Lonely Orcish Girl

This is my debut in the science fiction category, so I thought I'd give you a little heads-up on this piece. It's a long andslow-burn romance story in which a young human man meets a young orcish woman. Although orcs are often portrayed in a peculiar way, this story is quite different. It portrays a GENTLE relationship in which the characters get to know each other and discover the differences between their races and cultures.

And one more little warning -the female character is big, strong, and muscular (but also has a big butt and tits), so if you don't like those kinds of female bodies, you might want to skip the story.

Enjoy, without further ado! And please, let me know in the comments how you liked the story! Your opinions are very important to me!

--------

It didn't take long for Reed to realize that leaving the road wasn't the best decision. With each step, the forest grew thicker, and it was challenging to keep an eye on the banks of the Silver Spring River. But he knew it was wise to follow the river's course. The only thing he needed was a place to wade, or at least a fallen tree where he could get to the other side.

That shouldn't be too hard, he thought

The water in this area was calm and at most waist-deep. So he kept his nerves under control because, despite the lost time, he could still reach his destination before nightfall.

Sometime earlier, Reed had dodged the larger threat. At least, that is what he had thought at that moment. He had seen some murky-looking men from a distance - standing next to the bridge. The only official way to cross the river, along the road to Larrant, the small-town Reed had visited many times, though never alone. He had always traveled there with his mother and other people from their village to sell their crops at a market.

The men blocking the bridge were acting loudly, laughing and cursing, and Reed suspected they might be thugs. He was glad none of them noticed him and, without giving it much thought, walked off the road.

Maybe they were lumberjacks and just had a break. At first, he had tried to reason with himself, but still, he did not want to tempt fate.Opportunity makes thieves, his mother had once told him. And Reed had not been eager to test the truth of that saying on his own skin.

He did not think himself a coward, but neither a fool. A nineteen-year-old boy against four men - that would not have been fair under any circumstances. Besides, he could not risk being robbed, not when he had a pouch with all his money. Every single coin he and his late mother had managed to collect over the years.

Reed had decided it would be better to wander through a wild brush for a while and avoid the bridge, just in case the men had bad intentions.

But that only seemed to be.

The deeper he ventured into the woods, the more he regretted that decision. The riverbank grew higher, steeper, and rockier in this part of the forest, and after countless twists and turns, Reed lost his sense of direction. He was no longer able to tell exactly where the road was.

Reed knew that it would have been wisest to return to his village the moment he discovered these alleged bandits, but he suppressed that thought. He couldn't go back. Not empty-handed. Not after the blunt promises he had made. He had to reach Larrant.

He gritted his teeth and continued to fight his way through the dense vegetation. His frustration almost peaked when he finally found what he wanted - a thick tree lying across the river. Full of energy, he jogged to the tree and began to examine it closely. It was very solid and didn't budge even when Reed kicked it. It looked promising.

But in his excitement, Reed didn't notice that it was getting much darker around him.

Reed began to make his way across the river, using the tree. He was only a few feet from the second bank when heavy rain began. A real downpour. In no time, Reed's clothes were soaked, and the previously solid and safe tree stump now looked nothing but treacherous and slippery.

"Gods! Why now?!" he cried out helplessly.

Slowly, inch by inch, he approached the end of the tree. He was perhaps a yard from the other side when the tremendous, deafening thunder ruptured nearby, shattering a tree. Involuntarily, Reed flinched, and... he slipped.

The dark water consumed him. Shocked by the sudden accident, Reed fell to the sandy bottom of the river. Only then did he begin to kick and flail his arms in an attempt to quickly resurface. The river was neck-deep at this point, and he swam to the nearest spot where he could climb back to shore.

Coughing and sputtering, Reed got back to his feet. He glanced around - the dark forest now looked even stranger and more hostile.

The rain was relentless, and even the canopy in the treetops offered no protection. Reed's clothes were soaked to the bone. Although it was the end of summer, the water of the river was cold, and Reed shivered.

Reed knew he had lost a lot of time, so he started walking in the direction he thought the road was. His clothes were heavy and chilled his skin uncomfortably.

Strenuously, stumbling all the time, he plowed through bushes along the river bank. All he wanted to do before the night was to get back to the road.

Unfortunately, this faint hope was dashed when he came upon a steep rock wall that reached from the shore into the forest - he couldn't even see where it ended.

Reed felt as if someone had kicked him in the gut. His shoulders slumped. He wanted to howl in despair, but the truth was he didn't have the strength. The cold was taking its toll on him. He felt very weakened and tired.

"I'm lost..." he whispered to himself, barely hearing his own voice in the blusterous wind.

Staggering, he wandered into the unknown, inwardly cursing himself.I'll die here! Jolene will marry Petyr and I won't be able to do anything about it. And I'll die a virgin! What was I thinking?! What got into my mind?! That I'll show them? That if I came back with a gift, Jolene would be mine? Stupid, stupid, so damn stupid!

And he thought of his farm, his only inheritance. It would be ruined and wasted. He had asked his neighbor Joseph to take care of his chickens during his absence, but the man wouldn't do it forever. Everything was turning into a disaster.

Reed realized he was dizzy, breathing heavily, and feeling exhausted. Oddly enough, too exhausted, even considering the distance he had traveled. He knew he had good endurance. Working at the farm his whole life had hardened him. But now he felt as weak as a baby. And despite the cold, he felt his cheeks were inflamed.

The forest became more and more gloomy and the rain didn't stop.

Reed was about to give up when he spotted something off in the distance in the near-pitch darkness.

A faint light emerged from between the trees.

He stopped and wiped his eyes. The light didn't disappear, so it wasn't an afterimage. He blinked a few times, but it was still there.

Is it a friar's lantern from the tales? Or is it an evil spirit trying to trap me? Or maybe there are people who can help me? Or kill me...

Reed saw no other option, so he decided to walk toward the light. He didn't really believe in creepy legends about ghosts, drowned people, or swamp monsters. He probably didn't care at that moment, either.

Soon Reed realized that he was entering a small glade - the light seemed to come from a window in a hut or small house.

"Hello!" cried Reed at the top of his lungs, but didn't know if his voice could be heard in the roar of the storm

He approached some sort of porch and stumbled, falling hard to his knees. At that moment, the door opened abruptly and the light coming from inside was blocked by a massive figure. Reed's vision was so blurred that he could only make out the person as a shadow.

"Who's there?!" A sharp voice called out.

"Please... I mean no harm..." Reed used all his will to say those words. The whole world was spinning around him now. "I am lost... Can I... please..."

Reed tried to ask for help, but his voice failed. Suddenly, his head felt strangely light, and he slumped onto his side. The last thing he was aware of before he passed out was being grabbed and lifted up.

Then blackness took possession of his mind.

***

When Reed opened his eyes, he didn't know what was going on or where he was. Or if he was even still alive. But the light blinded his eyes so painfully that he realized his time hadn't yet come. Pain meant life. Unless life after death looked like a strange joke.

He blinked a few times and tried to look around. The light was dim. He noticed a rocky wall to his right that radiated warmth.

Am I in a hut? he suddenly remembered.

When he examined his surroundings more closely, he noticed that there was a roofing made of logs and thick thatch.

He also noticed that he was densely covered with heavy animal fur from his neck to his feet. He felt weak and ragged. Even moving his eyeballs was painful. Reed was aware that he was seriously ill, certainly the worst illness in his entire life.

In the past, he had never been in a similar condition. His mother, who had recently died, had known what to do, and when her knowledge was not enough, the healer Marga from the village had always offered help.

Reed tried to lift his head, but he was too weak to do so. He heard birds chirping outside and other sounds, like rhythmic scratching, some rustling, and... soft humming?

Reed wondered for a moment who this might be. Who could live so deep in the forest? In the middle of nowhere?

What if it's someone dangerous? he wondered, but quickly reconsidered.Nah, why would he bother to help me then?

He opened his mouth to say 'hello' but only managed to rasp out something barely audible, but the humming stopped. Reed heard the scraping of a chair, then a few footsteps, and after a very brief but tense wait, the face of his rescuer appeared above his legs.

Reed gasped softly, shocked for several reasons.

First of all, the face appeared in a very high position, which meant that the person was very tall. He could only make out half of the silhouette, perhaps he indeed was in sort of inglenook.

But the second, even more shocking feature was the skin color of his rescuer - light green like mint leaves. This could mean only one thing: He was rescued by an orc. Well, not quite.

...because the third surprise was the gender of the orc. It was a woman. Reed could not estimate her age because his vision was blurred, but he had the impression that she was young.

She gazed at Reed with quiet interest. Noticing that he was staring at her in silence, he tried to speak again.

"Hello..." His own voice sounded awful, strange and rough.

The orcish girl nodded slowly at him, and Reed wondered if she even knew the common human language. But his doubts quickly dissolved.

"You're stronger than you look. I was beginning to think you were a goner," she said. Her voice was quite deep, but clearly of a feminine timbre. She had a thick accent. "You have been asleep most of the day," she finished, still looking at him intently.

"I'm... ah..." Reed tried to answer, but his aching throat failed him, and he only managed to utter a weak screech.

The orcess disappeared from his sight but quickly returned, holding a wooden cup. Involuntarily, he flinched a little, as she knelt beside his legs and partially crawled over him, leaning on one arm.

Only then he really realized how huge the orcish girl was. He had heard that orcs were taller and bigger than humans, but he had not expected such a difference.

She wore a simple elongated vest without sleeves and leather pants. Her upper body was broad and muscular, but her waist was slim and shapely - contrasting with wide, round hips. She had a silhouette of an hourglass.

Her arm, now inches from Reed's head, was impressively muscled. A hardened, veiny forearm, a bulging bicep and a round, powerful shoulder, gave the impression as if she was some powerful woman-warrior, able to hold a sword with ease. She had a thick copper bracelet on her wrist and it caught Reed's attention for a brief moment.

In contrast to the muscles, her chest was very plump and ample, but Reed avoided looking at it. He had been taught that it was very rude to look at a woman's bosom. But a single surreptitious glance was enough for him to realize that none of the women from his village were as lavishly endowed as this orcish girl.

She literally filled the nook where Reed lay, dominating the limited space with the sheer size of her body.

Reed had never seen such muscles on women in his life, although he heard the tales about orcish women warriors before. Certainly, none of his neighbors were built like this orcish girl. Reed himself was one of the tallest and strongest men in the village, but his body was rather lean and wiry.

"Drink this," the girl said to him, holding the mug closer to his head. The contents were smoky and smelled intense.

"What's that?" he managed to whisper hoarsely.

"Poison, obviously," the orcess said sarcastically, grinning and rolling her eyes, but then she explained, "Herbs. Drink. It'll help with the sore throat and fever."

Reed felt foolish for even asking that - it could have been interpreted by her as his distrust.

Obediently, he tried to raise his head, but it turned out that he was too weak even for such a simple movement. When the girl saw this, she knelt a little closer to him, put her hand under his neck, and lifted his head. Then she put the cup to his lips and he began to drink.

The brew was warm and had a pleasant taste. But the most important thing was the soothing factor. Reed felt the pain lessen, at least to some point.

While he drank, Reed took the opportunity to look more closely at the orcess. She seemed to be around twenty. Her face showed the typical features of orcish women, with thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and a rather firm jaw, but it all seemed to be a bit more smooth and more harmonious than that of a typical woman from the orcish bloodline, at least that's what Reed thought. Her ears were pointy, unlike those of humans. Her curly hair looked raven black in this light, surrounding her head like a black crown. Many strands were tied into braids, others into ponytails adorned with shiny ribbons and rings of steel, bronze and copper.

Her orcish heritage was clearly visible, but the austere look was mellowed by high and wide cheekbones, full pouty lips that were also green, but in a darker hue, and the most captivating feature - large violet eyes with thick, black eyelashes.

The girl was a beauty of her own kind, exotic and unique, and Reed thought she could be even described as stunning.

Those distinctive eyes, intense as colorful flowers from a meadow, looked at him calmly, as if measuring his condition. She helped Reed drink up the herbs, then gently laid his head on the bedclothes. Her hand rested on his forehead and stayed there for a moment.

"You're not burning like before, but the fever will come back later. You need to rest," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, leaning back against the wall.

Her eyes fixed on his face. She smirked and asked, "So, lost boy, what do they call you?"

"Reed," he answered quietly. "And what's your name?"

"Katuri," she answered shortly. She spelled her name with a hard 'r'.

Reed nodded and repeated her name in his mind. The word sounded very foreign to him, but there was something vibrant in it that he liked.

For a moment they were looking at each other in silence - Katuri with that quiet interest, Reed struggling for a moment with his feelings. Slowly he realized what had happened the day before and the part Katuri had played in it. He felt overwhelming gratitude.

"Thank you, Katuri," he said solemnly. "You saved my life."

Her reaction was strange. At first, her eyes widened as if surprised, but then she smirked and waved her hand dismissively.

"I just got your limp body off my porch, innit?" she laughed shortly. "Nothing overly heroic."

"Still, thank you greatly. I'm in your debt," Reed tried again, but the only response from her side was a barely perceptible nod.

It made him wonder if Katuri had been embarrassed by his honest acknowledgment, but he thought she was being too modest. However, he knew next to nothing about orcish customs, apart from a few - possibly exaggerated - rumors. Only humans lived in Reed's village, and he hadn't had much opportunity to come into contact with other races.

He wondered if perhaps it was not customary among their people to show gratitude. From what he had heard, orcs were proud and they revered power, so Reed wondered if showing compassion might be seen as a weakness for them.

But according to the rumors, orcs were aggressive, hostile, violent, treacherous, and so on, the list of their bad qualities was long. But Reed realized that some of these flaws could apply to any other race as well. So far, Katuri's behavior had proven to him that none of them were true.

Reed was lost deep in his thoughts, which were foggy and blurred because of the fever. He looked curiously at Katuri. The more he looked at her, the more attractive she seemed. The mixture of hard and soft features on her face was new to him, but quite pleasant. He wouldn't say, however, that she was as pretty as his Jolene.

My Jolene... he realized he hadn't thought about her in a long time and felt strange about that conclusion. Jolene was the reason for all that had happened - that he had left the village and tried to reach Larrant, got lost, and almost died. That shook him badly.She's not mine, she's marrying another man. Don't be stupid...-

"You stare quite a lot," Katuri's voice snapped him out of his musings. "Haven't you ever seen an orc before, or what?"

She was smirking softly, showing no signs of anger or indignation, but Reed was caught red-handed and felt embarrassed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare at you. I had seen orcs before, but never... an orcish woman," he replied. "I only heard you are all mighty warriors."

He had only seen two orcs in his life. One was an old hunter who sometimes traded with men from the village when Reed was a child. He had never seen him up close, though. The second was Gurak - a grumpy blacksmith from Larrant, although that man wasn't fully an orc, but a mix with a hobgoblin.

"I see. But I guess you haven't seen a real orcess, yet. I'm not a pureblood. My father is one of the pink-skinned ones like you," Katuri said with a smile that was hard to interpret.

"You're a half-orc?" asked Reed. Somehow he wasn't surprised. Definitely, she looked different from what he had heard and imagined about stereotypical orcish women.

"Yup. That's why I don't have tusks like a wild boar. And maybe I have less here than typical orcish gals -" she pointed to her ample bust, "or here -" she briefly flexed her arm to show off her chiseled muscles, "but at least I have more here," she finished with a sly grin and pointed to her head.

Reed smiled a bit uncertainly and had trouble imagining that pure-blooded orc women should be taller, bustier, and more muscular than Katuri, who was already large for him in every way.

"That's very int-" Reed tried to answer, but suddenly coughed so hard that his throat hurt.

Katuri came closer and again placed her palm on his forehead. She looked at Reed with a worried look.

"It was nice chatting with you, lost boy, but I think you should rest. Try to get some sleep. The fever is coming back." She sat back on her heels, right next to Reed. "We'll talk more later, okay? If you want to pee, there's a latrine. Call me if you need help."

"Thank you, Katuri. I will never be able to repay you," Reed murmured softly, shifting a little under the furs. His hand touched his thigh, and then he realized that he was... completely naked. He tried to hide his surprise, but Katuri noticed anyway.