Takarn dropped the small women on the floor in front of his lean to shelter, it was built against too large, powerful and ancient acacia trees and was covered in a variety of skins, some of them human, speaking of which.

He picked up one of his stone knives and began to flay the skin from the human woman’s bones before draining the blood from her body and then greedily eating her soft supple flesh.

Delicious.

He left some of the remanets of her flesh to dry and then disposed of the remains of her body before lying down for a long deserving rest, he had been hunting them for days, now was time to sleep, tomorrow he would travel to the kurultai and show the khans his new strength he would join the war band and bring fire and blood to the realms of man.

He fell asleep to the thoughts of carnage and conquest.

-----

He woke up to the sound birds and the beams of the early morning sun shining through his makeshift shelter.

He hurriedly packed the human jerky he had made earlier before putting on his hide bracers, belt and loin cloth before setting out for the kurultai.

A kurultai was a military meeting called by the khans in which every able bodied orc was expected to attend. Takarn had heard from another hunter like himself that a kurultai was being held on the banks of the mighty Haskaroth River, it would bring the plains orcs together into a mighty war band with which they would then spill over into one of the adjacent human kingdoms. It would be glorious.

The purpose of a kurultai was three fold: First, it served in amassing all the orcs together into a great fighting force. Second, it would allow all of the khans to compete for the title of Khagan or Warlord, they would be the true leader of the war band. Thirdly, although all of the Khans had personal bands of warriors, many, many other orcs would join the war band in the coming days, these orcs would be divided among the khans to command, and of those orcs many would choose to compete for the favour of the khans in a grand tournament in the hope of being appointed as Bogdans, a Bogdan was the leader of a band of warriors. This was why Takarn was attending the kurultai, he would join the tournament, become a Bogdan, gain glory and have his name echo through the ages, or he would die trying.

-----

Khan Kelshar’s POV

The large powerful old orc opened his eyes before promptly shutting them again.

Fuck am I hungover. He thought.

He rolled over causing one of the lithe Orcish women he had mated with last night to yelp in surprise, he grunted at her reaction before dressing and stepping out into the blazing sun of the plains.

Khan Kelshar had seen 67 summers and it was beginning to show, his face was wrinkled with many laugh lines and his powerful tanned body was covered in many scars, he was a warrior.

Another orc ran up the hill approaching him.

“Khan!” He yelled

“My Khan!” He was a smaller orc, a boy by the name of Lorik. He was the favoured messenger of Kelshar’s personal regiment.

“What is it boy!” Kelshar boomed across the distance between them causing the boy to immediately stop and fall to his knees, ha, never ceases to amuse me he chuckled in his mind.

“My Khan, a meeting has been called to discuss the target of our most grand and terrifying war band.” Bah, meetings. Kelshar scoffed, he hated them, he knew they were a required evil before battle, but that didn’t mean he had to like them.

“Where?” He asked crestfallen, remembering the women he had left in his bed, and the day had started so well. He thought.

“At the war tent sir.” Kelshar didn’t even wait for the boy to finish before walking off toward the meeting, leaving the poor messenger in his dust.

The war tent was not hard to find, it was about three times taller than any off the surrounding buildings. It was built in an octagonal shape out of bones and hide with the great skull of a Plains Elephant decorating the entrance.

He walked through the threshold, the guards outside the door snapping to attention when the recognised him. I swear the guards get younger every time I see them, I doubt those two had even lived through 30 summers!

He walked into the room nodding a greeting at each of the men in front of him they were the khans of the plains, and soon one of them would be the Khagan.

“You are finally here Kelshar, I was beginning to wonder if you had finally died of old age.” Sniggered a small wily orc, anyone would think him to weak a fighter to be a Khan, those people were dead. Kelshar had seen how quick this man could move, it was truly terrifying.

“Good to see you too Khan Ishmael.” He replied deadpan, this banter between them was nothing new.

“Now, now boys lets be civil about this.” Spoke Khan Sheera the first ever female Khan of the plains, the she orc had long elegant features on her well-muscled but lithe frame she smiled at him provocatively but he knew better than to fall for it, she was a predator through and through and she would find no prey in him.

“I call this meeting of the 57th kurultai to order.” droned a monotone voice.

“Oh come on Khan Dagorlad, at least try to lighten up.” Spoke Khan Belog, a short, burly, hairy orc with a penchant for causing mischief.

“I must agree with Dagorlad.” Spoke a tall powerfully built handsome orc. His name was Khan Drenshawn he was the number one candidate for Khagan.

“Fine.” Relented Belog as we all sat around the circular table, the final member of or party still sitting in the shadows keeping to himself.

“Care to join us Khan Marlor?” Khan Kelshar asked but he just grunted and stayed where he was.

“Alright let us begin.” Said Sheera excitedly, this was her first kurultai and it showed.

“First we must discuss logistics.” Spoke the monotone voice of Khan Dagorlad and everyone around the table let out a groan.

-----

The meeting carried on late into the evening and we were beginning to pack up and leave when we felt it.

The earth shook as if the hand of god had descended and was shaking us himself.

“What is this?!” Sheera exclaimed

Khan Kelshar and several of the other veteran members chuckled before responding.

“This is what it feels like when hundreds of thousands of orcs march toward the same place.” He said in an attempt to placate the female khan, trying to soothe her wounded pride after the laughter. “The horde has come.” He finished looking wistfully looking at the horizon. What a wonderful day this was.