Aaron slowly blinked his eyes awake against the morning sun. Gold morning rays blessed the city with their splendor. They came through what remained of the old town, and through the dark and blue monsters of steel the Eckzahn had erected, eventually finding Aaron’s apartment in one window across millions.
The world was forever changed. Invasion, the Eckzahn conquest, hundreds of millions dead, and the chaos of fear, hunger, anarchy and repression that followed. But through it all, the Sun still rose, defiant and eternal.
It was one of the things Aaron and the rest of humanity had always taken for granted. But now, something as simple as waking up early enough to see the sun rise was a motive for joy.
Aaron tried sitting up, but found he was constricted. Madde behind him sighed and changed her position, cuddling closer to him.
“Oh… right.” Aaron smiled. He melted into her embrace, feeling her fuzzy chin rub against his hair. Her soft, powerful paws were still wrapped around his torso. She audibly inhaled, then exhaled in the most adorable little snores Aaron had ever heard. He turned around, looking at her contented, sleeping face. She still wore a goofy, comfortable smile on her muzzle.
He gingerly brushed his thumb down her cheek. Feeling daring, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. She shifted and giggled, but still didn’t wake up.
He realized in that instant that this was how he wanted to wake up every day. Madde by his side, holding him, breathing her ginger little snores on the back of his head.
He shook his head. “What the hell are you thinking?” he whispered to himself. They could never have anything together. Spartacus was right. No matter how lovely Madde was as a person, she still fought for the subjugation of his homeworld. She and the Eckzahn could dress it up all they liked. Hell, she probably thought they were doing the “primitives” a favor, bringing them technology and opening their eyes to the realities of the galaxy. But that did not change anything. They could never have anything together. Even in the new world the Eckzahn were trying to forcefully create, they would have never been allowed together. He was not her equal, and never would be. She was probably risking her career and reputation just by being his friend.
Before his dark thoughts got the better of him, Aaron decided to get up. Trying his best not to wake Madde, he very slowly pulled her paw off him, laying it back to her side. Once free, he tiptoed to the bathroom. He looked at her. She was so peaceful… so beautiful.
He loved her. There had been doubts before. He told himself it was just a crush. Something beautiful his brain latched on to after all the suffering, death and chaos he had witnessed.
But after spending the night with her, after hearing that he owed her his life, after feeling her tongue brush against his unshaven cheek… there could be no more doubt.
He loved her. He was desperately, madly in love with her.
“God help me…” he muttered, trying his best not to let his gloomful thoughts take over again.
Just as he was about to enter the bathroom, there was a knock at the door. He jumped. Madde muttered something and turned around in the bed, still deeply asleep. Someone could have probably chopped wood on her and she wouldn’t have woken up.
Aaron felt panic creeping in. The only one who could be ringing other than Madde was his Sergeant. And he would see her… shit, shit! In a moment, however, he calmed down; his Sgt always rang the bell, but whoever was at the door knocked. Quite softly too, as if they were afraid of waking him.
He looked through the peephole. The person was so tall, he couldn’t see their face. He adjusted, and saw a patch of brown and white fur.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be shitting me.” he muttered, unlocking the door. He did his best to stand in front of the bed where Madde was sleeping.
Spartacus was before him, dressed in civilian clothes, his overcoat flowing over his spare frame.
“Spartacus! What are you doing here?” Aaron said quietly.
“Good morning to you too, Aaron.” Spartacus said dryly. Aaron cringed from how loudly he spoke. “I just came by to visit a friend. Last time I checked, the Eckzahn have not made that illegal… yet.”
“For God’s sake, couldn’t you have,” Aaron stopped himself and whispered “contacted me through that bead thing?” He stood on his tiptoes as much as he could to prevent the towering mammal’s view of Madde.
“As I said, Aaron; this is purely a social call. I’m here to-” The deer stopped, looking right behind the human. Exactly where Madde was sleeping. His mouth was stuck mid-sentence in a rather comical “O” shape. Aaron felt his blood run cold.
“Oh…” Spartacus eventually said. “Oh my…” His mouth then formed into a massive smirk.
“I-it’s not what it looks like!” Aaron rushed to explain, his cheeks turning the color of caramel apple.
“My, you are full of surprises, Mr. Ludwig!” The deer barely spoke through his laughter. He covered his face, struggling to not break out into absolute hysterical guffaws. It caused his chest to heave and his eyes to water.
“L-look, I swear it’s n-not-”
“Right. Of course. Of course it’s not.” Spartacus nodded in an exaggerated manner, his antlers bouncing up and down, eyes still streaming in sheer hilarity.
“Damn it, why’d you come here!?” Aaron blurted out.
“As I said; purely a social call. But uh… I can see that you are currently otherwise engaged,” his shimmering, flat teeth formed a perfect grin as he once again glanced at Madde. “I will be waiting downstairs. I’ll leave you to it for as long as you need.” He fluttered his coat and winked. “Be careful, wolves are endurance predators after all~”
“Piss off!” Aaron snarled, his cheeks red hot. Spartacus grabbed an antler, tipped an imaginary hat, and left, his back still shaking with laughter.
The human sighed deeply, closing the door. Madde was still fast asleep, hugging the covers where Aaron had been. He was loath to wake her yet, so, after brushing his teeth, he decided to whip up some breakfast.
The smell of bacon and eggs cooking and the sizzling of the pan seemed to succeed where knocking, talking and laughing failed. She sighed, her nose twitching. She turned in the bed, as if being subconsciously guided by the smell. Then, finally, she sat up.
She tiptoed up to Aaron as he was busy working the pan, tensing her body like she was about to pounce upon prey. The human was still oblivious. Then, with a sudden lunge, she embraced him from behind and gave him a long, affectionate lick.
“H-hey!” Aaron flinched in surprise, but melted in her embrace.
“Good morning, ?rahn! Have you won your last battle?” She nuzzled the top of his head.
“What?” He asked in confusion.
“Oh… is… Eckzahn saying.” She chuckled. “It like… ‘how do you do?’, I think.”
“Oh… heh. Well, my battles are going quite well, as you can see.” he gestured to the pan. There were two plates. One was already loaded with a sandwich of sorts, the other with a big pile of smoked meat. The pan was sizzling with an egg mixture and two slices of bread. Her mouth watered as the delicious smells assaulted her sensitive carnivorous nose.
“What are you cooking? Is it… grell-kies?”
Aaron was confused, until he ran through the pronunciation again.
“Yes, it is grilled cheese! But, with a twist. You fry the two slices in an egg mixture, then flip it, add the cheese, and you got a very filling sandwich! And I know how you guys like meat, so, I fried some bacon too.”
Aaron added the fried bacon and the shredded cheese, then closed the sandwich with a spatula. She had to fight every instinct she had not to just snatch the food right out of the hot pan.
“This recipe got me through college,” he chuckled. “One of these could hold me for eight hours.”
He placed the sandwich on the other plate, then turned to an implement leaking hot black liquid in a transparent pot.
“Do you like coffee?” Aaron asked.
“Ka-fee?” She cocked her head. “Oh, you mean like Feckke? I… don’t really like it, sorry. It’s too bitter for me.” Her ears flattened against her head in guilt. He’d done all this work for her, only for her to reject it.
“Oh, many humans don’t like it either, so they add stuff! I take mine straight black, but many like adding sugar, cream, that sort of thing.”
He poured the hot, jet-black liquid into two cups, one significantly larger. In the larger one he added a few teaspoons of sugar and milk, then mixed well.
He moved the plates and cups to the small table. The sandwiches were steaming, teasing her nose with the smell of freshly cooked meat. She sat down, a little awkwardly on the small chair. She picked up the greasy sandwich and took off half in one bite.
“Oh, my-” She spoke through slurping up the cheese string. “This is delicious! The meat and with cheese very good!”
Aaron grinned, taking a bite of his own. He was no chef, but living on his own since he was 18 had at least upped his grilled cheese game.
She tried the coffee, far more gingerly than the sandwich.
“In Siglunes, Feckke mean both drink and break,” she explained. “It mean… you forget everything else around you. Work, family issues, all that. No talk about problems during Feckke. Is very impolite. You just enjoy hot drink and talk about pleasant things!”
“Hm,” Aaron sipped his own plain black. “So… what we did last night could be considered a ‘Feckke’?”
She grinned proudly. “Yes, that's right!” She sipped again. “I have to say, with sugar and milk, ka-fee is very good! Nice aroma! But why drink it like that? It taste like mud plain!”
Aaron shrugged and took another sip. “You feel the aroma better. I hated it too at first, but it’s an acquired taste.”
They talked little for the rest of the meal, only enjoying the food and each other’s company. Madde even took small nips of her sandwich, for once, to extend the meal.
“Thank you, ?rahn. Thank you for a wonderful night and morning.” She smiled, getting up. They hugged, and she once again licked him. As she bent down, he kissed her on the cheek. He backed off, flushed with embarrassment.
“Oh… s-sorry! I-I shouldn’t-”
“Was… was that… kiss?” She sounded genuinely curious.
“Uh… uhhhhh… y-yeah. B-but on the cheek it’s more friendly than anything. L-like, just to show affection.”
“I liked it,” she smiled. “Much less messy than licks.” She turned away, swishing her tail behind her. “Goodbye, ?rahn,” she said, opening the door. She looked both ways, making sure the coast was clear, before exiting. Seems she was just as paranoid about people finding out as he was.
Aaron was left alone in his small apartment. He just stood there, stunlocked. “Jeez…” he muttered. “What’s gotten into you, Aaron Ludwig?”
The love of his life. That’s what.
He hastily threw some clothes on and went downstairs after another minute. As promised, Spartacus was waiting outside, smoking a cigarette next to an old Toyota pickup truck.
The deer grinned. “Already done? That was quick.”
“Shut your trap!” Aaron felt fire rising to his cheeks again. Deciding to cut the conversation short, he entered the car. Spartacus ashed his cigarette and entered the driver seat, popping the sunroof so his antlers had room.
Spartacus was surprisingly adept at driving Earth vehicles, not fumbling or double checking anything as he started the car. Like everything else about Earth culture, he understood and adopted it in stride. They slowly drove through the streets, Eckzahn vehicles and the few approved civilian cars and trucks creating a slight jam. Once they got past the Eckzahn checkpoints, the road was far clearer.
Aaron sat back in his seat and sighed.
“Look… I was… I was being serious. I know it seems unlikely, but nothing actually happened. We just watched-”
“Oh, I know nothing happened.” Spartacus said casually. Aaron looked at him dumbfounded.
“What?”
“I admit, the possibility of… intercourse had crossed my mind the moment I saw the lovely Sergeant Arisdottr on your bed. But I immediately observed the clues. Neither your nor her clothing was much disturbed. Neither were the bedsheets. And the room lacked the uh… distinctive smell following lovemaking.” He explained everything as patiently as a university professor giving a lecture.
Aaron sighed in relief, then frowned.
“Wait… so, if you knew all along that nothing happened between me and Madde, why did you-”
Spartacus turned towards him and grinned demonically. Aaron flumped in his seat, feeling anger welling up.
“Oh… you bastard! You motherf-” Spartacus burst out in the hysterical roars of laughter he’d been holding back all along. Aaron still felt angry at being led by the nose as he’d been, but the deer’s laughter was absolutely contagious. His anger melted away as he began to laugh, just as heartily as his friend.
“Oh um… by the way, you’ve got some…” Spartacus gestured to Aaron’s chest. He frowned.
“Huh?” Looking down, he finally saw it; his shirt was utterly covered in clumps of Madde’s fluff. “Oh, shit!” he began brushing it down almost desperately. God, he hoped none of his neighbors had seen it.
Sighing, Spartacus popped the glovebox and took out a lint roller, offering it to Aaron.
“So, where are we going?” Aaron asked as he brushed himself off.
“As I said, Aaron; purely a social call. You need…” Spartacus seemed to grasp for the right words. “A reminder. As well as a break.”
“You still didn't answer the question.”
“You shall see soon enough.” Spartacus smirked, turning off a sideroad marked “DANGEROUS!” in English and Siglunes.
“Uh… if you’re working for the Eckzahn, you have a biochip too, right?”
“Had it since I was a kid. Requirement.” Spartacus said resentfully.
“Then… can’t they track us? Going on the highway a bit to talk is one thing, but if we go too far, they may-”
“Two things;” The deer held up two fingers while keeping his eyes locked on the road. “One, biochips depend on tracking emitters. They’re built into the various communication towers the Eckzahn have been constructing near urban settlements. But on Earth, there’s very few of them. Once you’re out of range, they cannot see you. It’s more to give you the idea that they can constantly track you. Two.” He held up a single digit now. “Where we’re going has hidden jammers at regular intervals. It will make it seem like we stopped on the side of the road about ten miles from here. And believe me, they won’t care to send anyone to check, at least as long as they have no other reason to suspect either of us.”
He smiled sardonically. “The illusion of total control is the most important part of control. You can never keep an eye on everyone all the time. But the wolves sure do a good job of making you think they can…”
The roads were getting worse and worse. Many had massive cracks and pot holes and were overgrown with vegetation. At several points, the roads stopped being paved altogether. But the old Toyota negotiated it all with ease and agility. Aaron imagined that if there were a pitcher of beer on the hood, not a drop would have been spilled.
They’d been driving for about three hours, when snow began to show up. At first, scattered patches, but as they drove, it got thicker and thicker. The heater was working overtime to keep Aaron warm with the sunroof still open, but the deer seemed unperturbed. Eventually, the hardy truck was ploughing through snow a foot thick. They were in proper mountainous territory now, the great cliffs of the Rockies towering over them on either side. The forests were far thicker than Aaron ever remembered them being, but he supposed that with the lumber industry dead and gone, there wouldn’t be many lumberjacks left.
“Uh, Spartacus, is this a bad time to say I’m still wearing sneakers and that this jacket is barely enough for regular autumn chill?”
“Not to worry, we’ll find something your size once we’re there.”
“What exactly is this ‘there’?”
Before Spartacus could respond, the car’s radio buzzed.
“Hello, Kirk. How’s the truck?” It said. Spartacus picked up a walkie talkie.
“Not very good, Patrick. Engine block’s all leaky, and the passenger seat keeps creaking. How are the kids?”
“Robert’s having trouble with his math homework and Linda is down with the cold.”
Spartacus smiled. “If I’d said that the truck was in tip top shape, they’d have known I’m being followed,” he explained. “If I’d said that I bought new covers for the passenger seat, your head would have gone splat the next second. And if he’d have said that Robert is having trouble with geography and Linda broke a leg, it means I should turn around and hightail it out of here. Just so you know the codes.”
“Right… that’s comforting.” He looked around the snowy ridges and overgrown forests. He didn’t see a thing.
“Boys, speaking openly… show our new friend he has nothing to fear.” Spartacus said.
All at once, the snow began to shift. At first, it looked like a natural occurrence, like an avalanche or a growing snowball. Out of the snow emerged dozens of figures, like genies from lamps. They were humanoid, and they held rifles, but they did not look human. It was merely camouflage and lots of snow, but they seemed to meld within the environment, like they were an extension of the snowy cliffs and thorny pine trees themselves.
Spartacus grinned at Aaron’s reaction. “Back to it, lads.”
The monstrous white figures buried themselves in the snow once again, and try as he might, Aaron could not see them again.
They drove for another 30 minutes or so. Some old road signs still stood, including a warning for deer, at which Aaron chuckled.
Houses and villas began showing up, some partially destroyed. Aaron saw sandbags and gun barrels poking out of several. He saw what looked like a full on AA installation on one rooftop. An archway proudly proclaimed “Welcome To Beaver Creek Village Resort!”.
Another half mile forward was a proper roadblock. A massive metal wall blocked off the road. There were angular concrete pillboxes, men and women manning MGs and launchers. There were a couple of .50 cal M2s surrounded by stones and sandbags, aimed upwards in an antiair position. One was close enough that Aaron was able to see that the munition box didn’t have bullets, but shotgun shells; far more effective against Eckzahn drones with their spread.
Aaron frowned. This all looked a lot more organized than what he’d expected of the FEM. Everything was improvised, yes, but set up very competently. And those pillboxes hadn’t been there before, for sure. They were able to do actual concrete constructions?
Knowing what he did about Eckzahn tactics, they would have had a seriously tough time taking this place with just ground forces. Single way in, enfiladed on either side by well concealed snipers, lots of tough external defenses to go through. The recent gifts from their mysterious extraterrestrial helpers, plus Aaron’s tampering, would have made the Eckzahn drones far less effective too. And while an AV assault could have avoided much of the ground defenses, as the wolves had painfully learned in the initial invasion, they were still vulnerable to regular Stinger and RPG fire.
The Toyota came to a stop near a guard booth. One of the soldiers, wearing snow camo, his head concealed by a balaclava and goggles, approached. His white-painted M14 was held at the ready. His plate carrier bulged strangely, and Aaron realized that it was a piece of captured Eckzahn body armor, cut down to fit a human torso.
“Hey, Antlers,” he said to Spartacus in a friendly tone. He glanced at Aaron. Despite the concealed features, Aaron felt the man’s suspicious gaze bore into him.
“This the guy?” he said far more tersely.
“Yes, he is.” Spartacus replied. “And I suggest you change your tone, Mason. He is the reason we can listen to Radio Free Earth without worrying about being tracked.”
“Hmpf.” The man grunted and gestured with his hand to someone further out. The massive metal gate began to rumble and slowly open. Aaron spotted a wheel, and he realized that the gate was in fact a semi-trailer. Likely filled with concrete or some other hardy material.
Aaron’s jaw went slack at what he saw beyond. There were rows upon rows of tall, cheery villas of brick and stone, clean and well maintained. Some were partially destroyed and most were dilapidated, but clearly still operational. Electric lights were visible in some of the windows.
And there were people. Dozens of them, just walking around, talking, laughing, with the cheer and carelessness that Aaron had not seen since before the invasion. Everyone was tense and gloomy in the cities, avoiding eye contact with the Eckzahn, simply going wherever they needed to be to keep their new overlords happy as quickly as possible. Inside one of the smaller outbuildings, two women were handing out steaming mugs of hot chocolate to a waiting line.
“Most of the larger hotels aren’t used as sleeping quarters, pleasant as they may be. Too exposed. We use them either for defense or administration. Sometimes even CQB training.” Spartacus explained, but Aaron was too mesmerized to listen. He looked through the window with the wonder of a child on his first flight. They passed by the stone chapel, where a large group of parishioners were leaving. It was about noon, so the morning services were done.
Spartacus took a side route, trading the former resort for more open country. Alongside the pre-existing houses were smaller wooden cottages, which to Aaron looked freshly constructed. They were simple, but cozy-looking, even having creature comforts like a handcrafted bench outside, and stone pathways. Several men in heavy jackets were hard at work erecting a new such dwelling.
Aaron was amazed. This wasn’t some ramshackle campsite. It wasn’t even just a military base. It was a full on town. This was a far cry from the Eckzahn propaganda of desperate, starving FEM fighters, freezing in tents. He could have slapped himself. Of course they would lie! If the people in the occupied cities knew how good the rebels had it, they’d have run off in a heartbeat.
Further out, a group of about ten children were playing in the snow. They created great barricades of snow, hunkering down and tossing snowballs with the vigor and joy of childhood. A few braver souls attempted to charge the enemy trench, wrestling and tussling in the snow. Further out from the chaos, some younger kids closer to six years than ten were building a snowman. They gathered adequate branches for arms, using chestnuts for the eyes, mouth and buttons.
The screams, squeals and laughter of careless, happy children echoed through the open sunroof. Aaron couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen children playing at all. The few children he did see on city streets were nothing like that. They walked with the same downtrodden expression, avoiding the towering wolf soldiers, looking more like shrunken adults, lacking any of the joy and innocence of childhood.
The FEM had managed to create a world sheltered enough that their children could grow up normally. They had gifted their offspring, their future, the chance at a happy, relatively normal upbringing.
Aaron realized that this was what “Earth Fights On” meant. It wasn’t just a fanatical slogan shouted when impotently striking back at the occupiers. This too was a way of fighting. Preserving the life that was before. Every child that grew up unburdened by Eckzahn tyranny, learning to love and respect their world, heart full of learning and play, was a slap in the wolves’ faces.
Aaron felt his throat tighten. He first thought that the cold had gotten to him, but then he felt his cheeks grow moist.
“Right, I’m stopping by Martha’s, that’s her cabin over there. Her husband is about your size, I’m sure he’ll lend you a-” Spartacus stopped as Aaron began to cry. He’d tried holding it in, but his chest felt like it was about to burst. He put his head in his hands and began to sob like a child. He realized that this was the first time he’d been able to cry since before the invasion. The pain, carnage and death he’d been privy to had hardened his soul to the point of unfeeling. But a child’s laughter had undone three years of hardship.
Spartacus pulled over and wrapped his long, thin limbs around Aaron. The hard cloven fingers patted his back.
“Aaron… It’s alright.” the deer soothed. “I should have known it would have a strong emotional effect on you. Many newcomers break down the same way.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“I-it’s so… it’s so wonderful…” Aaron mumbled between the tears. Spartacus offered him the box of napkins on the dash. Aaron wiped himself and looked teary eyed up at his friend.
“Thank you.”
After drying his tears, Aaron quickly acquired a warmer jacket from one of the FEM civvies. Spartacus too had changed into his somewhat shoddier, but more comfortable vest and overcoat. His cross necklace was now fully visible. It wasn’t illegal for him to be following an Earth religion, but it would have certainly raised more than a few eyebrows.
“Guys, guys! Rudolph is here!” One of the boys playing in the snow shouted as they walked past. The gaggle of kids squealed in joy and all waved at the deer.
Spartacus’s ears flattened against his head in slight embarrassment. He smiled and waved back at the children. Aaron grinned, sensing the opportunity for some payback.
“Rudolph, huh?”
“Shut it.” Spartacus said, but he was clearly suppressing a smirk.
“Christmas is a month away, Rudolph. Ready to pull Santa’s sleigh?”
Spartacus opened his mouth for a retort, but closed it back.
“I suppose I deserve this.” he muttered.
“Do they make you dress up for Christmas?” Aaron grinned. The human could have sworn he saw the skin under Spartacus’s fur blush.
“Yeah,” Aaron chuckled. “Red nose and everything I bet.” He was definitely blushing now.
Spartacus showed Aaron around the town. The ground floor of one of the hotels had been turned into a fully fledged library. Hundreds of bookshelves were lined with thousands upon thousands of books, manuscripts, magazines, even handwritten notes. More than that, they preserved digital media, endeavoring to save any movie, series, song and video game ever made. There were memory sticks, hard drives, CDs, even VHS tapes and ancient movie reels behind locked display cases.
A few conference halls had even been converted to cinemas, showing movies at the end of each day, when everyone normally had breaks. Movies like “Independence Day” or “Red Dawn” seemed particularly popular, Aaron noted with a smile.
The building next to it had been converted to a school. Kids still had to learn, and teaching the next generation Earth’s true history was more important than ever. Of course, not all subjects were the same. They were, after all, rebels in conquered territory, under constant threat. From a young age, children learned how to farm. Wilderness survival. Maintaining engines, improvised electrical systems, and other essential devices. Physical conditioning, weapon handling and military science were taught as young as ten. No kids were expected to fight, but once they were all grown up, they would be ready to take the fight to the occupiers.
Seeing diagonal trenches, obstacle courses and a firing range right in the school’s backyard sent a chill down Aaron’s spine. Some of the used targets had better groupings than most of his ‘fellow’ EDA soldiers. But it was a grim necessity. Violence and death were a daily fact of life. Aaron realized that every one of those kids he’d seen play in the snow had lived through the invasion. They had watched friends, brothers and parents die. They watched their cities burn, they watched grown-ups that were supposed to solve anything break down and go mad. At an age where the most stressful event was a maths test you forgot to study for.
And yet, they learned and laughed and played and cheered. Children had immense reserves of resilience few gave them credit for.
The adults too, now that Aaron saw them closer, were all armed. They all had at least a pistol belt, some opting even to carry shotguns or rifles on their backs at all times. He didn’t rate a Glock’s chances against a fully armored Eckzahn trooper that well, but a couple hundred would have certainly given any infantry squad pause.
Some of the hotel rooftops became greenhouse farms, the roofs linked by catwalks for quick access. Further out, some of the homesteads retained their original purpose, pigs squeaking in pens, and chickens feeding right outside of well insulated coops.
“We don’t keep cattle. They need grazing, and that would be too exposed. That would be a rather embarrassing way for our little enclave to meet its demise; an EU drone tracking cows back to their pens.” Spartacus laughed. “There are however other cells who have better means to do so. We trade with them for dairy. And there’s more than enough game in the forests to keep everyone fed. The Eckzahn don’t really care about keeping wildlife numbers under control, and hunters are just more potential armed rebels to them. Bad news for what few small farming communities are left, good news for us.”
“You don’t really seem the game meat type to me.” Aaron said impishly.
“No, but veggie casseroles and cheesy pastas are good. And while I cannot keep any kind of meat down, eggs are a good substitute. In fact, they’re a staple of my homeworld’s cuisine.” Spartacus put a hand in his coat pocket and pulled out a small paper bag. He took out a sort of snack, and Aaron realized they were dried leaves. He crunched them with relish.
“Mm. And I must say, your world’s flora is the tastiest I’ve ever tried. Pick out some oak leaves, leave them out to dry, sprinkle in some flowers for aroma, spice with salt and paprika, bake for a bit. Absolutely divine.” He stretched out the baggie for Aaron.
“Uh… I’m good, thanks.” Aaron said awkwardly.
“Your loss,” Spartacus shrugged, chewing another handful. “But happily for you, lunch is soon. Some of our people are in the back, cooking the meat part. I’ll be in the kitchens helping with the other food. Go mingle for a bit. I believe your friend is there.”
Aaron took a deep breath. The slight smoke trail from the barbecues was plain to see.
“Are… are you sure?” he asked Spartacus. He remembered the icy reception of the gate guard. Worse, it was a reception he felt he deserved. Spartacus laid a hand on his shoulder.
“It will be fine, Aaron. Learn to trust us.”
Aaron nodded. Spartacus gave his shoulder one final squeeze, and he walked off.
“Right,” Aaron said to himself. “Time to face the music…” He walked towards the smoke. Going through a narrow footpath, he came into a large clearing. Rows and rows of grills, campfires and tables were set up. A few dozen men and women were working them, chopping and spicing meat, before placing them on the sizzling fires. The smells made Aaron’s mouth water. Spartacus really missed out by being born a herbivore.
A radio was blaring out a classical rock song. He recognized it as AC-DC’s “Hell’s Bells”.
Some of the people glanced at him, recognizing him as a newcomer, but said or did nothing. It wasn’t until one of the men, who towered above almost everyone, noticed him.
“Aaron!” He shouted happily. It was Marius. The former college ball star was a little less bulky than Aaron remembered, he was leaner and faster, but still built like a brickhouse.
His infectious smile that seemed to stretch his cast iron jaw was still there. Aaron forgot about all apprehension and ran out to his friend.
“Theeeere he is!” Marius said, snatching up Aaron in a bear hug. Aaron weighed a good 190 pounds, yet he was lifted like a feather.
“Hey, would you look at that! Finally put some meat on that tiny frame!” He punched Aaron’s chest with what he likely thought was a friendly love tap. Even with the jacket’s heavy padding, Aaron had to fight hard not to grunt as the air left his lungs.
It was like he was back in college. He fist bumped and tapped Marius’s meaty shoulder.
“Missed you, man.” Aaron said.
“I knew you’d come around,” Marius said, patting his back. “I never doubted that for a second.” He smiled reassuringly down at Aaron. It was a look completely lacking the judgement and disgust he’d feared.
“Where’s Laura?” Aaron asked, fearing the worst.
“She’s fine. She’s out with one of the scavenging parties.”
Aaron sighed in relief.
“Hey, everyone!” Marius bellowed with his powerful voice. “This little nerdling is the reason we’re rocking out to Radio Free Earth right now!”
Everyone cheered, a few of them raising their beer bottles. Aaron couldn’t help but blush a little. Leave it to Marius to put him on the spot.
“Aaaaaaand, that was AC-DC, with Hell’s Bells!” The radioman announced. “And quite fitting, because someone sure got their bell rung last night! Now, if you’re living in what the mutts imaginatively called ‘Sector 6’, specifically in Romania, you may have heard whispers of our unwelcome guests moving one of their bases. No reason given, they just didn’t like the view, I guess. Romanian citizens were asked to stay well away from the convoy, some even being temporarily evicted from their homes as it passed. Ya know why? Because if they were close enough to see the wolves’ faces, they would have noticed that they all wore a very distinct ‘I just ate shit’ look!
That’s right, less than 24 hours ago, an Eckzahn mountain base was attacked by the Carpathian FEM cell. They hit it hard, targeting their AVs and drone storage specifically. They went in, blew some shit up, put down some mongrels, then pissed off.
The Eckzahn tried giving chase, but due to their air assets being grounded, they had limited options. Our heroes disappeared into the forest, riding fast technicals and… wait for it… FUCKING HORSES! Yeah, leaked footage we recovered shows one of those crazy Dracula motherfuckers shooting down an AV with an RPG, while riding a fucking horse!”
The crowd began cheering and high fiving, and Aaron quickly found himself driven by the mob sentiment, screaming and pumping his fist in the air like everyone around him. Someone shoved a beer bottle in his hand. He tipped it back, drinking heartily. It was some sort of homebrew. A bit more bitter than he was used to, but certainly not bad.
“Glad to see you’re fitting in, Aaron.” Spartacus said behind him, placing a large tray of mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and sauces on the table. The grillers began placing their trays of steaks, sausages and chicken. Aaron looked at the feast with absolute greed.
“You guys can afford to eat like this?” He asked in disbelief.
“Not all the time.” Spartacus shrugged. “There are times when we must tighten the belt and ration. Our rule is to always have at least two months’ worth of surplus. But lately, we’ve been lucky. And, it’s the holiday season. Might as well be merry.”
Aaron sat down and dug in. Marius sat next to him, regaling him with endless stories once again. Except that instead of his best plays, it was war stories.
“After the mutt clocked me with his blaster butt, he probably thought I was out. Good thing others were shooting at him, he had to return fire and wasn't paying attention to me. Well, I kicked that overgrown sumbitch in the shin. Fuckin’ snapped like a twig!” To demonstrate, he broke a piece of toast in half. “Fell down like a sack of shit. Then I stuck my Magnum into his faceplate and BANG! Fuckin’ mutt brain bits everywhere!” he laughed, a bit more heartily than Aaron would have liked.
“Well, I could only eat soup for the next four weeks,” he gestured to his face, where a small, but rather nasty scar and swell adorned his cheekbone. “Worth it to have such a story, though!”
“Goddamn…” was all Aaron could say, busying himself with another bite of his burger. He was quite glad that only Spartacus was privy to his relationship with Madde. At the same time, he couldn’t blame the FEM for hating the Eckzahn so much, turning their violent deaths into punchlines. It was a natural reaction, a way to release pressure, turning every dead wolf soldier into a small victory.
“Aaron, could I borrow you for a moment?” Spartacus said behind him. Aaron had already been served a rather large steak, before the burger was shoved in his plate. He was poofed, so he was glad for an excuse to leave the table.
“Ill see you later man.” Aaron fist bumped Marius.
“Yeah, take care, Barney!” The ex linebacker beamed.
Spartacus cocked an eyebrow as they walked away. “Barney?” he asked. “As in… the purple dinosaur? Did you watch the show together as kids?”
“Uh, no, it’s uh… something else. I’ll explain later.” Aaron chuckled inwardly.
They walked through a forest trail for a few minutes, until they came to a small clearing overlooking a river. Both men sat down on a broad rock.
In the middle of the water was a small curved dam built of brick and concrete. A bridge went across it, with a cabin-sized control room in the middle. It was flanked by several energy transformers, power lines flowing from it in several directions. The turbine inside whirred and bellowed, expelling water through several pipes out the other side. Drainage ditches flowed in well-coordinated flows, providing the town its water supply.
“There’s a few others on nearby rivers,” Spartacus explained as he lit his pipe. “The powerflow is limited to Beaver Creek and the immediate area. We cut the village off from the global power grid. We’re completely self-sufficient. More importantly, practically invisible.”
“Incredible,” Aaron breathed out. He watched the small engineering marvel chug away, providing hundreds with water and electricity, completely unmanned.
The sun shone through the branches. Birds chirped, blessing the Earth still with their eternal song. As they had since time immemorial. Since Humanity first sallied forth to build the first settlements. When thousands died in ancient battles, the birds still sang. When the Black Death wiped out half of Europe, the birds still offered their sweet lullaby to the mourners and the dying. Millions died in wars, famine and genocide. The world was torn down and rebuilt a hundred times, and every time, the birds sang Humanity through it all.
And here they still were. Never conceding their song, never ceasing to give comfort to those in need. A reassurance that someday, through the strength of Humanity, things would be alright.
“I’m a coward.” Aaron said. He hadn’t meant to speak it out loud. He merely thought it, but his mouth acted for him.
“Don’t say that.” Spartacus said soothingly.
“It’s true, though,” The human said mournfully. “You… you guys were out here… rebuilding, defending, despite being hunted down in our own world. You never lost hope. You never gave in. You decided that as long as you drew breath, you would fight on. And not just you, all over the world.” He looked down at the snow. “The hell did I do? Hm? I bowed my head, said “yes sir, sorry sir,” to the occupiers who murdered my own parents, then joined the traitor auxiliaries meant to wipe out what human resistance is left.”
“Aaron, your circumstances were much different,” Spartacus’s hand gripped his shoulder. “You had no one to turn to. You were trapped. And in an attempt to find some way out, you believed that if Humanity made itself useful to the Eckzahn, you’d be given some modicum of freedom back. It’s natural, sadly.”
“Still, I… I could have at least done nothing. That would have still been better.”
“Aaron, if you were a coward, do you know what you would have done? The day we met, in the bar. You would have called out and had me arrested. Instead, what did you do? At great risk to yourself, you met with me. You agreed to leave the only comfort and company you had left to fight for your world. You provided us vital intelligence, and gave us breathing room and hope. Once you were shown that resistance is not futile, you did not hesitate. That was all you needed. A word.” The deer’s golden eyes blazed, looking into Aaron’s own as he put both large hands on his shoulders.
“You are not a coward. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Most especially yourself.”
Aaron smiled. “You’re a good pep talker.”
“Father Florakis is a good teacher.” Spartacus returned the smile. “Despite his modest grasp of the local tongue, he mesmerizes us at service. He hails all the way from Greece, believe it or not. There was a man who used to be part of his parish who moved to America. One day, he got sick and was dying. And he wished to have his last rites be delivered by a priest of the Orthodox persuasion. There aren’t many in America, from what I gather. So, upon hearing of his old student’s plight, Father Florakis flew out here. And just as he was giving the moribund his final blessings, the invasion began. So… he was rather stuck here.” Spartacus smirked between plumes of smoke. “Fate is a funny thing, is it not?”
“You know, this reminds me,” Aaron said. “Been meaning to ask… how’d you convert?”
“Convert?” Spartacus cocked his head. Aaron gestured just below his neck. Spartacus looked down at his cross.
“Ah. Right.” He puffed thoughtfully on his pipe, blowing three large circles before answering. “I was brought in soon after the initial invasion. The Eckzahn were assisting the many injured, sick and starving human civilians. It had nothing to do with altruism, I assure you. They needed things to get somewhat back on track, fast, to assert their rule before anarchy set in. Obviously, they weren’t going to waste many good Eckzahn doctors on the ‘primitives’, so it was up to the civil medical corps including myself where we were needed.
One such impromptu hospital was inside of a damaged church. It was absolute chaos. It was overcrowded, body bags stretched out like the pebbles on this riverbank. The screams of the dying and the wailing of those that lost another loved one was horrific.
When I was born, my world had already been under Eckzahn occupation for a decade. I was always frustrated at being denied even a taste of freedom, but in that moment, I was grateful for having missed the death of my homeworld. For this was hell.
I helped as much as I could. I had little actual medical experience, for most good hospital positions on my world were reserved for canines. But I knew the theory well enough, and most of what I knew could be adapted for human physiology easily. I learned my first few words of English there. I bonded with the human doctors and nurses and priests, who did their best to help the living, and provide final comforts to the dying. Their strength through it all struck a chord in me.
But, one day, the Eckzahn soldiers returned. Not to bring us more medical supplies or relieve some of the injured, but to order us to leave. The church was on the site of where they planned to build one of their forward bases. And they were to demolish it now.
I expected the humans to obey their orders. Just like every other time I saw an Eckzahn soldier demand anything of anyone in my world. But what they did instead amazed me.
The humans began screaming at the soldiers. I couldn’t understand much, but they were clearly cursing and insulting. Shouting, threats, even aimed blasters did not deter the humans. This was their temple, and they would not let the heathens desecrate their last beacon of hope.
The Eckzahn were armed, but there were only four of them, while there were nearly a hundred humans crammed in that single building. A riot would have been a disaster. They retreated to bring backup, and then the humans stepped outside, hand in hand. Even the injured that could still stand did so.
An entire platoon of Eckzahn, rifles shouldered and stun batons flaring, dismounted from a truck. The bulldozer had already arrived. The wolf sergeant announced through his translator that the damaged church would come down, whether they had left or not. Yet they stood resolute. Even as the terrible engines rumbled, even when the Eckzahn fired shots in the air, they did not budge. They had lost everything. Everything but that half crumbled house of brick and wood, with its strange windows of divine happenings and simple symbol of two crossed lines.
Wretches as they may be, the Eckzahn knew that massacring civilians would have only led to more unrest. They weighed that it was not worth it. Besides, retreating made them look like reasonable occupiers. So, they did. And from what I know, that church still stands.” Spartacus emptied his spent pipe and refilled it. He fiddled with the matches for a bit, but Aaron lit it for him.
“I had never seen such defiance. Those little furless creatures had no chance against the Eckzahn. My world at least boasted technological parity with the Eckzahn. They were outclassed in every way. They had watched everything they knew, everything they loved, everything they believed in, ripped away in the blink of an eye. And yet, they did not give in.
And for what? For a crumbled old building, that would have probably collapsed soon anyway. For some prettily colored windows depicting winged humans. For… two sticks crossed together. To me, this seemed confounding. It seemed like madness. Curiosity ate at me to discover more about the humans’ strange religion. To discover why people who’d already lost everything would stand tall in a hopeless standoff against an immeasurably powerful foe.
I had always been adept at collecting pieces of media the Eckzahn did not approve of. Granted, I had never used physical books, they were all on datatabs in my world. Yet I found plenty of books on the subject, trading little knick knacks with human refugees for them. The Bible itself. Theological writings. The history of the religions. I even endeavored to find writings critical of the Earth’s religions, to receive all perspectives.
For months, I read every day after work. My English was still quite poor, but as I interacted with humans more than the average Eckzahn, I had better opportunities to learn it. And I have always been a quick study. At first, they seemed to me the most absurd fancy. But as I read on, I saw how the promises of hope and everlasting life, no matter how terrible the worldly circumstances, would have provided comfort.
If nothing else, it kept me occupied. It kept me from thinking of my situation. Little more than a slave, forced to work for the usurpers of my home for the rest of my life, a nurse to wolf doctors I had two heads above, my talents never fully utilized because I was not born with sharp teeth.
One night, I could not sleep. I kept thinking of all that I read. I thought of the defiant little creatures that fought back with a vigor that I had never seen my own people capable of. And… I decided to pray. I did not believe. I never had been a religious person, despite my parents’ best efforts. But, what had I to lose?
Alone in my paltry room, I was down on one knee, attempting to commune with a deity for the first time in my life. I prayed that if there truly is something beyond the Cosmos, something that will one day reward resilience in the face of evil, and punish the Eckzahn for their ceaseless marauding, to give me guidance. To give the humans and my people strength.
And most of all, I asked God, that if He truly is out there, to tell me if those of my kind shall be welcome in His kingdom. For of course, I observed that the Bible has a distinct lack of talking deer men.” He chuckled through the smoke.
“I felt rather stupid when I was done. What was I doing? Talking to the deity of a vanquished world I did not belong to? After a lifetime of indifference to my own people’s faith? I must have truly gone mad. I went to sleep, my heart heavy.
One more thing I should clarify; my father died soon before I was “hired” by the Eckzahn. He was always a rowdy type. He never truly accepted their rule. He always had a retort to an Eckzahn soldier, he openly called our version of the EDA ‘traitors’, and he badmouthed them at work. One day, he was caught spreading anti-Eckzahn pamphlets, talking of how wonderful life was before. That was when they finally had enough of his antics. They arrested him and gave him five years of hard labor. He didn’t end up serving even one. There was a prison riot, he took part in it, and he was stabbed in the confusion.
My father died a broken man. He loved me and my mother dearly, but I don’t recall ever seeing him happy. The damned wolves took that away from him.
I say this, for… that night, I dreamt of my father. He was wearing an immaculate white robe. And for the first time in my life… I saw him happy. He was beaming at me, with all the fatherly love and joy that the canid empire had ripped away from him. He embraced me, and held me for the rest of the dream. When I woke up, I still felt the warmth and love of that embrace.”
Spartacus’s eyes went moist, his voice shook with emotion. Aaron looked up at him in amazement.
"I do admit, Aaron,” he said. “it's very possible that it was merely my own brain suggesting things to itself. It may have twisted itself into presenting me a way out once it was offered the first crumb of hope of my life.
It is very possible that I am, for lack of a better term, mad. Praying to a god created by another species specifically for themselves? Madness. Standing hand in hand before blasters and bulldozers for a half destroyed church? Madness. Hiding out in the forest, trying to fight an occupation force that is quite literally light years ahead of us? Madness.
But madness is what made your species. Courage is madness. One must ignore all the warning signs of the brain to get away from impending danger in order to stand firm. It means defying all logic. Small, furless, bipedal apes, leaving the safety of their warm caves, armed only with sharp sticks against monsters that could tear them in half with one claw swipe? Madness."
He smirked at Aaron.
"Falling in love with a she-wolf? Madness."
Aaron chuckled. “Screw you!”
They stood for another few minutes in silence, just watching the dam elegantly shaping water into the lifeblood of the enclave.
“What do you believe in, Aaron?” Spartacus asked.
“I… never was much into religion.” The human replied.
“I’d gathered that. But I meant something that drives you. The thing that persuaded you to join the FEM. The thing that gets you out of bed in the morning. That forbids that final spark of hope from extinguishing. An ideal that survives and must be chased, regardless of what logic or instinct dictates. What is it? What do you believe in?”
Aaron thought for a long moment.
“If you’d asked me this only a day ago, I wouldn’t have known what to answer. But now… after what you’ve shown me today? Us. I believe in us. You’re right. Maybe there is something special about us. We humans are stubborn bastards. We don’t know when to quit. And I wouldn’t have it any other damned way.”
He looked up at Spartacus.
“Earth Fights On.”
