2. Sisters.

Not far from the group of males, massive grassosaurs were peacefully grazing by the fire. The little ones had stripped a whole hill for them, tearing up frozen dry grass from the neighboring slope. In the camp, the grass had long since been eaten clean. At least someone here was happy. These animals need nothing but grass. There was a temptation to slaughter them for meat, but so far this had been prevented. There are so few of them left, and they will be invaluable if the clan has to leave these places. After all, they will carry most of the cargo and some of the orcs themselves. They are also warm, and you can warm yourself against their bodies on the coldest winter nights.

At the exit from the camp, horosaurs were sleeping, curled up on the spread out skins. They are predators, and you need to be careful with them - do not approach from behind, do not wake them by the tail. One of them was awake and rhythmically cleaning his hard skin with a long, dexterous, serrated tongue. Near him, on a large, flat, long stone covered with skin, sat side by side twenty adult females, sharpening spearheads, repairing loose gear, and chatting about tactics for the upcoming campaign. Some were larger, some were smaller, but all were tall, strong, and beautiful, each with a favorite male and several cubs. Their long, hard hair ranged from black and dark green to reddish-brown and was braided into many small pigtails with bone pins. They wore no armor, made do with a minimum of clothing, and relied entirely on agility and speed. In battle, their heads were adorned with a forehead band made of a human skull with a luxurious fan of dull long feathers. A similar bone helmet, but from the top of a horosaurus skull with feathers, they put on their own horosauruses. It turned out beautiful but scary! Zurka was older than some of the riders and was desperately jealous of them, but she never admitted it out loud. Oh, come on! Her position in the clan was already as low as possible. In fact, she remained an eternal cub. Even her name meant something like "a trifle, a trifle, an unimportant thing." It's a shame. But names are not chosen. What the majority of the clan calls you, that is what you will be. Maybe now she can fix it?

"What do you want, sister?" Garza, the main rider, asked her. And yes, she is Zurka's older sister. Her name means "slicker", and there was no point in arguing, despite many raids, she did not have a single serious scar. She and Zurka are the only survivors of her once large family. Their father and mother were killed by humans about five years ago, when the clan had not yet realized that the conditions had changed, and the orc males had become extremely vulnerable to pikemen, crossbowmen, and heavy cavalry of humans. And most importantly, to their new tactics. Their deaths were ambiguous. When they were overtaken by a mounted detachment of mercenaries from Seyran, Rakokh, the father of Zurka and Garza, ordered his beloved female Graiza to abandon him and retreat back to the mountains. But she did not leave him, and they died fighting together to the last. Garza herself announced this, it was her first raid, from which she and several of her friends miraculously managed to escape.

Zurka took a deep breath:

- Sister, let me go with you!

Garza looked up from her work, her slightly elongated dark green eyes intently studying Zurka's determined face.

- You know that you can't keep up with us, little one. Stay here and watch the cubs, or try hunting again. Maybe today will be your lucky day.

The cubs around them stopped running and playing, they became quiet, watching the exchange of glances with hope. Zurka clenched her fists and came closer to Garza.

- I can do it! I can handle a spear and reins!

Garza:

- Baby, our expeditions are mortally dangerous. I can return with rich prey, and then we will be full and happy for a week or two. But I may not return. And then my head will hang on a stake in a human settlement, and my body will be fed to dogs... Well? Have you lost the desire to join us?

Zurka:

- No. I want to go with you. We are not afraid of death. I, too, can perish while hunting. But I go to the mountains and I am not afraid.

The other females looked up from their work, amusement flickering across their faces. Garza's expression didn't change.

"Your problem isn't fear. Prove your usefulness to our expedition. Take a ride on Urosh. Show us that you can handle him."