Page 19 of Orc's Little Human
"Wait." The word comes out sharper than intended, and she turns back with curious eyes. "If we're going, we stay together. And we come straight back here afterward."
Her grin could outshine the sun. "You mean it? You'll come with me?"
What am I doing?
But I'm already nodding, already following her toward the door because the alternative—letting her go alone—is unthinkable. Whatever maternal instincts I thought the camps had beaten out of me stir to protective life. She's not my responsibility, not my concern, but the thought of something happening to her while I sat safely in this room makes my hands shake.
The stream turns out to be a narrow ribbon of clear water cutting through dark stone, its banks littered with exactly the kind of treasures Thali hoped to find. Smooth river rocks in shades of gray and brown, fragments of what might once have been pottery, and yes—shells. Not the large ocean specimens from my stories, but delicate freshwater varieties that catch the afternoon light like tiny jewels.
Thali wades in without hesitation, her bare feet sure on the slippery stones. I stay on the bank, eyes constantly scanning our surroundings for threats while she searches for perfect specimens.
"Look at this one!" She holds up a shell no bigger than my thumbnail, its surface striped with bands of cream and amber. "It's like it's wearing little rings."
Despite my nerves, I find myself smiling at her enthusiasm. She approaches everything with such pure joy, such complete faith that the world exists to provide her with small wonders. It's heartbreaking and beautiful and completely at odds with everything I know about survival.
We spend perhaps an hour by the water, Thali building a collection of treasures while I keep watch. When voices echo from somewhere deeper in the camp, I make the call to headback. She doesn't argue—maybe she senses my tension, or maybe she simply trusts my judgment.
The walk back to the longhouse passes without incident, but I don't truly relax until we're safely inside. Only then do I realize how tightly I was holding myself, how ready I was to fight anyone who threatened her.
When did I start caring this much?
Thali spreads her new collection on the table, arranging shells and stones with careful precision. She's humming under her breath—some orc melody I don't recognize—and the sound fills the space with unexpected warmth.
That's when Korrath returns.
I hear his boots on the steps outside, the familiar weight of his presence approaching. Thali looks up from her treasures, a smile already blooming across her face.
"Korrath! Look what we found by the stream. Selene helped me pick out the best ones and she knows so much about?—"
The door opens and he fills the frame, all six-foot-nine of controlled power and barely contained violence. His golden eyes sweep the scene—the shells scattered across the table, Thali's excited chatter, my position near the window where I was pretending to study the view.
Those eyes find mine and hold for a heartbeat. There's something different in his expression, some shift I can't quite identify. Not anger, exactly, but a kind of wary assessment that makes my skin prickle.
"You went to the stream," he says. Not a question.
Thali nods enthusiastically, apparently missing the undercurrents in his tone. "Selene came with me. She made sure we stayed safe and came right back. She knows all about shells and water creatures and?—"
"Did she?"
This time his attention fixes on me completely, and I force myself to meet that burning gaze without flinching. Whatever game we're playing here, showing weakness isn't an option.
"The camp is dangerous," I say quietly. "For her."
Something flickers across his features—surprise, maybe, or approval. It's gone too quickly to be sure.
"It is," he agrees, and there's something almost like respect in his voice. "Good that you understand that."
He moves deeper into the room, his massive frame somehow managing not to dominate the space completely. When he settles into his usual chair, it's with the fluid grace of a predator conserving energy. But his eyes remain on Thali, watching her arrange her treasures with an expression so tender it stops my breath.
This is the man who terrifies his enemies, who can shape metal with blood and will. But when he looks at his sister, all that violence transforms into something else entirely. Something protective and fierce and utterly devoted.
"Show me what you found," he says, and his voice gentles in a way I didn't know it could.
Thali launches into animated descriptions of each shell, her small hands gesturing wildly as she explains the significance of every find. Korrath listens with complete attention, asking questions that encourage her enthusiasm rather than dampening it.
I should feel like an intruder watching this moment. Should retreat to my room and leave them to their family ritual. But I find myself frozen in place, unable to look away from this glimpse of who Korrath becomes when the armor comes off.
He notices my attention, of course. Those golden eyes flick toward me briefly, catching me in the act of staring. But instead of the usual cold assessment, there's something almost likeacknowledgment in his gaze. As if he's recognizing something in me that wasn't there before.
