a rather large book, a sketchbook, and two fountain pens from the bedside table. Tearing a clean sheet of paper from the sketchbook, he placed it on the large book, and handed it to the man along with the pen.
"Look, Victor, this is our letter "A," and after these "words" Isaiah wrote the letter in his sketchbook. To the man's delight, the shape of this letter, like the others he had to learn, was quite simple, somewhat reminiscent of Sumerian cuneiform, so it was not difficult for him to draw it correctly and remember it.
"Wow, you did it quickly, Victor! Well done! Perhaps we can easily learn how to write all the numbers and letters of our alphabet today! Then let's move on to the letter "B"," the jaguar praised the man, and drew this letter next to the previous letter...
...The entire day, excluding a lunch break, a short walk in the hospital courtyard, and dinner, the man and the jaguar spent studying the spelling and pronunciation of the numbers and letters of the Growl alphabet. However, soon after lunch, Victor, to his shock, realized that Growl was a grammatically and phonetically heavily distorted version of the English, which was also compounded by a noticeable anatomical difference in the structure of the mouth and larynx between people and Creatures, due to which even some seemingly familiar words sounded unrecognizable in the mouths of Creatures. Nevertheless, he decided to wait for new lessons before jumping to conclusions.
The man and the jaguar had already finished their lesson shortly before bedtime, when there was a knock on the door, and then Nora entered the ward with a cart on which were medicines for healing burns, bags with sterile dressings and bandages, and other medical stuff.
"So, Isaiah and Victor! How are you feeling? Do you have any complaints?"
"I feel fine, no complaints!" both patients answered almost identically.
"Very good! Well, Isaiah, I'll take care of your burns first!" the vixen-doctor said first to the jaguar, and then "turned" to the man, also "saying" that she would take care of the burns of his neighbor in the ward.
Victor watched with interest as Nora first moistened the bandages that were on Isaiah's face with a liquid that made it easier to remove bandages from healing burns, and at the same time, it also relieved the pain.
After waiting a little, the vixen began to slowly and carefully remove the old bandages from the jaguar's muzzle. Despite the pain relief, it was clear from his wincing muzzle that this was causing him significant pain, but nevertheless, the jaguar held on steadfastly and did not make a single sound.
When Nora completely removed all the bandages, Victor instinctively shuddered, seeing, although covered with new skin, but still extensive and deep healing burns on the cheeks and forehead of the jaguar. The Soviet sniper, who earlier, while still a tank commander, almost burned alive in a tank together with his loader, knew firsthand how painful it was... Meanwhile, Nora smeared the burns with healing antiseptic ointment and put new bandages on the jaguar's muzzle. Having finished with this, the vixen turned to the man.
"Victor, Avery asked me to let you leave the hospital tomorrow so that you could repair her sewing machine. In principle, I don't mind if you go to her house tomorrow and even take a short walk around the area of our town closest to the hospital. "Movement is life!", as folk wisdom says. But could you walk with me a little along the corridor of department now so that I can really make sure that you can walk around the town on your own without risking your health? - the vixen "showed" professional caution.
"Yes, let's walk, Nora," the man "agreed", and they both left the ward and walked a little along the corridor.
Seeing that the man had no problems with his gait or balance, the vixen led him back to the ward.
"Well, Victor, you really have no problems with walking on your own. So, come to our staff room tomorrow after breakfast. I'll give you a temporary permit to be absent from the hospital until sunset, as well as a temporary permit to walk around Treehollow, also until sunset, since you came to us without prior permission from the Council. And you better not be late when returning to the hospital, otherwise my husband will be forced to drag you to jail, which neither he nor I would like to happen... So, don't let us down, or yourself! Agreed?" Nora gave the "go-ahead", with a serious expression on her face "warning" the man about the possible consequences of being late when returning to the hospital.
"Yes, Nora, thank you! I'll try not to let you down!" the man "gave" a promise.
The vixen smiled lightly and nodded her head, after which she conducted a standard examination of the furless patient, measured his blood pressure and pulse, and, having made sure that everything was within normal limits, except for excessive thinness, took blood for analysis.
Having completed all the necessary procedures, Nora said goodbye to both patients, wishing them good night, after which she went back to the staff room with the cart.
Silence reigned in the ward. Victor and Isaiah began to get ready for sleep.
The man took off his tunic and was about to go to bed when he noticed the surprised look of the jaguar.
"Is something wrong, Isa" he "asked" his ward neighbor, frowning slightly.
"My God, Victor! You really are practically furless! But I also see that the war you mentioned in the dinner room left such terrible marks on you! Can I ask what exactly happened to you?" the shocked jaguar "inquired".
"Yes, Isa, you're right - many terrible things happened to me in my past life, which left these incurable marks on my body, and this events related with the war. But I don't want to discuss this in detail with anyone now, because these wounds healed physically, but not mentally! And I don't even know when I'll be able to find the strength to be ready to mentally relive it... Anyway, I'm going to sleep. I don't know about you, but today has left me a bit tired. However... Thank you, Isa, for taking on the task of teaching me your language! And thank you for not looking at me like a monster from the past, unlike some of the locals! Good night!" "said" the man, after which he lay down on the bed, covered his head with the blanket, and almost immediately began to snore quietly.
"Thank you too and good night, Victor!.." Isaiah only managed to think to himself, and went to bed too. However, the comprehension of the events of the past day and what he learned about his wardmate, who was peacefully sleeping on the other bed, prevented the jaguar from falling asleep for a long time. Finally, having tossed and turned for almost half the night, the jaguar fell asleep...