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“Thinking….about what?” I pry as I cross my arms, trying to let the fire warm me more.
“I go there to clear my head.”
“Hmm….” I pause, noticing he’s very closed off to my questions, but I hope I can get him to open up a little more.
“How did you learn all these survival tactics?”
“Loki.”
I don’t want to anger him, but I don’t understand why he’s being so short. I know that he left his previous clan; it was the talk of the compound when he first arrived. It’s unusual for orcs to abandon the clan they grew up in, and his air of mystery only makes me more curious as to why he left.
Because he left his previous clan, he must know how odd it is for an orc to travel alone. Their ties to their clan are strong, and if Loki was the one that taught him most of what he knows, he should know better than to wander off aimlessly.
“Why did you….” I pause, wondering if this is too big of a question to ask right away.
He looks at me, and I notice the figure of his body illuminated by the fireplace. “What?” he asks softly.
“Why did you save me?”
He sighs and looks back into the fire. “You’re a part of Burning Sun. That’s what we do.” He looks at me with kindness in his eyes. “We look out for each other.”
Gratitude swarms in my chest when I hear his words. I arrived at Burning Sun not long ago, and they have redefined the meaning of the word ‘clan’ for me. They have been nothing but kind, and they understood the backstory of my previous ‘clan.’ The brutes I was with before enslaved me and used me for their vendettas. It was hard to trust orcs again before Burning Sun showed me I should be treated equally.
“That’s what I love about Burning Sun,” I respond as I look at the flickering flames.
He nods but remains silent as he stares into the fire. I watch him look deeply into the flames and think he must have a similar feeling toward them. To rescue someone from danger because they’re a member of a clan you didn’t grow up in shows immense loyalty.
I also know that he’s intelligent. Leaving the proximity of the clan is dangerous, as we both figured out today, and I wonder why he would take the chance of putting himself in harm's way. I try to lead into the question gently.
“Loki seems like kind of a father to you,” I comment.
“Yes.”
My curiosity takes hold of me. I don’t want to push him to respond too much, but I have to know.
“Why did you leave Burning Sun to go into the forest?” I ask cautiously. “You know, outside the borders is a dangerous place to be.”
He looks at me, and I see sorrow and pain flicker through his gaze. He exhales deeply and doesn’t break his eye contact as he responds.
“Why were you outside of it?”
I buck my neck back slightly, surprised at the defensiveness of his question. It’s a fair one, but I’m shocked by his audacity in asking. I figured I would get another one-word answer, not a retort.
I cross my arms tighter over my chest and debate how much I should share with him as I look into the fire. If I want him to open up to me, it’s only fair that I share some vulnerability, but I’m unsure if I can talk about my past.
7
HURIAN
She stares at me with suspicion as I wait for an answer to my question. Why is she asking me so many questions, anyway? I avert my gaze and look at the light from the fire dancing with the shadows on the wall and try to make out figures in the shapes as we wait in silence.
I look at her sitting on the couch. She is looking at the wall, too, and she seems uncomfortable. I know my question in response was a bit jarring, and I didn’t answer hers, but we’re already lost in the woods and trying to survive the night while a wild pack of intelligent wolves rests somewhere nearby. I would rather not be interrogated by her while we’re already stressed enough.
Also, I wonder if she’s not great at picking up social signals. I don’t particularly want to talk right now, and I had enough on my mind before we got into this mess.
Her sigh distracts me from my thoughts, and I look at her again. We lock eyes, and she shrugs.
“I was going into the woods to gather some herbs,” she replies coldly.
