Chapter 2
Shaghar was a delight - and a revelation.
She was a half-orc twice over: Coopah's grand-daughter, and the daughter of his friend Rogek. Shaghar was Ditgurat's niece and also her cousin (she tried to explain all of the family connections, but I was hopelessly lost).
She had frequently been mocked as a child, for her height, but especially because she lacked tusks. Not
all
orcs had them, she told me, but most of the Red Knees did. I could easily sympathize with her - my own brothers had bullied me unmercifully until I grew big and strong enough to thrash them.
- "I
like
the way you look." I told her.
- "You like humping me." she said. She was smiling as she said it.
- "Of course I do. You're beautiful." It would be a while before I learned that orc females prefer to be complimented for their strength more than their appearance.
"I also like kissing you - all over."
- "Will you ... do that again?" she asked, her voice a little husky.
- "That depends. Will you bathe in the stream with me again?"
Shaghar laughed.
- "Now?"
***
I spent the rest of that day with Shaghar - and all of the night. I convinced her that since she was tasked with watching me, she could best perform her duty by staying close to me. Very close.
As in, atop me. Or under me. Or with my face between her legs. After the third time, Shaghar was grateful enough to inquire if there was any way to return the favour. She learned that there were benefits to not having tusks. I was only too happy to get re-acquainted with her rhubarb bush.
She slept next to me. I woke to find my arm around her, holding her close. I could hardly believe how I felt: one day in her company, and I was already smitten.
I spent most of the next day with her, too.
She was willing to answer all of my questions. Shaghar explained the kinship bonds between herself and Ditgurat, and Ditgurat's daughters, who were away hunting. She also told me of the factions in their clan: the full orcs, some of whom had refused to mate with humans, and then with the offspring of humans. There were only a score of them remaining; their numbers had dwindled because of the shortage of males.
Then there were orcs who had mated with half-orcs. Umog was the daughter of an orc and a half-orc. Some of the first half-orcs (the children of Coopah, Rogek and Dint) clung to the old ways, and refused to mate with humans again.
But there were some who embraced their mixed heritage. They learned to speak the common tongue from the three humans, and mixed with them again. Ditgurat became the acknowledged leader of this group. She was, quite simply, the toughest and cleverest.
After the disappearance of Grushnag (the last chieftain), along with most of the remaining males, Ditgurat claimed the leadership. She'd had to fight and kill two older males, and then an orc female.
- "She was a good Chieftain from the very start." said Shaghar. "Everyone says so."
- "And where is your mother? Her sister, you said."
- "Dead." Shaghar didn't seem particularly sad, because she was very proud of her mother.
When Ditgurat became pregnant, she could easily have been overthrown by a challenge to combat. Her sister Yotul took on the challenge instead, and defeated a half-orc male. Yotul protected her sister when she was with child, and Ditgurat did the same while Yotul bore Shaghar.
When Ditgurat was pregnant with her second child, another male - a full orc named Gulzob - challenged her. This time, unfortunately, Yotul did not prevail. She was killed.
Ditgurat, still heavily pregnant, had to flee, along with a number of children -
and
the three humans, because Gulzob might have killed them. He could not purge all of the remaining half-orcs, though - by that point, they were the majority in the band.
- "Ditgurat gave birth to Ogash - her second daughter. When she had recovered, she came back and challenged Gulzob. It was so exciting." said Shaghar, her eyes alight at the memory. "She slit his throat, and then took his ugly head. Would you like to see his skull?"
I had forgotten where I was. Shaghar was a lovely, shapely female. I had converted her to the joys of bathing and oral sex - but I wasn't going to be able to bring her back to Portoa with me, to introduce her to my family.
Then again, did I really want to do that?
Shaghar also let me take a long walk with her. We were followed by two other females.
- "Ushug is the big one. Ghorza is the smaller one. She is very fast. You cannot outrun her."
- "I won't even try."
- "Good." she said, with a bright smile. "I want you to stay."
- "With you?" I teased.
- "As often as we can." she said, completely earnest.
I was touched. "I would like that." I said.
- "Now?"
We stopped and lay down together. Ushug and Ghorza gave us space, even if they watched from a distance.
***
Late in the afternoon, Snak found us.
- "Shaghar! Smit!" she shouted, as she ran towards us on her little legs. We stopped to let her catch up. She was out of breath when she did. It took some panting to get her words out. The gist of it was that Shaghar was summoned to see the Chieftain, while I was instructed to see Coopah.
I found myself looking at the old man a little differently. At first, I'd found it vaguely repelling that he and his friends had had sex with orcs. And then more sex, with each other's daughters. But look at me: only a few days here, and I'd already lain with three half-orcs.
Granted, it wasn't all a matter of choice (though, knowing what I knew now, I would've chosen Shaghar over most of the human females of my acquaintance). And then there's the old saying: when the Gods give you grapes, you eat them - or you make wine.
- "Did you tell Snak that she was a sweetheart?"
- "Uh ... yes. Because she is. You yourself called her a sweetie."
Coopah nodded. "I know. But you have to be careful, Smit. They tend to take things very literally. Sarcasm can get you killed. If you're going to say something, it's better if you mean it. Now Snak thinks that you like her."
- "I do."
- "Fine. But you may not want her by your side at all times of the day and night ..."
- "Ah. I see your point."
- "Sometimes I just tell her to go make wind with her ears. You might have to do the same. But there are others who won't go away when you tell them to - even if you ask nicely."
- "You've lost me there." I said.
- "You and Shaghar were pretty noisy, down by the stream."
I was beginning to smile, at the recollection - but Coopah was completely serious.
- "I'm sorry." I said. "I didn't think that ... that there was some sort of ..."
- "No, there's no taboo against semi-public sex. You'll find that complete privacy is quite rare. But I'm fairly sure that just about everyone heard you."
- "Really?" I was tempted to smile again. I was a young male: how could that be a bad thing?
- "Most of the clan don't mind. Sometimes it's hard to keep it quiet. But when I say 'everyone' ... that includes Umog."
- "Oh." Damn, but I was stupid.
- "She may feel the need to re-claim you." said Coopah. "Especially if she's been bragging to her cronies that she took possession of you the other day."
Oh, no. "She wouldn't ... she wouldn't go after Shaghar, would she?" I suddenly realized that I'd been careless - reckless, even. "Is that why she's seeing Ditgurat now?"
- "Relax, Smit." said Coopah. "I just wanted you to be a little more aware that the things you say and do can have repercussions."
It was my turn to nod. I remembered Shaghar's story about her mother's death. Coopah, his friends, and their children had all had to hide from the orc who'd killed Yotul - Shaghar's mother. If they'd been found, they likely would have been slaughtered.
I'd been fucking around - literally - without a thought for the consequences. Worst of all, though, I might have been endangering others with my ignorance.
Coopah saw my reaction. He reached out to put a hand on my shoulder.
- "It's alright. I'm just putting a bug in your ear. Better to be careful than sorry, right?"
- "Absolutely."
- "So Ditgurat wants to see you. Just wait outside until Shaghar comes out."
I was three steps away before I remembered my manners.
- "Thanks, Coopah." I said.
- "You're welcome."
I waited for some time; it was almost dusk before Shaghar came out of the Chieftain's cave - and even she had to duck a little.
- "Smit?" She seemed surprised to see me.
- "Shaghar - I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I might have put you in danger -"
She stepped forward, and placed her finger on my lips.
- "Stop." I did. "Zug ... what are you saying?"
It all came out in a rush. Noise, everyone hearing, Umog, my worst fears ...
Shaghar put her finger on my face again. I was a little agitated: she missed my lips, and almost stuck a digit up my nose.
- "Be calm, Smit." she said. "I am not afraid of Umog."
I was stunned. Shaghar was tiny. Well-built, of course, but small, compared to many of the orcs I'd seen around the Blasted Tree. Plus she was a sweetheart, where Umog was ...
"She
could
come for me." said Shaghar. "She would beat me, but I would hurt her. My cousin Lagakh would hurt her back. And then I would recover, and slit Umog's throat while she slept. Or, she could kill me. Then my cousin would kill her." Shaghar put her hand on my cheek. "Don't be afraid. It's fine."
- "You're sure?"
- "Yes. But I like that you worry about me."
- "Of course I worry about you!"
