The river is quiet. Dusk is upon the land. The rays of light that desperately cling to the scy are all the light that remains. Buyaga, the warrior of the Mag'har, stands, as still as a stone, near the banks of the Southfury River.
The position he is in is one for training. He wields his massive axe in one hand, that arm stretched out as far as he can. One knee is in the air. His posture mimicing the flamingo or crane.
Buyaga remains still, for he has heard the footsteps of a heavy predator behind him. From the sound of it's steps, a prowler, he thinks. Even the mighty Mag'har must be wary of such a beast. It is cool and calculating, and possibly not alone.
Buyaga closes his eyes, listens to the earth. He feels it in his feet.
"No....she is alone....and from her quick approach....she is desperate....she is hungry..." Buyaga thinks to himself. He waits till the feline is within a few paces of striking distance before he starts his actions. Swift and precise his axe flies. It hits it's target. The prowler falls.
Buyaga looks at the prowler with pity. It is skinny, its fur, unkempt. He takes a moment to observe and pity the thing.
"You have had a long and difficult life, my friend. Some must suffer while others prosper. Mother called it the Alpha and the Runt. Two of the same litter. One was naturally talented and got everything he wanted with ease, and the other, was frail and had to work and suffer for everything he got."
Buyaga picks up the prowler and walks it almost a mile down from his hut. He lays the beast down on the ground, placing some dried meat at it's head.
"The blow I gave her from the blunt end of my axe should be wearing off by now. I must hurry."
Buyaga rushes behind a nearby tree and waits foe the prowler to awake.
Soon, she does. She awakes with a groan, and with seeing the food, it eats it quickly. She looks up after her meal and looks right where Buyaga is watching her, Buyaga not being the most sneaky of orcs. His position is found easily and the prowler looks right into his eyes. For a moment, the world stands still as two predators stare each other down. After what seems like hours, the prowler backs off and runs towards the Barrens.
Buyaga walks back to his hut, a smile on his face. He knows he made a difference in a life today, even if it is just a prowler's. He sits and contemplates the message of the Alpha and the Runt.
"Mother always said it was better to be the runt, but easier to be the Alpha. A true orc earns and suffers for anything worthwhile, the Alpha is just handed things and he does not appreciate them."
"Perhaps that is why I was made to suffer so much, so when I finally get something worth while, I can appreciate it. And what it is, is the greatest thing in the world."
Buyaga goes about his nightly routine. That night he dreams of her, along with mountains and rivers.
