The sun now stood high in the sky, a sign that it was time for me to leave and take to the road. My feet already felt strangely sore this morning, as though they instinctively knew what was to come in the form of that arduous journey. But my mind was quite set on getting there.

Carrying a fat shoulder bag stuffed with all the items Mom had ordered me to take along, I was ready to start my journey toward those mysterious mountains.

"Be careful, child," Mom said, giving me a big hug. "And remember what I told you."

"I will," I answered, holding my mother tightly. It felt odd that she hugged me so. I was used to her harsh words and huge expectations, and less accustomed to physical affection.

"Good girl." She patted my back.

My mother released me so I could say goodbye to my sisters and nieces.

After the rather emotional and unusual farewell, I took off. Now, I was headed to Isolde and Olivia's house first, on the way to Asclan Peaks.

"Gyda! Wait!"

A voice came from behind me when I was five minutes away from our home.

I turned around. Fiona came barreling toward me, out of breath and clutching wildly at my arm when she caught up. She puffed and panted, trying to get enough oxygen to speak.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Mom is b-busy, so she didn't see me leave. I know you're worried, and I know that..." She took a big breath before proceeding. "Look, what I mean is I know you're a curious person. Not knowing is worse for you than knowing the truth, even if it is a scary truth. So, I came here because I want to tell you something."

"You will? Oh, thank you!" I answered, taking Fiona's hand and squeezing it. She'd always been the kindest one and the sweet one, the sister I could turn to for most things.

"Like I was saying before our mother rudely interrupted me, it's the place from where you bleed."

"Yes." I nodded, wide-eyed.

"When you lie with the orc, he will...enter that p-place with his...uh, umm, manhood."

"His what? Manhood? What's one of those?"

"It's... Well, something only men have." She held her hands up and took one of her rings off. "If this is the place a woman bleeds from," she said, circling the round golden ring with one of her fingertips. "Then, he will...enter, like that." She pushed her finger through the ring, pulled it back, then popped it in again.

Now, she looked at me, even bigger-eyed than I was.

Was I supposed to understand this? What she was telling me was more like a sewing demonstration. In, out, in, out...

I grimaced. From that, she knew I was still clueless and confused.

"Like this," she said and demonstrated again. "Watch carefully."

The ring, the finger... So, she did it again, slower this time.

"So, his manhood is his finger?" I asked. "And he will push his finger in- inside me...? And I can get a baby from that?"

It was perplexing. And the thought alone made my stomach turn. Didn't orcs have thick claws? No wonder Mom hadn't wanted to describe all this. It was not something to look forward to!

"No. His manhood is attached..." She looked down and touched the place between her legs. "Here."

"Okay... so he has an extra finger, down there?"

Weirder and weirder, I thought, suddenly wondering if she even knew what she was talking about. Maybe she'd been so scared when she'd done it, she'd forgotten all the details.

"No, no, no. Just listen for a change! It's sort of shaped like a finger, I suppose..." she continued. "But much, much bigger. And it holds the essence of a new life... Seeds that he will plant into your womb so a new life can grow and sprout out into a child of your own."

"T-thank you," I answered. This new information made me scared, nervous, but also fascinated at the same time. "I'm glad you told me, sister."

And I really was super grateful that she had made the effort to come after me.

Fiona nodded. "You must go now. And I must go back before Mom realizes I'm gone, and all hell breaks loose!"

I hugged her one last time, and she leaned in to kiss my forehead. Then I watched her run off again and turned on my heels, proceeding with my journey.

~

A few hours had passed by. The mountain slowly grew bigger the closer Olivia and I came to it. It was standing proud with a sharp summit, shrouded in mist.

As we were on our way, hiking the mountainous Trimar Pass, we occasionally met other groups of women walking ahead and behind us, all heading to the same destination.

We'd crossed a few little towns where we had seen girls saying goodbye to their families, joining the rest of us on our journey. It was strange to think how we would all—hopefully—be walking around with enormous bellies in a few months.

Were they just as nervous as I was? Were they full of questions as well?

"Did you hear anything about what awaits us when we reach the Azuk clan?" I asked, wondering if Olivia's mother had told her anything.

Olivia shrugged. "No. And what an odd question, Gyda. Why would I have heard anything? You know these aren't the kind of things that are talked about."

"But...aren't you even a little curious?"

"No. Just nervous."

Olivia was almost eight years younger than I was and apparently, also eight times less curious. Or perhaps she was just too young to give time to the literal ins and outs of it all.

Maybe she had declined the 'sewing lesson' my sister had given to me.

"Yeah... I'm nervous too," I answered in all honesty. "But don't you want to know what'll happen to us?" If she said yes, I was going to tell her all about my newest discovery. "And don't you think it's weird there's all this secrecy?"

"Yes. But no..."

She was very unsure and didn't seem to want to discuss it with me.

"Yes, but no? What's that supposed to mean?" I pressed her.

"It means I don't think I want to know... I'd only be more afraid and nervous if the answer was something horrible," she replied. "I'll just surrender to whatever might happen.

"Our mothers and sisters have survived the breeding moons, so I'm sure we can too. But why are you even asking this? Has your mother told you anything?"

Technically, my mother hadn't told me anything.

It was my sister who'd informed me.

"No," I answered. "I did ask her about it, more than once. But her answer always was that I'd find out for myself."

"Exactly," Olivia replied before releasing a loud sigh. "Gosh! Carrying this stupid bag is killing me! My back hurts and my shoulder's all sore. I just hope we'll reach whatever we need to reach quickly."

"I agree," I said, wiping beads of sweat from my forehead.

Even though the sun was hidden behind white clouds, it was too hot and very humid.

But it would probably get cooler soon. Maybe even cold. I hoped we could reach our destination before that. To be safe, I'd packed some warm clothes, just as Mom instructed.

I supposed Olivia and I shouldn't complain too much.

The Trimar Pass was one of the better walkable routes, long, but also quite safe in contrast to the Blood Passage, another path leading to the mountains.

That route was known to be much shorter, but no human in their right mind would choose that one since all kinds of dangerous obstacles and animals would be taking it.

The orcs, however, used it. But they had less to fear, being twice our size and three times as strong. They could probably crush our spines like a baby twig.

A shiver ran down my own spine right then, realizing I was going to meet at least one of them soon. And not just meet but—be vulnerable with one.

Oh God, I just won't think about it.

Orcs were strong from working in the mines and hardened by dwelling in ice-cold caves and draughty tents. It was said that they stayed out of the sun on purpose, mostly venturing out when it was night. So, they were more or less nocturnal, hence their strange skin tone.

Our teachers also said that orcs spent their time drinking and picking fights with each other. They were brutal and barbaric by nature. Dumb and filthy.

We may have shared the same ancestors, but orcs and humans were as different as the moon and the sun.

"Stop for a second, please," Olivia asked, halting her steps to tie her black hair back with a ribbon. "Oh, that's better. Should I tie your hair up too?"

"Uh, sure," I answered, knowing how much my neck was sweating underneath that curtain of thick hair. Olivia moved to stand behind me and lifted my hair, pushing it to the top of my head. "Your hair's so long," she said. "It reaches your behind."

Obviously, I knew how long it was.

"Yeah," I answered.

"I'm jealous. My hair won't ever grow this long... It just breaks when it reaches a certain length. But yours is so pretty. And it's the color of honey, like your eyes. They match perfectly!"

"Thanks..." I was bad with compliments. "Your hair's just as pretty as mine, though."

"Oh, it isn't. But why aren't you wearing it up already? It's so freaking heavy and the weather's so hot!"

"Oh, my mother likes it if I wear it down," I answered. "Mom said, and I quote, You might not be as pretty as your sisters, but you have the loveliest hair in town. So, flaunt it!"

I tried to mimic my mother's high-pitched voice as best as I could.

I didn't get Mom's point, though. Flaunt? There weren't even men to flaunt to.

The prospect of marriage was out of the question anyway, so I didn't need to make myself pretty for them. Men only married women coming from other powerful families.

I didn't get why my mother and all those other old ladies found appearance so important. Why was there always this competition for who had the prettiest daughter? It was honestly so annoying and tiring.

"She's right about that!" Olivia answered. "Uh—the hair part. I mean, your sisters are beautiful, of course, but you're pretty too! You're equally beautiful."

There she went again, dishing out awkward compliments.

"Thanks."

Olivia really was gorgeous, though, with her shiny, shoulder-length curly raven hair and light blue eyes that bore the color of the sky. I was sure her mother must have been proud as a peacock to have such a beautiful daughter. And I also bet mine was jealous because of that.

"You're welcome. There, all done!" she said.

Then she let go of my hair after she'd bound all of it in a high bun.

It sure was a relief when a cool breeze blew against the back of my neck. "Thank you," I said.

"Let me just grab a sip of water and then we can carry on."

I looked up at the mountains. "Yes. I think we're more than halfway."

"Lucky us. Oh, and remind me that we need to let your hair down before we arrive."

"Huh? Why?" I asked.

"I don't know much about orcs, but there's just one rumor I've heard..."

My curiosity piqued straight away. "Oh? A rumor?"

"Yeah... That they have a thing for hair," Olivia replied, stuffing her water flask back in her shoulder bag.

"The orcs do?" I asked. I'd never heard of that before.

"Of course, the orcs."

"Huh... I've never heard that tale before."

"It's a sign of fertility to them and they think women with long, pretty hair will produce more orc sons or whatever. Of course, all the mothers know it's a load of nonsense. I mean, look at all these girls with gorgeous hair who only have daughters. But it's what these dumb creatures believe, and so, the women with the nicest hair are treated the best by them..."

"Hmm..." I thought about it.

Maybe there was a reason my mother had been so protective of my hair; she'd insisted I wore it down today, after all.