[Third POV]
Inside the chief hut, several orcs were gathered around a large table. They were the most important figures of the tribe.
" Let's kill them all !" exclaimed a hot-headed orc.
" Can you shut up, Henc ! This is war, don't waste our time talking to us with your dick !" Said Ghorbash.
" And what is wrong with talking with my dick."
Ghorbash facepalm.
" This a war meeting where we elaborate plans to defeat our enemy." Gorbash then looked at his chief. " Why is this dickhead even here ?"
Alog sighed.
" Don't let your different get the better of you, Ghorbash, Henc is here because he proved his value as one of the best warriors."
Henc smirked at Ghorbash.
" And I have gathered you all here to help me and keep you informed. Ulga, can you report."
" Well, of the three seriously injured orcs, one died while the other won't be able to fight again. As for the lightly injured. They'll all be fully healed in two weeks."
" How many died fighting ?"
Another orc started to talk.
" Well, eight young orcs died, and Twenty-four full fledge warriors, Twenty-five with the one who didn't make it."
" And enemies ?"
" We have counted ten." It was their loss.
The chief stayed silent for minutes. The casualties were too significant, but it could have been worse. No one thought that the bear tribe would strike during the new warriors' training, even using a surprise attack. This sort of behavior was seen as dishonorable in the orc culture. ' the enemy doesn't care about tradition and is ready to employ any underhanded tactic to win.' This kind of opponent is the most difficult to deal with. However, Alog was smart and knew how to deal with them.
" I have a plan. If the bear tribe is attacking us. It's because their chief is confident in their victory. He attacked directly after Baruba left, and it's no coincidence. We are fighting an ambitious tribe. However, thanks to Saura's Daugther, we lost fewer men than he certainly had hoped to. She won us some precious time. They will attack us here and there but not on the same scale as yesterday's attack. He wants to mine our force while keeping his and then overwhelm us with one final big attack. Do you have any suggestions on how we should react ?"
" We should attack their village with our full force !" Shouted Henc, to which everyone rolled their eyes.
Alog sighed.
" We can't do that."
"Why ?"
It was Ghorbash who answered him.
" Because it's a trap. They would welcome open-armed. Have you forgotten that they are stronger in defense than in attack? Our advantage is our speed while there is strength. Besides, I'm ready to bet they made wood rampart all around their village, unlike us."
" What do you suggest, Ghorbash then, if you are this ?"
" We build our strength while keeping an eye on them. We'll know when to strike if we know each of their movements."
Henc couldn't reply as he didn't see any flaw in his plan.
"Any other opinion ?"
" I suggest we build our own defenses with rampart or traps. We'll be able to defend better in case of a surprise attack on the village."
" Traps ! How can you suggest such a dishonorable trick !"
" Do we need to fight honorably when our opponent isn't ?"
"..."
"He is right. We need to use all our resources to stop them. They were a tiny tribe, but in a mere three years, they subdued two tribes and destroyed one."
The chief looked at each orc present with a grave face.
"Here is what we'll do : First, we'll establish a frontier to prevent them from spying on us. Gorbash will be in charge of maintaining it. Then we will build a wood rampart all around the village. I want it to be finished before winter. I also want you to choose our best hunter to spy on them. The hunting teams will switch between hunting, building, and patrolling. Next year, all the children between twelve and fourteen will have to pass the ceremony."
All the orc present raised their brows, surprised by their chief decision. They understood the rampart and frontier part but not why he would change the age limit for the ceremony.
Seeing their face, Alog decided to explain them.
" If all the young orcs between twelve and fourteen pass the trial, they would be three times numerous. It would be easier for them to regroup during the trial, and if the bear tribe still sent their young to our mountain, our kids would be able to overwhelm them with numbers. Then, once our young ones return, we'll train them hard and significantly increase our force. Finally, we would face them. But for this plan to work, it is crucial to prevent them from getting any information on us."
Every orc around the table was impressed by the boldness of the plan.
"Isn't sending all our children to the trial too risky? What if a strong beast comes and decimates them all, as it already happened in the past ? Besides, the younger one might not be ready."
" Then we would be very unlucky. As for their preparation, you'll need to train them harder. I already made my decision. Unless one of you has a better plan, we'll go with this one."
As no one talked for a minute, he said :
" Then it's decided we will do as I said."
they then went into the plan's details before each of them returned to their hut hours later.
...
[Yalak POV]
We didn't stay long in Grukk's hut as we took all the space, so we returned to our hut.
My mind was a mess. It would be my first time experiencing war. In my previous life, I lived in a peaceful country, or so I thought. Hearing the news on the television is one thing, but living it is another. I was pretty apprehensive. I didn't know what would happen next, how many death there would be, and if any of my friends would fall.
I shook my head. ' In the end, everything returns to strength ! I need to progress, and quickly !'
Rorm woke up in the evening and came with his brothers, who had stayed with him.
For the next few days, everyone was calm. The orcs were recuperating from their wounds. We were informed that the chief had a big announcement, and everyone needed to come.
Once we gathered, the chief came to the stage and started his speech.
" My brothers and sisters, as you know, a few days ago, our young one's training was interrupted by an enemy attack. Some of our own died, and many more were hurt. THIS UNACCEPTABLE ! THEY TRAMPLED AND HUMILIATED US. They baffled our honor !"
I could feel the rage rising in every orc.
" WE ARE AT WAR WITH THE BEAR TRIBE"
" YEAH"
" GLORY TO THE FIERY WOLF TRIBE"
" GLORY TO NAYUM"
The chief waited for everyone to calm down before resuming.
"The council and I establish a plan for crushing them ! We will first reinforce our defense. Then we'll raise our power before butchering them all ! For this, I will need your full support ! The hunting teams will follow Gorzgdulg's order. As for the others, I'll need you to build a wood rampart around the village. I will also require you to train your sons and daughters harder since every young orc between twelve and fourteen will have to pass the ceremony the following year ! "
That declaration shook the audience. The orphans and I stood stunned. The chief continued his speech, but I wasn't listening anymore as I realized what these new rules implied. Trosh, Burny, and the sisters will be twelve next year and will have to participate. But I planned for us, those who were one year younger, to pass it with them. ' That's mean I'll have to go through the ceremony next year!'
As the orphan and I were slowly accepting the words of the chief. He finished his speech, and everyone started to thunder :
" GLORY TO THE FIERY WOLF TRIBE !"
" GLORY TO NAYUM !"
A mad smile appeared on my face as excitement started to fill me.
' The following year promise to be thrilling, hehe !'