Zorroku and Peaches

Worth Her Salt

Your mother got to work using a knife to chop up and dice all the onions and garlic and potatoes so that the small pieces would cook that much quicker in the pans since you had lit up the entire hearth and the whole stove in the kitchen. Usually by now your mother was filling you in on what was happening. But because she wasn't, that told you that even she didn't know what was happening.

Grace was keeping your sisters calm so they wouldn't start crying and draw attention to themselves because the panic from the threat of being raided was still coursing through everyone's minds and hearts and while you could use her help in the kitchen too, your youngest sibling's safety was much more important to you.

Your father was the head village elder of this human "village". When in reality, it was only a small collection of houses of other human families that found themselves in servitude to the Clan Chief and his family. The village itself was inside a much larger orc village and within spitting distance of the Clan Chief's home. Most of the humans in this village served the Clan Chief himself and his family. It was not uncommon to get woken up and expected to churn out a feast that evening at your house. It was almost always at the request of the Clan Chief and the purpose for such a feast was for alliance negotiations. Usually, when you were given a proper notice of such an event- it was a matter of pride and joy for you. You enjoyed being hospitable and to host people and give them great food. And give Clan Chief Khagra that much more of an edge in said negotiations.

But there was an edge to your father's voice as he directed your brothers just outside the kitchen. He was urging them to both work quickly and yet cleanly. He insisted that these goats be dressed perfectly. And you could both hear and sense fear in both of your parents. Your stomach could only knot as you could only assume you were hosting the visitors that had circled your house like vultures that morning. Then your father came in, carrying in three freshly slaughtered goats since he had sent your brothers out to get three more among the flocks in the nearby barn. The carcasses were already beheaded, gutted, skinned and their legs below the knee already taken off too.

"Papa? What's going on?" You asked him as you quickly grabbed your good spice mixes and slathered the flesh with them as he put them on an oiled leather cover over a bench where you would either continue to break down whatever was killed and butchered. But you felt you didn't have the time. These needed to get started getting roasted as soon as possible. He helped you slather the goats with the big sack of already mixed spice seasoning. Then he put them on the spit in the fireplace in the kitchen for you.

"An alliance was just now struck between our clan and the Thunder Herd Clan. The Clan Chief of the Thunder Herd Clan and his sons rode all night to get here by morning and already brought an entire wagon full of pink salt from the mountains, cut into bricks. And they brought some slaves for the negotiations. And the two Clan Chiefs and their sons are coming to have breakfast at our house and discuss the details." Your father answered as your eyes got wide.

Usually your Khagra would come to you days or even weeks in advance so you could get things prepared and ingredients gathered for proper feasts for new alliances of this magnitude. So this was out of the ordinary.

That and alliances were never struck up with the Thunder Herd Clan. Not unless they had decimated your army of warriors first and the survivors tried to strike up an 'alliance' which was in truth- usually slavery or servitude. So that the survivors wouldn't be slaughtered too. For your clan- the Black Wolf White Rock Clan to strike up an alliance with them first without going to war meant...you didn't know what that meant. But you had a job to do and you needed to do it as well and as fast as you could.

"How many sons?" You asked and your father just shrugged, not knowing the answer. But considering the variables of two Clan Chiefs and at least the three sons your Clan Chief had. And including at least one son on the other side, despite hearing several horses worth of horse beats around your house. And considering orc's appetites, three goats was not going to cut it.