Growls filled the crisp morning air, snarls and suddenly a ripping sound as a grey furred figure ripped it’s head back and stood there a little surprised with a small shirt between her teeth. Shaking her head a little, the worg dropped the cloth, looking back at her ‘opponent’, a small boy around the age of two summers, who was just as surprised he was suddenly sitting there without shirt.
“No, Keren, you make broke! Bad!†The boy cried out, waving his arms in the air to underline his words. Keren merely leaned in closer, pushing her cold nose against the bare chest of the child, pushing him down into the grass, which resulted in a volley of giggles.
And so they went on, young worg and orc playing, Rhonya sitting nearby at the water edge of the lake, one of her favorite spots. She inspected the torn cloth that was once a shirt, and lowered it with a sigh in her lap. Another thing to repair… Four children, and a pup, it was getting out of hand. Luckily she had a lot of help, in the form of Therak, and her sister, and the matron who watched the pups as well when Rhonya was out. She moved her hand slightly to scratch at the ever present bandage around her neck. She was getting used to it being there now, as it was always there, though at times it still irritated her because of the tender skin beneath.
It was a nice, clear morning, and actually she chose a wrong spot to sit, knowing Therak would first look here, and would want to take her along on a swim no doubt. It was almost like him and her sister had made a deal together, to nag Rhonya and push her to exercise so she would get more in shape again. Slowly she stood up.
“Come on, you two, we’re going for a walk.†She said to the two playing pups, and they both rose. One to two feet, the other to four paws as they hurried after Rhonya who’d already begun to walk to the edge of the village. She would just take the path, it was mostly a save route. Her bare feet almost seemed to move out of their own, the path walked so often, towards the Ancestral grounds. Skorm ran up next to her as they reached the edge of the village, putting his small hand in hers. She smiled down at him. He was growing up so fast…
Keren jumped around them in joy, happy to be walking, to be moving, bouncing towards Skorm to try and make him play with her, but he just wafted his arm at the worg, keeping his hands in his mother’s hand, trying to walk all tall and broad without any shirt on. It looked more hilarious than intimidating, and Rhonya’s smile grew. They were the things keeping her going. Her family, her brothers and sisters, her tribe. Without them, she was sure, she would have fallen already, long ago. Either be it by demon corruption, or something else.
Her long hair fell over one shoulder as she turned her head to the side, looking in the distance, the mountain of Oshu’gun slowly coming more in sight as they remained walking. The demons… Yes, they were still there. Biding their time probably, waiting for an opportunity, as Gashuk had called it. Her brother wanted her rid of them… Bloodmark. She couldn’t blame him for that, but it was just a huge fear that filled her whenever the thought struck her that they would have to touch those wards again to get them out. Break the wards, lure them in… Though that would leave her mind open to their influence, something she didn’t want repeated, like in the past. He had tried to comfort her, but… he hadn’t been there. He hadn’t felt what she felt. Gashuk his words had frightened her even more, speaking of summoning them…
Skorm seemed to notice her discomfort as he pulled on her hand a little, putting both his arms in the air. Rhonya picked him up with a smile as he put his arms around her neck, resting his head against her shoulder, his small nose pressing against the skin of her neck.
“Mommy no sad?†his small voice asked, coming from somewhere below her ear. Rhonya shook her head slightly.
“No, mom isn’t sad, my dear. Just thinking… Do you know where we’re going? We’re going to visit all those that left this world.†She smiled down at him, gesturing with a hand in the direction they were going. Skorm looked ahead, a curious expression on his face.
“Like ghosts?†He spoke softly, and Rhonya nodded.
“Spirits. The place we go when we leave this world behind. We burn the things they leave behind there, their bodies and such.†Her eyes were looking ahead again, and Skorm made a light shudder in her arms. If it was from excitement or fear of spirits, she couldn’t tell. She’d told him of spirits before, but he’d never been to a place that was so close to them yet.
The female orc continued her way, the bouncing wolf at her heels. Suddenly she thought of Krogon, and the things he had said to her, the day before. His words had hit her like a knife, even though she had tried not to show it. He apologized in the end, but she didn’t think his opinion of her had changed so rapidly. Was she really that useless in his eyes? Did she really let her judgment be clouded by her feelings for others? Perhaps a little, but that was only logical, was it not?
She had avoided Shrika, that much was true. Something in her felt completely off, trying to pull at Rhonya and get her closer. Exactly why she’d kept her distance, even though Shrika must think by now she abandoned her or something. Which was not true, but she could hardly tell the she-orc that something there was pulling on her, it would only make her more afraid and nervous of her situation, no doubt.
And the fact worried her that Therak was working with that box. The thing felt wrong to her… Or better said, the item inside did, even though it looked so simple. Rhonya had urged him to be careful, and she kept a close eye on him, looking for any changes in his behavior or anything that could mean something was wrong. But he’d always been a very good liar and a master at hiding his feelings and sometimes even intentions, so she was having some trouble with that. A soft sigh escaped her lips, and Skorm lifted a finger to softly press it against her lips, a small smile on his young face.
“No sad, mom. We visit spirits, alright?†Rhonya couldn’t help but smile at his words, and nod to him. He always made things seem so simple, from his childish view. Skorm always managed to cheer her up, even though he was her child she worried about most. Somehow he still had the biggest spot in her heart, her firstborn, the one connecting her with her past, the one that kept reminding her as well what she was fighting against. She reached a hand to ruffle his hair, setting in a faster pace. Rhonya would focus on teaching her son for now, there was no need to make him worried too.
“Yes, my dear, we’ll visit the spirits.â€
Nice