It had been 3 hours since Guruk had escaped the human encampment. In one moment of opportunity, he had broken his bonds, dashed to the stables, and escaped under the cover of darkness upon a black stallion. It was a perfect storm of events that allowed for his escape, and the burly orc did not want to squander it.
Guruk was a typical large, green orc. Barrel-chested and hairy, with thick, muscled arms and legs that could easily crush a man without batting an eye. His face was stout and covered with unkempt stubble. Two large tusks protruded up from his plush lips, and he had rather standard short-cropped black hair upon his head. His brown eyes were small and remained stoic despite his recent lack of sleep.
Hence why it was only after three hours of nonstop riding that the exhausted orc was finally convinced it was safe enough for a break. He was tired, thirsty, and especially hungry. His brutish, green, hairy body was caked with dirt and had an assorted collection of bruises from the occasional beating. But the manual labor at the human camp had certainly kept his physique and muscles intact; he was still a prime specimen of orc masculinity and strength.
The light of dawn crept through the trees towering above him as a small clearing in the woods gave Guruk easy sight of an inviting-looking pond. He dismounted his horse wearily, tying its reigns to a tree before lumbering to the clear waters and wading into them. It was a rather unusual sight, this muscled mass of an orc stepping into the pond wearing nothing but tattered grey linen shorts.
His body sank into the waters, providing an instant sense of relief and relaxation. He proceeded deeper until it was only his stout head emerging from the water's surface. Cold, wet, relief. The perfect escape from the summer heat. Only a few serenading birds broke the serene silence around the pond. Guruk shut his eyes and sighed. He almost wanted to stay in this simple little pond for the next few hours. But he knew that the humans would be searching for him, and he had things to take care of. Cleaning himself off would be a good start to the tasks at hand. While many other orcs did not dare consider their hygiene, he was not among them.
His thick digits reached out and grabbed a clump of moss from the nearby shore before dipping it into the water. The texture of the moss made it an acceptable tool for scrubbing his body down. He gripped the moss firmly and pressed it up and down hard against his muscled arms. Next was his legs. And lastly his chest and belly. Once these basics were taken care of the moss had mostly fallen apart in his huge hand. So he discarded the remaining pieces and gave a quick rinse to his face before following this with a short-lived wash to his rear and genitals. His girthy shaft gave a needy twitch as his hand brushed over it repeatedly out of necessity. It had been a long time since he had had any kind of sexual relief. His head tilted down to look upon his thickening penis through the surprisingly clear waters. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad for a quick tug now, he thought, his small eyes beginning to ignite lustfully.
Guruk's further pursuit of these thoughts was interrupted as an unusual smell perked up his acute nose. It was a strong, inviting scent, similar to baked apples and cinnamon. His stomach lurched at the idea of getting any substantial food. The humans had been feeding him a disgusting gruel that he wouldn't consider feeding to his worst enemies. Any chance at eating something else was an opportunity that the big orc simply couldn't ignore.
He turned his head towards the direction he felt the smell was coming from; deeper away from the road's path and further into the woods. He quickly shifted back to the grassy area he had left his shorts and pulled them on in a hurry, almost as if he was afraid the scent and/or food might vanish. His lengthy, flaccid penis flopped about unceremoniously as he tugged up the all-too-tight rag up his legs. While he didn't particularly need these ill-fitting shorts, it was the last bit of his current possessions and he didn't want to scare any bystanders away by appearing before them very naked -- he was already imposing enough as it was.
Guruk set off at a brisk pace through the woods, following his nose the best he could. While he was no animal when it came to tracking through smell, Orcs were plenty adequate at it.
The trek through the forest was blocked by various shrubs, dead trees, and rocky outcroppings, but nothing that presented too much of an obstacle for one as physically adept as Guruk.
He stopped immediately upon reaching a small grassy clearing, surrounded by many grand trees which almost seemed perfectly placed to shelter the spot from prying eyes. The smell was certainly strongest here, and Guruk narrowed his eyes upon spotting something in the clearing's middle. Something orange and ripe-looking, hanging alone from a vine that draped down off of a branch. It looked like a round, spiky fruit of sorts, but not one that Guruk had ever seen before.
He quickly became suspicious of this unusual setup. It practically looked like someone had placed the fruit there deliberately. Guruk glanced about for signs to confirm this was some sort of trap. But as he turned about from left to right, it became apparent that this might not be a kind of ruse. After all, if this was a hunter's trap, it still appeared to look far too natural.
Hunger got the better of the orc. He stepped up to the hanging fruit and reached his calloused hand out to pluck it from the vine. It smelled so invitingly sweet and was so vibrantly orange and juicy-looking. He simply had to have a bite of it.
He barely laid his fingers upon it when something shifted in the branches above him. The vine holding the fruit suddenly whipped up and into the trees and out of sight. Guruk stepped back in alarm and a low rustling noise began rising among the grass.
In an instant, two lengthy vines appeared from the trees and lashed out toward Guruk, wrapping around both his ankles. They yanked the orc upward into the air, hoisting him so that he was dangling upside down with barely a chance to blink. As he began to struggle upon realizing the situation, two more vines just as quickly snapped out from the grass and looped around both his wrists. The entirety of his heavy body was hauled upwards by the four vines in tandem so that it was parallel to the ground but suspended high above it. With his muscled form pointing downwards, the orc tilted his head about to get his bearings.
"W-what is this?!" Guruk growled in annoyance with a gruff voice. He quickly assumed that it was in fact a trap after all; perhaps one of a magical nature. He knew mages that had devious ways to ensnare enemies.
The orc vigorously twisted his body about to try and break free, with his arms and legs straining powerfully against their bonds. But the vines gripped him tightly and did not show any signs of faltering, despite the orc's strength.
His eyes frantically searched the forest floor beneath him for a possible sign of danger or a way to escape. The reality of the situation dawned upon him all too quickly: he was securely bound, and hanging vulnerable without any kind of defense. Far from an ideal situation.
(Hmm. You feel heavy but definitely a humanoid. And quite strong too. Though, not strong enough to escape me.)
Guruk's eyes widened at the sudden intrusion of a voice in his head. It wasn't so much a voice as it was more a noise that he could somehow understand. Like a ripple in his mind he could translate. It was soft and had an almost enigmatic quality to it. Certainly no traces of anything angry or malicious in it.
"Who is that? How are you talking in my head?" He demanded and continued to struggle about in vain. He thrashed about to test the vine's durability, but they barely seemed to budge.
(Amusing primitive creature. I am communicating telepathically. My species doesn't 'talk'. And as you may have figured out, I am what is holding you high above the ground. Dangling just like the fruit you tried to take.)
The orc grumbled in irritation. "I was hungry. I didn't know that it belonged to you." He paused before adding, "Are you going to kill me then? If so, get on with it!" He gritted his teeth together and still tugged at his restraints futilely.
