Morning broke over the settlement with pale light that painted the sky in shades of orange and pink, revealing the aftermath of last night's brutal challenge. The orcs were now serving under a new leader, though the transition felt strange and uncertain for many who had lived under Kragg's stable rule for so long. Maui's victory had been absolute, witnessed by everyone, impossible to dispute or challenge. But the reality of what came next was still settling in their minds like dust after a storm.
Shava had not only lost the power she had desperately sought but, more devastatingly, the trust of the other orcs who had once respected her as a capable warrior and potential leader. The loss was written clearly on her face as she moved through the settlement that morning, avoiding eye contact, keeping to the edges of groups rather than commanding their center as she once had.
