people questioning
his motives, however right they might be in questioning him.'
'Well someone must have given him orders,' said the Orc who wasn't
Harg. 'Otherwise he wouldn't be up here knee deep in that Pixie we
captured.'
El-Vador
almost stumbled out of his hiding place, they had captured the Pixie
that he had rescued from the Orc? She knew that the Orc had been
slain by an Elf. If she told Sarvacts what she knew...
For
a little while, he forgot about murdering all the invaders. He needed
to know more about Sarvacts and his relationship with his new
captive, it was imperative that he acted soon lest Sarvacts discover
the truth and torch his settlement and all those within.
Gurgash
hated the Elven forest, even more so than the ribbing he took from
the Goblins about his lack of stealth. He knew he was a big dumb Orc
but he tried his best not to make a sound when they were out hunting.
Often he'd simply be left behind on sentry duty while Harg went out
with the others, this time he had been invited along under the
condition that he try not to scare too much game away.
When
he stopped for a moment, the other two soldiers also halted. 'What is
it?' asked Harg. 'Is something out there, cousin?' He sounded edgier
than usual himself; perhaps the silent immensity of the woods had
begun to get under his skin, too.
However
reluctantly, Gurgash shook his head. 'No,' he admitted. 'But we could
be hunted as we speak and we'd never notice, not in woods like
these.'
His
own words made him stop, look, and listen again, as if in saying so
he had conjured Elven hunters into reality. But if anything was there
his senses did not detect it. Perhaps the hair-prickling feeling at
the nape of his neck was just his irrationality.
'You look on edge cousin, if there was anything out there I'd have
spotted it by now.' said Harg.
'I
know, I just...' Gurgash tried to put the feeling into words, 'I feel
like we're being watched, maybe I'm just being paranoid.'
'Being overly paranoid can sometimes save a soldier's life.' said
his cousin. Gurgash felt a bit better for that, remaining vigilant
and paranoid was probably for the best in woods like these.
'You're in safe hands here.' added the Goblin. 'Anything jumps out
of the woods at us I'll stick it with an arrow faster than you can
blink.'
That
only served to reinforce Gurgash's feeling of unease, the thought
that something might leap out without warning.
Thinking
of the forest made him think of the Elves who dwelt in it. Had they
really accounted for all their settlements? What if they had missed
one that was gearing for war? 'The Elves don't seem as docile as
before.'
Frowning,
Harg said, 'They've heard of the killer. That one of their own has
started fighting back and Sarvacts has not quashed the rumour with
any retribution. His inaction gives them hope.'
'They could have beaten us the first time round, they almost did.
I'm thinking that maybe a few of them are wondering if they can do it
again.' the Goblin added.
'And they know it, too,' agreed Harg. 'You can see it in their faces
when you go into the settlement. They know they nearly had us and
they're just waiting for an excuse to strike again. That's why so
many soldiers are coming up from the south. Sarvacts fears them
taking another shot at us when we're not expecting it.'
'Even without the reinforcements there's still more of us now than
there were when the army first came up into the Elven lands.' Gurgash
said in an attempt to reassure himself more than anything else.
He
had always hated the Elven forests. They stretched across the
landscape, vast and impenetrable. He kept thinking about the Elves
they hadn't accounted for, would they do anything? Would there be a
retaliation from the ones he did know of? He couldn't tell, he knew
nothing at all, he was just a stupid grunt. He fervently hoped that
the fighting had come to and end for good.
He
kept his thoughts to himself for the duration of the hunt, which
yielded nothing
his motives, however right they might be in questioning him.'
'Well someone must have given him orders,' said the Orc who wasn't
Harg. 'Otherwise he wouldn't be up here knee deep in that Pixie we
captured.'
El-Vador
almost stumbled out of his hiding place, they had captured the Pixie
that he had rescued from the Orc? She knew that the Orc had been
slain by an Elf. If she told Sarvacts what she knew...
For
a little while, he forgot about murdering all the invaders. He needed
to know more about Sarvacts and his relationship with his new
captive, it was imperative that he acted soon lest Sarvacts discover
the truth and torch his settlement and all those within.
Gurgash
hated the Elven forest, even more so than the ribbing he took from
the Goblins about his lack of stealth. He knew he was a big dumb Orc
but he tried his best not to make a sound when they were out hunting.
Often he'd simply be left behind on sentry duty while Harg went out
with the others, this time he had been invited along under the
condition that he try not to scare too much game away.
When
he stopped for a moment, the other two soldiers also halted. 'What is
it?' asked Harg. 'Is something out there, cousin?' He sounded edgier
than usual himself; perhaps the silent immensity of the woods had
begun to get under his skin, too.
However
reluctantly, Gurgash shook his head. 'No,' he admitted. 'But we could
be hunted as we speak and we'd never notice, not in woods like
these.'
His
own words made him stop, look, and listen again, as if in saying so
he had conjured Elven hunters into reality. But if anything was there
his senses did not detect it. Perhaps the hair-prickling feeling at
the nape of his neck was just his irrationality.
'You look on edge cousin, if there was anything out there I'd have
spotted it by now.' said Harg.
'I
know, I just...' Gurgash tried to put the feeling into words, 'I feel
like we're being watched, maybe I'm just being paranoid.'
'Being overly paranoid can sometimes save a soldier's life.' said
his cousin. Gurgash felt a bit better for that, remaining vigilant
and paranoid was probably for the best in woods like these.
'You're in safe hands here.' added the Goblin. 'Anything jumps out
of the woods at us I'll stick it with an arrow faster than you can
blink.'
That
only served to reinforce Gurgash's feeling of unease, the thought
that something might leap out without warning.
Thinking
of the forest made him think of the Elves who dwelt in it. Had they
really accounted for all their settlements? What if they had missed
one that was gearing for war? 'The Elves don't seem as docile as
before.'
Frowning,
Harg said, 'They've heard of the killer. That one of their own has
started fighting back and Sarvacts has not quashed the rumour with
any retribution. His inaction gives them hope.'
'They could have beaten us the first time round, they almost did.
I'm thinking that maybe a few of them are wondering if they can do it
again.' the Goblin added.
'And they know it, too,' agreed Harg. 'You can see it in their faces
when you go into the settlement. They know they nearly had us and
they're just waiting for an excuse to strike again. That's why so
many soldiers are coming up from the south. Sarvacts fears them
taking another shot at us when we're not expecting it.'
'Even without the reinforcements there's still more of us now than
there were when the army first came up into the Elven lands.' Gurgash
said in an attempt to reassure himself more than anything else.
He
had always hated the Elven forests. They stretched across the
landscape, vast and impenetrable. He kept thinking about the Elves
they hadn't accounted for, would they do anything? Would there be a
retaliation from the ones he did know of? He couldn't tell, he knew
nothing at all, he was just a stupid grunt. He fervently hoped that
the fighting had come to and end for good.
He
kept his thoughts to himself for the duration of the hunt, which
yielded nothing
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