Rise of the Horde

Chapter 58

“Let’s go!”

Sakh’arran informed his clansmen as he called upon Blackwind through their bond, which was established when she chose him to be her partner. Fukarr and the others also called upon their wargs as they sprinted forward to meet up with their trusty partners.

Under the cover of darkness and the ensuing chaos, Sakh’arran and his clansmen were gone with the wind. They chased after the Warghen Clan that were being pursued by the Screech Demons but keeping a suitable distance away, less the Screech Demons discover them and make them their target.

The howl of the chilly night winds echoed as the wargs and the orcs sprinted in darkness. Their innate ability to see in the dark was being put to use while the Screech Demons followed the Warghen Clan through their scent.

The Screech Demons did not know darkness or brightness. They sensed their surroundings through the multiple vertical slits on both sides of their long necks, which served as their biological sonar. They always screech to navigate the terrain as their screeches bounced off objects around them.

The combination of a powerful sense of smell and echolocation makes them excellent trackers. They are able to keep track of the Warghen Clan on the ground that they were pursuing, even though they are multiple paces behind.

“Where do you think they will take the demons, Druu’ghar Vaddash?”

Fukarr questioned Sakh’arran as he rode his warg beside the sprinting Blackwind.

.....

“Probably towards a trap”

Sakh’arran promptly replied as his eyes were glued to the flying demons that they were tailing and making sure that they were at a distance where they can’t be detected.

*****

The orc leader of the warg pack howled towards the sky, signaling those who lay in wait to trap the Screech Demons. Along the path they are taking.

Multiple silhouettes could be seen staying still among the huge rocks and bushes scattered around.

The enormous pack of wargs turned around sharply, howling towards the sky, ready to engage against the flying demons.

Screeching noisily, the Screech Demons dove down towards the wargs, baring their rows of sharp teeth. The wargs curled their bodies, ready to pounce.

The distance between the wargs and the Screech Demons shortened in a blink of an eye. Howls and screeches echoed all throughout, as the wargs pounced on the gliding demons and bit them, bringing them down to the ground as they locked their jaws upon biting the demons.

Claws and fangs drew out blood as the Screech Demons and warg got entangled in a chaotic melee. The orcs wearing animal furs joined the fray, jumping up towards the nearest demon and embracing them in a bear hug.

The orcs who were hiding among the rocks and bushes sprang out of their hiding spots with mighty howls and charged forward, joining the chaotic and primal battle of claws and fangs.

Flesh and blood were scattered all over the place, a demon’s, a warg’s and orc’s. It was everywhere.

Sakh’arran and his clansmen watched the chaos from a good distance away. Orcs and wargs were bringing down the Screech Demons at the best of their capabilities, nullifying the advantage of the demons, which was mobility in the sky.

For hours, the crazy battle continued until the Screech Demons finally retreated. The orcs and wargs were victorious, but they suffered a lot of casualties.

Their brethren lay among the dead, forever asleep to never rise again. They howled towards the sky, expressing their emotions for their fallen comrades.

Hours later, the battlefield was cleaned with only the bodies of the demons scattered around. Their allies took the corpses of the orcs and wargs for proper rites of passing.

Sakh’arran and his clansmen stalked the probable remnants of the Warghen Clan, staying as far away as possible and only tracking them through the footprints that they left behind.

Following after the Warghen Clan, they soon came near a cave upon the hills, hidden by two massive rocks.

Out of nowhere, the Warghen Clan surrounded Sakh’arran and his clansmen. Orcs and wargs encircled them with no viable path of retreat.

“Why are you following us?”

The leader of the Warghen Clan came forward and asked. His axe resting upon his shoulders, which was covered in hardened demon’s blood.

“We are friends, not your enemies.”

Sakh’arran answered as he ushered his wargs forward. Blackwind was baring her fangs towards the Warghen Clan, snarling at them, ready to protect her partner with all that she can.

“Friends!?”

“Friendship with us, the Warghen Clan needed to be earned now. It isn’t easily... given. The only friends we recognize is the Rumble Clan who we shed blood with while fighting this plague.”

“We were chased out from the north by those who said were our... FRIENDS.”

The Warghen chieftain uttered, his voice laced with anger as he stared with hostility towards Sakh’arran and his clansmen.

“Calm down”

“Just like you. My clan also came from the north. My name is Sakh’arran, son of Arat’than, chief of the Arkhans.”

Sakh’arran identified himself as he dismounted from Blackwind, petting his warg’s head to make her relax and also to reduce the hostility of their new friends. Fukarr and the other Arkhans followed after Sakh’arran and also dismounted from their wargs.

The chief of the Warghen Clan knitted his brows and stared at Sakh’arran and his companions, trying to determine if they were lying or not.

‘Prove it!”

He bellowed. The Arkhan Clan had one telltale mark on their back, which was distinct to their clan. A mark given to any member of their clan who had undergone the proper rites of adulthood.

Sakh’arran started stripping off his armor, his chest plate dropped down to the ground, the coarse piece of cloth that served as his shirt. Turning around, he showed his bare back to the Warghen Clans. The mark on his back was as clear as day.

The leader of the Warghen Clan approached Sakh’arran to get a clear glimpse of the mark on his back. He saw the distinct mark clearly; it was the same as the one he had seen on Arat’than’s back.

The Warghen Clan and the Arkhan Clan were once neighbors and allies, but they were both struck by misfortune at almost the same time. The Warghen Clan destroyed by the pinkskins while the Arkhan Clan was dealing with their warlock problem.