For an orc, moving around was easy. Charging into battle was natural. Fighting was a joy.

Hiding behind bushes for hours was less fun. Max and Adam had been still for hours, and the fatigue was adding up. Adam’s mouth felt like it was full of sand, and his legs were a big lump of cramps from crouching.

Adam liked Greenbough. He liked that Greenbough approached a situation with logic and also believed that orcs needed a new way of fighting. More importantly, he had recognized Adam's formations and was willing to hear new ideas. And so, Adam was willing to follow Greenbough, even turning his back on camp Ironblood, the only place he had called home.

What he didn't like was that Greenbough's first plan had been for Adam and Max to hide in the brush like a rabbit until their limbs fell off. The longer he crouched there, the harder it was for Adam to remember that he had volunteered for the task.

Covered in itching bites from flies and scratches from brush, Adam thought back on the conversation that had put him here, waiting and looking like a prey animal.

—

After they struck camp the night before, Greenbough had gathered the orcs around the fire.

“Orcs, we have two choices - two camps we could go to. The first is Creekside camp. It’s well inside of orc territory. For now, it’s probably safe, or at least safer. We could rest, talk to other orcs about the danger, and we wouldn’t be fighting.”

“Our other option is another frontier camp. There’s one a few day’s journey from here. It’s the next closest camp for the humans if they advance. If you want a fight, that’s our best bet.”

At first, it seemed odd to Adam that Greenbough would ask at all. The chief never did. He just commanded. But then he realized how necessary it would seem from Greenbough’s perspective. Adam, Max, and Dax had followed him from their camp, but had made no oaths to him and were more or less free to leave any time they wanted. If he wanted their support, he needed their approval.

The other two Ironblood orcs had already left. They were probably looking to find their opportunities elsewhere, or at least spend the fortune they already accumulated.

“I think we’d prefer the frontier camp. I don’t think we are done fighting just yet,” Adam said.

Greenbough grunted in approval. It was clear that was his choice as well. After Greenbough had explained the basics of the route to the new camp, the orcs sat, ate from their rations, and then slept as best they could in the open on the hard ground.

As they packed their things for the day’s march, Greenbough approached the orcs again.

“We might be able to leave a little parting gift for Ironblood, and maybe cause some trouble for the humans,” Greenbough paused, “Ironblood is wrong to wait for reinforcements. It's a doomed idea. But it might work if we delay the next human attack. I have some ideas about that.”

Adam and the team were all ears.

—

Adam contemplated how small of a chance it was that reinforcements might come, even with more time. The last incoming warriors to the camp had been years ago. So in the back of Adam's mind, he knew that a lot of this plan was wishful thinking. But, any chance at helping Luke and the chief just seemed so appealing that he agreed on the spot.

And now, he sat behind a bush. Like a squirrel.

—

Greenbough had sketched out his ideas for them. Drawing a map from his pouch, he pointed to what Adam recognized as the insignia of a camp.

“This is, or was, Camp Greenbough. This is where the humans struck first.”

He then indicated a camp lower on the map - Adam’s camp.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“And this is where you fought. And over to the east, here, is the human town they would have organized in, where they would have put their army together. And of the two camps, yours was much closer.”

It was true. Ironblood was within a day’s walk of the town. Even if the army was camped nearby and not in the town itself, it would have made more sense to attack Adam’s camp first. Adam had thoughts along the same lines, himself. It took food to move troops. When warriors left a settlement, it left that settlement and corresponding food supplies open to attack. Why move against a distant foe when one was next door?

“This is what I’ve been trying to figure out. Human towns usually have a knight or two protecting them. The last time they left their towns and gathered forces like this was for the great war. I think we've only seen the start of them. And the only reason they would attack my camp is that we were stronger than Ironblood.”

It took Adam a second but understanding dawned on him. “If they attacked us first, and you heard about it…”

“We'd have time to prepare,” Greenbough cut in, “We could move faster and raid their towns. We could hit them as they moved. They eliminated the bigger threat first, so they could pick off weaker camps afterward. It only makes sense if they are planning beyond a few battles.”

Greenbough made an exaggerated, pantomimed sniff of the air.

“This smells like war.”

—

A clank in the distance brought Adam back to the present.

Greenbough had at least been right about what hiding spot to choose. There was constant human activity on the road below. Soldiers and knights were moving past by the hundreds, accompanied by wagons, horses, and more cargo than Adam thought he’d ever see moved at once.

Adam did his best to count the troops as they moved, to note how many wagons there were to a soldier, and how many soldiers appeared to be assigned to guard each wagon. Soon he gave up, the procession of humans was nearly endless. It was mind-numbing.

But the clank had focused Adam's attention. It had come from a knight who was approaching Adam and Max's hiding spot. They both tensed up, ready for action. The only thing that stopped them from attacking or fleeing was that the knight had a loose gait about him.

At the last moment, before the knight was too close for comfort, the orcs saw him reach down for his waist and unclip his armor. Not exactly the smartest move if he was expecting to engage in battle. It appeared that the knight was there to relieve himself.

The knight broke the treeline somewhat to the left of Adam and Max, blocked from view by thick brush. He then became mostly still and quiet except for occasional clanks.

Adam and Max exchanged glances. Although there was no risk from the knight, it also left them in an awkward spot. They were too close to flee without drawing attention to themselves. And that was also the last thing that Adam wanted to do. A plan hatched in his mind.

He motioned to Max and they both crept towards the knight. Luckily, the ground was still slightly damp and the clamor from the road covered any sounds that they made.

Adam’s muscles groaned at him as he moved, and he did his best to let them shed the stiffness. He hurt all over, but at least this was an opportunity to move and do something instead of waiting behind shrubbery.

It took minutes before they saw the knight again. On the way, Adam grabbed two rocks from the ground. As he approached, he saw that the knight's back was now unarmored. Apparently, this was a knight who cared a bit too much about how he relieved himself. He was squatting, and thick human stink filled the air.

Not that much worse than usual.

Adam threw one rock ahead, to the side of the knight. The sound of the rock clumping against rang out in the forest. The knight whipped his head around. That was the chance Adam needed. While the knight was peering in the direction that the sound had come from, Adam gripped his second rock and charged.

The fight would have been easier with his shield, but it had been decided that the shields would be more a hindrance than a help on a recon mission. That said, a rock in the hands of an orc was just as lethal against an unprepared human. The knight turned to watch Adam barreling toward him. Catching the sight of knight, a young human, Adam felt relief. An inexperienced opponent would increase their chances of success.

Adam made his first stone-fisted contact with the knight's helmet. Instead of letting the rock hit the knight's helmet and make a sound, Adam turned his hand and let his palm cushion the blow. The knight saw Adam far too late and was in far too compromising a position to do much about it.

The first blow knocked the knight to the ground, on his side. His hands immediately dropped towards his sword, but Adam had expected that and met them with another blow from the rock. The knight had taken off his gloves, which meant that Adam's attack filled the air with the sounds of cracking bones. As the knight began to moan in pain, Adam grabbed onto the knight's helmet and twisted. The cry was cut short.

It wasn’t much of a fight. To make sure that he job was done, Adam took off the knight's helmet and brought the stone down on softer flesh. It only took a half dozen blows before it was clear it was over.

Adam dropped the lifeless knight and began to rush to the edge of the brush to see if they had been noticed. As he did, he saw Max returning from the same direction, signaling that the humans hadn’t noticed. They were safe, at least for the moment.

Adam turned back to the site of his short-lived battle, grimaced at the mess he had made of the human, and smiled at the armor that laid strewn near him on the ground.

Now that, Adam thought. That might be interesting.