orc

A great flash lit up the sky and blinded the surrounding area for an instant, followed immediately by an immense roar.

I was washing pots and pans after a meal with my brother and his beautiful family. They provided the food, I cooked and offered to tidy after.  They had left an hour before and I lazily decided to wait a while to clear the laden table as I was tired.  I was feeling drained from the day before when Errak and his little one required my services. There was definitely something sinister that had happened to them, I could feel it and it had sapped my energy healing them. 

The orcs rushed out of their base camp, scurrying away from the whips of their masters. Their slow-witted brains reacted only to the most basic things: desire for food, fear, pain, hatred and rage. And now they had a little of each, for they had been under the command of harsh and ruthless commanders for days.

These are the adventures of Tradul, an orc with a curious outlook on life, but certainly not a very smart one in general. These scrolls are a transcribed copy of the originals, which were found in abandoned goblin camp, written on goatskin in the language of Mordor. 

The day started with a breakfast of slug meat. I don't like slug meat, it's tough and sticks in my teeth. I prefer human legs. The elf ones have little meat and the hobbit ones are too small, I stay hungry. The human ones are perfect. 

The night air bit my skin. Winds caressed me, blowing my blonde hair in my face. The stars sparkled like Noldorin jewels as I darted through the field. I had snuck out. I had waited for my parents to fall asleep, then I slipped from the house, and from town, to explore. Ah, yes, the wind ruffled my nightgown. I pulled it up, my bare ankles getting stained by the tall grasses. I ran, laughter filling the meadows as I tasted freedom.

Time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time. The urgency of the moment had now increased ten-fold as the half-naked man's most fearsome foe was no longer the fire passively devouring everything it happened to touch, but rather an armed brute intent on one thing, killing the man in front of him. Yet, as the heartbeat in his ears overpowered the roar of the flames, Jonn became aware of every muscle in his body, everything he could and could not do at this moment.