| General Fiction posted October 5, 2025 | Chapters: |
...27 28 -29- 30... 
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Poachers
A chapter in the book Dmitri's Extraordinary Fate
Dmitri's Extraordinary Fate: 29
by tfawcus
| Background The scene is war-torn Ukraine. Dmitri is desperately trying to rejoin Leila, whom he thinks is in Turkiye. However, unknown to him, she has returned to Velinkra, in the Carpathian Mountains. |
Leila’s heartbeat barely had time to subside before Elena came bursting into the kitchen, flushed with excitement.
‘Such good news, dear!’ she said while slipping out of her coat. ‘I was talking to one of the new arrivals, a man only recently returned from the front. The Russians have been driven back three or four kilometres east of Kalynorad. Apparently, they retreated in chaos.’ She sat down beside Leila and put her arm around her shoulder. ‘Don’t you see what that means?’
Leila leant in towards her, and Elena kissed her on the forehead. ‘Yes, that is good news,’ she said. Her response was hesitant, her words lacking any real enthusiasm. The flatness of her voice was in stark contrast to Elena’s excitement.
‘Are you feeling all right, dear? You sound … oh, never mind. It must be the shock.’
Leila straightened up and managed a smile. ‘It's wonderful news! So that means Dmitri will be safe? I can’t tell you how relieved that makes me.’ She swiftly changed the subject lest Elena should suspect her inner turmoil. ‘Where is Pavla? Did she stay in Velinkra?’
‘No, she’s gone in search of Andriy to tell him the good news.’
‘Then she’ll probably find him in the stables. I heard him return a short while ago. I expect he’ll be removing Marengo’s tack and sponging him down.’
‘So, what have you been up to while we’ve been away? Not getting into mischief, I hope?’
Leila was saved from answering by Ocky’s return, laden with market produce. She heaved a heavy wicker basket onto the kitchen table, her cheeks rosy from the cold, and she launched into a stream of town gossip. Her words tumbled over each other as she unpacked the provisions. Elena joined in with her own news, and the two women were soon in animated conversation. Leila made a show of listening.
However, when she heard the firm, unmistakable footsteps of the Major approaching from the hall, she slipped quietly into the garden, unnoticed by the others. She walked towards the river, deep in thought. If Elena was certain Dmitri was on his way to Kalynorad, what was stopping her from following? Kalynorad was a small town. Surely, it wouldn’t be impossible to find him there. Her recent encounter with the Major had unsettled her more than she was prepared to admit, and she longed to escape Elena’s fussing and to intercept Dmitri before he set off to Türkiye. She could only imagine what dangers he would face if the effendi discovered he was asking after her there. She was worried about her mother, too. Had there been any truth in the deception her father had used to lure her back into the effendi’s household?
She was startled back into the present by Fedir tramping up towards her from the riverbank, whistling a cheerful tune. He proudly held up half a dozen brown trout. Their scales glistened brightly, but their limp bodies told a sadder tale.
‘Oh, dear,’ Leila said. ‘They don’t look very happy.’ Her words carried a gentle reproach.
‘What do you expect? Would you be happy if you’d been tricked out of your river and whisked away for someone’s dinner?’
***
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Elena was quick to ask Andriy if he’d had any luck tracking Leila’s father down. ‘The poor girl is out of her mind with worry. She seemed quite depressed when I came back from town. Now she’s gone off somewhere. Presumably to be alone.’
The Major shook his head. ‘I made enquiries in Moreniv and the surrounding villages. There was no word of him.’
Elena bit her lip. ‘Then it’s still not safe to return to the lodge. We’ll have to stay here until he’s found.’
‘That’s not a problem,’ Andriy said with an easy shrug. ‘You can stay at the manor as long as you need.’
The conversation turned to Dmitri. Pavla and Elena both begged the Major to keep an ear open for news once he returned to his regiment.
‘We fear,’ Pavla added, lowering her voice, ‘that Leila may try to follow if we can’t get in touch with him soon.’
‘I’ll do what I can,’ Andriy said, ‘but I can’t promise anything. Now, if you’ll excuse me, ladies, I have things to do. I need to leave within the hour if I’m to catch the night train to Kyiv. Where’s that scoundrel, Fedir? Never around when I want him.’
He almost collided with the old retainer when he threw the kitchen door open. ‘Oh, there you are. Give those fish to Mrs Kovalchuk and come with me.’
***
Leila had drifted off towards the stables. She was reluctant to face anyone until Andriy had gone, but she felt in need of company. Marengo’s head poked out from the stable door as she approached, and he gave a whinny of delight.
When Andriy and Fedir turned the corner, she had her arms around the horse’s neck and was whispering sweet nothings in his ear.
‘Well! Well! What have we here? You’re a lucky horse, Marengo. You don’t know how lucky.’
Leila shied away wide-eyed. ‘Andriy! You caught me by surprise.’
‘Again? I’m glad to see you getting on so well with Marengo. You can ride him while I’m away if you like. He’ll be glad of the exercise. Besides, he’ll remind you of me—except, of course, that he’s a gelding.’
She fought back the colour rising in her cheeks. ‘That’s kind of you, but I don’t know how to ride, and besides, I shan’t be here for much longer. As soon as my father has been tracked down, I’m off to join Dmitri.’
‘I wouldn’t advise that. It’s a dangerous world out there, particularly near the front. I’ve already promised Pavla I’ll look out for him and send word if I discover his whereabouts. As for riding, I can teach you all about that when I return.’
She ignored his last remark and said, ‘Are you suggesting I can’t look after myself?’
‘Not at all, my dear.’ That infuriatingly sardonic smile played around Andriy’s lips. ‘I’m just suggesting you take care. There are some dangerous men in the world.’
Unwilling to let him have the final word, Leila responded by saying, ‘But none as dangerous as you, I suspect.’
He curled his lip and growled. ‘If you say so.’ Then he burst out laughing, and Fedir joined in, making a sound like an asthmatic ox. Not to be outdone, Leila stuck her tongue out and pouted.
The Major stepped forwards, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her fiercely on the lips. ‘Be careful who you tease,’ he said softly. ‘You may live to regret it.’
With that, he cast her aside and strode back towards the house, leaving her feeling violated. Shame and anger surged through her. Yet, as she wiped away the stain of his assault, she was stirred in a way that made her blush.
Fedir coughed discreetly. ‘Don’t mind him, miss. He’s a good man but lonely.’ He sighed, and with a faraway look in his eyes, added, ‘Who isn’t, these days?’
Leila looked at him with a fresh understanding and was tempted to give the poor man a hug. A temptation she wisely resisted.
***
Leila knew nothing about Fedir apart from his irreverent sense of humour and his ability to tickle trout, but she was already growing to like him. However, she might not have approved of those he associated with. Particularly Hrytsko and Klym.
Hrytsko was a poacher with a legendary reputation. Locals seldom spoke of him, but when they did, it was in whispers. In truth, it was Klym they feared the most. He was a lurcher with a good deal of Transylvanian Hound and bullmastiff in his parentage, a dog reputed to have faced up to a wolf. When asked why Hrytsko wasn’t in the army, they would reply, with a laugh, that no one was able to get close enough to conscript him.
***
Two days after the Major’s departure, the two reprobates were out hunting. Small herds of roe deer were commonly seen foraging at dawn and dusk before the onset of winter, and although they were a protected species, there was a ready market for venison in the local towns and villages.
Despite the twilight shadows, Hrytsko moved with the practised ease of a man who knew the land intimately, his eyes scanning the thickets for any sign of movement. Klym padded silently at his side, muscles taut beneath his mottled coat, and with every sense alert for the subtle signs left by passing deer.
The morning air was cold, carrying the scent of damp leaf litter, and the hush of the woods was broken only by the occasional snap of a twig beneath Hrytsko’s boot.
Suddenly, without warning, Klym stopped. His hackles rose, and with one forepaw raised, he pointed towards the meadow below. Along its lower margin, close to the Birch Road, a small herd of deer was grazing. Hrytsko raised his gun and took careful aim. There was a sharp crack, and a small doe fell. The rest scattered in all directions. Klym charged down the slope, and his master slipped and slithered after him.
When Hrytsko reached the bottom, a smell of animal decay assailed his nostrils. He was familiar with the smell of death, and ordinarily he would have taken little notice. However, its sweet, and sickly undertone caused a hot flush to creep up his neck. Klym, too, sensed something out of the ordinary. He gave a low, warning growl and crept forward to investigate.
***
An hour later, and well before Elena and Leila had risen for breakfast, Hrytsko appeared in the manor house yard, staggering under the weight of his burden. His weathered face was puce from exertion for he had carried the young roe deer, slung across his shoulders, for almost a mile. He was utterly exhausted, not simply from the weight of the animal, but from the effort of keeping in the shadow of the bramble hedge along the way. He had taken care to avoid the bridle track, not wanting early risers to catch sight of his illicit prize.
Fedir came out and relieved him of his burden. ‘Come into the kitchen, old friend. Ocky will put the kettle on while I take this down to the cellar. And you’d better shut Klym in the stables with Yarchuk and Mavka. We don’t want to go frightening the ladies.’
Before long, Hrytsko was seated at the kitchen table with a mug of steaming tea warming his mittens. Normally, at this point, he'd be bragging about his latest exploits, but today he seemed preoccupied.
'What's the matter? Getting too old for all of this?’
He didn’t even rise to Fedir’s dig. Instead, he stirred several teaspoonsful of sugar into his tea. ‘There’s a dead body on the Birch Road. A soldier. Or what’s left of him, poor bugger. Klym and me, we found him this morning.’
‘So, what are you going to do? The police will have to be informed,’ Ocky said.
‘Yes, but …’ Hrytsko looked at Fedir for support. ‘I can’t do it. You see that, don’t you?’
‘Did you examine the body? Any idea how long the poor bloke’s been dead, or who he is?’
‘Examine it? You must be joking. I’m not a bleedin' doctor. Besides, he stank bad enough to make your eyes water. No, we came straight here, hoping you might do it. It’d come better from you.’
Fedir scratched his head. ‘All right,’ he said, ‘but it’ll cost you. Half a side of venison, and then some.’
‘Thanks, old mate. I shan’t forget this.’ Hrytsko pushed his chair back and touched his forelock to Ocky. ‘Thanks for the tea, Mrs Kovalchuk. Much obliged.’
Leila arrived in the kitchen as the back door was closing. ‘Who was that, Fedir?’
‘No one, miss. A local tradesman.’
‘Butcher’s boy,’ Ocky added. ‘Delivering a nice piece of meat for the weekend.’
Book of the Month contest entry
 Recognized |
Main Characters:
Dmitri Zahir, a teenage boy trying to reach the love of his life.
Mira Zahir, his twin sister, who was killed in a bomb attack.
Elena Prishtina, a volunteer carer who looked after Dmitri during his recovery from catatonia.
Leila Haddad, a Syrian girl Dmitri fell in love with.
Pavla Miret, an art teacher who gave Dmitri lessons.
Andriy Kolt, an army major.
Fedir, his faithful retainer
Oksana (Ocky) Kovalchuk, his cook
Hrytsko and Klym, a local poacher and his dog
Image in the Public Domain.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Dmitri Zahir, a teenage boy trying to reach the love of his life.
Mira Zahir, his twin sister, who was killed in a bomb attack.
Elena Prishtina, a volunteer carer who looked after Dmitri during his recovery from catatonia.
Leila Haddad, a Syrian girl Dmitri fell in love with.
Pavla Miret, an art teacher who gave Dmitri lessons.
Andriy Kolt, an army major.
Fedir, his faithful retainer
Oksana (Ocky) Kovalchuk, his cook
Hrytsko and Klym, a local poacher and his dog
Image in the Public Domain.
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