When Bruna woke the next day memories and hatred lingered with him. He would not bury another member of his bloodline for his sister was none any longer, and no matter what happened, he would raise the child he had abandoned for so long.

Over the passing day his fury grew, as once again he found nothing. Yet when he returned to camp, Ur’gak had not made a fire but was waiting, ready to ride again. Bruna’s eyes widened and before he spoke Ur’Gak made a dark hunters grin. “I found their trail…”.

It was the same evening they flew over. The trail was fresh and strong enough to think that his girls had rested there for far more than a day.

Once Dusk laid the pines to rest, rain started to pour down. It made it harder to find the place again, yet it crowned over the forest like distant Karn’Arak did over the Ashen Plains. Even in the gloomy darkness of the coming rainy night they could see it from afar. An old gigantic oak, deep in the pines. Decorated with the remains of dead Orcs and Wyverns and roots circling it up like paths.

Bruna jumped off the old dark red Wyvern and looked around. “No one here…” Ur’Gak remarked as she jumped down himself, yet still he drew his weapon. A big obsidian warhammer that carried spikes at its round top. Surprising choice for one he thought to be so weak, but the beast had no time or thoughts to waste on the watcher.

His eyes went up the Oak and to the web of rope where skulls of Orc and Wyvern were dangling like in a spider's nest. Red scales and leather were caught in those webs as well, a grim display of the south’s past victories.

“Stay sharp, Watcher…” he returned deeply and sniffed the air like the wyverns behind him did. Unlike them the only things that were carried to his nose were the usual scents of the Forest and even those quite weak as the rain had grown stronger with the coming night. Gor’Mash’s dark red old wyvern behind Bruna took in the air around them and sniffed loudly. She bit the air a few times, her teeth clutching against each other and then went ahead to the Oak.

Ur’Gak’s Wyvern was more passive. At first he thought because the old warriors Wyvern understood her duty better but soon that thought changed.

He felt the wind as the old wyvern rushed by him to glance at the tree and frowned as he saw that she didn’t run to any trail but to the Wyvern remains danling between its branches. As she stood underneath a pile of red scales and leather she unleashed a dark deep wailing that echoed through the rain.

Both Orcs shared a look before they glanced back at her. Those not of the Riders often thought Wyverns were soulless monsters, chosen as mounts because they were like weapons. Strong, cold and with a heart of Iron. Yet it was moments like these that reminded the riders that the opposite was the truth. They were chosen as mounts because they could feel grief, fear and more than anything, anger.

“What do you think?” Ur’Gak asked as he now stopped next to Bruna and looked up to her with him “Family or Battle Brothers?”

Bruna shook his head. Her wailing was something someone like Ur’Gak could only guess, but only a parent could know. “A mothers wailing..” he returned darkly, granting him a long dark grunt from Ur’gak as return.

She started to bite and burn down the rope. The two orc’s eyes widened as they feared her fire could spread further, yet it seemed under control for the moment. After the rope burned down the rain made sure that the sparks that tried to crawl further, snuffed out before they could reach for the oak.

The remnants of orc and wyvern fell down once the rope was burned and she crawled next to them. Having the pile of scales and leather guarded between her crawled leg and body as if she was protecting an egg again. Her final wailing echoed over the pines and through the rain, making Bruna grunt in compassion before he turned his dark voice into truth “Wherever they are, they have heard that..”

Ur’gak nodded and glanced around the tree. His answer to Bruna carried something hidden that the beast tried to avoid “The trail went further. But the rain will make it hard..” he took a moment and looked over to Bruna “This is no place a Daughter of the Mountain would just rest by her own choice...”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“I know..” he growled back. The thought of his girls, even his sister despite anything, to be taken by Greenskins for whatever rites made his heart pump with fury as memories of the beast his father had become flashed before his eyes.

“The rain has washed away the trail..” He grunted slowly but angry “Let us set up a trap…I need one of those greenskinned Bastards alive.”

Ur’Gak clearly did not like to hear orders from an Orc beneath him, yet he knew it would have been death to argue with a father on the hunt. “We need to stop her wailing..” he said instead.

Bruna shook his head “No…let them hear it and let them come.”

“We still need her to fight..”

“She will.” Bruna quickly responded, feeling more kinship with the Wyvern than with Ur’Gak at that moment. His eyes wandered over the tree. “We’ll see how many may come, but she and I will fly at their backs. Burn most of them..” He pointed at the big entrance down at the tree “You and yours, need to catch one so we can ask him about my girls...”

“What if they are with them?” Ur’Gak asked, glancing back at Bruna.

“I..” he stuttered now “Why would they?”.

“Because your sister is a traitor without honour and your daughter young enough to believe her lies.” There was spite in Ur’gak’s answer but Bruna knew it could be true. His breathing had become more heavy at the prospect of them being so close, yet he tried to calm his hopes. “If they are with them, we will get my Daughter. The rest does not matter…”

“Your sister does.” Ur’Gak returned darkly but was shocked as Bruna turned and took him by his throat. Despite both the obsidian armour and weapon, they both knew the towering beast could have lifted the Watcher if he had wanted to. He was about to speak but no words came out. He instead grunted and released Ur’Gak again, while the watcher's young wyvern snapped at him, but was stopped by a hand sign from the watcher.

After a deep breath Bruna continued “Once my daughter is safe, we can think of vengeance..”

Ur’Gak held his free hand on his throat and coughed a few times. His warhammer had fallen next to him as he had to stop his wyvern and his eyes were staring at Bruna’s back with anger. Yet he only grunted “We’ll save her beast…no matter how.”

Bruna took another big breath before he grunted deeply “Thank you, Watcher…”

Without another word they went in. Ur’Gak and his Wyvern down at the entry, where the big wooden hall was lit with glowing Wyvern horns. A little deeper he found a wooden cave where Wyvern meat was salted, but he could see that unlike most in the tree, it was none of theirs. The scent of the sea was carried with either salt or meat, probably both. A Shore Wyvern.

Meanwhile Bruna went up and all so carefully approached the old wailing mother. She snapped her gigantic teeth at him, still protecting the remains of her long dead child. He held up his hands and stood back. Not approaching any further but just standing where he was for a while. Her wailing had become lower, not echoing over the Pines anymore but drowned by the harsh weather. All that was left was a whimper in the rain.

Neither the riders nor the shamans ever truly knew how much a wyvern could truly understand. Some said they were nothing more but smart beasts, maybe as smart as a well trained Wolf, others, mostly the shamans said that unlike orcs, they were simply smart enough to not speak.

Bruna had hoped they wouldn’t understand much, so his own mount had died without knowing that it was because of the dishonour his family had brought over him. Yet despite his beliefs there was nothing else to try. Maybe a few words of compassion would be enough, but on the other hand, it was another Orcs wyvern and there was no bond between them.

“Your child?..” he asked and settled down at the sprawling wooden spiral upwards. She just answered by snapping at his direction again. Without reacting he simply continued “I try to save my own…”

She looked at him without a noise while he held his glowing gaze to her big eyes that carried the same fire “But I will need your aid…”

She growled at him before she looked back at the pile of leather before her. He searched for more words, yet before he could find any she turned her head towards him. She made a few roars, none of them loud, none of them words, yet Bruna understood. He stood up again and walked towards her. Slowly approaching the grieving mother and the leathery remains of her child. Her growling became a mixture of grief and anger, yet there wasn’t any warning bite or snap. Once he reached the pile, he kneeled next to her. Holding a hand on her leathery cheek and the other at the lifeless pile of red leather before her. “Kag’Magosh…” he said with closed eyes before he glanced at her. “I can promise you vengeance, but we must save my daughter first.”

Her eyes glowed in the rain and some drops that landed on her turned to steam. She grunted and held her head down. Allowing him to ride her into the coming battle.

A night that would change the man he was.