Page 4 of Orc's Pride

Patrols? Least they hadn’t been set out to come look for me. I’m not sure how long it’ll take for anyone to notice the page from the ledger missing, but it wouldn’t be long before my own absence would be noticed.

There is no telling how much the dark elves will care if they discover me missing. Sending out a party to come find me mightbe more hassle than it’s worth. As long as they don’t suspect me of taking the page, I should be fine.

The dark elves cross through the forest at a lazy pace, clearly neither of them concerned with coming into contact with anything dangerous out here.

Must be nice…

Though, now that I know they’re out here wandering around, I’m going to have to take the long way back to Malik’s camp. I don’t want to accidentally lead them right back. The last thing I want is for any of those orcs to be hurt due to my stupidity.

Once the dark elves are out of ear shot, I pull myself up from the ground and start to make my way through the forest again. It’s quiet out here, unnaturally so. I try to not let that get to me, because even if there are predators out here—which I know for a fact is true—I can’t let them realize how vulnerable I am.

I could’ve taken a weapon before I’d left the encampment, but even with me slipping in and out of there like I had, it would’ve been risky. Even an ounce more of time wasted could’ve gotten me caught, so for now, I’d need to be careful.

Though, I suppose if anything happens, I’ll try my best to fight.

“Excuse me.”

I whip around, holding my fists up in defense. I blink at the man in front of me—a human who is only a little taller than I am.

“Are you lost?”

Lost? I look down at myself and my haphazard clothing. I guess I can see why he’d think that, especially with how insane I probably look.

“Oh, uh…”

My eyes dart around, looking for the patrol from behind, thankfully seeing nothing.

“No. I’m okay.”

He steps towards me, a concerned look on his face. “Why don’t I take you back to my camp? Get you warm and cleaned up.”

I back up instinctually. There’s something in the way he says that—a voice in the back of my head that is immediately triggered—that makes me nervous. Why isheout here alone? Forget about me.

Looking him over, he’s wearing rather nice looking clothing. His hair is also brushed and put together while there isn’t a single stain anywhere on him. No dirt marks, no signs of him having to survive out here in the wild like a human on the run.

Nothing.

A pit settles in my stomach. “I’m good. Thank you, though.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” His hand moves quicker than I’m expecting, wrapping around my arm. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”

I try to jerk away from him, gasping when his grip simply tightens.

“Didn’t you hear me?” He tilts his head. “Let’s go back to my camp.”

Oh, fuck this.

I shove my entire body at him, knocking both of us down to the ground. He grunts under me, flattened by me landing on top of him. It gives me the split second head start I’m looking for, and allows me to break free from his hold.

Pushing myself up from the ground, I sprint away from him, ignoring his calls after me.

“Hey! Wait!”

Fuck, this guy is going to get the attention of those dark elves. What an idiot!

I run faster, letting my body do the work while only focusing on avoiding running into anything else. Whoever that man is, he’s dangerous. That wild look in his eyes isn’t just there out of concern. There’s something wrong with him.

And I’m not sticking around to find out what that is.

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