Page 7 of Shared By Two Orcs

“Sure thing,” I reply, throwing on a light set of armor from the armory.

Music to my ears,I think to myself, happy for some alone time without the background hustle and bustle of the camp.

I walk out of the gates, replacing my surroundings with lush scenery. The trees in this part of Tlouz tower high, their tips seeming as though they could scrape the bottoms of the clouds. Round, green leaves are peppered amongst the light brown branches, jutting out at angles like the small hands of a clock. The base of these trees grow thicker and stronger with time, becoming increasingly challenging to fell when the camp is in need of more firewood.

I wander aimlessly into the woods, fearlessly so, as I can handle myself should I run into a worg. All it would take is one well-timed swing of my ax. I’m striding through the tall, wispy strands of long grass when I hear a rustling to my right. I freeze, slowly moving my hand to the hilt of my ax as I peer to the source of the sound.

From behind a tree, there emerges a single dae. Its eyes gaze right at me as it tilts its head in thought.

“Hello there,” I greet.

The dae steps forward yet cautiously so, perhaps sensing I do not wish to hurt it. I could not blame it for being careful, for others of my kind would certainly have killed it on the spot.

“I’m not here to hurt you.”

From my pocket, I pull out the fijus from earlier, extending it toward the peaceful creature. At the sight of food, it strides forward with a surge of confidence. Its nose twitches as it sniffs the fruit in my hands, then carefully takes grip of it in its mouth. Its eyes then dart to me, locking with mine for a moment before it turns and graciously gallops away.

I move on with my patrol. I breathe in the clean air, enjoying the serenity of my surroundings. Back in the camp, it’s all politics and competition, which was something I had already had my fill of within my own family. Out here in the forest, the world simply exists with all of its mesmerizing sights, smells, and… sounds?

Is that an animal?

I close my eyes, concentrating my advanced hearing on the strange sound.

Somewhere in the distance, I hear the sound of moaning. Thinking two orcs have sneaked out for some fun, I head toward its direction. Following it, the sound of flowing water and splashes come into hearing range.

I eventually come to a stream.No doubt there’s a woman here somewhere, though it sounds like she’s alone. I press myself against a set of giant rock formations, sneaking along it until I come behind a tree. I separate the branches, giving me a direct line of sight at a human enjoying herself in the water. Her breasts float on the surface like small islands atop an ocean. With one hand, she rubs her nipples while the other is submerged inside the water.

Her head rolls back, eyes closed as water runs down her face. Only when I take my eyes away from her body do I notice her striking features. Her black hair runs in curls down her back with half of it dipping into the water. She purses her plush lips before opening them to take frequent breaths. Every few seconds, she opens her eyes, allowing me to get a glimpse of her irises brown like zhisk before they close again, covered by thick eyelashes.

I know it’s wrong of me to stare but she is simply so alluring. Unknowingly, I step forward, my landing on fallen leaves that rustle with a loud crunch. The woman’s head snaps to me, screaming as she begins scrambling out of the water.

“You pervert!” she yells, clawing for her clothes on the ground.

“I’m sorry!” I call out, turning the other way.

“Get away from me!”

“As much as I probably should, I’m afraid I can’t. I’m on guard duty, and am

therefore obligated to escort you back to the camp.”

“Is it your duty to spy on women when they’re alone?”

“It’s not part of the job description,” I chuckle.

I hear the ruffling of the woman drying herself off and getting dressed.

“Are you ready to go?” I ask.

“Shut up.”

“Alright then, let’s go.”

I turn around as the woman approaches. She refuses to look at me, her arms crossed as she keeps her gaze pointed straight ahead.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she hisses, shouldering me as she walks by.

I shrug and take my place by her side as we begin the walk back to the camp.

---