Chapter 9

Uglúk woke up from sound sleep, but it was not danger that had woken him. It was simply his body telling him that it had rested enough. His kind was not used to spending so much time in repose, curled up on a blanket. Well, half a blanket, as it was, since they had avoided to debate who should have it. Lurtz would have refused it had Uglúk offered it, and he would have taken it had the other claimed it. As a result, both had just slumped down on it after they had stuffed themselves with warm Elf flesh.

Uglúk carefully raised himself a bit. Lurtz was stretched out on his back, his wide chest slightly exposed in the torn tunic, his right arm extended invitingly. And Uglúk was unable to resist this invitation. He nestled closer to Lurtz's uninjured side, happy to be close to him; to have shared food and now share warmth with him.

Lurtz's breath caught, and the bulky body stirred slightly. Half-lidded eyes focussed on Uglúk, and the broad face distorted in a long, lazy yawn. Then a heavy arm wrapped around the smaller Uruk-hai's torso, gently pulling him towards body heat, towards the arousing scent of sweat on tough, yet smooth skin.

This time, there was understanding between them. With a purring sound rising from the depth of his chest, Uglúk's teeth tugged at the damaged tunic over Lurtz's chest. Slowly his tongue began to lave over the dark, taut skin. It playfully circled the red-pigmented spots, connecting them in a trail of rough, wet heat – a trail that travelled downward, following an erratic course in agonizing slowness.

An even deeper purr answered Uglúk's articulation of pleasure, as Lurtz gave himself over to this game. He remained completely still, his sound arm firmly slung around Uglúk's waist, holding him in half an embrace; his large hand resting peacefully on the other's slim hip.

Soon Uglúk wriggled into a more comfortable position, reaching further down, his tongue caressing just slightly softer skin now, as he nuzzled Lurtz's belly. Here the heavy tunic hampered his now quicker and greedier licks, as he urged towards the source of his lover's aroused scent.

With a growl Lurtz shifted and began to wrestle off the tunic with his good arm. Uglúk was eager to help, and some seconds later the garment sailed over Lurtz's head, exposing delicious skin to a hungry mouth. The growl did not subside; it just rose to become more demanding now that the tongue was back to where its administrations had just been interrupted.

Teasing skillfully, the tongue circled around the throbbing and thick erection, deliberately ignoring its first, futile thrust. Diving deeper, Uglúk's mouth got hold of a nicely sized ball. Sharp teeth pricked tender skin, and the growl reverberated through his entire body. It was clearly forgeboding danger now. Yet Uglúk lingered; his tongue and teeth teasingly inflicting pain.

His danger-heightened instinct made him let go just a split second before Lurtz's right arm twitched to slash into his side, and he raised himself a bit, cupping his lips over the thick, blood-filled shaft of Lurtz's glistening member, causing the growl to erupt into a howl – a howl of angry need this time. Before Uglúk could fully adjust to the big cock filling his mouth, Lurtz had grabbed him by the neck.

Retaliating for what his lover had done to him before, Lurtz began to take his pleasure ruthlessly. Heedless of Uglúk's desperate gasps and gurgles, he thrust brutally and deeply into the other Uruk's mouth and throat. Knowing that Uglúk could not escape from the firm grip and the weight backing it up, he forced him to endure this rough treatment.

But as before, Uglúk had no real desire to escape. He wanted to give, even as he felt his own erection grow heavy and aching against his leather tunic. Still struggling for air, he sucked on Lurtz's rearing member as hard as he could, causing him to raise his hips in further fuelled pleasure.

This time Lurtz was not so easily satisfied, and the arrogating growl would unfailingly rise from his chest as soon as his lover slowed down in efforts to regain his breath. They were rutting for what seemed to be an endless time, until Uglúk finally felt a rush of a savory, salty liquid explode in his throat. His chest heaved, and he swallowed hard – one, two, three times, while Lurtz's roar threatened to shatter his ears.

The hand around his neck loosened its grip slowly. Gasping with the need for air, Uglúk sank to the ground between Lurtz's thighs, grabbing his own blood-filled manhood and urgently squeezing it for release. Echoing his leader's roar, he came in powerful bursts; most of his seed landing on Lurtz's satisfied member and belly.

Uglúk knew that once more he had been on the giving side, and his still lingering lust had gained an edge of aggressiveness that he did not bother to deny. With a snarl, he jumped Lurtz and straddled his hips, defiantly rubbing his still hard member against the warm, firm flesh of the other's belly.

To his surprise, Uglúk felt his lover's body rhythmically shudder and convulse under him several times. Then Lurtz's grin erupted into roaring laughter, as he renewed his hold on the other Uruk's slender waist and pulled him down towards him until they were lying belly to belly, chest to chest. Their mouths met for a long and hungry kiss, and Uglúk's purr began to rise again. He knew that his hunger would soon be satisfied.

As they approached the Uruk-hai camp, Lurtz once more assumed his usual dark and sullen demeanor. Uglúk cast the occassional furtive glance at him and managed to do so unnoticed by Lurtz. Yes, for now it was just back to how things had always been: he was with the leader of the Fighting Uruk-hai – the one who had been chosen for the task by Saruman.

Saruman.

The White Wizard was on Lurtz's mind as soon as the first sounds of the camp met his ears.

His responsibility.

His burden.

Not to be able to be friend to anyone, but to bend the ones who were so much like him in nature to do his master's will. If necessary, to beat them into obedience, sometimes into submission to do his master's work.

But the Istar had not quite succeeded in controlling his fiercest and most powerful creation completely. The hatred that he had instilled in the firstborn – the only way to make a creature gifted with reason impervious to all other voices – was no longer the only emotion that Lurtz could feel.

The other Uruk had begun to fill the void into which Saruman had deliberately tossed his living tool to force it into a limited existence and further yield it under the whip of his cunning mind. Uglúk had given Lurtz the ability to feel pleasure, and now there were the beginnings of friendship and trust too – something beyond the grasp of the despised White One; something he could not control and destroy so easily.

At least Lurtz hoped so.

Days went by, and Uglúk saw not more of his lover than any other Uruk of their band. They had travelled further east and then turned south, following the course of the river Anduin. War was in the air, and the Uruk-hai breathed it, tasted it and relished it. Bloodlust began to bubble up in them, and brawls and quarrels became more frequent and less good-natured. For the most part, the conditioning of the Uruk-hai army held though, but their leader's saturnine mood had regained its edge of violence, and he often prowled among them like a huge feline.

Ever since he had returned to the camp with Lurtz, Uglúk had kept to himself, observing the changes around him quietly. He noticed that some of the others had begun to watch him suspiciously. He knew they had smelled his lover on him – and vice versa – but this time neither Uglúk nor Lurtz had cared about it. After all, it was none of the others' concern with whom they satisfied their lust. What worried Uglúk much more was the fact that the one he cared about was still severely impaired by his arrow wound. Moreover, the one he cared about was too arrogant to realize that others did notice.