"Yun! Ka! Thu!"
The first bellowing cries echoed through the trees of the forest outside of Vinnie's village. He was with a group of other young lads out scavenging wood and berries during a brief respite from harvest chores. Along with the other young men, his head snapped up and the sticks in his arms clattered to the leaf-covered forest floor.
"Yun! Ka! Thu!"
"Run!" someone shouted.
The small group of humans tore off back towards the village. Vinnie ran at the back of the pack, having strayed farther and deeper into the forest than any of them by a good 100 yards.
"Yun! Ka! Thu! Yun! Ka! Thu!"
Everyone knew what an orc raiding party sounded like. Nobody wanted to see it in person.
"YUN-KA-THUUUUUUU!"
Vinnie changed a glance back over his shoulder and his heart sank to his feet. At least a dozen brutish, massive green-skinned orcs stomped through the trees, leather hides and animal skins adorning their scarred and muscular figures. Vinnie ran faster, gasping and heaving for breath as the sounds of the orcs crashing through the underbrush towards him came nearer and nearer. He tripped and fell as he approached the dirt road leading to the village, skidding across the dust and gravel on his chest, tearing his cotton tunic.
His fingers clawed at the dirt as he pushed himself up and tried to run, but veered towards the forest when several orc warriors appeared in front of him, between himself and the now closed gates of the town. He could see the silhouettes of the soldiers on the walls, but nobody else at the gate - they must have all made it in. Everything but him.
A huge green hand swept around from the side, covering his face and mouth. He screamed as the large fingers clamped around his eyes and nose. The filthy orc stink streaked across his lips as he struggled and squirmed, trying to twist out of the grip. He managed to slip away and coughed, hacking at the sweaty stench of the orc's rough-skinned hand. The young human tore into the forest with three of the massive brutes chasing after him. The rest stormed the town, but the villages guards put an end to the raid within minutes, sending the orcs scrambling back up the road followed by a hail of arrows and javelins.
Vinnie spotted a large tree that, years ago, was hit by lightning, splitting it open in the center. The human jumped inside and crouched, squeezing himself into the bottom with the accumulated dirt and leaves as he heard the heavy breathing and pounding footsteps of his pursuers come closer.
"Spread out," a deep voice rasped. "The human is here... I can smell him!"
Vinnie shrinked as close as he could down the trunk of the tree as footsteps approached. He could hear the sound of heavy breathing, coming every closer, almost on top of him, before it faded. Vinnie tried not to whimper with fear as he shook against the insides of the dead trunk.
"FOUND YOU!"
A blast of hot air blew across Vinnie, reeking of unwashed teeth. The human gagged as a huge green hand dropped and grabbed his jerkin, dragging him out of the stump. His legs dangled in air as the nearly seven-foot-tall orc leered at him. The male was profoundly ugly, by human standards. A fat pair of lips stretched around four separate tusks jutting from his lower jaw, each thicker around at the base than Vinnie's thumb.
Dark green eyes stared at the squirming human as a vicious grin spread across the orc's yellowed teeth. A metal ring pierced one of the tusks and Vinnie winced as he got another blast of the orc's foul breath across his bare face.
"Ha! Humans cannot hide from the Yunkathu!"
The other orcs approached. "Soldiers are coming. Hurry!"
Vinnie was slim and slender, weighing hardly anything despite being just over six feet tall. He gasped as huge green fingers dug into his back and sides, squeezing him into the layers of leather and animal skins forming the orc's armor. He tried to turn his face away from the sweat-soaked and dirt-encrusted materials, but a huge hand wrapped around his head, the other around his thighs, holding him tightly against the curve of the huge orc's belly and pecs as he stomped through the forest away from the settlement.
For a moment, Vinnie could hear the sounds of other humans yelling and a clattering of swords, but the orc carrying him didn't stop running. Vinnie gagged as the beastial orc's unwashed stink wormed its way into his nostrils and brain until he was shoving with both hands ineffectively against the green stomach.
"Stop squirming, human!"
A large finger flicked at the side of Vinnie's head, the last thing he saw before losing consciousness.
Vinnie woke up on his side. He groaned and tried to stretch his arms, but they wouldn't move. Neither would his legs. Struggling to wake up, he realized he was tied up tight and laying on the dirt and grass floor inside a large tent-like structure made of wooden beams crudely speared into the ground. Dried animal skins layered across the beams, though there was a large hole in the center of the tent, directly above a fire pit almost eight feet across.
A few animal skins, rugs, and woven mats sat on the dirt around the fire. The tent was large inside, obviously some sort of communal area. Vinnie stared around, trying to see through the dark, smoky interior. Red and white charcoals kept the inside hot and humid, and the smoke from the burning green branches stung at his eyes as the smoke struggled to escape through the top of the tent. He could see red and black paint on the walls along with piles of gold, jewels, and other items raided from human settlements.
The only things missing from the tent were any orcs.
Vinnie struggled with the ropes, trying to get them undone, but no matter how hard he pulled, the tough, thick strands only dug into his wrists and ankles harder. He looked around for something sharp, anything at all, when his eyes fell on an old rusty dagger stuck into the dirt near the fire. Scooching like a caterpillar through the dirt and filthy rugs, he managed to get close enough to the large fire pit to turn his back to the dagger and press his wrists around either side of the pommel. He was able not to cut his own skin as he slid the rope against the steel, but it was dull and old. He clenched his teeth, eyes widening as he heard the sounds of shouting in the distance.
"Yun... Ka... Thu!"
It took a few more minutes, but the desperate human was able to cut through one strand of the rope, then another, until the old wrapping gave out and the rest cut through easily. With his ankles still tied up, he rolled over and dragged the knife out of the dirt, ignoring the spray of dust that hit his face when it finally came out. Turning over, he leaned forward and stretched his hands out, desperately slicing at the ropes keeping his ankles together.
"Yun... Ka... Thu!"
They were closer. And closer. Vinnie could hear their footfalls on the ground and whimpered as he sliced at the ropes, finally getting through the aged outer shell. Kicking his aching legs free and clutching the dagger in both hands, Vinnie hobbled towards the tent flap. There was no light shining through, which meant it was dark. Maybe he could lose them if he got out of the camp before they returned.
"Yun... Ka... Thu!"
Vinnie was at the tent flap when the last syllable bellowed directly into his face, covering his cheeks in spittle. He fell backwards as a huge orc leaned back and laughed, clutching at his fat stomach as the human stared up at him.
"He tried to escape!" the orc yelled over his shoulder. "A feisty human!"
The green-skinned monster turned back to Vinnie and smiled. Four large yellow tusks stretched from the orc's lower jaw, the two outside slightly smaller than the inside ones. The biggest was pierced with a large gold ring through a hole drilled into the enamel. More gold piercings hung from his lower lip, right brow, and both pointed ears, in addition to the huge bull-nose ring hanging from his enormous nostrils. Despite the size of the ring, Vinnie could see straight into the huge black caverns as the orc leaned down over him.
"No escaping for you, human! You belong to the Yunkathu now!"
"Yunkathu!" came the corresponding cry from outside the tent.
A huge green hand reached out and wrapped around Vinnie's face, obscuring his view as large fingers dug into his skull. Vinnie gripped at the large wrist, which was as thick as his own thigh, as the incredibly powerful arm dragged him along as though he weighed nothing at all.