Dragon's fire. Part two.

Getting up early in the morning, Longwei heard knocking on the door. Dewei holding two giant bags in his hands, with a loud noise, entered to his house and leaned back to the wall. "These bags are much heavier than before. So heavy. Can I have a glass of water?!"

Longwei went towards the table with bottles of water, taking one, he said, "So this is your job. To deliver food to the battlefield. I thought that you are a warrior too."

"Mostly, I deliver food. But when you're on the battlefield, all of a sudden, you can become a warrior too. Because, you know, that place is so chaotic that in a matter of seconds you become the part of this chaos. Yes, I deliver food, but sometimes, I can fight. Especially when my brother is there, I give him to rest a little and while he eats, rests, I fight."

"These beasts, they don't eat or rest? What kind of creatures they are? I mean, why this battle seems so endless?"

Emptying the whole glass of water Dewei took one of the bag and said, "No more talking. It's time to go."

Longwei put on his fur vest and leather boots. Approaching the giant bag he was about to lift it up but the heaviness of bag pulled him towards it and he almost fell down.

Dewei broke into laughter. Hearing the noises, some of the soldiers who was sleeping angrily said, "If you don't sleep then get out of here."

Longwei collecting all his powers to his hands took a deep breath and lifted it up. Hardly putting it to his back he, without saying anything went out.

The weather was very snowy but luckily enough calm. No blizzard.

"Longwei, if you are regretting about your decision, you better stay here. Maybe I shouldn't have ask for help. You're too fragile to see that awful place."

"No more talking. Let's go." Longwei said and under the heaviness of the bag went ahead.

All the way towards the unknown place, Longwei was silent. Dewei too, walking in front, did not say a single word.

Leaving the village behind, now they were in the forest. In the dark, gloomy forest with scary atmosphere and a strange sounds which reminded of some kind of birds. Naked trees, old and ugly ones, were raising high up to the pale sky. There were growing so close to each other that it was almost impossible to walk in such a narrow paths. And in addition to this, the snow underfoot was so thick that with every movement the muscles were gaining a lot of training.

Looking at the compass, Dewei, from time to time stopped and mumbling something to himself continued walking ahead.

While Longwei tried hard to understand this his action. Being a dreamer, a man whose mind always flying somewhere, he never thought about his future as becoming a soldier. But now, carrying the heaviest bag in his life, going right to the battlefield, to the place of which everyone was afraid to even think about, he did not understand himself at all. "Maybe I have become crazy." He thought and caught Dewei's gaze on himself. "What? Are we already here?"

Approaching him, Dewei said, "The battlefield is very far away. It is on the foot of the mountain. And as you know this mountain is very high. To reach the battlefield we need to walk downwards, it can take a few days. And on our way I can't guarantee you a safety. We can face the strong blizzard or avalanches can wash us away from this mountain. It is very hard way. If you don't want to go further or if you're scared or anything else, I understand you. You can go back, maybe it wasn't a good idea to take someone with me. I was always doing this all by myself."

Letting him finish his speech, Longwei looked up at the sky, his gentle skin on the face had already reddened out of cold and his small nose looked like a tiny tomato. Looking at Dewei he said, "I am already here. And I have walked all the way down with you. I don't think it'll be reasonable to go back. And these bags are too heavy, to carry it all by yourself is not a good idea. I'll go further. And anyway, I always wanted to see that battlefield."

Noticing a slight smile on Dewei's face he asked, "Why are you smiling?"

"Nothing. You're just so funny. Let's go now."

"Wait?! Funny? What do you mean? Wait!"

As Dewei said the further they went the more difficult it was. The strongest blizzard enveloped everything around as if reminding them about who is boss in this world.

Walking close to each other, Longwei hid his face in his scarf. But Dewei kept walking as if there was nothing at all.

To carry their bags was getting difficult. Under the power of wind, the bags were about to fall down.

Longwei, unable to walk stopped and the same moment the wind made him fall down.

"Don't carry the bag on your back. It's better to drag it." Putting the bag down, he tied it to his waist with a long rope and did the same to Longwei. "Now it'll be easier to walk."

"When will this end? I mean this blizzard, it is too strong!" Longwei shouted.

"It'll last till the night. Are you hungry? We can rest for a while."

"No. Let's keep going." Longwei answered.

Feeling a slight numbness in his feet and hands, Longwei tried to walk faster and raise his body's temperature. The heavy bag full of food was far behind of him.

Increasing his speed he approached Dewei and now was in front of him.

"Aren't you tired? Maybe we should rest?" Dewei said.

"If you rest now we can fall asleep and it won't be good."

"My brother means a lot for you." Dewei whispered but his words left unheard.

Feeling hunger and fatigue, Longwei stopped and caught Dewei's curious eyes on himself. Somehow, his look was similar to Lei's.

"Alright, let's rest for a while."

Sighing with relief Dewei opened his face and the next moment the large snowflakes covered him. Looking like a giant snowman, Dewei wiped off the snow and noticing Longwei's expression he said aloud, "What? What's so funny?"

Restraining himself from laughter Longwei coughed and just shook his head. To show his emotions and act freely next to Lei's brother was like risking your own life. Without knowing him properly Longwei decided that he should act coldly and show his powers and bravery.

Dewei, looked at him once more and then took out beans and tomatoes. Also there was something which looked more like a bread but it was made out of rice. "Here, eat this. We have a long way ahead. You need energy."

"It's getting darker. Maybe I should light a candle?"

"No. Not now. And I don't think that I brought that tubes for candles with me."

"I have it." Longwei said and took out a glass tube which was for covering the candle from the wind.

"Don't waste candles. We will need them later."

The blizzard slowly began to calm down. Only the frost was painfully tickling the skin. The fresh beans, was the main food among these mountains. Maybe they were very comfortable and full of vitamins, beans, were almost vital to everyone. And also the rice. Having such a vegetarian diet, was a perfect way to clear mind and soul and keep your body in balance with harmony of nature.

Finishing the beans and now eating the rice, Longwei caught Dewei's gaze again and this time unable to hold himself he asked, "If you want to ask about something then ask. I am tired of your persistent gaze."

Without hesitation Dewei asked, "My brother and you. Are you two, lovers?"

"What?!" Longwei exclaimed, "Lovers?! No way! Of course no!"

Dewei quickly closed his mouth and said, "Are you crazy?! Your voice can attract some beasts. Be quite."

Pushing his hand away, Longwei took a sip of water.

"I don't care what is happening between you two. I know that something is happening. Otherwise why on earth would my brother act like an idiot after you have left."

"Like an idiot?" Longwei coldly asked.

"Yes. And all of a sudden he decided to go to the battlefield even though he was there just a two months ago." Dewei looked at Longwei who was already blushing. "Longwei, I know my brother and also I don't know him. Sometimes he is close to me, sometimes he is so distant. But still I can feel him. I can feel what he feels. Maybe that is because we were born together. Together on that stone. According to legends if two babies are made out of blood, then they have a strong connection. Maybe that is why I can feel him so much. For example right now, I feel that he is scared. Very scared."

Longwei hearing this, clutched his fists and wanted to stand up and run towards that battlefield, but he held himself back.

"It was from the very childhood. If he is scared or happy, I feel it too. And I feel scared or happy too. So what I am gonna say is that when you have left that night, I felt that some kind of change took place in him. I felt it so much that I doubted about if this is my brother. Longwei, I know that you are young. You're only 24. You have your whole life ahead. And soon, you'll have to become a father. So..." he hesitated for some moments and then sighed as if it was hard to tell him what he wanted to tell. "Longwei, if you have feelings towards my brother. If you really have them. Then, please, take these feelings seriously or forget about my brother. He is a warrior. You can't imagine how much he had seen in his life. Once, I even thought that his heart has become like a stone. Or ice. But now I see that it is not like that. So if you have feelings to him like he does, then take them seriously otherwise my brother is gonna lose all his hope in his life. But if I am wrong, then forget him. Just don't turn this love into a battlefield, into a crueler battlefield than the actual war."

Dewei finished his puzzled speech and went back to his beans.

Longwei had nothing to say. He couldn't deny it, he couldn't accept it either.

But not to say anything would be suspicious, so he murmured, "Can I have more beans?"

After their dinner, they continued their walk. The night had already fallen down to the earth. And now it was easier to walk. There was no blizzard. Only some strange and horrifying sounds of wild animals.

Looking underfoot, Longwei was thinking about what Dewei had said. Noticing his tensed expression he pushed his aside and playfully threw a snowball towards him.

"Hey, why are you so silent? Or did I say something wrong?"

"No. I just... Nothing."

Dewei approached him, his tall, almost gigantic figure, next to Longwei's slim body, looked somehow strange. Smiling at him happily, he said, "Relax. I am not your enemy. Alright, if you feel uncomfortable then let's just forget about what I had said. Better, tell me about you. Who are you Longwei?"

"My story is not that interesting."

"But I want to know. And I am bored."

"If you hear it you'll get even more bored."

"Actually, the story of my life is also boring. So let's see whose life is more boring."

Longwei looked at him, noticing a sparkle in his black eyes, he felt a little relieved and now was feeling more comfortable next to him. "My life is full of dreams. So I am a dreamer. All I have is dreaming. That's it. That's my life."

"Dreaming?!"

"Yes. Maybe that is my curse. I dream a lot and because of my dreams I trapped myself to the hands of solitude."

Dewei took out a candle from his bag and lighted it up. There was no wind so it was easy to keep going with the light.

Like this, in the middle of the night, Longwei began to tell about his life. Starting from his early childhood and continuing with his present life.

And the more he said, the more he realized that all this time he wanted to tell this story to someone. To tell about the pain, sufferings and happiness, and get a little bit free from his memories.