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Second book in the Rowan Series. Our adventure continues! Add this to your library to get updates after the first book ends. This book is unedited.
Like water from a cup, the Orcs poured out over the land in force. A green menacing wave of roaring feet. I ran with them, my tail stuck out straight behind me as I ran. Dodging around trees and people, I did my best to reach the front of the group without being trampled. The horn no longer sounded but everyone continued to surge forward.
When we finally came out of the tree line I stood at the edge of a large open plain. The sun was to my left, it was dangerously close to being blocked from view by the mountainous region. This was the farthest I had been in this direction. Gorza had warned me away from the border, in case I might have stumbled over some imaginary line between our side and the other Orcs side.
The sound was loud and not just because my brown pointed ears were sensative. In the wide open plain of tall yellow grass with patches of worn brown sections, there was a battle raging. Orcs with big clubs and spears faught bigger cats. Not like the little grey mop of a cat that Ann kept, and my sister Maple hated. These were monsters. Thin tan coats with long black stripes and two portruding teeth like swords. There were three of them and if they looked this large when I was far away how would they look up close?
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The big cats batted at the spear poles with open maws. Fearsome long claws raked across green flesh.
"Bait!" Gorza called out to me. I turned my head to the right. "Can throw rocks out of range, stay far. Dont touch red eyes!" She ordered running with a club toward the battle. I nodded my head in agreement. I didn't really understand what she meant but I Swirling around, putting my back to the field and started looking for big rocks. They were easier to find in the tree line where the grass wasn't thick.
Rock, rock, rock, I thought each time I picked up the rough pieces. Focused on doing my task quickly. A thick husky roar permeated the air. My head popped up to see what had changed, one of the three big cats fell to a spear. I held an arm full of rocks and rushed back out of the tree cover, to help with the other two.
The cats were fast. Never staying in one spot for very long. Their black tipped tails knocked over the thick Orcs. "Move!" I whispered angrily. There were so many Orcs in the way, I worried I may hit on of them by accident. When I finally felt confident I hurled a rock at the closest striped beast and it missed.
Ortha and Gorza were fighting the nearest one with a unit. Ortha would jab with a spear on one side and when the beast turned to snap at her, Gorza would bring down the club. Other Orcs faught with them, some I recognized and others I didn't. The ones I did not recognize had faces painted with black bands and completely shaved heads.
I launched another rock and the cat roared in anger. A hit, but it seemed angry not damaged. The fight with the second cat was far more violent. The chief was monsterous in his own right. His weapon was no where to be found, if he had even brought one in the first place. He used his bare fists. He wasn't fast but he didn't have to be. When the cat raised up on it's back legs, slicing at him with its front paws he back handed it away.
When the long toothed cat growled at him he bellowed back with his own tusks exposed. He faught like an animal not a man. Orcs slowly surrounded both of the cats in a spear weilding mass. Forcing the beasts into a tighter and tighter circle, leaving them with no room to escape. The light of sunset bathed the whole field in hues of orange. I had to keep my eyes down to prevent being blind sided by its warm glow.
I crept in closer to the fight seeing as it would be ending soon. The chief got his arms around the kneck of the cat,holding it from behind he rolled on the ground with it. The cat tried to claw away the chiefs arms with its hind paws but the chief wrapped his legs around its leg joints to prevent it from scratching him. The cats head turned from left to right snapping at him, trying to work it's way around to bite his head but to no avail. With a twist, the chief snapped its kneck and the cats body went limp. Slowly, the chief got to his feet. He crouched in a squatted position as if to catch his breath.
Then he roared with a voice full of vigor, the orcs around him roared in victory with him. It was an inspiring sound. The sound made my blood rush and filled me with the desire to join the fight to. I smiled eagerly waiting for Gorzas fight to be won. The light was nearly gone, only dim figures in a huddle. Fires started to pop up. Keeping the now dark field well lit. Orcs who weren't fighting the last cat, started to carry the fallen bodies away from the field.
Today was our victory! I wonder if were going to eat the big cats? I'm willing to try it, my stomach is a bottomless pit. What's that smell? My head turned to the left. The smell it carried on the breeze was familiar.
I felt my heart drop to my stomach, as I recognized it.
"Chief!" I screamed. Maybe he was to far away, because he didn't turn. Orcs do not have the best eye sight but their hearing is usually top notch.
I started running down the incline and into the field. Jumping over fallen bodies and through the tall yellow grass. He's the strongest one here. The one who controls all the others! Gorza and Ortha are already in fight, I can't distract them even though they are closer. I prayed to the great breath that the wind would carry the sound of my voice to him.
"Chieeeef!" I continued yelling getting closer. My heart pounding along with my feet. "Red-Eye is here!"
His head turned. I was a couple meters away from him.
He hears me!
I wasn't fast enough.
To my left, from the thick grass antlers rose up. It was on him before he could even react. The deer like creature flung its entire bony body at him taking him down to the ground. Backpeddling, I screamed. The surrounding Orcs, were more competent. One Orc with black face paint hit the deer monster with a club, flinging it away from the Cheif. It landed on its back feet, standing upright like a human. Its red eyes were full of malice. I thought this thing couldn't cross the river?! How did I not see a big creature like this coming?
The sun.
The red eyes focused in on me. Who would make the first move? It or me. The first one to make the move usually wins, but I wasn't alone like last time. Theres strength in numbers. It charged me and I threw a rock at it and tuck and rolled. It whirled past me and I scrambled to find a weapon.
The Orcs began to fight it as a unit, not with the other weapons but with fire. They set huge swaths of grass on fire and brandished torches instead of clubs. I quickly realized I was on the wrong side of the fire. I shook the Cheif who was still on the ground, his chest was still rising and falling so I knew he wasnt dead. if he stayed here he be burned to death.
"Get up! You can't stay here!" I urged him.
Gorza was at my side with full force and her one armed husband with her. "Bait go!" She ordered me. The two of them grabbed the Chief. Putting their heads under the Chiefs armpits they half carried and half dragged his limp body back toward the tree line. Despite the weight they moved quickly. Gorza on the right and Thrack on the left.
As we made our way back, I felt the fires heat on my left cheek. It seemed like they were going to burn the entire area to ashes. The Orcs from our village were running to the tree line carrying who they could. While those with black bands on their faces, ran with torches pointed to the ground.
They made a wide arc of fire. Covering the whole north and east sides in a wall of fire. What in the abyss were they doing? All of us are on the south side! Are they trying to push the red eye toward us? My fear felt real when I saw the monster running toward us. An Orc was running to the West with a toarch in hand. They were trying to box it in with fire but we were still in the box with the red eyed beast.
Gorza and Thrack weren't moving quickly enough to get out of the way in time, not while carrying the Chief. This time my body didn't move on it's own. My thoughts were just moving faster than the world around me. It was a conscious decision to charge the deer beast.
