Scourge

[Fayr]

Gorluk listened and acknowledged her words, yet didn't heed them. Gender was completely different in the orc world. Women were small devious little creatures who raised the children until they became of age. Males would learn to hunt and fight and females would be females and if the children died then they didn't deserve to life in the world.

"Well you are human I wouldn't expect you to understand the way of the orc." Gorluk did understand though what it was like to be different and the first of something. He had always been the larger one of all his kind and had become the youngest warlord known to him. No one in history had done what he had done, or at least to his knowing, but was he living a life of godliness? No! He was forced from his homeland because they didn't want him to be the strongest! "Yes you don't know the ways or my kind, and I fear they don't either."

[micaylah]

Kia smiled as she turned to face Gorluk again. “No I wouldn’t say that I don’t understand. You tell me and I can understand. I would merely say that I am…ignorant of your ways because none that I have encountered have taken time to tell me.” She smiled softly then moved toward Gorluk and the deer. “Would you like me to help you?”

[Fayr]

Gorluk couldn't help but stare confused at this women. He had always prided himself with not following the example of his kin and being stupid idiots but now he felt like one. A human, a female human, one who he was going to kill a little while ago was asking to help him. "How?" He wouldn't show his wonderment so his emotions focused on anger and his face was blank except for the raise of one of his thick black eyebrows.

[micaylah]

Kia smiled noting the look of confusion on his face. She gestured toward the deer. "Would you like me to help you clean the deer?" The confusion was brief as she felt him turn his thoughts to focus on anger. She moved to the deer pulling another larger knife from within her other boot. This one more suited to skinning and cleaning. With a swift clean movement, she cut the deer from its pelvic bone to its rib cage. She turned to look at Gorluk, a small smile on her lips.

[Fayr]

Gorluk nodded his head slightly. He wouldn't admit it but he would really need her help with this. He was good at most things but cleaning and cutting an animal was were he failed miserably. "Yes please help!" He smiled a bid orcish smile and watched as she cut the deer. He nodded in appreciation as she didn't have any qualms about the blood.

[micaylah]

Kia smiled as she set to work. After the initial cut she took the knife and placed it in the center of the deer’s sternum. She pressed hard with the sharp knife and the bone split neatly down the middle. She set the knife aside and reached in, pulling the deer open wide. She stuck her hand in, locating the esophagus. The cavity was still warm and the smell of blood was sickening but she kept going.

She grabbed the thick cartilage within her hand and pulled it to where she could see before taking the knife and severing it from near the head. Pulling with even pressure, she cut the membranes as the insides came out with her pull in a wad. Next she removed the genitals and accompanying lower parts.

Kia pulled the deer into the river, its head facing upstream. The water flowed through the empty cavity as she used her hands to wash it out. The chill of the water cooled the carcass. After it was clean she looked to Gorluk motioning him to hang the deer from its hind legs in the tree. She quickly skinned the deer and removing its head, set it aside as she began to quarter the meat.

“I hope your hungry friend.” She told him as she handed him meat to stick on the spit. After removing all the meat and leaving it with Gorluk to place on the fire, she turned her attention to the hide. She removed the head easily and strung the skin between too close standing trees. She worked quickly, removing small pieces of flesh and silver skin from it. Punching small holes in the edge of the skin, she tied stones to it to aid in stretching the hide. Next she salted it and moved back to the river to wash up.

She walked all the way out into the fast flowing water, her clothes blood stained and sweaty from her work. The water was chilly but a welcome distraction from the task she had just accomplished. She hated cleaning animals but it was a necessary skill she had had to learn for survival. She walked back to the fire and reached into her pack removing fresh clothes. Kia smiled at Gorluk, moving to some bushes to change her clothes. Returning to the fire, she sat the clothes near to dry. “How is it coming?” she asked him softly.

[Fayr]

Gorluk looked at the deer hungrily as Kia went about cleaning it. She knew what she was doing and Gorluk gained some more respect for. He wasn't just watching appreciation though he analyzed everything she did making sure he could remember how to do this right. Normally he would take a dagger and cut it then take off as much hair as possible then cook it.

Gorluk went over as she moved away and hung the deer easily upside down o the tree. Then he sighed and took the meat to the fire and set them so that they would cook though he did drop one and he reached with his large hand into the fire and pulled it out. His hand was a little crispy and now blacker but he shrugged off the pain and threw the burning piece of meat into his mouth. he regretted it instantly. He spat it out as she asked him how everything was doing and used that as an explanation. "I hope you left me the heart."

[micaylah]

Kia smiled at Gorluk as she moved back to the entrails and organs of the deer. She grabbed a large, rounded leaf and picked up the heart, cutting it away from everything else. She washed her hands and her blade in the river and smiling, held it out for him. “I wasn’t sure which parts you would like so I saved them all.” She looked at his hand, blackened and painful. “Do you wish me to heal it?” she asked. She would not heal in a non-life threatening situation without permission.

[Fayr]

Gorluk waited for her to return and he smiled when she handed him the heart. To an orc the heart was the best meal in the body and was reserved for the chief when eating or the person who did the killing. He smiled and with a simple toss he threw the heart in his mouth and started to chew. The warm blood oozed out and the fleshy "meat" easily succumbed to his strong bite.

Gorluk finished his quick meal with a loud gulp and he looked up at Kia then down at his burnt hand. He had already been healed when he didn't need it but this was his hand and a warrior treasured their hands and their weapons. "Yes but I would like to feel the pain."

[micaylah]

Kia looked at the massive Orc and shook her head softly. “Alright,” she told him as she reached out and took her hand in his. She closed her eyes as she felt the power beginning to flow from her. His hands were rough yet gentle for a being of his size. The warmth began flowing from deep within her as the golden glow softly encompassed her hands. Slowly, she healed the burns. It took great effort to let him feel the pain. To do so, she had to concentrate with all her focus. Kia released his hand from hers and sat back against the fallen tree. Her breathing was a little heavier and her heart beat quickly. Reaching into her pack, she removed the water skin and took a long draw from it. Kia looked at Gorluk and smiled softly as she moved to lie on the ground.

[Fayr]

Gorluk smiled and and and let an appreciative grunt escape as his hand stung from the fire even though it was being healed. Now he didn't have to feel weak and unorcish. He took his hand up and examined it curiously as she sat against the tree. It was as calloused and firm as before and had the same purple tint, even though it had just been burnt. He nodded his head in appreciation then turned to look upon Kia. "You didn't have to hurt yourself for me, I would have been perfectly okay."

[micaylah]

Kia looked at Gorluk, a sleepy smile crossing her lips. “I’m fine Gorluk. Really. It does not hurt me to heal. I just feel weakened afterwards. A little more so now because it takes more power and effort to not heal someone completely. I don’t understand why but it does.” She looked over her shoulder again at the star burning brightly in the dark sky. Her mind quieted as she settled herself into slumber. She didn’t even bother with dinner or her bedroll. Soon she was within the hold of sleep. Her breathing slowed and became almost non-existent as her heart nearly halted in the slowed tempo of her restful state. Her body slowly recovered as she shivered slightly in the chill night air.

[Fayr]

Gorluk nodded in understanding though he had no idea what she meant. Orcs didn't really worry about healing all they knew was to tie a bandage around something broken or bleeding seriously. He sighed and stood up as she went to sleep suddenly. With her asleep he stripped off all of his armor making sure to rub his muscles vigorously so they would get used to the fact they weren't burdened with the back plates. As he looked up in the sky a sudden urge to sleep filled his mind. He shook his head though and picked up Kia in his great hold and put her on his own tree trunk bed. Once she was good he collapsed into sleep next to it.

[micaylah]

Kia stretched leisurely. Her body elongating against something different than what she had remembered. She looked around as she brought her arms under her to lean up on her elbow. She was in a tree trunk bed and when she looked beside her a smile crossed her lips. Gorluk lay sleeping soundly next to her.

Kia rose quietly, moving to gather clothes from her pack as she went to the stream to wash. She stepped into it skyclad, walking out into its chilly depths. Kia shivered slightly as the water cooled her but found it refreshing and invigorating as her skin came alive.

[Fayr]

Gorluk stirred slightly in his peaceful sleep. His massive form snoring loudly as his massive form curled closely together. His dreams lay undisturbed and peaceful as never before. No wars relived, no battles and no beatings. Gorluk slept soundly for the first time in years.

[micaylah]

Kia finished bathing and waded back to shore drying and dressing before returning to the fire. She placed more wood on it as she looked around. Gorluk was still sleeping. She smiled softly to herself as she moved to pull some bread and dried fruit from her pack. She was hungry this morning and her appetite large.

[Fayr]

Gorluk grunted loudly as he finally broke himself from his sleep. His black eyes still hazy got a fuzzy picture but he thought he could make out some bumps and ridges and something dark and high that looked like distant mountains. He blinked a couple times then finally realized his head was covered by one of his large arms and he was curled in a ball. He laughed heartily and he uncurled in a stretch having his whole body fully extending. When he really looked at the surroundings he saw Kia eating. "So thats what you eat for breakfast?"

[micaylah]

Kia shrugged. "This morning so it seems though I am eyeing the deer from last night as well." She smiled as she watched the orc stretch. "What do you usually eat?" she asked as she offered him fruit and bread. She moved to the deer meat and gave in to her hunger as she began to tear at it, not quite lady-like.

[Fayr]

Gorluk grunted as he he stood and did a couple more stretches and shook the weariness from his bones and muscles. Then as a morning ritual he took in as great of gulp of air as he could and held it for a moment. Then he let it out in a ear bursting roar as he awoke the gods up above. After he lost his breath, which took a few minutes he turned back to Kia and decided to answer he questions. "I eat something along the proportions of my dinner." Then smiling as he did so he followed Kia's exampled and walked over to the deer and tore into it with even more ferocity.

[micaylah]

Kia stopped in mid-bite as she turned to look at Gorluk with a raised brow. She began laughing and resumed tearing at the meat voraciously. After she had taken her fill, she took the waterskin and took a long draw from it. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand as she held it out to Gorluk. “I think I will have to move out today. What do you say Gorluk? Join me on an adventure into the unknown?”