Orm the Stone Skin

Me Orm. Live in forest. Big cave, good. Eat meat. When catch. Winter – no meat, hide. Eat dead, pine cones, roots. Nasty. Hit people with club. Not all. Only when raid. Then hit. Also shout. People scared, poop in pants when Orm scream. But not all. Some scream with Orm. Fight better then.

Orm wear battle face. Get in raid. Long time ago. Three Winters back Orm hunt. Catch bunny. Bunny crunch in tooth and hungry again. But taste good. Three bunnies – lunch. Orm hunt bunny, but find man. Inside dead animal skin. With iron stick on wood in hand. Orm not like iron sticks. Tickle. Orm see man. Man not run from Orm. Strange. Man come to Orm and say:
– The great king calls you, troll, for a raid on the Southern lands. You’ll cover yourself in glory and bring back loot aplenty.
– Orm not understand. Man speak hard. Fast. Cover who? Run where?
He stand, scratch head with iron thing.
– Don’t understand you say… Wanna eat? Meat?
– Want!
– Want new pants? Bracers?
– Want! – Pants old. Orm bum cold in Winter. Bracers rusty.
– Then come the day after the full moon to the village. We’ll sail to hit people.
Hit men – get meat and pants. Orm like! Orm see full moon, sleep night, go to raid in day. Put on belt with iron. Take best club. Heavy, from bone. Other bones put on head. Carved, long, kill animals good. Kill humans good too.

Orm sail then. Orm no like water, wet, bad stand. Water make Orm sick. But quiet, look at people. Boss man say – not kill these men. Our. Boss man brave. Look Orm in eyes not smell fear. Other humans smell fear. Not look at Orm. Walk away. Orm smell from other boat. Smell like Orm. Relative.

Sail long. Sail night, sail day, sail night. Wind warmer, grass greener. Then sail to village. Big village. Houses like Orm fingers and half. Deer walk in village. Strange. Small horns, short legs, fat stomach. All in spots. Iron things on necks. Make sound. Smell like food. People in village see boat and scream. Orm scream too. Our humans scream too. Sail to land, run in village. People run from village. Boss man say – hit who runs with club.

Orm break things in village. Hit with club, run, hit more. Our humans run near. Poke other humans with iron sticks. Orm see – relative also run and hit. Old, hit bad. Village people throw sticks at Orm, poke with iron. Tickles. Got one in nose. Sneezed. Hit fat deer with club. Smell good. Take leg from deer, run with leg in hand. Hit with club, chew on meat. Good! Our humans run and scream:
– The beast’s hide is like stone! Good thing we took him for the raid, nothin’ can take him down!
Stone hide. Orm like. Orm like raid too. But humans from village rip Orm pants with metal thingies. But it’s ok. Boss man promise new ones.

When all humans run from village, Orm go back. See – relative die. Was old, hit by rocks from humans. Cut head. Pity. Should bury. And take belt. Is good. And head. Useful.

Orm sail back after. Our humans happy. Take fat deer on boat. Dry grass, long, in bundles. Different iron thingies. Grey, yellow, with rocks. Drink much. Say good things to Orm, pat shoulder, call stone hide. Orm also pat human on shoulder. Human scream, carried away, wrapped in cloth.

On land, Boss man say good things to Orm. Give meat sack. Give good hide for pants. Make new bracers. Orm say to human:
– Relative my. Dead. – Show head. – Want make keepsake. Wear his face. Need remove skin, dry bone and carve. Make battle-face.
Human do all. Make good battle face. Should go on raid with humans more some time.