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It hadn’t been more than a day or two before their company, along with all other raiding parties in the area, had been recalled back to the main force. Though Ulwakh and Grimkul had, to an extent, been able to blend into the monstrous camp, life was little improved. Ulwakh’s leg was bothering him immensely; it seemed to have become infected again. To distract himself, he was currently skewering a living mouse with his twisted daggers, taking a perverse pleasure in its pained squeaks. He knew it wouldn’t be long before it died; mice were not terribly hardy animals.
Grimkul had settled into a dark temper that refused to be lightened; Ulwakh knew it would only be a matter of time before he exploded in fury. He was stewing a little way away, becoming increasingly annoyed with Ulwakh’s fiddling with the small animal. Grimkul knew best of anyone that he was not suited for army life; he was sick and tired of it. He wanted to return to his dark mountain haunts, with no orders to obey but his own will, and perhaps occasionally Ulwakh’s word of advice. Yes, that was what he wanted, and why shouldn’t he have it?
Abruptly, he stood up. Ulwakh paid little attention until he spoke: “I’m leaving.” Ulwakh’s head jerked up in surprise; his knife slipped, cutting deep into the rodent. With a last cry of agony, the mouse slipped gratefully into death.
Ulwakh scowled, first at the mouse, then at Grimkul. “What do you mean, you’re leaving? You can’t just walk away from the camp!”
“Yes, I can, and I'm going to. Filthy pushdug commanders can try and stop me. Come if you want.” With that, he strode off into the camp. Ulwakh jumped up in alarm, wincing at the sudden movement of his leg. Surely this was a death trap! If he followed Grimkul and they were caught (as they almost certainly would be), they would be undoubtedly be punished, maybe to the point of death. But if he stayed and let Grimkul go alone, he knew he would be an easy target for the other Orcs in the camp. He glanced around uneasily before hurriedly limping after Grimkul. He wouldn’t go with, he decided, not unless everything seemed likely to succeed – but that meant he had to have an eye on Grimkul. He’d go to the edge of camp for now, no farther.
Grimkul didn’t give a care anymore what Ulwakh thought he ought to do. He couldn’t remember the last time Ulwakh had given him a really good reason to do something other than he just shouldn’t. The mountains were there, and he was going. Just someone try and stop him.
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