Chapter 2
A strange thing was happening in the forest. Of course, strange things were always occurring in Middle Earth. But now, there was something the animals had never seen before.
A girl lived with an orc, yet the girl did not seem completely human. However, the girl grew up, every day looking more and more like a human.
On the girl's seventh birthday, something happened.
A rabbit was spying for the old man who lived nearby when she saw it. The house were the girl and orc lived was up in flames. She watched in shock as the girl dragged the orc out of the house.
"Mum! Mum!" she was crying. The rabbit's eyes opened wider. The rabbit turned to fetch her master.
"It's Alaza!" the girl said again, shaking the orc's shoulder. "Mum, please wake up!"
The rabbit froze. Mum? It thought. It's eyes were now the size of dinner plates. Master! She yelled in her mind. Master, come quick!
A old man cloaked in sea-blue was sitting in a chair drinking tea when he suddenly froze. He cocked his ear to the wind and stood.
I am coming! He shouted in his mind. I am coming!
The old man picked up a staff (also blue) and charged out the door, following the rabbit's mental instructions.
When he had reached the scene, the girl was quite still, holding the orc's hand. The man froze in shock.
"Child, stand back from the orc! It may not be dead!" he cried, brandishing his staff. "But how on earth did you manage to kill it?"
The girl looked up, tears in her eyes. The man hurried over. "Are you hurt?" he asked. The girl shook her head.
"I'm not hurt!" she said angrily. "And I didn't kill her!"
"Her?" the man said in confusion.
"Yes, her!" the girl cried out. "She's my mum! I would never kill her! And she's not dead! She can't be!"
The old man's eyes widened, but then he patted the child on the shoulder. "Let me see."
The girl hesitated.
"I won't hurt her. But she may just be stunned, if your lucky. The sun is bad for orcs."
The girl nodded, and scooted around to the side, picking up her mother's hand.
"She's so cold." the girl whispered.
The old man felt for a pulse, and turned to the girl. "I'm sorry."
The girl began to cry. The man reached out and patted the girl's arm.
How on earth did this happen? He thought, watching as the girl cried.
"Child, what is your name?" he said, interrupting the girl's grief.
"A-Alaza." she hiccuped. "That's Rahhazo."
"I am Alatar. Would you like to come with me? We can have a proper buriel for.. Rahhazo. We can find you a home."
"Mama said never to talk to strangers." Alaza said. "She said I had to hide, that people might want to hurt me or use me."
"Is that so?" said Alatar. "Well, I am a wizard- Alatar the Blue! My colleagues are Sauroman the White, Radagast the Brown, Gandalf the Grey, and my close partner, is Pallado, also the Blue. Perhaps you have heard tell of our order?"
"No." Alaza said, shaking her strange head. Alatar noticed for the first time the strange markings on her face.
"What are those, Miss Alaza?" he said sharply.
Alaza put a hand up to her face. "What are what? You know, it isn't nice to stare. You look strange too."
The different pieces of what Alatar had seen suddenly clicked into place. "You are half-orc."
Alaza put her hands on her hips. "Well, duh! What did you think I was- a chipmunk?"
Alatar was in shock. A half-orc!
"So that really was your mother." Alatar said, glancing down at the dead orc.
Alaza's eyes filled up with tears again. That was enough for Alatar to know. "Well, come on then. We must hurry from this place. Your mother was right. People would try to hurt you or use you. We must get you someplace safe."
"But, mum-"
Alatar pointed his blue staff at the body. In a flash, it disappeared.
"Already at my cottage." Alatar said. "Let us go."
He stood, holding out one hand to the orc child.
Alaza nodded. "Let's go."