Page 9 of Lonely Orcish Girl

"But don't people help each other in your village? Isn't that how it is?" Katuri raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, but we all know each other. And yet, it's more like a never-ending exchange of favors. Actually, it's rather rare for someone to help another person without seeking some kind of gain for themselves."

"I see. It's different with the orcs. They rarely help other people, quite the opposite," Katuri muttered vaguely, then, noticing Reed's puzzled expression, she clarified, "I mean, it depends, of course, but there are many orcish clans that are outlaws, extremely hostile, and the first thing they'd do to a stray stranger is rob, then rape, and finally kill."

She said it so casually that it made Reed's blood run a little cold. It seemed that some tales about orcs were true after all. Katuri noticed his reaction and smiled ruefully.

"Not all orcs are like that, but our reputation doesn’t come from nothing. My tribe was different. It was a peaceful settlement of hunters. We also farmed. And yeah, if you had gotten lost or wounded and come to one of our huts, my people probably would have helped you. But I think, in general, you'd still have a better chance with humans," Katuri explained in a serious tone.

She leaned back against the wall and folded her muscular arms under her breasts. Her forearms looked as if they were carved from green stone, and her soft, large breasts, supported by them, contrasted with her shapely body. It all made Reed involuntarily hold his breath. He even noticed an outline of her nipples. Immediately, he felt as if his cheeks were burning with shameful remorse. He had to force himself to concentrate on their conversation again.

The young orcish girl had a thoughtful expression on her face for a moment, her violet eyes staring blankly at the opposite wall. Reed was aware that she was thinking back to some unpleasant moments in the past. For a moment, he considered changing the subject, but his curiosity was stronger. And he wanted to return the favor and listen to her, as she had listened to his story.

"What happened to your tribe?" he asked cautiously.

"What happened to them?" Katuri blinked in slight confusion, but then her expression became rigid. "Nothing ‘happened’ to my tribe. They're still there. I just don't belong to that community anymore."

"Then what happened to you, Katuri?" Reed tried to be as tactful as possible.

She looked at him intently, but finally, her gaze sank to her knees with a kind of resigned expression.

"It's a long story, Reed. And complicated," she sounded almost emotionless.

"Someone once told me it's never simple," Reed used Katuri's exact words from the day before. He smiled softly at her.

Katuri rolled her eyes and snorted in annoyance, but then, to Reed's delight, she giggled too. She waved a finger at him.

"All right, you little bright spark," she said, shaking her head in amusement. Her smile seemed a little forced, though.

"So why don't you live with your tribe anymore?" Reed tried again.

"Because I was banished," Katuri grunted out, then smiled wryly as if strangely satisfied by Reed's shocked expression.

"What? Why did they do that to you?" Reed gasped, feeling his throat hurt again. He found it hard to believe that such a kind and caring person could be banished by her own people.

"Because I committed a terrible, heinous crime! And I brought shame to the whole tribe and stained the famous orcish pride! The unblemished honor of the orcs!" Katuri almost spat out these words in a voice full of bitter sarcasm.

"You said earlier that you fell in love with the wrong person. Am I right? Was that the reason? It's hard to believe that people can banish someone just because—"

"Well, that was exactly the reason. But I was a thorn in their side from the day I was born. Imagine a tribe of proud, pure orcs and a child of weak blood being born. What a disgrace to have a damned little mongrel among strong and healthy orcish babies!"

"There is no shame in being mixed—"

"But it is, Reed!" Katuri quickly interrupted him. She winced in anger for a moment but then sighed and continued morosely, "That's how they'd always seen me. No matter how much they disliked having a half-breed child among them, there wasnothing they could do about it. My mother had a strong position because she had taken over the duty of herbalist and healer after her mother. So, she was the second most important person after our chief. She always had quite a temper, was as independent and stubborn as a mule, and did whatever she wanted, wherever she pleased. So they had to accept it when, after one of her journeys, she returned to the tribe with a human man, carrying his child under her heart."

Reed nodded silently, processing the new information about Katuri's background. Learning that her mother was a healer explained a lot about Katuri's knowledge. That part fascinated him, but the way she talked about her mixed heritage hurt him. He realized it was a very real problem for her, almost a tragedy.

Reed wanted to show her support somehow, at least, by respectfully listening to her story, but he just had to ask, "But what about your father? Did the orcs let him stay with them if they were so prejudiced against humans?"

"Well, he didn't have an easy start, that's for sure. A regular human male is weaker than an orc male, obviously. I mean, perhaps a trained human knight would be a match for an orcish warrior, but my father wasn't skilled in combat. He wasn't even particularly well-built, rather quite average, and for the orcs, that was enough to disrespect him. And that was the reason why they initially treated him with disdain, making fun of his height or his silhouette. You know, because of the famous orcish vanity and greed for power and strength. As if the size of muscles could determine a person's worth." Katuri paused and looked thoughtfully at her own muscular forearms. Absentmindedly, she played with her thick bracelet.

Reed got the impression that she was thinking of her own body in that context. He came to the conclusion that, because of the way she had been treated by her tribe, she developed some kind of inner conflict within her. He wondered if because theorcs didn't accept her human heritage, she had started to reject her orcish side in a strange, self-destructive way. It saddened him, and he looked at the girl with compassion.

Katuri stared at the wall and suddenly smiled as if at one of her thoughts. Then she turned back to Reed and continued, "But eventually, they accepted my father, partly because of my mother's fierce attitude—she fought like a she-bear for him—but mostly because my father… had more guts than any other orc in the tribe, and he was much smarter than they were. He could do wonders with woodwork! And also with engineering and construction! For example, he could indicate the best place for a well, he could build irrigation canals or other advanced things that those green-skinned morons could not even dream of. They had no choice but to acknowledge his genius and show him respect. He was the perfect example of the saying 'knowledge is power’. So he gained a position in the tribe with his wisdom alone."

Again she paused, but this time her face was calmer. Reed could hear the pride in her voice and sense the respect she felt for her father. This gave him further insight into her. Katuri undoubtedly looked more like an orc, with her emerald skin and the musculature of a warrior—although she was still smaller in size than her ‘sisters’. She had also grown up with their customs and culture, but he suspected that inside she felt and thought more like a human, being strongly influenced by her father's values. He couldn't even imagine how difficult it must be to be torn between two such different energies.

Reed felt a small twinge of jealousy that Katuri had at least gotten the chance to grow up with her father, even if she no longer lived with him. He knew it was irrational, however, and he quickly fought it off.

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