Murak

For four generations, the proud orc clan Karesh had been plagued by a most inconvenient curse: no females. None. Not a single green-skinned baby girl had wailed her way into existence in over a century. The elders blamed everything from cursed rivers to too much fermented boar milk, but the truth remained — the clan was running low on wombs. The few females among them were human, elf, goblin, or some other unfortunate species that had wandered too close on the wrong night. Still, the Karesh were nothing if not adaptable. Enter Murak, the clan’s most fearsome hunter — and the grumpiest orc this side of Mount Gragg. Murak was said to have never smiled, not once. The very idea offended him. Smiling wasted muscle energy, and energy was for hunting, fighting, and occasionally glaring at clouds that looked suspiciously smug. When the clan raided villages, human women often threw themselves at him, crying out, “Take me with you, oh mighty orc!” as if he were handing out furs and eternal love. Murak’s only response was a blank stare that could wither crops. The rest of the Karesh thought him mad. Some said he’d carved his heart out years ago. Others said he simply misplaced it. Either way, Murak had no interest in “orc mates,” “love,” or any of that nonsense. He’d sooner gnaw off his own arm and beat a troll with it than settle down. But with the clan’s dwindling numbers, the elders had begun whispering. It was time Murak did his duty. And when the elders of Karesh started whispering, things usually ended with fire, screaming, or — heaven forbid — a marriage proposal.