Casus Belli Ch. 11: A New Reality

"Thank you Sir," she replied, as she put on the cardigan first.

It didn't take long for the girls to return, all dressed up in splendid dresses once more. They immediately started preparing the table, as lunch would be arriving from the kitchens any moment now. "You better add some bowls," Bashuk said with a grin, after the girls had finished.

"Bowls?" Denora asked.

"Yes," Bashuk replied, "for soup. We're going to have soup with bread. I ordered it."

The girls said nothing, bowls got added, and lunch arrived not much later, in the shape of two large iron kettles, and two baskets containing half a dozen loaves of coarse bread each. The girls were all standing as Denora lifted the lid of the first kettle, watching curiously. There was some sniffing. "That's not a soup I'm familiar with," Polly said, looking doubtful.

Bashuk chuckled, "It's Gulan soup, an orcish specialty."

Denora looked up at him, frowning, "Who made it?"

"Don't worry," Bashuk said, "I didn't fire the kitchen staff, they only got some reinforcements." He winked, "I'm no fool, I have seriously liked what has crossed my plate since arriving at the keep. That chef of yours is here to stay." Moiga lifted the lid of the other kettle, and she and Denora started filling the bowls, those of the males up to the rim, and those of the girls rather sparingly. "No trust in orcish cooking?" the huge warlord chuckled.

"Mmmmm," Polly moaned, "I like it!" She shoved her bowl towards the nearest kettle, "Top me up please..."

Moiga smiled as she spooned more soup into the petite blonde's bowl; she was licking her lips in anticipation. Cassandra was looking into Bashuk's bowl, analyzing the contents. It was a thick soup, dark red in color, and containing chunks of meat, onions, diced potatoes, and all kinds of green vegetables she didn't immediately recognize. It smelled good too, spicy. Bashuk reached past her, and took a loaf of bread from the nearest basket, tearing a large piece off, before returning the rest. Cassandra was holding the spoon as Bashuk tore a smaller chunk off the piece he was holding, and held it out to her. "Here," he said, "dip it into the soup and have a taste."

Cassandra did as she was told, watching the light colored bread soak up the soup, and then..., it was delicious. She looked up at Bashuk smiling, and he reacted by handing her another chunk of bread. "This one is for me," he told her with a wink. She dipped his chunk while chewing, noticing happy faces and bowls getting topped up all around the table. The males were tearing up the bread, and placing small chunks on everyone's plates. "You should eat some soup with it," Bashuk told her before he opened wide so she could feed him. She added a spoonful of soup to the bread already inside her mouth, and hummed softly, while feeding Bashuk a spoonful too.

They ate, and Cassandra really enjoyed the Gulan soup; the meat was beef, very tender, and it was spiced with garlic and pepper, and she tasted cumin too. She looked around the table, taking in the atmosphere. The girls were chatting with the males, sharing bread, and all looked utterly happy. The soup with bread wasn't just yummy though, it was also filling, and she, like the other girls, was full before the males were. Denora got up and started topping up the latter's bowls, including Bashuk's and once she sat down again Cassandra observed the interaction between her former maidens and the orcs, while feeding her master.

If the girls were happy she was happy too, she decided, and as she looked up to Bashuk once more, to feed him another chunk of soup soaked bread, he winked at her. Told you so, she could almost hear him think it. She blushed, and the tips of his fingers caressed her back through the cardigan. While feeding him another spoonful of soup she studied his face, and realized his canines seemed smaller than those pictured in illustrations she had seen before she met her first 'live' orc. This also held true for the other males of the pack, and she wondered if it was simply a case of the artist wanting to depict the orcs as more menacing, or if it depicted a difference between the various orc races.

She had learned already that black orcs, which were in reality not black at all but just colored a darker and less brownish green, were more primitive, so maybe they had bigger canines too? She should ask Bashuk sometime she decided, when they were alone. Not being free to speak unless given permission, or being alone with her master, was a huge nuisance she decided.

After the males had their fill too, Bashuk addressed the pack, "I want you girls to start on those servant's uniforms; you can place all the requisitions needed on my authority." He looked at Denora as he said it, and his senior pack-girl nodded in response. He then addressed the males, "Kasho and Yakha, you watch over the females, the rest of you will accompany me." Cassandra looked up at her master questioningly, and he grinned at her, "It's nice weather, and the fresh air will do you good." So he wasn't just going to take her outside of the quarters, he was going to take her outdoors, with her as good as naked. She swallowed hard while she felt herself blush.

Bashuk gave her a little push, and she slipped from his lap in response. "We go light," he told the males as he stood, "meet me in the reception room." They just nodded their understanding, and Cassandra followed her master into the bedchamber while the males filed out towards the private hallway and the girls started clearing the table. Inside he went for his stuff, which was still in a large heap against the wall were he had initially put it, and got out a broad belt supporting some leather pouches and a scabbard holding a sword. It wasn't a big sword, at least for orc standards, but still considerably bigger than her own sword was.

He put on the belt, and then he unsheathed the sword. It was a straight one-handed design, but rather broad, and it looked heavy. Bashuk checked it, and then he put it back inside the scabbard again. "Do you remember what your position is when we're on the move?" he then asked.

Cassandra nodded, "Yes Sir, about a foot to your left and two feet behind you."

He smiled, "Good girl..." With that he turned towards the bedchamber doors, and as he did she noticed the smaller scabbard attached to the belt horizontally at his back, holding what looked like a huge knife. It was positioned so he could draw it out horizontally with his left hand when his right hand went for his sword. He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, "The knife is for parrying, but I seldom use it. It unlocks when you twist it to the left. Draw it, but be careful, because it's very sharp." Cassandra reached out hesitatingly, and placed a hand on the thick leather clad handle. It felt solid, heavy, even while still sheathed.

She twisted anticlockwise, and felt the lock disengage, after which she slowly pulled it out of its sheath. It was a huge hunting knife, it came out smoothly, and it was heavy indeed. "Handle it, feel its balance," the huge orc ordered next. She swung it a couple of times, and the oiled surface of the big drop point recurve blade shone menacingly as she did. It felt unfamiliar, different from her sword, but still reassuring. "Good," Bashuk said, "now put it back, it locks into place automatically." She returned the knife to its sheath, letting go of the handle once she felt it lock itself. "Should your life ever be in danger, you have permission to use the knife," he told her.

Cassandra nodded, feeling perplexed, "Thank you Sir."

"I only allow you this because I know you can handle a weapon, and because I trust you, "Bashuk added, "but be aware that drawing a weapon for the wrong reasons is, for a slave, punished by death." She swallowed. "You draw it as an absolute last resort, when death seems imminent, and when you do you go for the kill. Clear?"

She nodded slowly, "Yes Sir, understood."

He reached out, and gently touched her cheek, before turning and continuing towards the living room. She followed him out, closing the bedchamber doors behind her. The girls had just finished clearing the table, and both Kasho and Yakha were with them, now both armed like Bashuk was. When she entered the reception room after her master, the other four males were already waiting for them, also armed just like Bashuk was. Kurgan opened the doors leading into the hallway, and she groaned softly as she noticed the two big orc males guarding the doors from the outside. She felt their curious looks when Bashuk's second in command led them out, and as she looked up into the eyes of one of them there was only desire in them.

The sixty-five yard long hallway was largely empty, except for a small number of workmen who seemed busy placing a new door in the hallway halfway between the entrances into the dining rooms. The men, they were human males, looked at her when they passed. She didn't know any of them, but going by the stunned expressions on their faces they were all well aware of who she was, or at least who she used to be. The rather exposing décolleté of the cardigan aside she was as good as naked from the waist down, and she blushed fiercely as she noticed their gazes drop to her shaven pussy.

The second door into the dining rooms was standing open, and as she looked inside while passing she noticed some orcs busy arranging heavy looking benches. "It's going to be a court room," she heard her master say, but when she looked back at him he was already looking to his front again. Kurgan opened the next set of hallway doors that proved unguarded, and as they moved towards the next pair, only some fifteen yards further down the hallway, she glanced at the wall to her left. Nothing seemed to indicate that the entrance to the hidden stairwell behind it had been discovered. The next pair of doors opened, and these were guarded once more.

Cassandra tried to ignore the heated looks of the two orc guards as they left the former royal quarters behind. She felt happy turning the corner, because it took her naked ass out of their view. The hallway went north-west now, towards another pair of doors some thirty yards away. Behind it lay the great stairs and, no doubt, many more curious gazes. When they entered there were only some servant girls, who stopped moving and looked at them as they passed. These onlookers she did know, if not by name at least by face. She looked at the floor, not wanting to lock eyes with them, this was so humiliating...

They witnessed you getting fucked already, she thought, but it didn't diminish the embarrassment she felt. They went right, and then down the stairs to the second floor, where her father once used to reside. There was a lot more activity there, some servant girls, but mostly orcs, both male and female. The doors to her deceased father's quarters were standing open, and furniture was being carried out. The thought about her father made her feel even more miserable, and as they turned right she felt Batul's hand on her shoulder. The thumb gently rubbed the nape of her neck, and then the hand was gone again.

He cares, she realized, and then she noticed how Durgat and Bolar were boxing her in, largely hiding her from view behind a wall of big orcs. You are part of the pack too, you truly are, and the pack takes care of its own... They all care... Her back straightened as she started descending the stairs to the first floor, which proved even busier than the second floor had been. There was a stream of building materials being carried towards the hallway leading to the great hall, for obvious reasons. She followed Bashuk towards the keep's entrance, and from there outside, down the stairs and onto the large paved square.

Outside her master turned east, and she followed, ignoring the orcs and humans looking on as best as she could. It wasn't cold outside, indeed probably even a little warmer than it had been inside the keep. They were heading for the stables it seemed, which were built against the castle's eastern wall a little over a hundred yards away. She noticed dozens of carriages parked on the grass to the left and right of the building, which was unusual, as they belonged inside the building. "I have been told that the animals and carriages in the outermost parts of the stables belonged to the keep's guests, and the ones in its central part to the castle itself," Bashuk said, "is that correct."

It took a moment for Cassandra to realize her master was addressing her. "Yes Sir, that's correct," she then answered.

Bashuk nodded. "We put all the carriages that used to belong to the nobles outside to make room for all the associated draft animals inside the left part of the building, so we can turn the right side into a stables for our own mounts." He gestured at the parked carriages, "Within the next couple of days those will be leaving for the manors and houses they came from, with the servants that brought them here, and a warrior pack to act as my supervisors for the time being. He gestured at the central part of the stables next, "How important are those carriages and animals for the castle?"

Cassandra shrugged, "Most aren't carriages but wagons, needed for supply and maintenance and such, Sir, and except for the associated draft animals there are also the riding animals that belonged to my father and me..."

The huge orc nodded, "There won't be any further need for the latter..."

She chuckled in response, "Some members of your pack might not agree Sir..." Bashuk looked back at her, questioningly. "A couple of the girls like to ride," she explained, "and Polly used to be a stable hand, tasked with the care of my father's favorite horse, before she became a maiden. If you get rid of Koltin you'll never hear the end of it..."

Her master chuckled, 'Thanks for the warning, I want to keep Polly on my good side..." Cassandra smiled at the thought of her former junior maiden, her 'officer of the watch', and then they were standing in front of the rightmost door of the stables. It was a huge building, close to four hundred feet long, and over a hundred feet wide, built with one of the long sides against the castle wall. There was noise coming from the other side of the door, the sounds of carpenters at work, but also strange animal sounds. Kurgan opened a smaller door in the huge door and inside they went. There were orcs at work everywhere, enlarging existing stalls by merging them with adjoining ones, and also building entirely new ones, and then she saw them.

They were bipedal, a mottled gray-brown of color, and much larger than a prancing horse would be. The nearest one, some ten yards away, sniffed the air, and then it turned its large head towards her. It had large orange eyes, which locked on her, and then its nostrils flared and it opened its huge maw, displaying an impressive array of teeth. It sure wasn't a herbivore... "They are domesticated, but they also aren't used to humans yet, so approach with care," Bashuk told her. Cassandra nodded slowly, taking in the beast's massively muscled legs, ending in what looked like bird claws, and its equally massively muscled tail.

Its arms were relatively small, and ended in the same type of claws, but smaller, in proportion with the arms. "These are kurtz," Bashuk explained, "our standard mounts. They are faster than a horse, and they also have more endurance." He closed on the beast, making her wonder if she should follow him or not, she chose the latter. The kurtz snorted, and then it lowered its large head towards Bashuk, who placed one of his big hands on top its long snout, and then, once the beast had calmed, gestured Cassandra to come closer. She swallowed, and then she did as told, ignoring the rules when she moved not to his side but behind him.

"Kurtz are fairly intelligent," her master said softly, "especially the females, so what you're doing is good. You show her you belong with me, and that I trust you, telling her she can trust you too, and, more importantly, that you aren't food." Cassandra nodded, while leaning into her master's protective bulk. "Come here and place your hand next to mine," her master said next, "on top of her snout, but slowly." Cassandra swallowed, and then she moved forward a little, not losing contact with Bashuk's reassuring bulk. She had to reach up high, and to do so she had to move in front of him.

He put his free arm around her, protectively, and the huge beast snorted once more as she placed her hand on its snout next to her master's as ordered. Its thick hide felt warm, and surprisingly soft. "This is her summer coat," Bashuk said, "In winter her fur gets much thicker, and also lighter of color." The kurtz sniffed, "It's alright Karu," he said next, "she's with me." The kurtz made this loud purring sound, and then its head dropped without warning. It locked eyes with her but for a moment, still purring, and then its huge jaws opened and the next moment this large purplish tongue swept out and licked her face. Cassandra yelped, and then she spluttered.

Bashuk laughed, "Karu likes you girl..." She wiped her face. "Now caress her," her master said, "show her you want to be friends too." Karu was still looking at her, but she wasn't purring anymore, and Cassandra reached out hesitantly, brought her hand up beneath the huge lower jaw, and softly rubbed the soft hide. Karu blinked, and then she started purring again, but much louder this time. Her master reached out too, and started rubbing Karu on top of her head, making her purr even louder. "The males are a little smaller," Bashuk explained next, "so they are used as mounts by the common warriors, while the larger females are reserved for the larger pack leaders and chieftains."

The huge animal cocked its head to the side, pushing against Bashuk's caressing hand. "Karu here is exceptionally large, and bright, even for a female, which is why she became my personal mount," he continued, and then he looked down and grinned at her, "just like you are..." Cassandra blushed as he described her as 'his mount', and when she noticed the soft chuckling behind her, her blush deepened. The huge orc smiled, and then he lowered his hand from the top of Karu's head on top of hers and softly ruffled her hair.

Bashuk inspected the works being carried out at the front of the stables, where the kurtz were stalled, and then he moved further inside. Here there were orcs at work too, but instead of merging two stalls into one they were merging three. As they proceeded towards the back of the stables she heard this strange bellowing sound, and not much later she discovered its source. These beasts were even bigger than the kurtz were, but less tall, because they weren't bipeds. They had the build of an ox, but much bigger, and heavier, and they were covered in thick armor. Most impressive though where the huge forward pointing horns sprouting from their chunky heads.

"These are jaggerz," Bashuk said, "they're very strong, but not that smart. We use them in the assault, to carry heavily armored troops into combat. They're herbivores, and outside combat they're pretty docile, so have a closer look at them if you want."

Cassandra nodded and when her master turned away, and addressed one of the workers, she stepped closer to the nearest stall. The jaggerz's yellow eyes contrasted sharply with its dark bluish-gray armored hide. She took in its massive front leg. It didn't end in a hoof, like with a horse, but in three stubby and widespread toes. "We normally ride kurtz," Kurgan's voice sounded behind her, "but when we're going to charge prepared defenses we switch to these ugly beasts." She looked back over her shoulder, meeting the big orc's smiling face. "At the moment there's seven of them in here," he continued, "and they belong to our pack, just like those kurtz jou just saw."