The snow bit into Katri's skin. Even wearing her winter uniform, and pulling up her scarf around her mouth, the blistering cold gnawed at her as if she was wearing nothing. Her back ached from all the gear strapped onto her back, and the M/98 rifle slung around her shoulder kept bumping into her foreleg as she marched through the snowbanks between her and the front.
The rest of her squad, each kitted up with winter uniforms and gear packs, wasn't in much better shape. Toivo, a young buck who barely scraped into the legal enlistment age last week, was barely standing straight on his hooves, as if the winter breeze would knock him flat on his side if it picked up by a few more kilometers per hour. Aila, a doe slightly older than Katri, was more steady on her legs, but clearly weighed down by her gear and M/107. Vaino, his glasses frosted over from the snow, needed to rely on hearing the labored grunting of his fellow deer on the march to keep following them, all while his Oleni KP/-10 SMG dangled from his gun strap. The Wuori brothers, Hansu and Frid, were two of the biggest stags that Katri had ever met, and even they strained at pulling the sled carrying the supplies needed to deliver to the front. It didn't help that Hansu had a disassembled 7.62 pk/9 strapped to the side of his saddle bags, while Frid had a 81 Krh/08 tied down with ropes onto his back.
Only Esko Mäntylä, the squad's Kersantti, stood straight as he marched through the snow, his TK 11 rifle pulsing faintly by his side. One of his antlers had the top half shot off during an engagement he had some time ago, the impact point still jagged and sharp. After that battle, he had shaved down his other antler to match the height of the one that was shot, giving him a nickname the squad passed around, but never told to his face - "Comrade Stub".
There were many thoughts running through Katri's head, with her assuming the others had similar thoughts running through their respective heads. Thoughts they had all learned the hard way to never ask out loud, as Kersantti Mäntylä would proceed to give profanity-laden yells into their ears about why they should know the answers already, and why they shouldn't waste their time asking questions instead of following his orders.
Why did they need a stag-pulled sled to carry the requisitioned supplies? Because there's no trucks available, so it's up to us.
Why aren't there any trucks available? Because fuel's a priority for the navy guarding Hjortland's shipping routes, and they're using the entirety of the oil reserves.
Why are we marching in this weather, instead of waiting for the storm to pass? Because the damn Changelings won't wait for the storm to pass before attacking, that's why!
How much longer do we have to march? We stop marching when we get to the trench.
How much longer until we get to the trench? We'll be there when I say we're there, damnit!
How many deer are at the trench we're going to? How many artillery pieces do they have? Do they have enough ammo? What about medical supplies and food? How many Changelings were camped in the woods on the other side of the trench? How many would be attacking? How many Panzer Is and airplanes would they use in the charge?
The answer to all of those questions, minus the curse words and threats against insubordination, boiled down to "we'll see when we get there".
After several hours of marching - Katri had lost track of time, as had the rest of the squad - they all stopped upon hearing sounds in the distance. The dull, shuddering booms that sounded like thunderclaps, but were on a day with no rain. It was artillery, in the distance, but firing all the same.
Aila, the only other squad member with an NCO rank, dared to speak up. "Whose artillery is firing, heera?"
Esko said nothing, and cocked his ears as if to listen closer to the dull firing and detonation of shells. The fact he wasn't cursing a storm meant he either respected Aila for deferring to his rank, or felt her question was more legitimate than the ones the rest of the squad learned to never ask. Most likely, it was a little of both.
"Sounds like some of ours, Alikersantti," he finally said, "Some 105 H/9s, maybe some 76 K/00s too. Sounds like they're only softening the bugs up."
Toivo suddenly piped up, his reedy voice straining to be heard over the wind, "Does that mean we're close to the trench, heera?"
"I didn't give you permission to speak, Sotapeura!" Esko snapped back, "But yes, we are close to the front. Which means the rest of you have no more excuses to lollygag! The Changelings don't seem to be charging just yet, but we still need to double-time it!"
"We're already marching as fast as we can, heera!" Hansu grunted, "You think we can double-time hauling all of this behind us?"
"Yeah, can't we take a breather first?" Frid joined in.
"Korpraali Wuori, Sotapeura Wuori! You'll both move as fast as your hooves can carry you, and the first of you that complains again, I'll shove a bayonet up their perse! Do you hear me, you lazy-?!"
"With all due respect heera," Vaino interjected, "How much further from the front are we? It can't be more than a kilometer or two, right?"
"Sotapeura, didn't you figure out from the last three paskiaiset that you shouldn't talk without my permission?!" Esko sounded like he could go on for an hour just cursing everybody out, but grit his teeth, restraining himself from berating everybody more than necessary, "The artillery sounds about 10 kilometers off, and they're stationed a few more kilometers from the front, so it should be 15 kilometers to go."
At this news, the Wuori brothers groaned.
"Oh, quit whining, you pillun! We've already traveled at least twice that distance already! Now shut up, and get marching!"
The march resumed, with everydeer doing their best to keep pace with Kersantti Mäntylä, the Wuori brothers loudly groaning and cursing as they hauled the sled with all the strength they could possibly muster.
Toivo, seeing the pain the Wuori brothers were enduring, tried to lighten up the mood "Cheer up, guys! At least we're not marching all the way to Vaverfront, right-?"
"SULJE VITTU, TOIVO!!!"
Suddenly, the march skidded to a complete halt again. Even Kersantti Esko was taken aback by this profanity, on the grounds the words didn't come from his lips. Most surprising of all was who let this outburst fly. It was Aila, who was glaring at Toivo. The young buck was quivering in fear, as if he was looking into the eyes of Tuoni itself.
"R-Rouva, I'm just trying to-!"
"SULJE!!! VITTU!!!"
After another silent moment of Aila glaring at Toivo, she turned and went back to the march. Kersantti Esko gave a baffled double-take, and hastily galloped to take the lead from her, the rest of the squad quickly following suit. Even the Wuori brothers, though straining under the weight of the sled, gave no more protest as they hauled their load as quickly as possible.
The rest of the march was silent, with everydeer focused on keeping pace with Aila. Even Esko gave some wary looks at his Alikersantti, who kept her eyes focused towards the distant artillery, to the front line that would follow after them. Katri couldn't see Aila's face from her position behind her, but she was certain the older doe's gaze was just as piercing and furious as it was when she turned it on Toivo.
Even though Katri would never learn why Aila's outburst was so violent, she had a good idea for why she had it. It was the city that Toivo had referenced to assuage the pain of the Wuori brothers, a city that had fallen to the Changelings early on.
And for Katri, it was a city that held a connection to her, a connection she was certain that Aila also had, at least in some way.
Vaverfront. The lynchpin of the original front line against the Changelings. The city her brother fought in.
And the city he was forced to abandon.
****
Katri remembered what her older brother, Viljo, told her of Vaverfront from the two times he visited it. The Kolkka siblings were both born in Hjortland, first capital of the Kingdom of Olenia, and later the Deer Republic after King Johan Jelzek was cast down, and heir to the throne Velvet Fairantlers renounced all of her titles upon being converted to the communist ideology by a friend she made in Equestria. Katri never saw Vaverfront in her entire life, but Viljo had been taken on a trip with his father there, back when King Adlar II was still alive.
VIljo told his younger sister about Vaverfront, when she was still a fawn. He told her of the mighty ships that passed through its harbors, of the Equestrian traders that filled the streets with faces of all races - diamond dogs, griffons, ponies of all stripes! He told of mighty stags who hauled fallen trees as tall as their father, and as long as three houses behind them! He told her of the open market stalls, of the many restaurants and hotels, all crowded with happy creatures who reveled in the season.
When the Great Strike reached a fever pitch, and chased the corrupt King Johan out of his palace, Viljo was forbidden by his father to join the nascent Deer's Liberation Army, as he was still underage, and his father feared what could happen in the chaos of the revolution. Although Viljo relented, he still pitched in whenever he could for the cause of the Deer's Party, often with reconstruction projects around Hjortland. Katri, for her part, would frequently volunteer for the Hjortland Children's Hospital, where she met Velvet herself one day. The two didn't have enough time between their duties to become best friends, but they got as close, and even exchange a letter between each other every now and again.
Katri was always happy during those days. She did know that the Deer Republic had a long road to reconstruction after the revolution, and a longer way to rise to a proper status on the world stage. But deep down, she could see the liberation in the air, how everydeer was truly freed without the burden of monarchy on their shoulders. She felt that the Deer Republic would help spread the light of communism, and free everydeer, everypony, everycreature, from the chains of oppression.
Then the Changelings started to make demands.
Queen Chrysalis, her vain hubris matched only by her despotic cruelty, began by demanding the annexation of Feer Delar and Solgud Bergskedja, two provinces that she claimed were "ethnically Changeling", despite the population census proving this laughably false. Even the Changelings who lived in these provinces overwhelmingly sided with the native deer in opposing Chrysalis' "Anschluss", denouncing her cruel regime. The only supporters of Chrysalis' demands were the dregs of House Jelzek, who had long been scattered by the revolution, and the Aarimviiki Peurkonto, whose cultist practices were heavily cracked down upon by the Deer Republic.
Needless to say, Chairstag Kullervo Sirola denounced Chrysalis' demands as outrageous, and the Minister of Media Aamu Peuranen would quickly rally the public in defiance of the Changelings, uncovering harrowing tales of the barbaric working conditions of Changeling drones, and the Machiavellian power plays among Chrysalis' inner circle. Carl Gustaf Manntlerhim, the former Kingdom of Olenia Field Marshal, who became the Deer Republic's Chief of Army when they ousted King Johan, would begin a nation-wide series of entrenchments along the northern mountains near the border of the Changeling Lands.
"Let them come!" Manntlerhim would say, "Let the Changlings be drawn to our lands like moths to a flame. For like moths, they will be incinerated, by the flames of our revolution!"
The tensions resulted in the Deer Republic putting out a call for All Stags To Serve, and while Viljo's father was too debilitated to serve on the front lines, Viljo met the physical examination, which gave an opportunity he took with open hooves. Viljo's father, although reluctant to see his son off, accepted his decision, as Viljo had finally reached adulthood, and knew that trying to dissuade him now would only harden his resolve.
Viljo would be sent to Vaverfront, which was part of the eastern-most extension of the Manntlerhim Line. The city's many buildings would be made easily defensible if the Changelings breached the initial trenches, and while the threat of war hung over the city, the civilian populace was still industrious as ever. Some particularly patriotic (or perhaps merely opportunistic) businesses even treated the influx of soldiers as a chance to advertise their wares to city's new defenders, providing discounts on food and other items to conscripts on leave, and offering many officers comfortable hotel rooms instead of the hastily constructed barracks and dugouts being constructed at the defensive lines just north of the city. Viljo's letters to Katri would show how energetic and raucous Vaverfront was even with the specter of Chrysalis looming over the city, and how he pined for leave as he spent most of his days digging out trenches with a pickaxe, and erecting barbed wire fencing.
Then, on May 6, 1008, Queen Chrysalis gave her final ultimatum, demanding the Deer Republic become a vassal to the Changeling Hegemony, or be conquered utterly by her hordes.
On May 7, Chairstag Sirola rejected the ultimatum, claiming Chrysalis was out of her mind for expecting an anti-monarchist revolution to cow before a deranged tyrant like herself.
On May 17, the Changeling Hegemony officially declared war on the Deer Republic. That was when the Viljo's letters stopped coming to Katri.
On June 22, her entire family feared the worst when it was announced that Vaverfront had fallen to the Changelings.
Then, as June gave way to July, Katri found Viljo had returned to Hjortland, on extended leave. It was clear that the buck had been horribly shaken by what he had witnessed. The color seemed to have been drained from his fur, his expression blank and numb. When his family had greeted him with tears in their eyes, desperately asking him all manner of questions, he had only asked to go to his room, claiming he was tired. He wasn't much better after that first day, often staying in his room for hours at a time, only coming out when the meals were served.
Eventually, Katri confronted Viljo while both of their parents had left for their shifts at the factories, and demanded to know what happened at Vaverfront. She knew this probably wasn't the most sensitive way of asking, even then, but she wanted to know what had shaken her brother so badly.
Viljo only asked Katri if she really wanted to know what truly happened. When she assured him that she wanted to know everything, Viljo reluctantly told the whole story.
After the Changelings overran the Manntlerhim Line within two days of their invasion, Vaverfront was heavily besieged for almost a month. Changeling soldiers swarmed the streets, infested the buildings, and poured in droves from the outskirts. The city's defenders, the majority now filled with hastily recruited militia after most of the original soldiers were killed in battle, tried to blockade the roads with everything from civilian vehicles to building rubble, but the Changelings would still scrabble and fly over the twisted wrecks. The deer guarding these barricades were forced to fire nonstop at the swarms until they ran out of ammo, and then tried gutting some of the charging Changelings with whatever hand weapons they had, from combat knives and hatchets to silverware and hammers, before taking the Karabiner 98k Rifles from the fallen Changelings to turn back on the next wave of attackers.
Refugees had also choked the city. They had come from as far north as Ishamn, and as far west as Sakara, most hoping to use the ships at the docks to flee to Equestria by sea. A few days into the siege of Vaverfront, however, and there would be no more ships to leave on, the port itself heavily damaged from Changeling artillery. Viljo told Katri how there were over a thousand refugees who had barricaded themselves in the regional Lokia building, and at least triple that at the Cervus Industrial Steelworks. As ammunition, medical supplies, and even food and water dwindled, the Vaverfront defenders were forced to hole up in a handful of strongholds, with thousands of Changeling soldiers in the streets, and a constant paranoia of infiltrators among the militia and civilians.
Viljo was part of the command post, which had housed itself in the Hotel Höijer - the windows gave good fields of fire against every angle of attack, and the building was large enough to house the entire command unit along with several hundred refugees, even after artillery shells started blowing gaping holes through the walls. The soldiers and militia not tasked with holding and repairing the firing positions and barricades in the Höijer were ordered to construct more of them on similar buildings nearby. Viljo's commander believed that, with the roads blocked and the port abandoned, the best course of action was to shelter as many civilians as possible before a relief force arrived, taking whoever was willing to fight into the militia.
One day, Viljo was about to lead his squad in pilfering the bodies of the latest wave of Changeling soldiers for whatever ammo and provisions were left on their bodies, when his commander, Majuri Lakso, gave the order to retreat. Viljo had been anticipating this order for a while, as his unit had been steadily withdrawing since the invasion began, first from the original Manntlerhim Line to Vaverfront, then from building to building as the Changelings began to swarm deeper and deeper into the city. What was unusual was the rally point. Instead of identifying a civilian building or address on an open channel, to inform the city-stranded refugees as much as the soldiers, this retreat was on a coded transmission with map grid coordinates. When Viljo checked the coordinates, he was shocked to find they led to Manty Creek, just north of Svart Skog - he felt that at that point, they might as well be galloping all the way to Hjortland.
Even worse, they were under strict orders to not move the civilians, except the "deputized" militia members who were given military-grade weaponry beforehand. Everydeer else, whether armed with civilian guns, hand weapons, or nothing, were to be left behind. Viljo was certain this was a horrible mistake, believing that even in a full-scale retreat, they wouldn't cut and run on the civilians. He knew that leaving them behind would mean something worse than death.
He tried to double-check the coordinates received, and repeatedly asked his commanding officer for confirmation. After the Majuri gave confirmation all the times Viljo asked for it, he asked if they had gotten the wrong map coordinates, or had shifted codes without telling him. They were mistakes that were made before.
Then Viljo paused in his story, giving his younger sister a worried glance before continuing. He shivered as he recalled the conversation, how Majuri Lakso was trembling, how he could hear the fear in his voice over the staccato of rifle fire. Lasko told Viljo, directly, that the orders were not a mistake, that he was to rally with the remnants of the Vaverfront Garrison, and proceed immediately west. Viljo tried to reject his commander's orders on humanitarian grounds, and at that, the Majuri went berserk. He shrieked at Viljo, in terror as much as it was in rage, saying that if his unit didn't follow his orders, he was given permission to persecute them all with "Reformist efficiency".
Katri was utterly shocked when her brother told her that. She had known that the term "Reformist efficiency" was an oblique reference to the "Reformisten" of Hellquill, a fascistic order of Griffons which had imposed a draconian order in their ranks. Insubordination was punished by summary execution, with firing squads, hangings, and even beheadings. One story that had filtered to the world media was how the Reformisten dealt with a revolting military unit, by forcing the survivors to inflict a literal "decimation" upon itself, by splitting them into groups of ten, and forcing each group to select one member to stone to death. Each group ultimately carried out this act, and their loyalty to the Reformisten was bound, by collective guilt and shame as much as fear.
Katri asked her brother if he had fought back against his clearly insane commander, if he had to kill him to save the civilians under their protection. Viljo stayed silent for a long time. Then, he told her the worst truth possible - he followed Majuri Lakso's orders, to the letter.
Viljo's squad didn't object to him personally, although they argued among themselves, and some asked if they could stay behind, to help the civilians even if their commander wouldn't. As much as Viljo wished to say he could let them stay, or allow them to take any family or friends they had among the civilians, Majuri Lakso again emphasized the punishment for disobeying his orders, and everydeer reluctantly accepted them.
As the soldiers and militia began to leave, they lied to the civilians, saying they were leaving to get help, that a relief force would help chase out the Changelings, that they would return soon. The civilians, quickly seeing through these lies, cursed the soldiers for abandoning them, demanding they stay and fight, or help them flee the city. As the soldiers moved into the streets to take the roads out of town, the civilians threw anything they could at them, from lamps to chairs. Viljo recalled how one of his men spluttered after being soaked with a bucket of urine, and how a bullet from a civilian gun clipped part of Majuri Lakso's ear. That gunshot had the soldiers aim their guns at the window the shot came out of, but the Majuri ordered them to hold fire, even though his earlobe was still bleeding from where the bullet ripped a hole in it. When no further fire came, the soldiers continued their retreat out of town, the angry jeers and desperate pleas of the civilians fading behind them.
A week later, Viljo's unit arrived at Manty Creek. They had known that Vaverfront was already overrun just a few days beforehand, and that the final radio transmissions from the city, barring the Changeling's propaganda networks, were silenced. Viljo himself would attend a debriefing for the other officers, led by Majuri Lakso - the same commanding officer who ordered them to abandon Vaverfront to the Changelings.
It was then that Viljo planned to kill Lasko, using a knife hidden up his uniform's sleeve to slit his throat, and keep stabbing just to make sure. He knew that such a move would get him court-martialed, potentially executed, and would not bring back all the civilians who were now trapped in the Changelings cocoons. But after his failure to stand up against his commander on that day he left Vaverfront behind, he was prepared to pay the ultimate price to seek redemption in blood.
However, when Viljo arrived at the debriefing, he did not see his old commander there. Instead, he saw Carl Gustaf Manntlerhim. The Sotamarsalkka had fallen a long way since the noble war hero who defied the corrupt House Jelzek, or the confident strategist who boasted of how the Changelings would impale themselves upon his defensive line. His eyes had noticeable bags under them, and the warm smile he flashed in every painting and picture taken of him was now gone. His hair was steadily fading to gray, and while Viljo couldn't be sure, it seemed that Manntlerhim's muzzle was growing taut around his cheek bones, as if he hadn't ate for days.
Manntlerhim explained to the assembled officers the truth of the retreats. It was found early on that the initial front was simply too wide for the Deer to hold against the vastly larger Changeling horde, with several trenches being overrun simply because the deer ran out of ammunition before the Changelings ran out of infantry. The Deer Republic knew that they needed to erect a fallback defensive line, one concentrated enough that the vastly outnumbered Deer's Liberation Army can keep the front relatively secure. This fallback line, to be named the Sito Line after Kenraali Ansa Sito, would stretch across the southern borders of Cervus Dale and Svart Skog, guarding the border to the Olenian Peninsula, and the capital city of Hjortland. This was where the Deer's Liberation Army would make its true final stand, where the trenches and fortresses, rather than being quickly overrun like the Manntlerhim Line, would hold fast against infantry wave attacks, Panzer blitzes, and aircraft strafing.
Manntlerhim asked if anydeer had any questions regarding their new orders. The room was silent, with none of the officers daring to speak up. Then one officer - Viljo didn't learn his name - cleared his throat.
"With all due respect, heera... Where is Majuri Lakso? We thought that he would give this debriefing."
Manntlerhim sighed. "I'm... I'm afraid Majuri Lakso was found dead in his cabin. We're still investigating, but it appears to have been a suicide."
The officers gave distressed murmurs between themselves, although Viljo felt that most of them were angry that Lakso took the easy way out. It was certainly how Viljo felt.
"If there are no other questions," Manntlerhim continued, "Each of you will need to take a psychological exam after this meeting. In light of Majuri Lakso's death, we wish to examine the mental health for all officers going forward."
After that, Viljo's results of the psych exam would lead to his extended leave, and his return to his family.
Viljo said nothing more to Katri. Katri, for her part, didn't need to ask for anything more. She realized, too late, that she had already asked her brother for far more than she could have bargained for.
A few days later, Viljo's extended leave would end, and he would be shipped back to the Sito Line. Then, about a month afterwards, Katri's family would receive a letter from the military. It explained that Viljo had paid the ultimate price defending the Republic, having died during a successful repulsion of a Changeling attack on his position. He was found in his trench, with four Changelings near him having been killed by bullets from his M/98 rifle.
The fifth and final bullet of the M/98's cartridge was found lodged in Viljo's skull, the buck using one of his hind legs to pull the trigger while both of his forelegs gripped the barrel under his chin.
The "death notification" tried its best to play up the heroism of the moment, claiming Viljo took his own life to deny the vile Changelings a chance to capture and torment him. But deep down, Katri knew that Viljo was on the verge of claiming his life whether or not he faced capture at the hands of the enemy.
The military had sent two more items to Katri with this grim news. One of them was the M/98 rifle that Viljo had used. The other was a final letter written by Viljo a few days before his death, penned to Katri.
Dear Sister,
If you are reading this, I have died defending the Deer Republic, and the freedom of the workers from enslavement by tyrants. I can only hope that even though I die, the Sito Line has held, and that you, mother, and father are all safe.
I know that all letters are screened by the Department of Morale, so I will not make any complaints. Instead, I want to ask you to keep our family safe, as I will no longer be able to. I have asked my commanding officer to allow you to claim my M/98 rifle in the event I am killed, and he has accepted, as the front line is phasing in the new M/107 rifles in their place. I ask you to learn how to use this rifle, so that you may defend our family when the time comes. I pray that, Ukko willing, the Changelings will never reach the walls of Hjortland, and that when you take up arms, it won't be in our streets. But, if they do, I know that you will send the invader's souls to be judged by Tuoni, and their bodies to rot alongside Loviatar.
When you come of age, seek out recruitment with the Hjortland Garrison. I do not know much about Kenraali Eilert, but from what I have heard, he is as much a patriot as Kenraali Sito, and he'll ensure your duties as a Garrison member will keep you close to our family. There may be times where your unit may be required to deliver more supplies to the Sito Line, and it is likely that you will have to fight alongside the regular army in holding back a Changeling advance during one of your trips. Hopefully, you will not have to spend more than a day away from Hjortland, until the time to liberate our nation from the invaders has finally come.
If I have any regrets, it is that I will not live to see the day our lands are liberated from Chrysalis' lackeys, nor will I see the day the tyrannical Queen is herself cast down, with the workers claiming control over her former lands. But I know that these days will come, and I know that you, dear sister, will be there to see them both.
Do not weep for my death. Thank the Republic, and Kenraali Sito, that I have died protecting our family. And remember, that even on the blackest of nights, the dawn will always come.
Farewell,
Viljo
****
Katri's squad was making better time after they passed the artillery batteries. This was partially because some of the items placed in their sled were shells meant to feed the 76 K/00s and the 105 H/9s, so they were able to unload the explosive payload from their sled. The Wuori brothers were able to keep pace to the squad's march without any more strained breathing, let alone complaints.
Another reason the squad was making better time was because they had a relatively extensive break, as there was a considerable amount of time needed to safely unload all of the artillery shells from the sled. There weren't any tables for the squad to play dice or card games, but taking just some solid, uninterrupted time to catch their breaths did wonders for all of the squad. Even Toivo was able to stand up straight when Kersantti Esko ordered the squad to move out.
Of course, there was still the rest of the cargo to unload, and it was all to be unloaded directly at the front line. That meant another 5 kilometers left to march, and everydeer knew there would be no more arguments with Kersantti Esko or Alikersantti Aila on the way.
Eventually, the squad reached the trenches. Even after hearing about how extensive the entrenchment were through the reports from the media and other soldiers, Katri was legitimately stuned with the scope of the entrenchments. The trenches seemed to snake and intersect with each other at least a kilometer ahead into the horizon. Deer scrabbled back and forth along the lines, as if it was an ant farm flipped onto one side. Some were couriers, dashing at full speed with bags full of documents and messages. Others were engineers, frantically scurrying from one weak point to the next, desperately repairing shattered wood beams, or stretching more barbed wire over areas where gaps were ripped through by Changeling artillery, Panzers and - most morbidly of all - dead bodies. There were fireteams scrambling with all their weapons at the ready, or artillery crew hauling AT guns into position.
A group of deer in officer uniforms, the highest-ranking being a Kapteeni, were grouped at a table at the rear of the trenches. They were examining documents while mumbling to themselves, a Luutnantti alternating between conversing with his fellow officers, and examining the trenches through a pair of binoculars. One of the officers, a mere Vänrikki, noticed Katri’s squad, and flagged them over, before turning back to his superior.
“Kapteeni!” the Vänrikki called out, “Today’s supplies have arrived!”
The Kapteeni calmly put the documents in front of him into his saddlebag, as Katri’s squad marched to meet him. Kersantti Esko quickly saluted the Kapteeni, who saluted back, before motioning the squad to begin unloading the other supplies.
The sled by itself didn’t have much room for what one would consider a day’s worth of supplies, but the priorities shown clearly with what was stored. The majority of the cargo were crates of M/107 rifles and Oleni KP/-10 SMGs, with some lend-leased Lavender Rifles and SVETAs, and ammo to supply several clips for each firearm. There were some crates of standard grenades, and glass-encased potions repurposed for offensive warfare, mostly the “Sunset Cocktail” fire potions. There were some sacks of grain, a box or two crammed top to bottom with canned soup, fruit, and vegetables, and only one crate worth of medical supplies.
The Kapteeni nodded, as if everything was accounted for. Then, he began to speak to Esko.
“Kersantti, I want you to carry these requisition orders directly to the Hjortland Garrison. Our supply reserves are holding for now, but we’ll need more in case another attack depletes them.”
Esko looked over the requisition orders, before tucking them into his uniform. “There’s nothing else, heera? From the sound of the artillery earlier, I figured the damn bugs would make another charge today.”
The Kapteeni sighed “By the gods, I hope there isn’t. Like I said, our reserves are holding for now, but another charge may end up draining our ammo stocks. Right now, what I need is more ammunition, not more fire teams-“
Suddenly, several dull thumps could be heard from the opposing tree line. A split-second later, several shrieking whines, like whistles playing in reverse, could be heard approaching the front.
Several screams of “Artillery!!” cried out up and down the line, and deer scrambled for cover wherever they could find it. The officers hastily overturned their table on its side, spilling several papers left on it into the snow, while the Wuori brothers pulled the sled up on one of its rails for similar effect, with Katri and the rest of her squad hiding behind the brothers.
Then came the crashing blasts, as the shells impacted the trenches. Although Katri wasn't looking from the cover she was cowering behind, she heard the literally earth-shattering explosions hurl dirt, snow, and splintered wood through the air. Several deer shrieked in agony, and a few AT guns went off with their ordinance creating secondary explosions, the metal squealing as it was shredded by the enemy shells. Shrapnel punctured through the wooden bottom of the sled, the jagged steel puncturing and splintering it like thrown ax heads. Frid gave a pained yelp as a piece of iron cut into his side.
Eventually, the blasts subsided, with only the chorus of soldiers barking out hasty orders, intermingled with the mournful wailing of those caught but not outright killed by the barrage, filling the air. The Wuori brothers let go of the sled, and the debris jammed through its underside prevented it from landing on both rails, if only by a centimeter or two. The table the officers sheltered behind looked like a dartboard with angular iron perforating its surface, and one of the officers was having one of his shoulder blades hastily bandaged over by the others.
The Kapteeni, pressing a handkerchief over a fresh cut over his left cheek, called out to Katri’s squad. “Kersantti, are you injured?”
Esko gave a cough, forcing some sprayed snow out of his lungs. “No, I’m fine! Only Sotapeura Wuori is nicked, and I’m pretty sure it’s a flesh wound.”
Hansu was just finishing a makeshift bandage over the stab wound in Frid’s side. Though small, the bandaging was quickly staining red.
“Y-Yeah, heera,” Frid called out through a forced smile, “I’ve had worse just fighting with my idiot brother here.”
“Don’t tempt me into ripping your guts out, Frid...” Hansu muttered.
A courier deer suddenly dashed up from the trenches, his uniform shredded at one side, but with no bleeding that Katri could see.
“Kapteeni!!” The courier cried out, “One of our firing teams was wiped out! Their foxhole took a direct hit, and I-I can’t see anything of them-!”
“Calm down, Sotapeura,” the Kapteeni replied, “We can hold without them, so long as everyone remembers their training.”
The Kapteeni looked warily at Kersantti Esko. “Kersantti,” he asked, “Can your squad take their place?”
Kersantti Esko grimaced, and nodded at the Wuori brothers. “We’ve strapped those two down with an MG and a mortar just for this situation, heera. Give the order, and we’ll give them Helvetti!”
“I doubt the original foxhole is in any shape to make use of anymore,” The Kapteeni said, looking at the courier deer, “The Sotapeura will find a suitable firing position for your squadron.”
“Yes, heera!” The courier quickly saluted “This way, Kersantti!”
“You heard that fawn, soldiers!” Esko barked out to the squad, “Keep your heads down, and follow me!”
Katri and her squad mates bowed their heads, trying not to stick them up even while scrambling after Kersantti Esko and the courier. They hurried along the trenches, some white with snow, others blackened with dirt and smoke. They passed deer taking aim with their weapons to where the charge would come from, or desperately stitching up the wounds of their shrieking friends. They passed bodies that lay still, some that looked to be merely sleeping, others ripped open in ways that Katri quickly blocked out of her head, desperate to keep herself together.
The courier eventually stopped at a part of the trench that was left untouched, and only had a few other deer in position. “Your squad can set up here,” he hastily called out, before scrambling down the line for another task.
“Korpraali Wuori, set that MG up! Sotapeura Wuori, Alikersantti Aila, prepare that mortar! The rest of you, aim at the woods, but don’t fire until you see the black of their eyes!”
Katri dove against the trench wall, and aimed her M/98 rifle at the woods. Vaino, wiping the snow from his glasses, took aim with his KP/-10. Toivo desperately turned his M/107 from one position to the next, desperately looking for the first Changeling to enter his sights. Hansu pulled back the cocking handle on his 7.62 pk/9, and Frid and Aila planted the 81 Krh/08 into the snow, with Aila looked through binoculars down the field, while telling Frid to adjust the sights.
Then, from the forests, a howling screech shook Katri to her core. It was a Changeling warcry.
And then, like a pitch-black avalanche, the Changelings poured out from the forests. The were hundreds - no, thousands - of infantry swarming across the field, their Karabiner 98k rifles pointed forward with bayonets attached. Dozens of Panzer Is were rolling behind them, machine guns firing blindly, and cannon turrets blasting.
Aila, fishing out a mortar shell, told Frid the final adjustments to the sight, and then slotted the shell into the tube. A second later, and the 81 Krh/08 shot its shell into the air, followed by rounds from other mortars across the line. The shells then crashed into the field, tossing dirt and snow upon impact. Some missed their mark. Some shredded into the black uniforms of the Changelings, where blue blood gushed from their wounds. Others tossed infantry into the air like toy soldiers scattered by a petulant child, or left nothing but smoking craters where they once stood. Some even smashed onto the roofs of the Panzer Is, although they did little more than to give a resounding clang, and punch some minor cuts into the armor without disabling the vehicle, or seriously wounding its crew.
The AT guns still in service fired next, roaring with enough power to rattle Katri's eardrums. These shots often hit their marks, punching gaping holes through the fronts of the Panzer Is, and often igniting them in fireballs or blasting half of their treads off. However, the AT guns would have to be quickly re-positioned to avoid return fire from the tanks, meaning the AT fire, while effective against the Panzers, only came sparingly, leaving most of them to continue crawling forward behind the charging infantry.
Hansu's pk/9 sounded off with several other MGs across the line, the sheer volume of fire cutting down most of the Changelings at the front of the charge. Vaino let fly with a few bursts from his KP/-10, adding to the suppressing fire bearing down upon the infantry wave.
Then, as Katri could see the glinting of the Changeling infantry's fangs, Esko cried out "Open fire!"
Having already sighted her first target, Katri squeezed the trigger of her M/98. The bullet tore through the Changeling's center mass, leaving its body to fall into the snow. Toivo's M/107 and Esko's TK 11 soon joined the concert of fire from the defenses, the synchronized blasts of single shot rifles blending with the snaring volleys of machine gun fire. The TK 11s, launching concentrated bursts of magic, sent bolts of blue zipping down the field. Any hapless infantry caught by them had burning holes punched through their bodies, if they weren't outright liquefied into steaming puddles of blood.
As the fifth bullet left Katri's rifle, she hastily ejected the spent magazine before loading in the next one in, chambering its first round before taking aim again. She wasn't keeping count of how many she killed, hoping that by putting her shooting on "auto-pilot", she would not have the burden of blood on her hooves. Even though the Changelings were the enemy, and were serving Chrysalis' maniacal ambitions, she knew not all of them were there willingly, and she didn't wish to dwell on how many in this charge were forcibly conscripted rather than voluntarily enlisted, nor how many fought out of fear from their officers more than any hatred they bore towards the deer.
She only hoped that each successful hit she made would kill her target quickly, so that she didn't have to dwell on anybugs suffering.
As she burned through her second magazine, a Changeling almost caught her mid-reload with a bayonet pointed right at her snout. A burst from Vaino's KP/-10, riddling blue pulp from the Changeling's torso, brought the charger crumpling into the snow. Katri simply took aim at the Changeling behind the first one, and fired, a small hole punching through his chest before he collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
It didn't take long for a Panzer I to come within mere meters of the trenches, the spraying machine guns forcing Katri to duck her head to avoid getting shot. A blast soon rang out in front of her, telling her that an AT gun nailed this Panzer dead on, and as she poked her head back up, she could see the hatch pop open as two Changeling crewmen desperately clambered out. They attempted to turn their MP-10 SMGs on the trench lines, before a burst from Hansu's pk/9 ripped through them like an ax through butter.
Another Panzer was a few meters down the trench, belching flames from one of it turrets. Although Katri couldn't see where the flames were landing, she could hear screaming as some deer were set alight by the inferno.
"Toivo, Katri!" Esko barked out, "Use some potions on those firebugs!"
Katri, hastily grabbing a glass cylinder with green liquid sloshing inside of it, made a dash across the front of the trench to the still-rampaging flamethrower Panzer, and chucked it into the treads. The plant potion quickly worked even in the inhospitable climate, growing moss and roots into the gears holding the tread together, before they popped off like the caps from a coke bottle. Toivo, holding a Sunset Cocktail in his hands, chucked it into the Panzer's exhaust, sparking a bonfire that quickly raced through the rest of the Panzer.
The turret hatch popped open, and the Panzer's commander quickly scrabbled out, only to be cut down immediately by infantry fire. The gunner and driver, both ignited by the flames, were shrieking in agony, hurling themselves towards the snow-covered ground to desperately try suffocating the flames. As there were more infantry to shoot coming behind them, the deer turned their attention away from the burning crewmen until they fell silent, curled up and charred.
Eventually, the remaining Panzer Is hastily reversed gear, and backpedaled to the woods from which they came. The surviving infantry likewise turned tail and fled, leaving the wounded behind as some deer kept shooting into the backs of those attempting to retreat. Katri held her fire, only shooting if a Changeling attempted to turn and shoot at the trenches.
The end of the charge had resulted in hundreds of Changeling corpses littering the field between the forest and the trenches, with a score of wrecked Panzer Is still smoldering from killing blows. A few dozen more Changeling infantry were killed in the trenches themselves, having to be clubbed, stabbed, or shot point-blank by deer in close-quarters combat.
As the last of the Changelings vanished back into the treeline, Esko lowered his TK 11, the rifle's overheated gemstones still sizzling. Slumping on his side, the Kersantti let his hardened image slip with an exhausted sigh of relief. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he called out: "Squad, report your status!"
"Here, heera!" Vaino called out.
"Not a scratch, heera." Hansu said.
"I-I'm fine! Just fine, heera!" Toivo stuttered.
Katri was about to join in the role call, when she looked back to where Aila and Frid had set up the mortar. What she saw had her heart plunge into the pit of her stomach.
She scrambled through the trench to where Aila and Frid were, almost slipping on the snow and dirt-filled ground in her haste. She saw Frid clutching the side where his original wound had opened back up, screaming in agony. Aila said nothing, with her eyes closed as if in slumber, but a pool of crimson was growing around her feet.
"Heera!" she cried out "Aila, Frid! Th-They need help, now!"
As Katri got to Aila's body, and she desperately tried to feel for any sign of life, the rest of the squad scrambled to her cries. When they arrived, they all blanched at what they discovered.
"F-Frid! H-Hang in there! For the gods sake, hold on!"
"Holy- Heera, what do we do?!"
"Toivo, find a medic! For Ukko's sake, find one, and get them here!"
"I-I will, heera! Frid, just hold on, please-!"
As the other deer put pressure on Frid's stomach wound, Katri kept feeling her hooves up and down Aila's body. She was trying to look for a pulse, a breath, something to indicate some life was left in Aila. Then, Katri felt something, somewhere under Aila...
Katri, slowly turning the body enough to show Aila's underside, found what she felt. It was a razor-sharp piece of shrapnel, sticking out of Aila's chest. From the outside, it looked no more than a centimeter long. But Katri knew that metal shard had embedded itself deep into Katri. Deep enough to puncture her heart, or rupture her lungs. She knew that it was too late to save Aila from Tuoni's embrace.
Slumping on her hind legs, Katri cradled the body of the older doe, failing to choke back tears. Even when Toivo came back with a field medic for Frid's wounds, Katri was still embracing Aila's corpse and sobbing. It took Hansu and Esko grabbing Katri on both shoulders before she let go of the body, and she would continue her sobbing as she was led away to a field tent.
She only stopped crying well into the night, where she fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep.
****
The next morning, Katri awoke from her slumber when reveille sounded over the camp. She noticed that the pillow she had rested her head on was damp in the spots she was crying into it, and groggily lurched her head away from it. She rubbed her eyes with a foreleg, trying to rub whatever crust was left by her tears.
Exiting the tent she was in, Katri looked around for her squad. There were several deer moving around the camp where her tent was, but none of them were her squadmates. One deer with an Oleni KP/-10 strapped around his waist saw that she was trying to leave her tent, and blocked her with a hoof.
"Easy there," the deer said, "Orders are you're to stay in your tent until your squad Kersantti gets you. Just go back inside, and wait for him, ok?"
Katri numbly nodded her head, and went back inside. She clung to the blankets that were on the makeshift bunk, trying to keep warm now that she felt the chill of winter again. After what felt like hours, although it was likely only a few minutes, Kersantti Esko opened the tent flap.
"Are you okay, Katri?" Esko asked "Do you need to rest some more?"
Katri shook her head, and took the blankets back off, unsteadily getting back on her hooves.
"I was only here because I had to wait for you," Katri said, "I'm ready to leave now."
Esko nodded his head. "Frid will have to stay at the field hospital for a few days, and Hansu is staying by his side. The rest of us are leaving today, so it's up to us to pull the sled back."
He fell silent, glancing at Katri "Aila... Aila's body is coming back with us. Her will said that she's to be buried at Hjortland, where her parents are. I know what happened with her has... Well, if you don't want to help pull the sled, I understand."
"It's alright, heera," Katri said, "I can deal with it fine."
Katri followed Esko back out into the camp, where he led her to where the sled was parked. Vaino and Toivo were nervously chatting with each other, quickly stopping when they saw Kersantti Esko and Katri. Only a canvas tarp, with dark stains coming from what it was wrapped around, was attached to the back of the sled.
"Kersantti, wait!" It was the Kapteeni, followed by two does in uniform, "We need to discuss something before you leave!"
Katri almost gave a double-take, when she realized the does had the ranks of Kenraali, the highest possible rank barring Sotamarsalkka. One of the Kenraali was someone she hadn't seen before, with snow-white fur and green hair. The other Kenraali, with grey fur and pink hair, seemed more familiar. She looked like...
No, it couldn't be...
"Kersantti Mäntylä," the Kapteeni introduced, "Kenraali Einair and Kenraali Sito."
Esko's eyes bulged upon hearing the names, and hastily snapped to salute, with Katri, Vaino, and Toivo quickly saluting in turn. The green-haired Kenraali, presumably Einair, saluted swiftly and sharply. Kenraali Sito gave her salute, more methodical and measured than the others had been.
"At ease, Kersantti," Sito said "The Kapteeni here told me of your actions in the engagement yesterday. How your squad was able to hold your positions while keeping calm under fire. Even said how two of them took out a Panzer I with a plant potion in its treads, and a fire potion down its exhaust."
"Kenraali Sito," Esko stammered "Er, yes, we were able to hold our ground that day. And yes, we did neutralize a Panzer I tank with potions."
Sito glanced at the sled. When her eyes caught the canvas-wrapped object, she softened. "He also told me you suffered loses in the attempt."
Esko turned to the sled, and sighed. "Yes, Kenraali Sito. Alikersantti Aila. She was... fatally wounded by shrapnel. We're taking her body back to Hjortland for burial."
Sito solemnly nodded "Then I won't waste your time, Kersantti. I am recommending medals for each member of your squad, as well as promotions for yourself, and whoever was slated to be next in your squad's chain of command after Alikersantti Aila. We believe it is Korpraali Hansu Wuori, correct?"
"Yes," Esko replied "Korpraali Wuori - Hansu, I mean - is at the field hospital with his brother, Sotapeura Frid Wuori. Frid is still recovering from intestinal damage inflicted in the battle, and I have given Hansu permission to stay by his brother's side."
Sito nodded again "Noted. Kenraali Einair and I will see to them both later. However, I didn't come here just to give you news of promotions. I also have orders that you need to give to Kenraali Eilert of the Hjortland Garrison."
Sito took out a closed leather binder filled with papers, and gave it to Esko. Esko gingerly put the binder into his saddle bags.
"Is there anything you're allowed to tell us about it?" he asked.
"I'm afraid not," Sito said, "But let's just say that the clearance is restricted for Kenraali, and leave it at that. As we have no more else to tell you, we'll be off."
With that, Kenraali Sito saluted, with everydeer in attendance saluting her back, and she and Kenraali Einair followed the Kapteeni into the camp. After Katri and Vaino hitched themselves to the sled, Esko's squad departed into the cold.
After they had passed the last of the rear artillery, Toivo broke the silence. "These orders... Do you think it involves a counter-attack?"
"Don't even ask, Sotapeura," Esko muttered, "If the orders are top secret, I'm not risking a court martial, not even by speculating."
"He does have a point, heera," Vaino said "I don't think Kenraali Sito would take another Kenraali to the front just for a social visit. And the fact these orders are going directly to Kenraali Eilert, and that they're Kenraali clearance level..."
"-Is even more reason we non-coms shouldn't talk about matters beyond our pay grade!" Esko snapped, "This is only for Kenraali Eilert, and if we ever learn this information, it's when he decides to declassify it, not us looking through it!"
Katri thought for a while, to get her mind off of the grim cargo she was carrying behind her. She did find it odd that Kenraali Sito would appear on the front line at all, let alone with another Kenraali, nor one that seemed as new as Einair. Sito obviously wouldn't state her reason for visiting to a squad from the Hjortland Garrison who were simply at the front for a supply run, but if Katri had to hazard a guess, she was there to show Kenraali Einair the situation at the front first-hand. It could be that Einair would only help in maintaining defenses at the Sito Line, but that job seemed redundant with Sito herself already managing control over the front by herself.
And if Kenraali Sito was showing Einair the front to plan a potential counter-offensive against the Changelings, the message to Eilert would make more sense if it was to tell him of the upcoming advance. Perhaps even he would be called upon to marshal his forces into reclaiming Olenian lands in the name of the Deer Republic. If he does, then...
"Kersantti Mäntylä?" Katri politely asked.
"What is it, Katri? And please, just call me Esko."
"When- Sorry, if there is a counter-offensive, is it possible to decide which front to serve on? I wish to see Vaverfront, because my brother..." Katri trailed off, partially to not overstep Esko's authority as Kersantti, but also out of the raw memories of her brother's experience.
"I guessed as much," Esko said, before sighing "I'm afraid if a counter-offensive is planned, we won't have much say in the matter. Hjortland is closer to the east than the west, though, so I would assume Kenraali Eilert would send most of the Garrison eastwards if we ever had to leave the city."
"I understand, heera," Katri said, bowing her head, "I don't have anything else to say."
"Good," Esko nodded, before turning back to Vaino and Toivo, "Anything else from you loudmouthed idiots?"
"No, heera."
"N-Nothing else, heera."
"Then let's just get home," Esko said, "We've still got a long way to march, and wasting time talking won't get us there."
Nodeer said anything else on the way back to Hjortland. But whether or not they said it out loud, or could even admit it to themselves, everydeer was thinking the same thing.
We're beating the Changelings. We're going to take the fight back to them.
We're going to win this war.
****
In January of 1013, a counteroffensive was launched by the Deer's Liberation Army against the Changeling invaders, with the goal to liberate all soil prior to Queen Chrysalis' invasion. The initial counteroffensive was split into two fronts, with Ansa Sito leading the Eastern Front towards the city of Vaverfront, and Kenraali Einair overseeing the Western Front to secure the lands west of the Sito Line. Although casualties rose for the DLA during this offensive, partially due to Einair's relative lack of front-line experience, and partly due to the offensive operations forcing the Deer to meet the Changelings in open battle instead of from entrenchments, the two fronts succeeded in their respective goals by March of 1014.
Reuniting operations under a single front, Ansa Sito and Kenraali Einair, joined by armies led by Kenraali Eilert and Spurdo S. Perkele, would chase the last Changeling occupiers from Olenian soil by January of 1015. Queen Chrysalis, defying offers of a ceasefire with an "inferior" nation even after the Deer's Liberation Army began to push onto Changeling soil, would be forced to flee her palace on August 18, 1015, when the DLA claimed the city of Vesalipolis. It was only after Operation Kaatuminen, when DLA operatives assisted anti-Hegemony Changelings in assassinating Chrysalis, that the remaining leadership of the Changeling Lands surrendered, signing the Treaty of Soryth on November 16, 1015.
Katri Kollka, having been promoted to Alikersantti, would only learn of the DLA's destruction of the Changeling Hegemony from a hospital bed. She had the lower half of one foreleg severed during the Second Battle for Vaverfront, due to a shot from a Changeling sniper. Even with a new prosthetic, it was not fit for combat duty, leading to her honorable discharge. But true to her brother's words, she had lived to see the day the DLA brought liberation not just to Olenia, but to what were now the United Changeling Hives.
Katri had left something behind before she was taken off of the front. At the ruined Hotel Höijer, she planted a M/98 rifle at the highest point she could find. She hung a placard from it, in memory of the deer she treasured the most.
In Memory of Viljo Kollka,
On the blackest of nights, the dawn will always come.
Author's Note
I decided on using the Deer Republic for this story partially due to Conquering History Game's playthrough of Olenia using them (which I borrowed heavily from in terms of historical dates), but also because I couldn't pass up the irony of an ideologically flipped Winter War, especially since the Changeling Lands are already a stand-in for Nazi Germany instead of Soviet Russia.
There are a lot of Finnish words in this story, since the Kingdom of Olenia/Deer Republic is a clear stand-in for Finland during the Winter War/WWII. I don't have time to translate them all as I'm literally down to the wire on submitting this for the Equestria At War 2019 Contest, but I will give links to most of my translations below:
* Heera/Rouva: The Finnish version of Sir/Ma'am, respectively.
* The ranks are based on the IRL Finnish Military. The only exception is Sotapeura, which replaces the rank of Sotamies, due to the translation of the later being literally "War Man", becoming "War Deer" for the former.
* There are untranslated Finnish curse words peppered in this story, and while there's one or two I needed a Google Translate to guess at, most of them I received from a Wikipedia article on Finnish Profanity
* Hotel Höijer - Based on the Hotel Kämp, a historic luxury hotel in Helsinki, Finland.
