The Free Man of Kyiv

         “Have you seen my dog?”

         Frightened faces just shook their obvious, disengaged response as they rushed past the young ten-year-old boy, trying to get them to stop. Strains of panic caused old and young to duck for cover with every sound of an explosion - whether it be close or distant. This was unrequited life existing in the shadow of the modern bear, who had flexed its muscles and stamped its authority like a strict parent calling its children home before dark. Its outdated ambition was faceless, cowardly, and ruthless. It had no defined military objective, just an unmitigated anger to crush anything standing in its way of returning to the bygone era of cold, imperialistic pursuits.

         The Return Of The Empire was no longer associated with the fictional characters of Hans Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader in the blockbuster movie phenomena. This reality TV script broadcast daily to a global audience on world news channels, portrayed a new ruthless leading man, riddled with envy and desperate for recognised glory in the future annals of historical kingdoms. An ordinary man with absolute power had suddenly gone insane and ordered the destruction of a neighbouring country and her people, just so he could colour parts of his wall map in red, the new territories captured using violent, indiscriminate forms of outright murder.

         “Please… he’s small, white fur, and has a yellow collar…”

         Several nearby explosions drowned out the boys’ pleading words, causing him to duck behind a burnt-out troop carrier as shards of hot metal shrapnel tore huge divots from the house behind his crouched position. After what seemed like the explosive end of the finale to a New Year’s fireworks show, Alexi Kozak dusted off the debris stuck to his nylon jacket and headed in the direction of where the frightened and injured found themselves escaping from. Steadfast in his quest, Alexi nimbly scrambled over bricks of destroyed buildings, around burning cars, and through the billowing smoke of raging fires, in a fearless determination to find his canine friend, the only thing left in his young and turmoiled life that had any melancholic connection to his past. His mother and father were missing. Without warning, their single-storey house had been obliterated, just as Alexi was returning from his morning dog walk. In shock and disbelief, Alexi had no time to think as more missiles struck their random targets, forcing him to recoil and seek cover, unintentionally letting go of his beloved’s short tether in the process. There was no time to chase after the dog, as the resulting dust and smoke created such a smokescreen, it temporarily blinded him. In the blink of a dusty eye, Alexi was alone, laying in the street, listening to his dog’s startled barking, trailing off into the unmolested distance.

         “YAKOV! YAKOV! COME HERE BOY!”

         Another explosion close-by caused Alexi to duck under a disabled tank, thinking it the best place to take cover under the thick metal shield above him. No one would target a tank that doesn’t work, he thought. His logic rang true as each subsequent explosion seemed to strike further and further away. Waiting for a lull in the deafening noise, Alexi peered intently through the smoke and haze of the war-torn neighbourhood, trying to catch a glimpse of his dog. Crawling out from under the tank, he gingerly made his way in the direction where Yakov fled. Shuffling his feet, he inched through the haze, clearing his itchy throat from the dust of the debris in the air. Sickeningly, he felt himself kick something soft, halting his progress. Looking down, he was startled to see the dusty corpse of a young girl – not too much older than himself. On either side of her were two adults, presumably her parents, both dead – the father missing part of his face. Shaken by the horrific sight, Alexi took a step backwards then immediately launched himself over the dead bodies and ran as fast as he could, hoping to escape the harsh reality of the war ravaging his city. His veiled eyesight worsened as he rushed headlong into a thicker dust cloud, then stumbling over some debris, something tripped him, hurtling him to the ground. Cutting his hands trying to buffer the impact with the rubble beneath his feet, he yelped in pain, but quickly sat up cradling his injury. As the settling dust and smoke quickly cleared, Alexi took a 180-degree scan of his surroundings, trying to process the absolute shock at the carnage his young eyes were witnessing. Dispersed amongst the broken glass, chunks of concrete, and twisted steel, were the human victims of the impersonal barrage – some screaming in agony, some crying for their loved ones, and many dead – the cruel result of someone’s heartless, senseless, and inexcusable urge to destroy. Alexi’s eyes filled with tears at the confusion, the grieving, and fear; however, an overriding emotion to find Yakov, motivated him to stand up and run from the surreal situation he found himself in. He was young, but acutely aware that staying in one spot spelled danger. An explosive instance of violence had corrupted his innocence, but a fervent determination to survive quelled his fear. His happy-go-lucky expression was replaced with a furrowed brow and his new hardened demeanour force-marched his weary young legs away from the horror, towards the park where he had walked Yakov earlier that forlorn morning.

         “Hey Kid!”

         Alexi slowly opened his eyes to see a silhouetted figure standing over him. It was late afternoon and the effects of his adrenaline wearing off caused him to fall asleep in a sheltered nook of a bombed-out house. The park search had been fruitless. Croaky from repeatedly calling his dog’s name, Alexi could only murmur a grunt reply. Holding his hands up to block out the sun’s aurora radiating around the human eclipse, he slowly got to his feet to focus on the stranger’s face. To his surprise, the armed figure in combat fatigues was a young woman, seemingly in her twenties.

         “Are you okay?”

         Alexi’s throat tightened as the days’ harsh reality came flooding back.

         “Where are your parents?”

         Looking up at the woman, his puppy dog eyes welled up with tears. He didn’t need to say anything more.

         “Oh…” the woman empathised. “What are you doing out here?”

         “I have to find Yakov,” he replied while wiping his eyes.

         “Who’s Yakov, your brother?”

         “My dog.”

         “Oh… Then shall we help you look for Yakov?”

         Alexi’s eyes brightened as he acceptingly nodded his head.

         “Kateryna!” A male voice interrupted, but she wasn’t done with Alexi.

         “What is your name?”

         “Alexi… Alexi Kozak.”

         “Well Alexi, I am Kateryna, so wait right here please and let me talk to my husband for a minute.”

         Alexi nodded. Kateryna turned and acknowledged the man. Dressed in similar attire to hers, he restlessly shifted from one foot to the other, cautiously surveying his surroundings.

         “Dimitri, the boy’s parents might be dead… and he needs to find his dog. I think he’s suffering from shock.”

         “We can’t stay here, Kateryna. Talk on the radio is that there’s an advanced Russian unit two kliks east of here heading our way, so we must get going now - if we’re to reach base before sundown… Bring the boy. We can’t leave him to the Russians.

         Kateryna smiled. How she loved this man and his caring compassion for others. It strengthened her resolve to fight alongside her husband. Wherever he went, she would unquestionably go too. She felt safe with him. He was a born leader and his judgement, intuition, and bravery had kept them and their recon unit alive during several firefight encounters with Russian infiltrators.  However, their ammunition had run alarmingly low, so getting back to base was a priority.

         “Alexi, come!”

         Responding immediately, Alexi enthusiastically ran to Kateryna.

         “This is Dimitri.”

         “Kid.”

         “Dimitri, this is Alexi Kozak.”

         “Kozak? Are you Turkish?”

         “My grandparents were.”

         “Did you know that Kozak means, Free Man?”

         Alexi shook his head.

         “A very apt name today. We’re all free men and women, but someone in Moscow doesn’t want us to be, yes?... Well come on Free Man, we need to move quickly.”

         “My dog…”

         Kateryna looked at Dimitri with both eyebrows raised. He couldn’t refuse those beautiful eyes.

         “Dimitri will lead the way… Where do you live?”

         Alexi pointed in a westerly direction.

         “Yarova Street… by the monument.”

         “My goodness! You’ve come far.”

“I just ran and ran.”

“We can make it before dark if we hurry… In my experience, dogs always return home. I’ll bet that Yakov is there waiting for you. Come, we must walk very fast.”

         Alexi smiled briefly. Kateryna had given him hope, and hope felt good.

         “Try not to look at the bodies, Alexi. They are in no pain, now… Someone will be along to bury them where they lay.”

         Trailing his kind new guardians, Alexi could not help but stare at every motionless body as he rushed along the street. Some looked like they were only asleep and would awake at any moment. Some bore the brutality of their life-ending impacts, and others were just fleshy remains ripped suddenly and violently from their sentient existences. The aftermath was horrific, and Alexi wished the day could rewind and start again. This time, he would anticipate the evil events the fiery day would bring. This time, he would hold on tightly to Yakov, and not walk so far from home. This time, he would insist that his parents went to the park with him. However, he knew he could not wave a magic wand. All he could do now was wish to find his dog.

         ZING! The air aggressively brushed Alexi’s ear as a tracer bullet whizzed past him and shattered the driver-side door of a parked van. Immediately, he sought the shelter of a concrete barrier laid to slow any oncoming approach by Russian tanks. Kateryna and Dimitri joined him almost immediately. Several distant cracks of rifle fire echoed through the almost deserted streets; then, more powerful booms of heavier caliber weaponry seemed to reply to the chatter of increasing small arms fire.

         “It’s okay, Alexi,” a comforting Kateryna declared. “Sounds like it’s several streets away. Probably a stray bullet. We should stay close to any walls or buildings. We’re too exposed here on the road and there’s no shortcuts to be had.”

         “Come Free Man,” ordered Dimitri. “Stay close to me.”

         Signalling the direction of travel, Dimitri led the three of them eastward, keeping low as they moved swiftly up the road, sheltered by the high walls and fences that most rural houses have for privacy and shields against the elements. For the past thirty minutes, the soldier couple and the lonely boy had made their way around the neighbourhood, trying to stay low and unseen. This had caused them to go further west than they intended; however, the late afternoon sun was now at their backs. Tactically for Dimitri, this was a military advantage. He would rather see the enemy in detail than a sun-in-the-eyes silhouette.

         “How far now, Alexi,” enquired Kateryna.

         Pointing, Alexi diverted her gaze toward several oncoming vehicles.

         “Dimitri! Troop carriers… Orcs!”

         Ducking into a driveway, the three found themselves on a tree-lined dirt road with a lake to their right and open ground ahead of them. It was far from an ideal cover, but the troop carriers were closing rapidly, so Dimitri reactively guided the three of them behind some trees and bushes, where they stealthily watched five of the troop carriers rush by the park’s entrance.

         “I live on the other end of the park,” Alexi pointed out.

         Acknowledging the boy, Dimitri and Kateryna motioned Alexi to lead them to his house; however, as they broke cover, a sixth troop carrier came around the corner into the park entrance. Undetected, the three comrades took cover again, as the troop carrier pulled up alongside their concealed location.

         “HURRY UP!” was the command from the truck. “TAKE YOUR PISS AND GET BACK IN, QUICKLY!”

         Responding in desperate need to relieve themselves, the eight military passengers jumped down from the truck and lined up against an adjacent bush and urinated into it. The wafting smell of warm urine made Alexi gag. For some of these conscripts, the journey had been long and hard on their bladders, so their vocal relief was boisterous.

         From across the park, a distant but familiar bark of a small dog, caused an involuntary reaction from Alexi, just as the empty bladder brigade re-boarded the truck.

“YAKOV!”

         Alerted by the cry of recognition, weapons were quickly retrieved and nervously pointed at the trees. The sudden commotion caused their commander to exit the vehicle.

         “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” He frustratingly bellowed out.

         “There’s something moving in the trees over there, sir.”

         Spotting it himself, the commander shouted out for anyone to hear.

         “SHOW YOURSELF OR MY MEN WILL FIRE!”

         There was no escape without risking being shot. Too much open ground behind them, would make Dimitri and Kateryna easy targets – if they chose to run for it. Besides, there was the boy to think about. He was just an innocent child and Kateryna needed to act quickly and decisively. She looked at Dimitri, and with four of her fingers, she motioned for him to flank the left four and she would flank the commander and remaining conscripts.

         “THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING!”

         The tone was more deliberate now.  Signalling a short countdown with her fingers, Kateryna had reached the count of one when suddenly, bounding through the uncut grass, came a small white dog, following the familiar scent of his young master. Alexi speedily broke cover and dashed several meters from the trees to greet his furry friend.

         “YAKOV, YAKOV! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

         Playfully and forgetting the seriousness of the situation he and his new friends were in, Alexi rolled around the grass with his four-legged pal.

         “HEY!” Came an angry shout that caused Alexi to stop what he was doing. Pulling the dog’s leash from his jacket pocket, Alexi restored the tether to his dog, then turned to face the shouter - his hands on his hips and his feet spread in a wide stance, emulating a comic book superhero.

         The commander relaxed just a little and let out a surprised laugh.

         “What do we have here, then? What’s your name?”

         Alexi took a deep breath and tensed up to deliver his answer. It had been a long day and he was frustrated and angry at the purveyors of war.

         “I AM UKRAINIAN… AND I WILL FIGHT YOU!”

         “Plucky little bastard, aren’t you?”

         “YOU ARE THE BASTARD! GO BACK TO RUSSIA!”

         The commander stood silent from the boy’s insolence, watching Yakov barking at him as well. Instantly, the commander changed his demeanour to more serious.

         “See men,” he explained to his platoon. “It is true. We have come to rid this country of Nazis, and right in front of us is one of their Youth Movement.”

         “RUSSKY GO HOME! RUSSIAN SCUM… YOU ARE NOT WELCOME… ORCS!”

         Highly insulted by Alexi’s tirade, the commander summoned one of his conscripts and motioned towards the insolent boy.

         “...ORCS! ORCS!”

         “Shoot him!”

         “Sir?”

         “Shoot the little Nazi’s dog, then shoot the little Nazi!”

         The conscript hesitated. Surely, this order was a mistake. Taking too long to react, the commander wrestled the rifle from the conscript and pointed it at Alexi. A shot rang out, causing the others to flinch. Deathly silence followed. They looked toward Alexi. He remained standing defiantly with a look of astonishment on his face. Seeking further orders, the young soldiers turned their attention to the commander, who was standing completely still – a bead of blood slowly trickling down his forehead from a small hole indented above his brow. He tried to speak but his vocal cords could only muster a pattern of sounds resembling a baby’s babble. In his innocence, Alexi giggled at the scenario unfolding before him, then abruptly stopped as the commander toppled forward, his face smashing into the ground, dead as a doornail.

         “Put your weapons in the back of the truck,” Dimitri ordered, startling the conscripts.

         Any semblance of a fight was not in the young soldiers. They were hungry, thirsty, and had been told they were just going on a drill before leaving Russia. War was not on their agenda. Unprepared, they just capitulated and lay their weaponry where they were told.

         “Move over to the trees!”

         Dimitri escorted his prisoners from the truck, telling Alexi to get behind him. Pulling a pin from a grenade, Kateryna tossed it into the truck’s cab, then ran to a safe distance, beside the others. A few seconds elapsed before the grenade exploded in a loud thud and fire, rendering the truck unusable.

         “What now, Dimitri?”

         “We march, my love. Brigade headquarters is not far.”

         Kateryna looked at Alexi, who was leading Yakov by his leash in a circular running display of play.

         “…And the boy? He needs someone to look after him… Can we?”

         “Hey Free Man! You want to come with us?”

         Alexi stopped playing to contemplate the question, then nodded his consent. Kateryna smiled, walked up to him, and placed her right arm around his shoulders.

         “Hungry?”

         Alexi nodded.

         “Good, then let’s get you something back at the base. Maybe, we’ll feed these poor boys here, as well… yes?”

         He nodded his approval.

         “What a day, hey Alexi?”

Organised into single file, the conscripts were led away, flanked by husband and wife as they marched off. With the light of day fading fast, Alexi playfully ran on ahead with Yakov, the war momentarily forgotten, his plight comforted by the return of his best friend, and his safety temporarily secured by his new protectors. The horrors of tomorrow impatiently lay in wait to unleash hell, but that’s yet to come - for today was Alexi Kozak’s day - The Free Man of Kyiv.