Lonely Orcish Girl (Orcish Women Legends #1)

Chapter Two #2

Reed was deep in thought, pondering everything that had happened in the last few days with Jolene, Katuri, and himself, when the orcish girl returned to the house. Reed heard her dropping wood near the stove and immediately glanced at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked worriedly.

"No, don't worry, I wasn't sleeping." Reed eyed her cautiously. Katuri smiled, and there was no trace of her earlier dejected mood.

"How are you feeling? Have you tried standing up?"

Katuri’s questions made Reed briefly panicked, thinking she might have somehow seen him, but her tone was relaxed, so he calmed down.

"Yeah, I had to pee. And I feel a little better, thank you," he muttered quietly, avoiding looking her directly in the eye.

"Good to hear. I'll be back with dinner soon, but I'll be nearby if you need me." She smiled warmly at him, and Reed only felt more guilty.

He couldn't imagine how awful it would be if she found out he had been secretly watching her.

After perhaps half an hour, Katuri returned and sat down beside him, just as she had the day before. She had a steaming bowl of the same stew. The orcish girl helped him sit up, then leaned over him and checked his forehead again. Reed struggled not to even glance at her cleavage, but his eyes disobeyed him.

"The fever is gone for now, but it can still come back. But it seems you're on the way to recovery," she said with a smirk.

Katuri began spoon-feeding him, though Reed already felt strong enough to do it himself. But the orcish girl insisted, and so he quite gladly allowed her to take care of him.

They weren't very talkative during the meal, but Reed began to experience a strange sense of safety. And his gratitude for Katuri grew again, this time fanned by his guilt. As soon as the girl finished feeding him, he looked at her seriously and said, "Katuri, thank you for everything you're doing for me. I'm forever in your debt."

"You've already thanked me, Reed. You don't have to do it again. Anyone would do that for someone else, wouldn't they?" She had a hard-to-read expression on her face and a rather flat tone.

"No, I don't think anyone would do that for a stranger, Katuri," Reed answered as seriously as she did.

"But don't people help each other in your village? Isn't that how it is?" Katuri raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, but we all know each other. And yet, it's more like a never-ending exchange of favors. Actually, it's rather rare for someone to help another person without seeking some kind of gain for themselves."

"I see. It's different with the orcs. They rarely help other people, quite the opposite," Katuri muttered vaguely, then, noticing Reed's puzzled expression, she clarified, "I mean, it depends, of course, but there are many orcish clans that are outlaws, extremely hostile, and the first thing they'd do to a stray stranger is rob, then rape, and finally kill."

She said it so casually that it made Reed's blood run a little cold. It seemed that some tales about orcs were true after all. Katuri noticed his reaction and smiled ruefully.

"Not all orcs are like that, but our reputation doesn’t come from nothing. My tribe was different. It was a peaceful settlement of hunters. We also farmed. And yeah, if you had gotten lost or wounded and come to one of our huts, my people probably would have helped you. But I think, in general, you'd still have a better chance with humans," Katuri explained in a serious tone.

She leaned back against the wall and folded her muscular arms under her breasts. Her forearms looked as if they were carved from green stone, and her soft, large breasts, supported by them, contrasted with her shapely body. It all made Reed involuntarily hold his breath. He even noticed an outline of her nipples. Immediately, he felt as if his cheeks were burning with shameful remorse. He had to force himself to concentrate on their conversation again.

The young orcish girl had a thoughtful expression on her face for a moment, her violet eyes staring blankly at the opposite wall. Reed was aware that she was thinking back to some unpleasant moments in the past. For a moment, he considered changing the subject, but his curiosity was stronger. And he wanted to return the favor and listen to her, as she had listened to his story.

"What happened to your tribe?" he asked cautiously.

"What happened to them?" Katuri blinked in slight confusion, but then her expression became rigid. "Nothing ‘happened’ to my tribe. They're still there. I just don't belong to that community anymore."

"Then what happened to you, Katuri?" Reed tried to be as tactful as possible.

She looked at him intently, but finally, her gaze sank to her knees with a kind of resigned expression.

"It's a long story, Reed. And complicated," she sounded almost emotionless.

"Someone once told me it's never simple," Reed used Katuri's exact words from the day before. He smiled softly at her.

Katuri rolled her eyes and snorted in annoyance, but then, to Reed's delight, she giggled too. She waved a finger at him.

"All right, you little bright spark," she said, shaking her head in amusement. Her smile seemed a little forced, though.

"So why don't you live with your tribe anymore?" Reed tried again.

"Because I was banished," Katuri grunted out, then smiled wryly as if strangely satisfied by Reed's shocked expression.

"What? Why did they do that to you?" Reed gasped, feeling his throat hurt again. He found it hard to believe that such a kind and caring person could be banished by her own people.

"Because I committed a terrible, heinous crime! And I brought shame to the whole tribe and stained the famous orcish pride! The unblemished honor of the orcs!" Katuri almost spat out these words in a voice full of bitter sarcasm.

"You said earlier that you fell in love with the wrong person. Am I right? Was that the reason? It's hard to believe that people can banish someone just because—"

"Well, that was exactly the reason. But I was a thorn in their side from the day I was born. Imagine a tribe of proud, pure orcs and a child of weak blood being born. What a disgrace to have a damned little mongrel among strong and healthy orcish babies!"

"There is no shame in being mixed—"

"But it is, Reed!" Katuri quickly interrupted him. She winced in anger for a moment but then sighed and continued morosely, "That's how they'd always seen me. No matter how much they disliked having a half-breed child among them, there was nothing they could do about it. My mother had a strong position because she had taken over the duty of herbalist and healer after her mother. So, she was the second most important person after our chief. She always had quite a temper, was as independent and stubborn as a mule, and did whatever she wanted, wherever she pleased. So they had to accept it when, after one of her journeys, she returned to the tribe with a human man, carrying his child under her heart."

Reed nodded silently, processing the new information about Katuri's background. Learning that her mother was a healer explained a lot about Katuri's knowledge. That part fascinated him, but the way she talked about her mixed heritage hurt him. He realized it was a very real problem for her, almost a tragedy.

Reed wanted to show her support somehow, at least, by respectfully listening to her story, but he just had to ask, "But what about your father? Did the orcs let him stay with them if they were so prejudiced against humans?"

"Well, he didn't have an easy start, that's for sure. A regular human male is weaker than an orc male, obviously. I mean, perhaps a trained human knight would be a match for an orcish warrior, but my father wasn't skilled in combat. He wasn't even particularly well-built, rather quite average, and for the orcs, that was enough to disrespect him. And that was the reason why they initially treated him with disdain, making fun of his height or his silhouette. You know, because of the famous orcish vanity and greed for power and strength. As if the size of muscles could determine a person's worth." Katuri paused and looked thoughtfully at her own muscular forearms. Absentmindedly, she played with her thick bracelet.

Reed got the impression that she was thinking of her own body in that context. He came to the conclusion that, because of the way she had been treated by her tribe, she developed some kind of inner conflict within her. He wondered if because the orcs didn't accept her human heritage, she had started to reject her orcish side in a strange, self-destructive way. It saddened him, and he looked at the girl with compassion.

Katuri stared at the wall and suddenly smiled as if at one of her thoughts. Then she turned back to Reed and continued, "But eventually, they accepted my father, partly because of my mother's fierce attitude—she fought like a she-bear for him—but mostly because my father… had more guts than any other orc in the tribe, and he was much smarter than they were. He could do wonders with woodwork! And also with engineering and construction! For example, he could indicate the best place for a well, he could build irrigation canals or other advanced things that those green-skinned morons could not even dream of. They had no choice but to acknowledge his genius and show him respect. He was the perfect example of the saying 'knowledge is power’. So he gained a position in the tribe with his wisdom alone."

Again she paused, but this time her face was calmer. Reed could hear the pride in her voice and sense the respect she felt for her father. This gave him further insight into her. Katuri undoubtedly looked more like an orc, with her emerald skin and the musculature of a warrior—although she was still smaller in size than her ‘sisters’. She had also grown up with their customs and culture, but he suspected that inside she felt and thought more like a human, being strongly influenced by her father's values. He couldn't even imagine how difficult it must be to be torn between two such different energies.

Reed felt a small twinge of jealousy that Katuri had at least gotten the chance to grow up with her father, even if she no longer lived with him. He knew it was irrational, however, and he quickly fought it off.

"Your father seems to be a great man. Is he still living in your tribe?" he asked politely.

"Yeah, he is," Katuri answered ambiguously.

"Do you miss him?"

Katuri furrowed her brow and looked at Reed in surprise. For a moment, he thought she found the question too personal, but then her expression softened, and she smiled. "Yes, I do. But my parents visit me from time to time."

"I see," Reed replied shortly and fell silent.

Katuri also delved into her thoughts for a moment but then turned to him and said, "I'm sorry, I digress. I actually meant to tell you about the reasons for my banishment." She shook her head with an apologetic look.

“It’s okay, I understand it’s complicated.”

"No! I mean, you're right, it's complicated. But I want to tell you everything, just like you did. It's only fair, isn’t it? And everything I've told you so far relates to… my punishment. You know, I inherited more from my mother than just green skin—I got her temper and stubbornness, too. But I took it to a whole other level."

Katuri giggled briefly, again at her own memories, but then she became more serious. "The adults of the tribe, even if they didn't like my presence, usually hadn't expressed it. Or they simply accepted me out of respect for my mother. But with my peers, it was different. They had no problem showing me they thought I was inferior. They treated me like a lesser version of an orc, especially the other girls when we all hit puberty.”

"They were jealous of you?" Reed asked on impulse, not realizing he was complimenting her.

"Possibly," Katuri smirked briefly. "But you must know that life as a teenager among orcs was a constant competition for almost everything. Who could hunt better, who was a more skilled fighter, or… who could get more attention from the boys. And while I was definitely better at hunting, the girls of the tribe made sure I wasn't better at anything else. Especially when the boys were watching."

"What would they do?"

"Well, everything they could to embarrass me. For example, when we trained to fight, they would try to dominate me. And they succeeded in most cases because I wasn't as big and strong as they were. Even if I was really better at something than they were, like hunting or… just because I was damn smarter than them, they would diminish and ridicule everything else I could do. Then they'd make remarks about my body and spread rumors that I was too soft and sickly for an orc, or that I was too weak to grow proper tusks, or… that I wouldn't be able to procreate with orcs, which of course was a ridiculous lie, but it worked. This scared the young orcs away from me, even though at first, they were interested in my different appearance. After a while, they all thought I was a freak."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Reed said sympathetically.

Katuri waved her hand dismissively, but it was clear to Reed that she wasn't so unmoved. "Anyway, it kind of backfired on them. But mostly on me, of course, hah! Because the more they mocked me or laughed at me, the more I wanted to rebel against the tribe. I wanted to show them. So I stayed away from my peers, constantly sneaking out and going in all kinds of directions. I liked to spend time alone in nature. And during one of my excursions, I came across a caravan that was stationed close to my village for a while. They were… elves."

Reed was silent, as he sensed that Katuri needed time and space to gather her thoughts. He was aware that her story didn't have a happy ending but couldn't deny that it was intriguing. A caravan of elves? To Reed, it sounded like a fairy tale. He had never met an elf in his life.

"Obviously, the elves were very different from the orcs. Wealthy and worldly, with elegant clothing, ostentatious carriages, and so on. They also had armed guards. Of course, I only watched them from a distance because I knew they would surely react badly if they spotted a savage orc nearby." Katuri winced a little but continued, "I was very careful, but one day, when I was on my way back, I met a lost boy in the forest." She smiled ruefully. “Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on me, believe me!”

"Oh…" Reed gasped.

"He was the son of the richest nobleman in the caravan. His name was… Ehrendil," Katuri pronounced this word with a hint of nostalgia.

"Sounds very exotic," Reed replied cautiously, guessing what Katuri thought about that elf.

"Yes. He was startled when he saw me, but only because we ran into each other so unexpectedly, not because of… my appearance." She paused to clear her throat. Her voice was still hoarse when she spoke again. "He was friendly and seemed interested in getting to know me."

Reed just listened, not daring to interrupt her, though he was curious and wanted to ask many questions. He could sense that it wasn't easy for Katuri to open up like this.

"That first day, we talked a lot, and Ehrendil seemed fascinated by meeting an orcish girl. And I… I was fascinated to meet the first friendly boy in my life. Someone who seemed to have no prejudice against me," Katuri spoke quietly. She pulled her knees to her chest.

"I was shocked at how… beautiful Ehrendil was. It was almost unreal. Tall, slender but wiry, hair like molten gold, a face so perfect you couldn't even describe it. It seemed impossible that anyone could be so beautiful," there was still a hint of disbelief in her voice. She shook her head.

Reed felt a strange twinge of irrational jealousy. He was considered handsome in Stagmoor—with his tall stance and strawberry blond curls—but he certainly couldn't compare himself to a beautiful elf.

"I felt like an ugly troll. Like a swamp monster next to a prince. But Ehrendil never made me feel that way. He told me that I was beautiful. That I looked like a heroine from the books he read. He even brought one of them with him and showed me illustrations depicting barely clothed women built like me, tall, muscular, and so on. It seemed he liked that type."

Reed tried to listen without interrupting her, as he didn't want to make himself the center of attention. He sensed how much it cost her to tell this story. But when he heard Katuri come down hard on herself, he just couldn't let it pass.

"Hey, don't say things like that. I'm sure a lot of people would find you very attractive," he interjected with a firm tone to his voice. He also tried to make his statement sound more like an objective opinion, not his own observation.

Katuri looked at him and blinked a few times as if taken aback by his words. Then she smiled somewhat ruefully but made no comment; she simply continued with her story.

"I was a naive eighteen-year-old, so I fell for his courteous words, for his interest and attention. I knew there was only a slim chance for us to be together, but… I fell for it anyway. I don't know, there was something exciting in our secretive meetings. And I was so head over heels for him. I just wanted to be… to be wanted." Katuri swallowed and averted her gaze, her jaw tightening. She blinked rapidly as if trying to get rid of the tears.

Reed shifted nervously under the furs, unsure of what to do. He wanted to ease Katuri's stress somehow but didn't know how. Do something , he scolded himself, but still, he didn't move.

Finally, he decided to change the mood by asking about something less relevant. “What was he even doing in the woods? Why did the elves have their camp there in the first place?”

The young orcess sighed. “There were some ancient ruins of an old elven goddess's temple in the forest, and they were visiting them on a pilgrimage.” She fell silent for a moment before resuming her story.

"I allowed Ehrendil to be my first," Katuri said in a calm but sullen, deadly serious voice. She stared at Reed, her expression impassive, only her violet eyes burning with emotion.

"It was romantic, to be honest, I couldn't complain." Katuri paused, her eyes drifting into the distance. Then she slowly shook her head and continued, "So now we had added sex to our secret relationship. I felt like I was in a fairy tale where a handsome, rich prince chooses a poor peasant girl. I was stupid, Reed, so damn stupid. In retrospect, I knew it was just a break from boredom for Ehrendil—a new experience, a temporary excitement. I didn't know it then, but that soon changed."

"What happened?" Reed asked, his voice strained and rough. He felt a surge of anger toward this elf, even though he had never met him.

"One day, we were caught in the act by his father."

"Oh, gods…" Reed gasped.

"His reaction was entirely different than what I'd expect from orcish parents. He was icy cold and composed, just told Ehrendil to get dressed, and called the guards. The way he looked at me… like I was a worthless leech." Katuri's voice trembled.

Reed wanted to sit up and hug her, but he thought that would be too forward. Instead, he freed his hand from under the furs, reached for hers, and enclosed her palm with his own. Katuri glanced at their joined hands absentmindedly. He squeezed her fingers as she continued her story. She didn't seem to be bothered by it, but she didn't react in any other way either.

"The guards, Ehrendil's parents, and my lover himself escorted me to their camp. Then an interrogation took place. His father, his wife, and the other elves accused me of spying—which was absurd—and of seducing their son. They just set me up as a scapegoat. Ehrendil sat quietly the whole time, allowing his parents to lash out at me and insult me. Then, the elves demanded explanations from me and Ehrendil. And I, in my infinite stupidity and naivety, said what I thought was the truth—that I was in love with him. But Ehrendil didn't react to my words. He said… that it was just sex. That he wanted to try something new. I couldn't believe that was how he really felt. I wanted to… I wanted to believe that he was just saying that to avoid upsetting his father, but… I already knew I was just fooling myself. Ehrendil didn't feel anything for me. I was just a toy for a bored, spoiled young elven heir. A distraction."

Katuri looked up at the ceiling, tears shimmering in her eyes. She clenched her left hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"I barely registered what happened next. I was numb, as if someone had hit me with a club. The elves tied me up like a pig and brought me to the gates of my village. I didn’t know exactly what they told the orcs, but they must have said enough, so the people from my tribe knew everything. The next thing I knew, I had to listen to the scolding from our chief and the council of elders about the shame and disappointment I brought upon them by fornicating with the enemy of our race. It didn't even surprise me when they decided to banish me. After all, I had given my virginity to their worst adversary, right? A young orcish woman mating with an elf and then humiliating herself by proclaiming her love for him? That was far too much for the great honor of orcs." Katuri's tone was sarcastic, but it was clear to Reed that it was her way of coping.

The orcish girl didn't look at him, but curiously enough, their hands stayed connected.

"My mother tried to fight for me, but I told her to let it go. I was kind of relieved to leave the tribe. It meant… freedom. So I left with almost nothing, just my bow and a grudge against the tribe. It was a year and a half ago. The rest of my story was full of more stupid decisions. Since I had always been a decent archer, I thought I could join some adventurers and make a living that way. So I met some people, only to find out that they saw a different purpose for me in their group. After the first camp, I knocked out one of the men who tried to put his dirty hands on me, then I ran away. Finally, I came back here, found this clearing, and built this house. I decided to live as a hermit."

After Katuri spoke, a long silence filled the air.

She lowered her eyes, pensively looked at Reed's hand, still holding her own, as if only now realizing it. It worried him a little that she might not want his touch anymore, but she didn't pull her hand away, so he continued to hold it, sensing that she needed it. And he couldn't deny that it was pleasant to hold her this way.

Katuri looked at him and smiled sadly. "Do you believe me now that I know how you feel, Reed? About Jolene?"

"Yes," he answered, then added earnestly, "And I'm very sorry that all this happened to you. That was… too much for one person. And that Ehrendil! What a coward, what a weasel! I’m very sorry, Katuri! You didn't deserve any of this!"

"Oh, yeah?" Katuri winced and said resignedly, "You don't know me, Reed. Maybe this was exactly what I deserved. For being naive and easily impressionable."

"No, I don't think so. Yes, I don't know you well, but I know you're a good person, Katuri. You deserve much better! Being naive or trusting doesn’t give people the right to mistreat you. If that wasn't true, would that mean that I also deserved… my heartbreak? To be deceived and fooled? Or was it just someone else's ill will and selfishness?"

Katuri looked at him intently, as if desperately searching for a way to refute his words. Finally, she sighed and said, "You're right. But that means true love not only barely exists, but it's also overrated. And for an orc like me, it's pretty much impossible. Orcs… just don't get to be loved."

Katuri's words were full of disappointment, and they hit him hard at first, but then a moment of clarity came. He smiled at her and said, "I disagree. You know, so far in our stories, only a human girl and an elf boy have been dishonest and vile. But there’s also an example of true and strong love between a human and an orcish woman!"

Katuri frowned, fixing her violet eyes on her knees as if still not convinced.

"Your parents are a great example of overcoming hardship and… stereotypes," he said excitedly, giving her hand a little squeeze. The fact that he was still holding Katuri's hand made their conversation feel even more intimate.

"That's only one rare case…" Katuri whispered, then fell silent mid-sentence, as if she were just realizing what Reed was trying to emphasize.

"Your mother was willing to fight for your father against anyone in your tribe. And he… He gave up a much simpler life among humans and was willing to be mocked and mistreated by the orcs. All of that for… her! If that's not true love, I don't know what could be! Even if they are a rare case, there's always a chance for… everyone," he finished a bit sheepishly.

Katuri snorted at first, but then a soft smile lit up her face. For the first time in a long while, it was a happy smile. "Well, you're right. Rare, but not impossible. Maybe we should never give up hope?"

"A lot of good things are rare in this world. We don't know what lies ahead of us. The future can be surprising!" Reed added with youthful optimism.

Katuri laughed heartily and shook her head. She glanced again at their joined hands. This time she squeezed his hand lightly as if saying ‘thank you,’ then let it go and put it back under the furs, covering Reed snugly.

"Perhaps it will be, my bright spark." She smiled warmly at him. "But enough talk for tonight because I don't know if your eyes are shining with excitement or if the fever is back. I think it's more the latter."

"Oh, it's mostly excitement… and maybe a little fever," Reed joked with her, but in fact, he felt both a rising fever and a strange joy. He added in a serious tone, "Thank you, Katuri, for telling me your story. I appreciate your trust."

"No problem, Reed." The orcess smiled back at him, straightened up, and sat back on her heels. “Sharing stories like that can be healthy and might help sort difficult things out in our own heads.”

The young orcess seemed to want to leave Reed's nook, but for some reason, she hesitated. She placed her hand on his forehead, as she had done often, but this time she did it differently. Her fingers ran slowly through Reed's hair, and suddenly, she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

It wasn’t just a quick peck on the cheek; Katuri pressed her full lips to Reed's skin for a few seconds. Reed was surprised and thrilled at the same time because he was almost sure that it was her way of thanking him for listening. He didn’t feel like he had done anything out of the ordinary, but he couldn't complain because Katuri's kiss was delightful. A wave of heat rose in him, and it wasn’t caused by the fever.

The orcish girl leaned close to his face and smiled broadly, as if pleased with the effect her kiss had made. Then she nuzzled his nose playfully and said, "Sleep well, Reed."

"You too, Katuri," he replied.

She left him alone as she had the day before, but this time the atmosphere between them was very different. He tried to make sense of it all but fell asleep too quickly.