Finn
I stare at the orc who had just collapsed on my porch.
He was badly hurt, that much was obvious. His breathing was ragged and shallow, the stench of death clinging to him. Leaves and mud caked his hair, a glint of metal was.. imbedded in his neck?
I carefully step over him and set Draka on the porch, "baby I need you to run over to Calla's and tell her we need help."
Draka looks from the orc to me, her nose wrinkling, "he stink."
"Yes he does," I agree. "Now go on."
Pushing Draka towards the stairs, I watch her run off before looking back at the orc. He was a sorry sight and I doubted if he'd survive the night without a healer, and there were none close by.
Still, we could make him comfortable.
Heading back inside, I grab a a couple blankets and make a pallet on the floor before going and putting a pot of water on to boil. Gathering some clean rags, I set them by the pallet as I go back to the orc.
Normally I would never be able to move a full grown male orc, but this one was so sick and thin that I hardly weighed more than I did. He didn't make a sound as I dragged him inside and set him in the blankets, but when I got him settled, his dark eyes were open and he was staring at me with such... wonder.
It reminded me of how Kruk used to look at me. Part of me wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe this sick orc was Kruk, come back from the dead. But I knew it couldn't possibly be. Hunner saw him fall, and after a year of begging, he finally took me to the river to see the falls myself.
No, this orc wasn't mine, no matter how much I wish it.
The water on the stove is warm and I bring it over, dipping a pice of cloth in it and gently start to clean the orc. It doesn't take long before the cloth is nearly black from grime, and the water muddy from just his face.
The orc watches me the entire time, his eyes following me, never blinking. His hand tried to move, but he only manages a slight twitch.
"Don't worry," I tell him softly. "You're safe here."
The door bangs open just as I was starting to clean his tusks off, "Finn," Calla says as she walks in. "Draka had some crazy story about a dead orc on the.. porch." She stops when she sees the orc on my floor, "Finn.. what the hell?"
"He just showed up," I tell her as I clean off his tusks. "We should probably send for a healer but I'm not sure if he will.. last.." I trail off as the gleam of gold shows under the grime on his tusks. "Calla," I say softly. "Calla.. it's.. is it.."
Calla comes over and crouches next to me, "what's got you in a tizzy?"
"These," I whisper, tapping the gold tusks. "How many orcs do you know with gold tusks?"
"Oh Finn," she starts sadly. "Kruk isn't the only orc with gold. It's rare but not.." she pauses, her eyes going to his neck. "What the?" She leans in, her hands running over the metal that hasn't been eaten by his skin. "Finn, do you know what this is?"
"I assumed it was a necklace," I answer.
She shakes her head, "it's a prison collar." She leans in deeper and takes a deep sniff, "shit! Stay here!" She's up and running before I can ask what's wrong.
Looking back down at the orc I ask, "do you know why she's in such a panic?" His lips move but nothing comes out and I sigh, "guess that collar really messed you up, huh?"
I go back to cleaning him off and a few minutes later, Calla runs back in dragging Hunner behind her, "you better have a damn good reason for summoning me," he grumbles. "I gave you that spell for emergencies not for every vagrant that wonders by."
"Shut up man," she orders. "Heal him."
Hunner crosses his arms, "why should I?"
Calla looks over at me, "because it's Kruk."