"Woah...how can I understand you?" Asked the Marine. Dietrich shrugged.
"The same way I can understand her, and possibly him if he speaks." Dietrich pointed to Katya, then to the Japanese Officer.
"Through means unknown to us. There are forces here at play in which we do not understand." Said Dietrich. The Japanese officer stood up, dusting himself off and adjusting his jaw. Dietrich took the time to walk down into the clearing, sticking his hand out to the marine in a gesture of friendship.
"My name is Dietrich Fischer. I am a sniper for the Wehrmacht and I suddenly awoke to find myself in this land a few days ago." Dietrich's introduction had two goals: Introduce himself and cause the marine to put his pistol somewhere else besides his shooting hand. It worked. The marine holstered his sidearm to shake Dietrich's hand.
"Hudson. Corporal Hudson. United States Marine Corps." He said, gruffly. Dietrich studied the man, guessing he was in his late twenties or thirties. His face, strapped with stubble, had a hard and almost leathery appearance.
His pants were of a patchy green tropical camouflaging pattern alongside his helmet. They were faded and worn much like his drab green tunic, but they would still prove to be useful in the forest. His boots, covered at the tops by well worn canvas leggings, showed considerable usage.
He wore a simple pistol belt that he had seen Americans wearing in various photos and footages from other theaters of war. He had a few mag pouches, a canteen, a sheathed machete of considerable size, and his sidearm.
He stood just a bit shorter than Dietrich, though not by much. Only a few inches at most. His eyes and hair were a warm brown color. Speaking of hair, it appeared to be matted down and unkempt with a slight hint of being dehydrated.
"From that flamethrower, no doubt." Surmised Dietrich. He looked over to the weapon, spotting the tanks and applicator nearly leaning against the tree. Resting on the tank was a helmet that Dietrich knew was Hudson's.
"This one has been through a lot in the war. Do not mess with him." Thought Dietrich. He then turned to the Japanese Officer.
"Lieutenant Hiroshi Kurumizawa." Hiroshi stuck his hand out to shake and Dietrich obliged. Hiroshi had a near perfectly spotless uniform, with a lighter, more yellowish hue of khaki than Katya's uniform. It wasn't HBT like Dietrich or Hudson's uniform, and lacked the woolen cloth like Katya's clothing.
It was cotton and pressed so hard that it seemed like it was starched. It looked a little out of place as compared to the rest of them, especially with the tall brown leather riding boots he wore.
On his belt was his katana, a small map pouch, an aggressively long bayonet, and pouches for SMG magazines. The final piece of equipment the man had was his military cap. It was a very dark khaki color and had the iconic neck flaps that he had always seen the Japanese soldiers wear.
"You have reservations about my garments." Said Hiroshi. Dietrich nodded at the officer's soft tone, which was more curious than offended.
"Yes. Before I explain why, this is Katya Oprichnikov. She is a marksman for the Red Army." Dietrich halfway turned and pointed to Katya, who raised a hand in welcome.
"But...yes. Katya and I have had to make extensive use of stealth and camouflage. As it turns out, we are the only people on this planet. There are no other humans. We are surrounded by a manner of creature that has evolved and adapted much like us. They are felines." Said Dietrich. He noticed that Hudson was clipping his flamethrowers' tank to his back and as he finished speaking, looked up with a dejected expression.
"You're off your rocker, kraut." He said, clipping the last buckle and putting his helmet on. Hiroshi glanced sideways at his recent enemy.
"Perhaps he is not. For why is he here? And not only him, but her, you, and I? This land is not Okinawa." Said Hiroshi. Hudson scoffed, walking up to the group with his torch hanging in one hand.
"I don't give a shit what this place is as long as it's not a jungle." Said the marine.
"They are medieval in armature." Said Katya. Dietrich turned to watch as she walked up to the group. Katya stopped and unslung her SVT, resting it's buttstock on the ground and leaning on it much like one would do to a cane.
"We have been able to easily kill them due to their smaller stature. We have stolen food undetected from them. They know not of who or what we are." Said Katya. She brushed a few strands of her hair under her pilotka, stretching her neck enough that it popped.
"They only know that something is out there." She said. Dietrich nodded and pointed towards the direction of the larger village.
"There is a town with over fifty buildings a few kilometers in that direction." Dietrich then pointed towards the bandit camp.
"The place we have been raiding for supplies is a bandit camp which has hostages and much more food. It is lead by a female with a leopard spot coat. Those are the animals that we have been picking off one by one." Said Dietrich. Hudson lifted his head slightly in realization, widened his eyes just a little.
"You're hunting them. You just got here and you're hunting them." Said the marine. Dietrich nodded.
"Yes. We must do what is necessary to survive." Said Dietrich. He narrowed his eyes at the marine.
"Surely, you must understand this? Your clothes are faded. You have been in the war for a long time, Corporal. You must have figured out about survival at some point in time." Asked Dietrich. Hudson angled his head to one side and waved his torch.
"Yes. Survival through superior firepower." Said Hudson, sarcastically. Dietrich looked to Hiroshi and then back to Hudson.
"And superior firepower is what we will always have in this planet. They are going to fight us with sticks and stones! Bows and arrows! We will fight them with our guns and our flames!" Said Dietrich, with a growl. He balled his gloved fists and opened them up, feeling his lust for blood course through his veins.
"We will stand over them. We will vanquish them and show this planet that we will be the most dangerous game." Proclaimed Dietrich. Hudson nodded, his mouth lazily hanging open.
"Yeah. You're off your rocker. I must be dreaming, so until you show me these 'animals' that you speak so fondly of, I am going to look for a way to wake myself up." Said Hudson. Dietrich shrugged and looked to Katya as Hiroshi reached behind himself and produced a submachinegun that had been hanging off his body by a rope sling.
"Let us see these creatures you speak of, German." Said Hiroshi. Dietrich took notice of the Japanese man's pencil mustache and slightly aged appearance. Dietrich wasn't able to discern how much of the man's aging was natural or stress induced from the war.
"Then again...Japanese soldiers never stressed about war." Thought Dietrich. Quickly, he put his mind back on track.
"We can go see the bandit camp but listen to what I will say. We must remain vigilant and alert at all times. We must remain quiet and silent, moving slowly at all times. I refuse to allow our element of surprise to be thrown away. Do as I say and we can easily vanquish this threat."
XXX
"A hunter knows the routines of his prey. It allows him to tip the balance of the scales to be in his favor." Thought Dietrich.
His fathers teachings had carried him for so long that he had nothing else to rely on. Then again, he did not need to rely on anything else. His mission was to survive, and if he used what he was taught, he would do just that.
The four of them watched the village from their usual location. Dietrich was centered on the rock, with Hiroshi on his right and Hudson on his left. Katya was squatting right behind them, looking over the village as well.
Dietrich passed his binoculars around and let the newcomers peer through his rifle scope at times.
"Do you both believe me now?" He asked, quietly. He watched Hudson's jaw slacken entirely as he looked through the binoculars while Hiroshi was seemingly unaffected.
"Hot diggity dog! To see it with my own two peepers!" Exclaimed Hudson. Dietrich found himself shushing the marine, alongside Katya and even Hiroshi. Dietrich gripped Hudson's shoulder just under the tank and firmly squeezed it out of pure nervousness.
"Keep your voice down, Hudson!" Seethed Dietrich quietly. Everyone froze as they looked to the outpost, waiting for one of the felines to alert the others to their position.
When that didn't happen, Dietrich let his grip soften as he pulled on Hudson's shoulder, ensuring that the marine would come face to face with him.
"A hunter must stay hidden from his prey! We cannot afford to ruin what we have accomplished so far." Whispered Dietrich. Hudson nodded under Dietrich's stern glare and the sniper finally pointed to the village.
"Those two rectangular buildings are believed to be barracks. The one in the very back, the barn, is where they are holding hostages or slaves. The big building in the middle is something we don't know yet and the two shacks are storerooms. Well, one of them is." Said Dietrich.
As he spoke, he could see that Hudson and Hiroshi were following his words and studying the village. Dietrich looked to the barn and saw someone exit it. Quickly, he grabbed the binoculars from Hudson and looked through them.
At the barn, with a door open, was the same felid who was being beat a few nights ago. He was being escorted reluctantly by a few guards to the big building in the middle. His intricately colored robe was a stark contrast to the drab brown, black, and green rags that most bandits wore.
"Katya. That's the one who was getting beat from a few nights ago. They're taking him to the big building." Said Dietrich. He heard Katya hum and he turned slightly, seeing that she was looking through her scope.
"I see him. The bandit leader is waiting outside for him!" Said Katya. Dietrich handed Hudson his binoculars and started to crawl behind the group.
"Where are you going?" Asked Hiroshi, handing Dietrich his K98. The man grabbed it, thanking the new arrival.
"That cat in the jacket is smitten with the bandit leader. If I steal him, that will bring me more than just one step closer to getting her." Said Dietrich.
"Why exactly are we concerning ourselves with the dame?" Asked Hudson. Dietrich looked down to the camp through his scope.
"Katya will tell you everything. If I do not come back soon then I wish for you all to torch the village. Leave no survivors." Said Dietrich. He saw the bandit leader grab the prisoner by the nape of his neck in a sensual way and lead him inside.
Dietrich did not like seeing that, especially after seeing the prisoners less than approving reaction. He shuddered under her touch, recoiling slightly against his own will. He froze suddenly, as if remembering that such an action would bring consequences.
Dietrich had seen enough. He remembered what he did to rapists back on Earth and decided that the ones here would get the same punishment. He stopped looking through his scope and started to walk at a slightly faster pace.
"I always hated rapists." Thought Dietrich, finding himself now planning a rescue mission instead of a kidnapping as he snuck through the woods under the mid day sun.
XXX
By the time he had seen the prisoner feline exit the building with a limp and an escort, Dietrich had thought of various ways in which he could rescue the feline.
Guns blazing was an idea that was quickly discarded, alongside any that involved the idea of entering any buildings in broad daylight. He believed it would spell a disaster, at the very least exposing him to the new world's inhabitants before he was ready.
Dietrich was never one to boast, but knew that he was most likely kilometers ahead of the felines as far as proficiency in killing went. However, he was humble enough to know when he was way out of his league.
This was one of those moments.
He had not been able to come up with a truly comprehensive plan to extract the prisoner. But, it would appear that for all of his skill and superior technology, a little bit of luck would always go a long way.
The prisoner pointed in the direction of the woods, spoke a line from his guttural hissing language, and began to walk towards Dietrich.
"Sometimes the prey walks right into your trap." Thought Dietrich. He had concealed himself in a thicket of brush, taking pieces of the foliage and attaching them various parts of his uniform. He had bedded down in the brush and was currently laying in a position that would allow him to spring up if need be.
"Just as I have done in the war. Through the helmet loops. Under my straps. Eliminate the outline of the human body. Break it up so that it goes unrecognized against a backdrop." Thought Dietrich.
That was one of the most important lessons he had been taught during camouflage training. The human outline is the most recognizable shape. It becomes significantly harder to recognize it when it is obscured or broken by branches and grass.
It wasn't fool proof by any means. He was certain that feline eyes might be able to pick him out if they are looking for him, but that was also why he was confident his plan of going undetected would work: They might not know what they needed to look for in detecting camouflaged snipers.
If that was true, by the time they figured out what they need to look for, they will already be dead.
The prisoner limped towards him, slowly closing the distance between them. A singular guard followed lazily behind. She was clutching a spear and seemed to be less than interested in whatever the prisoner was going to do.
Dietrich waited, silent and still. The prisoner limped closer and closer, all the way up until he quite literally stood next to the man. Dietrich held himself still for fear of losing such an ample opportunity, even as the prisoner began to urinate right next to his leg.
Once the feline finished, Dietrich kept still, waiting to see if said feline would do anything. Everything went quiet for a moment, and the prisoner bolted. Dietrich quickly snapped his head up, looking for the guard.
She hastily tried to follow and as she stepped in the puddle of urine that the prisoner had created, Dietrich struck.
His arm shot out and collided with the legs of the guard, sending her to the ground in a heap. Her spear went off into the woods. Quickly, Dietrich pulled out his dagger and shoved it into her chest. She let out a breath of surprise, trying to make a noise as the air left her lungs. He twisted the handle and pulled it back, thrusting again and again until she stopped writhing under him.
Dietrich plunged the knife into the guards stomach, yanking it to the right. It was an immediate disembowelment, with Dietrich bowing the body to allow its organs to spill out onto the ground.
"This will cause them a great amount of fear." Surmised the man.
It was surprisingly quiet. It was shockingly quick. It was deviously brutal. Dietrich wiped his blade on the fur of the dead bandit and sheathed it. He got up from his prone position into a crouch and looked around to where the prisoner had run off to, his eyesight blurred by the condensation that had gathered on the lenses of his goggles.
He stood only a short distance away, staring down at the scene in what could only be described as abject horror. Dietrich exhaled, attempting to slow his minimally elevated heart rate. He stood slowly, hearing his knees and ankles pop after having been still for so long.
While he was only a short distance from the feline, he could already tell that he towered over it by two feet at least. It stood frigid against the almost still backdrop of the forest.
Dietrich walked up to the prisoner, letting the brush around him fold as he forced his way through it. Once he was right in front of the prisoner, he calmly reached a hand around the back of the felines neck and grabbed the scruff, immobilizing him like one would do to a kitten on Earth.
Dietrich lifted the felid with one hand, straining as he did so. It was no small feat, even with the creatures being as lightweight as they were. He smiled at the prisoner, knowing that the display of teeth may be a threat in their culture but also not really bothering to care about such an issue.
"You are safe now, friend. You will be of great help to us."