The two studied the orks in their celebration. The large harvest fed the entire tribe as the children played, danced, and had mock fights after stuffing themselves. Ren felt a newfound appreciation for the orks after having watched. They were powerful brutes, yet they held happiness and joy in their hearts. Their joy was free, and it was clean of all concerns. They lived in the moment.

Stalling, neither of them wanted to make the call to approach the group. They didn’t want to spoil the merry air within the camp, nor did they want to be slaughtered by the powerful orks.

Cella spoke up and called it time. They stood from their hiding place within the forest and slowly approached the orks. A dozen figures stood around the fire, while several stood closer to the yurt-like tent at the camp’s center.

Heads turned and a call of alarm sounded. Cella couldn’t understand the words, but she knew it was nothing good.

Ren watched the orks turn toward him, and speak a call of alarm.

“Approaching the camp! Outsiders! Children to the rally point, warriors forward!”

Ren allowed his arms to hang out, obviously empty. Cella beside him held out her arms to her sides in a gesture of surrender and peace.

An older male ork led them. His arms were as wide as Ren’s legs, and his torso was twice that of Ren’s. He stood chest to face height with Ren, swiftly approaching. A party of several warriors flanked him, various weapons ready to strike.

He spoke to the others behind him, “Humans, man and woman, they hold no weapons.”

Ren spoke up, “I am Ren, this is Cella. We come in peace.”

Cella side-eyed Ren, the shock of hearing his perfect orkish plain on her face. She looked back to the leader of the orks, shock too played across his face. Amusement swiftly followed.

“What in the name of all that is green, how do you speak orkish so well? Adopted by a tribe as a youngster?”

“No, I have a magical talent, it allows me to speak to anyone, in any language.” Ren felt awkwardness creep into him, but he fought it off. The memory of his first meeting with Hollwin and Tayin played in the back of his mind. I can’t screw this one up…

“Uh? Magic. Yes, yes, we do no such thing ourselves, but we know of magic. Knowing you’re not one of our kin, your approaching us is very odd…” The orkish chief began studying Ren with suspicion.

“We’re looking to learn from you, we are no threat. We’re heavily outnumbered and on your home turf.” Ren nodded to Cella, “She uses the life affinity, she had noticed it flows strongly through you. We wish to learn what’s so amazing about you and your people.”

“I know of no life affinity, but it is true nature, and life is seen differently to us. I have seen men’s cities of stone and diets of fancy drinks and processed foods. It is disgusting. They have no connection to the dirt or the trees. No relationship with the animals and plants.”

“You are right, nature and its beauty is infinite. That is why we wish to learn from you.” Ren smiled and put out his hand in a friendly greeting.

Cella looked far less nervous as Ren reached out to the ork.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“You’re good, for a human. I can work with that.” The orkish chief grasped Ren’s forearm and pressed his heavy fingers into the flesh.

Ren held back a winch as his far weaker arm struggled against the powerful chief’s.

“You’re in need of better food!” The chief laughed and was quickly joined by the other orks further behind him.

“Ahhh, well at that, you’re right for sure.” Ren winched as the long nails of the chief bit into his arm.

“Now, come eat then. It is time for humans and orks to feast together again!” The chief laughed again as a small cheer came from the warriors beyond him.

He pulled Ren along, Cella following behind. “It has been ages since men came willingly into the camps of orks! Do you know how long it has been since man walked away from the ork’s fire?” The chief asked.

Ren looked confused, “I know nothing of the histories of this world. I am foreign here, I know only a little of very particular histories. Nothing of real merit.”

“Well, here then, come sit and listen.” The chief led Cella and Ren to sit while the feast continued again, them now at its center.

Orkish children came to study them. They carried small toys, though, until that of humans, their toys were practical. They had wooden weapons, carvings of animals, and small balls for games. Before the chief could start his story, the kids crowded them.

The first was a young boy who carried his wooden deer. The boy was the size of a teenage human boy but was likely a deal younger. His muscles were far from developed, and he wore a tunic of hide. A single strap surrounded his waist, there hung a knife and a small pouch. His dark green hair was pulled back into a single knot, tied by a cord.

The boy pushed his wooden deer at Ren, on closer inspection, he saw the deer was covered in over a dozen runes and glyphs. Cella’s eyes opened wide upon seeing them as spoke.

“Ren, could you ask if I can study that? The markings, they mean something, something important, yet I cannot quite grasp what it is.” Cella’s eyes were wide, she looked almost mesmerized by the object in the boy’s hands.

Ren spoke up, his voice in orkish. “May my friend study the markings on the deer?” He nodded to the toy in the boy’s hands.

The boy nervously shook his head and smiled. “Yes.” Came the small voice.

Ren was taken aback, the boy was so large, nearly his size, likely to be there in a couple of years, yet he sounded so young.

In the tongue of the Underdark’s humans, Ren spoke to Cella. “He said that it’s ok.”

Cella smiled, and gently took the object. She began studying it carefully.

Ren looked to the chief who had grabbed large handfuls for the two humans. The food was hot and ready to be devoured. Ren smiled and thanked the chief as he passed Cella her food.

“Now, where was I?” The chief asked.

“You began speaking of mankind leaving behind the fires of orks?”

“Ah yes, thank you.” The massive man sat down and grabbed a bite to eat before speaking. He took long thoughts, and careful consideration into his next words.

“It will be easier to show you, but that is for later. For now, let me tell you of the beginning, and so the end shall make the most sense.”

The chief scratched at his bare chin and took in a deep breath. “And so, in the beginning, our people came from another place, where our own kind is all. Where we belong the greatest, in the Jungles of Tunikar. Our eldest ancestor came here, and he planted the trees that became our origin.”

“One second, trees, your origins? What do you mean?” Ren blurted.

“Trees, from the sacred trees we are born. When we desire children, a man and woman lay their blood bare before the sacred trees, and so grows our kin. Such is the origin of orks. Born of the trees, and born of the dirt.”

Ren nodded and then took in a deep breath.

The chief began again in his story. “We came and found the native men of this world, we taught them to live as a part of the world. We taught them to eat, to sleep, and to continue. To live, and to not die. It is simple, orks are simple in that way. We exist simply to exist. Neither to rule the world nor to change the world. We maintain it, we exist as a part of it. This is what we taught the men, they were taught the way of orks. For countless time, men lived at our fire and ate beside us. Eventually, things changed. Men left us, they left us to rule the world, and to change it. They left us so they could become something they thought was better than us.”

“So, what made them leave?” Ren’s brows furrowed, as he didn’t get the answers he desired.

“That is a thing of men. I can show you, but that is for later. For right now, you eat.” The chief stood and walked away. He entered the yuri-like tent at the camp’s center and did not return for some time.