[Pyroclastic]

"Tuurhuun! Tuuhurruunn!" A deep horn sounded across the slopes leading up to the gates of Moria. Uzgash blew it in vain hope of calling any surviving orcs back to the caverns. Though the dwarves had been few they had been tough, and Uzgash doubted that any of the scanty Moria gate guard had lasted the short battle. Uzgash wiped his ax on the grass while he waited for stragglers. They would return to Moria and regroup, but Uzgash wasn’t inclined to slaughter the Dwarves just yet. He wanted to know why they were there. Why return to Moria after all of these years? And why in such small force? Uzgash didn’t like the appearance of this, not at all.

The orc captain surveyed the remnants of the battle grimly. He hadn’t known any of the orcs on guard, but he had lost Grog. Once the dwarves had recovered from their surprise they had attacked with furry, and Uzgash had sent two of the orcs to get Grog before he had thought the action through. The Troll just hadn’t been trained enough for battle. Beyond eyesight Uzgash could hear the Dwarves holding a ceremony for their fallen. He heard one of the little creatures reciting a poem in honor of the dead. Uzgash snorted. Why did the elves and dwarves feud when they had so much in common? Always rhyming, always thinking that they’re better than everyone else. Well, they weren’t. Now the dwarves had come to invade Moria. His Moria. Uzgash felt a sudden loyalty to the place from which he had stormed out of not four hours ago. A bunch of short, fat, clumsy oafs with scruffy beards were going to just go and boot him and his fellow orcs out their caverns? Nope, not while Uzgash was around. He looked down at Grog’s massive body, blood still oozed from the troll’s severed neck. Several feet away Grog’s head lay, his eyes open and looking to the sky. He looked confused, as though he did not yet understand what had happened. Uzgash glanced over towards the unseen dwarves, still mourning their companion. Who cared about a miserable dwarf? Grog, now he had been a trouper. He deserved as much as that stupid dwarf was getting.

Deep in Khazad Dum
Grog was with out gloom.
But Moria needed his might
And so he met his plight.
He ended his life in glory
There is honor in the gory.

Uzgash smiled. No dwarf could top that. His friend properly laid to rest, the captain turned to trudge back to the depths of Moria. There was work to be done.