Retribution
The gnarly half-witted Orc who captured the seemingly human girl Cassie was named Gord. Several hours back, he led the search party for the missing Cromwell heir. Apparently, the latter had fallen off the ridge that connected the Southern Hills to the rest of Fondel County.
Gord was supposed to find and return with Ethan's corpse. However, the party had failed after a night-long search through the valley forests. The Orc was about to return empty-handed, riddled with the fear that their leader would heavily punish him.
By a stroke of luck, Gord smelled the fumes from a roasted, spiced rabbit. That animal wasn't really considered a delicacy in the Orc community, nor were any such small animals. Their godforsaken species had meat grinders for stomachs, which favored humans, Elves, and witches alike.