Along the base of the foothills, there were no immediate signs or smells of water. The day was hot again, and Dagok's brief surge of energy faded as sweat once again drained him.
Dagok scanned the landscape for any sign of water. He spotted a small crevice in the rock and crawled into it, hoping to find a hidden spring or stream.
The crevice was dry, but the shade was cool. Dagok sighed, but he was not defeated. He crawled back out of the crevice and continued his search.
The sun burned his back while he climbed rocks and sniffed the air. Water eluded him, and he suffered occasional dizziness. The sound of a boulder tumbling surprised him.
Dagok's instincts kicked in, and he leaped out of the way just as the boulder missed him by inches and crashed to the ground. Above him, a group of creatures staring down, their eyes glinting in the morning sun.
They were large, bipedal, and covered in fur - Orcs! They raised their wooden spears and bashed them against their shields.
Dagok's heart thudded when he recognized his kin. He raised his own spear, to show he was ready to defend himself.
"I am Dagok, son of Anipa and Lyvelle!" He shouted in Orcish. "I sought water for my family. Would you help me?"
The Orcs conversed briefly, grunting in a language that sounded familiar, but which he could not speak. A female pushed a young male out of their ranks and pointed at Dagok. He bared his fangs and gripped his spear tightly, working his way down the rocky decline.
Dagok's eyes narrowed as he watched the young Orc approach. He knew that this was a challenge, but he was not ready to fight his own kind.
"I do not wish to harm you," he said, his voice low and calm. "I only want to find water for my family."
However, Dagok's upbringing blinded him to how Orcs dealt with intruders. The young male roared and charged, spear aimed at Dagok's chest!
Dagok had no choice but to defend himself. He sidestepped the charging Orc and thrust his spear into the creature's side. It roared in pain and fell to the ground. Its spear clattered beside it.
The other Orcs' faces twisted with rage, Dagok's chest heaved. "I did not wish to kill him," he said, "but I will unless you brought water." The young male clutched his side and growled as he trembled upon the rocks.
The adult female roared and shook her spear! She prodded her tribe mates and pointed at the wounded male. The others burst into horrific laughter, and the female was shoved forward. Slowly, eyes locked onto Dagok's, she descended the hillside. A long obsidian blade threatened in her hand.
Dagok's heart was heavy as the female approached. He knew that he must not let his guard down, but he also felt that he should not kill her.
He dropped his spear and raised his hands in surrender. "I do not wish to harm you," he repeated, his voice shaking. "I only want to find water for my family."
The female Orc circled Dagok until she reached the young male. Baring her teeth and growling, she held out her knife and bent her knees to examine the wound. She shouted something angry at the male, who frowned and clutched his side as blood ceased to flow from it. Dagok was reminded of how quickly his wounds could heal.
Something more striking than a stone knife prodded Dagok's nostrils - a scent that he had never smelled triggered a strong reaction. The female looked very different; her body was strong and arousing. The brief battle started a series of natural urges that compelled him to take the female. His dehydrated state made it difficult for him to resist.
Dagok's instincts screamed at him to claim the female, to take her as his mate. He tried to resist the urge, but his body betrayed him. His cock swelled, and he could not hide it.
"I apologize," he stammered, attempting to keep his eyes on her face rather than her body as he approached her with empty hands. "I cannot control this."
The female spoke in broken words: "You - speak - words - stupid. You weak now - from bad." She pointed to the wasteland. "I kill you." Then she thrust the stone dagger!
Dagok faltered while trying to dodge the thrust. The razor-sharp obsidian sliced his forearm where the lizard's filthy mouth had bit. Pus and blood flowed, draining vital fluid from his depleted body. He managed to grip her wrist and shake the blade from her grasp, but he roared in pain!
He fell to his knees and tugged the female closer. His gaze landed on a skin bottle, half full, attached to her fur belt. She attempted to bite her fangs into his bleeding wound!
Dagok's instincts took over, and he grabbed the female's head with his other hand. He pulled her mouth toward his, initiating an instinctual, deeply ingrained ritual where each bit the other's tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled his senses - hers and his own. Her resistance melted as she groaned, a wild female who had never resisted her nature before. They fell to the ground. She pressed her body against his.
He broke away, grabbed the water skin from her belt, and drank deeply. The liquid soothed his parched throat and revived his body. He ripped the loincloth from her waist and wrapped it roughly around his bleeding wound before falling upon her.
The female struggled beneath him, but mostly to open herself up to his rampant organ!
Dagok's hips thrust against hers as he took her, his cock sliding into her wet warmth. Her muscles shuddered along his prick, causing him to groan with combat fueled pleasure. His powerful and deep thrusts were driven by primal urgency.
She bit him - on the neck, shoulders, upper arms, and chest - while her lower body bucked upwards to meet Dagok's thrusts. The stinging pain from her teeth drew dark blood, but he barely noticed. Their eyes locked in a shared mental state of basic survival for their species.
Dagok's mind was consumed by the primal act of mating; his body moved on instinct alone. He felt his orgasm building and thrusted harder and faster to reach the peak.
Her arousal intensified, and the female's moans turned into barked words Dagok couldn't understand. From a couple yards away, the wounded Orc responded with a sullen and angry voice. Was she telling him to kill Dagok while she occupied the intruder?
Dagok tried to comprehend her words but knew he had to act swiftly. He thrusted harder and faster, attempting to bring her to climax before others attacked.
The female howled when her orgasm hit! She thrashed beneath Dagok, ready to accept his seed.
He roared as he felt her climax around his cock. With one final thrust, he released his seed deep inside of her. His body shook with pleasure, filling her with cum.
Dagok collapsed on top of her, heart pounding and breathing ragged. The sound of tumbling rocks caught his attention - the wounded Orc was climbing slowly up the hillside. The female licked blood from where she bit him; his semen still flowed into her body, calming one part of his mind. The rest of his thoughts worried about his parents.
The Orc woman paused to say, "Water - get now." She pushed at Dagok, their act loveless but effective.
He nodded and climbed to his feet, retrieving his spear and the water skins from his parents, which were still empty. He grumbled, a sense of ownership fighting his upbringing of free people. He couldn't stay with her but also realized he needed water for his family.
Dagok followed her along the hillside as she led him toward their destination. Many skin bottles fluttered empty on his back; legs shaky but determined, Dagok pressed onward.
The sun beat relentlessly down upon them during their march, consuming one hour after another. Sweat cooled his skin, leaving him lightheaded once more - perhaps she planned to kill by marching until he died from exhaustion.
Suddenly the unmistakable odor of green things ahead reassured Dagok. His heart leaped with hope when he smelled the greenery. He quickened his pace, his legs no longer feeling heavy.
They reached a small oasis, surrounded by thick brush and tangled vegetation. A small stream flowed through the center of it, and Dagok's heart swelled with joy. He knelt by the stream, gulping water as fast as he could and filling the water skins, his eyes never leaving the female.
"Get family. Meet them." She pointed back where her tribe had met him. Then she plodded away in that direction.
Dagok grunted and set off back towards his parents, the water skins sloshing against his back and hips.
It was morning again when he reached the place where he had left them, having trudged with his burden throughout the night. He called out to them, his voice hoarse which he quenched with the remainder from one of the half dozen full skins he carried.
A thin whistling reached Dagok's ears, like a final exhale through dried lips. He saw their bodies huddled behind their cloaks which provided no shade from the rising sun. He had only seconds to save them.
Dagok's heart raced as he rushed towards them, his legs moving as fast as they could. He dropped the water skins beside them and pulled them into the shade of their cloaks which hung from dead brush.
He forced water down their throats, hoping that it would revive them.
Both gasped and gurgled from the jets of water. They had trouble breathing and their hearts were beating slowly. The day was even hotter, but there was plenty of water. By nightfall, Anipa and Lyvelle could speak again. They remained incredibly weak however.
"No more, Lyvelle." Anipa warned. "Too much water, too quickly, will make us sick."
She nodded and thanked their son. "You have done the impossible."
Dagok smiled, tears of relief streaming down his cheeks. He sat beside them, his hand on his mother's shoulder.
"I will carry you to the foothills. Food and shelter awaits us there." Is what he said, but his parents would be unable to move for at least another day and night.
By the end of the second day, Lyvelle stirred and gained her feet. She frowned at her husband. "Help him, Son. We must leave or risk running out of water again."
Dagok nodded and helped his father to his feet. He supported him, his arm around his waist as they slowly made their way towards the foothills.
It was a painstaking journey, but they eventually reached the oasis after another day and night. But a howl ahead brought torches to light, and a line of Orcs, more than before, barred their way.
