Casus Belli Ch. 12: Victory Celebrations

"Kragos had other plans though... Unknown to me he had gathered other dissidents around him, and made a plan to kill me and my pack as part of a grab for power. Once in power Kragos would have ordered the enslavement of all of Nigawa, and the dividing of all the Nigawan females of birthing age between the army's warriors. They expected that the majority of the warriors, after their long abstinence, wouldn't be able to withstand the lure of personally owning a large number of fertile human females..." He grinned, "It sure was an enticing bounty he was dangling in front of their eyes, but to my pride and joy, the tribe's males didn't bite..."

"The plan was to provoke me into breaking the code, by claiming, abusing, and if need be killing, my prize. His 'pack' wasn't his pack by the way; they were six dissident males selected for their close combat skills, and they were supposed to kill me and my entire pack. The real members of his pack were leading troops loyal to him that he had brought with him from the south. They were positioned inside the castle and in the main encampment the army put up outside of Iriskan, to consolidate the power grab once Kragos had succeeded in killing me. It all came out once Kragos and his assassins were dead, and a couple of the chieftains present in the great hall, who were more familiar with his pack, pointed out that the dead males weren't his actual pack members."

"His males were all rounded up during the night, as were the troops they brought with them. The former have already been executed for treason, and the latter will be enslaved, conform the code." Bashuk checked with the gathered girls, who were all looking a little pale. "Kragos came close," he then continued, "but he miscalculated on two points. First he underestimated the fighting skill of me and my males, and second he overestimated the other chieftains' willingness to commit treason in exchange for fertile females. Probably his black orc blood clogging his judgment..."

Bashuk locked eyes with his prize, "Also something else surfaced, something concerning you..." Cassandra swallowed. "When Kragos assaulted you he let something slip regarding the capturing of your mate. I didn't hear him at the time, but some of the chieftains nearer to him did, and his males, after some 'encouragement', provided the details of exactly what transpired. It happened near an inn named 'the Witches Cauldron', where your mate was leading his personal guard in what would later prove a diversion, to facilitate a breakout attempt by the rest of his army, which due to his efforts succeeded."

His prize was looking up at him with big eyes, weighing every word he spoke. "As a result of his efforts he and his men got cut off and surrounded though. They put up a 'last stand' at the inn, and about half of them got killed before the remainder were overpowered. Now the chieftain in command of that part of the battlefield was Kragos. He was the one that fell for your mate's diversion, and failed at his task as a result. Things like that just happen in combat, and especially to those thinking themselves smarter than they really are. Kragos was overcome by his black orc blood though, he became furious, and vented his anger on the warrior who outsmarted him."

Bashuk's voice became harsh, "Your mate had been knocked out during the final fight, and was captured by Kragos' males. So he became a prisoner of war, but when he regained consciousness Kragos still assaulted him, and wounded him. It was a deed most heinous, a brutal violation of the code of war, and it should have seen him severely punished, but his pack's males covered it up for him." Cassandra was crying softly, and the huge orc pulled her close, and gently caressed her. "It's a disgrace, and it should never have happened. I'm sorry, I truly am." She looked back at him, pleadingly.

"No," her master said, "this changes nothing regarding his status. He's a slave now, and of no concern to you anymore." His voice softened, "He will receive the care every wounded slave gets, and if the gods are willing he will survive, and be put to work where it's most beneficial."

Cassandra looked down, and nodded slowly, but she still found it unfair.

How does succession work anyway?" Denora asked. "Can a pack just murder the ruling pack and take over?"

Bashuk chuckled, "Yes and no... Someone trying that, like Kragos did, must be of the ruling clan, and of the highest rank, to be able to usurp power. Now the Green Vale orcs consist of three clans, which is a result of three tribes merging into one a long time ago. Of these three clans the Durak were and are the most numerous, and powerful, by far. The Durak clan is about as large as the Croda and Kamaz clans together. So the Durak clan, my clan, has always been the ruling clan. Now Kragos was Durak, so that's one point in his favor. On top of that, though, he should also have been the highest ranking chieftain surviving, which is where his prospects of actually assuming control over the tribe became a little more troublesome.

Now 'chieftain' isn't really a rank, it translates more to something like 'officer', and in our army chieftains come in four different ranks; kran, vrak, kogan, and kurok, lowest to highest. The highest rank in an orc army is that of krodoz, the rank of the warlord, so my own official rank." He gestured at the gathered males. "Kurgan is a kurok, Kasho and Yakha are kogans, and the other three are vraks. Normally, in the case of something happening to me, Kurgan would take over, and shouldn't he be able to one of the other kuroks of my clan, of which there are four, would take over in his place. Of these four, only two are presently in Iriskan though, but they were high on the target list of Kragos' males."

He grinned, "If Kragos had succeeded in killing me and my males his accomplices would have killed those two kuroks too, to take out the competition. Kragos was only a vrak though so, officially, he still wouldn't be in the line of succession, but due to his black orc blood Kragos was easily as big as a kurok, and as a result considered himself of that rank. He would have claimed my title, and anyone getting in his way he would simply have challenged and killed. The main problem though was getting away with killing me and my pack in the first place of course, for which he was relying on a perceived discontent among the tribe's males with my decision not to simply enslave all of Nigawa, as I explained before."

Bashuk sighed, "Kragos was a violent and devious schemer. I should have foreseen him pulling something like what happened last night, and been on my guard against it. On the positive side; he's dead now, his co-conspirators have followed him this morning, and it looks like that'll be the end of it." The huge orc caressed his prize. "I'm so sorry you became a victim in this," he said softly, before kissing her on the top of her head.

Bashuk called an end to the kavor-maku, after which the girls and the males filed out of the bedchamber, but before the last one out could close the doors three familiar looking orcish females came in. It was Daitan and the two healers again Cassandra noticed with a smile. The two healers checked her over, her intimate parts included, and then started talking to each other in orcish. "Talk common please," Bashuk interrupted them, "as we agreed to. You're scaring the girl..." Cassandra had started worrying indeed.

"We're sorry," one of the two kombar-karan replied, "but we don't know all the medical terms in common."

The other one addressed Cassandra, "Don't worry, you're healing just fine, even faster than expected.

Cassandra locked eyes with Bashuk. The huge orc chuckled "No, you're not getting out of bed yet..." It wasn't what she had hoped for of course, and she pouted.

"Your master just isn't going to take any risks," Daitan chimed in, "and he's right; better safe than sorry..."

Bashuk's prize nodded her understanding, after which the two kombar-karan said their goodbyes and left, but to her surprise Daitan didn't leave with them. Bashuk gestured at the female, "The girls are having a krujac training session this afternoon, and Daitan volunteered to stay and keep an eye on you, so none of them are going to miss out on their training." Daitan smiled, and Cassandra nodded her understanding, and then Bashuk left too, but not before he had hugged her.

By the time Bashuk had closed the bedchamber doors behind him, Daitan had closed the curtains and installed herself in the comfy chair. "He's so sorry for what happened to you at the celebrations," the female said softly.

"I know," Cassandra answered, while her eyes adjusted to the dim light.

"How are you feeling?" Daitan asked, as her image became clearer.

"Cassandra shrugged, "Just a little bruised, and otherwise I'm fine, as the healers told you."

"That's not what I meant, former Kangess," the orc female said softly. "How are you coping with being a prize?"

"I think I have been very lucky in my choice of master...," Cassandra answered, after which Daitan looked back questioningly. She swallowed, "It's just..., I'm still in love with my betrothed, and while the girls will become mates to Nigawa's new ruling class I'll be just a prize, a pleasure slave." Her voice trembled, "A set of warm holes to satisfy cocks with, and a fertile belly to breed..."

"That's in essence what a prize starts as," Daitan replied softly, "but to Bashuk you're much more than that already, he didn't risk his life to kill Kragos for nothing." Cassandra swallowed. "He could simply have had him executed," Daitan continued, "but he didn't, because the bastard had hurt you, and he wanted to make him pay for it personally." The female smiled, "And who says a prize can't become a mate?" The prize's eyebrows rose. "Remember me telling you that if you played your cards right everything would end well for you? What did you think that meant?" Daitan asked.

Cassandra swallowed hard, "I..., I can become a pack-mate too?"

"Yes," the orcish female answered, "but only if your master invites you to offer yourself to him as a mate." She sighed, "Korkumun tea isn't going to help you where it comes to that though, especially since our leader urgently needs a male successor..."

The prize was looking back at her wide eyed for a moment. "What if I only bear him cubs too small to become a warlord?" she then asked.

Daitan chuckled, "Don't worry, with orcs the male seed determines the size the male offspring will grow to."

She nodded slowly, "And what does the female add?"

"Many things," Daitan replied, just like it is with humans. Male cubs almost always have their mother's eye color though..." Something started nagging at the back of Cassandra's mind. "I can't help you regarding your love for a defeated and enslaved enemy... Maybe you should consider you aren't the only one mourning a lost love," the female continued, and then her face dropped. "Bashuk was so in love with Roshin. After we found what remained of her and the cubs he spend hours on his knees next to her, holding what little remained of her hand. It was the first time I ever saw him cry, I couldn't even bear watching it," she said, sounding incredibly sad.

Cassandra couldn't see them in the twilight, but she remembered Daitan's beautiful amber colored eyes, and belatedly realized how much they looked like Bashuk's. The dots finally connected, and even without knowing about orc males inheriting their mother's eye color, how could she have missed this? "You..., you're his mother?" Cassandra heard herself ask, sounding perplexed.

"Yes..," Daitan answered, crying softly now, "and he's all I have left in this world..." Her son's prize didn't know how to reply, and so she simply didn't. After another long moment the mourning female looked up, and cleared her throat, "Sorry about that."

"No," Cassandra replied softly, "Don't be sorry, and please accept my sincerest apologies for what happened to your loved ones."

The orc female got up, moved to the bed, bent over and hugged her. "My son chose right... Please don't take too long to stop drinking korkumun tea, will you?" Cassandra nodded, blushing, and Daitan righted herself. "And now go to sleep," the female added, "we mustn't make Bashuk worry, he has enough worries already."

When Cassandra woke it wasn't Daitan but Leavy looking back at her from the comfy chair. "That's a surprise," she chuckled, "if you're expecting something green..."

"Daitan left an hour ago," Leavy replied, "once we got back from bathing after krujac training." The platinum blonde smiled, "She's really nice, isn't she? Daitan I mean."

Cassandra nodded her agreement. "I just found out she's Bashuk's mother," she said.

"Huh?" Leavy reacted, and then, "he has her eyes..."

"Yeah," Cassandra said, "I can't believe I didn't figure it out earlier."

Leavy chuckled, "So she was babysitting her pleasure-slave-in-law?"

The pleasure slave grinned, "I also learned from her that a prize can actually become a mate..."

The platinum blonde blinked, "Say again?"

"You heard right," Cassandra reacted, "a master can invite his prize to offer herself as a mate, and accept her." She sighed, "I really like Bashuk. He's a great guy, who obviously cares for me, and is able to totally satisfy me sexually, but..."

"This isn't about him being an orc," Leavy ascertained, "this is about Brando, right?" Cassandra just nodded, and Leavy bit her lower lip. "Brando is, for all intents and purposes, gone, Cassy..."

"I know," the former Kangess answered, "but believe me, it isn't easy to accept."

Leavy nodded, "I understand... Did Daitan have any more surprises up her sleeve?"

Cassandra shrugged, "She told me that with orcs the male seed determines to which size any male offspring will grow, and that male cubs almost always inherent their mother's eye color. Leavy looked back at her doe-eyed, and Cassandra chuckled. "Don't stop drinking korkumun tea yet you hear..."

The platinum blonde blushed, "I never considered it before, getting pregnant I mean, but since I met Kurgan, I have..." Her blush deepened, "The thought of getting bred by my 'master'... It gets me wet..."

"That's not exactly the best reason for getting pregnant...," Cassandra reacted smiling.

Leavy stuck her tongue out at her, and then she laughed, "You're so right."

"Has anything happened in the world outside this bedchamber I need to know?" Cassandra then asked.

The other girl started shaking her head, and then she stopped and nodded, "We discussed the horse riding plans, and Bashuk agreed with postponing it until we are all mated and have our new orcish outfits."

"That's smart," the former Kangess reacted, "and there's no real hurry anyway, so no need to take unnecessary risks."

The doors to the living room opened, and in came Denora and Moiga, carrying a large tray. They were followed by Bashuk, who waved at her with the silverware he was holding. Cassandra sniffed the air as the smiling girls got closer, but couldn't determine what her dinner was going to be. They put the tray down on the bed, and lifted the covers of the dishes. "Oh yummy," she said, "beef stew with mashed potatoes and green peas!" Bashuk sat himself down on the bed next to her, the girls told her to enjoy her meal, and she thanked the three of them before they left again.

Bashuk picked up a piece of the beef stew with the fork, and Cassandra opened wide, moaning in anticipation, only to watch the small chunk of meat change course halfway her mouth, and move towards Bashuk's open maw instead. Her moan changed from anticipating to disappointed, Bashuk chuckled, and her moaning changed from disappointed to surprised as the small chunk of meat changed course yet again. She closed her mouth on it, the fork withdrew, and her moaning changed in character once more, into pure ecstasy this time, as the tender meat melted on her tongue.

The huge orc grinned, "Have you already forgotten your master always comes first?" She blushed, and he chuckled. "How lucky for you that your master still feels sorry about what happened at the celebrations..."

Cassandra hesitated for a moment, "You didn't really need to challenge Kragos, you could simply have had him executed for treason instead. You only challenged him to punish him for what he did to me." She swallowed, "Please don't think I don't appreciate what you did, but I'm worried about what could have gone wrong, and what that would have meant for the peoples of Nigawa, and for my girls especially..." She blushed, "And for the males of my pack too of course, its leader especially..." Bashuk didn't reply, but he did ruffle her hair.

They ate their dinner, the food tasted excellent, and afterwards Denora and Moiga took care of her once more. "You're as good as healed already," Denora said as they applied the salve to her wounds and bruises, "this stuff really does wonders."

Cassandra looked up at Bashuk at that, who chuckled softly, and then gently tapped the top of her head. "It's the damage in here, the damage that no salve can fix, that you need the resting for girl." He started caressing her hair, "It's the part of you I'm most concerned about, because it's the part of you I most like." A chuckle followed, "That doesn't mean I don't like your tits and ass very much too..." His prize blushed, and as she noticed the looks in her former maidens' eyes she blushed even more fiercely. Then the doors to the living room opened, and Syldan came in, carrying a mug on a small tray.

"We're ready," Denora said, and then she locked eyes with her former Kangess, and winked, "Nighty-night Cassy..."

Cassandra wished both girls good night too, and they left the room while Syldan put down the small tray on the bed next to her. "Yes, it's your tea," Bashuk said as she looked into the mug and sniffed, "now be a good girl and drink all of it." The girl in question sighed, and then picked up the mug and started drinking. Syldan sat herself in the comfy chair, and her master waited patiently for her to finish her tea. Once the mug was empty he escorted her to the bathroom, and then back to bed. He tucked her in, pecked her nose, and then he was gone.

Bashuk had barely closed the doors behind him before Syldan was on the bed next to her. "Leavy told us everything!" she exclaimed, beaming, "and we're all so happy that you can become a pack-mate too!"

She smiled at her overenthusiastic krujac instructor. "IF Bashuk judges me worthy of the position," she said softly, "and while my brain desires that position, my heart still has trouble with that desire."

Syldan lay down next to her, and snuggled up to her. "If someone wished for you to become happy, even as a whore, don't you think that someone would wish for you to become happy as a mate even more? Don't you think he would wish for you to escape the life of a prize, and become a happy mate? Have you such low esteem of Brando?"

Cassandra bit her lip, and felt her eyes moistening, "No, I know that he would always want the best achievable for me, whatever the cost to himself..." She held back her tears, "I just miss him so much Syl, my heart bleeds while thinking of him."

The raven haired beauty reacted by kissing her face, and hugging her close. "You have to get over him," she said softly, "become Bashuk's mate, have his cubs, take your place as the most important and powerful woman in Nigawa. It's your destiny, and always has been. It's your birth right even." She sighed, "It's also your duty, remember? When you became Kangess you swore to lead and protect Nigawa and all of its people to the best of your ability, for as long as you should live. A little hiccup, like losing a war, and surrendering to an orc warlord, doesn't change anything where it comes to that..."