Pukka watched as the horde loaded up and rode away, all except, Madha Momma and Fiukavuk. They had openly argued for the girl to be allowed to ride with them, but Bruaval had refused, however, he did allow, that is, after Pukka had eaten two large slices of navubuk, the two female orcs to stay behind and bath the girl in the river. Everyone agreed; Pukka stank.

"If she wasn't allowed to ride with us," said Fiukavuk pinching her nose, "what did a bath matter?"

"It is a kindness paid," said Madha Momma patting Pukka on the head, and pointing the way to the river she said. "Waausan avo avhe waavas."

"Wha," asked Pukka, "I don't understand."

"Ukhe iuk lyaumn," hissed Fiukavuk eyeing Pukka like she was the enemy.

She must think I am lying, thought Pukka, so she added, "I'm not lying."

Madha Momma looked from Fiukavuk to Pukka and said, "ul ukavone," and switching to Common, "the stone must have lent you knowledge of our tongue. It is a shame that you do not know Black Speech on your own. You will have a teacher no doubt..."

"Quieav," Fiukavuk interrupted Madha Momma, and shushed her to silence.

"When? When will I have a teacher?"

"I have already said too much," sighed Madha Momma as she changed the subject, "to the river child. The plains are not a forgiving place. We do not want to loose sight of the horde."

"You have so many secrets," said Pukka under her breathe as she hurried towards the shore.

"Avhe waausan," said Fiukavuk having heard Pukka's remark.

"Well, I know what that means, Bruaval only said it half a dozen times the first day I met him," grumbled the girl as she passed Fiukavuk, who was acting as sentry for the other two as they climbed down towards the river bottom.

"It's a river," marveled Pukka as she began to strip down to her underclothes. She was looking forward to a bath, washing all her pains away, and well, not smelling like a skunk anymore.

"Here is some soap child," grinned Madha Momma, "it's my famous almond butter and oatmeal blend."

"It smells wonderful," said Pukka sniffing the homemade bar.

"I'm going to turn around now girl," said Madha Momma, "so no running away."

Pukka watched Madha Momma turn around, and even Fiukavuk seemed to keep her eyes on the horizon, so Pukka undressed completely, and started washing. She was thankful for the chance to wash the road's and the morning's events off, mainly the drok, and scrubbed until her skin felt and looked raw. She was already a bright pink because of her sunburn, so now Pukka looked like she had some sort of splotchy red skin disease. She winced as she reached for her clothes on the bank and started working the stains out of those, and as she scrubbed she daydreamed.

Even as the orcs spoke quietly to one another, Pukka giggled at a remark Red had made earlier that day. He had asked her using tru'avalk if this was a "girl's only" bathing trip or if he was allowed to go with them. He was such a pervert, she grinned to herself.

"I'm finished," declared Pukka, flinching slightly as she placing her wet clothes back on.

"Little one, you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Pukka, "it's just my sunburn."

"Hmm," said Madha Momma turning around and inspecting the girl's face and arms. "I have some poultice with my things. Come with me," commanded Madha Momma as she walked briskly back up the bank, the two orcs seemed to eye each other as Madha Momma looked through the saddle bags.

"Hurrausan," hissed Fiukavuk scanning the horizon.

"Liwo liwo," grunted Madha Momma as she continued looking through her things. "Found it!," she beamed, "now hurry and put this on."

Pukka smelled the black poultice, junii root, and started to put it on. It instantly had a soothing effect on her skin and she sighed in relief.

"I'm next," grinned Madha Momma heading back down towards the river bank.

"Hurrausan," hissed Fiukavuk as her grip on the horses' reins tightened.

"Liwo liwo," snapped Madha Momma furiously scrubbing at her underarms and at a stain on her blouse. The orc didn't undress completely like Pukka had, and the girl blushed and looked away for having noticed.

Instead, the girl turned towards their sentry, and tried to engage Fiukavuk, but she still refused to speak to Pukka in any language, which didn't seem to stop Pukka as she asked, "you going to bathe too?"

Fiukavuk stared at the girl like she spoke a foreign language, so Pukka asked, "you do know Common, right?"

"Of course," grunted Fiukavuk insulted by the girl's foolish suggestion.

"I can watch the horses," offered Pukka smiling.

"No," said Fiukavuk tightening her grip on the reins again. The orc tried to hide her smile, but failed utterly.

"What's so funny?"

"Trusting you," said Fiukavuk no longer smiling.

"Oh, come now," called Madha Momma from the water, "you'll feel better after a dip."

Fiukavuk looked from Madha Momma to Pukka and back again, and finally growled, "fine," at the pair, as she tied the reins to a tree, "after you."

"Okay," said Pukka skipping back down the bank towards Madha Momma, and joined her in the water.

"Just a dip," grunted Fiukavuk as she waded in near them.

The girl giggled as she watched Fiukavuk relax and completely submerge herself in the river, when all of a sudden Madha Momma splashed Pukka full in the face. Startled, the girl wiped the water from her eyes, and chuckling, went to splash Madha Momma in the face too, but the orc ducked, and the majority of the water she'd meant for Madha Momma landed on Fiukavuk.

Silence ensued as the two culprits eyed Fiukavuk to see how the other orc would react. At first, she seemed to grow angry, as she shook the extra water from her black hair, and then, on seeing their worried faces, Fiukavuk laughed and laughed at the pair, and immediately went to splashing them both.

The splashing war was on, as they seemed to forget where they were, until they heard a low grunt from the top of the bank.

"Are you done, so soon, ladies?," asked an impressive orc atop a hell horse, a zombie like steed, who's hooves smoked with the flames of the underworld as they pawed at the dirt. The orc appeared equally sinister, with his face painted in blood, and wearing a necklace of human and elven ears. He grinned, revealing his sharp and silver-engraved tusks, as the females huddled protectively together, and he chuckled at their vulnerability.

"Lat forgoav weaponuk Fi," laughed the strange orc, as he eyed the women and then their horses, and all seven of his mounted orcs laughed with him.

"I don't need a blade," said Fiukavuk with a raised fist, "you'd think you'd remember that Kalsak."

"Oh," said Kalsak as he massaged his jaw and indicating a wicked scar that ran along the length of his face, "it's only one of my favorites."

"I'm happy to give you another," Fiukavuk said mockingly, which made Kalsak's squad laugh at his expense, until he grunted for silence.

"I don't think you're in a position to make threats," Kalsak reminded her and playfully added, "unless you want to be."

Fiukavuk crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from Kalsak; clearly a no.

"What about your friend?"

Madha Momma crossed her arms over her chest and looked away too.

"Am I so easily dismissed," joked Kalsak, "at least, tell me your name so that I might howl it at the moon." This caused his men to grunt with approval.

"You know my name Kalsak," snapped Madha Momma.

"Oops, I must have forgotten," shrugged Kalsak and his squad busted out laughing.

"Well, I haven't forgotten how you used to soil your swaddling clothes."

The orc seemed taken aback by her insolence, but Kalsak was quick enough to stop two of his blood soldiers from attacking Madha Momma. Kalsak grunted and held his warriors at bay on the mere word, "stop."

His dismounted orcs seemed to freeze and wait for Kalsak's next command, and even Pukka sensed the tension mounting and tried to hide behind Fiukavuk and Madha Momma. Pukka thought Kalsak could taste their fear in the air has he ran his black tongue over his tusks and grinned wickedly at the women. He pointed and revealed, "she is Madha Momma. The mother of Bruaval's horde, and wife to Usavone, the war lord in the North," snickered Kalsak as he abruptly dropped his hand, signaling his warriors, "too bad we're in the South."

His blood warriors swarmed the trio in the water.

"Kurrauz avo kurrauz!," shouted Fiukavuk.

Madha Momma clarified for Pukka in tru'avalk, "back to back!"

Pukka screamed, partially from fear and partially to seem fierce, as she positioned herself in a tight and ever rotating triangle with her companions.

"Little one, no spark, they will have you for sure if you reveal your powers," urged Madha Momma as she spoke to only Pukka.

"But I can help!"

"There are things you don't understand—trust me!," grunted Madha Momma as she clapped her hands together, as if in prayer, creating a shockwave of magic that sent the first few orcs stumbling. The orc sorcerous didn't stop there, she chanted as she pointed at the sky, and then Madha Momma released a bolt of lightening at one of Kalsak's warriors; warning them to keep back.

"Not fair," growled Kalsak at Madha Momma's display of magic, and so angered, he dismounted to join the fight, and sensing their leaders presence, his blood warriors howled in triumph, and redoubled their efforts, and attack.

Pukka kept her eyes on the big orc until droplets of bright red blood flew cross her face; Fiukavuk had just helped one of Kalsak's warriors lose another tooth.

"Enjoy eating porridge for the rest of your life," Fiukavuk grunted as she jabbed and right-handed another advancing warrior.

The girl grinned, and quickly wiped the blood out of her eyes, and raised her fists, like her friend's, which only made a charging warrior with green tusks grin with delight as he grabbed for one of Pukka's small wrists. The girl punched him in the nose, which made a nasty crunch, and leaned back to deck him again when another orc grabbed her right hand too. Pukka screamed, first in surprise and then in defiance.

Kicking, she tried to wrestle free of his grasp, and then her spark flared, threatening to awaken. Pukka could feel her spark blazing forth, and no matter how much she tried to suppress it, she could feel the heat bubbling up from her toes. The water immediately around her began to bubble and hiss.

"Help me!," cried Pukka as the water around her grew uncomfortable hot.

The girl's plea sent chills up Madha Momma's spine, and the orc roared in anger and desperation as she wove some lightening together, creating a net, which as long as she concentrated, was working to keep two of Kalsak's warriors behind it's electrifying bars, and out of the battle. Madha Momma was also sending another shockwave directly at Kalsak, if she could keep him far enough out of the fray, he'd be useless. The orc sorceress grimaced, the girl was on her own, and she prayed Pukka, nay, that they all would survive this day.

Though Fiukavuk did not hear Pukka call out in tru'avalk, she did hear the girl scream, and began to maneuver towards Pukka so that she might lend her a fist or two. She punched an advancing warrior in the cheek, causing his eye to pop out of socket, and ripped the delicate threads connecting it in place. Even as the warrior howled in pain, Fiukavuk plucked his eyeball, like a grape, and threw it into the deep water shouting, "fetch dog!"

Turning to look at Pukka, a male managed to punch Fiukavuk in the jaw, which didn't appear to faze her at all. She spit a mouth full of blood into the water, and only smiled at the warrior who'd attacked her thus. Shocked he backed up a step, and tripped over his own two feet, and splashing desperately in the water he cried, "I can't swim!"

Fiukavuk roared with laughter because she knew all the warrior needed to do was stand up and his feet would touch the ground. She hissed the insult, "stupid," at him and spun around, more aware of her surroundings this time, and set about to help Pukka.

She saw that one of Kalsak's warriors had managed to grab ahold of the girl and was trying to drag her, though Pukka was kicking and screaming, away. Fiukavuk glared at the male twisting Pukka's wrist, and vowed she'd break his hand or his neck.

She spat in the river again, this time in disgust, annoyed with Pukka for being weak, the opposite of orc, but mainly, she discovered, because Kalsak and his warriors dared to attack them, here of all places. Though he claimed otherwise, this was neither the North or the South, but the Disputed Lands, the heart of Orcmanchuwa and such behavior was forbidden.

The blood warrior twisting Pukka's wrist howled in pain as Fiukavuk punched him in the balls and sent him crying to his knees. To his credit, he didn't release the girl till Fiukavuk broke his nose, his jaw in seven places, and two of his fingers.

She tried to help the girl up, but the water immediately around Pukka sizzled and popped causing Fiukavuk to grunt in pain, "ouch," she hissed.

"Sorry," shrugged Pukka, "I can't help it."

The fierce female orc noticed one of Kalsak's warriors floating upside down near them in the river, he appeared to have been boiled alive, and Fiukavuk grunted in approval, "apparently."

Pukka grinned, and the water around her seemed to cool off, she liked it when she made Fiukavuk happy. The pair seemed to nod at one another, coming to an unspoken understanding, and then they heard it.

Madha Momma's scream seemed to ring in both Pukka's ears and in her mind causing Pukka to double over in pain, even as Fiukavuk ran past the girl, and towards her dearest friend, who appeared to be kneeling in the shallows near the bank, clutching her hand to her chest. She was bleeding.

Fiukavuk wondered how Kalsak must have breeched Madha Momma's defenses, and never once considered his weapon might contain some magical element, like her own, mainly because the time she'd spent with him, infatuated at one point, Kalsak seemed to sneer at anything un-orc-like, so she called on the power of her steel knuckles.

She screamed, "ukaveel!," which armored her fists like they too were made of steel, as she went to catch Kalsak's blade.

Kalsak saw what Fiukavuk, once his lover and almost fiancé, was about and deliberately spun away from the furious fighter, and drove his weapon into the earth, and caught Fiukavuk spinning in his arms, "how I have missed you," he grunted and kissed her forcefully on the lips.

"Let go of me!," Fiukavuk managed to snarl between his kisses.

"Why Fi, you have all but left me without a honor guard, or at least, a proper one to speak of, please allow me to repay you in kind. I would be willing to escort you and your companions to Bruaval's horde," and he grinned wickedly at her, "for a price."

"Never," she said pushing him away and punching him in the face.

He refused to release her, so she slapped him again, and he grunted in mirth, "really Fi? Do you think me all that bad?"

"You attacked us, openly, and in the Disputed Lands no less. I don't doubt your nature even if you would have me ignore it."

"Fi," Kalsak said stroking her cheek, "come back to me."

"Never."

"Ride with me then?"

"If I must," she said looking away from him.

"Would you rather walk or ride with one of my blood warriors?"

"No," she replied and locked eyes with him, pleading, "release us Kal."

"You know I can not," he growled in irritation, "not with all the games at hand."

"Games within games," Fiukavuk spat, "you should have been born human."

"That's funny coming from you."

She glared at him and tried to escape his grasp.

"You will ride with me," he declared and pointing at her friends Kalsak indicated, "you're out of options."

Fiukavuk looked over her shoulder at Pukka, who looked like she'd passed out, and Madha Momma, they were both captured, by Kalsak's bleeding warriors no less. They were defeated.

Fiukavuk grunted in assent and shaking her head she whispered, "avhe waausan," even as her eyes glared another message, clear as crystal, her long black lashes could not hide the smoldering anger this encounter had reawakened. She glared, "we shall see," as she smiled at Kalsak, and even as he blindly accepted her affections, she plotted his death.