[CaptainofDespair]

A gloomy atmosphere hung over the primordial camp of the orcs. The elves and the two Dunedain slumbered against an outcropping of rocks, guarded by many of the chieftain’s most loyal orcs. It was a boring and tedious task, but they knew reward would come soon enough, for they were stout warriors, who supported their overlord. Nagbak himself was tired of resting now, for they had been slumbering for nearly the whole of the night, and past the dawn of the morning. He was now growing restless, for something was on his mind. His lieutenant, he often hung at his lord’s heels like a dog, spoke up, hoping to see into the mind of his chief.

“Great chieftain, we have been here too long. Humans, or the other wicked elves will come soon,” he muttered. Nagbak sat silent on a rotting stump of a tree. A few silent moments passed before any life could be seen in the chief’s body. Finally, he replied to his subordinate, with a slight twitching to his left eye, “Prepare to move out. We are at least half a day from meeting up with our reserves.” The underling, knowing the whole of the story was not revealed yet, inquired more into his master’s plan. “Yesss, but we are to be soon hunted, my captain,” he replied. Nagbak knew the situation would grow desperate, and even his loyalists might mutiny if pressured by an enemy who would relentlessly hunt them, until none remained. “I know, Grutazg. Which is why I have something for you to do.”

The quirky under-chief looked confused for a moment, unable to understand what his ears had heard. He was loyal to his master, and he was left bereft of all intuition that might have led him to believe something dangerous was upon him. Thus, he could only wonder what sort of reward was upon him. “Grutazg, my loyal lieutenant, you are to do me, and all orcs, a service. You will depart here with half of our boys, and turn back to the southeast. Hopefully it will delay the trackers that will be following our tracks soon. From there, head to Gundabad if you can.” Grutazg scratched his head, and nodded. Then, he responded, “Yes, Chief Nagbak. But what of yourself?” The old orc let forth a hardy laugh, from the pit of his gut, and he slapped his compatriot on the back. “I will be departing with the rest of our boys, along with the hostages. We will head to the west, then follow a small, partially frozen stream to the north, where we will meet up with Razhbad and my reserves. If all goes well, our tracks will never be found after reaching the stream, and our mission a success.” At this, the chief left the company of his underling to muster his personal guards, and the hostages.

The rest of the early morning was spent preparing for the departures. Grutazg had acquired the force he needed, and had made his way back into the forest, to put into action his chieftain’s plan. Meanwhile, the Chief had finished his personal preparations, and, after feeding a semi-poisonous berry to the elves and Dunedain (for the purpose of leaving them in a groggy, and for a time, unconscious state), was readying his own guards for the journey. A few shouts and grunts were all it took to rile his men into the mood for a long march, and the order was given to move out. At the same time, Grutazg had done the same, and left with his force to the southeast. Neither was unsure of what would soon happen, if the plans would fail, and the mission be defeated.

As he had planned, and as he scouts had told him, Nagbak came to a small stream, which, if his luck were to hold, wouldn’t be on any maps the trackers might possess. Here, he gave the order to his men to turn into the stream, and wade up it, as far as they could. The hostages were be bundled over the backs of the carrier orcs, and placed in the middle of the group, should trouble arise. Nagbak, kept himself at the head of the column, where he would receive the latest information from his scouts who were being sent ahead to keep the path clear. To ensure the scouts weren’t picked up, he had set up a forward screen along the stream, to guard against any ambushes. This was his plan thus far, and he continued to hope it would hold well, for his sake, and his hostages’ sake.