A sober mood settled heavily over the ranks of the White Army.
Watching so many of their comrades depart for retirement all at once was a bittersweet affair — like seeing a whole chapter of their lives being closed in front of their very eyes.
These were the men with whom they had marched under the punishing sun, drilled until their muscles ached, shared meager rations, laughed over stolen moments of peace, and bled in battlefields far from home.Their bonds were not light things to be shrugged off, but chains of brotherhood forged in the fires of hardship and trust.
Of course, they were happy for their companions — glad that at last they could lay down their arms and begin anew.But the sight of familiar backs retreating toward civilian life left many hearts aching with a sadness they hadn't expected.
Still, life has little patience for those who linger in the past.Duty, as always, called.
