Unod, the first Son of Aronuk

[Gorek]

((This is the long version of the story Gorek told at the Kosh'harg. it is about the first orc of his old tribe that was born bearing the mark of the Spirit Aronuk. ))


As long the stories of the Bleeding Moon Pack reach into the fog of past, my kinsmen were guided by the spirits of the wilderness. Like the elemental spirits most shamans worship now, they are aspects. But not aspects of what the world is made of, they are aspects of the wilderness and nature, aspects of the untamed land, for my kin as always considered the taming of our land, the growth of cities and civilization as a kind of degeneration.

Whenever a child is born it has it’s mortal parents, who gave it flesh and bone, but also the parents of it’s soul. The true mother is the land, while the true father is one of our guardian spirits. And each child’s soul is shaped according to it’s true parents.

The story I am about to tell took part to a time my kin thought they knew all of our guarding spirits, long ago when Orcs still dwelled on our ancient home long before we came to Azeroth. It is the Story of Unod, the first Son of Aronuk.

Unod was born during a stormy night, when it seemed the world itself has decided to give the child a harsh and cruel welcome. His mortal mother was Zarki, daughter of Xirax, the cunning Lynx, and the mortal father was Groban, son of Xirax, both of them good hunters. But something was strange about this child. Cern, Prime Lorekeeper, Son of Manu, the Wise Owl, was not able to tell who the true father of the child was. Every ritual was prepared, every story of relevance recalled, every Lorekeeper asked for advise, but the nature of the child seemed hidden from the wise eyes of the pack leader.

And so Unod grew up without a proper name, only known as “Unod”. When he was old enough to seek the company of other children they soon started to mock him for not having a Spirit Guide or a full name. And he replied to harsh words with violence. Mouths speaking foul words were beaten and kicked to silence. It did not take long until the Child was known as the most savage, ferocious, violent and reckless Orc the pack has ever given birth to. But he was too hostile to get respect for his strength. It seemed that the boy was just not meant to get along with the pack. Every attempt to form bonds with other orcs ended in disaster.

As Unod was old enough to care for women the situation became unbearable. Cern’s own son, Karek, Prime Hunter and son of Drumar, the Enduring Clefthoof, and Unod decided to take the same woman and fight for her. When Karek lost the fight and the Girl was doomed by tradition to be taken by Unod she fled into the wilderness to be never seen again. Karek blamed Unod for the loss and the hatred between the two Orcs became a menace too dangerous to ignore. Unwilling to stand aside while everything indicated there would soon be a fight to the death, a fight his son would lose, Cern banished Unod.

Years and Years passed and the pack continued to travel the world, following the Great Hunt. When word reached the pack that a pack of vicious beasts was seen, so dangerous no hunter sent to bring them down returned, it was clear the pack had to seek them out.

And so the Bleeding Moon arrived in the barren lands inhabited by the unknown predator. Black creatures, covered with black scales as hard as steel, teeth sharp as razors and claws that could cut an orc in two with just one strike. The Pack soon realized it had met a stronger foe. The Arrows of their bows could hardly penetrate the thick armour of the creatures, they moved too fast for Orcish feet to follow and they were cunning enough to use the rough land to their advantage, ambushing the Orcs who had to explore the unknown land first. Yet the Bleeding Moon Pack remained strong. They fortified their camp and even after several vicious assaults the black beasts could not overcome the packs defences. An uneasy truce was bought with blood. The predators could not overcome the defiant Orcs, but the Bleeding Moon pack could not leave their encampment, for every hunter sent out became easy prey for the beasts.

Soon the Orcs found themselves short of supplies and food was running out. Mothers started starving themselves to keep their children fed and despair could be seen in every Hunter’s eye. And then, when everything seemed lost something strange happened. A package of tubers and the body of a Thorngrazer was found just outside the camp, both just recently foraged. Nobody knew who could have been the hunter who dared to forage for food while the black scaled menace hung over them like a dark cloud, threatening every hunt with certain death.

But night after night more food was left for the pack. Some nights more, some nights less. It was barely enough for the pack to survive, but death spread out his cold grasp in vein, no child, no woman and no hunter starved.

Weeks and weeks the pack could survive this way, until one morning no food was found, and Cern himself felt that something terrible had happened, and no more food would come. And so it was. But the Wilderness was kind to the Hunters and on the same day help arrived. A neighbouring tribe wanted to see the predators removed and sent a huge hunting party to help the Bleeding Moon. Within mere hours the den of the black scaled creatures was attacked and their breed put to the blade.
The mysterious hunter who kept the pack alive was almost forgotten in the cheer of victory, until a hunting party found a flayed body in the wilderness. On his shoulder was the sign of the Bleeding Moon, the red tattoo, but no mark of his true father. Only the broken bow found at the corpse was familiar to the Lorekeepers, Unod’s bow.
Soon the Lorekeepers were in disarray. How could this be? How could the one orc without a true father have saved them all? How could somebody who argued with everyone, who seemed to hate everyone, sacrifice himself to save the Orcs he was beating every day? And when Cern had enough of all the talking and left the Lorekeeper’s tent to have a walk and clear his head, he saw him... Aronuk. The grey Spirit Wolf was sitting directly in the Elder’s path, as if he was waiting for him. And his glowing eyes spoke without using words.

After banishing him while he was alive, have you decided to honour him now that my son is dead? But Cern was unable to answer the question. He could only ask the Spirit he had never seen or heard of before: “Who are you?”

I am the Wolf who roams alone. Was the spirit’s simple answer. And suddenly Cern understood. “Not all animals live in packs, herds or groups. Some are just too aggressive, too bloodthirsty for close communities. They are born to grow strong as individual. And this is your Aspect.” The Spirit Wolf just nodded.

“But why did you only appear now? The other aspects have been with us for more generations then I can remember.” And with an amused sneer the Spirit replied while it turned to disappear.

I have always been there, but your kin tends only to see the beneficial aspects of wilderness instead of embracing it as it is. And while he was already walking away he turned his ehad a last time to look in Cern’s eyes.


This changes now...

[Nergul]

(( Made of awesomeness! <3 ))

[Drakash]

(( u win ))

[Greggar]

(( truly a great story can't describe what makes it so good..Specially the part where they found Unok was an aww... moment. poor orc :<
But still great job ^^ ))

[Norv]

((   
wonderful stories Gorek!
words fail me in any attempt to comment on them, what can one comment on true talent anyway
* wonders if you considered writing the next fantasy bestseller *))