Private Tales What Does Not Kill Us

[Pern]

"Kardid-dua..." Pern repeated to herself, the curiosity of Hath's mother driving away previous anxieties. Chieftain ... the thought of it brought the slightest smile to her face. The orcess took a long stride to catch up with Hath, walking at his side to get a better look at his face.

"She musht be a fiersh leader," had to wonder where he got his looks from. Made her wonder about his father, siblings? The culture of the clan. Two weeks to find them, maybe.

"Two weeksh?!" Pern clipped a protruding stone with her foot and stumbled, catching herself with a wide-eyed blink, "Shorry ... that'sh jusht ... fine. That'sh fine."

She wasn't in Elbion anymore. It didn't take a few hours to walk from one side of the city to the other. Gently clearing her throat, she looked upwards to eye the clouds in the distance, "Ish that a bad thing?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

He didn't hide the humour at her reaction this time. Maps and stories were no substitute for understanding just how extensive the world was. Hath hadn't even seen a fraction of it. He had gone as far as the spine, months away, but there was an entire land beyond that.

"She is..." It was hard to describe what Kardidua was. She could be fierce if necessary. There was usually a stoic...solidity to her that others respected. She wasn't even particularly large for an orc. Though everyone in the tribe knew how deadly she was with a sword.

"...very much in charge. And rain is good. No summer, winter here. Dry season and wet season. Dry season no food, travel South. Wet season...you see change if we make savanna before rain."

 

[Pern]

Was he...smirking? Was that a smirk? Brows lifted, her own lips cracking into a small half-smirk of her own. So the orc did have a sense of humor after all. Good to know, Pern could work with that.

Dry season, wet season. Near the belt of Arethil there was no snow ever. She remembered learning about that from Ignatius during her kinder years.

"Are there ... behemophantsh where you are from? I've alwaysh wanted to shee one."

 

[Hath Charosh]

"East of us and South," he replied. It occurred to him that was the direction they would eventually have to travel.

If you really believe the old man has a friend who can help...

"The middle of savanna, not enough food. Not in dry season." There was a brief pause as he scanned the landscape ahead. There was plenty of grass this close to the coast and even patches of woodland. That would change quickly. The ground sloped up from them as they climbed away from the cliffs and the level of the sea.

"Not enough food for orc in dry season," he added with a shrug. There was barely a hint of that smile to give away the humour that was not apparent in his tone.

 

[Pern]

She breathed a bit more deeply as their path took a turn upwards. Felt like climbing the hills of her home. Stairs everywhere.

"Oh..." somehow that worked out in her head that they'd eventually be going that direction and she was, for what she felt for the first time since being set upon this expedition, excited. Would make sense for such a massive creature to need massive amounts of food ... and for orcs to have to range with their prey. Pern caught that ghost of a smile and returned it with a bit more obvious effort on her end.

"Hath ... if," she blinked, brows knitting somewhat, "if you tire of shpeaking in common pleashe shay sho."

Pern could speak passable trade tongue for when she ran the booth down at the docks, she knew the difficulties of having to work at a language all day.

"I do not wish to be more a burden than nesheshary. But-" a pause as she looked back up at him, "I would like to learn your language if you are up to teaching me."

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath slowed his pace, taking the time to turn and regard Pern. That request was not something he had expected. Not at all. He made a low rumble of acknowledgement.

Pern didn't look at him like she was a member of the tribes. Back at Elbion she had always seemed wary of him. Only Scabhair's presence, with her similarly garbed for the wilds had settled her. At least it had seemed that way to Hath. It was hard to read her. She didn't use the same body language as his people. Being raised by humans did not stop her being an orc.

"I am glad you ask that," he replied. "Not easy though," he added with a shrug. "My common is not good. Easy part is signs."

At least in that respect he didn't have to try and explain the differences in their sentence construction. Which would be hard because he did not know the words sentence or construction in human.

Hath held up a hand, palms outward and fingers splayed. He held it just out beyond his shoulder.

"This shows no weapon. Not for fighting," he explained.

 

[Pern]

Couldn't help the feeling wary part about Hath, he was an intimidating orc to look upon. But it was true Scy's presence and apparent relation with him had softened her impression of him. Pern did not doubt she'd want to steer clear of Hath in a bad mood, but he was turning out to be quite amiable.

It was a pleasant surprise for her.

"Well," she smiled fully this time, seeing humor in the challenge of trying to teach another language in a broken language, "we can figure shomething out I'm shure..." she itched idly at her temple, coming to a stop as he designated the first sign.

Pern held out her left hand, mirroring the gesture and glancing between himself and her own hand, "A good one for me to know I shupposhe."

What was she going to do, attack someone with her hammer?

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Important. Do as far away as possible. You will not go far from me as we are alone," he explained managing an awkward turn of dialogue again. He meant to explain that there was no point trying to cover every eventuality for dealing with strangers. It was a responsibility he would take on himself.

"Greeting with respect," Hath said, thumping a fist to his chest twice.

"Showing tusks. Threat. Growling...obvious," he added. "Do not show teeth when smile," Hath said, pointing to his upper teeth. There was an open mouthed grin among his people, but safer to warn her against smiling and making it seem as if she was picking a fight for now.

 

[Pern]

Pern recalled her left hand, balling the open palm into a fist and pressing it to her chest as she watched him. She didn't mime the thumping motion, only because she thought that was an easy one to remember. She'd seen other peoples do the same, down at the docks. Perhaps it was a universal greeting ... beyond the walls of her home, anyway.

"Sho ... don't shmile, or growl..." she couldn't remember the last time she growled at someone. Most frustrations were hammered and sweat out at the forge. This may explain how she managed to keep herself so cordial and tolerant all the time.

"How do you greet your Chieftain?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath touched all four fingers to the middle of his forehead. With his eyes closed he bowed his head and repeated the greeting gesture from before.

"Many types of growls, many types of challenges," he added. "I expect you would know most of them in your bones," Hath added. He could not imagine a time when the very base noises that his people made were not as intuitive as lifting his own arms.

 

[Pern]

She made her try at the Chieftain greeting, fingers touched lightly at her forehead and a bow, other hand lightly informing the chest-bump greeting.

"I ... don't get growled at in Elbion," Pern offered with a light smiling-frown, "exshept maybe by the guardsh dogsh. Shometimesh by Mashter Gibbshon ... moshtly by Mashter Gibbshon, actually. Lately he'sh more growl than wordsh. Can't shay I blame him...heheh."

Gibbson was aging and not quite as handy with a hammer and anvil anymore. Pern had been taking over more and more of his work until he had nothing left but to bellyache and grumble about things he had too much time to think about.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Maybe part orc," Hath said, not even a subtle trace of humour in his voice, only in the corner of his eye.

"Challenge can go from...we fight to the death to disagree over plan."

There was also another form of challenge issued through a growl. It didn't need saying and he was certain even Pern would be able to instinctively recognise that one. Or at least feel it up her spine, in the base of her gut.

"Must have strong arms, working metal all day," he mused. Hath turned and continued slowly onwards; other lessons could be dispensed on the move.

 

[Pern]

"Not even a little bit," Pern retorted without any pause. The orcess gave a derisive snort at the thought.

"I'll jusht-" she gave a half shrug, "make sure not to growl. Or grunt. Or make any noishe at all."

That sounded like a safe bet. Just don't talk to anyone. Right?

Right?

She looked down at her hands at the mention of strong arms, fingers lightly flexing, "It ish not an eashy job. Mosht human men cannot do it well. Not enough shtrength."

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Hmmm..." he went, scratching at the side of his beard. '...is complicated. Times where backing down from challenge worse." He waved the worry away with one hand.

"Not something to deal with." Taking an outsider to his tribe was going to be...it was going to be a problem he had not given much thought. No matter how much he tried to teach Pern it was going to be a sudden clash of cultures.

"Know how butcher an animal too?" he asked, deciding that the time to hunt and settle down to a camp was fast approaching.

 

[Pern]

Well that gave her pause.

"Uhhh-" but he quickly changed the subject. Pern nodded, "Yesh. Local animalsh like deer and rabbit. I can shkin and tan leather, make hidesh." All part of the complex crafting of armor and weapons. She'd spent some time working with the local tanner and leathersmith to learn how to make bindings and light leather armor as well.

"But, eh - nothing from thish area? Are they very different?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Got deer and rabbits here," he said. "Also some wild dogs. In the savanna there are trolls, lions, hippo, others."

Now came the interesting question. She could butcher a kill, make herself useful if he was successful in a hunt. If he left her alone she was in danger. If she came with him, she risked turning the evening into a waste of time.

"How quiet can you be?" he asked, eyeing her equipment."

You need to eat. Leave her with a camp.

 

[Pern]

Pern made a noise of uncertainty, "Nnooo...." she shook her head, lifting her hands to dismiss herself out of the hunt, "I am no hunter. I make thingsh, I'm a crafter. We are not noted for our shilensh."

She was most assuredly not a killer.

For once she and the unknown voice inside Hath's head were in full agreement on something.

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath fell into silence for while. Until they had crested the rise and could see further across the terrain. He knew that by tomorrow they would start to see the brush take over and the trees become sparsh. The land would go from green to pale shades of yellow. Then, once again, she would see the landscape change as the rains fell.

Pern was going to learn to live with being completely soaked through for days at a time. There were no rains quite like the brief spell that fell upon the savanna.

"Think of it like this," he said suddenly, shattering the silence. "If you do not hunt, then you will be alone. We have supplies for a few days, so it not so bad if hunt fail now. You can learn now or never."

 

[Pern]

"Shparksh-" Pern jumped at the sudden sound of speech next to her, having grown accustomed to a curious length of quiet between them. She'd been watching the landscape, mind wandering. Not anymore.

Wide eyes narrowed under a slowly-knitting brow as he spoke, frown dipping around her tusks. The orcess wrestled with a disgruntled expression, clawed hand rubbing at her neck at the very sound prospect of sense he was making.

"Well when you put it like that..."

She really, really didn't want to hunt.

Hath really, really seemed like he needed her to learn. Now or never. So final.

Pern relented with a sallow nod, "I will...do my besht."

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Sparks? He asked with a soft chuckle. It sounded something like a small landslide.

"You do not need to do much. Just stay close and not make a lot of noise."

When he said it like that it sounded very easy. Orc children were taken out on the hunt from a very young ago. They were small and quiet at that age. They knew not to get under the feet of warriors, they knew to stay silent when there was danger.

Female orcs did not stop helping the tribe for years to raise just one child. They were often raised communally by the group and had to learn quickly.

"Though I might have you flush out natjats out of long grass. Let's find somewhere to camp."

 

[Pern]

She flushed, mildly embarassed at her expletive. Swearing wasn't something Ignatius ever would abide by, so she had to get creative. Sparks was fitting, considering her job.

"Yeah ... they're the - mm," she didn't think Hath would understand technical words related to smithing and with a sigh waved it off, "not important."

Stay close, be quiet. Pern gave a nod, thinking that if that were all he expected from her then maybe hunting wasn't so bad. But wait - "What are natjats?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

"You want swear in orcish, try grewthi," Hath chuckled. He would be more careful with it in future and listen out for others using it around him. Sparks. He tested out the word in his head again in his head. Hath decided not to push the matter when he realised that she was actually embarrassed.

"Like...a small deer. Bouncier. Has..." Hath wasn't sure of the word so he mimed a pair of long horns on his head.

He aimed them towards a small patch of dense trees. It would do to hide those noisy tools and his bedroll whilst they made for the long grasses to look for natjats."

 

[Pern]

"Shparksh ish not a shwear," Pern gave an impish laugh at his enthusiasm to a potentially new crude word to use, "itsh...jusht a normal word. Ignashush doesh not like shwearing, sho," she gestured with a shrug, "I have to get creative."

What kind of word was grewthi? She didn't make any effort to put it to memory. Swearing wasn't something she felt especially compelled to do. Her father hadn't raised her civil and educated for nothing, right? Something like that.

Hath's description of a natjat made her smile, "Hornsh," she offered, mimicking his mime. Pern deposited her things in the trees alongside whatever Hath chose to forgo carrying for his hunt. She kept on her figure only a sheathed dagger, feeling somewhat reluctant to leave her bag unattended. So many valuables in that thing ... Pern couldn't stomach the idea of it getting stolen or carried off by some wayward animal.

They made their way towards the tall grasses, hunkering down on a small knoll overlooking a vast plain of rolling verte. Pern listened and watched as Hath explained the plan and how to go about flushing natjats. Seemed simple enough, though her biggest challenge would be moving silently. Hath had a lifetime of practice and training from his elders - she was on lesson number one. If ever her quiet self in Elbion to keep from drawing extra attention would come in handy, now was the time.

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath very nearly tried to make a joke, pretending that he thought 'horns' was another kind of swear word. He decided that given the issues with translation between the two of them so far that it just would have caused confusion instead of being amusing.

Instead they turned to the serious business. Using Pern to flush out the natjats sounded good in principle, but it involved getting her close enough to spook them in the first place.

Today they were lucky. From this rise he could see the small creatures popping their heads up from the long grass. When they did that they were visible. When they were grazing they were virtually invisible within the grasses with their mottled coats. He tried to explain in his broken human how he would often track prey for distances across the savanna before returning to the plan.

"Better to not go wading into the grasses," he said. "Might not just be natjats in there. I go with you into position there. Then I back around to other side."

He tore a piece of grass from the ground and held it up, watching out it fell.

"Wind carries smell, want to be.." he tried to finish the concept mining walking into the wind with his hands.

 

[Pern]

Pern lightly craned her head at his signing, brows knit upwards in some mild form of effort at understanding, "Downwind?"

She knew, of course, the concept of being downwind, though she'd never put it into practice. Never really had a need. One for the journal, she suspected. Iggy had recommended she keep one for her journey to provide herself with a secondary way of remembering all the lessons she would learn and to look back upon them. So far her first entry would be rather full.

Portal stone.
Wild orcs.
Natjats.
Hunting.

"I undershtand," Pern nodded, "I will follow your lead."

As Hath pressed away from the grassy knoll and down along the overlook, she stayed just off his heel and did her best to emulate his stance, listen to hushed instruction, watch the direction of his gaze. No doubt she likely looked a bit ... awkward ... to Hath. For as large as the orc was, he moved quickly, quietly, and with a curious amount of fluidity. Perhaps it was simply sure-footedness on his part. Experience in knowing the best way to move, where to place his steps. Pern was trying to be aware of where she was stepping, so as not to cause too much of a rustle. To her credit, she was fairly quiet - likely chalked up to her smaller bulk and bare feet.

They managed to get into an ideal post with a decent vantage of their quarry, at least.