The Journal of Khazak Uzi'lag, Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Aerisday, Leus 17th, 4623

It has been a long and tiring day, and I for one am glad it is over. And after being put through his paces on his first full day as my slave, I am sure that Vakesh feels the same. But his training had to begin somewhere.

I awoke at sunrise, as I always do, eager to greet the day. Vakesh, however, took some rousing. I did try to be gentle at first, only nudging him with the side of my foot, but all he did was grumble something unintelligible and swat at my ankle before turning onto his side. It was almost cute - almost.

Finished with being nice, I gave him a swift and strong kick to the rear. I watched his face as he finally awoke, shifting from annoyance as his eyes first opened, to shock as he looked around the tent, and then back to annoyed as his eyes finally landed on me. I think he had forgotten where he was for a moment, before reality came crashing down.

I spend twenty minutes every morning exercising by running through a quick calisthenics routine. Today’s routine took about twice as long as usual as I had to run a second person through everything. He actually has great form and balance, which he would have realized if he had not complained every step of the way. By the time we were finally finished and headed back to camp, I was not sure if I was more frustrated or hungry.

I brought Vakesh to the camp’s cooking tent next. The camp’s cooking team is very talented, made up of the wives and husbands of some of our greatest warriors. He seemed confused when I introduced him to them, until he noticed some of the other new “recruits” having the same done. As I grabbed bowls of the morning's venison stew for the both of us I explained to Vakesh that this would be one of the few places he may be assigned to work - once he can be trusted of course. I am not sure his feelings on working in a kitchen or if he possesses any skills, but he did not seem overly thrilled by that.

After we finished breakfast, it was time to start on the chores for the day. Or for Vakesh to start on them, at least. After returning our bowls to the kitchen, we returned to my tent, where I instructed Vakesh to retrieve all of my soiled clothing. After managing to gather everything together, I brought us to the laundry tent and retrieved a washboard and some soap, made from animal fat and lye, before leading him to the nearby river, the same one we bathed in last night.

I told him that one of his responsibilities would be laundering both of our clothing at least once a week, and possibly more often if needed. He again, did not look thrilled, but did not voice any complaints. I waded into the river after him, showing how I prefer my things to be washed, before instructing him to hang them on the low branches of a nearby tree to dry. Afterwards, I took a seat beneath that same tree and watched him work. Closely, at first, until I see that he is not slacking off, then I let my mind wander.

It is not easy being chief of an entire tribe, as I am sure my father could attest. Even when not actively at war with another tribe, there is still much that needs to get done to ensure our safety and defenses. Though the Rageblood attack was only three days ago, it will be time to send out scouts once more, as there could be another attack any day. I briefly consider asking Vakesh to tell me any of their other plans, but quickly stamp out that thought. There is nothing we could trust about his answer.

After that, I needed to make sure that the repairs to our defenses and equipment were completed, or at least actively being worked on, and after that I should visit the healer’s tent and check on anyone still injured. The political aspects of the job are my least favorite, but my father taught me well the importance of meeting with every member of the tribe and ensuring their concerns are heard.

Vakesh finished hanging the laundry, and I allowed him a short while to rest before bringing him to his next task - tending to my weapons and armor. Every good warrior knows the importance of maintaining your equipment, and given Vakesh’s skill with a weapon, I expect no less out of him.

I retrieved my sword, armor, a whetstone, and some oil, and brought Vakesh to the camp bonfire to work. It is a very public spot, a regular gathering area for the tribe for all sorts of reasons. Naturally, he was not exactly thrilled, but nonetheless got to work with minimal complaints. After verifying that he knew what he was doing, I let him work in peace (though not unwatched) while I met with other tribe members.

I asked Riktal to gather together our best scouts, to be briefed before sending them off on another mission. I want to know what the Ragebloods next moves will be, and the question of their next attack is not an “if'' but a “when.” In addition to tracking the Ragebloods, the scouts will also make visits to some of our ally tribes and see what, if anything, they have learned.

Once the scouts had been given their assignments, I moved on to discussing our defenses with Riktal. As my second-in-command, I have delegated to him the responsibility of our tribe’s combat training. Seeing as we grew up together, I know firsthand that he is one of our finest warriors, and I make it a point to attend all of his training sessions. Not only does it keep me in well-oiled shape, but it is a good way to keep up morale with the rest of the tribe, and show that Riktal’s authority is to be respected.

Unfortunately, while discussing plans for his upcoming drills, we received some troubling news - we were not the only Proudhunter camp to be attacked. We received messengers from two of our other camps, revealing that they were attacked on the same days, and had not fared nearly as well as we had. They each had lost several of their healers, and the ones who remained were overwhelmed with the remaining injured.

Leaving the messengers with Riktal at the bonfire, I visit the healer’s tent to meet with our head healer - my mother, Ayla. She has been our head healer since I was a child, even before my father was chief. She may not be gifted with magic, but I have yet to meet someone more gifted in creating healing potions and poultices. Sometimes I think she may hold more of the tribe’s respect than I do.

I explained the situation and asked after our own people. Thankfully, most of those injured in the attack are already healed, with only two of the more seriously injured warriors under observation to ensure things are healing properly. We count four magical healers among our ranks, and knowing that and with the amount of injuries the other camps were dealing with, my mother and I came to the decision to send them to where they are needed.

Not having our healers will make us vulnerable, but my mother’s assurances helped my feelings of unease about the situation. We have a duty to our fellow tribesmen. While one of the two camps is almost a three day journey, the other is much closer, so I expect at least half of them to return in a few days' time. We will need to be especially cautious and vigilant until then.

After gathering the four healers and explaining the situation, they and my mother followed me back to the bonfire. When we arrived, I noticed that Riktal standing near Vakesh and some of the other Ragebloods who had been put to work doing the same thing. There was a tension there, Vakesh and his brethren glaring up at Riktal, while the messengers looked on awkwardly. Seeing me return, Riktal rejoined us, but Vakesh’s glare only moved from him to me.

After determining who had the greatest need, we split the healers between the two messengers. By the time they left, it was late, and I was only alerted to the hour by my stomach: lunch had long since passed. And if I was hungry, I knew Vakesh had to be as well, and seeing as I have no desire to be unnecessarily cruel, I attempted to feed him.

Which was apparently a mistake.

“Have you finished with everything?” I asked as I looked over his work.

“Hours ago,” he replied, now refusing to meet my gaze.

“These look good,” I continued, kneeling down to pick up my sword, which shone brightly in light of the fire.

Vakesh said nothing, only continued to stare at the ground. I know that we are enemies, but I was still surprised that his mood is so different from earlier. I would not say we were friends or even getting along, but seemed to be at peace with our situation. Is he that upset over missing a meal? Perhaps an afternoon with his fellow Ragebloods relit the fire of his hatred for me.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, for some reason.

“As though you suddenly care?” He finally looked at me, only to roll his eyes.

“You are right, I do not need to care,” I spit back angrily.

“And I do not need anything from you!” The rage I saw earlier was back in full force.

“Then you can enjoy skipping dinner as well!” I shouted back before angrily stomping away.

I returned later with a heaping portion of roasted fish, and my now-dried laundry over my shoulder. I made him sit and watch as the rest of us ate while he folded my clothing, before sending him to bed hungry. I am honestly not even sure why I care! That is what I get for trying to be nice.

Terraday,  Leus 17th, 4623

Another day, which of course means more training.

The morning started much the same as yesterday, with my usual early morning exercise routine. His stomach was growling loudly throughout, and I could see the relief on his face when I finally brought him to the kitchen tents and got our breakfasts. However, instead of doing laundry after we were finished, it was time for one of the tribe’s training drills.

Despite being fed, Vakesh was still not speaking to me after the words we shared yesterday, at least not directly. That was fine, it was not as though I had any intention of letting him join us in training. Instead, I had him kneeling off to the side of the training yard, where I could see him while I joined the other Proudhunter warriors in the line up.

For the next hour, Riktal put us through our paces, running us through form after form. The lot of us were a sweaty, exhausted mess by the end. It was marvelous. After a small break and a quick dip in the river to rinse off, it was time to get right back to work. The tribe’s venison stores were low, so it was time to do some hunting to restock them, something I still like to see to personally if I can.

“I want to go with you,” Vakesh finally spoke to me, after seeing me, Riktal, and our friends Lodik and Tress who would be joining us.

“You think we would trust you to hold a weapon, let alone hunt for us?” I asked incredulously.

“You should, I am a good hunter,” he responded without missing a beat.

“You hear that? The Rageblood wants to hunt for us,” Riktal mocked loudly to the others. “Already so tame? You must have a magical cock, Khazak.”

All three of my friends began to laugh at Vakesh, and even I could not help but smirk. Vakesh said nothing however, still looking at me as if he expected an actual answer. Truthfully, as someone who has been on the other side of his weapons, I had no doubt that Vakesh is a skilled hunter. However, I also had no intention of letting him know that.

“I think not,” I say as the other’s laughter dies down. “Come with me.”

Following me away from the others, I brought Vakesh to the healers tent, and my mother. Even though we are (thankfully) not facing any sort of crisis at the moment, I was sure she would be able to find some work for Vakesh. After looking him over, she agreed, keeping him busy while I am out hunting.

With that taken care of, I rejoined the others. Four of us hunting at once is hardly an effective use of our skills, so we split into groups of two, myself with Lodik and Riktal with Tress. We headed off in different directions from camp, each group looking to cover different ground.

The hunt took several hours, a bit longer than I initially expected, but it was nonetheless successful. Lodik and I managed to take down both buck and a dor, and I see Riktal and Tress brought in their own large buck when we returned to camp. We congratulated each other before bringing the meat to the kitchen tents for cleaning and butchering. Then I retrieved Vakesh from my mother.

“I like this one,” she commended when handing him back over. “He is clever. Showed me a way to dilute sleeping weed without losing any of its potency.”

“Really?” I asked her, surprised. We use sleeping weed as an anesthetic, used whenever dealing with more serious injuries, so keeping it on hand is important.

Thinking on that, I brought Vakesh with me back to the kitchen tent. For some reason, perhaps because of my mother’s words, I decided to give Vakesh a chance to prove himself. Not with hunting or anything that would involve a weapon - with cooking.

“You say you are a good hunter, but how skilled are you at cleaning your kills?” I asked, gesturing to the three deer hanging from the branches above as they were drained of their blood.

“What kind of hunter cannot clean his kills?” he replied, offended.

“Let’s see how you do then.” I nod towards the camp's chefs, already stoking the fires for dinner. “Help them prepare dinner.”

I sat back, watching as Vakesh began working next to the cooks. After they were finished being drained, each of the deer were cut down and brought to a set of long wooden tables, where they are skinned. As I thought, Vakesh seemed to know exactly what to do with his knife, quickly and confidently slicing into the carcass. I was torn between being impressed and concerned for my own safety.

No loose knives in the tent, that is for certain.

“There is something wrong with his one,” Vakesh announced loudly after cutting into the buck Riktal downed.

“Are you saying there is something wrong with my kill?” Riktal challenged.

“Yes,” Vakesh answered, looking him straight in the eye.

Shoving Vakesh to the side, Riktal brought his face close to the carcass and made a  big show of inhaling through his nose. “It smells fine.”

“It is not the smell.” Vakesh moved around Riktal and gestured to the buck’s hind leg. “Here, see? The animal was likely sick.”

Ignoring Riktal’s eyeroll, I pushed myself between the two of them to see for myself. Looking at the area Vakesh pointed to, I could indeed see that the muscle was full of small, dark spots. Blood clots, most likely, and while they could just be the result of a simple injury, it is not worth the risk.

“He is right,” I somewhat reluctantly said to the people assembled.

“You are taking his word over mine?” Riktal asked, as if I had personally slandered him.

“It is not worth risking the tribe’s health,” I answered calmly before turning to Ermac, the camp’s head cook. “We will have to destroy it.”

“I will take care of it,” Riktal told us with an unhappy sigh, motioning for Tress to to help.

“You have a good eye,” I commend Vakesh as the two drag away the unusable carcass. “I must admit, I am surprised you said anything, instead of just letting us eat the spoiled meat.”

“You are already insufferable,” Vakesh responded with crossed arms. “I have no desire to see what you are like when you are sick.”

“Of course.” I did not bother hiding my amusement at the reasoning.

Thankfully, the remaining kills are still more than enough for dinner tonight. Ermac has already decided on a venison stew, a simple and very common choice for the camp. We will simply need to do more hunting tomorrow. Pleased with the day’s efforts, I made sure Vakesh and the other Ragebloods ate well tonight. Surprised yet again, Riktal approached me himself to ensure they were all fed. See? I can be kind!

Finished with dinner, I returned to my tent with Vakesh. After all of the tension that built up yesterday, things felt calmer between us. I even felt the urge to ask him about how his day was - not that I did. We stood there, silently staring at each other, before his eyes drifted to my cot, and then back to me. Was he trying to...?

“Strip” I ordered, testing the waters.

He looked at me again, a blank expression on his face, and for a moment I thought I was wrong, and he was going to challenge me. And if he had, I would have left it at that. As fun as it might be here and there, I have no desire to wrestle my partner into submission everytime I want to have sex.

But then he began to pull off his clothing, and I followed suit.

Still watching him, I laid back on my bed cot and spread my naked legs. When he was done, I motioned for him to come toward me, his eyes moving from my face to my cock. Perhaps subconsciously, he licked his lips as he kneeled between my thighs.

I cannot say that oral service was what I expected him to provide, but I did not stop him. I certainly would not have trusted him earlier not to bite my cock off. But as he knelt there and took me in his mouth, I could not hold back the moan I let out.

He got to work fast, quickly swallowing more than half my length, and I realized then that there was absolutely no chance that this was his first time doing this. Rather than getting rough and taking control of the situation, I decided to lay back and allow him to show me just how skilled he was. Between his talent, his feelings towards me, and the apparent (if not reluctant to show) love of the act, it might have been the best blowjob I have ever received.

He managed to take me entirely to the base on his next attempt, before pulling off and repeating the motion over and over, never missing a beat. His mouth felt hot, and tight, and it was all I could do not to hump up against him and chase his lips. He looked up then and we locked eyes, a hint of cockyness behind his gaze, one that I cannot claim is undeserved.

I realized very quickly that I would not be doing much more tonight than this - which was perhaps Vakesh’s intention, now that I am writing it out. One of his hands came up to cup my sack as he drove his lips up and down my shaft, lightly stroking my testicles with his thumb and fingers. I do not think we had been at it for more than five minutes when I felt them draw up tightly, right before I came.

I did try and blurt out a cut off warning when my cumshot was imminent, and Vakesh surprised me yet again by not pulling away. He pulled back just enough for me to spill into his mouth without choking him. After he was sure I was finished, he pulled back, swallowing it all before finally releasing me.

“Was there anything else?” he questioned gruffly as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

His tone, so different from the small amount of enjoyment I saw behind his eyes, confused me. I looked at the obvious half-hard erection in his pants, and then back to his face before answering. “I...no. That was good.”

“Wonderful. Good night,” was all he said, already climbing onto his own cot and turning away.

I felt unsettled, unsure what to say or how to respond. Instead, as I stared at the back of Vakesh’s head, I could not help but wonder what else I was feeling. Which is why I am writing in you now, I suppose. Goodnight.