Kss'thrak heard the crack of wood before he saw the ork. She moved through the reeds at the swamp's edge, chest heaving, chains still hanging from her wrists. Blood darkened the iron collar at her throat. She carried something pressed against her ribs — a folded square of leather or hide. He stepped from the willows without sound. His spear took her through the spine before she could turn. She dropped face-first into the mud, the leather scrap falling beside her. Kss'thrak dragged her deeper into the swamp, where the water ran black and the trees grew thick. He fed there, methodical and without waste. When he finished, green-skinned limbs lay scattered in the shallows, ribs cracked open, the useful meat gone. He wiped his hands on the moss and returned to the leather she had carried. It was a scroll, crude barbarian writing marked in dried blood. He unfolded it and read the words slowly. They spoke of expansion — a new settlement planned, timber routes surveyed, a vote among the clans to push the tree line back another half mile. Kss'thrak folded the scroll and tucked it into his belt. The ork had brought him what he needed. The barbarians were moving faster than he thought. He carried the scroll to the sunken cave where the swamp water pooled against moss-covered stone. Inside, the air hung cool and still. He spread the leather flat on a dry rock and traced the crude map drawn at the bottom. Three marks showed where they planned to cut. Two sat at the eastern edge where the deer paths ran. The third pressed deep into the heart of his territory, near the old stone bridge where the water ran clear. Kss'thrak rolled the scroll tight. He would visit each mark before the next moon. He would leave something at each one that would make the barbarians understand what waited for them in the swamp. The ork's escape had given him their plan. Now he had time to answer it. He stepped back into the water and let the cave swallow behind him. The scattered remains would warn any who found them. The scroll had shown him where they would come next, and he would be there first. His spear felt lighter in his hand. For the first time in seasons, he was not reacting. He was ahead.