An End, a New Beginning by chrissystriped

Chapter Three

Another small thing about my orc lady. And look, she finally has a name!

You sit at the shore of the lake with closed eyes, just breathing. It has been another long day of building — houses and relationships both. Some of the Men of this village still eye you warily and whenever someone from another place comes to visit, they react tensely to the presence of orcs — this will always be so, you fear — but you think you will be able to make a home here. The children are already mingling happily and playing together without worrying about race.

You wrap the warm blanket around your shoulders closer around yourself. You morn the absence of caves, the light of the sun is not so bad, after a while, but the chill wind is blowing deep into your bones. It is so much colder here than it ever was in your old home. Most of the children are sniffling and coughing and some of their mothers are too. You are glad that the wise-women of the village is helping with medicine. You have some healers among you, but the herbs and healing plants that grow here are strange to them. Learning them anew will take time — like everything.

You shiver as a particularly strong gust blows into your face. There are fires in the two finished houses, where everyone huddles together at night, but you need some time to yourself. You never thought of yourself as a leader, circumstance made you take the lead of your little group of mothers and children, but you don’t think you are the best for the job. The language of the Men comes slowly to you and you aren’t particularly skilled in anything but caring for children. But your people decided and you won’t shirk your duties. Your head aches from trying to communicate with the people from the village who help you with building the houses. They tell you winter will soon come and with it snow and storms.

You don’t like that you will have to be dependent on the well-meaning of the Men. It is not in the nature of orcs to accept help — or give it —, but you did not have the time to sow or harvest crops, you don’t have warm clothes and the more houses stand before the onset of true cold the better. You hope you can pay them back for their generosity someday.

“Ilais, there’s a problem”, someone says from behind and you stand up with a sigh. Your time of idleness didn’t last for long.