Page 4 of Orc's Mate

Hearing a subtle sound, I held up my hand, and everyone froze.

Three shaydes slunk across the forest floor, crossing right below us, their glowing red eyes flicking around. They sought prey, but they would go hungry tonight.

Despite being almost as large as an orc, their clawed footsteps were nearly silent on the leaf-strewn path.

We watched, not speaking or even moving as they passed, their thick scaled tails sweeping back and forth as they slunk deeper into the woods.

Once they were gone, we relaxed—somewhat—and waited for the fortress gate to open and for two lovely females to emerge.

“Do you think you’ll hunt tonight?” Trilden whispered. “You’re caedos, leader of the Zephyr Clan. Surely the fates will grant you a bride. You need an orcling to take your place when you get old.”

“I hope so.” Prayed so.

“Iwill happily hunt,” Drabass said with a tusk-filled grin, grabbing his crotch.

I growled, and his shoulders slumped. He dropped down to sit on the branch, watching the gate.

Trilden huffed and kept his voice low so only I could hear. “He bears watching.”

“All the time.” Drabass’s father had sought to lead our clan when my father died. We’d fought, and I’d won. He’d accepted the outcome of the match, and he’d been a good friend since, but Drabass had never accepted that he would not be in line for the role.

Truly, it was more a burden than a gift, as he’d see if he did more than behave in a jealous manner.

Trilden’s gaze took in my pendant much like his own, a circular disc made up of swirls. Zephyr meant air, and long ago, my people chose the symbol and the clan name to represent how we lived at the top of the cliffs of a small island far out to sea. Some shaydes swam from the mainland, but we built our homes high enough, it was rare we suffered from them or a dresalod attack. The sea creatures more frequently attacked the city and sometimes even those living in the hills beyond.

Ocean beasts with vicious claws and an appetite for our flesh, dresalods could scale almost any surface. We’d long since perfected our skill with a bow and arrow, shooting them off the cliffs before they reached us. Because of that, they hadn’t breached the cliffs in almost a year.

Trilden slapped my back. “I wish you luck, friend.” He truly meant it.

“The same to you,” I said.

“They come,” another called out in a low voice.

We turned as one to watch. Anticipation skipped through my veins. Would I be chosen this time, or would I have to return a year from now and lift my hopes once more?

Only one woman rushed through the opening in the gate. She moved quickly across the field and into the woods.

“She has an irregular pace,” Trilden said, though not with scorn. When you lose so many of your people, you treasure those who remain no matter what their abilities.

“A limp won’t keep her from bearing orclings,” Drabass said with a low, barely audible laugh.

My sharp look made him snap his mouth shut, but nothing would silence this male. One day, I feared this festering wound between us would crack open and pus would seep out. Then I’d have to take care of it permanently.

We stopped breathing as the woman passed beneath us, each of us scanning the others for the sign that would tell us who would be chosen to pursue her.

That’s when my Zephyr pendant flared, the swirled tips blazing brightest.

The others huffed and shook their heads. They dismissed the first female and turned hungry gazes to the gate where the second would appear.

Trilden shot me a grin. “Go collect your mate. She belongs solely to you.”

With my heart soaring all the way to the sky, I leaped off the branch, landing lightly on the ground.

Then I took off after the female, eager to claim her.

Chapter3

Eleri

---