Lost
Hannah?
The training grounds were huge. Making my way towards the bench Drokahr had pointed to, I counted at least twenty men exercising or training.
A few more stood to the side, resting or talking to each other.
There was a huge array of weapons lined up, from axes to spears, bows, and swords.
Sitting down, I was finally able to get a good look at Drokahr.
Even though we had spent the last few days being around each other the entire time, I could only steal glances from time to time.
He had a knack for staring, which made it difficult to observe him freely.
With his long black hair half up, half down, and his trimmed beard, I thought him handsome.
He was a warrior, so obviously he had the body to match.
My observation was suddenly interrupted when another of his kind stepped right in front of me, obscuring my vision. Looking up, I was met with a broad grin.
“Well, well, look who do we have here?” the stranger said.
“Drokahr finally let you out of the tent. Thought I’d never see what made him so scarce these past days.”
He chuckled. “Solen’s the name,” he continued, pointing at his chest.
“Drokahr and I know each other practically since birth. We grew up together, trained together, fought together. No one knows him better than me,” he laughed.
I didn’t expect this onslaught of information, nor that he would be this open.
Not sure what to say, I just let him continue, telling me about past battles, where he got that nasty-looking scar on his arm, and how his front tusk broke off.
I remained silent and nodded along until I saw Drokahr coming over.
Glad that Solen had someone else to focus on now, I relaxed a bit more, knowing Drokahr was here.
“A true Orc warrior,” made my ears perk up.
Orc? Was that what he and Drokahr were? So that’s what they call themselves, I see, I thought to myself.
I enjoyed learning about this new world I had fallen into.
Gradually, piece by piece, information was fed to me and I soaked it up, trying to make sense of my surroundings.
As I thought about it, Drokahr and Solen had started practising.
I was genuinely overwhelmed by how much power they exerted.
How well they worked together. Every muscle Drokahr moved seemed intentional, studied, and internalized.
His gaze was fierce yet focused; he clearly intended to win.
I enjoyed watching their back and forth.
Seeing Drokahr like that was a contrast to his usual moody, reserved demeanour.
Here on the training grounds, he seemed in his element, lost to the movement.
I was glad to see this side of him, wondering what else he was hiding.
I smiled, but it was short-lived as, out of the corner of my eye, I could see another figure making its way toward me. An Orc woman. Behind her… I sucked in a breath… was a human.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was dressed in pants and a tunic, matching what the other Orcs wore. His blond hair was short, his green eyes on me. The Orc woman spoke first. “Ah, I knew he got one for himself too. Name’s Mor, this is Tom,” she said, pointing towards the human.
Waking up from my trance, I stuttered, “I-I’m Hannah.”
“Hannah, eh?” Females of your kind don’t look too shabby either,” she said, more towards Tom than me. He nodded, friendly. “Welcome to camp, Hannah.”
“Be a good pet and sit down,” Mor said over her shoulder, already on her way to the weapon stand.
There are female warriors too? I wondered as Tom sat next to me.
“So, how did you end up here?” Tom asked.
“I was captured and sold. Probably the same thing that happened to you,” I said, turning my attention towards him. I still couldn’t believe there was another human here.
“Yeah, I think I was on one of the first ships. Got caught off guard and didn’t have time to hide.” He continued talking about how he was working at a bakery when the attack happened, that he was living in Dublin at the time, how it came out of nowhere.
I agreed, telling him about me and my backstory.
How I thought it was a normal day, only to be running for my life.
I told him how I managed to hide for a few days, but they eventually caught up, hauling me into one of their ships.
It wasn’t pleasant to talk about, but I was glad to have someone who knew what happened, lived it, and was still alive and well.
It eased the feeling that I was the only stranger in a new world I had no idea existed.
Tom told me about Mor, that just like me, he was sold to the Khelaan Clan as a pet and reward for her. He came here just after the cold season.
“I heard winter is brutal—very cold and lots of snow. Spring is really nice, great weather. Summer’s not so bad either, but it can get really hot. Autumn is apparently really pleasent too.”
It was good to hear that there was another thing that seemed familiar.
I had always loved having four full seasons.
He continued talking about his relationship with Mor.
“Honestly, she can be quite intimidating when she is furious. She throws things around when she gets angry, but never at me. We get along well, sharing duties around our tent. I even have my own little space with a curtain, bed, and a chest,” he explained.
“Summer’s almost over, but after winter passed, we thought about adding a bit more space to our tent, and I would even have my own room.”
Tom seemed excited about it. I was happy for him.
We had just met, but I really wanted the best for him.
From one human to another, we had already been through so much.
Hearing how well he adapted to camp life eased my mind.
I was still unsure about a lot of things, and while Drokahr felt safe enough, hearing another “pet” being well treated was a good thing to hear.
“By the way, you missed it, but there are festivities at the beginning of spring to celebrate winter being over. There is an herbal brew and, oh man, that stuff knocks you off your feet! I was barely a few days in camp when we celebrated, and by the end of the night,
Mor had to drag me back to our tent. One jug of that and I was blasted.” At that, we both laughed.
A loud crash pulled me out of our conversation. The training grounds had gone silent. Weapons lay strewn across the floor, the weapon stand lying on its side. A confused Solen stood in the middle, looking visibly uncomfortable. Drokahr stormed off.
Alarmed, I excused myself, running over to Solen. “What happened?”
“Not sure,” he answered, rubbing his neck.
I hurried after Drokahr, hoping to catch up to him, asking him what happened. Had something gone wrong while training? Was he hurt? I ran faster. He was already a good while away.
“Drokahr, wait!” I shouted, but he wouldn’t stop.
Disappearing between two tents, I made my way across, only to find him gone. I stopped, looked around, hoping to catch sight of him. A plethora of emotions swarmed me, but first and foremost, I was worried for him, so I continued on. Looking left and right, I weaved my way between tents.
Out of breath, I stopped, turning on my heels. I had lost him. I gulped. Where was he?
Continuing on, I walked aimlessly. A few Orcs crossed my path. I asked about Drokahr, but no one had seen him. Fear spread through my chest. Maybe he went home? I thought.
Having nowhere else to go, I made my way across camp. Finally, back on the familiar dirt road, I found our tent.
“Drokahr!” I cried as I lifted the tent flap, letting myself in.
Silence.
“Drokahr?” I whispered.
No answer. He wasn’t here.
I slung my arms around myself, trying to soothe my nerves. Sitting down on the sitting area, I picked up a pillow, hugging it. Maybe he just needs to cool off. Once he has, he will surely come back, I tried to reassure myself.
Hating being so helpless, I looked around the room, trying to find something to calm my mind.
I got up. Seeing the unmade bed, I straightened out the furs and pillows.
Fluffing them up, I rearranged them just how they were yesterday.
Entering the bathroom, I saw his clothes crumpled on the floor.
I folded them. Looking around his tent, everything seemed orderly and neat again.
Not wanting to sit around, I made my way back outside.
By the time the sun was almost set, I returned to his home. I checked the training grounds again, walked a bit further, but it was useless. He was gone.
I rummaged through his chest, finding stumps of what looked like candles. I placed them around the room, lighting them. Then I lit the small lamp above the sitting area. The soft light made the whole tent look cozy. Maybe he would like that, I thought.
I followed the dirt road to the tent Drokahr had told me I could get food from.
Inside were large cauldrons with simmering stew.
A few Orcs sat at nearby tables, talking among themselves while eating.
I made my way to one cauldron where a burly-looking Orc stirred its contents.
Retrieving two bowls of stew, I put them on the wooden table.
However, I wasn’t done yet. Whatever had upset him, I was now hellbent on making him feel better.
Remembering where I could get hot water from, I picked up a bucket full of it.
He made it look easy, carrying two of them.
For me, it was insanely heavy. Spilling hot water down my legs, I winced at the pain but pushed on.
It wouldn’t fill a bathtub, but he would be able to wash himself.
Satisfied with my work, I sat down once again, watching our dinner get cold.
By the time the tent entrance lifted, it was pitch black outside. I jumped out of my seat, running over to him. “Drokahr! Where were you? I was worried,” I cried, relieved to finally see him again. “I was looking everywhere for you. What happened?”
He brushed past me, not answering any of my questions. My heart sank. I watched him make his way across to the sitting area, flopping down. Unsure of what to do, I didn’t dare to move. Was he upset with me?
“Drokahr… please talk to me,” I whispered.
A low growl escaped him, my eyes went wide.
“You and that human male…” he started, not finishing his sentence.
The silence hung heavy in the air, and it dawned on me what the issue was.
“Tom…” he growled as I spoke his name, making me flinch. “…and Mor introduced themselves. He told me where he is from, how he got here, and how he likes it.”
This all must be some giant misunderstanding, I thought. He growled again, louder this time, but I didn’t back off. I wanted to make things right. I wanted to explain. He at least could give me that after he left so abruptly.
Walking over to him, I sat down right next to him. He averted his eyes, pouting. Taking in a deep breath, I started from the top, telling him everything we spoke of, hoping it would calm him. He still wouldn’t look at me.
Placing my hand on his thigh, his eyes shot towards it, then he finally looked at me. I smiled.
“You were really something today. Are you always so vicious when you attack? Can I please watch you train again? I enjoyed it.”
“You didn’t look when he was there,” he said in a low voice.
“I’m sorry. I was so surprised. Please, can I come with you again? I promise to watch.” I looked into his eyes, hoping he would understand that I really wanted this, that this was a promise I intended to keep.
He nodded.
I smiled at him, glad that I could finally get through to him again.
“You brought food,” he stated.
“Yes, I did, but it went cold. You don’t have to eat it. There is a bucket of water in the bathroom, though it is probably cold too.”
Pulling the bowl closer to him, I took it as a sign to slide over to the other side of the table where my bowl was.
“No, stay,” he said, sliding my bowl next to his.
Thighs brushing from time to time, we ate our food once again in silence.
After our meal, we each took turns washing ourselves in the bathroom. Yawning, I made my way over to my small cot.
Drokahr grabbed my arm, stopping me.
“No,” he simply said as he pushed past me, picked up the cot—furs, pillows and all—and threw them out of the tent.
My mouth hung open.
“This,” he pointed towards his bed, “is where you sleep.”
And with that, the matter was settled.