My Greenskin Mistriss

Aldrein's feet pound the dirt at a rapid pace. His breath fogged the air from the fire of fear burning in his lungs. It had been two days ago when the convoy was attacked. Bandits ambushed them in the night. The only reason Aldrein was alive is because he was simply cleaning the dishes at the nearby river. When he came back to the convoy he had found the entire camp dead. Arrows littered the ground like a hedgehog's backside. Some of the people he had found had their throats slashed. No one was spared, not even the women or magicians.

A few bandits had stayed behind looking for scraps of loot. Keeping low to the ground Aldrein sneaked around looking for his backpack. Going into his tent with as little sound as he could make he rummaged through the mess until he found it. He stepped outside trying to maneuver over anything that could make noise. It wasn't until he saw a familiar looking body did he stop. On the ground was the unmistakable figure of the man he had called mentor. Aldrein's vision blurred as tears fell. He went to his body doing his best not to cry. Just like the others his back protruded with arrows. Aldrein sat there as the unceasing torrent of tears came over him. He knew now that he was truly alone.

The howling brought him back to the present. The fear of bandits attacking him kept him off the main road. It only led to more misfortune for Aldrein. As he started to make his way back home he realized just how hard navigation was. One the second night he had woken to the howling of wolves. He realized that the beasts were after him when the howling grew intense. All night he ran trying his best to flee from the danger. His limbs and lungs were at the point of total exhaustion.

Just a little bit further. Once you cross the river you will be at the fort. The forest cleared away and the mighty river sat frozen. He saw the wolves behind him and heard their hungry growls, slowly he pulled out his sword waiting for the first attack.

The deer approached the bait cautiously, its muscles tense. Durha quietly waited in the trees. Her huntress knowledge had taught her that waiting for the alpha to eat the trap would put the rest of the herd at ease. A large buck with ten point antlers sniffed the plant and took small nibbles. It began to munch on the vegetables and the hers relaxed. She notched her arrow at it waiting for the opportune moment to place a killing shot. The buck leaned its head in fully enjoying the food. Exhaling her lungs in a long slow breath, Durha drew the arrow aiming for the kill shot. Just as she was about to release the arrow its head shot up and twitched its ears. Almost beyond her hearing the whispers of a wolf howling could be heard. Before she lost her chance she released the string killing it. The rest of the deer ran away, fearful of the wolves and invisible reaper. She quickly climbed down the tree before the wolves could get her spoils.

The deer carcass slumped on her shoulders as Durha walked to her camp. She kept her ears focused on the distant howls. Ever so faintly she could hear the changing nature of the wolves call. They are on the hunt and close to their prey. Her camp was near the river in a small clearing. She heard something different this time, the voice of a man. Peering across the frozen river she could see a human holding off the pack with his sword. As the wolves slashed at him he was just barely able to fend off their teeth and claws. In the frenzy of their battle the human didn’t notice he was walking on the fragile ice. The wolves, knowing better, stayed on the ground. He let out a roar and reached out with his hands a giant plume of fire erupted which surprised Durha, but his victory was short-lived. The ice underneath him gave way and he sank. Sympathy filled Durha’s heart, even though he was a weak human he had the heart of a true orc. She set aside her prejudice and made the choice to save him. She shot a few of the wolves and the pack ran. She grabbed her sword carefully watching the ice as she stepped. Once there she broke the ice with a few well placed swings and pulled him out of the water. This small humie fought those wolves? Impressive.