When Kara grew up, other orcs feared her. Even though she wasn’t the child of a Khan, they still knew her father was a legend. A legend that would give every pain done to his daughter back in every mean way possible, and that no matter what he did he would get through with it. Not as a Khan, not even as his heir, just as the beast of the mountain.
Even despite his muscles, height and brutality, the Khan was his closest friend, a man he called brother, and would never properly punish him. No matter the crime, he would protect him and his family too.
So the clan thought for the longest of times and Kara’s youth was the price. Instead of fighting with the other children she was left alone to learn with her aunt. Medicine and runes, things she was too young to understand and didn’t care about when she got older. She wanted to travel the valley and run along the grand Yaks. She wanted to play until sundown and return home without breath. She wanted to laugh along with other children and punch them herself at every bad word they would speak about her. Yet there was nothing but following her aunt. A girl that was only twelve when she had to become a mother for her niece and even young Kara understood that it wasn’t easy.
It had begun only a year after her mother died. Kara was seven and a hunter had taken her along to the northern edge of the pines, just below the Frostsong Valley to show her the ways of the hunt while her father was away with the riders. Her aunt was the one who saw that she would go with him, for the then still young Mara needed some time alone. Day after day she had looked over her niece, despite herself being just a girl on the edge of becoming a woman. She was as old as Kara was when they had to flee, thirteen, and like her niece she was annoyed that there was nothing else. Nothing but to learn from Seer Cragal and look over her old brother's child. They were aided by some hunters that brought them food, while she and Kara gathered herbs and mushrooms for them. Day by day, as was the way of the Clan. Yet she knew that Kara wanted more, and she admitted that she did as well. So she asked the hunters if they could take her with them, show her their ways instead of those of a shaman. A path that was meant for herself, not her niece. Maybe hunting would be a good fit for the little beast, maybe she would instead end up with the Yak herders of the Valley, or maybe even as a smith. “Just not as a rider..” Mara had hoped in silence. She was old enough to understand that they were important but also young enough to hate that both her father and brother were taken by them. Young enough to hate that her father had died for them and that Kara’s mother was killed as an answer to them. No matter what the day would do to Kara, it would at least grant her a piece of freedom. She would see beyond the Valley and start to understand where their meat was coming from day by day. So she had thought.
But fate had other plans for it was that very day that werebeasts from the south should attack. Snorting and barking, roaring and screeching they came from the trees. All of them a strange mixture of beast and Orc, most of them with fur, one of them with feathers. Their faces were turned into the very beasts they once called their totems. From wolf to boar to bear, and one as a Crow.
The hunters had to flee, too much was the horde of beasts. Some of them died, one to save Kara. Yet still she would carry a scar. Three scratches across her face that just missed her eyes. Blood ran down and across her eyes as she was carried to the shamans while the mountain's horn echoed through the valley. The clan gathered to defend and from the furthest distance beyond the mountains of the east, the sky roared its answer.
Mara came out of their round Tent and rushed to the healers in the mine. Once she saw her niece bloodied, scared and with tears in her eyes guilt filled her own. She fell on her knees next to her and hugged before she took a closer look at her scars. “It hurts…” little Kara said, filling her young aunt's guilt even more.
Shamans and their apprentices were readying the caves of the mines for the healing. Some of them placed totems made of either stone, wood or bones around, others prepared leather straps and healing herbs for those to come.
One of them, an old man, kneeled next to the two girls. “There is no time to cry, apprentice.” Cra'Gal's words were harsh, yet as he took Mara’s shoulder it was far softer. It was before he carried a blindfold and his burning eyes spoke of reassurance but urgency. Mara nodded “y..yes master..”
He used his other hand to shift little Kara’s face as he took a look at her wounds. “Gather me the burning salve, and some stitches.” She had to look at her niece for a moment longer before she left. “Take a deep breath, and don’t spill anything.” She heard him echo behind her and it was advice she appreciated for once. The highest and by now drained caves of the mines were filled with many of the clan's supplies. More than anything those herbs and pelts that were meant for the shamans as the mines were holy and the shamans their watchers. She went to the right cave, across paintings at the wall, runes and yaks and warriors, none of it mattered now. When she came back Cra’gal had sat down properly and already used a piece of now red pelt to clean Kara of her blood. He simply nodded as Mara put down the healing supplies next to him. “This might sting a little…” he told little kara as he opened the clay pot with the hot glistering salve. It almost looked like the earth’s molten blood and both him and Mara knew it would hurt like it was. “But nothing a brave little warrior cannot handle, right?” he said, smiling at her. His smile echoed in little Kara’s face and she nodded, ready for the salve. It made the sound of fire meeting water once the old shaman put it on, yet Kara only breathed out and closed her eyes. Quickly the salve hardened and Cra’gal tapped her shoulder smiling “You did well little one.” She opened her eyes and tried to smile yet the salve still stung on her face. “Watch her.” he told Mara “And once it has hardened completely, remove it and do it again. We must make sure the beasts teint is burned away.” Before she could answer he stood up and was about to prepare the rest of the cave as a warrior came down. Neither Kara nore Mara could hear what they said but the old man rushed out of the mines and into the battle outside without another word.
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Maybe it was that very day that Mara had to become an adult, maybe caring for Kara was just something that set her mind on course, but still even though the battle outside continued it was that day that should change little Kara’s childhood yet again.
Wyverns roared outside and cheers were the answers. Kara smiled for she hoped it might be her father, Mara however was afraid for that very reason. Not long after the wyverns roar, the battle was over. A few more wounded were brought into the caves, most of them clawed by the beasts from the south, few with burn marks from their protectors. Among those that entered the cave was the big gigantic shadow of Bruna. He was covered in blood and breathed heavily as he glared around the mine until he saw his girls. He rushed for them and without any word took them both into his bloodied arms. His breathing became a little more easy as they answered his arms with their own. The one family they all had left, embracing for what should be the last time.
“It stings..” little Kara said and made them release each other from their arms. Bruna looked over her face but before he could do anything Mara started to carefully remove the now hardened black salve. “I have to change it..” she said rather distantly and started to take it away. As she did she revealed the three scars over her niece and Bruna’s breathing became heavier yet again. “How?” he asked and looked over to Mara who got a piece of pelt to carefully remove the last bits of blood and salve from little Kara’s face.
“They..they jumped the others from the trees” little Kara said. “Trees?..” Bruna repeated in an increasingly dark tone. Kara nodded a little confused “We..we were hunting..”
Mara closed her eyes and sighed while her brother stared to her “You let her go to the pines?!” he asked, low and dark. A sob that she tried to hide as a sigh escaped her before she looked back at him “What else was I meant to do? She..she” “She is a child!” he roared at her making her sob yet again. As she was about to clean the pelt in a bit of melted snow in a bowl next to her he harshly planted his hand on her shoulder “Look at me!” She did as tears ran down “It has not even been a year since her mother was slain from the same beasts!” his roar now made the entire mine fall silent aside from groans of pain. “Probably on the same old hunting ground!”
Kara saw her father in anger and her young aunt close to crying yet she knew no words to speak at that moment. Still she wondered what she might have done wrong.
“I’m sorry..” Mara almost whispered while her eyes now were completely flooded with guilt flowing down.
“Be better!!” Bruna barked back as a rider's horn was heard outside. He grunted and stood up. Just before he left he heard both girls sob behind him. A hint of shame was carried through him and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes for their ancestors' strength to protect his family.
He then turned and leaned back down to them both, holding a hand on each of their shoulders. “I promise you I will return to the valley..” he looked from one to the other “and stay in the valley.” Kara smiled at his words but he continued “But for now, the Khan needs me.” He looked down and took a deep breath before he locked his burning eyes with his sisters burning tears. “Just be careful with her.” She sobbed and nodded before he turned his gaze to his daughter. “And you survived..that is always a win, little warrior!” he playfully punched her shoulder which birthed a small grin on her face. He was about to embrace them again as the Riders horn was sung another time. He sighed “I’ll leave…watch out for each other.” he stated and left, leaving both of the girls alone.
After that day nobody dared to take little Kara with them. Neither to hunt, not even to guard the Yaks. She was sat aside her aunt to learn about runes and medicine while she didn’t care for either. Too young for liquor and too far away from any adult that would grant them a sip as a reward, she instead started to drown her sorrow in food. It was without honour to eat too much and slowly she carried that dishonour with her. Thicker than most of the clan and certainly more than all of her age. Yet still far from what the pigskinned creatures of the farthest east would call fat and far from what some noseless druids of the south had gathered. Yet it was clear for everyone to see and every time her father came home he told them both. “Leave your aunt some of the meat!” he said, because he also saw how Mara had become thinner and thinner.
Years later when little Kara was thirteen and Mara merely 18, they finally left the valley. Neither of them would say it out loud, but both felt like they had to for a while and Aru’gal’s demand of war was just the last wind that pushed them away.
It was weird for them both after they had been rescued in the south. By greenskins that they both knew could turn into the very beasts that attacked the clan so often, yet they aided them more than their own clan had done for years. Mara felt like the traitor they called her back home, but only for a day. Once she saw her Niece smile when she could go hunt with the wolf woman, she had to echo that smile. Once she learned about druidism from the boar man, she loved to spread the believes of the shaman as well.
It was the last days of joy they would have and maybe the only days of true joy they ever enjoyed in life to that point.