Survivors

"Kaj’ik Talani?"

She gasped, jumped to her feet, knees still unsteady. Her eyes widened at the person behind her. He was bent nearly in half from age and other things that had wrecked his body, but his face was unmistakeable beneath the wrinkles.

"Jola?" she whispered. "You're alive? How? Did anyone-" she strangled the words before she could complete them. There had been SO MANY bodies. Surely his survival was more miraculous than her own. "You're alive," she said more firmly. "I... I am glad to see you." Though his presence didn't alter her decision much. Hopefully he had found some sort of new life after the loss of their people.

"Survived?" His voice dripped with awful bitterness. "Survived," his softer words sent a chill down Kaj's spine. "I suppose you could call it survival," he said.

Kaj took half a step back without thought. "What-" she paused, licked her lips before she continued. "What happened, Jola? I came back and everyone was dead."

A terrible smile pulled his lips into a grotesque mask. "Oh, that's right. You were on you VISION QUEST." Spittle dotted his lips, his eyes grew wide with contempt. "Poor little Kaj, completely missed all the FUN." He rested his chin on his walking stick, and stared at her.

Kaj wasn't sure, but she might have been staring down straight crazy. "Jola, what HAPPENED?" her voice was no more than a whisper. "The (orc village, wtf did I name them?) was here when I returned. They.. they didn't let me see. Just said that everyone was dead."

Any doubt she had about the remnants of Jola's sanity evaporated at mention of the orcs. "The ORCS told you? You didn't see for yourself? You didn't see what you'd abandoned your people to?" At her startled gasp, that skeletal smile returned. "Oh yes, you think I didn't know you planned on leaving us? Running away like the little coward you are?"