#geon gaffin

[yeenybeanies]

Giant Cowboy Murder Mystery: Chapter 2

time to post this here!! as a reminder, my original, non-fandom stuff goes up on patreon before it gets posted here!! 4,014 words warnings: language, & mild mentions of nudity reblogs > likes!! thanks for reading!! patreon ✨ ko-fi

The sleep was not restful, but it was the first semi-decent stretch of shut-eye that she’d had in at least two days. She was warm, swaddled in a scratchy cloth, lying atop a hard surface. It was nothing like her bed at home, but it was a bed. At least, she assumed it was a bed. Wakefulness was slow to come. Her head felt full of fog, and her body was heavy. Groggy limbs stretched in time with a groan. She’d had the worst nightmare…

Giant man.

She bolted upright, as if struck by lightning, suddenly very awake. It wasn’t a nightmare. No––she’d been running through a forest. The soreness and the abrasions that ravaged her body were proof enough that the past couple of days had been real. She’d been running through a forest… she’d been chased by the biggest bear she’d ever seen… and there was a giant horse-thing. And a giant man. As memories flooded back, her heart started to pound; her breath became shallower, quicker.

The room around her was huge. It only further proved that what she’d seen last night was more than a figment of her imagination. Everything around her looked like normal furniture in every way, save for the fact that it was all massive. What she now realized was a giant-sized bed was pushed into a corner. Directly to the right of it was a nightstand and an oil lamp. Against the opposite wall stood a wardrobe about as tall as a house, and there was a door just next to it. A few sparsely-decorated shelves lined the walls. There was an old rug on the floor. Most striking, though, was the mounted body of a ferocious-looking beast that the woman could not identify, hung just above the door. It looked like some sort of reptile, armed with claws, teeth, spines, and a whip-like tail.

Sitting on the giant bed, the woman couldn’t help but imagine that this is what it felt like to be a toy doll. Her anxiety did not appreciate it.

Voices reached her ears, spoken as whispers, but still plenty loud. They came from just beyond the door. It was ajar, though not enough for the woman to get a good look through from her vantage point.

“…can’t stay here.” That voice sounded familiar.

“Love.” That one didn’t.

“She’ll… I dunno, get stepped on.”

“Love.”

“Slayne.”

“What’s her name?”

“Dunno. She wouldn’t talk before she passed out.”

It felt weird, uncomfortable to be spoken about. The woman grimaced, hands rubbing her shoulders. Her fingers brushed over the bare skin, reminding her that she was still very naked. She lifted the heavy, scratchy blanket to pull it up, but paused when she spotted something underneath. Pooled in her lap was the handkerchief––the one that the giant man had dropped onto her. He’d spoken to her, too, right? Of course––that’s was his voice in the other room. But she couldn’t recall what he’d said. All she could really remember before she’d fallen unconscious were his piercing silver eyes, and his overwhelming presence.

“Er… ma’am?”

The woman yelped and pulled the handkerchief to cover her chest. She looked up to see a giant man––a different one than last night. This one had bushy, bright red hair. For a moment, she thought he had a beard, but she realized that it was a scarf covering the lower half of his face, almost identical in color to his hair. He stood in the doorway awkwardly, a tray in his hands. His head was turned, eyes downcast, pointedly looking away from her.

“Um… pardon, ma’am. I should have––I mean, I thought you were still––er…” He bumbled and tripped over his words, and the woman just stared, clutching the handkerchief to her chest. “Here. I brought you… something to eat. I tried to cut the pieces small for you.”

The second his boot left the floorboards for that first step towards her, the woman screamed. She scrambled out from under the blanket, still clinging to the handkerchief, and scooted backwards. The giant flinched, and almost seemed to cower, like he was somehow afraid of her as well.

“I’m sorry! Miss, please––I promise I’m not gonna hurt you! Look, here, I can just…” He took another tentative step, which got another scream from the woman.

“Suns in the sky, what is going on in here?” The door swung open, and through it stepped another unfamiliar giant. This one had dark, wavy hair, dark skin, and even darker eyes that seemed to scorch whatever they landed on. They also wore a mask, yellow in color, that stood out against their black and grey outfit.

Why were all of these giants covering their faces?

“Ah––Mx. Slayne! I was just bringing the human some food, l-like you asked. I barely took one step before she started screaming.” The yellow-masked giant––Slayne––looked between them, a brow raised. The woman shrank back, feeling even smaller. One giant was stressful enough; now there were two.

And then a third stepped into the room behind the second. He was taller than both of the other two, and seemed older. The moment his silver eyes landed on the woman, she knew exactly who he was.

He was the one that she met in the forest.

The woman felt a weakness in her muscles. There were three larger-than-life giants in front of her, all staring at her.

Slayne cleared their throat, making the woman flinch. “Gaffin, the tray.” The red-headed one––Gaffin––bobbed his head and took another step towards the bed. She wanted to scream again, even opened her mouth to do so, but no sound came from her. Gaffin set the tray down at the foot of the bed, then retreated behind the other two giants. On the tray was a plate of bread, fruits, and meat, all cut into small, almost-human-sized chunks. To the left of the plate was what looked like a giant-sized shot glass full of water. To the right was a bowl, its contents steaming. The woman gave the dishes a quick glance, but didn’t move from her spot.

“You wanna tell us your name?” Slayne asked. They crossed their arms over their chest and looked at the woman expectantly. “Love says he found you like this–––” they waved a vague gesture at her, “–––in a tree last night. Weird to have a human running around these parts, let alone a naked one.”

She wanted to speak. She wanted to say something to them––anything! But the words wouldn’t come. It was just like last night, with the silver-eyed giant.

“Told you she doesn’t talk much,” silver-eyes said. Slayne rolled their eyes and gave him an exasperated sidelong look.

“Gaffin,” they said. “See if you can find her some clothes. Or… make her some.”

“Yes sir.” He bobbed his head again, then shuffled past the other two and disappeared through the door.

“You should eat. Get some water in you. The bowl’s to clean yourself off.” Slayne paused and studied the woman for a moment. Their features seemed to soften. “You can stay in here until you’re ready to talk. Love is gonna check up on you later.”

Silver-eyes’ brows shot up in bewilderment. “Conn––” He tried to protest, but Slayne shoved a hand in his face and pushed him back through the doorway. They gave the woman one last look, then disappeared with him and closed the door. Once again, the woman was alone. She gasped belatedly. In the absence of the three giants, she felt like she could breathe again, and felt like she could collapse, which she did, right onto her knees. Her knuckles, she realized, were white, her fingers stiff, from how hard she was clinging to the handkerchief.

Love. Slayne kept saying “love.” The way they said it made it sound like a name. “Love” found her; “Love” was going to check up on her.

Was “Love” the silver-eyed giant’s name?

***

Eli retreated from the room––his room––and from Slayne’s hand. “Conn, you can’t–––”

“Hup. Not here.” They dropped their hand to his chest and pushed again, guiding Eli away from the room. Begrudgingly, he complied, and turned towards the kitchen. Upon entering, he leaned against the countertop, arms crossed, and scowled at Slayne.

“Conn, you can’t do this to me.”

Slayne looked unbothered. They shrugged their shoulders and mirrored Eli’s pose on the counter opposite of him. “Don’t think she’d do well sharing a room with five giantfolk. And Smart snores.”

“So you’re putting her with me?” His bewilderment was palpable. To make things worse, he knew that Slayne was enjoying it. There was a smugness in their voice.

“Well, she’s not staying with me,” they said, matter-of-fact.

Eli dropped his head and pinched his brow. He breathed in five beats, and out five beats. It was all he could do to unclench his jaw when he spoke. “Why not?”

“Because you made me the boss, and I say she’s your responsibility.” They weren’t even bothering to hide their amusement. Eli didn’t need to see their mouth to know that they were grinning. “Besides, she’s clearly got some sort of connection with you already.”

Eli looked up, brows furrowed. “What?”

“As soon as you stepped in behind me, she didn’t take her eyes off of you. You’re the one that found her, so my guess is that she’ll talk to you before the rest of us.”

His head dropped again. He questioned the universe’s will. Why would it drop a human that’s terrified of giants into giant lands and have him—a grumpy, anti-social, taciturn giant—find her?

And why the fuck would Slayne put her in his care?

(Because they thought it was funny. That's why.)

Eli sighed out his exasperation, the tail-end turning more into a groan. This wasn’t a fight he was going to win. “Sometimes I regret putting you in charge,” he grumbled. Gathering his composure, Eli pushed off of the counter and made for the hallway, headed to the outside.

“Don’t I know it,” Slayne said after him, still grinning away.

***

The woman could still hear the giants talking in the other room, but, this time, they were too far away for her to make anything out. Silver ey––Love didn’t seem too happy about Slayne’s decision. To be honest, she didn’t care much for it either. She didn’t like the idea of being “checked on”; it made her feel like a pet.

She sighed and turned her attention back to the tray. The food called to her. Just looking at it made her stomach rumble in anticipation. She secured the handkerchief around herself to free up her hands, then moved to stand. As soon as she put any weight on her left foot, pain shot up through her leg, making her gasp and fall back down. Her ankle had some swelling around it, and was hot to the touch. She hadn’t noticed it until now, too distracted by the giants. Apparently she’d messed it up pretty badly when she took that fall in the forest. Annoyed, but undeterred, she gathered herself up and got on her hands and knees and tentatively crawled to the tray. First she started with the bread, tearing off a chunk. After a few bites to reinvigorate her appetite, she scarfed down as much as she could eat, and followed up with a few handfuls of water. Some of it spilled through her fingers and dripped down her arms, lifting some of the dirt that caked her skin.

Oh, gross. The woman grimaced. She should have washed up first. She glanced at the door, a little nervous that another giant might pop in at any moment, then tugged the handkerchief off and let it fall around her. Carefully, she scooted up to the bowl, still steaming, and peered in. The water smelled of soap and herbs, sharp, but pleasant to the senses. The steam alone soothed her aching skin. She dipped her hand in to test the temperature––hot, but not uncomfortable––then awkwardly shimmied her way into the bowl and settled down with her legs crossed. The water stung at her wounds, but the heat seeped into her muscles, providing some much-needed relief. She sighed and let her shoulders slump for the first time in days.

Once she was washed up, the woman half-crawled half-flopped out of the now murky water and rewrapped herself in the handkerchief. She wasn’t sure just how clean it was, but it was the best thing she had to cover herself. She’d had enough of being naked in front of giants for a lifetime.

Next came the question: what was she to do now? Even if she managed to get off of the bed, which would be an ordeal in and of itself, the giants had closed the door upon their exit. She was stuck in here until one of them came back. With a grumpy sigh, the woman sat down and crossed her arms. She closed her eyes, bowed her head, and tried to think.

Where was she? How had she ended up in the giant woods? Why had she been naked? These questions and more filled her mind. The lack of answers left her with a feeling of dread.

Something had happened to her. She wasn’t sure what, but… but people didn’t just end up in these situations by accident.

***

“So, when do we get to meet the human?”

“Is she nice? Is she cute?”

“Gaffin says she’s afraid of giants. Did you do something to her?”

By the Suns. Eli clenched his jaw and focused on stripping his saddle down, trying desperately to ignore the three Mels sisters’ onslaught of questions. He wasn’t surprised that they’d found out about their unexpected guest, but he’d been dreading their curiosity regardless. He snapped his fingers and pointed to a bucket out of his reach. One of the sisters grabbed it, but She didn’t hand it to him immediately. Eli gave the sister, Masen, an exasperated look.

“Don’t bother her. She needs rest.”

Masen frowned. Clearly that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Eli flexed his fingers, and she dropped the bucket handle into his hand.

“How long was she out there?”

“Is she from Melody? That’s the only smallfolk town nearby that I know of.”

“And even that’s quite the trek for a human.”

Eli set the bucket down and dipped a sponge into the warm water. He wrung it out between his hands and gently started running it over the worn leather. “Don’t know. She’s not talking.”

“I saw Gaffin sewing some stuff. That for her?”

Eli grunted in affirmation.

“No way. Humans aren’t that small… are they?”

“How would you know? You’ve never been near a human.”

Eli’s fist tightened around the sponge. He glanced over his shoulder at the sisters. All three of them looked nearly identical. It made sense for the older two, Jacen and Masen, since they were twins; but the youngest Mels, Colby, could easily be mistaken for a triplet.

“Don’t you three have work to do?” He asked. It took quite an effort not to speak through his teeth.

The sisters exchanged disappointed glances, and reluctantly sulked out of the shed, leaving Eli to clean his saddle in peace. Truth be told, he had just as many questions as they did. He didn’t expect to get any answers by overwhelming the woman, though. She needed space. Then she’d talk. Hopefully.

In the meantime, Eli had other things to worry about. There was still the matter of the bear so close to the ranch, and the ungodly smell in the forest. He still figured that it was a dead animal––something big, going by the sheer power of the stench. He needed to find it, and the bear, and deal with them both, before they became a bigger problem.

***

A few hours had passed when Eli returned to his room to check up on the woman. He hesitated at the door, unsure of how to approach. Normally, he wouldn’t think twice about just opening the door. But that was before he had a guest. Tentatively, he knocked, waited a few seconds, then entered the room.

The woman was still on the bed. She sat upright, alert, eyes wide, when he walked in. He couldn’t deny the awkwardness he felt at being the object of her fixation, if what Slayne said was to be believed.

“Uh…” Elli struggled to find the words to say. He wasn’t much of a talker to begin with, much less an ambassador to humankind. “Gaffin made you something to wear. The, uh––the giant that was in here with the red…” he gestured to the top of his head, referring to Gaffin’s hair. The woman just stared. “Anyway. Clothes. Here.” He ignored how she flinched as he stepped forward, and dropped a simple, hand-sewn dress in front of her. He glanced down at the tray left earlier, noting that she had fed and bathed herself. That was good at least. The last thing they needed was a mysterious human dying on the ranch.

The woman looked at the dress, then back up at Eli. He raised a brow. Conn had been right: she did stare at him a lot.

“Something to say?” he asked. Her lips thinned, and a troubled expression crossed her features. Clearly she did, but she couldn’t––or wouldn’t––spit it out. Eli crossed his arms and stared at the wall. “I’m gonna get you some more water. You dress yourself; I’ll be back. I’d like my handkerchief back.” Red bloomed on her cheeks from embarrassment, but Eli paid it no mind. He took the tray in one hand and exited the room, bringing it to the kitchen.

When he returned with only the refilled shot glass, the woman was sitting on the bed, inspecting how the dress fit on her. It was a little big and boxy, but it did the trick for now. He made a mental note to get her some string that she could fashion into a belt. Alarm flashed in her eyes when he entered. Quickly, she gathered up the handkerchief, made an attempt to fold it, and held it up to him. Her arms shook as she did so. Eli was sure she’d lose her nerve and shrink back, but, to his surprise, she held her ground as he took the cloth back.

“Right,” he said, stuffing the handkerchief into his breast pocket, “need anything else?” She shook her head. “Alright. I’ll check back later.”

He turned to leave, but a soft voice made him pause abruptly. “Gwenyn,” it said. She said. Eli looked back over his shoulder and regarded the woman with one silver eye.

“Come again?”

She fidgeted with her sleeve. “Um… I said… Gwenyn. My name. It’s Gwenyn. Lebenz.”

Well damn. Conn had been right again. They were going to be insufferable when he told them about this later.

Eli faced the newly-designated Gwenyn, head tilted and thumbs hooked into his belt. Her voice was hoarse from all the screaming and distress she’d been through.

“And you’re… Love?”

Hunh. He’d never introduced himself. It must have slipped his mind in the midst of… everything else. Eli nodded and tipped the brim of his hat. “That’s right. Elijah Love.” He took a moment to study her. Now that she was cleaned of grime, he could see that she had freckles—lots of them. Her dark auburn hair was a surprise; he’d thought that she would be a brunette.

“Wanna tell me how you got into… this whole situation?” He slacked his shoulders and leaned against the doorframe.

Gwenyn shook her head. “I… I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it and I… I really can’t remember.”

Eli raised a brow. He wasn’t sure if he believed her or not. “Alright… You from Melody?”

Her features pinched in confusion. “I don’t know what that is.”

“The smallfolk town? Nearest one ‘round here.” Suns, this was just getting more and more strange. “If you’re not from Melody, then where are you from?”

“Lakenear,” she said.

Eli gave her a skeptical look that made her squirm even more. It bothered her enough that, for the first time since they started interacting, she pointedly looked away from him.

“That ain’t a real place,” he said flatly.

Gwenyn’s cheeks reddened. She almost looked indignant. “Yes it is. It’s in the East.”

“The East? Where in the East?”

“Um… south of Lakeover… north of Lakeunder…”

“Stop,” Eli said, holding a hand up. He shook his head and swiftly exited the room, leaving the door open behind him. Gwenyn blinked, alarmed, and pushed herself to stand. She grimaced at the bloom of pain in her ankle, but she lifted her head to try and see where he went. His heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, fading, and then returning. When he appeared again, he held a large piece of folded parchment. He started unfolding it and set it down on the bed in front of Gwenyn, making her fall back on her bum and scoot away.

“Show me.”

She looked nervously between Eli—much less comfortable with him now that he was close—and the paper. It was a map. A huge map. It detailed the whole country. She’d never seen one so large before. Tentatively she crawled forward, skirting the edge. She hesitated when she neared his right hand, and looked uncertainly at it. Eli suppressed his exasperation and moved it without a word, letting her continue.

“It’s… over here,” she said, pointing to an unmarked lake in the far east. There was nothing written that would indicate a town near the lake, either. Eli did not look impressed.

“Miss, I think you might be mistaken,” he said. “Ain’t nothin over there but—“

“No, it’s here!” Gwenyn insisted. She pointed more fervently, circling areas around the lake with her finger. “Lakenear is right here. Lakeover is up here, & Lakeunder is just beneath. I know the shape of our lake.”

Eli remained unconvinced. He leaned back, skeptical, and eyed the lake in question. “Your people ain’t too creative when it comes to naming your towns.”

Gwenyn’s cheeks reddened further. “It’s real. It’s where I grew up.”

“Well,” Eli cleared his throat. He dragged his finger from the lake to their current location, across the continent. “You’re right here,” he said, tapping the area named “Irons Ranch.” Gwenyn turned her head left and right, looking between the two points with clear bewilderment.

“That’s… that can’t be,” she said, her voice just barely above a whisper. “There’s no way…”

Eli was inclined to agree. There’s no way that she could have made it across the continent on her own without remembering it. The conditions that she would have had to be under to leave her memory blank… he couldn’t even fathom it.

“We can, erm, help you get back. If there is something out there, we can help you get back. But it’s gonna take a while.” Eli leaned back, a hand to the nape of his neck. “However, not even us giantfolk would make a trek like that this late in the season. The cold’ll be coming here soon. Trips to the next town over’ll be scarce, let alone a trip across the whole damn country.”

Gwenyn slumped her shoulders and looked forlornly at the map, at her unmarked lake. Eli noted her dejected demeanor and furrowed his brow. With a sigh, he straightened and gathered the map up, folding it back along its worn-in creases.

“Erm… or we could take you to Melody, if you wanted to be with your own kind,” he offered.

Gwenyn pulled her knees to her chest. Her eyes went unfocused, staring off into the distance. “...Maybe. I’ll… I’ll think about it.”

Eli studied her for a moment. Her crawling and stumbling hadn’t gone unnoticed. He’d assumed that she’d just been cowering in fear. Looking at her now, though, he could see the angry red on her ankle. That looked like a nasty sprain. He’d have to get her something for that.

“Right,” he said. “Just… let me know.”

[yeenybeanies]

Giant Cowboy Murder Mystery: Chapter 2 (PREVIEW)

5 months ago i posted the first chapter :’) who knows if it’s gonna be another 5 months before i post the next ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

anyway! the whole chapter is up on my patreon, & will be posted here in a few weeks.

3,889 words

warnings: language, & mild mentions of nudity

thanks for reading!!

patreon ✨ ko-fi

The sleep was not restful, but it was the first semi-decent stretch of shut-eye that she’d had in at least two days. She was warm, swaddled in a scratchy cloth, lying atop a hard surface. It was nothing like her bed at home, but it was a bed. At least, she assumed it was a bed. Wakefulness was slow to come. Her head felt full of fog, and her body was heavy. Groggy limbs stretched in time with a groan. She’d had the worst nightmare…

Giant man.

She bolted upright, as if struck by lightning, suddenly very awake. It wasn’t a nightmare. No––she’d been running through a forest. The soreness and the abrasions that ravaged her body were proof enough that the past couple of days had been real. She’d been running through a forest… she’d been chased by the biggest bear she’d ever seen… and there was a giant horse-thing. And a giant man. As memories flooded back, her heart started to pound; her breath became shallower, quicker.

The room around her was huge. It only further proved that what she’d seen last night was more than a figment of her imagination. Everything around her looked like normal furniture in every way, save for the fact that it was all massive. What she now realized was a giant-sized bed was pushed into a corner. Directly to the right of it was a nightstand and an oil lamp. Against the opposite wall stood a wardrobe about as tall as a house, and there was a door just next to it. A few sparsely-decorated shelves lined the walls. There was an old rug on the floor. Most striking, though, was the mounted body of a ferocious-looking beast that the woman could not identify, hung just above the door. It looked like some sort of reptile, armed with claws, teeth, spines, and a whip-like tail.

Sitting on the giant bed, the woman couldn’t help but imagine that this is what it felt like to be a toy doll. Her anxiety did not appreciate it.

Voices reached her ears, spoken as whispers, but still plenty loud. They came from just beyond the door. It was ajar, though not enough for the woman to get a good look through from her vantage point.

“…can’t stay here.” That voice sounded familiar.

“Love.” That one didn’t.

“She’ll… I dunno, get stepped on.”

“Love.”

“Slayne.”

“What’s her name?”

“Dunno. She wouldn’t talk before she passed out.”

It felt weird, uncomfortable to be spoken about. The woman grimaced, hands rubbing her shoulders. Her fingers brushed over the bare skin, reminding her that she was still very naked. She lifted the heavy, scratchy blanket to pull it up, but paused when she spotted something underneath. Pooled in her lap was the handkerchief––the one that the giant man had dropped onto her. He’d spoken to her, too, right? Of course––that’s was his voice in the other room. But she couldn’t recall what he’d said. All she could really remember before she’d fallen unconscious were his piercing silver eyes, and his overwhelming presence.

“Er… ma’am?”

The woman yelped and pulled the handkerchief to cover her chest. She looked up to see a giant man––a different one than last night. This one had bushy, bright red hair. For a moment, she thought he had a beard, but she realized that it was a scarf covering the lower half of his face, almost identical in color to his hair. He stood in the doorway awkwardly, a tray in his hands. His head was turned, eyes downcast, pointedly looking away from her.

“Um… pardon, ma’am. I should have––I mean, I thought you were still––er…” He bumbled and tripped over his words, and the woman just stared, clutching the handkerchief to her chest. “Here. I brought you… something to eat. I tried to cut the pieces small for you.”

The second his boot left the floorboards for that first step towards her, the woman screamed. She scrambled out from under the blanket, still clinging to the handkerchief, and backpedaled. The giant flinched, and almost seemed to cower, like he was somehow afraid of her as well.

“I’m sorry! Miss, please––I promise I’m not gonna hurt you! Look, here, I can just…” He took another tentative step, which got another scream from the woman.

“Suns in the sky, what is going on in here?”

[yeenybeanies]

Giant Cowboy Murder Mystery

forgive me it’s been almost two weeks since i posted the preview sdfjdfj but the full version Was released to the public on my patreon on time so you can’t be Too mad at me patreon will receive new chapters first!

3,790 words

mild mentions of nudity and injury

thanks for reading!

patreon | ko-fi

Cool, crisp air rustled the leaves of the tall conifer trees, and crickets sang their choruses, filling the calm evening with a natural symphony. A crackling campfire lent its rhythm, rounding out the song. It sounded peaceful. Serene. 

It smelled a lot different. A putrid stench permeated the air, filling the forest. 

A young woman ran. Ignoring her bare skin, her shrieking muscles, her burning lungs, she ran. She ducked and weaved her way through the trees, following the only thing she could really discern in the darkness: that campfire light. Its orange glow was a beacon of hope, of safety. Jaw clenched, the woman pushed her battered body further. She paid no mind to the branches and thorns that scraped her as she passed, to the stones that stabbed her feet. Her body was numb, filled with adrenaline and the need to escape.

As it came more into view, the woman realized with rising concern that the campfire was much bigger than she’d initially assumed. With some distance still to go, it looked more like a bonfire than a campfire, or maybe a forest fire. Her pace slowed some. 

No, it was too stationary, too contained to be a forest fire. Reassured, she continued her sprint. 

As she approached the treeline, the girl called breathlessly for help. She held her arms in front of her face and crashed through the underbrush, into the clearing. Her whole body shook. She doubled over, hands to her knees for support, and tried to speak, but she could only manage shaky sobs between her gasps for air. 

Instead of voices rising to meet her, the woman only heard wind and crickets and crackling. 

No, that wasn’t true. She heard another noise, like crunching and tearing. She looked towards the source of the noise, and toppled over from fright. Several yards to her right stood a massive, four-legged beast resembling a horse or a mule. It had to have been at least forty, fifty feet tall! Its head hung low at the end of a long neck, mouth to the ground to graze at the grasses. Each chomp it took left a bare patch of dirt big enough for her to curl up in. The beast paid her no mind, save for one long ear pointed in her direction, but she felt like she could no longer breathe. 

She didn’t know for how long she stared at the giant horse-thing. It felt like hours. Her lungs protested the lack of air, but she couldn’t bring herself to breathe, to move––not until something else grabbed her attention. A heavy, rhythmic thudding, something she felt more than she heard, yanked the woman’s gaze away from the beast. Eyes wide as saucers stared into the darkness between the trees across the fire. The sound grew louder, shaking the ground. From the darkness, she could make out a tall figure. It looked almost human in shape, save for the fact that it, much like the horse, was at least forty feet tall, and proportionally filled in. The figure pushed past the trees and stepped into the clearing, taking on orange tones from the fire’s light. It––he––was a man. A giant man. 

A giant man and his giant horse. 

It was too much. Like a switch had been flipped, the woman found her breath and her voice. She screamed. The shrill noise startled both the horse and the man, the former joining in with an alarmed grunt of its own. The man looked down sharply, his eyes landing on her. The lower half of his face was covered with a scarf, and he wore what looked like an appropriately-sized cowboy hat. As a matter of fact, his whole outfit gave her the impression that he was some sort of giant rancher or cowpoke, from his hat to his spurr-toting boots. 

For a long moment, the two stared at each other, neither moving nor making any noise over the night symphony. The woman felt herself start to shake, though not from the cold. The fire provided ample warmth to keep the chill away, even in her naked state. No, she was shaking, quaking, out of pure terror. With him staring her down, she felt even smaller, even more exposed. 

Wordlessly, the giant man took a step forward. His boot hit the ground with a heavy thud, sending a jolt through the woman’s body. Flight mode activated, she scrambled to her feet and rushed back into the forest, back the way she came. 

The giant hesitated when the human bolted. Of all the things he expected to see tonight, a naked human woman was not one of them. His mind swirled with questions: what was she doing here? How did she get here? Why was she naked? What had caused all of those cuts and bruises on her? 

Whatever the answers, clearly she was distressed and in need of help. 

He breathed a sigh and continued forward, keeping his pace slow and eyes sharp. She’d probably never seen a giant before, or so he assumed, hence her reaction towards him. He pondered over the idea of calling out to her, but he decided that his voice might scare her more. 

Humans: anxious little creatures. 

Carefully, he followed after her, making sure to mind where he stepped.

The woman ran as fast as her exhausted legs would carry her. Everything hurt, but she couldn’t stop––not with that giant on her tail. She could hear his footsteps crashing behind her, threatening to stomp on her. Were it not for the tight-knit trees, she was sure he would have caught up to her already. 

Which way was she going? She didn’t know. It was too dark to see much beyond the ground and the trees right in front of her. All she needed was to get away, maybe find somewhere to hide and wait for the giant to pass her. 

Then what? 

Would she have to spend the night in these woods? Alone? Naked? There was a giant man and a giant horse-mule thing; were there other giant animals? Where the hell was she? 

Her racing thoughts came to an abrupt halt when her foot caught on a root. The woman cried out in pain and fell bodily to the forest floor. She bit her lip and brought her knee up to her chest, hands cradling her now injured foot. Already it was starting to warm and swell. She didn’t have time to dwell on it, though; those thundering footsteps still followed behind her, getting closer and closer. The woman clenched her jaw and pushed herself up to her knees. She figured she wasn’t going to be able to run much further, so the next best option was to hide. That was a part of her skeleton of a plan. Getting hurt was just a bumpy start. Forcing herself to stay quiet, despite the throbbing pain in her foot, the woman crawled her way around the large, protruding roots of one of the trees. She found a hollow to sequester herself into and curled herself into a ball, hands over her head. 

The giant’s footsteps grew louder until they were practically on top of her. The woman squeezed her eyes shut and sent a silent prayer to anyone that would listen. 

Above and oblivious to her, the giant man scanned the dark floor as best he could in the moonlight. He should have brought a lantern with him, but he hadn’t thought to do so in the moment. It was such a bizarre situation. 

What was he going to do with her if he found her? Cover her up, surely. That would be step one. But after that . . .? He figured he could take her back to the cabin, but then she’d be surrounded by even more giants. If she reacted so poorly to just one, six more would surely send her into shock, or worse. 

The giant sighed heavily and shook his head. 

* * *

“Look who it is! Mr. Elijah Love! Where the fuck were you?” 

The jovial voice made the giant’s nose crinkle. Slowly, Eli lifted his head, tired eyes meeting the owner of said voice. Though the other giant wore a blue scarf over the lower half of his face, like everyone else on the farm, he knew he was grinning. He could hear it. 

“Shit, you look like you were up all night. Did you get more bags under your eyes?” 

“Not now, Smart.” He answered with a hint of warning in his tone, a signal that he was not in any mood for his fellow giant’s teasing. Unfortunately, Smart rarely minded any signals or warnings. Eli rolled his eyes and dismounted his horse. 

“If not now, then when?” Smart continued. His voice was already grating; the grin did not make it any better. 

Eli shook his head and ignored Smart. Reins in hand, he led his horse towards the barn. Once he saw to her needs, he could retire to his quarters. The prospect of much-needed rest sounded great in his mind, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get anything meaningful. The human still raced through his mind. He lamented that he hadn’t been able to find her; she’d clearly been in distress. Over what, he had no idea. What could possibly land a human naked in the middle of a forest? Surely it couldn’t have been good. The poor girl had been hysterical. She’d called for help. 

And she hadn’t expected a giant to answer her call. 

Eli mulled over last night’s events as he entered the barn. With muscle memory guiding him, he started to remove his horse’s tack. 

“Miss Blueberry Pie!” Called another voice. Eli sucked in a surprised breath, mind snapping back into the present. A young giant approached from the other end of the barn. His boots were covered in muck and soiled bedding. His face scarf nearly matched his bright red air in color. He stopped before the horse with treats in one hand. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d––oh! H-hello, Mr. Love.” As if just noticing Eli, the young giant stiffened, cheeks going red. 

“Gaffin,” Eli greeted. He took no offense to the oversight; it was well-known on the farm that Gaffin liked the animals more than his fellow giants. He’d probably sleep in the stables with the horses if he was allowed to. “We got in late. Is Pie’s stall still clean?” 

“Yes sir! Cleaned it out and gave it fresh bedding this morning. No one’s been in there since.” Once the horse had finished her treats, Gaffin started to rub her ears, much to her delight. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, a low rumble in her chest. 

Eli nodded. He hauled the saddle from Pie’s back and carried it over to a rack. “Would you take her from here?” 

“Sure thing! It’d be my pleasure, Mr. Love.” His eyes lit up with excitement. Normally, Eli would have been reluctant to hand Pie to someone else, since she was both his responsibility and his beloved steed, but Gaffin would often insist on overseeing care of all of the horses, and he did a damn good job attending to them. Pie was in good hands. Eli gave Gaffin another nod and exited the barn. 

* * * 

“Love.” 

The sharp voice unceremoniously yanked the giant from his snooze, making him flinch. He blinked his eyes to clear the sleep and looked up towards it. Standing over him was another giant, their dark eyes staring down at him from between their wide-brimmed hat and their yellow face scarf. They gave him an expectant look, one brow raised and arms crossed over their chest. 

Eli groaned softly in a stretch and pushed himself up to sit. “Slayne. What is it?”

“You sure you’re good for a night patrol? Smart said you looked exhausted,” they said. Their expectant look shifted into something more concerned.  

“Smart says a lot of shit,” Eli said tersely. “I’m fine.”

“Are you? It’s almost sundown and you’re still here.” They tilt their head towards the window, to the reddening sky beyond.

Eli cursed under his breath and lept up to his feet. Had he been asleep that long? He certainly didn’t feel very rested. His thoughts and dreams had been plagued with that woman, still lost somewhere in the forest…

“I’m fine,” he repeated. The giant pulled his scarf up over his nose and grabbed his hat from his bed post, then his gun belt. He pulled his boots on and brushed past Slayne, heading for the door. 

“Elijah,” they said, using that same sharp tone. It made him pause and glance over his shoulder. “You’re not fine. But we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” 

Ugh. He wasn’t looking forward to that. How was he supposed to explain to her what kind of a night he’d had? He hardly understood it himself. Nevertheless, he offered a shrug and pushed through the door. 

As expected, Blueberry Pie was out in the pasture, happily grazing away. Eli called her over with a loud whistle and led her to the barn to get saddled up, then, after getting a few more treats from Gaffin, headed off towards the farm’s perimeter. 

* * *

Eli was no stranger to the night shift. Most of the time, he prefered it. Save for the occasional pest trying to get at the livestock, nights out in the pasture were quiet. None of the other giants could pester him out here. It was peaceful. 

Usually. 

Tonight was an exception. Tonight, Eli couldn’t seem to relax. He was antsy, on edge. His horse felt it too. Blueberry Pie was normally a very placid horse, but tonight, her ears swiveled to and fro at every noise, and frequently flicked back towards him. He could feel her tension just as much as she could feel his. 

And the night was dragging on. 

Eli rubbed at his brow and stifled another yawn––his third in the past half hour. His body felt tired, and his mind even moreso. The moons in the sky told him that it was only around midnight; he still had several hours to go before the suns came up, and plenty of perimeter to cover in that time. Eli gave Pie a firm pat on the neck and nudged her ribs, encouraging her to trot on. 

They were near the clearing where the woman had appeared last night. A foul smell hit his senses, making the giant grimace. He’d noticed it the night before, too. It smelled rotten, like a dead animal. He’d made a mental note to investigate it, but the woman had pulled his attention away from it. 

The campfire he’d used last night came into view through the trees. It was a common stopping point for Eli on these night patrols. He’d often rest here for a little bit before continuing on his way. Tonight, though, he didn’t feel too interested in stopping to rest. Despite the heaviness he felt, his anxiousness kept him moving. Eli eased Pie to a stop and dismounted.

Almost as soon as his boots hit the dust, a shrill scream pierced the air. Both giant and horse startled, the latter whinnying in her own alarm. Eli felt his blood chill. That was the same scream from last night––the woman’s scream. 

Eli ran. He dashed into the forest, running towards where he thought the scream had come from. Another cry made him pause and readjust his route. With each stride, her distressed cries grew louder––as well as a rough scraping sound. Just beyond a wall of trees was a massive, dead oak. Scrabbling at its trunk was a huge, bear-like beast that stood nearly twenty feet in height. Its claws dug into the bark, clawing and reaching for something higher up. What it was, Eli didn’t yet see, but he could hear the woman still screaming nearby. He pulled one of his pistols and shouldered his way through the trees. The bear rounded on him, snarling. It was not something he wanted to fight; what it lacked in height––compared to him––it made up for in bulk.  The giant fired a warning shot into the air and yelled, cracking the beast’s aggressive facade. It too, apparently, didn’t care to have this fight. Whatever meal it sought up in the trees wasn’t worth it. It turned tail and ran off, vanishing into the forest. 

Once he was sure it was gone, Eli holstered his weapon. He kicked himself mentally for not shooting the damn thing. It was his and the other ranchers’ job to make sure that titanofauna didn’t come too near the property and the surrounding area. He’d have to hunt the bear down later. 

Right now, he had another priority. A few feet above the gouges in the bark, a shape trembled in the moonlight. It was the woman. She shook like a leaf in a windstorm, and her breaths came in uneven gasps. 

She was terrified. Not just of the bear, but of Eli. 

Slowly, the giant knelt down before the tree. He studied her for a long moment. She was still naked, the poor soul, and she’d acquired many new cuts and bruises. Her legs and arms in particular were a ragged mess. Eli pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her, but the woman shrank away as best she could. 

“Here,” he said, trying to keep his voice low. He gave the handkerchief a little shake. “Cover yourself.” 

The woman stared at him, eyes wide as the moons themselves. Save for her shaking, she didn’t move. Eli frowned. He lifted the handkerchief and dropped it over her, making her cry out in alarm. It was comically large compared to her, like a bed sheet. She struggled under the fabric for a minute, limbs flailing, until she managed to get her head out. Her hair stuck out at odd angles, making her look feral––or more feral than she already looked. 

“You should drink something too,” Eli said. He pulled his canteen from his belt and removed the cap, then held it to the woman so that water pooled at the lip. Again, she shrank away. Eli sighed. “I don’t wanna dump this on you too. I suggest you just drink.” 

Much to his surprise, the woman complied. She dipped her hands into the pooling water and pulled a handful to herself. Her first drink was tentative, but her next two were more eager. Eli figured it had been a while since she’d last had water, and he could guess food as well. She took two more handfuls of water before she backed off again. Some of the water had dripped down her chin and neck, washing away some of the dirt. 

“Alright.” Eli capped and stowed the canteen. “Don’t suppose you want to tell me what’s going on?” 

The woman stared at him. She looked marginally calmer, but fear and distrust still painted her demeanor. 

“Got a name?” 

Silence. 

Under his mask, Eli pressed his lips together. He didn’t blame her for being afraid of him, but it made it a lot more difficult to help her. 

“Okay,” he said with another sigh. “Come on out of the tree. I’ll get you somewhere safe.” He raised his hand, palm up, to her level. She yelped and tried to retreat further, but the giant handkerchief got tangled under her and threw her balance. The woman fell from her branch, dropping nearly five feet, directly into Eli’s palms. Her sudden weight startled the giant. She wasn’t heavy, but having her in his hands reminded him of the fact that, in his forty years, he had never actually held a human before. 

The woman lied in his hold for a few stunned moments, then bolted upright with realization. She glanced at the fingers and flesh around her, then up to the masked giant’s face, and screamed. He flinched, eyes closing and brows furrowed. For such a small body, this human had a set of lungs in her. He felt her lurch, which made him curl his hands around her. That, in turn, made her struggle more.

“Miss––I’m trying to help–––” Abruptly, her scream faded, fizzled out like the cries of a dying elk. Eli opened one eye, and then the other, to see her body limp in his hold. A pang of alarm struck him. “Miss? Hey–––” He opened his hands to see her better. He hadn’t squeezed her at all––or so he thought. Gingerly he prodded her side with a thumb. When she didn’t react, he gathered her in one hand, and gently rested two fingers to her chest. He dared not even breathe, not until he could feel the faint, fluttering beat under the cloth and flesh. Her heart was still ticking. She was still breathing. She was just unconscious, likely having fainted from shock. Eli released his breath and let his shoulders relax a little with relief. 

Though she didn’t seem too keen on going with him, Eli couldn’t just leave her here. That wasn’t an option. Carefully he wrapped the handkerchief around her so that it was a bit more secure, and so that it might keep her restrained, should she wake up violently. He brought her nearer to his chest and stood up. 

The breeze picked up, carrying with it another wave of the vile smell. Eli grimaced and fought off the urge to gag. He really needed to find out what the hell was causing that stink. It was probably what attracted the bear.  

But that would have to wait another day. Tonight, he needed to focus on getting this mysterious woman to safety. 

Keeping her cradled to his chest, Eli returned to where he’d left his horse. Blueberry Pie lifted her head, her ears angled towards him as he emerged from the treeline, and grunted in greeting. He returned the greeting with a pat to her forehead and a soft hello. She leaned in towards the bundled handkerchief, nostrils flared, and gave the woman a curious sniff.

“Easy, Pie,” he chided gently. “She’s not a treat. We ought to get her back to the farm.” He patted the horse’s neck affectionately, then rounded to her side and pulled himself up into the saddle. Having only one free hand made it a little bit more difficult, but, once he was settled, he took the reins and gave Pie a nudge to start walking. 

There was still some perimeter left to patrol, but he had a feeling the woman wouldn’t be waking up for a while yet. He’d keep her safe with him until they reached the farm, and then he’d figure out what to do with her.