Zorroku and Peaches

Wake Up a Servant, Go To Bed a Free Woman and Mother

Zorroku and Peaches

Part 6

"But that doesn't make any sense. Red is the patron color of Zighorh, the god of war. Every kind of people has a god of war and almost all of them have red as their patron color, right? It's the color of honor and glory and victory. It's the color of fire that always means warmth and food. And beyond that it's the color of the sunrise and the sunset. Red is just a color but it's never associated with a curse, to see red is always a blessing." Zorroku gently but firmly contested.

"Zorroushku," you turned to him as your eyes were soft and your tone turned to one you used with Bula's children and grandchildren when you were trying to convince them to take a bath or a nap or go to bed on time. When you couldn't be condescending but you still needed to be gentle but firm and be authoritative to a master.

"Zighorh was not a god humans believed in before the convergence. There were dozens of gods of war depending on which nations and societies people were in- when on Earth. Mars was one of the more popular ones. But when the spheres converged to create the supersphere, we could no longer see the red planet of Mars in the sky. Which made most humans who worshiped him, and the other gods of war- believe that he and the others had forsaken them when the convergence happened. A lot of humans believed that most of their gods had forsaken them when the convergence happened. And for humans- who had been the primary people of Earth when Earth converged with the Supersphere, for them to be thrown together with so many different kinds of people meant that humans had to put aside their previous differences to band together to survive and eek out an existence on a foriegn planet, surrounded with foriegn peoples. And that included any differences in religion." You gently countered.

"And then for those same humans who came out of the convergence, and be completely bewildered and overwhelmed and to feel abandoned and foresaken by their gods, because before the convergence, humans thought they were the only peoples not just on their planet but they thought they were the only life in the universe. And then after the convergence, to see massive attacks and countless slaughtered by large orcish warriors wearing nothing but red warpaint and red clothing, red stopped being associated with their homeworld because after so many generations, most memory of what our homeworld had been lost. And all the survived people could only see the attacks, and to know that Zighorh was an orcish god of war, not a human one. It's not hard to understand why humans would stop associating red with anything positive. And while the black plague got cured and who knows how many lives were saved because of it- countless others have been lost over lands and territories. And then to have the green plague come and kill just as many people as the black plague threatened to, was too much hardship for most to endure. The whole convergence was seen as a curse and not the life saving measure it was meant to be. According to the legends, we were never supposed to have been converged this long. And because humans look just like the gold angels who live in the clouds, most humans are hunted just as much as they are because when they touch down, they look no different from normal humans." You gently reminded him.

"But do you feel that having red hair is a curse?" He asked you worriedly.

"No, I do not. And thankfully Bula has never allowed anyone who has felt that it was a curse- to remain alive in the clan. Because she does not tolerate anyone who would dare pose a threat to me or my family. And she will not see us disrespected or mistreated either. And Bula and her family have always appreciated our red hair because it's much easier for us to stand out among the other humans there, who all have various hair colors but my family is the only one with red hair." You reassured him.

But Zorroku felt he needed to prove to you that such a wonderful thing should never be seen as a curse but a blessing! And he was grateful his grandmother put your mother's village to death. Because if she had not, he would want to raid and destroy such a place himself at sunrise. Because righteous anger was blazing in his veins and in his heart. And he felt he needed to exterminate everyone who thought and felt that way. And from now on he would be watching every human when you were around them because if they even hinted at such a thing, he would make sure they never bothered you, let alone lived long enough to say such lies out loud.

"And we too will watch to make sure no other in this clan feels that way either." Yotul reassured you.

"Thank you." You thanked her before you turned your attention to Ori.

"So, hello there Ori, I'm Bella, or Peaches I should say, what's going on with you Sweetheart? Why are you so fussy?" You asked as you focused completely on the little girl in your arms as you addressed her in a cooing tone as you sat down cross legged on the floor with Zorroku, Crowthu who took on YakYak's sister as Yotul happily played with Yak-Yak and the other grandkids around them. You put Ori on her back in front of you to look her over. You tested her limbs, which were way too skinny, no fat and hardly any muscle at all. Orc babies her age should have just as much fat as they did bone and muscle. She was the size of a human newborn. You didn't understand how she could be three months old and so..small. But she looked up at you and cooed to you and played with your hair which made you smile and coo right back to her. You tested her range of motion and strength which all seemed fine if not on the weak side before you pressed against her tummy a little and she screamed bloody murder.

"Wow, ok, that's some tummy troubles right there! I'm so sorry Sweetie, I didn't mean to hurt you, I really didn't. I'm just trying to see what's wrong, that's all. Please forgive me Sweetheart. But what a great set of lungs you have Munchkin! Pretty sure the whole village heard you!" You cooed to her as you picked her up again and kissed her all over to get her to calm down again which worked like a charm.

"Does she have a swaddling blanket?" You asked before Zorroku immediately handed you one of Ori's many blankets.

"Thank you." You thanked him as you took it and spread it over your crossed legs in front of you before you set Ori in it and began to swaddle her arms up tightly. The same way you had done to Grecko's children when they were fussy and wanting to be nursed by their mothers.

That seemed to settle her down some more before you took her legs and got her to do a crunch. Then the biggest and smelliest fart ever came out of that baby and she immediately stopped fussing and settled down completely. You tried and failed not to gag. Which earned snickering laugh from everyone else before you did it again and rolled her legs around and stretched them out before making her do a crunch again before a series of farts came out of her. Each one smelling worse than the last. And with every one, your heart dropped as your stomach knotted with automatic diagnosis came popping into your head. But you forced your face and voice to stay as neutral as it could because you didn't want to alert the rest of the family. And once all the bad gas had been passed Ori seemed so relieved to have it out of her and immediately stopped fussing and was cooing happily and excited at you and smiled back at you when you smiled back at her.

"Yup, figured it was bad gas huh." You cooed as you finished swaddling her up and picked her up and held her close to your face as you nuzzled your nose with hers which got her to giggle.

Zorroku and his parents were near tears seeing you take to Ori the way you had and clearly knew what you were doing as they tried to realize that with your past with your mother, that would also explain your own fear about leaving home where you didn't have Bula and her family from protecting you against other humans. Not orcs, but other humans! The ridiculousness of that was almost mind boggling.

"Has she had any medicine for her tummy? Because the gas is only part of it, there's still a bit of a problem there." You tried to ask lightly, even though you knew the problem was much more serious than you were letting on. Crowthu, Yotul, Zorroku and Arob who all shook their heads no.

"Ok, come on Ori, you Little Lady, are coming with me. And I'll make you some medicine to help you with that tummy of yours." You cooed to Ori as you found your feet and picked her up and put her on your hip before spinning around in place which got her to shriek and giggle in delight again as you laughed with her as did everyone else.

Then you passed everyone to go back to the kitchen to get back into your satchels to make some medicine for Ori. Once in there, you got her arms out from being swaddled to her body and skinned a peach and gave it to her to chew on so the skin wouldn't choke her, while you prepared your tonic for her. You set her down on the bench in front of you, propped up by bags of grain as she happily and quietly chowed down on her first peach and loved it. Her eyes growing big and her smile beaming as she held it and knawed on it. Her gumbs not sharp enough to take off chunks but enough to get fruit to juice in her mouth.

"That peach is so yummy huh?" You cooed to her as you got everything together and made what medicine you needed, not going by specific measurements but what you felt was the right amount for such a tiny baby like her. Using the best medicinal components you had. Then you grabbed another orange and another peach and juiced them to help make it taste better before you got her to drink it. She preferred her straight up peach but she still drank it with some coaxing as the other women watched on in curious amusement. Zorroku, Glasha and Arob doing so the most as Zorroku had followed you into the kitchen tent to see what you were going to give his daughter as medicine but didn't interfere.

But Zorroku recognized the medicine you were using. You had breadseed leaves and roots and sap which were very, very expensive ingredients. You even had a small hunk of unicorn horn that you shaved off just a tiny bit along with other medicines that he had only ever seen either with his grandmother or with his extended family in the Mountain Blizzard Clan or from raiding other apothocaries when Medowne, Ori's mother had been trying to concieve or was trying to survive her many miscarriages. You seemed to know exactly what you were doing and you were working quickly but efficiently as if you had done this countless times before. It reassured him that Ori was in good hands with you.

"Good girl!" You cooed so proudly to Ori when she drank it all, which got her to grin happily, showing off her tiny tusks points that had just broken through her gums recently. Then you cleaned her up and washed her face and your hands and unswaddled her from the blanket that was now soiled as Zorroku took that so he could wash it later. You brought her back to her grandparents and their other grandchildren and reached into her mouth and rubbed her gums for her. She nearly rolled her eyes back into her head because it felt so good as she bit down onto your fingers and gnawed on your fingers to get more relief.

"Oh, I wouldn't put my fingers..." Yotul grimaced as she watched you do that.

"It's ok, they're clean, besides she needs something soft yet just hard enough to chew on because..." you began before turning your attention back to Ori.

"All teething babies are angry and fussy growly pants and teething tusks hurt huh?" You teasingly growled at her as you rubbed your fingers on her gums some more which got her to laugh before she bit down on your fingers again and giggled evilly as you pretended she was hurting you.

"Oh no! Ori's eating my fingers! Whatever will I do? Nooooo! Someone avenge me!" You teased her in a singsong tone with a giggle of your own as you tickled her with your hand as your arm was wrapped around her which got her to laugh a deep belly laugh which got you to laugh which got everyone else to laugh.

"Here, she's not gonna want to leave you now." Yotul said as she put a mother sling around you and put Ori into it as Zorroku readily got another blanket for Ori and gave it to you since he had several made for her that were in a stack nearby.

"But what if she needs to nurse?" You asked.

"I'll be in the kitchen with you, I'll nurse her and give her right back." Grat immediately offered. She was so relieved you had taken Ori off her hands so to speak. Ori got on her nerves from being so damn fussy all the time.

"Because this is honestly the happiest she's ever been." Grat added as everyone, especially Zorroku nodded their agreement to that sentiment.

"Oh you poor thing. All babies should be overflowing with happiness. Well come on, Ori, let's go cook that midnight meal. And are you gonna be my helper? Yes you are, best ever." You cooed to her before you and the other women left to go to the kitchen as Zorroku managed to wipe his tears away discretely, so you wouldn't necessarily see him cry. But it seemed he wasn't the only one as Crowthu put a comforting hand on his son's shoulder and they shared a meaningful look as Crowthu had to wipe his own grateful tears away because he had been very worried about Ori too.

But fuck all if Zorroku didn't fall hopelessly head over heels in love with you in that instant as his own hopes soared as his fears that Ori wouldn't take to you were chased off as his faith was renowned. He got to see with his own eyes how you just saved his daughter's life. And surely with your medicine, she would be saved and this was how she was going to know you as her mother. Then he pulled his grandmother off to the side and whispered a plea to see if she could help you to nurse Ori since Ori didn't like to nurse from Grat. And maybe Ori would like your milk better than Grat's. Arob nodded her agreement and reassured him that she was thinking the same thing before she left to see how you were faring in the kitchen tent.

"Hey, how much wine do we have?" You asked as you looked at the carcass that had started to get broken down further by the others in the kitchen.

"Lots." Glasha said as she pointed over to the giant jugs in one of the corners as you went over and sampled some. It was very good wine. One of the jugs was actually sweet and tasted amazing. So you mixed some with the dry wine and put a bunch of spices into it before you made another herb brush you carved yourself a roast and you stabbed it all over before you drenched it in the wine before putting it with the spit on the others and noticed how all the other girls were now copying you and doing what you were doing.

"Actually, here, I want to see if this works too." You said as you got some oranges and cut them up. Then you put the orange segments into the large holes that you stabbed through the roasts before you cut up the rind and got the oily juice from the rind along with some ground black peppercorns and put that on the outside of the roast and then sat next to the fire and continued to brush on the liquids as they were turned on the spits before you directed the kitchen servants to keep doing that, after they offered to do that for you.

So then you went and made some sweet bread dough. You put more oranges and peaches and that sweet wine into it, the others were surprised you'd be putting fruit into bread. Then you let it rest and rise in a large bowl before you started on more bread, putting more butter and garlic and herbs into this kind. Crowthu's daughters and daughters in law and especially the kitchen servants all continued to watch you curiously. To them, bread was bread was bread, it never occurred to them to add anything to it, other than some salt.

"Ooh, do we have any cheese?" You asked which they pointed to the rounds of cheese in another corner. Then you went over to the rounds of cheese that had already been opened and sliced to try them on their own. You were delighted when they had so many varieties of cheese to try. And so you chose a good hard one to use. You brought it over to the garlic-y bread dough to put into it later once the bread was ready to take it on.

You continued to keep yourself busy, doing a little bit of everything in between cooing and playing with Ori who you gave a carrot to- to chew on in lieu of your fingers as she happily sat on your hip and watched on as you walked around the kitchen as that tonic you gave her settled her tummy more than anything ever had before. Then she farted again, her little grunts and her face showing her forcing the fart out making you snicker a laugh.

"Hey Grat? How often do you eat onions?" You asked her curiously as you thought over Ori's tummy troubles and deciphered what you were really smelling in Ori's gas. No baby should have gas that smelled that bad. It wreaked of sulfur. Onions were the most potent source of sulfur in a diet and the onions they had in here were the kind that were hot and spicy with lots of sulfur in them.

"With every meal, I love onions plus it's just the Thunder Herd Clan way." Grat answered with a shrug.

"Well Ori has tummy troubles. I know some babies can't handle onions if they nurse from mothers who eat them a lot. Would you consider not eating them? For like a day and see if that helps?" You proposed bravely yet hopefully.

"She'll get used to it, all babies do." Grat reassured you since she did not want to give them up. Right as Arob came into the kitchen to see how things were progressing in here.

"It makes me so happy to see you fitting in so well here Peaches." Arob cooed to you as sidled up beside you.

"Thanks, it's nice that everyone is so welcoming, I wasn't expecting it. But I am very worried about Ori. I think she might be sensitive to onions." You murmured to Arob quietly.

"Ori might be, she's never let me examine her without crying like I was killing her and Zorroku took her back before I could get very far." Arob answered.

"Here, please check her over again. She should withstand it a little better now with that tummy tonic I gave her." You requested as you gave Ori over to her so she could examine Ori. Who now that she was happy in your care, allowed her grandmother to examine her with only minor fussiness. Arob was able to give a good and thorough once over thanks to another peach she happily munched on.

"Oh good heavens! Yes she has a strong allergy to onions and garlic. She'll grow out of it eventually. But if she doesn't stop nursing from a woman who eats them now, she'll be allergic for life. And that will spell trouble for her in the future." Abol realized, kicking herself that she didn't think of that sooner and really kicking herself that she didn't realize it was that that was going on as she was about to tell Grat she needed to immediately change her diet, but Zorroku's request as well as her own hopes kept her from doing so.

"Yeah, I figured from the sulfur smell of her gas it would be onions. I didn't want to worry anyone but you see and can sense how sick she is- right? She's so small and sickly skinny, especially for a baby orc her age. She looks like she's still a newborn. You feel the sickness in her guts right? The onions in the milk are just making it so much worse. I just wish I could nurse her because I would stay away from those for her sake, but I don't know how Zorroku would feel about that, or really anyone else though, or if that's even possible." You naturally lamented and confessed softly in a hushed whisper so that only Arob would hear you, knowing if Ori couldn't nurse from a mother who didn't eat onions, she would only get much worse and fail to thrive altogether.

"Oh yes you could, Zorroku already adores you and wants you to be her mother and Ori obviously is happy in your care and she will thrive if you are her mother. That simple spell wouldn't take much at all to get your breasts to start milking. Just wait here while I get what I need." Arob waived off as she immediately set to work making it.

"It would be my honor and privilege to be Ori's mother." You immediately answered her, wishing your breasts were milking right now so you could nurse her since your instinct to do so was almost overpowering as your own mothering instincts towards her were driving your heart and mind to adopt Ori and make her your own.

"As much as it will be Ori's honor and privilege to be your daughter. Oh Zorroku will be so pleased and relieved. Thank you so much for willingly offering to be her mother. He's been worried sick about her since her birth. He was so heartbroken when her mother was lost in Ori's birth. And he's been frustrated and worried when Ori has failed to thrive so far. Especially when he sees YakYak thrive just fine but Ori not doing the same. But he has been at a loss as to why. And I'm very displeased and frustrated with myself for not seeing the problem sooner." Arob assured you.

"But just expect him to pursue you even harder from now on though. Because if you're willing to be Ori's mother, he's gonna want to make you his wife too. His honor will demand that he at least try." Arob gently and softly cautioned you.

"Yeah, could you please tell me why that is? Since when does every single one of Crowthu's sons want to get with a human like me? I am not that special, not enough to be his Warcheiftess or the wife of any of Crowthu's sons." You asked.

"You already know the answer to that Dear." Arob grinned knowingly at you.

"Damn it. But I was supposed to be hidden on the Astral Plane. Who did Crowthu and his family have to kill to find out about me?" You asked worriedly.

"No one. No one was hurt or harmed. And you still are hidden on the Astral Plane. Neither I, nor anyone else has uncovered you there. You and your blessings you have received so far are still your secret to keep. And no one expects you to share them or bestow them on anyone else. Because all I can tell is that you've already tried to give them away to others but they stick to you harder every time you try. And we are not looking to do the same. I am the only one in this whole clan who knows anything about them and I have not told anyone. I promise and swear on Ori's life I have not." Mama Arob reassured you softly as she held your face in her hands affectionately so that you would keep looking her in the eye.

"So the only reason you got me is because my mother was connected to Sharn and that I was connected to Bula?" You asked as she nodded.

"And now you are connected to Ori. And she is saved for having you." Mama Arob reassured you.

"Even if Ori was the only reason I'm here, I'm happy and content with that. No baby should have to suffer, especially when she had no control over losing her own mother. The poor thing." You insisted as your eyes began to water a little as you turned towards Ori and held her to your chest once more as your heart reached out and attached itself so strongly to her. As you were actually relieved that Zorroku was her father and you were surprisingly relieved to hear he would pursue you because you were attracted to him the most as you wondered if it was fate preparing you so.

"The only things I know about your secret blessings was the fact that you had them at all. That was all that I was able to ascertain even as close as I tried to look but failed because the cover over you is pulled that securely over you. I don't know the particulars and neither does anyone else because I never said anything to anyone about any of it. All I could tell was that you were the missing link, and the missing puzzle piece to the family. Which you just proved by knowing Yotul and her family as well as Sharn and hers. So there is nothing else for you to tell or disclose or reveal, especially about yourself. I had no idea your mother's red hair was seen as a curse by other humans. But I swear to you, no one will ever see it that way again. You and your family are blessings. And especially to orcs- red is seen as a color to be proud of. And your mother did the right thing by marrying your father and giving birth to you and your siblings. As far as Crowthu and the rest of his family knows. All you are is a fantastic cook and family found by the ways you have just disclosed. That is all they know and all they will know until when and if you ever say anything else. Which you never have to do if you don't want to. So please, do not fear that we went all that way just to get you- just to get at your blessings. That's not it at all. We came and got you because you are our family that was lost but now is found. And if you wish to be Ori's mother, then that's all the reason you should ever need or want to be here. Ok?" Mama Arob assured you as tears of relief came to your eyes as you could see and feel that she was telling you the truth.

"Ok, thank you. I really needed to hear that." You thanked her.

"Of course. I have been waiting to tell you that. But then Yotul was rude and threw everything off." Arob waived off as she got back to work which made you laugh through the last of your tears.

"I can't blame her for it." You shrugged.

"I know, which is something she really appreciates. Thank you for being so kind and understanding and patient with her. She speaks the truth when she calls you her daughter. And she will protect you just as fiercely as Crowthu and the rest of the family will." Arob predicted.

"So how did you find me anyway?" You asked her.

"Peaches, because you were so well hidden, you still looked like this." Mama Arob chuckled as she took Ori's other blanket and draped it over Ori who cooed and jabbered and kicked at the blanket, thinking it was a game.

"It was the movement and everything around the blanket that pointed to you under it that caught my attention." Arob grinned as she pulled the blanket off and you twisted your lips at the analogy but still grinned.

"So why did Yalak and Nar give me instruments? I did not tell them I could play them and I do not recall Khagra or his sons or my father or anyone else telling Crowthu or any of his sons that I play. Why are they all so determined to marry me? Surely I can't be that good of a cook." You posed.

"Because when you came here, and having you in front of me. I was able to divine your future while you slept and recovered from your journey. And you have the strong possibility of any son you chose to be a Warchief, and possibly a Clan Chief of this clan. That is why most of them desire you and all but one desires you solely because of that high probable outcome." Arob disclosed.

"Who is the one who doesn't desire me because of that outcome?" You asked.

"Who do you think?" Arob returned as she looked pointedly from you to Ori and then back to you.

"Zorroushku? Or Zorroku I should say." You guessed.

"Yes. Actually the only ones to call him by his full name were his mother and his siblings when they talk in Ragesh privately. So for you to call him that and his siblings by their Ragesh names will mean a lot to them. Because their names in the common tongue or even Pregu just aren't the same. But still, he doesn't care about that probable outcome of possibly being a Clan Chief. Only because he has seen the heavy burden it has been for his father. And how much peace and rest it has cost him and does not wish that for himself." Arob revealed.

"Really?" You asked rhetorically. Usually Clan Chief was the ultimate goal, and seen as almost a guarantee if you were the first born son of one.

"Yes. Zorroku has never been that ambitious for power, but he has taken the responsibility given to him by his father seriously nontheless. Zorroku was happy and content with his one wife- Medowne. He met her when she was out foraging in a meadow for wildflowers and herbs while on a hunting and foraging trip as her clan and ours were in the same area and they called a truce for the sake of sharing a very good foraging area." Arob recalled.

"But Medowne was searching for medicinal herbs because she was always in poor health and Zorroku literally went broke a few times just trying to buy her cures. And Medowne had the hardest time getting pregnant and keeping a pregnancy and she had to be on a very special diet and on complete bedrest and Ori still came a whole month early and she still didn't survive the birth. And so Zorroku is very scared and worried about pursuing you because he doesn't want to lose a third woman in his life to the same killer that childbirth can be. And he has been fighting to make sure Ori is not that third either. All he has ever wanted is to be liked and loved for himself, not for his title or which son he is of his father's. A feeling I think you share, no?" Arob ventured.

"I do. That's all I've ever wanted for myself, was to be liked for myself. But because of what I've done for Bula's sons, no other man back at home would go anywhere near me because they assumed I was more intimate with them than I was." You cleared your throat as you blushed but frowned at the memories.

"Well, that's all that Medowne gave Zorroku, just her whole heart and soul and that's what he gave her in return. And Zorroku knew peace and happiness in his heart and in his home while they were together. Which is all he's ever wanted in life. He didn't even want to be a Warchief. But when Yotul demanded that Silug be made a Warchief because he is her first born son, Crowthu made Silug and Zorroku both Warchief's together. Silug's warband likes to go into the thick of the fighting to slaughter the most enemies, and to the richest areas of other towns to raid and thus the wealthiest women to conquer. Zorroku does not. He is much more concerned with keeping each man in his warband alive and that they all return home safely. And he makes sure that if any man in his warband wishes to conquer a woman, that he does so respectfully and kindly. Which is why Zorroku's men have the poorer but happier wives because each one is claimed, whether she gives the father an heir or not. And while his warband doesn't raid as many goods as Silug's does, Zorroku's men fight harder for him and are much more loyal to him for it and return his loyalty in kind." Arob recounted.

"Well that's what good Warchief's are supposed to do. They're supposed to take care of their warband. Only the greedy and selfish ones do what Silug does." You agreed.

"And that's why Silug takes any and all volunteers because he loses usually half of his warband in fighting every single time he goes out and they don't work as a team, it's very much- every man for himself. But the survivors are the richest in the clan because of his methods. Zorroku on the other hand, chose those in his warband very carefully and his warband has a waiting list of warriors who wish to be in it. And only when Zorroku got the twins to be his captains and they all agreed on how to run a warband, that others in the waiting list could be under each of the twins but under Zorroku." Arob continued.

"Good for them." You nodded, your tonue turning proud and impressed to hear that.

"Well and when Medowne was sick, Zorroku didn't go raiding because he didn't want to risk himself not coming home safely to her. And when Medowne could not be saved, he has felt lost without her ever since. He has flatly refused to raid ever since too. Because he hurts too much as it is and he doesn't have the heart to inflict pain and suffering on anyone else. Mostly because he feels that his own is too much as it is. But at the same time, feels he deserves every bit of it for the harm he feels responsible for-in being a Warchief and leading a warband for the clan. And if he could, he would bow out from the position. But his men, even his own brothers- refuse to follow anyone but him in raids or battle. He has already lost a mother and a wife to childbirth and does not want to lose any more. Which is why he has not claimed any other as his mate and flatly refuses any female servant just to keep himself from being tempted." Arob revealed in a low murmur so that only you would hear her. And you greatly appreciated her discretion.

"And now the only future he does care about is Ori's. Not his own, not his other family members. Just hers. And he pours everything he has into her care. Which is why his armor is as old and worn as it is. It's why he doesn't get new, better weapons. He doesn't even bother to get new clothes for himself. He lives in the same tent he had when he was a bachelor and he gave his tent that he had when he was married to Medowne away to someone who needed it. And it's why Ori's dressed so well and has so many baby clothes and blankets and things because everything Zorroku has, he gives to her. And since you are ensuring Ori's life and survival and soon to be her ability to thrive, he's happy and content. And will be happy and content with as much or as little of yourself you wish to give him." Arob insisted as you found that invaluable insight and it would explain Nar and especially Yalak's interest and why Zorroku seemed to be much gentler in his interest instead of so over the top intense about it which you appreciated.

"But there has to be some mistake about whoever I marry could be Clan Chief. Humans haven't been allowed into a Warchief's inner family or especially a Clan Chief's family for...forever, as long as anyone's memory. Is it my blessings that make that outcome possible?" You whispered to her worriedly.

"No, your blessings, again, are yours and yours alone and no-one here, besides you, knows exactly what they are. And I will not even attempt to ever take them away from you or find out exactly what they are because they are your business and no one else's." Arob insisted.

"So why did you send for me now?" You asked her.

"Well, I got a prophetic vision and it repeated over and over again for the last four months and all I could see is a woman's back. She was someone with red hair, in a red fox fur suit on the mountain in a Mountain Blizzard hut. And when I asked your adopted grandmother Jaseen about it, at first she refused to tell me anything about it and even when I looked through everyone in the clan, no one had red hair or a red fox fur anything. And the vision just repeated and became much more vivid. It came with dread that spread to the whole family and then to the whole clan until I took heed of the visions themselves given to me. And when the whole family came to Jaseen, and pleaded with her to tell them. She would only talk to me but she only spoke in the most bizarre riddle that took me over a week to decipher it.

"Everyone in my family has red fox fur suits. How did you decipher it was me or should have it been my sister?" You asked.

"Because in the vision, it showed you as a gemstone. You were carved out of Ivory, you had sapphires for eyes and your hair was rose gold. But that you had a peach in your hand and the scent of their flowers were all around you. And your sister had a branch of lavender in her hand and that the scent of lavender was on her. And when Jaseen and I shared the vision. She told me the riddle pertaining to you. 'Where white meets black, where wolf meets raven, where the peaches grow behind walls and the jewel of the crown of Khagra can be seen. Where a cook worth her price salt can be found'." Arob revealed.

"White rock, black wolves and ravesn. Peaches growing in our walled garden, cook worth her salt." You repeated with a grin but shook your head.

"Grandma Jaseeneh has been trying to buy my freedom and the other members of my family's freedom for years. But Bula has always refused. And while she has not mistreated us, she has threatened Jaseeneh that she would if Jaseeneh and her clan stopped doing business with them. And has always refused the offer for our freedom. My grandmother has offered Bula our weight in salt a hundred times over and Bula has still refused it. Bula tells us that it just makes good business sense and she gives us gifts right before Dastaneh and Justineh come so that they see that we are treated as well as we have come to expect to be treated." You revealed in turn.

"Oh how awful." Arob frowned.

"But I know it's only an issue because of who my mother was adopted by. Bula has always felt insecure and inferior to Sharn, as I imagine Yotul has, as well. But Bula has had no one to keep her insecure jealousy in check, Yotul has had Sharn and Crowthu and their children so far. I honestly think it was only the threat of war with this clan that Khagra finally relented and released me, but only for me. I don't know if now that he has let me go, if he will let go of anyone else in my family or if he will hold onto them even tighter." You fretted.

"But I was on that mountain this winter with my parents, as I have been every winter all my life. My whole family goes up to the mountains every winter to grow breadseed for the clan and dry the breadseed leaves for the tea and my sister collects the sap and roots for medicine. Which is what I used to make Ori's medicine that I'll be giving her until she completely heals. But we all have red fox fur snow suits because that's how we can be spotted on the mountain, even from a distance. The dots of red against the white snow for when the ravens scout us out on the good days to make sure we are still there and alive. You could have just come to us then. No one from the clan comes with us from the Black Wolf White Rock Clan when we pilgrimage up to the mountain. And Justineh has given us traditional Mountain Blizzard huts for our stays on the mountains along with special food provisions. And they come and stay with us for a week or two while we are up there, usually just as we come up and make camp and then again when we are taking it down." You explained.

"But we are not allowed to leave the mountain otherwise. Because if we do, then Bula has threatened to kill all the other humans in the clan if we even try. But Jaseeneh has never been in good enough health to come herself. So for most of the time we are there, we were all alone and you could have easily come and liberated us then. Because there was no way Bula could have faulted us if you did." You explained.

"We should have and I'm sorry we didn't. But by the time Jaseen finally told me the riddle after I shared the vision with her, it was spring. And by the time we came looking for you on that mountain, you were already back home. And so we had to deal with Khagra to even get to you." Arob explained.

"Well dealing with them from now on will be hard unless I can convince Bula that Yotul really is her sister and that the clans should be friends on account of that, and not enemies with the thinnest and most uneasy of peaces between them." You ventured.

"Well hopefully you will be successful and I promise you, we will find a way to liberate the rest of your family. Because no Marfu daughter of Crowthu and Yotul should ever be servant to anyone." Arob insisted.

"And yet the Visla's of Jaseeneh are and have been for over 20 years. How will being a Marfu be any different?" You asked her with disbelieving yet sorrowful eyes that pulled at Arob's heart and pained Arob to see as she was now, more determined than ever to see justice for you.

"Because the Mountain Blizzard Clan and the Thunder Herd Clan are sister clans. My daughter, Cilanthe, Crowthu's sister is the Clan Chieftess to the Mountain Blizzard Clan. And between them, the snow will not fly this fall as fall goes into winter- before your entire family is free. It was sworn by myself, Crowthu and Cilanthe to Jaseen when she and I shared the vision." Arob swore to you.

"Well then I hope for your family honor's sake, that you will be the ones to succeed where everyone else has failed so far." You offered to her.

"If I and my children do not succeed, than you shall inherit everything both clans have as recompense." Arob insisted, and while you let it go, you were afraid to put too much faith in such a thing because you had been disappointed many times in the past.

"The vision and everything on the Astral Plane all pointed to you. Even when you were so well hidden and concealed and protected. The fates and the gods themselves have chosen you specifically to be in our family, at least the first one of your family to be in ours and our way forward." Arob insisted.

"Peaches, think about it, who would be better as a Clan Chieftess than someone who's hosted almost every clan on the continent and knows all there is to know about them? Who knows our history and our patchwork and are able to connect things like you do? Only you could have realized the connection between us and the Black Wolf White Rock Clan because you cared to. Because you feel that maternal lines matter just as much as paternal ones- which is absolutely true -and more need to think the way you do." Arob continued.

"You were able to glean so much by asking a few simple questions in a flattering way. You were able to give this family and this house peace in a way it has lived without it for months now. You were able to start to heal what has been broken for years. Your brilliant mind and your unassuming human body are what makes you invaluable. Because everyone, especially Khagra and his family have always underestimated you. A mistake they have all made but will make no more. Every alliance Khagra has ever made has been within your ears being able to hear it. You may not recall it all right now, but I'll help you if you want to remember it. You know that alliances are the way of the future. And you can help our clan gain them too. And therefore help push our clan into the future too. Plus with all these foods and spices you've brought with you, I will help make it all grow so we will have food of our own instead of just onions that grow wild here among the grasses for the horses." She reassured you.

"So do not worry about anything from now on. You are where you should be and you are with who you need to be with, Ori. Plus Zorroku has been praying to the gods for a proper mother for Ori, even if that mother didn't love him himself. Because while Grat has nursed her, she doesn't love Ori as her own child. And in just a few moments you've swooped in and scooped her up and are healing her better than I ever could. And you obviously care for her, enough that you're willing to give up certain foods just so that you could give her the milk she needs. You knew nothing about her but you took one look at her and I could see your heart go out to her. And that's all we could ever hope for. No other woman around here would be willing to do that because the Thunder Herd Clan does love its onions. All you need is to drink this special milk that I'm making you and you'll produce milk for her as if she was your babe and she can sleep with you tonight if you wish." Arob reassured you.

"Will Zorroushku be ok with that?" You asked.

"He'll move all of Ori's things into your tent himself if you so much as hint at it." Arob assured you.

"But he's the first born, any relationship between him and I, isn't it against..." You began to argue before she shushed you.

"No, that does not matter to us at all, all those laws against humans need to be put out of your head. You're a Marfu which means Clan Chief's family. You're one of us. The fact that you're human has no bearing whatsoever on anything anymore. We are very different from every other orc clan you know of. What governs other orcs does not govern us. We will set a precedent for all others and that begins with you." Arob insisted as she went ahead and made her special drink to help you produce milk before she blessed it, magicking it and offered it to you and you took it and started to drink it.

"Wow, it's like...mostly butter, honeyed butter." You noted as you took a moment to clear all the fat that had begun to build up as a film in your mouth.

"Can I add anything to this? Or should I just drink it the way it is?" You asked her.

"Please, do as you see fit, for anything you do to it- will improve it." She insisted.

"Thank you." You thanked her before you got out more of the breadseed root, both fresh and dried. As you used an entire dried root and an entire fresh root and cut both into tiny little pieces and used your special marble medicine pestle and mortar to make another medicinal tonic but for yourself as a separate one you used to make a dried powder of the dried breadseed leaves. Hoping that the medicinal properties would be added to your breast milk to help heal Ori with every drop of milk she would nurse from you. Before you added more of your other precious medicines that Lillyannah put into your satchel, including breadseed tea leaves and breadseed sap that was used for the same purpose that the milk of poppy was- to take away pain. But instead of making you so sleepy and could risk being in a coma, it kept your senses intact and could even sharpen them and could be ingested and applied to a wound instead of just externally applied to a wound so that you healed from the inside and outside.

"You are a marvel." Arob praised as she watched you work.

"I wish my sister Lilly was with me so she could tell me exactly how much to use instead of me just using my instincts for how much to use. Lilly has everything figured out based on age and weight, of how much medicine to use. She says that I tend to use too much when I make things like this. But so far, Shuzug and Yar especially prefers me to doll out their medicine because they claim that Lilly never gives them a big enough dose." You muttered as you worked and dumped the tonic into the cup and were surprised when the little cup took all of the tonic into it without spilling before you added the powdered tea leaves and other things to the milk and stirred it together.

"Instinctual medicine is usually the best medicine because instincts are usually much more acute and accurate than any table written down. And our instincts in the moment are often much more accurate at telling us what to do and how to do it." Arob praised.

"Well hopefully this works and my milk will be able to heal her and nourish her." You sighed, hoping and praying to every god you knew of for this to work.

"It will work exactly how you wish it to. The spell I cast was to make your desire to care for her in all the ways you wish to- realities." Arob revealed.

"Thank you." You thanked her before you were happy with how incorporated everything was into the milk before you drank the rest.

Surprisingly, despite all the medicine you just put into it, It tasted extremely sweet. You worried you had not put enough medicine into it but your sense told you that you put the perfect amount into it. You tried to get every drop and the more you drank the more the little cup made for you to drink. To the point that you felt like you had drunk at least a liter or two of it- out of this one little cup and the more you drank the wider Arob grinned.

"Orc milk is very high in fats and extremely nutritious, it's what helps our babies grow so big so fast." Arob boasted as she watched you drink it with curious amusement as Ori continued to munch on another peach which only awakened her full appetite.

"But won't my body not make it the same as an orc?" You asked worriedly between long pulls before you finished it off, tilting your head back and tipped the little cup so that you got every single drop because it was just that good. You would have drunk a keg of it if you could as the cup finally seemed to reach its limit.

"Oh no, that drink will make your whole body always give your babies exactly what they need and want including her, especially her. And any child you have from now on, will also have natural immunity and have excellent health. However, you'll be quite hungry from now on and put on some really good curves." Arob reassured you before you felt the drink start to take effect. Your breasts suddenly doubled and then tripled in size until they were as big as large cantaloupes and were trying to grow out of your dress. They had been the size of large grapefruits before. You felt them grow very heavy and start to ache before they started to leak.

"Holy shit. Wow. Ok, that was fast." You marveled as you looked down at your chest in surprise as your breasts overflowed the top of your dress as Arob snickered at your candor.

"Oh please tell me you're hungry Ori." You urged her as youpicked her up and led her in your arms the same way you had seen Grecko's wives hold their babies when they were about to nurse before you got your breast out and offered it to her hungry mouth as you sat down on a stool at the same time Grat, Rek and the others were nursing their sons and daughters. The others immediately noticed the change in you and that you were trying to nurse Ori and were happy that you wanted to and were able to.

And once Arob and the others helped you through the latching process, Ori seemed to guzzle your milk down. Her eyes rolled back into her head in pleasure which made you giggle. You felt the intense pull within the breast from your ribs as she greedily sucked every bit down. She finally got the first milk she was unfortunately denied at birth to set up her gut properly, and so much more.

Your milk was especially rich and fatty as well as medicinal. It was three times as rich as normal orc milk. It was even extra sweet, having three times the sweetness as others. And super nutritious, it was so packed with nutrients it would ensure Ori would catch up in no time and with the medicine you had put into it. It would heal Ori in no time and push her from being sickly to the epitome of good health in quick succession too.

Ori drained that breast completely then you switched her to the other breast and held her and rocked her and hummed to her as she drained that one too. She nodded off once she was very full for the first time in her life. You felt both a relief in your breasts from being almost bursting with milk. But you felt more relief that Ori ate as much as she did and fell asleep smiling up at you as she held your breast like a bottle and smiled even wider in her sleep as she curled into you as you did the same.

Once she had fallen asleep, she detached her mouth and used your breast as her pillow. You put your breast away by doing your best to stuff it back into your dress, but only managed to get your nipples tucked into the dress itself, everything else refused to be stuffed into it and you felt like with just a cough, or a sneeze, your breasts were going to pop out of your dress completely, no matter how much of your chemise you tried to pull up to cover your bosom. You swaddled Ori tightly again and simply held her for a few moments as the other babies finished nursing as well. Once they were all done, you followed them and put her to lay down in a little pen that was set up in the main tent with her cousins in the family's main tent.

"She's asleep already?" Zorroku asked in pleasant surprise when he saw you carry her in as she slept blissfully away in your arms.

"Yes. But I need to talk to you about her Zorroushku." You insisted in a soft murmur in Ragesh as you gently put Ori down in the pen with her cousins. Zorroku immediately froze but his heart melted at hearing his name like that on your lips and was immediately inclined to stay as close to you as he could, at least respectfully so as his brain teased him about fantasies of you saying that name to him in that same inflection as he would hopefully be laying you down into a bed in turn, and hiking up those skirts and feeling that beautiful ivory skin with the beautiful speckling of freckles...Oh right. You wanted to talk to him about Ori, he could focus on this fantasy later. He needed to focus on you and his daughter in the moment. Not dream about the future and not letting those dreams and fantasy steal his present moments with you. Especially if he wanted those dreams and fantasies to come to life someday.

"So what do you think is wrong with her? I'm not blind, I've known something has been amiss with her since birth. She was born a month premature and her health has been poor as was her mothers. So I've just assumed she's inherited her mother's bad health. Please tell me everything." Zorroku asked, keeping to Ragesh himself, rather loving that you spoke his mother tongue so beautifully.

"So what I, and your grandmother found out is Ori is becoming allergic to onions and garlic. I noticed her gas has a lot of sulfur and with the roasted onion that I was fed with dinner, I can only assume onions are a big part of the Thunder Herd Clan diet, right?" You asked him.

"Yes, they're with every meal. She's allergic to onions? Oh no. Grat loves onions more than anything. That's her favorite food. No wonder Ori hasn't wanted to nurse." Zorroku realized.

"So I politely asked Grat if she would consider not eating them to help Ori nurse better..." you began.

"And let me guess? She refused?" Zorroku asked as his face betrayed how upset he was about that.

"She did. So I volunteered to stay away from those for Ori's sake and your grandmother made me this drink that made it so I could nurse Ori. And so I drank it and it worked and I nursed her and she drank a ton. So um, if that's ok with you and not too weird." You murmured quietly to Zorroku, keeping your voice low so as not to call too much attention to your private conversation with him or possibly embarrass or start a fight with anyone else in the family nearby.

"Thank you so much for doing that for her. That's not weird at all and completely alright with me. Thank you, very very much, you have no idea how much this means to me... Bella." Zorroku gratefully thanked you. As he tried to be respectful of you and your actual name and try not to stare at your heaving breasts now threatening to spill from your dress and keep his gaze locked with yours which was really hard for him to do.

"Hey don't start that now, I was just getting used to 'Peaches'." You teased him with a grin and twinkle in your eye which got him to blush bashfully but smile ever so brightly all the same.

"Well with you taking care of her, could I move Ori's things into your tent?" He asked hopefully.

"Please, I'd love to have her stay with me. And you'll get more sleep at night if you don't have to wake just to bring her to me so I can nurse her through the night." You readily agreed.

"Of course." Zorroku nodded before he left to do just that as you left with the other women and happily got back to work on preparing the midnight meal. You checked on the roasts while baking all the different kinds of bread.

Grat roasted the onions, keeping her hands on the greens of the onions so that the onion bulb would roast in the fire, but not before you hollowed the cores out and put fat into the cores from your special leather pouch of fat before Grat went back to roasting them over the fire, turning them to make sure they cooked all the way through and the others boiled and roasted the vegetables along with roasting the bones in the fire to cook the bone marrow inside them before you helped split them and scoop out all the marrow to put it into a big bowl for everyone to scoop out and go along with their meal.

"What do we do with the bones now?" You asked.

"We throw them out?" Rek answered as if that should have been obvious.

"You don't make soup or stew with them?" You asked.

"No?" They all answered back.

"Oh my gods, ok, can I use this cauldron here? Is it ok if I use this?" You asked them before Arob immediately nodded her permission and you filled it with new water from the well in the kitchen since the 'blessed water' had been previously drained and they all helped you bring it over to the fire and got it to boil first.

"Why are you boiling the water?" Glasha asked you curiously.

"Not all water is clean water, boiling the water before you do anything with it can help keep you from getting sick, I've seen far too many mighty warriors be taken down by drinking let alone eating anything prepared with dirty and unclean water." You answered.

Once the water boiled for a good fifteen minutes you put it over the more burnt out coals to simmer over night before you added all the roasted bones and even more onions, both fresh and roasted and garlic and whole vegetables and different spices and things before you got a giant hunk of meat that had been ignored from the carcass because it was too tough to eat roasted over the fire and was usually given to the slaves to eat or discarded before you put that in there too along with a bunch of wine too.

"There and come morning we'll have a nice stew, bones give water a flavor meat usually can't give." You said once you were done just as the roasts, the heart and the liver were coming off the spit before you put them in a large but kind of shallow bowl.

"Now, let those roasts rest for a little bit, if you serve them now, all the juice will leave it, let it rest and relax and it'll be more tender and juicy." You directed before they looked at you a little strangely but they did as you directed them to.

You added even more of the spiced wine they had been basting them in, then watched as the meat suddenly began to re-soak up all the juices it had started to exude and even the wine. Their eyes went wide in surprise as Arob just grinned proudly. You roasted a wheel of cheese on the fire, something else they had never seen done or had considered doing and once it was done you let it spill out onto a plate before drizzling honey onto it.

"Tada! Ok, now the midnight meal is ready." You announced before they all got their food and brought it back into the main eating tent that had a proper table and benches on either side.

Everyone was sniffing the scents rolling off the food hungrily and licking their lips. You sat down at the table between Arob and Zorroku since Ori had woken up and was happy to be held by Zorroku while you brought the dishes out to the table as Ori was already eagerly reaching out for you to hold her which you happily did and tried to use her body to cover your chest.

Ori just rubbed her face into your skin and sighed happily and smiled up at her Dad as she laid over bosom like it was the perfect cushion.

You noticed every man in this family kept trying to subtly catch as many glances at your breasts now that they were noticeably bigger. Zorroku doing so the most subtly in between smiling and cooing to his daughter while also feeling just a bit jealous that Ori could do that to you but he couldn't. But he didn't want to make you uncomfortable by just staring. So he did his best to keep his focus on Ori.

But it was kind of hard because that dress had been made for your previous smaller breasts in mind and now gave you ample cleavage that was threatening to completely overflow your dress as every other guy was now eyeing your breasts, almost in anticipation that at any moment they were going to just magically pop out.

You wanted to scream, normally you would have feared that you were just a breath away from getting raped but somehow you knew that Crowthu, Yotul, Zorroku and Arob would keep that from happening.

"Oh my gods they're just breasts! Arob gave them to me to nurse Ori ok?! You can all stop staring at them now for fucks sake!" You exclaimed exasperatedly before the whole table erupted into the loudest, heartiest laughter as you took a small towel that had somehow found it's way into your pocket and stuffed it into your dress to try to cover all your cleavage as you couldn't help but laugh too as you blushed beet red.

"That's my girl," Arob smiled proudly as she pat your back.

"Sorry," Zorroku tried to apologize but he was currently choking on his bread and laughing too hard.

"We'll get you better fitting clothes tomorrow Peaches." Yotul offered as she tried to calm down her own laughter. Not thinking she'd get to see that side of you for another couple of weeks yet and quite liked it.

"Was wine used with the meat tonight?" Crowthu asked curiously as he noticed the deep reddish hue to his roast as he cut into it and grinned when orange segments, now purple from the wine came falling out as well as the roast itself and it practically oozed wine.

"Yup, and oranges, I hope you like it." You answered as you began to eat.

"Oh my gods, what was used with the onions?" Yotul asked as she noticed they were delightfully greasy but so good she was eating the onion by itself before she got another one.

"A mix of beef fat, beef bone marrow and cow's milk butter." You answered.

"Ok you need a herd of cows to call your own, this is too good." Crowthu said as he did the same, marveling at how improved the onions were as Rek was on her third second onion and quickly grabbed a third.

"Does the Great Thunder Herd Clan take offense to pigs?" You asked thoughtfully and very carefully.

"No? Why would we?" Crowthu asked and Yotul burst out laughing, snorting at the question.

"I take it that rumor didn't get spread here." You put to her with a grin as you leaned forward to share a meaningful look with her.

"No," Yotul laughed as she shook her head no.

"What rumor?" Nar asked from his spot right across from you as both you and Yotul blushed deeply and snickered to each other.

"OK, you want to say this or do you want me to tell it?" You asked Yotul.

"You'll say it better than I will." Yotul returned before you just gulped down your wine to get yourself to relax enough to explain this.

"Ok, so among humans and especially elves, there is this rumor. That's very hurtful, insulting and horrible, which if you had any brains in you at all, you'd know it isn't true. But it's regarded as a fable among most elves and some humans who live around elves and the other kinds of peoples from the other worlds- that how orcs came into existence, is immediately after the convergence a pig fucked a human girl and she gave birth to the first orc and the more the pig fucked her, the more orcs came into existence. And that if and when the spheres ever un-converge, orcs will die out since, according to this rumor and fable- they don't belong to any one world. Which isn't true, I know that orcs came from their own homeworld. But the fable and the rumor is that from that encounter where a pig fucked a girl- they bred each other and orcs came into existence. And because of that horrible and hurtful fable- it leads many to believe that orcs aren't really people, they're half people, half beast. And that's why every elf I've ever met seems to have a stick shoved right up their ass. Because they're so fucking aloof like they think they know they're better than anyone else because they also believed that humans are just really dumb, retarded elves that have bred together too. But I've only met a handful and that's what I overheard them say to each other." You explained as your blush crept down to your neck and chest as Crowthu and his kids looked at you in horrified shock as Yotul just shook her head.

"Like I said, it's a horrible hurtful rumor and not true in the least. But orcs who live near elves hear this so much, that many believe it to be true. And if and when they get invited to a feast, they're only served pigs to eat and it's like a practical joke that they're in a way cannibals, eating their forefathers. And so some orc clans refuse to eat pigs or pork rather, it's called a pig when it's alive and pork once it's dead and you're butchering it. But anyway, that's the rumor and that's why I asked that question the way I did. But it's a good thing that the rumor is false, because pigs are a wonderful, magical animal that make some amazing, like ridiculously good meat and fat. Like a pig will give you bacon from the belly, which is the strips of meat you guys ate this morning at breakfast, ham comes from the legs, which is the round pink meat you had at breakfast with your fried eggs too." You explained as Crowthu and his sons all made that 'oh yeah' hum.

"Anyway, Khagra and Bula sent plenty of both with me so we can have that for breakfast tomorrow if you want. Also, bacon is referred to as the five layers of happiness, because when you look at it from the side, there's the skin, then a layer of fat, a thin layer of muscle, another layer of fat then another layer of muscle then another of fat then you reach the guts and once you cure it in salt, it keeps and keeps for a very long time and you slice it really thin and then fry it until it's crunchy or even chewy and oh gods is it good or you shave the hair off the whole pig by pouring boiling water over it then you take a razor and shave off the hair and the very outer layer of skin then you skin it and you fry the skin and you make chicharone once it's fried and it's so good, just so good, and then you can cut off all four legs and cure them and make ham, or roast them and then the loins, you chop those up into steaks and grill those if you want or what you could do, is instead of taking the pig apart and cooking everything separately, you gut it, spread it flat by dislocating the ribs from the spine and then roast the thing whole for like a full day and night, over white coals of really good wood and the skin crisps up really nicely and all the meat is like, pinch tender you gently pinch a piece of meat and it's so tender it shreds itself, I personally love it." You explained.

"Does my sister and her family eat pigs?" Yotul asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, they prefer them. It still is your mother's favorite animal to eat because the fish from the lakes and the stream isn't the same as it is in the sea, is that what you've found?" You asked her and she nodded yes adamantly.

"Yeah, the fish is shit around here." Yotul spat in disgust.

"Which ones do you eat? Because the lake fish, the skinny ones with the blue gills, I've made those for your sister and her family and they like those. You just have to coat them in flour and pepper and fry them in oil. Now the catfish, the ones who have long whiskers but don't touch them because they're just bendy barbs who like to stick to rivers with the wide white bellies, those can taste like the muck you pull them from if you eat the yellow meat which is the fatty meat, never eat the fatty yellow meat, it's so gross. Now there is a tiny shrimp with armor that looks like a tiny lobster, you can find those in most rivers and streams in the rocks, those are good if you boil them in heavy pepper water. I was going to go hunting for them in the morning to see if you'd like those." You offered her as she seemed to melt at that idea that you'd go through that much trouble for her.

"You don't have to go out of your way just for me." She offered which got her husband and children to blink in surprise as seeing the complete change in her attitude and self.

"Ok, I'll admit I love them, so if you don't like them, I'll eat them." You giggled.

"Ok, yeah, I haven't had shrimp in...forever, it's something I miss a lot." Yotul nodded. "So tell me more about Bula and her family." She invited you as Arob refilled your wine cup which you really didn't need, you felt free and comfortable around them now, but the wine was absolutely delicious.

"Oh my gosh, ok, so Bula like I said, she has three sons now, she had five. She and Khagra lost the eldest two in the last raid. So that's why the Black Wolf White Rock Clan really doesn't like to go to war or on raids and is more focused on protecting ourselves and does a lot of alliances, so we, or I should say they, don't get raided. The middle one- Grecko is now considered the oldest, and your sister has six daughters, four have been married off and the youngest two are still at home. Now Grecko, he's a character. He's not the most handsome guy." You couldn't help but wince but still laughed trying to say that which got everyone else to laugh too as Zorroku and all his brothers and father nodded in agreement to that.

"But that's because the gods were very kind to us by not giving him his looks. Because he has charm for days! And he's only 14, now, he wooed his wives when he was 12. Oh my gods, so his two wives are twins themselves and they are gorgeous, like if you think I'm pretty, they're leaps and bounds ahead and above me, it's not a fair comparison at all and..." You broke into a puddle of giggles.

"Ok so Aysha and Ashna, that's the only way to tell them apart, so they're actually from River City. I forget what we needed to go there in the first place, but anyway, so Khagra and his sons went to a...um." You looked up at the ceiling as your blush got almost impossibly red.

"To a variety of establishment that no noblewoman should ever enter." You tried to delicately say.

"Whorehouse," Yotul grinned with a giggle and you nodded in confirmation as you tried to keep your own giggling under control.

"Right, anyway, now that they're both Warchieftesses, because Grecko is a Warchief for Khagra. No one ever talks about their past from River City, because you'll get your head chopped off. Because it's considered disrespectful, but anyway Aysha and Ahshna were drum dancers, very good ones. Well they still are whenever there is a party and their mother was the head uh...worker there, like she ran that place better than some Clan Chief's run their hordes and she's the one who's now in charge of the Black Wolf White Rock Clan's treasury. Like that's how good she is with money. But when she's not in business mode, she's hilarious and a very easy going woman. I love and adore her, she's Mama Borba and she's also in charge of teaching everyone in the village all there is to know about math and household expenses, how to keep your house in order and of course the... uh... bedroom." You couldn't stop giggling and blushing and it got everyone to laugh in turn to see you talking about things like this because it was very entertaining.

"Well considering she was a professional at it, she's qualified to teach it!" You exclaimed as you tried to reign in your own giggles as you covered your blushing face with your palms for a moment to hide for a second.

"So anyway, back to Grecko, so he's a natural poet and song writer and a very gifted musician. He's the one who taught me everything I know when it comes to music. Anyway, he composed so many poems and songs for his wives and sang them like all day long while he was there, which he has a voice smoother than velvet, deeper than the oceans and it's so good, like he starts to sing and every single girl within earshot, our knees go weak and our hearts flutter. And for the twins, it's like it melts their clothes off, it's dangerous. His first time bedding them was, very surprising for everyone, their wedding night back at the Black Wolf White Rock Clan village. And he bed them both at the same time and it was loud, so loud it kept the whole village up and Shuzug and I literally gagged from the top of a peach tree that we camped out in because we were both at that 'ew sex is gross and disgusting' stage and had to leave that night to go get damn golden eagle eggs out of a nest on a mountain that night just to get away from it and neither of us could look at him in the eye for like a week after because just...the noises they made and the things they said was just...shouldn't be physically possible, and.... ewwww!" You shuddered and gagged and squirmed in your seat as the whole family roared with laughter as you were pretty sure your cheeks were going to permanently be red but your mouth hurt from smiling so brightly and your sides started to hurt from laughing so much.

"Why is it 'ew'?" Yoltul asked as she was laughing so hard she was crying.

"Because he's like my little brother! We grew up together! I'll have the same reaction when Shuzug gets married. In fact I don't know if he'll live to see me in a month because he's the kind of brilliant that most misconstrue as crazy. Which half of his ideas are in fact crazy nonsense. Like he sent me 8 crows tonight and all of them were like 'Are you ok? I'm going to go climb the mountain for more eagle eggs tonight.' or 'Are you hurt in any way shape or form? I'm also going to a wolf den and kidnap some wild wolf pups to domesticate them, even if they're not black.' Because that's the Black Wolf White Rock Clan's thing, we breed black wolves on purpose. The huge den with the huge ass white rock in the middle of the village was a black wolf den that we just built around. Or the other ones were, 'I'm going to find a mountain lion den and steal a cub and raise it and domesticate it' or 'I'm going to go hunting for a bear with nothing but a knife' or 'steal the bear cub and raise it' and I'm like 'Dude!! I have aged 50 years just reading these! Half of my hair is now white, I have wrinkles and I've had a new heart attack every time I read a new message, you absolute fool! NO! Please don't do these things, please run them by your parents if you're dead set on them but please just don't go out and do these things without telling anyone ok?' Because I was all of his impulse control. I can't count the number of times both of his parents came to me and go 'Shuzug has this idea that will get him killed please talk him out of it.' because he has this crazy idea that because he's "so smart", he's smarter than anyone and everyone else. And I try to remind him that 'no, you may be book smart but you are sense stupid boy!' and you need to be smart in both before you go off and do anything on your own. That's why I'm sure his mother had the biggest reasons for not wanting me to go because now she has to watch him like a hawk herself to make sure he doesn't kill himself doing something stupid. Anyway then the middle son is Yar, Yar is so fucking annoying. He thinks he is the gods gift to women, which he isn't." You murmured with a meaningful look which just got everyone to laugh even more.

"But he thinks that, and so he lifted great big weights so he has giant muscles, he has more muscle than sense or brains combined." You explained.

"Yeah, he's a big fucker." Zorroku nodded in agreement as his brothers nodded too and you snickered a laugh and had an inner struggle whether you should illuminate on that or not as you bit your lips to keep your face from splitting in half smiling so wide.

"Oh, wait, there's something there, come on, tell us." Yalak invited as he made sure your wine cup was full again from sitting kitty corner and across from Zorroku.

"It would be unkind to speak ill of family." You tried to be diplomatic about this even though you were dying to tell them.

"Come on! We won't tell we promise!" Nar offered.

"If this leaves this tent, he would never forgive me." You countered.

"It won't." They all swore, eager to hear all this juicy gossip about their own family.

"Ok so Yar, is all about being the biggest macho man and embraces everything that is masculine and rejects anything and everything even remotely feminine. And it's getting toxic and everyone is sick of his shit. And it's to the point that every animal he eats, he only eats the male of every animal and he eats their cock and balls first to make his own manhood more "potent"." You explained as they all looked at you in disgust, some of them gagging at the thought.

"And he has put himself on every quest imaginable to become his fantasy of what the epitome of masculinity would be- but only to him, no one else. And again, I was Bula's voice of reason for her boys. To Shuzug and Yar especially. And since Yar was 8, only 8, he's been going on these quests. And his parents thought I was the appropriate companion for his quests and sent me with him and I was the only one patient enough to deal with him. So for the last few years, in the summer, when we aren't planting our summer crops in the spring and harvesting them in the fall. He would go to every witch, every wizard, sorcerer, sorceress, every magic practicing person around, often travelling for weeks one way just to get to them, the harder they were to get to- the better. And he has paid unholy amounts of money on blessings for himself from these poor people who had the misfortune of being known enough to be found by him." You began to explain.

"So he was successful?" Nar asked.

"Yes and no. The blessings he has demanded from them were to bless his strength, his size, his body, his prowess, his manliness. All to just make him, in his opinion, the epitome of manliness. And he has always dragged me along because I am usually very discrete and I ask nicer and with more grace than he'll ever possess and because I'm multilingual, I could usually work as his translator. And Bula and Khagra trusted me to look after Yar and make sure his mouth didn't get him into more trouble than his body couldn't get him out of. And often I would have to take Shuzug with us because he was after knowledge and wanted to learn from these people and at least buy a book or two. And it just made sense for the three of us to take off and do these trips. And both of them always looked up to me like a big sister and like a second mother." You clarified.

"But that's not the way the rest of the clan looked at it. They totally looked at me going alone with Shuzug and Yar and thinking I was being spitroasted by a campfire for a few weeks every summer. So that's why I was forever single back home because every orc would look at Yar or at least knew how big Yar used to be in that department and he's huge now so most think that he's that big everywhere, which he isn't." You added as nearly every man at the table nearly spit out their wine and tried not to choke as the term 'spitroasting' made them all erupt into snickering laughter while also laughing at the fact that Yar- for being and looking so big and tough, really wasn't.

"Really? I could have sworn he would have been hung like my stallion." Silug coughed and laughed.

"Oh no, he wishes and that's because all the magic practicing people gave me recipes for special medicine to prepare and feed him so that his muscles not only get big but stay big and his sense of pain is dulled significantly while his other senses, like his sight and his hearing get better along with improving his stamina among other things. And the medicine works, it works very well. But because he overdoses on it. And eats it as fast as I can make it. It has had an unfortunate side effect. To the point he was better off not taking it in the first place." You tried to delicately explain.

"What was the sideffect? His brain shrunk?" Nar asked.

"Uh, no the brain in his skull didn't. However the other one between his legs sure did though." You answered.

"No!" They all guffawed and started laughing again.

"Oh yeah." You nodded.

"Like how bad?" Nar asked.

"Well the medicine shrunk his own cock and balls to the point that little three year old human boys have the same size cock and balls he does." You revealed.

"No!" Everyone died laughing and nearly fell off the benches they were laughing so hard to the point they were crying.

"Yes! I've seen human men with much bigger cocks and balls than him. And that is coincidentally why he's now single too. So you girls, when and if you ever see him, do not let your eyes decieve you. He may be huge but not anywhere where it counts. Because he had two wives too, who left him the moment everything shrunk before they could ever bear him children. And he never bothered to learn how to please a woman otherwise and now women look at him with pants on and say 'hell yeah' and then try to screw him and say 'fuck no!' with his pants off. And somehow women rejecting him is the woman's problem and not his. And every girl in the clan knows this and stays far away from him. So now he's just...toxic in personality and attitude." You revealed and everyone lost their minds laughing so loud and so hard they were all crying and Nar fell off the bench at the table and rolled on the floor. All of the guys shielded their manhood with their hands as if the very words could make that happen to them.

"Is there a way to reverse it?" Crowthu asked, having been tempted to ask for you to make up that medicine for himself and his sons.

"Not really no. Not that I know of anyway. He went back to every witch and wizard and demanded that they give him an even bigger cock and balls than he had before. And they all told him that there was no such spell and flatly refused to make one up for him. And he tried to strong arm them and intimidate them and threaten them. And it was a disaster." You revealed.

"How so?" Nar asked as he got up off the floor and wiped his eyes with his shirt as his sides hurt from laughing so much.

"Because they all begrudgingly gave him the most fragile ever blessings he bought and paid for. Because he's a demanding jerk and difficult to deal with. But they liked me so much and sympathized with me for trying to be Yar and Shuzug's babysitter. And trying to keep them alive long enough to see real battle. So they added in very strong and robust blessings just for me for free as a bonus because I patiently dealt with Yar and Shuzug who practically had to be kept on a leash when he was younger to keep him from wandering off. And I was very respectful and gracious with them every time I interacted with them. And because I'm so interested in food and spices and to a degree, medicine. They've given me plants and herbs and spices and blessed me with recipes for food, medicine and poison alike. And then when Yar went back to them and demanded what he did, they easily broke their previous blessings. Then out of spite to Yar, transferred to me all the blessings they had given him only stronger and much better versions of them. And Yar has gone to all of them to get the blessings removed from me and transferred to him but they all stick to me like my muscles stick to my bones. And every time we've tried, more and more of his real strength leaves him and goes to me. So while he looks big and tough and strong. It's just looks. It's not real. He only has enough strength to move his own body. Not much else, he gets tired just sharpening his weapons, let alone wielding them and he has to rely on people being intimidated by his presence to avoid altercations. But he's weak enough to the point, I can arm wrestle him and win, and chances are- all of you guys could too." You explained.

"But to keep myself safe, the magic practicing people tried to hide me in plain sight and put special protections on me so that when others were looking for a blessed one to use as a lucky charm in battle, they can never find me because that's not the kind of life I want to live and especially since the blessings don't work like that. The blessings only protect me in battle, not anyone else and definitely not any army that would be associated with me. But how often would I ever face battle? Hopefully never." You shrugged as you were surprised you were letting the cat out of the bag but you felt comfortable doing so, like you could be completely free, in word and deed with them.

"And we would never want you to go into battle either. If you don't want to be shield maiden, then don't." Yotul reassured you.

"Thank you, I'm happy to be as I am. I have absolutely no desire to go into battle or go on raids and the thought of such things terrifies me and gives me horrific night terrors- so the blessings are completely useless to me and were only given to me out of spite. And it's spite that it's the reason they stick to me and only me. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'? Try 'no one will fuck up your shit worse than someone with magic who you have pissed off'." You answered, feeling the wine loosen your lips and they all nodded in understanding.

"Amen!" The whole table practically cheered as they laughed with Arob who said so the loudest.

"And actually we owe you an apology about the wolves and the bucks, we should have believed you. We will never doubt you or underestimate you again." Yalak offered.

"Thanks." You nodded before you all finally relaxed completely, feeling more free and at ease at this table than you ever did at home and enjoyed the meal as you finally got all of them to talk to you and to finally get to know everyone and you were pleasantly surprised when you actually felt like you were surrounded by friends and family.But as the night wore on, you fought to keep your eyes open. Usually you would have been asleep for a couple of hours by now.

When you finally went to bed. Zorroku showed you how he set up another addition to your tent, onto the bedroom portion so that you now had Ori's nursery as part of your bedroom. As his servants had just got done drawing a hot bath for you and Ori to take before bed.

You had never seen a baby with as many clothes, blankets, diapers and toys and jewelry as Ori had. But you understood why she had them and could only look on with a broken heart to see how small she really had been at birth and see a small progression since then but it was very slow.

And with the Mountain Blizzard god symbols carved out of pink salt, set up on a table as you happily and reverently touched each one as you knew who each one was just by looking at them. But you had never had the pleasure of seeing ones this intricate and truly beautiful and awe inspiring before. Arob and yourself lit incense in each one and a candle for each one, as you put in some for yourself and another measure for Ori as Zorroku did the same after you for both himself and for Ori and soon the whole tent had the most amazing harmonious blend of scents that brought you unimaginable peace and contentment and happiness and relaxed you even more.

"Here, let us pray together." Arob suggested before Zorroku got prayer rugs out and placed them down for you and for her to sit on as he got another that had been put in here with them after

"Would you stay?" You asked him hopefully since he too added two helpings of incense himself.

"Of course." He nodded as he got another out and sat down on the other side of you.

"To..." Arob began as she listed them all off by name.

"Thank you for bringing Belladonna Peaches safely to us. May you bless her for the sacrifices she has made and will continue to make to care for Ori, the way Ori has needed a mother to. May she know nothing but peace and happiness here. And may you strengthen the bond between Ori and Belladonna Peaches as daughter and mother and mother and daughter. And may this bond never be broken. And may this bond, created out of the purest and deepest love, heal what has been hurt before it was made, and bring back what was lost and mend what was thought was beyond repair. And may this be the beginning of healing in every way. And may this be the new beginning that all have sought for and yearned for. May those who have served as barriers before, be either removed, or give way so that they separate no longer. And may there be unity without compare for Belladonna Peaches and her family and friends..." Arob began.

Then Ori kept rubbing her face into your bosom, wanting to nurse again as Zorroku peeked an eye open to see you smiling with your eyes closed as you moved her further up before she started gnawing on your collarbone which made you try to stamp down the snort of laughter to feel her little tongue and little tusks in her little gumbs as she used your collarbone like a pacifier as Arob continued with the prayer.

Zorroku reached out to shove his finger into Ori's mouth to keep her from trying to eat your milk from the outside in which only made Ori coo and the sound of Ori's cooing around Zorroku's finger only made you want to laugh harder before you finally opened your eyes to see this before you leaned away from Zorroku, putting Ori on your other side, but only to take the prayer mat and move it over closer to him before you scooted closer to him and then could lean into him as you put Ori back on that shoulder, next to her father.

"Come on, let's pray Ori, after prayer, then I'll feed you." You whispered into Ori's ear before you kissed her cheek and the side of her head as you tried to refocus on Arob's prayer, not noticing how Arob was grinning so happily and knowingly. Zorroku, half out instinct, and half out of desire, just put his arm around you and held you into his side as his other arm came up to rub soothing circles into Ori's back as she seemed to settle down and was happy to have both of you so close as you relaxed completely into Zorroku and felt as if this was where you were meant to be too.

"...and may this bond be the beginning of new bonds. For what you have yoked together, let no one put apart. Amen." Arob said.

"Amen." Zorroku and yourself said as you were disappointed that you had only gotten to enjoy that for just a moment. Even as glorious and wonderful as it was. Because when Arob said Amen, Zorroku squeezed you ever so slightly but wonderfully, before he was removing himself from you to find his feet, but only to help you find yours and put the prayer mats away for you.

"Let the little candles burn all night tonight. And in the morning, you can put them out. But it is important to the gods to see you from the light of the candles burning at the bases of their alters." Arob instructed you.

"Will do." You nodded.

"Goodnight Mama Arob." You thanked her as you kissed her cheeks and hugged her goodnight.

"Goodnight Zorroushku." You bid him as you did the same, even though every instinct was screaming at you to not let him go and to make him stay with you tonight and to use his daughter as an excuse.

"Goodnight." He answered bashfully before Arob requested for him to help her get back to her own tent for the night. And when they left, you closed your tent up. And made sure all the ties to the doors were tied tight and knotted so that no one would come into the tent without you letting them in. There was a lovely netting in a few small panels, letting the crisp, spring night air keep the space refreshing and just a touch chilly for the best sleeping.

Your bath was waiting as you washed yourself out of the basin bowl to make sure you would not bring any filth with you, into the bath. It was a huge copper tub with a seat hammered into the bottom for you to sit in. You got undressed and Ori undressed and bathed together. You could look up through the netting in the top of the tent's ceiling to see the stars stretched out above you along with the moon to shine brightly down into the tent to help illuminate the space in addition to the lanterns bathing everything in their soft glow.

You very lovingly washed and massaged Ori and nursed her in the blissfully hot waters that weren't so hot so as to hurt either you or her. But were warm enough to fully relax you both. And once you were both clean, you got out of the bath and wrapped Ori in a super soft towel as you put on a robe that was made out of towel to help dry you off and happily saw that you had a nightgown to wear that was purposefully made for nursing mothers that had slits to bring a breast out to nurse and it was made out of buttery soft flannel but dressed Ori in just a diaper since you wanted a lot of skin to skin contact with her.

You made sure the bed was piled high with blankets and furs and that extra wood was on your fire so that your tent would be really warm for you both as the bite of the spring night air became more pronounced. Once you put both of you into bed, you nursed Ori once more and your whole body curled around her in your bed. Your mothering instincts kicked in very strongly and telling you to do so. You pet her silky but thin hair as your arm was her pillow. You sang softly to her, all the lullabies that your mother had taught you in Ragesh because it was important to you that Ori know the language too.

She fell asleep in your arms, cuddled close to you and actually inside your nightgown with you so that as much of her skin was touching yours as possible with her head on your heart so that she could hear it and be comforted by it as you propped yourself up with pillows as your breasts seemed to part to help prop her up as she slept on her belly on your own chest. As you waited for sleep to take you, you reflected on your day. And the great and wonderful changes that had occurred. And how your world just drastically changed. You had woken up a servant, but were going to sleep as a free woman and mother tonight. Surrounded by more wealth than you could have ever imagined and openly worshiping the very gods you had always had to do in private. Everything improved by leaps and bounds today. You couldn't help but feel that you just might be happy here after all.

When you fell asleep you found yourself in a dream, it wasn't a continuation of the one you had had earlier. But it was perhaps a different piece of the same timeline.

You were holding Ori, who was older now, but still a baby and your belly was starting to grow larger and heavier with another baby or two. But the bump helped you carry Ori easier, who was much bigger and much heavier now. Zorroushku was behind you, carrying bags as your uncle Justineh and his family were in front of you. He was leading you through a network of caves in the mountains, the walls glittered with gemstones while the air smelled of salt and fire and other food.

"Your rooms are over here." Justineh's wife Fusha explained before you seemed to come to a door made of wood that was carved gorgeously with your name and Zorrouskhu's name in Ragesh along with Oriannaregina and a number.

"Aww, our names are on the door." You beamed happily before you were given a key for the door as you used it to unlock it and open up your new little home in the mountains.

Inside, it was completely furnished and done exquisitely so. There were fireplaces carved into the rock, so that the smoke would go up to the kitchens to smoke all the foods. There were rugs everywhere and furs on everything. Beautiful objects carved out of mammoth tusk ivory. In fact you were pretty sure the fur rugs on the floor were mammoth fur. The thick and dense fur was surprisingly soft because the rough and wiry guard hairs were removed, leaving the silky soft undercoat behind. You took off your boots and wiggled your toes into the fur and giggled which caused everyone else to giggle too.

"Everyone does that the first time they step on mammoth fur." Fusha smiled proudly.

This set of rooms was a whole house, carved out of the mountain as the whole space was one huge salt cavern that had salt bricks moved back in to create separate rooms. And with a special glaze on the walls and the floors and ceilings, the scent of salt didn't overwhelm the senses. But the salt did keep everything, even the air- super clean and the glaze kept any animal from getting sick, should they decide to lick the walls either. Everything was so beautiful and everything was bathed in a soft, pink light from the fires and torches reflecting the pink salt around you.

"Do you like it? Is it big enough?" Fusha asked hopefully.

"I love it. It's perfect." You reassured them as Zorroushku put your bags down on the bed so you could move your clothes and other personal items into the dressers around you.

"Well you'll hear the horn for dinner, we'll let you guys settle in." Fusha and her family excused themselves, weaving around other servants who had also come in to move in some of the more sentimental items into the home.

You sat down on the bed, covered in mammoth fur, your body feeling relief for not standing or walking any more as you laid down and set Ori down to crawl on the bed around you as you took a moment to marvel at the glittering walls and ceilings because of the glaze on the salt, it made the salt look like pink quarts or perhaps pink opal and the ceilings had places for the spoke from the lanterns and torches to escape the room so it would be warm but not smokey in here.

Zorroushku was busy putting all the clothes away so that you could just rest and wouldn't have to do much of anything before a pack of wolves came into the room and were around the bed, making sure Ori wouldn't crawl off the massive bed you were laying on.

"You still alive?" Zorroushku asked in a teasing tone as he got a chest from a servant who knocked on the door and once the chest was put down, the left again as you had already closed your eyes. But when the door openned, two sets of mountain lions came in and immediately got up on the bed with you and nuzzled you and specifically your belly while also keeping an eye on Ori for you so that you could rest.

"Yes. It was a long walk to here from the cave mouth." You answered.

"Well the most important individuals are always housed in the heart of the caves. You're a Visla, of course you're going to be housed with the Clan Chief and Chieftesses of the clan." He murmured as he got the different incense burners from the chest and placed them and their incense around the room.

"Well it is nice to be so close to everyone." You murmured back as you openned your eyes when there was a scratching at the door.

"I got it." Zorroushku immediately answered as he went and openned the door to allow two griffins into the room, who immediately climbed the stairs in your bedroom to a cave carved out for them near the tall ceiling. The stairs themselves had a railing so that anyone could climb up to them safely.

"I swear, we need to install pet doors into all the doors so they can all come in and out as they please." You sighed as you reached over and pet the mountain lions on either side of you.

"Ok," Zorroushku chuckled as he finished getting your personal items moved in.

"Knock, knock! Hi hi!" Your mom chirped as she knocked on the door herself.

"Hey Mom." You and Zorroushku both greeted as Ori turned and started crawling over to your mom and babbling excitedly.

"Well hello Baby Girl!" Your mom happily and excitedly greeted as she came over and picked Ori up from the bed and listened as Ori babbled at her.

"Wow, that's awesome kiddo!" Your mother cooed to her.

"So, how do you guys like your rooms?" She asked as she was surrounded by the wolves who seemed to follow Ori around and surrounded your mom now that she was holding Ori.

"Bella was saying that all the doors needed to have their own pet doors." Zorroushku answered.

"Yeah, you guys do have a lot of pets, I'll say something to Granny." She said.

"But the doors are so beautifully carved, I'd hate to make more work for anyone." You softly complained.

"Honey, they can easily make special pet doors into the doors you already have and if I say something now, they can be done while we feast tonight and by the time it's bed time, all the pets will be able to move freely in and out of your home and you won't have to wake up or have anyone else wake up to let them in or out." Your mother pointed out.

"I'll make sure to tell them to keep the pet doors quiet so that it doesn't disturb your sleep because you're sleeping for three." She urged you.

"Speaking of, how are they?" She asked as she came over to feel your growing belly.

"Well thankfully they've settled on the left side and on the right side instead of front and back like they were all the way up here. That was super uncomfortable, trying to ride up here only to have the two already bickering in the womb on the ride." You answered as you put your hands on either side for emphasis.

"Well as long as they aren't twisting around each other, that's what's important." She insisted.

"According to Mama Arob they are both in their own placentas. So they can't twist around each other and the cords can't get tangled up either around the other or themselves, but they have been trying to claim more and more space though. I don't know if they're big enough to realize that the space is finite and soon they're going to run out of room altogether." You muttered.

"Well, you can't blame them. All twins are like that." She cooed to you.

"I blame their father, always wanting to claim more and more territories." You teased Zorroushku as you leaned up on your elbows and crinkled up your nose playfully at him which made him smile and laugh.

"You wanted a baby, I can't help that your body wanted two." Zorroushku shrugged.

"Well, yeah." You nodded.

"Well hopefully, now that you are in your winter home, they'll settle back down. Babies always know when they're home, even in the womb. Plus, they're getting their first taste of fresh roasted mammoth tonight. Hopefully they'll like it." She encouraged.

"How different is it from mammoth jerky?" You asked.

"Way different. It's hard to describe or compare it to anything. You'll just have to taste it to see for yourself." She assured you.

"I guess we will." You nodded.

"How are the breadseed fields?" You asked her.

"Ready to be planted tonight." She answered excitedly.

"I feel like I should help." You murmured.

"You can if you want to. You won't need to, with so many hands helping this time. But it shouldn't take more than an hour. I think the most you'll get to plant is maybe five or ten seeds. Most aren't even planting more than twenty and it's the largest breadseed field we've ever planted and we have teams on all the other mountains doing the same." She assured you.

"Well we have so many clans sharing the crop too. Did all the clans who are wanting a share of the crop send enough people to plant in their clan's name?" You asked.

"Yes, I took care of that already myself. Every clan sent over a hundred planters. We are taking up almost every inch of space on the mountains. The mountains will look like they're swarming with ants tonight." She reassured you.

"Busy ants beat the lazy grasshopper." You quoted.

"Exactly. And you already have over a hundred planters just for your household. No one in either your household or the clan or any other should go hungry for bread any time soon. In fact just the breadseed that will sprout from tonight's sowing will feed everyone for several lifetimes." She assured you.

"How about you take Ori and the pets so Bella can rest, she's had a hard trip up the mountain." Zorroushku urged your mother.

"Of course, you guys get a nap. When was the last time Ori nursed?" She asked.

"She practically nursed off and on the whole way up here. She couldn't decide if she wanted to sleep or stay awake and watch as we climbed up the mountain passes." You answered.

"Ok, well if she gets hungry, I'll bring her right back. Come on guys, lets let Mommy sleep." Your mother urged your animals and called them by name as they all left the room with her, leaving just Zorroushku and yourself alone in the room.

"Ah, finally, peace and quiet." You sighed in relief as you laid back down on the bed and stretched out.

"Here," Zorroushku said as he came over and helped you strip out of your heavy fur clothes and slip under the covers.

"Please rest with me Zushku." You requested.

"Let me make sure the bedroom door is locked so that we can sleep in peace." He placated as he slipped his head out of the door and told the servants that you were laying down for a nap and that you didn't want to be disturbed for a while.

Once he had done that, he stripped out of his own winter clothes before you whistled at his body as it became bared to you.

"Hey now, I thought you wanted peace and quiet." He reminded you.

"I do, after you help me get sleepier, because riding that saddle all the way up here gave me an ache if you know what I mean." You hinted.

"I do. Let me satisfy that for you." He rumbled as he came over and stripped out of all of his clothes and came into the bed with you and happily hiked your leg up over his hip as the other was between his waist and the bed as he happily got your pelvis into position as if you were sitting in it and sheathed himself into you as you groaned and moaned in relief before he kissed you deeply and made love to you softly, to not disturb the twins in your womb but still bring you to a sweet release before he found his own.

"Better?" He asked.

"Much, thank you My Love." You cooed to him, still riding the wonderful bliss of the afterglow as you were happy that his body was surrounding yours.

"You're welcome Sweetheart, get some sleep." He mirrored back to you before kissing you sweetly before he got the leg that was between his waist and the bed out and down so that he could fully lay on that side without worrying about hurting it. But the other leg stayed up around his hip as he used a towel by the bedside to clean up the mess he made in you before you both fell into a blissful sleep, holding each other, both of you smiling serenely.