Road to Orgrimmar (2)

“Don’t be sad”, Morgg said quietly. Lith’jin shot him a glance from under the cloth tied around her forehead. The small red braids in which she had done her hair seemed the spikes of a very angry porcupine.
They had left the farm that very morning, after two days, leaving behind a very depressed woman, despite the bravery she had tried to show them.

Misha Tor’kren's only son had been missing for some time when they arrived. Morgg had volunteered to go searching for the young orc, who had apparently gone to hunt crocolisks on the bank of the nearby Southfury river. Lith’jin had been excited about the search at first. She had never seen a “river”, nor crocolisks and it all sounded like a promising adventure.

Soon enough though, they had made a grim discovery on the river bank. Torn clothing, remnants of a half chewed boot and a bronze medallion seemed to be all that remained of the young missing orc.
There could be no doubt that the hunter had turned into pray and the sight of the crocolisks lazily sleeping nearby – huge beasts with scaled backs and large, strong jaws – scared Lith’jin so badly that Morgg had only caught on with her halfway to the farm.

A coward, she berated herself afterwards, even though she told him nothing. She dreamed of seeing the world, being a hero, yet she had ran away at the first threat.

Mama Tor’kren had received the news as badly as expected. However, despite her understandable grief she had given them shelter for the night, plenty of food and even some clothing that remained from her son…He would not be needing it anymore, she had said, and it was a small consolation to her that someone would use those things - and maybe spare a thought for the deceased.

“Ah keep rememberin' tat woman…” Lith’jin said quietly. “Poor her…”

Morgg patted her shoulder, then, when she shot him another angry glance, pretended to be only arranging the straps of her backpack.

“Life’s like that”, he said and Lith’jin though she saw a faint trace of sadness in his eyes. “Well, let us increase the pace a little or we’ll be sleeping on the road!” he added briskly.

He started forwards and she trotted after him, coughing from the dust raised by their boots.