Author's note: This is a tale set in 'The Clan Wars' world that I'm writing while I plan out the next book. Thanks for all the great feedback for the original story. I hope this one will be interesting enough to tide you over until I write the next book. As usual, kind comments and nice ratings are encouraging and keep me writing, and constructive criticism helps me improve!
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Chapter 01 - Life Lost, Life Gained
She had seen many seasons, her black hair was silvered with age, wrinkles creasing the corners of her nose, mouth and eyes, but an orc did not reach Tula's age, especially in the wildness of the eastern reaches, by being stupid. She was still formidable - her numerous scars spoke to many a struggle survived while her pronounced musculature told any threat that she could survive many more. Naked, but for the wooden spear she had crafted, tip blackened by fire, Tula stalked through the rainforest, pushing her way south towards the shores of the Darksea and away from her former tribe's lands.
Tula - the name was a title too. Exile. The result of a mistake that had cost her the leadership of her tribe and all the accoutrements of that life. She had once been Trabba of the Redtooth, but now she was clanless, having banished herself from the lands of which she was once master. She looked down at her chest, at the bone piercing she bore through the nipple of her left breast; the only memento of her past life the tribe had left her with. The tip of an ancestor's tusk, the piercing served as a reminder of the clan she had let down. The plain ornament was a far cry from the golden rings she had once borne upon her ample bosom - it was no mark of honour or high stature, but a symbol of her disgrace.
The exile had stopped only briefly on her journey south to hunt and rest and now, five days after her banishment, she could smell the Darksea through the trees ahead of her. She could also smell smoke, carrying with it the hint of cooking fish. Her stomach rumbled. She was hungry.
Reld turned the spitted fish fillet over and watched as the flames of his campfire licked its untouched side. It was midday and he had paused his fishing to make land and sate his hunger. Not many fishermen out of Bal's Post had the nerve to cast their nets on the far side of the lake; the threat of running into the wild orcs that inhabited the woods was too great, to say nothing of the other, even more bestial denizens of the eastern reaches. The best spots closer to the town had been claimed, however, and Reld was too young to vie for one of the premium locations against the older, more experienced fishermen. His father had been one of them, but, upon his death, he could only leave his boat, nets and house to his son - fishing territory could not be inherited and his had been quickly snapped up by those more senior to his son.
Still, Reld had his longknife and trusted his youthful ears. The rest of his catch was still in the boat, only a few yards away, and the lad reckoned he could make the dash to his craft before any trouble could reach him. He was caught completely unawares when Tula spoke from behind him.
"I request passage on your boat, fisherman."
Reld started forward, knocked his spit from the rock it rested upon with his leg. His lunch fell into the fire. He jumped from the log he was sitting on, turning and scrambling backwards while fumbling for his knife.
"I mean you no harm, human," said Tula, watching the panicked boy calmly. "I simply seek passage across the water."
Reld stared wide-eyed at the orc before him, taking in her scarred, bare skin, her long, silver hair, her toned muscles and the fact that she wasn't stabbing him with the spear she was leaning on.
"Uh, what?" he stuttered.
"I have no gold to pay for passage, but I can service you as recompense," explained Tula.
"Y-you wa-want to be m-my s-servant?"
Tula sighed. She wondered if she should have announced her presence before getting so close to the lad, but then she would have run the risk of him fleeing to his boat. "No, boy, you may mount me."
"Wha-what?"
"I shall let you mate with me if you give me passage across the lake," said the orc, rolling her eyes.
The young fisherman ran his gaze over Tula's body. She was certainly appealing - her toned form, her large breasts, her shapely waist and legs and her noble, attractive visage (despite her grim expression) all combined to create a flutter of arousal in his loins, but the lad knew he had more fishing to do that day. He could not cut his work short to act as a ferryman, tempting older orc woman or not. Besides, the older greenskin was clearly down on her luck, with nothing but a primitive wooden spear to her name, and his father had not raised him to take advantage of those experiencing hard times.
"I can't," said Reld, gathering his wits as his instincts grasped the concept that he wasn't about to be spitted like his burning lunch. "I have more fishing to do today. I won't be returning until this evening."
"I can wait," stated Tula. "I do not mind."
"Uh, okay," said Reld, getting to his feet and brushing the sand off his tunic and shorts. He bent over to retrieve his burnt fish and scraped it off the stick. "I'm going to cook up another fish. Would you, uh, like some...?"
"No," said Tula. She had journeyed to other settlements before and knew how trading worked. If she offered to service him now, in exchange for food, then he may not be in the mood later on in exchange for passage across the water.
"You sure?" said Reld, retrieving another fish from his boat. He flopped it down on a rock and deftly gutted and filleted it.
Tula sat down a short distance from the fire and watched the youth skewer his new lunch. The smell of cooking meat wafted into her nose. Her stomach rumbled hungrily, but she said nothing, even once the boy's meal was ready and he tore a piece of flesh off and took a bite.
"Come on," said Reld, holding the skewer out towards his audience. He felt awkward eating his meal while the attractive orc sat watching.
"I cannot pay," said Tula. The fish smelled delicious.
"You don't have to," laughed Reld. "I'm sharing my lunch with you, is all. You don't have to 'pay' me to take you across the lake, either. I'll be heading that way anyway and an extra passenger is no trouble, if you're willing to wait for me to finish checking my nets."
She couldn't resist the boy's offer. Tula took the skewer from Reld's hand and tore a chunk of meat from it. "Thank you."
"My name is Reld," said the youth, seeking to make small talk as they ate. "What's yours?"
"You may call me Tula."
"Where are you heading?" asked Reld.
"Away from the forest," replied Tula.
"That's not really a destination," chuckled the fisherman. "Where are you going?"
The orc grunted gruffly and chewed her mouthful. The boy's question had brought back the memory of her dishonour and of her current, depressing situation. "I do not wish to talk about it."
"Okay," said Reld placatingly. The pair finished their lunch in quiet.
Once their meal was complete, Reld stood and kicked sand over his small fire. As he turned to head down to the boat, he found Tula standing in his way. The orc calmly looked him in the eye and reached down to grab his crotch, cupping his package through the cloth of his shorts.
