One Orcs Dream..

[Urzoga]

The sun was out, a soft breeze played with the grass on the fields of Nagrand and birds were dancing in the sky. Urzoga inhaled deeply, eyes closed and a smile on her face. This moment was perfect, not a worry in the world.

Treepaw chased butterflies, running circles around the trio as they made their way further into the fields. Fang walked a few steps in front of Urzoga, sniffing the air in search for a perfect prey. “Good to be hunting again, right?” Fang snorted, agreeing with the young orc. With Kosh’harg over, the clan staying in these lands for a while and the urge to hunt running through her veins, it was just the perfect timing. The animals were eager, she could feel it, see it in their eyes. They needed to run. And run they did.

It was the freedom they had at that moment, no eyes watching their every single move. Just the four of them, running, chasing, laughing. Urzoga let out a cry of pure joy as they continued running over the green fields, Fang and the Moody worg quickly following with a howl of their own. It was as if they were children again, playing a game of chase in these lands.

Fang paused, nose high up in the air, Treepaw curiously following his example. “What is it, have you found something?” Urzoga almost whispered, her heart racing, one hand now resting on her bow. The worg snorted beneath her, watching the two closely as they moved closer. They had found a small herd of Talbuk, grazing peacefully on a hillside. “Perfect” A smile played on Urzoga her lips as she quietly slid down from the saddle and undid the buckle.

She took a deep breath and nocked an arrow into her bow. Fang and the worg were already circling the herd, picking out a Talbuk. Treepaw remained close and followed Urzoga as quietly as the bear could manage. It had become a game for them. Treepaw could barely contain her excitement as Urzoga nodded at her, and she charged. Stumbling over her slightly too large paws, she shook up the herd and set them for a run. The chase had begun.

Within a minute their target became clear, a younger Talbuk at the end of the group, slowing down as the others ran away. Fang and the worg followed it in an instant, snapping at the beast its legs and driving it further and further away from the others, leading it towards Urzoga. She saw the fear in the talbuks eyes as they approached quickly, smelled it in the wind. And then, all became black...

“Urzoga” The deep voice sounded again. “Urzoga!” A little more stern this time. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, a taste of iron on her lips as she gasped for air.

First, everything was a blur of red hues. It took a couple of deep breaths to get her vision sharp again. Everything was covered in blood around her. Fang and Treepaw approached slowly, blood dripping from their mouth and paws. “We.. did..it” She almost asked her companions, who were looking down at her, four concerned eyes burning on her face. The talbuk was slain, and feasted on by her companions, by her.

In an attempt to wipe her mouth, she noticed only more blood on her hands. “We.. need a bath..” she muttered as she slowly tried standing up. A sharp pain ran through her side, and as she collapsed, she felt the warm liquid slowly dripping out of a series of cuts. “How... long has it.. been.. this time” she muttered while looking at Fang, who only looked at her, concerned. “I’ll be.. fine. Had.. worse... You know that” she whispered as she slowly straightened her back and walked towards the saddle.

Grunting, she poured what remained of her firewater into the wound, before bandaging it with strips of fabric. “This will.. do.” Urzoga muttered, still breathing heavily. It took a while before it all sank in. The hunt was a success, in a way. She was calm now, fed. Silent. “This is not you, young one” The deep voice sounded again in the back of her mind, disappointed. “How did you ever let it come so far? You had it, controlled.” She shook her head slowly, looking down at her blood-covered hands. This was her now. A hunter, a killer.

Night had fallen as Urzoga shot up from her spot. The worg had not shown itself yet. Fang and Treepaw followed her as she walked back to the Talbuks remains. “Where is he, Fang?” Again, she almost whispered as the wolf stood next to her. He lifted his nose up in the air, sniffed a few times and bolted away. Urzoga followed, one hand pressed against the deep cuts in her side, as fast as she could. He was close, she could feel it.

The worg growled at her as she dropped next to him in the grass. Following her every move with his green eyes, she stroked him carefully, until she found the wound. The Talbuk had gotten to him, one of the horns still sticking out of his abdomen as he was lying in the grass, slowly dying. “He did it to protect you.” A broad shadow fell over Urzoga and the worg, blocking the moonlight from them. “He has always been loyal, even with his mood. Name him, grant him that much before he passes.” She did not have to look up to know who was standing behind her. A ghost from her past, a voice to guide her.

Tears streamed down her face as she rested her forehead against the worgs face. “I am sorry, my friend. Forgive me for the suffering.” She softly whispered as she scratched behind his ear. “I will never forget you. Grimhide.” The worg snorts, approving. “Grimhide” she spoke again. “Let me honor you as long as my days may last. If you let me, I shall wear your hide, carry you with me every step I take on my path as you carried me.” She moved back a little, staring right into his eyes, waiting for a sign. Slowly, with whatever strength was left in him, he raised his head and inclined it ever so slightly before looking back at her. “Thank you, friend” Tears streamed down her face as she buried herself in his fur, being with him while he took his last breath.

Fang howled, his song echoing over the fields. Treepaw came closer, sniffing a few times at the body and placing herself next to him, watching over the sobbing orc and her dead companion during this night. “See what you have done?” Another voice, sharper, made its way into her mind. “You got him killed, and now you are planning to wear its hide? Ha, a good way to let others know you have failed.” The voice mocked her, laughed at her as she got back on her knees and started to work, respecting the body and ignoring the voice as best as she could “With every cut, you look more and more like the beast we are. You know it, don’t fight it. We will have fun together. Just. One thing.” Suddenly the voice was as cold as ice, and a stinging pain stinging ran through her right hand as she pulled back from the worg. “Don’t let the others get in my way. By whatever means. I don’t need to.. remind you.. what he said, do I?”

As the pyre burned, Urzoga bowed down one last time before she walked away. The hide resting on Treepaws back, Fang at her side. “We did it.” She muttered, more to herself than to the animals, as she made her way back. Back to Garadar. Back to the clan. Back to hiding.