#devil's pack

He drank to forget, even if just for a bit. And Kybyenka had a lot of things he wished to forget. The companions he lost and the men he killed over the years, but whose faces he still could see whenever he closed his eyes. Friends, foes, strangers, it didn’t matter. They all came to him in his dreams, calling his name. Some with a sweet smile, some with hateful scorn. They came, with stretched out, cold hands and sharp teeth ready to sink into his flesh, to drag him back with them to hell. 

Whenever he closed tired eyes, he saw the twisted bodies, the painful reminder he had no right to survive when everyone was slaughtered like animals. 

How many times was he the sole survivor? How many times did he dig shallow graves to put his friends to final rest? How many times he was forced to leave the bodies to rot? Too many, way too much.

There was always another mercenary group to join and deep in heart he knew one day even the Devil's Pack may break into pieces. With the fat price on Hynek’s head, it was bound to happen sooner than later. Would Kubyenka live long enough to see that day? And if yes, would he have strength to outlive yet another friend? Kubyenka had no fucking idea. He didn’t want to die but he didn’t want to be left alone even more.

So he sat at the empty table, sobbing into his half-full mug of ale. Every now and then, a shiver ran through his body when the wild laughter of his companions echoed above him. Perhaps they didn't see him. Perhaps they didn't want to see him. Kubyenka was older than most of Hynek’s men, and perhaps he was too old for such a life. But all he knew was how to fight, and it was better to die alongside a friend than to die of old age alone.

“Czego znowu ryczysz?” 

Kubyenka didn’t react when Adder plopped down on the bench next to him but that did not discourage Pole. Quite the opposite. Adder needed one look at Kubyenka’s reddened eyes and snotty face to know where the man’s mind wandered again. With the wolfish smile, he took Kubyenka’s face into his hands and kissed him right in the middle of the forehead. The kiss was long, wet, messy, accompanied by weird noises Adder made. The kind of kiss that people did solely to piss off their friends.

“Bastard” Kubyenka growled, but the corners of his mouth turned up on their own. God, that stupid annoying kiss of Adder always worked the same. 

Even if Kubyenka didn’t want to, it was hard to not smile, when Adder’s rough laughter filled the space and the man’s strong arm wrapped around his neck. Pole’s body radiated warmth and Kubynka instinctively clung to it. He smelled the familiar scent of bitter alcohol and sex and in a different time and place, he would feel jealous how easily the Pole gets around. The man did not speak their language and yet, wherever Devil’s Pack went, there was always a woman or two more than happy to taste the man’s cock.  But here and now, Kubyenka greedily inhaled this bitter, sinful scent, letting it soothe his thoughts about dead men and bloody hell. 

Adder was always hungry for life, and enjoyed it the same way a wolf ravished the meek lamb. He sank teeth deep and didn’t let anything take it away from him. That’s why whenever dead people called for Kubyenka, Adder always smelled like life to him. Why he clinged to his warmth so desperately.

Before Kubyenka blinked an eye, Janosh sat at his other side and put a plate full of meat before the three of them. 

“That bastard do not listen to Janosh” he complained loudly, pointing a finger at the innkeeper, and Kubyenka, despite himself, looked over his shoulder at the older, bulky man. Not a man a sane person would argue with. “His seasoning is not bad, but Janosh would make it better!”

“Wpierdalaj i nie marudź!” Kubyenka had no idea what the Pole said, but whatever it was, Janosh threw a small bone at his head. And then both laughed, loudly and freely like no one else mattered beyond the three of them. The sound of their laughter nicely filled Kubyenka’s mind and chased away the whisper of dead comrades for good. He could finally breathe again. At least, for now.

“Eat” Janosh moved the plate closer to himself and Kubyenka. “Life always taste better with full belly, hej!”

Kubynka wiped his face in his sleeve. His eyes stung, but thankfully there were no more tears in them. Janosh’s big hand slowly moved in circles on his back, Adder’s ruffled his hair. No mockery, no crude jokes. For the first time today, it felt like everything was going to be fine.

He did not know how hungry he was until he bit into warm, a little too spicy meat. The warmness filled his stomach, even if bitter sadness did not leave him yet fully. But Janosh was right, life tasted much better with a full belly.

“Hej, piękna!” Adder waved at the alehouse wench and pointed finger at himself, Janosh and Kybyenka. The young girl was so frightened by the presence of the roughy crowd, she avoided members of the Devil’s Pack as much as she could. But once she saw it was Adder calling to her, she beamed with the sweetest smile at the Pole and within seconds she was at their table with three mugs full of ale.

Adder said something to her in Polish. Kubyenka doubted the wench understood him any better than he did, but whatever Pole said, she giggled happily before walking away. Adder of course turned his head, closely watched as the nice-looking girl walked carefully between vivid, drunk men.

At first Kubyenka thought Adder would follow the wench. She looked like she didn’t mind his company. But Adder didn’t move from his place; his arm not even for a moment left Kubyenka's shoulders. The additional weight around his neck made him feel strangely secured, safe. 

The three of them spend the following hours drinking together. Janosh and Kubyenka kept talking and joking mostly between themselves with Adder chiming in from time to time but otherwise content to just sit and listen, occasionally observing what was happening behind their backs. It wasn’t unusual for Adder, for sometimes the man liked to keep a distance from others. Not exactly from Kubyenka and definitely not from Janosh. But the man was like a cat, he came willingly only to people he liked. Everyone else was not his problem.

It was pretty funny how Hynek and Adder were similar in that regard. Always keeping their distance, always ready to bite if someone dared to invade their personal space without permission. 

Maybe that was why Kubyenka liked Adder so much, he reminded him of Hynek. Or maybe he just should look for a less fucked up friends than those two unpredictable and all too itching for violence men.

Well, he could at least console himself that Janosh had just as bad taste in friends as he did.

Before Kubyenka noticed, the day had passed and the night was coming to an end. Most of their companions already fell asleep where they were sitting. Not everyone though. 

There was a commotion behind their backs; over the never-ending harmider he could hear Slavek barking at his brother to sit down and calm the fuck down. He and Janosh were so used to the madness of Devil’s Pack, they did not pay attention, busy with eating another portion of roasted meat and talking about how to spend their hard-earned silver on. The winter was coming, and it was time to think about group’s provision before Dry Devil will fuck up all the group's savings again. Kubyenka sincerely liked Hynek, but money simply didn't stick to him. Otherwise they would not live in the middle of forest but in some nice fortress. Like Žižka for example. 

He missed that old bastard, and yet, he couldn’t leave the Devil’s Pack. Not out of fear of their leader’s anger or promising prospect of money. Hynek was his close friend, one of few Kubyenka still had. And one that was constantly getting into trouble. So he took upon himself to watch the ginger raving madman’s back. 

Well, at least when dead men’s whispers did not mess with his own head. Thankfully, Kubyenka still had friends who watched over him when he could not take care of himself. 

Adder, clearly not interested in the whole logistics and planning Kubyenka and Janosh were just discussing, turned his attention to what was happening in the inn room. 

“Debil, no normalnie debil” Adder commented with a tone reserved solely for Hynek, when the man was going to do something incredibly stupid. That immediately catched their attention and indeed, when Kubyenka turned his head, Dry Devil already was half naked and with no shoes. 

“Devil, what the hell are you doing?” Kubyenka saw the characteristic white and blue garment and woolen tunic lying carelessly on the bench. At first the thought that maybe drunk Hynek simply poured wine on himself but it didn’t explain why Dry Devil took off his shoes nor why the man was stubbornly unlacing his hoses. 

Finally, when he was left just in breeches, Dry Devil looked at Kubyenka and smiled the twisted smile of his that never boded well.

“Going for a swim” Hynek announced proudly and before anyone could say anything else, marched to the door, and as Kubyenka presumed, would march straight to the river flowing past the inn. 

The one with cold water, swift current and treacherous shallows. Somehow it did not surprise Kubyenka as it should. Nor did Adder and Janosh, who watched with him in silence how Hynek opened the door and sprinted away, into the still dark night. The maniacal laughter was fading as quickly as the further Hynek went.

Two heartbeats later, Adder rushed towards the door and ran after their drunk madman.

No one in the whole inn dared to say anything. No one laughed. 

With Hynek one never could be sure what the man will do. Drunk Hynek was even less predictable. He could follow Adder back to the inn like a docile lamb or attack him with fists just for the fun of it. Or start running around the village, screaming like a madman and scaring the poor sleeping bastards. The possibilities were endless.

They should do something, Kubyenka thought, surprisingly sober for once. But he didn’t move from his place, and so did Janosh. No one who witnessed it moved either. They all sat and waited, eyes focused on the open door.

Maybe it was for the best that just Adder sprang after the Devil. 

Even Hynek’s own men were afraid of him, rightfully so. Not Kubyenka, who knew Hynek the longest. Not Janosh who simply didn’t give a shit. Not Slavek and Bohuta, albeit both for different reasons. Bohuta was too angry to fear anyone, Slavek too used to his brother’s explosive character to be scared of Hynek. And not Adder whose patience ran thin enough to just butthead anyone who pissed him off. 

On second thought, maybe Adder was the worst choice of all. Well, it was already too late to regret that.

After what it felt like a whole eternity, the maniac laughter grew louder and louder and finally the lanky body of Dry Devil showed in the door. His face was pale, but there was no broken nose, no bleeding. Adder followed right behind, hand tightly clamped on Hynek’s shoulder to make sure the drunk won’t stray from the path. The Pole must have caught him before Hynek jumped into the water and somehow managed to persuade the stubborn man to come back into the inn. A sigh of relief escaped Kubyenka’s lips. 

“SIADAJ!” Adder pointed to the bench opposite to Janosh and Kubyenka and barked at Hynek like he were ordering a dog to sit, instead of talking to a nobleman.

Hynek didn’t seem to mind or notice. He hopped on the bench, leaned his hands on the table and grinned like an idiot. Cursing under his breath, Adder crossed the inn room and collected Devil’s scattered clothes. Those who were still awake didn’t dare say anything. Kubyenka wasn’t surprised. Adder was as dangerous and unpredictable as Hynek himself. 

Hynek leaned closer to Janosh and Kubyenka.

“Wanna hear a secret?” he asked conspiratorially although the volume of his voice did not match the question. 

“Znalazł w końcu zdesperowaną kobietę, która się zgodziła z nim przespać” Adder shot back and Janosh immediately turned his head toward him.

“Pojebało cię? Nie ma takiej kobiety.”

Both men laughed and Kubyenka was sure they were making fun of the Devil somehow. Hynek didn’t seem to notice, if the stupid grin on his face was anything to go by.

“What secret?” Kubyenka leaned toward him, more to humor his friend than actually curious what a drunk mind came with this time.

The Devil waited for Adder to sit on the same bench. And when the four of them were finally together, almost head to head leaning over the table, Hynek took a deep breath and whispered with utmost seriousness “I fucking love you, you sin-ridden bastards!”

Hynek was more plastered than Kubyenka thought, for he always said ridiculous stuff like that only when blind drunk. On the normal day he barely could admit to like anyone, even less likely it was for him to openly show any physical affection. Dry Devil didn’t let people come too close to him, didn’t let them see the human under the terrifying nickname he enjoyed so much.

Drunk-ass Hynek though sought validation as any other touch-starved, unloved being.

A secret, indeed.

Adder, like always, was first to react. He threw his arm around Hynek’s neck and ruffled his hair.

“My ciebie też, kutasie.”

“Yeah, we too!” Janosh added and then got up enough to pat the red-head affectionately over the table. Kubyenka was pretty sure there was an insult he did not translate after Adder, one that could spare Hynek the horrible embarrassment of enjoying the attention and tenderness he wouldn't normally accept from anyone.

But that was for what friends were. To annoy, to embarrass and to hold you dear when you needed it the most.

It was good to be alive when one had friends like that.

TRANSLATION