The Keep

Kali curled into Grot, Lae between the two shivering children, and a ragged blanket of scrap clothing thrown over them. The moon was high in the sky, and the night animals squawked and growled, the sound of cracking sticks cutting into the crisp air. They shivered, Grot's scrawny arms wrapped around the two orc girls.

They lay in the forests of Dun Moragh, days walk from the rest of the orc gathering, alone. They had left, escaping in the night, a small bag on each of their backs filled to the brim with everything they could carry – food, waterskins, a little bit of extra clothing, threads and needles and small knives. The three of them needed to escape, Kali figured.

They had conquered the dwarves, pushed them back and begun construction of boats, planning on moving across the world to the human capital. There was something strange, however. There was a familiar crackle of magic in the air that Kali thought she would never feel again. Her parents didn't need to hide their demonic pets, or their fel magics. It wasn't until Kali noticed Grimmik and Lektu looking a little more at Lae, becoming closer to her, physically, a little bit of black magic swirling around their fingers, that Kali decided they need to get away from her parents. She was convinced that they were losing their minds, their fights becoming more often and more violent, and that they were planning on corrupting her little sister.

Her infant sister. Kali could bare with the idea that her parents would try to taint her with their magic, but not Lae. She was barely old enough to walk, and the corruption… Kali hated to even think on what would happen to one so young touched by magic so foul. For the days after her realization, she planned, packing and squirreling away all she could, keeping Lae at her side as much as possible. Grot was adamant in his decision to come with her – after all, she was all he had on this world. And so, in the middle of the night, they took off running.

Kali was strong enough now to carry her backpack as well as a shield and a sword, and she maintained that it would be best to bring it. They didn't know what they would run into in the unexplored Dwarven lands, and they might need to protect themselves. The sentimental value was much more to her. It was the one symbol she could bring with her of strength and honour, of something powerful, of something that could be obtained through hard work and dedication, of physical strength. She needed, more than anything, to feel like she had the power to protect Lae, and Grot, and herself.

The woods were hard to navigate, the trees high and green, the forest floor coated in leaves and detris, full of wildlife. Rabbits, wolves, and small birds were plentiful, and soon the both of them were hunting the local wildlife, to little avail. Kali took up fishing, though all she could catch were tiny, armoured fish that were tough to eat and cut their tongues.

For weeks they lived, rummaging from the land, eating everything they could find. Neither of them was very skilled at hunting the faster or larger, more fearsome beasts, but the small animals of the forest were cunningly caught, skinned and roasted over a small fire that consisted mostly of smoke. Slowly, Kali began to piece together the dried animal skins into a make-shift tent, but it grew too slowly. At first it was only big enough to cover Lae, but over time it grew bigger and bigger, until finally it was large enough to uncomfortably fit the three of them if tied to sticks.