Aratheon - Wolf and the Giant Killer Ch. 02

Medea stacks up the food upon a plate, piling it high before bringing it to her master. Vox devours it like a savage pack of wolves. How can someone as petite and skinny as Vox put down so much food? She eats more than my entire pack combined.

"Vox, I will be going north with my slave to meet a pack of wolves, will you want to come?" Sharogg asks.

"Of course. Nedru has told me all about them. I would love to meet Akira and all her children. They sound so nice," Vox says.

"Akira... Hmmm, that name I have heard before," Sharogg says, as she scratches her chin.

"She is the packs mother," I say.

"Right..." Sharogg says.

Two burly Orcs come in, pushing each other as they walk up to Sharogg. One has a giant mohawk and the other has his hair in braids. "All-Mother, Denthor wants my rawhide pouch but is unwilling to trade his wineskin," says the one with the mohawk.

"Surely there must be something else..." Denthor says. "I have offered you my sharpest throwing ax. Is that not enough, Targul?"

"I do not want your ax, I want the wineskin," Targul growls.

Sharogg sighs. "Here, give me the ax. Targul, you can have my wineskin as long as you give him your pouch. Does that not seem fair?" Sharogg asks.

"I am good with this deal if Targul is," Denthor says.

"I am as well," Targul says. The three of them make a trade as Sharogg gives up her wineskin for a sharp throwing ax. Then Denthor gives Targul the wineskin and gets the pouch in return. The two orcs pound their chest to Sharogg and then leave as if they were brothers.

The orc woman from the day before comes in with the woman scout from the town of Barestar. The woman has a collar with a chain tied to it. She tries to cover up as she walks naked behind her orcess master. "Fetch me some food, slave," she barks at the woman.

The woman timidly stumbles up to the food table with the slack the lady orc has provided. She fills the plate with as much food as she can before bringing it back to where the orc sits. The orcess takes the plate from her and pulls her slave into her lap. Humiliation lingers on the woman's face. I find my fist clenched. I feel Sharogg's hand on my forearm. I glance down at her as she gives me a stern look. Her hand slides down to my fist and unbinds it.

"Ragash," Sharogg says. The orcess with the woman slave looks up. "How are you liking your new pet?"

"Hmmm, she is fierce and full of fire. I like that very much," Ragash says, her only braid of hair comes down and rests on her shoulder. She has a body much like Sharogg. "She is learning quickly, High Mother. She serves me well so far."

"I am glad to hear," Sharogg says.

"We must expect the humans to retaliate," another orc says.

"Let them try, they will only supply us with more slaves," another orc says. "And I look forward to claiming my own."

"We must not seek a fight. If the humans come, we will deal with them, but let me make it clear, anyone who takes action against the humans without my consent will face swift punishment," Sharogg says.

"Why not fight them? We should enslave them all," one orc shouts out.

"Yes and now is a better time than any, they fight amongst themselves. Their king was killed by their own kind and now another sits upon their throne," says another orc. "I heard another one has raised an army against this usurper. Now would be the perfect time to strike."

"Let me repeat myself, no action can be taken against the humans without my permission," Her voice storms through the hall silencing everything else. Even Vox stops foundling her slave and perks up.

Sharogg's warg comes out from her chamber ready to attack. The beast's size alone is enough to strike fear into any heart. Sharogg grabs a slice of meat off the plate and tosses it to her warg. He calms down and takes the meat back to their chamber.

"Marzoga, you will take command in my absence. I must go see these wolves," Sharogg says.

"Be careful, All-Mother. It might be a trap," she says as her eyes cut into me.

"I feel otherwise. Besides, only a fool would set a trap for me," she says. "Thrire!"

The warg comes out as it finishes gobbling down the meat. "Come Vox. Come, my slave."

Vox looks up to Sharogg and nods. She kisses her slave and whispers in her ear. Her slave nods and walks out. Vox jumps to her feet and walks out with Nedru to her side. I follow Sharogg and Thrire, outside.

Vox enters a rather large hut and soon comes out with a large warg of her own. She hugs the warg before mounting it. I look back to see Sharogg already mounted as she pulls me up and sits me in front of her. Soon we're off with Nedru following.

It takes us from the time the sun ascends into the sky until it starts its descent to reach the human territory of the woods. Nedru goes on ahead to summon the pack out as we slow down. I look back at Sharogg. "Mama..."

She looks down at me as we stop in the forest. "Yes, my little Emeris?"

"Could I ask a favor?" I say.

"Speak it," she says.

"Just for the meeting with my pack could we remove the collar and chain? I do not wish for them to see me like this. I will do anything you ask of me. Just please do not make me meet my pack with this on," I say.

We come to a halt. "You say you will do anything?"

"Yes, please just let me meet with them without the collar," I beg.

"You know I will hold you to your word, right?" she says.

I nod.

"And you know they will have to see you eventually in the collar if they move into my land?" she asks.

"I know... but that can wait another day," I say.

She takes the collar off of me and wraps the chain around her waist, hooking the collar to her belt. "Thank you, my mama," I say.

She leans in and kisses me. "Of course my little Emeris. Just do not make me regret this."

"I won't, I promise." She leans down and kisses my neck.

We continue on for a bit before I tell her to stop. The den is not far from here. It is not long after Nedru comes back. Sharogg, Vox and I dismount. Behind Nedru is a Giant of a wolf bigger than any warg. "Akira!" I shout as I rush up to her and fall to my knees.

She comes up to me and presses her head against mine. My hairless cub...

"A dire wolf... I thought they were all wiped out by the humans," I hear Sharogg whisper. "Akira... yes, now I remember."

Akira looks up at Sharogg and tenses up. You...

Akira walks past me and up to Sharogg. "You know each other?" I ask.

Sharogg bends down as Akira walks up to her. "Yes, I once made a pact with the dire wolves of old. I did not know there were any left after the humans hunted them down."

I am the only one left besides my children.

"I remember you... You were just a cub," Sharogg says as she pats Akira.

And I have not forgotten you either.

"Akira... You never told me you knew orcs," I say.

Akira looks back at me. There are a lot of things I never told you, my hairless cub.

Sharogg laughs. "Hairless cub."

I give Sharogg a sharp look. Her smile only grows in depth. By now Vox comes up to Akira. "Hi... Nedru has told me so much about you. I am Vox. And Nedru is my friend."

Nedru comes up to Vox and sits beside her.

Is that so? Akira looks at the dragon.

"Why of course. I think we can be friends," Vox says, reaching out and pets Akira. The wolf mother leans into Vox's touch.

"Den mother," I say. "I come back to you with a welcoming offer from the orcs."

Yes, my cub? Akira says as she looks back at me.

"The orcs have offered up some of their land for the pack to live without fear from the humans."

That is kind of the orcs. Akira says.

"But?" Sharogg says.

But this is our land. This is our den. Akira says.

"But what about the humans?" I ask. "They will never stop hunting us."

Let them try. We will not give up our home. Akira lets out a howl that shakes the trees. All of a sudden all my brothers and sisters come out from the shelter of the woods, surrounding us all.

Kete, Meadow, Dawn, and Scar come to me and greet me. Even the cubs come out as they scurry up to the den mother. Vox's eyes grow with excitement. She drops to her knees and opens up her arms. Shadow doesn't hesitate and runs straight into her arms. Sunset follows and soon all the other cubs run into Vox's arms. They tackle her and attack her with licks all the while Vox giggles as she tries to pet them all.

Scar licks my face while Meadow pushes her snout under my arm. Nedru also plays with her brothers and sisters. "So, then... You will not be coming to our land?" Sharogg asks.

Akira looks up at her. The two Alpha's stare each other down. No. We will not be leaving our land and our hunting grounds. If the humans choose to invade our den, then we will fight.

"But Den mother! There is plenty of land and food for all. You cannot stay here. The humans... They won't stop."

My decision has been made. It is good to see you my cub, but you now belong with them. Nedru, you will stay with him as well. Nedru nods.

"But Den Mother..."

Akira lets loose another ear-piercing howl and the pack fades back into the woods. Akira looks back at us. Be safe my cubs.

Just like that, they disappear back into the woods. I sit there with an awful feeling in my stomach as Nedru comes up to me and licks my face. How could she not take the offer? It is the only way forward...

Sharogg leans down and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Come, let us leave."

"How could she not want to come with us?" I ask.

"Because this is their home. I understand that," Sharogg says. "No one wants to give up their land. Now come. We must leave. We are in the human's territory."

"It is not their land. It is the packs land," I say.

"They won't see it that way," Sharogg says. Nedru comes up and licks my face. Sharogg pulls me to my feet. Then she takes the collar and wraps it around my throat. "I'm sorry, but I cannot have the other orcs see you without a collar."

Then she pulls me on the warg with her as we ride out. "I'm sorry things did not work out as planned, my little Emeris."

I look back at her. I see the pity in her eyes. She leans in and kisses me as we ride back.

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