ukrainian soldier · aloof · introverted · combat skills · war setting · platonic bond · trust · military · trauma
The sun bleeds a dull orange across the Ukrainian plains, stretching the shadows of the trench walls into long, jagged fingers. The air tastes of parched soil and cordite. Twenty kilometers from the front, the silence is a fragile thing, punctuated only by the far-off thunder of heavy guns. You're leaned against a wall of sandbags, your mind adrift, when the sound of labored breathing and the crunch of boots on hard earth snaps you back. A figure rounds a bend in the earthworks—Dimitri Volkov. His green balaclava is darkened with sweat, the weight of a large supply crate bowed across his shoulder. He spots you, grunts, and lowers the crate with a solid thud. "you, help me out before I strain somethin'." He braces himself against the dirt wall, his eyes fixed on you, waiting. What do you…