Spoils of Conquest (Fantasy, , Female Protag. Finished story.)

Zoria's tears flew freely from her face, hissing away from the flaming timbers of her former home, as she was jostled onto her captor's muscular shoulder.

It seemed only moments ago that her day was as it always was. Her people going about their business in their little growing hamlet by the river. Friends and neighbors stopping by to have a quick chat, breaking up the routine of her chores. The smell of her mother's fresh baked bread wafting in the air. The carpenter's handsome apprentice's charming smile making her heart flutter, as he made his way past. But something was different today. A dark cloud formed beyond the horizon, that seemed to be growing bigger.

And the ground began to shake.

Then came the roaring and screaming, and .

A swarm of massive green and grey skinned almost man-things overwhelmed them, slashing and smashing everything in sight, setting houses ablaze and looting everything they could get their hands on. Zoria stood, frozen in shock, until the head of the carpenter's apprentice rolled onto her feet. She screamed and ran into her home, only to find that her mother had been run through, flames licking at the walls, and her father's bow was hanging off the assailant's shoulder. "NO!" she shrieked, dropping onto her knees and crying.

The large green intruder pulled his weapon free from her mother's corpse, turned, and slouched before her. He was at least 2 heads taller than her and as broad as a door. His large meaty hand grabbed hold of her head, and made her look up at him. His brutish, sunken in face had a look of curiosity on it, and his wide nostrils flared as he breathed in her smell. Pulling her up even more, he cocked his head and studied the soft sobbing thing that was dangling in front of him.

She had short dark yellow hair, light skin, and for some reason, pointy ears. But not too pointy, more round. The one he just killed had round ears, and the one he killed in the forest had pointy ears. Maybe they were related? Didn't matter. They're dead. This one isn't. This one was skinny though. The other had some meat on her, but smelled old. But this one? This one smelled ripe. Would be a good prize to claim as his own.

The creaking and cracking of the beams overhead, and the barking of the other's outside told him that it was time to go. Looking around and seeing that there was nothing more of value to be taken, he threw the skinny one over his shoulder, kicked the door down, and raced away, keeping a fair distance away from the rest of the raiding party, just in case they had ideas of stealing his prize.

They ran for a full day without rest, traveling farther and faster than Zoria had ever gone, before finally coming onto what looked like a war camp of sorts. Behind the wooden palisades, crude but effective tents littered the encampment, with small cook fires in front of them. And along one side of the camp, were large wooden cages, where it looked like that was where they held their prisoners. Weak from hunger and grief, Zoria could only wonder what was going to happen to her, before losing consciousness.