《The Shaman and the Bard》


 Birth

    Little hands rubbed the thick, mucousy muck from his eyes. The air was cold and moist. It burned his skin and his lungs every time he took a deep, shuddering breath in as he coughed up fluid and mud-like substances. Cold, foreign hands grab his wrists, pulling them away from his face. The freshly birthed uruk stood there, uncertain and awkward, as more hands turned him this way and that, raised his arms, grabbed and lifted one leg then the other, then finally something was jammed into his ears and scraped against his eyes.


    ¡°-brat couldn¡¯t hear a damn thing, they¡¯re so clogged.¡±


    ¡°That, or he¡¯s deaf-¡±


    Deaf?He instinctively turned to the voices. His eyes were still sticky but he was, with great effort, able to slowly pry them apart.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine.See?¡±He gasped and flinched as something came towards him. He couldn¡¯t quite see it, but hefeltits presence.


    ¡°Guess he ain¡¯t blind, neither.¡±


    Colours and shapes blended together. There were forms to be seen against the darkness, but he couldn¡¯t exactly make sense of it. He screwed his eyes shut and growled as he tried to push away the scratchy thing that rubbed against his eyes once more.


    ¡°Already baring his fangs to threatening stimuli.¡± He hissed and swatted as his cheek was pinched.


    ¡°They¡¯re making them grow up too fast¡­ I remember when-¡±


    ¡°Open your eyes, boy.¡±


    Something helped him pry his eyes open fully. His pupils constricted suddenly and painfully in the light. He immediately squeezed them shut and rubbed them with the palms of his hands. His wrists were grabbed again as he was ordered to¡®open them¡¯again.


    ¡°Keep them open, lad.¡±


    The faces were familiar, somehow. Like their voices, he¡¯s sure he¡¯s seen and heard them since¡­forever.He wasn¡¯t as uneasy as he was moments ago. The touches weren¡¯t alien and prodding, but known to him and gentle. Warm against his clammy and bristled skin. His eyes flicked between faces, studying their features, looking into their eyes-


    ¡°Perhaps the Dark Lord favours this one.¡± The voice was as scratchy as the thing that wiped his eyes but it took on a gentler tone.


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    A thumb wipes some stray fluid that collected and streamed down the young uruk¡¯s face. A means for the eyes to rehydrate and self-clean from the mud of the vats. Typical, unlike the eyes of this boy.


    The other vatkeepers could agree. Likey clear and amber-red with vertically slit pupils that constrict every time the pup blinks. The eyes, themselves, weren¡¯t too unusual. Perfectly acceptable though quite uncommon. Few have the pride of their Lord and it usually is a sign of potential greatness. Should the boy live long enough to achieve such heights.


    ¡°Get this boy something to wear! He¡¯s going to freeze in Cirith Ungol¡¯s winds.¡± He was gently pulled and led aside. He could still hear them talking quietly amongst themselves, even as the keeper that halted his movements told him to¡®raise your arms¡¯.


    ¡°-orry for the lad-¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t live to see-¡±


    ¡°-don¡¯t know that¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold your tongues!¡±


    ¡°Did you hear me, lad?¡± He blinked a few times.


    ¡°Uh-?¡± A wet cough forced his eyes wide. A hardy slap was applied to his back a few times.


    ¡°Spit, don¡¯t swallow.¡± It was firm but not scary. He did and he immediately felt better.


    ¡°Good?¡±


    ¡°U-Uh-huh¡­¡± He spat again for good measure.


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t spit in front of the captains. They always get the wrong idea about lads your age.¡± Another slap- no, a pat- to his back. Softer this time. He turned to look at the keeper.


    He¡¯s old, or older, at least. Wrinkled and grey, scarred too. He looks tired but¡­ happy? Maybe satisfied is a better comparison. He flinched then relaxed as his face was tipped to one side then the other.


    ¡°I reckon you¡¯ll be handsome when you finish growing into yourself.¡± He picked up a clean, rough cloth and ruffled his hair with it.


    He guessed his hair was long, because he felt the vatkeeper squeeze and wipe the cloth down the length of his back. It was a soothing gesture that the keeper repeated several more times. He felt his eyes grow heavy, along with his limbs. His eyes nearly slipped shut but reopened as he heard the vatkeeper chuckle behind him.


    ¡°Once the captains look you over you¡¯ll be able to get some rest, lad.¡± He nodded. Hewastired¡­ A few more moments of silence passed before the keeper grunted to himself and spoke once more.


    ¡°Hmph-You needed a name. Can¡¯t go around calling you¡®lad¡¯or¡®boy¡¯forever, now can we?¡± The keeper tossed the damp and muck-covered cloth back onto a nearby table. He shrugged at first, but quickly nodded in agreement, excited.A name? Just for him?It excited him enough to fully wake him up.


    ¡°What are you¡­? Ishgha?Hmph-A Nor?k? No, wait¡­¡±


    The vatkeeper helped the young uruk pull his arms through the holes in his shirt. He allowed him to stand alone as he observed him. Not proud¡­ a little shy, even. He stood a little low but he wasn¡¯t cowering. To himself but not submissive¡­ His eyes, once focused on the vatkeeper, began to wander. Behind the keeper, to the other keepers attending to other uruks, around the cave walls, to the other boys freshly pulled from the vats-


    He took a keen interest in them. His eyes softened as did his sharp pupils. He peered around the side of the vatkeepers, standing on the tips of his toes to get a better look. He took a few strands of his still damp hair and began to tug on them, twiddling them between his fingers as he rocked forward and backwards from the balls of his bare feet to his heels.


    ¡°H?ra¡­¡±The boy looked up at him, settling back down flat onto his feet. His heart jumped up into his ears. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s your name, isn¡¯t it?H?ra¡­¡±


    H?ra blinked owlishly as a large hand ruffled then smoothed his hair down.H?ra. H?ra¡­ H-?-r-a¡­


    HeisH?ra¡­

 Taken In

    There were a lot more boys here than he realized. When H?ra was ushered into a crowd, he grew uncomfortable. He didn¡¯t recognize any of the faces or voices that chattered and turned to look at him as he was awkwardly left standing off to the side and to himself by a vatkeeper who swiftly returned to his duties. H?ra wished he had stayed just a little longer¡­


    The quiet murmur directed at him soon dissipated into the white noise roar of young uruks talking amongst themselves. Some eyes linger, but not for long. By the time H?ra awkwardly shuffles against the crowd, settling on the outskirts close enough that he¡¯s a part of the group but with just enough distance he could observe what was going on around him without becoming too overwhelmed.


    Some looked a little like him: paleish, a full head of black hair, a little tall and lean¡­ Some were taller- much taller- and others were shorter. Some had different coloured hair- brown and reds¡­ But in their faces, they all looked different. Similar but different. H?ra felt colder than he did moments before, with the vatkeepers¡­


    Someone jabs him in the ribs.


    H?ra jumped slightly at the prodding. Was it meant to be directed at him? He looked around, left then right, then over his shoulder. Another uruk with black hair but with green-brown eyes giggles behind his hand and leans towards another boy with dark hair and dark eyes, whispering. He furrows his brows, confused.


    ¡°W-Wha-?¡± H?ra chokes on his question as another uruk, taller than he, elbowed him in the sternum hard enough to nearly knock him off his feet and back into the whispering boys behind him.


    ¡°Ssshh- Shut up! They¡¯re here!¡±


    H?ra was pushed forward and then shrugged off by yet another uruk as he struggled to regain his balance. W-Wha-? Who-?


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    All talking ceased at once. The voice was loud enough to cut through the reverberating sounds of the young uruks¡¯ raucous voices. H?ra felt¡­ uncomfortable. The silence was louder than all their talking combined. It made his ears ring and made him feel incredibly small. Boys all throughout the crowd attempted to stand on their tip toes, trying to get a look at the ¡®captains¡¯ they all heard so much about from the vatkeepers.


    H?ra didn¡¯t try to steal a look at the captain. He felt the hairs on his body raise with each thundering step the uruk took. There was a clinking of metal, a squeaking of leather rubbing together as he walked around. H?ra¡¯s heart jumped up into his throat as the walking came to a stop. The silence lasted a heartbeat but felt dreadfully long. He held his breath, waiting.


    ¡°This first row, step forward.¡±


    The crowd shifted forwards. Behind him, uruks crushed against him, attempting to worm their way deeper into the crowd. They want to get ahead of him? Why? H?ra couldn¡¯t understand how they weren¡¯t utterly terrified at this unknown uruk- or uruks!- looking them over and deciding¡­ something! He allows them to push past him unchallenged.


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    H?ra managed to slip further back into the crowd, unnoticed by the uruks that continued to push forward as the captain shouted ¡®next!¡¯ over and over again. It was happening too fast. He didn¡¯t want to be at the front! He didn¡¯t want to be taken away from this place! H?ra looked over his shoulder as panic began to set in his chest. He made eye contact with one of the vatkeepers. His eyes lingered on H?ra¡¯s before he cast his eyes downwards, a deep frown tugging the corner of his lips downward and his forehead wrinkled as he visibly exhaled. He shook his head and turned away, facing an empty table that he rested his palms onto. H?ra felt tears well in his eyes.


    ¡°Move forward!¡±


    H?ra was still partially behind a taller lad to his right and a shorter lad to his left. He had unknowingly worked his way into the middle of the backmost portion of the group. There¡¯s nowhere for him to hide. H?ra stared at the captain¡¯s shins, following his movements as he walked up and down the line.


    There was not one captain, but three, all in different manners of dress and seemingly of different temperaments. H?ra wasn¡¯t too keen on surveying his surroundings, but- His eyes moved on their own accord and against his will.


    One smaller, covered in sharp armour and piercings- no, wait- the armour it¡¯s¡­ in his skin¡­? H?ra didn¡¯t like the look of him at all and felt afraid. Another, larger than the other two, with, perhaps, the simplest armour of the two. H?ra felt his nose begin to itch when his eyes lingered on him for too long. He¡¯s filthy¡­ And the last-


    H?ra¡¯s eyes met his.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking that one.¡± He pointed to H?ra. H?ra¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you Dark ¡®uns and black hair. ¡®s fucking weird.¡± The pierced captain said as he grabbed a smaller uruk on the end by the front of his tunic and all but shoved him into a group of boys standing awkwardly to the side. The other captain scoffed.


    ¡°And what if I had an eye on the boy first?¡± He grabs the captain that first pointed to H?ra- one clad wholly in dark- by the arm as he reaches out to pull him away.


    ¡°Did you, now? Why, then, didn¡¯t you take him when he was so close to the front of the line?¡± He grabbed the larger captain¡¯s wrist. ¡°Why wait until he¡¯s wormed his way into the back and out of sight?¡± H?ra¡¯s eyes snapped open.


    He knew¡­


    ¡°The boy is mine.¡± It wasn¡¯t a challenge, it was a declaration of a fact. The captains stared at one another, one still gripping the other by the forearm, then.


    ¡°Tch-¡± His arm was released, though it was more like it was thrown from his grasp. The smaller captain remarked about no fight being had, seeming bored. H?ra felt sick as his tunic was grasped and he was pulled to the left where a smaller group of boys all stood, silent as they stared at him.


    H?ra felt himself wither in their gaze and more so yet when the three captains glanced at him once more before their gazes parted with him for the last time. The pierced captain gave him a toothy smile, something about the way he looked at him made H?ra shiver and his stomach lurch. The tallest captain looked at him with scorn in his eyes, full of disdain as though he wasn¡¯t attempting to take him for himself. Then the other- the dark one- his eyes didn¡¯t linger long enough for H?ra to derive anything from him. It somehow scared him more than the other two combined.


    No more uruks were taken by that dark-clad captain. If he was so keen on taking H?ra for himself then¡­ Why did he wait? Why watch him sink into the crowd only to grab him at the end? He grasped a handful of his hair and began to pull on it, worrying it between his fingers and eventually placed it into his mouth and began to chew and suck on it. A feeling gripped his stomach he hasn¡¯t felt before. Is it¡­ fear?


    H?ra was scared. As he was led from the vat complex, he searched for the vatkeepers- any one of them- but was unable to find any one of them. He just wanted to see them again¡­ at least once. To say goodbye¡­ to ask to stay-


    But he was pushed out by the boys at his back and that was that.