Dietrich scraped the last of the food from his plate, shoveling a spoon into his mouth. The mood had changed for the better since Kasma fainted, thank goodness.
The others smiled and talked, with Sehth'ker and Kasma joining in quite often. Katya and Hiroshi would bring insight and stories from their lives to the table, while Hudson, Kasma, and Sehth'ker would converse about them.
In all, it felt as if they were a family. A peculiar and strange family, but a family nonetheless.
"It is a change of pace. I have spent so long trying to stay away from others. But now, we are invincible. We cannot be stopped except by ourselves. I can take the time to learn about the others."
And so, as the man sat, he listened for a long while until the voices blurred into a rabble. His gaze fell upon Kasma and it rested there.
Dietrich took the time to study the felid, remarking that he had never spent much time identifying aspects of his charge.
Kasma was a dark grey in color, with a cream colored chest. The lighter fur poked out from under the low resting collar of his jacket, much like chest hair would on a person. He had a tail which was striped the closer it got to the end until it was as if it was dipped into a can of black paint.
When Dietrich had seen Kasma without his coat, he understood that the Thrask had stripes running across his body, similar to a tiger. They were black, and were strong in the arms and legs, yet they appeared to fade the closer they got to his chest.
His fur was soft, remarkably so. Dietrich got a good understanding of how soft it was when he comforted Kasma after his nightmare, pulling him in for a hug.
Kasma looked quite young, almost like a kitten that was still growing. Sehth'ker had stated that he was a very attractive Thrask for his adolescent age. Dietrich did not like hearing that and made sure that Sehth'ker understood his ire.
But, it did explain some things for the felid's past. Moving on, Kasma was a fairly quiet and somewhat timid person, yet he had a strong heart and seemed to care for even the worst of those in the world. There was a comparison that Dietrich made between Katya and Kasma, and how their qualities blended in many areas.
As he looked over Kasma, Dietrich's mind came to rest on thoughts of the near future and what it might hold. There was always the question of the future. Cynfael would have to be introduced sometime, and the group would have to travel to somewhere to resolve whatever it was that brought them there.
The bat itself actually preceded Dietrich in arriving to the town. In fact, Dietrich knew that Cynfael was nestled in a tree near the camp. He had instructed the chiropteran to go to the camp before him, yet wait for a proper introduction.
"Dietrich? Are you okay?" The man panned his vision over to Katya, who had posed the question. The room was silent.
"You were staring at me for quite a while. I do not think I saw you blink." Said Kasma. Dietrich sighed.
"The future sits heavy on my mind. What will become of us? Why?" Dietrich asked, rhetorically. He picked up his fork, inspecting it.
"I have spent so much time engrossed in war...I am too used to following my orders and not having to think. When I am ordered to kill, I do so. It is simple. But now, I must think." He said, putting the fork down, he looked around the table.
"I am trying not to overwhelm myself, but it can be difficult. I find myself worrying about Springs Bloom and the kingdom. Have our actions here vilified us to a new degree? Have my actions, which have been guiding us, already sentenced us to a worse fate than what we already have?" Question Dietrich.
It was a speech from the heart. Having no clear orders and a lack of army and country to fight for had thrown Dietrich for a ride.
Germany was somewhere else, and the ones he was killing right now had nothing to do with his homeland.
"So why kill them at all? Why fight? What exactly am I fighting for right now?"
Those question had been asked by Dietrich to himself. Fun as it may be, killing Thrask did not serve an ulterior purpose as killing people did on Earth.
"Are your eyes finally opening, Kraut? Judge lest ye be judged?" Asked Hudson. Dietrich looked over to see that the marine was looking at him with a deadpan expression.
"No. I have been acting for nobody except for myself. The life of a sniper is a solitary one and I neglected to remember that you all are here with me. I may have made your lives more difficult when it normally would been just mine." Dietrich's explanation clearly made sense. Katya and Hudson raised their brows while Hiroshi nodded. Even Kasma and Sehth'ker got it.
"That is not fair for you all. But I just...gah." Dietrich sighed at the end of his short sentence, frustration finally showing for the others to see.
"This is...quite the shock coming from you, Dietrich. But we all make mistakes." Said Katya. Dietrich watched as her eyes briefly glanced down to his chest, right where the eagle and hakenkruez.
"Some greater than others. But do tell me, my child. Why are you, of all people, the one to begin overthinking?" Continued Katya. Dietrich felt his heart swell at the mentioning of her thinking of him like a son, yet he kept his focus.
"Are you rethinking all of your actions? Have you any regrets from the war? Are you still willing to fall for the country which has no hold over you right now?" She asked. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her focus unwavering.
She was asking a personal question to the man and they both knew it. Yet, her questioning was not out of anger or resentment. It was merely a question from what Dietrich could tell.
"Someone will, and if it has to be me then I will proudly do it." Declared Dietrich, calmly. He knew that Katya was always trying to poke and prod him, not because she hated him, but because she cared for him.
Dietrich's theory was that Katya recognized that everyone was somebody's son or daughter and that made them deserving of some level of care. That, or she was just a caring person. Either way, Dietrich was thankful for that and would never want her to change her ways.
"But I thought you had some choice words about your Führer. I understood the meanings behind what you said from before." Said Katya. Dietrich nodded.
"Yes. Plain as day. But it is still my country and I will fight for it regardless of who leads it. Do you not do the same for yours?" Asked Dietrich.
Katya nodded and Dietrich looked on.
"Exactly. Do not mistake my honor for blind fanaticism. My honor means loyalty." Said Dietrich. He held his head in his hands for a moment, rubbing his temples.
"All of this thinking...I can not do it alone. I need your thoughts. Please, tell me what you all think and know. I cannot do this alone." Pleaded Dietrich. He looked up to the table. Hiroshi was the first to speak.
"My loyalty to the Emperor leads me into battle. I shall never shy away from its glory. But perhaps a more subtle approach is needed aside from abject fear." Proposed Hiroshi. Dietrich nodded.
Toning down his wants and needs could prove beneficial to their survival and escape.
"Remember our conversation about why we all ended up here? Perhaps it goes further than us serving a punishment for our sins. Maybe we were all sent here to help each other. Regardless of the reasoning, that is what we should do." Said Hudson. He picked up his cup, which had been filled from one of the moon drink barrels.
"And, God willing, we will make it to the end without hindrance." He said, downing the cup. He breathed out in satisfaction.
"Yes. We will be with you, Dietrich. But listen to us from time to time! We are not here to hinder you. These poor souls do not deserve the torment which we share between us." Said Katya.
Even headed and correct as always, the Soviet mother leaned forwards.
"They are mortified and they do not even know a thing about us. We can use that to our advantage, but we have to be smart about it! Let's keep the killing on the low; Use it if we have to, not if we want to." She said. Dietrich nodded.
"After all I have done, they still stand with me. Whether it's because we are all human, or more, does not matter to me. They choose to remain and that means something." Dietrich's internal monologue went full force on the emotions, yet his exterior remained as steadfast as it always did.
"Very well. Thank you all. It has been a long time since I have been so familiar with others. Furthering myself from familiarizing others this makes it easy to get over death, but it gets lonely." Said Dietrich. He looked over to Kasma and Sehth'ker, who had remained quiet for the entire conversation.
"We're with you. At the very least, you can help show my innocence." Said Sehth'ker. She placed a hand on Kasma's shoulder and he nodded at her statement.
Dietrich gave a tight lipped smile, ensuring that his teeth were hidden.
"I would like for you all to meet someone who helped me with Krisch'a." Said Dietrich, standing up.
He sensed the confusion in the room, mainly from quite literally everyone else besides him.
"I am not going insane. I promise. It's daytime, so we're at an advantage if you are worried. Come on!" Urged Dietrich. He waived a hand as he stepped out from the table, moving towards the entrance.
With reluctance, the others followed at a cautious pace. The cellar doors opened up to the husk of the barn and into the sunlight of mid day. Dietrich went first, with a stride that was as confident as he was when marching into Poland.
"Cynfael? The others wish to meet you!" Spoke Dietrich. His voice was a fraction louder than normal, much more quiet than a yell. He heard branches shake and then the flapping of massive wings before he saw the shape of a bat flying through the trees.
"Shit!" Exclaimed Katya. Dietrich felt her press against him. He looked over his shoulder to see that she was gripping his uniform strongly.
With grace and elegance, Cynfael landed in front of them with surprising force. Dietrich watched as the bat folded its wings and hobbled up to them with shaky steps.
"Dietrich, my friend! To smell you upon the air once more is a moment I will always savor." Said Cynfael with a raspy speech. Dietrich stood dumbfounded at the comment, seeing as how he had not showered for quite a while.
"Uh...right. Well, Cynfael, welcome to our little band of outcasts. This is Kasma and that is Sehth'ker." Said Dietrich. He pointed to the respective people and then went on to introduce the other humans.
"This is Katya behind me, Hiroshi there and Hudson as well. Forgive them for their apprehension. Bats are not as big as you on our world...nor are they like you." Explained Dietrich. Cynfael nodded.
"Hmm. Yes, very nice to make your acquaintance, everyone. Dietrich has told me many great things about you." Said Cynfael. Dietrich watched the bats gave shift down to Kasma and Sehth'ker.
"And it is especially good to meet you both. Yes. I can feel the power oozing from your mortality." Whispered Cynfael. The bat hobbled over to the shorter folks, and then bent down with his conjoined hand out in an offering.
Hesitantly, Kasma and Sehth'ker shook it. Cynfael blinked a few times and Dietrich took notice of how constricted Cynfael's pupils were. His eyes almost seemed to be a void of a pale yellow with two pinpoint dots of black in them.
"The day outside is bright. My vision is faltered. May we enter this cellar of yours?" Asked Cynfael. Dietrich nodded and corralled everyone to go to the cellar.
Certainly, at times, it did feel as if he truly was trying to herd a flock.
Upon their entrance, Cynfael sighed in relief. Instantly, the bat flipped itself over, grabbed one of the wooden posts supporting the ceiling, and then wrapped its wings around itself as a roosting bat does.
"Many thanks, Dietrich Fischer of the Ninth Army Group. I am thankful for the opportunity to join you all. I have been observing for some time." Said Cynfael.
Dietrich turned to the others to see that they were grouped together at the entrance. Katya hung around the back of the group while Hudson was at the front.
"So? What do we do now, Mister Ninth Army Group?" Asked the marine, with a raised brow. Dietrich shrugged and went to sit down by his bedding.
"Well...I say that we go to Springs Bloom tomorrow and pay them a visit. Then we go to the kingdom of Amber that Rolls or whatever it is called." He said. He pointed a hand at Kasma.
"We need to figure out who sold him into slavery and then we need to figure out who or what brought us here." He said. Sehth'ker raised her hands.
"I think I know a place we can start! Those papers you have...in Springs Bloom, I know someone we can talk to! She is the instructor at the teaching house for the young! She also curates the library held in the town center!" She exclaimed.
Dietrich nodded, taking his helmet off. He set it on the floor next to him and ran a hand through his hair. The others seemed to relax and then spread out among the cellar, seemingly returning to a normal path of activity.
As he sat there, Dietrich felt that future events were starting to fall into motion. If everything worked out perfectly, he would be able to return home.
However, with that action, Dietrich was sure that he would, at the very least, be returning to a defeated Germany and a world that would persecute him.
"And so, would it be any better than where I am now or perhaps worse?"