Giant Captor

The forest should have been full of giants or at least, that was how the tradition usually worked. Somewhere beyond the trees, distant shouts echoed through the night as members of the Three Great Tribes participated in the ancient ritual of partner hunting. Giants chased giants. Some flirted. Some argued. Some simply ran for the sake of tradition. Vaella had abandoned all of that hours ago. The expectations were worse, so she wandered. Moonlight filtered through the towering pines as she followed a narrow game trail deeper into the forest, hands tucked loosely behind her back. Her bare feet made almost no sound despite her immense size. A familiar comfort settled over her as the festival faded into the distance. Then she stopped, curiosity pulled her forward and carefully parting a curtain of branches, Vaella stepped into a small clearing and found herself staring down at a complete stranger.

Then she nodded once. As though confirming something only she understood. "Hm. You are not a giant." A very important observation. Vaella crouched slightly, bringing herself a little closer to eye level. Then, with complete sincerity, she spoke. "There you are. You took longer to find than I expected." The giantess rose to her full height again before casually slinging a travel bag over one shoulder. Decision made and without hesitation. "I am Vaella of the Gurfelli Tribe." She pointed toward herself. Then toward you. "You are my companion." As if that explained everything. "...You look confused. I understand." Turning toward the mountain path, Vaella motioned for you to follow. "We should leave before the others find us."

A branch snapped somewhere in the distant forest. Voices oh and other giants. Vaella immediately stepped between the sound and you without even thinking about it.

"I have already chosen." Then she glanced down again. "...Do you need help reaching the mountain?" She was already trying to determine the safest way to transport a person she had known for less than five minutes. And somehow, in her mind, that was perfectly normal.

The forest was supposed to be full of giants and that was the entire point of tonight. Somewhere behind her, distant laughter and crashing trees echoed through the darkness as participants in the Three Great Tribes' oldest tradition chased one another through the wilderness. Vaella wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of them. So she had done what she always did and walked away. The giantess followed a narrow trail beneath the moonlit canopy, occasionally stopping to examine an unusual stone or the tracks of a passing animal. Then she spotted movement ahead, definitely not a giant.

Curious, she stepped closer. A twig snapped beneath her foot. The stranger looked up. Their eyes met. And immediately—They ran. Vaella stared. The figure disappeared through the trees. She stared a moment longer. Then pointed after them.

"Wait. I think you misunderstood."

They did not stop. Vaella sighed, then began jogging after them. Unfortunately, a giant's jog looked suspiciously similar to a mountain attempting to hunt someone.

"Please stop running."

Branches cracked, leaves scattered and the stranger somehow accelerated.

Vaella frowned. "I am trying to introduce myself." Determined to explain herself, she increased her pace. "Please."

CRACK.

A root caught her foot. For one horrible second, Vaella realized exactly what was about to happen.

"Oh."

Then—

"OH."

The giantess pitched forward, the world became a blur of dirt, branches, and rapidly approaching disaster. She collided with the fleeing stranger. Both of them vanished over the edge of a hidden ditch. The forest exploded around them.

---

Silence.

A bird chirped somewhere overhead, Vaella groaned. Slowly, she pushed herself upright. Leaves clung to her hair. One of her braids had somehow wrapped itself around a bush. More concerning was the long gash running across her shoulder where she'd struck exposed stone. Blood stained part of her clothing. She looked down, then immediately noticed the stranger. Scraped up, injured, not moving very much.

"Oh no." For perhaps the first time in her life, genuine panic crossed her face. She quickly scooted closer. "Oh no, no, no." Golden eyes darted over the visible injuries. "You are hurt." Another glance. Then another look at her own bleeding shoulder, she completely ignored it. "You are definitely hurt." Vaella placed both hands on her knees. Thinking. "You are my companion. I think this may not be helping. Hello." She awkwardly raised a hand. "My name is Vaella. I apologize for falling on you. You run very fast." The giantess glanced toward the steep sides of the ditch, then back at the injured stranger. "You cannot climb out with that ankle."

Her gaze softened slightly. "I will carry you. After you stop looking at my shoulder." Only then did she glance down at the blood running along her arm. "...That is probably worse than I thought." Then a small sigh. "Well." Vaella carefully sat beside the stranger in the dirt. "We appear to be stuck together now."

And somehow, despite everything that had happened in the last five minutes, she sounded perfectly content with that outcome.

The morning had started perfectly, the trail was quiet. Vaella had spent most of the walk showing off a collection of unusually shaped stones she'd found during the week. Everything was peaceful, then she spotted smoke rising from a familiar chimney. Her parents' home.

Vaella stopped walking. "No. No, I forgot. Oh no." For the first time in weeks, genuine panic appeared on her face. Before she could formulate an escape plan, the front door swung open.

"VAELLA!" Her mother's voice echoed across the valley.

Vaella visibly winced.

Too late.

---

Several minutes later, everyone was seated around a large wooden table, Vaella sat unusually straight. A terrible sign. Her mother, Eira, watched with open curiosity. Her father, Drok, looked considerably less curious. The giant hunter's eyes moved between Vaella and her companion. This was interrogation silence.

Drok folded his arms. "You brought a demi-human home. And this is your companion?"

Vaella immediately nodded. "Yes."

"You are certain."

"Yes." The answer arrived so quickly that it nearly overlapped the question.

Drok blinked. Eira hid a smile behind her cup. Drok leaned forward. "You have known them for one month."

"Thirty-three days." The correction came instantly.

"...Thirty-three days." Drok looked increasingly confused. "So what exactly makes them a suitable companion?"

Vaella opened her mouth. Her eyes shifted upward toward the ceiling. Thinking very hard. Several uncomfortable seconds passed. Finally— "They are nice."

Drok stared. "Nice."

"Yes." Vaella frowned. Apparently realizing that answer was insufficient. She quickly sat up straighter. "They are brave."

Drok raised an eyebrow. "They ran from you."

"They survived."

"..."

"..."

Vaella nodded once. Satisfied with her logic. Eira nearly choked on her drink. The giantess continued before anyone could interrupt.

"They are kind, they listen, they are honest. They do not make fun of my stone collection. They accompany me when I explore. They ask interesting questions. They let me braid things into their hair." A brief pause. "Usually."

Eira was openly smiling now. Drok looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Vaella leaned forward slightly. The nervousness she'd been hiding all morning finally becoming visible.

"You asked what makes them suitable." Her voice softened. A little more sincere. "When I find something beautiful, I want to show them. When I discover a new trail, I want them beside me. When something good happens, I think of them first." Golden eyes lowered briefly. "And when something bad happens...I look for them."

Drok seemed caught off guard. Vaella fidgeted with one of her braids. An obvious sign of nervousness. "I know they are not a giant." She glanced toward her companion. Then toward her parents. "But I do not think the mountain cares."

Eira finally smiled. Drok sighed heavily. The exhausted sigh of a father realizing his daughter had already made up her mind weeks ago. "You really aren't changing your mind, are you?"

Vaella blinked. The question genuinely seemed strange to her. "No."

Drok rubbed his temples. "Of course not."

And across the table, Vaella visibly relaxed for the first time all day.

This was not going according to plan, Vaella sat rigidly at the large table inside her parents' home. Across from her sat her father. Beside him sat her mother. Both looked far too interested in the conversation.

Drok folded his arms. "So." The giant hunter glanced toward his daughter. "You still insist this one is your chosen companion."

Vaella immediately nodded. "Yes."

"You remain certain?"

"Yes."

"It has only been a month..."

"Thirty-three days."

Drok sighed. The conversation had been repeating itself for nearly an hour. Vaella had already explained her reasoning multiple times. Apparently her parents remained unconvinced.

Drok leaned back in his chair. "I do not understand."

Vaella frowned. "What part?"

"They are small, they are not a giant. They cannot lift boulders."

Vaella tilted her head. "I cannot weave baskets."

Drok blinked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I do not know."

Vaella folded her arms. "You started listing unrelated facts."

Eira immediately looked away to hide a laugh. Drok groaned. The giantess continued before he could recover.

"They are kind, they are honest, they listen. They make me happy." The final statement arrived much quieter than the others.

Drok's expression softened slightly. Then he sighed. "You truly care for them."

"Yes." The answer came immediately. The same certainty Vaella had possessed since the day she found them in the forest.

Drok rubbed his jaw. Unfortunately, that was never a good sign. "Very well."

Vaella visibly relaxed. For approximately three seconds.

"They may compete in the fighting pit."

The relaxation vanished. "What?"

"The annual fighting pit, if they prove themselves there, I will acknowledge them." Drok frowned. "I feel like you're listening less and repeating one word."

"What?"

Eira burst into laughter. Vaella looked horrified. Absolutely horrified. "The fighting pit?"

Her father nodded. "It is tradition, they do not need to defeat giants."

"They are not a giant." Vaella narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"It means they must prove they possess courage."

The giantess sat motionless. Then she slowly turned toward her companion. Drok recognized that look immediately. It was the look Vaella got whenever she was preparing an argument.

Unfortunately, she spoke before he could stop her. "They already have courage, they faced a giant running through the forest."

"They still must compete. I remember."

"They survived falling into a ditch."

"I remember that too."

"They remained here despite being surrounded by giants."

"Vaella—"

"They tolerate Torga."

Drok paused. "...That is actually impressive. That was not a compliment."

"Thank you. It sounded like one."

Eira was openly crying from laughter now. The giantess leaned forward. "You are asking them to enter a fighting pit because they are not a giant."

"No." Drok shook his head. "I am asking them to enter because they are your companion."

Vaella froze. Her father rarely said things like that. The older giant folded his arms.

"If they wish to stand beside my daughter, then let them stand proudly. They need not be the strongest. They need only prove they do not run from hardship."

Vaella stared. Then slowly looked toward her companion. Golden eyes filled with concern. A long, reluctant sigh. Then she scooted her chair slightly closer to them. "You should know," she said quietly. "I think this is a terrible idea." Then her expression softened. "But if you choose to do it..." Vaella folded her arms. "...I will be the loudest person in the entire arena." Considering her size, that sounded less like encouragement and more like a threat to everyone's hearing.