Page 1 of Orc's Pride
1
Pitha
The sun crests over the horizon, bathing the dark night sky with deep reds and pinks that drown out the shimmering stars overhead.
The sight reminds me of the battlefield, the ground coated in the blood of dark elves and their crushed supporters at my feet. It isn’t a secret that orcs and dark elves have been at war for longer than anyone can remember.
Yet, they’re still foolish enough to keep trying to massacre us.
Since taking over the borders that oversee The Dark Forest, there have been too many of those vagrants who have tried to break our lines and force the war to reach the smaller bases in the North and South of our region.
Neither of which have been breached as of yet.
It’s a fool’s mission, really. But that doesn’t stop the dark elves from trying, and failing. No matter how many times they’ve come after us, it always ends in a bloodbath. Every single time.
Some days, it fuels me—seeing the dark ruby liquid spattering over my clothes and weapons. Other days, it enrages me—the audacity they have to think that they’re better than us.Stronger than us. It’s all a part of their game to wear us down over time and make us believe that giving up is the better option.
It isn’t and never will be. If I have to fight to the death to save my brethren from facing the same cruelties that so many of our species have, then so be it. I’ll fall on the sword and take my enemies with me.
With the morning light brightening the sky overhead, I make my way from my sleeping quarters to the mess hall in the center of the encampment. This isn’t a large base by any means, but since we’ve only been using it to keep track of the dark elves trying to cross the borders, it’s served its purposes.
A few other orcs are out wandering this early, all of which nod to me in respect.
“Good morning, Chieftain.”
I nod back. “Morning.”
Reaching the mess hall, the warm aromas of breakfast hit me and cause my stomach to grumble. It’s been a while since I’ve had time to stop by here, and my body has sorely missed it. With Gor and I out tracking dark elves, we’ve seldomly had time for a freshly cooked meal.
Rations will only hold you off for so long before they get stale and unfulfilling.
I take my seat at one of the stools by the counter, nodding to the few cooks that spot me. A plate of food is brought out to me before I have any time to contemplate on what exactly I’m in the mood for.
“Got you one of everything, sir.” One of the younger orcs, a child named Baalar, grins at me.
Amused, I reach for my fork and stab at a larger piece of meat. “Good on you.”
He leaves me be at that, much like everyone around here does.
I prefer it that way.
I’m not much of a conversationalist, and the times I do engage, it’s typically only to Gor, my second, and mostly while we’re discussing strategy for the battlefield. Could I be a little more social? I suppose, but that isn’t going to rid ourselves of the dark elf problem, so why bother wasting my energy?
Besides, my clan needs a strong leader, not one that sits around to chat all day. What kind of protector would that make me? A completely useless one.
On the other side of the hall, the doors fly open and slam against the walls. Turning on my stool with my fork drawn up to my mouth, I spot Gor. His eyes search for a second before landing on me.
“We have a problem.”
Frowning, I get up immediately, tossing my fork.
I don’t ask questions, letting him lead me out of earshot of the civilians. His shoulders are pulled back tight, a posture that I’ve come to know very well with how much time we’ve spent together over the years.
He stops right outside of the mess hall, turning to me. “Dark elf traces were spotted a few miles from here.”
My lips pull back from my teeth. “Those rat bastards.”
We’d battled them only a few short days ago, which is why it surprises me that they’ve already come crawling out of whatever hole they spawn from to challenge us again.