“Let’s check the apartment blocks.”
“Didn’t you make him promise he wouldn’t play there anymore?”
“And do you think he listens to me?”
They checked a few of his favorite spots, but he was nowhere to be found. More than anything, Beth was worried that he was hungry. Orclings his age needed to eat often and well, and she’d noticed that he could get so distracted playing that he forgot to tell anyone that he was starving, until his tummy hurt so much that he started crying, and finally someone could hear him and go collect him from wherever he’d been hiding.
They walked through the park toward Sonya’s house. Everyone they saw, they asked about Zikel, and then finally, they met with Gorya, who was just carrying two bottles of krag milk to Sonya’s.
“Oh, the little one is with Sonya. She’s just feeding him. Poor thing, he ate everything in her fridge.” She laughed and waved the bottles of milk.
The orcling had started eating solid foods early. He almost ate like everyone else now, except he needed his meat and veggies cut into tiny pieces.
Beth sighed and shook her head. She and Uthar followed Gorya, and she had to almost run to keep up with them. They were both tall and massive, and one of their steps was worth four of hers.
They found Zikel in the living room with Sonya. She was spoon-feeding him mashed potatoes as he had his eyes glued to the TV. Uthar had kept his word and figured out how to make the TVs in town work. He’d talked to the humans who frequented the fair, and they had helped the horde get cable. Beth didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe if Zikel got hooked on a cartoon or two, he would be easier to find the next time she needed to feed him.
“There you are!”
She opened her arms, and he looked up. He smiled brightly and ran to her, hooking his plump arms around her neck as she lifted him up. He was getting heavy, but she wasn’t going to complain.
“I looked everywhere for you. One of these days, we’ll have to get you a phone.”
Uthar furrowed his brows. The only ones who had mobile phones were Beth and Abby. Personally, he had never understood why they used them to talk when they literally lived across the street from each other. There were many things he still couldn’t understand about humans.
“He would probably smash it in all of five minutes,” Sonya said.
“You might have a point.”
Beth passed Zikel to Uthar, who had no trouble holding him. He placed him on his shoulders, and the boy giggled as he reached for the ceiling.
“Thanks for taking care of him.” Beth told Sonya.
“No problem. You know I love to do it.”
“Come on, little guy. We’re going home.”
Gorya gave Beth one of the milk bottles. They said goodbye to her and Sonya, and Zikel waved at them enthusiastically. He was adored by everyone, and he knew it. He took advantage of it, too.
As Uthar carried him on his shoulders, Beth reached for his little hand. Zikel squeezed her fingers and laughed at her. He had a bit of mashed potatoes on his cheek, and Beth did her best to reach it and wipe it off.
“We should have lunch together,” Uthar said.
“Really? Don’t you have to go back to the workshop?”
“Lonar can take care of things there. We’re rarely together for lunch.”
“Yeah... What with you working all the time, and Zikel running off... all the time. I find myself on my own most days.”
“Then I will make you a promise,” he said. “From now on, breakfast, lunch, and dinner... together. The three of us.”
“Really?”
“I mean... dinner with the horde, as is tradition.”
“Right. God forbid I have you all too myself three meals in a row.” She laughed.
In truth, she enjoyed having dinner with the horde. It was a sense of community that she’d lacked while living in the world of humans. She felt like she belonged here. The orcs cared about her, about her sister, about their lives... When she was happy, they celebrated with her, and when she was sad, they asked her how they could help, and they listened. Krib and Burok had learned how to make pizza, and when they felt she was down, a pizza always got delivered to her house.