Captivated By Her Orc Captain

Chapter 1

Jane

            Fuck.

            The thundering footfalls are getting louder. My blood pounds in my ears. I hear the rushing wind as they circle us, as though we’re merely unsuspecting prey.

            Well, to them, we are.

            The wolves are after us.

            It wasn’t enough to just escape, to go on the run from the war up North. Now we’re in the middle of the forest surrounded by wolves who are starving, who have developed a taste for human.

            “God!” I shout, running my hand through my short hair. I turn this way and that, trying to get my bearings. I know that these settlers—the ones who have loyally followed me and who were lucky enough to survive the ordeal—aren’t going to make it against the pack of six or seven wolves that have been hot on our tail for the last three or so miles.

            They caught scent of us running through their woods about an hour ago and they’ve been pursuing us ever since. Adrenaline pounds in my veins as the settlers, only ten or so left, huddle around me as we stop to take stock of the situation.

            “You need to scatter,” I order them. “Run in any direction but don’t stick together. The wolves can’t hunt you all if you’re in different directions.”

            They seem hesitant. “What about those of us that they come after?” Meacham asks. His gruff voice rings out over the others. “How are we supposed to trust you? You’ve led us straight into danger!”

            “If you get through the forest, help will come!” I tell them. If ever the rumors can be trusted, I add, only to myself.

            It’s been said that in Atlanta, the humans and the orcs co-exist in a large clan. Other clans are following in their footsteps there as well.

            “Behind this forest is the border of the Burning Sun Clan!” I tell them. “They’ll help you. But you have to go now! Run!” I yell and the remaining survivors only hesitate for a moment before sprinting off.

            “Don’t look back!” I add, pulling out my knife. The wolves are catching up but I’m going to draw them away from the survivors and hopefully lead them in the opposite direction. The sound of crunching leaves alerts me that they’re close. And getting closer by the second.

            I watch the group of survivors scatter, hoping that they’re smart enough to not look back like I told them. I don’t want them to see the wolves on their tail and panic.

            Gritting my teeth, I brush a strand of hair from my eyes. I need a trim. There’s not much time for haircuts when you’ve been on the run but it’s getting long enough to be in my eyes now, which means it’s going to be a hindrance to survival if I’m not careful.

            The North is burning, locked in a war that no one will survive. We had to escape after our settlement was razed. I led as many as I could down South but not everyone survived. It’s brutal around here nowadays.

            Our only hope is the orc-human clans in Atlanta. I knew if I could get the survivors there, they would help us out. The rumors are that many of the high-ranking orcs in that clan have taken human wives, which means they’re more likely to give aid to refugee humans.

            The wind whips around me, scattering more leaves around my feet. I hold my knife steady, facing outward from my palm. The low snarl and whine of the wolves alerts me that they’re almost upon me now.

            Before the wolves can scent the scattered survivors, I whistle to draw their attention on me. When I catch their dark eyes, I let out a blood-curdling scream. Now I know I’ve got their interest.

            To entice them further, I take the knife and draw it across my palm, slicing it open and letting the blood drip down between my fingers, onto the leaves below.

            The wolves are circling me now, trying to study me to decide how much of a threat I am. One lunges towards me but I watch as a bigger, stronger one crashes into it, as if to say steady young pup, don’t rush this kill.

            The wolves are circling me even tighter now and I roar at them. I’m a lioness protecting her clan. I grit my teeth as my palm burns from the cut. My leg is still injured from the fall yesterday so I’m not as steady on my feet as I’d like either.

            God. I never thought I’d go down because of wolves, of all things. I thought it’d be the enemy orcs that would take me out first.

            Fifty of us left three weeks ago. Fifty of the settlers, led by me and one of the other men from the settlement. We dwindled down from fifty to just over ten now. The other man, Davis, died three days ago after he was attacked by a bear. I can’t say I’m sorry he’s gone. He was weak.

            Those of us that remain are only surviving because they’re holding onto hope that salvation lies in Atlanta. I don’t have the heart to destroy that hope, so I’ve led them here.

            We escaped with nothing but what we could carry on our backs and our wits. It was a difficult journey. We got lost several times and I thought that we weren’t going to make it through some of the storms we encountered.

            But the rumors about this place kept us going. We used what we could gather from the occasional lone survivor we would run into to help us get back on track. Somehow we survived until now.

            And we’re almost there. We’re so close now. I can practically taste freedom. All I have to do is make sure the wolves don’t take down the rest of my men, that I lead those of us left to safety.

            Another wolf lunges at me but this time none of them stop him. He manages to snap at my arm, just barely missing tearing out a chunk. He’s quick but I’m quicker.

            I won’t be able to hold them off forever though. I’m tired, undernourished and dehydrated. This is probably the end of the line for me. So long as I can hold the wolves off long enough for the remaining survivors to make it to the border of the clan’s territory then I’ll have done my job.

            And I’m going to go down fighting. I snarl and snap right back at the wolves who start attacking now that they’ve analyzed me. One wolf goes for my leg but I kick out, hitting it square in the chest. It falls back with a whimper, its tail tucked between its legs.

            That doesn’t stop the others from coming for me though. Another wolf, larger than a Shetland pony, lunges for me. I can feel its hot breath on my neck just before it tries to clamp down. I manage to dodge, getting underneath it and slicing clean through its belly with my knife.

            The wolf goes down immediately, nearly collapsing onto me but I manage to roll away just in the nick of time.

            “Not today, Satan,” I say, chuckling to myself. I jump up again and brandish my knife, daring the wolves to attack. Now that they understand that I’ve got a weapon, they’re shying back a little.

            I manage to back into a tree, holding the knife out to ward off any of the braver wolves. They’re so huge that it’s hard to keep track of them all at the same time. Another lunges for me and I dart away, tripping over a protruding tree branch. It sends me sprawling. I scramble, trying to get back to my feet.

            Just before I can get back up, one of the wolves grabs me by the leg, clamping down hard.

            I scream, the pain erupting through my veins. My skin is shredded where its jaws hold onto me. Another wolf gets a hold of my arm, tugging on it as if to fight the first for my corpse. I use the butt of my knife to backhand it in the face and it just barely lets go before a third is upon me, biting into my other arm.

            It’s over for me. I can’t do it anymore. I’ve fought all I can but the wolves are too strong. They’re overpowering me now and I close my eyes, praying for a quick death.

            Please don’t let them chew on me until I’m good and dead, I plead silently. I hear a scream—one of the wolves?

            Before I can crack my eyes open though, a splash of warm blood sprays onto my face. I look up and gasp.

            Before me stands a violent looking orc with long, braided black hair and a huge scar running down one cheek. He’s slicing the heads off the wolves left and right.

            God! He looks intimidating. I bet whoever looks at him cowers in fear. To everyone else he might be scary but right now? This man is Prince-Fucking-Charming.

            Even better than that. He’s my hero. He’s going to save me from these beasts.

            But the damage might already be done. I can’t take the pain. It’s unbearable.

            It’s too much. I feel woozy with the amount of blood that I’m losing. The world starts to get blurry and fuzzy around the edges.

Just as the orc gets closer, I feel everything going black and I faint.