The girl started to wake up just as the sun began to set. Her whole body was sore. Her head throbbed, and her throat ached. She began to cough violently, and it took a while for the coughing to subside. Instead of sand underneath her, fur caressed her skin. Above her was fur as well. The fur smothered her in darkness, and sudden panic seized the girl. She clawed at the fur and managed to throw off the furs. As fresh air rushed over her, the girl realized she was naked. She quickly wrapped one of the fur skins around her body as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the light of the fire.
A fire crackled next to the pile of furs. It burned brightly, logs piled high. A pot hung over the fire, with the smell of cooking food filling the room. The room itself was sparse. In one corner, a low table and two stools seemed to serve as a sitting area. Near the only window was what appeared to serve as a small kitchen, with dried herbs hanging above and cooking utensils on a table. Through one door seemed to be an extra room and the other door to the outside.
Hesitantly, the girl stood up to look into the pot. It held some stew with chunks of meat in it. Hunger gnawed at the girl, and she looked around for a bowl. She could not remember the last time she had eaten anything. Before she could walk over to the small kitchen area, voices approached from the one door leading outside. Frightened, the girl instantly backed away from the fire and laid back onto the pile of furs.
The door opened, and an orc walked into the hut, followed by a gigantic wolf. The orc's arm looked thicker than the human's whole body. His tusks were broken but still looked intimidating. The girl gasped, just wanting to run out of the hut. Before she could though, she noticed his limp and then noticed other things. He had to walk with a cane, and his hair looked pale in the firelight. He was old, and his presence no longer seemed as intimidating as before. The orc did not even look at the girl, limping over to the kitchen area. However, the wolf stared at the girl. It let out a growl. The orc turned around.
"You are awake. That's really good. My name is Volugg. Hungry?" He asked calmly.
The human girl did not answer, taken aback by his demeanor. She sat there, unsure of what to do. Instead of asking her again, Volugg merely picked up two bowls and walked over to the fire. He took the pot off the hook to pour out a bowlful of stew. The girl watched him hold out the bowl toward her. She hesitated to take it.
Volugg frowned. "It's okay. I made it myself...or do you not eat meat?"
Next to him, the wolf growled at the girl again. The girl looked over at the wolf and finally took the bowl. She was so hungry that she did not even wait for the orc to make his stew. She just lifted the bowl and ate the stew like that. The orc did not seem bothered. In fact, he seemed amused.
"Thank you," The girl tried to say, but her voice cracked. Her dry throat led her to a fit of coughing. The wolf's ears perked up at the sound of coughing. Then it quickly trotted over to a barrel. It grabbed a wooden bowl with its mouth and ducked its head into the barrel. After it lifted its head, the dish was dripping wet. The wolf came over to the girl and offered the bowl, which was full of water. The human girl took the bowl and drank deeply.
The orc reached out and pat the wolf. "What a good girl, Mudfur! You have gotten soft in your old age."
Mudfur curled her mouth into disgust, snarling. She stomped a foot and left to sulk in a corner.
Volugg shrugged playfully and turned his attention to the human. "So, what is your name?"
The girl should have known he would eventually ask her that. It's the first thing anyone would ask her, but she had not thought this far ahead. Even thinking of her name caused painful memories to resurface. How could she possibly continue to go by such a cursed name? Before the orc could ask her again, she decided on a painless answer.
"I don't remember," She lied. Then, to seal the deception, she started to cry. It was a weak attempt at crying, but it seemed the orc could not handle that sort of thing. Volugg reached over and put his large hands on the girl's shoulder.
"No, no no! Don't cry, little one. I have heard that sometimes trauma can cause someone to forget themselves temporarily," He reassured her. He looked more distressed than the girl did. After she stopped crying, he let her go and gave her an uncomfortable look.
"I have a friend named Riverdream outside. Perhaps she can help you?"
The human nodded and Volugg limped over to the door. He called out for the person. As they waited for Riverdream, the girl wrapped herself in the furs and ate some more stew. She heard Volugg talking to someone just outside. The voices sounded concerned, most likely for the girl. It made her feel guilty for lying to Volugg, but she had no choice but to lie. Even now, the memory of blood and the Voice haunted her.
Riverdream entered the hut, and the girl stared without meaning to. When Volugg had mentioned his friend, the girl thought he meant another orc. But this was a tauren, taller than the human and even Volugg. She had smooth tan fur and short dark horns. But what comforted the human girl the most was the tauren's smile and kind eyes. She had never seen someone so kindly. The tauren approached the human slowly and carefully, seemingly not wanting to frighten her.
"Hello. My name is Riverdream. You are fortunate that you survived. I checked you a few hours ago, and no broken bones nor any serious injury. You do have a fever, but I am sure you will be fine. Volugg says you lost your memory?"
The girl nodded. She couldn't trust herself to voice the lie again. Not to this nice tauren. She remembered everything and wished with all her heart that she had lost her memory.
Riverdream smiled sadly and knelt down in front of the human. The tauren wrapped another skin of fur around the girl's small shoulders. "It's going to be okay. Your memory will slowly return."
The girl nodded, soothed by the tauren's gentle voice. Volugg stood back a few feet, looking awkward. Riverdream looked back and smirked.
"Volugg...It seems this girl needs a name. We can't just called her 'human girl' now, can we?" She teased.
The orc gave a halfhearted nod and seemed less uncomfortable with everything. He approached the girl and gave her a thoughtful look.
"I am not creative with names. I named Mudfur because her fur is the color of mud. Your hair is white like snow," He said hesitantly.
Riverdream clapped her hands, causing the girl to jump. Even Mudfur looked up in surprise.
The tauren gave them all an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I just think Volugg doesn't give himself enough credit. Snowfur is a wonderful name. But of course, child, it is your choice. We can think of another name if you like."
The girl thought about it. Her real name started with the same letter but the new name seemed simple and clean. Snowfur seemed like a new start for her. The girl raised her head to look Riverdream and Volugg in the eyes.
Snowfur smiled. "I like that name."
After Riverdream gave Snowfur some healing herbs to apply to her bruises, she had to leave. The tauren had only been visiting and had to return home to a place called Mulgore. She stayed long enough to give some instructions to Volugg on how to care for Snowfur. Riverdream was a mother of three and knew more about taking care of children than Volugg did. The tauren also commanded Snowfur to not exert herself too much for a few days. Drinking plenty of water and listening to Volugg were strong suggestions.
Volugg did not seem happy about Riverdream leaving so soon. He kept trying to convince her to take Snowfur with her to Mulgore, but Riverdream refused.
"Snowfur is too weak to travel. Besides, I would prefer to speak to my husband first before showing up at the door with a stray human. How about I suggest both of you, and Mudfur of course, come to stay with us?"
The orc glared at her. "You know I don't like being around others."
During this entire exchange, Snowfur listened by her bed next to the fire. She had tried once to get up to help Volugg put more wood on the fire, but Riverdream had given her a stern look. That stopped any ideas of helping, so Snowfur resigned herself to lying down on the fur. She now wore a brand new set of robes of rough, brown cloth. Volugg had tried to give Snowfur her old clothes, but the girl had refused to wear those again. Luckily the orc asked no questions. He was awkward at talking to people it seemed, but Riverdream had hope for him.
"You are so grouchy, old man. Living on this rugged coast has made you moody. Mulgore is calm and would do wonders for your health."
Volugg grunted but did not deny anything. Riverdream merely shook her head and changed her attention to the human girl sitting next to the fire.
"Don't worry. I will be back. You focus on getting better. Don't stress too much about your memory, little one."
Snowfur promised not to worry, and the tauren hugged her before leaving the hut. Volugg followed her out, and the two seemed to talk some more. A yawn came from the corner of the room. Snowfur looked toward Mudfur. The wolf sniffed in the girl's direction. Snowfur held up her bowl.
"I can't eat anymore. Do you want it?" She asked quietly.
The wolf got to her feet and lumbered over to Snowfur. A large black nose touched the edge of the bowl. Mudfur opened her mouth, exposing empty gums and a few old yellow teeth. She licked up the leftover stew with a giant pink tongue.
Volugg entered the hut, frowning deeply. Something that Riverdream said seemed to trouble him. He, however, caught Snowfur's glance, and the frown disappeared. He gave the girl an awkward smile.
"I am not much of a people person. I don't know how River even tolerates me," He said sheepishly.
The girl smiled at the orc weakly. "You seem nice to me."
Volugg gave her a long hard look and then smiled back. He limped over to the water barrel and scooped out some more water.
"Here. Riverdream said to make sure you drink plenty of water," He said, holding out the bowl of water. Snowfur took it, and after she drank some, she put it next to her. Mudfur snorted and leaned forward to lick up some of the water. Snowfur looked at the wolf in disgust. Volugg merely laughed and limped over to the door that led to his bedroom. He stopped before entering and looked back.
"Oh. If you need anything tonight, don't hesitate to come wake me. Water is in that barrel. Do you need to...relieve yourself?"
Snowfur gave him a confused look. "Do what?"
Mudfur growled at Volugg, and the orc scowled at the wolf. "I didn't say that because it's vulgar."
"Oh! That...yes I do," Snowfur said sheepishly, face burning as she realized what he meant.
Volugg told her where the outhouse was and let her go out with Mudfur following. The night was fast approaching and already the sounds of the night were present. Bugs buzzed at high pitches all around. In the distance, waves crashed onto the beach. The wind rushed by and the smell of salt carried with it from the ocean. The color of the sky matched Snowfur's bruises.
Dry grass rose to knee length around the house, with a well-worn path leading to the outhouse. Snowfur followed Mudfur as the wolf trotted toward the small building. The wolf even opened the door to it with her mouth.
After Snowfur finished, Mudfur took her back into the hut. The wolf entered the hut, but Snowfur stopped before the door. She looked out toward the ocean. Suddenly the bugs quieted. The air felt wrong. It still smelled of salt, but it felt different somehow. A gale of wind rushed by, but it was cold with the smell of blood filling Snowfur's nostrils.
Snowfur quickly retreated into the hut, shaken. Her breathing turned shallow, and her hands started to shake. The urge to vomit up the stew from earlier rose up inside her, but she leaned against the wall and tried to keep her stomach contents inside her stomach. Luckily the old orc had already retired in his room, so he didn't see her reaction and question her. Mudfur didn't notice, already laying down next to the fire with her head turned away. After she calmed herself down, Snowfur retired to the pile of furs that served as her bed. She drank from the bowl of water, even though Mudfur had drunk from it previously. It tasted gross, but the girl didn't mind. She laid her head down on the fur and closed her eyes.