The Hunt
Khorgar - October 13, 2005
Fire. The image was vivid. A hut burning, crying, yelling. And
the smell...
Khorgar woke up. He was sweating, his breathing furious,
agitated. He closed his eyes, wiped his forehead.
"Another nightmare, son?" The voice was not Orcish, and yet it
was so familiar to young Khorgar. For all purposes, the Tauren
known as Blackhoof was his father. After all, he and Swiftwind
had been the ones raising him.
Khorgar nodded. "I can't forget the smell... I don't remember
details, I don't remember." Blackhoof interrupted. "Your father?
Your mother?"
Again, Khorgar inclined his head in a nod. "Yes," he said, pain
almost making it into his voice. He quickly dismissed the
sentiment. Blackhoof gently smiled, walking towards Khorgar,
putting a large hand on the young Orc's shoulder.
"Your father was a great warrior, Son. Khor the Berserker. Seeing
him in battle was a glorious sight indeed," Blackhoof always
spoke so highly of his father, and even though Khorgar has come
to love the Tauren as kin, Blackhoof had made sure not to replace
Khor.
The Tauren shook his head, now grim. "It was a sad day, the
cowards wouldn't give him a warrior's death, instead, they burned
his home... your home, while your family slept. Cowards," the
last word was a growl.
Khorgar frowned. Blackhoof was never very willing to talk about
what happened the day he was found by the Tauren couple. The
young Orc knew the basics, that his parents had died in a fire,
that they died trying to save him and that the Taurens had found
him the next day.
"Cowards?" Khorgar asked, curious. Blackhoof sighed, he had said
too much. But now, now there was no turning back. "Yes, humans,
Son. It's time you know, that it was Humans the ones that killed
your parents."
Khorgar rolled the word on this tongue. "Humans..." He hadn't
seen one, not at this point. He knew stories, tales from
Blackhoof and Swiftwind... tales of the War.
He was confused. Why such a cowardly act? If they wanted to kill
his father, why not face him in honorable combat...
"Your father was a threat, and they removed it. And yet, yet you
survived... Son of Khor." Blackhoof fixed his eyes on the Orc,
and Khorgar felt a bit intimidated. "Never forget, who you are. I
love you like a Son, Khorgar, but you -are- the Son of Khor.
Never forget. And never forget. who stole your kin from you, your
family. Never... forget." And with those words, Blackhoof started
off. "Go back to sleep Son, go back to sleep now."
Khorgar had wanted answers, but something in Blackhoof's
expression showed that well, the Tauren was in no mood to give
them.
"Humans." Khorgar whispered as he laid back on the bed.
"Humans," the word now carrying anger as his closeed his eyes, to
sleep.