Skirmish (Fangdarr): Hive

Skirmish (Fangdarr): Hive

Follow along each week for Skirmishes of characters of the Orcblood Legacy Series. These are real events that take place during the story’s timeline but are not detailed in the book.

Fangdarr followed Raz’ja back to the mountain pass, each carrying their bloodied sack of ears. The orc was met with a thousand gleaming eyes as he entered the narrow path. The trolls’ wicked grins nodded with approval from all around. They clung to the rocky walls, eagerly awaiting news from their chieftain.

Raz’ja walked through the jagged passage with supreme confidence. The orc watched as any troll who made eye contact with their leader shied away in fear. Fangdarr’s respect and admiration for the cunning troll rose with each step he took. At any time, Raz’ja could easily be overpowered by sheer number, yet none dared move against him. A commendable feat, to the orc. 

As the pair entered a dark tunnel, their eyes shifted to see better. Fangdarr was forced to bend low within the tight corridor, but continued silently. He could feel the anxious presence of trolls close on his heels, too curious to hold back. The thought made his skin crawl, but he trusted Raz’ja. After all, why would the troll chieftain go through all the trouble for a sack of ears?

The passage seemed to go on forever—and got smaller the deeper they went. At first, Fangdarr had wondered why they would choose to dig into the mountain. But all became clear as soon as they had reached the end of the tunnel. Raz’ja waited for him at the opening with a wide smile on his face. The troll extended his arm in a wide sweeping motion. “Welcome, brutha, to my kingdom!”

Fangdarr’s jaw fell slack in awe. The cavern they had entered was so vast! It extended farther than his eyes could see and with trolls scurrying over nearly every surface. There were no buildings, nor even any plants. It all seemed so barren, yet immense. It was as if the sanctuary was some sort of enormous hive, crawling with the wretched creatures. 

Taking joy in the orc’s wordlessness, Raz’ja stepped forward before stopping at a crudely carved stone slab. He pulled the sack from his belt and dropped it atop, drawing Fangdarr’s attention. Without prompt, the astonished orc, too, set his ears on the stone. 

“Alright,” Raz’ja started as he dumped both bags of ears. His eyes lit up upon seeing the torn pieces of flesh in all different sizes—even childrens’. Cackling loudly, the troll turned to Fangdarr. “The agreement is met.”

“What this mean?” Fangdarr tilted his head curiously. 

“Ears asked, ears received. The alliance is fulfilled. Now, we make you chieftain.”