Alongside those who are sinful.

Chapter 6

He looked over to see that Katya was peacefully dozing against a tree. He watched her for some time, noticing that she looked so much more youthful when she slept.

"She is not awake remembering that her family is no longer here. She isn't worried about the present or the future." Thought Dietrich. He then wondered about his own features and looks.

"If she is that weathered, what do I look like?" Asked Dietrich, mentally. Now that he had the time to think about it, he had not looked in a mirror for quite a long time.

"Years, even. I just cannot remember how long it has been since I looked into a mirror." Dietrich frowned slightly and moved quietly to rifle through last nights bounty. The man pulled out some of the smoked meat from the sack bag, alongside two apples.

Still, in being quiet as to not disturb the sleeping Katya, Dietrich went and sat next to her, leaning up against the tree himself. It was a very nice day with a perfect temperature. A light breeze wafted through their little stretch of woods, ensuring that they wouldn't get too hot.

Dietrich bit into the first apple he had been able to eat in a full year. He heard a slight stirring beside him, so he looked down to see Katya looking up at him, blinking as her eyes adjusted and focused on him.

"Good morning, Katya. I have brought some food for you." Said Dietrich. He offered her the other apple he had grabbed and some of the meat. Katya yawned and accepted his offer, starting her own progress on her apple.

"Good morning. How is the day so far?" Asked Katya with a mouth full of fruit. She yawned quite audibly and Dietrich got an unwanted view of mushed apple inside of her mouth. He recoiled slightly, looking away and taking another bite of his apple.

"Well, it was good until you yawned." He said. Katya chuckled, sitting upright like Dietrich.

"Am I serious in believing that you, of all the people I have ever met, are disgusted by seeing some chewed up apple? Did you not literally crush a skull beneath your boot? I am certain I saw you hang someone last night from a noose. Oh, better yet, are you the one crazy German who wants to skin one of them?" Asked Katya, jokingly. Dietrich chuckled, taking another bite out of his apple.

"No war. No Soviet Union. No Nazi Germany. Two people, enjoying down time." Thought Dietrich. He sighed in relaxation, genuinely relieved that he was able to take the time to relax for a bit without the threat of artillery or air strike.

"What has you so relaxed, Chort?" Asked Katya. Dietrich but into his apple again, and shrugged.

"I no longer have to worry about being bombed to death randomly by your planes and artillery. I get to do what I love and what I am good at with almost no risk." He said. Katya scoffed lightly.

"Well, I guess...that can be a reason for someone to be happy." Said Katya. She licked a thumb and reached out, wiping away some of the dirt from his face. Dietrich let her perform the action, already understanding why she most likely did so.

"She probably wishes to care for something since her family passed. I will not be the one to judge her for it." Thought Dietrich. He was too focused on his country and service during his teenage years. Dating was not his priority by any stretch and he never really bothered to try and find a wife, no matter how pretty the girls were at his age.

But even he understood that he had no true idea what it was like, as a parent and especially a mother, to lose your partner and children. Nothing he had ever known could be compared to that. He knew this because he was not an only child at one point.

He had a baby brother who had died early at the age of three due to sickness. His mother and father had grieved for many, many years alongside of him.

"I wonder how they are doing? Do they know that their son lives? Do they even live? I hadn't received a letter from them in quite some time." Pondered Dietrich.