The Giant's keep (ThelittledDeonCat and Wisply)

[ThelittledDeonCat]

I tried to hide my coughs, like an animal hiding its injury from a predator then would take advantage, however he did notice. I cowered back when he went to feel my forehead,but then he acted with concerned, not aggression. Luckily for me, he seems interested in keeping me alive for the time being. Sick or not the mess up part was that staying with him was my best bet for survivable, at least for now. I couldn't imagine making it to old age staying with him for too long, however I would need to worry about that later.

I looked at the fruit that he put down in front and pick one up to take a bite. It was sweet and juicy, remaining me that I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. My health was still questionable as one could tell just by looking at me, but the fact that I was eating showed that I wasn't to the point of dying.

He acted with aggression before, but now was looking for a way to make me well. He wants me to fear him, yet he wants to take care of me like a pet, what the hell was I supposed to make of this guy?

[Wisply]

The giant felt his heart swell with pleasure upon seeing her hesitantly begin to eat. At least her body wasn't rejecting food. That meant that her illness might have been able to be avoided early-on. Her cooperation with his actions made a grin spread across his face, and his expression became happily content on the outside, like a clever mask that translated his true feelings into something transparent and presentable. Inside, it was less of a happiness and more of a complacency with how his conditioning was working out. There was always a way for him to make his wishes come to light, whether they were fulfilled on their own, or whether he had to make them work out himself -- through any means necessary.

As his thoughts moved on, he decided that it might be best to set off to find some christen leaves. As he'd thought a bit ago, making a tea for her might help out a cold a lot, as the leaves had very effective healing properties. Although, he'd have to take her with him to completely ensure that she wasn't to run, and that would be no good to expose her to the elements. How far could she possibly get in her state though, anyways? He'd be able to track her if she tried to run away, through scent. It was so easy to pick out, so .. delectable .. it would be a piece of cake to re-capture her if necessary.

Yes, his thoughts whispered, there's no way for her to escape successfully. He felt confident in his prediction. He looked down towards her and spoke to her, a smooth, almost condescending expression on his face, "Now, Jem, I'm going to set out to find some herbs to help your illness. I don't want you to get any more sick, so I'll have to leave you here with my coat." His head lowered towards her, just enough to loom over her more effectively, "If I come back, and you are not here, trust me when I say -- " He flashed his teeth at her, almost in a snarl, " -- I will find you, and you will not like the consequences of your actions." He did not wait for her to agree or disagree -- it was either she stayed or she ran, and the results were as solid as they possibly could be. He would not waver against his word.

The giant unfurled his legs and placed one wide foot on the ground, picking himself up and rising towards the starry sky as he stood. He spared a glance downwards towards Jem -- and by the gods, was she small. He could crush her with one casual step, her entire body able to fit underneath one sole of his foot. It was magnificent, and it made him feel more majestic and powerful than ever. Looking up and taking a deep, revitalizing breath of the cool air, he approached his boots and slipped them on, tying them tight and starting towards the trees. He turned back before he got too far, and called in a cooing, menacingly sweet voice, "Stay put now, little pet." He then turned and stepped into the forest, nothing but a deep echo of a chuckle and the pounding of his footsteps signaling his presence.

[ThelittledDeonCat]

Once he was gone the only movement I made was off the cold grass and onto his coat for warmth.I could hear hungry wolves howling in the distance on all sides but they always kept a certain distance away. I would imagine it was the smell of the giant keeping them away. Escape was not happening tonight, I am too weak right now, only have star and moonlight to go on and not even counting the giant there were too many dangerous creatures here...If I run now then I will die. I imagine trying to run would be a one-shot deal, that I would either succeed in escaping or......I would be ended for my attempts. If I ever do run from him it would need to be under better conditions.

My thoughts begin to drift off as I was waiting for him to come back. Until I could get away what would life entail? Did he had...other "Pets" hidden somewhere to take me to or was I on my own? Did he just spend all his time wandering around or did he have an actual home the take me home too?....Hopefully not up a beanstalk, I had a hard time picturing myself climbing down. I then had another thought that put a bit more fear into me. Would he take me back somewhere that had more giants?

[Wisply]

The search for the herbs that the giant needed was somewhat more difficult for Jesper than for, say, a wolf. Wolves were closer to earth, with senses that weren't as massive and extending, but much more keen to smaller creatures and objects. As Jesper was always taking in many scents at once, he would have to sift through them until he caught a minuscule whiff of the leaves. He stalked through the towering trees, challenging their sky-scraping heights with his own. His wild eyes darted to and fro, a faint topaz glow emanating from his irises. His pupils were slit, concentrated on his search. The feral scent of wolves caught his attention, but he knew that they would not attempt to encroach on his territory. For Jennifer, his coat smelled of nature, of grass and pine, with a subtly sweet aroma hidden among the rest that was natural for his skin to emanate; on the contrary, to a wolf, or any predator, the scent was strong and biting, a fiery, dangerous smell that practically burned with dangerous vibes. The scent of an animal could truly tell any keen-sensed creature the safety of approaching it, and Jesper's scent was enough to make any beast cower away.

It was some minutes before Jesper caught something new. Though many herbs were around, christen leaves had a minty, cleansing scent that was sugary and welcoming. In the same moment the specific scent was caught in his nose, he stopped cold in his tracks, turning his head this way and that to track the direction of the scent. Slowly, his stride began again, walking softly (for him; the ground did not cease trembling to creatures beneath him) towards where the scent grew stronger. Luckily, tracking down the origin of the scent was not a difficult task. It was merely a couple of minutes before his nose led him to kneel down towards a certain spot. His head lowered and he sniffed at a cluster of bushels, grinning triumphantly when the scent was at its strongest. "Ah, here we are!" His voice was quiet, but cheerful, proud of his findings. A hand descended on the bushels, and he plucked them from their spots in the ground. The diamond-shaped leaves, shaded soft blue, trembled at the disturbance, and some were ripped away from the bush and left to float to the ground.

"Alright!" His deep voice exclaimed as he rose back up. "Everything else is in order." On his belt, a leather bladder was filled with water, and the tools to make a fire were strewn along the loops of his belt as well, tied neatly in pouches. "Now we head back." The thought of returning to Jem excited him a bit. Some part of him was hoping that she had tried to run. Chases were by far his favorite activities to participate in with fleeing pets; they were always futile, and he always got to have a good time afterwards with his captures.

From the time he'd left, it had taken little more than half of an hour for him to return to his temporary territory. As one of his boots emerged from the trees and stepped into the clearing, he called out in a sing-song voice, "I'm baaack!" His eyes darted around, and to his slight disappointment, he saw her sitting on his coat again, as small as a baby mouse to him. Aw, no epic chase tonight. Despite those feelings, his face lit up with a grin as he said, "Ah, you stayed! What a good girl." He approached where she sat, and knelt down, letting himself sit in front of her with a quake of the earth. Even sitting, his size was comparable to a noble's large expensive home. Staring at her for a moment, he seemed to have caught her in a moment of thought, but that was gone now with his return. Her fear was almost palpable, and it simply made her yummy little scent even more appetizing.

"You will have to wait for me to make the tea." As he spoke, his eyes moved away from Jem and to his waist as he untied one of the pouches, sifting through it and pulling out small branches and pieces of firewood. "Just cuddle up and sit tight, little one. Drinking this will improve your health very quickly." He flashed a smile at her as he grouped together the firewood, sprinkling bits of tinder over it. He wrapped his strong, massive grip over the handle of his knife and pulled it out, pulling out a sizeable chunk of metal from another pouch. Positioning the blade and the metal, he did quick, hard strokes along the blade, until sparks formed and lit the tinder in the pile. Leaning down, he blew very, very softly, giving the tinder enough oxygen to light into flame and move towards the firewood. "Ta-da." He gestured to the fire, mostly talking to himself, and placed more firewood on it as he shuffled through another pouch. The sounds within were of metal, and it took him a minute before he plucked out a tiny metal object -- which turned out to be a shiny, human-sized kettle. The pouch he had got it from was his collecting pouch, where he put shiny things that he liked and acquired from abandoned camps and any villages he came across. There were swords, scuffed and bloodied knight's armor, and various trinkets that included the kettle.

It was a careful, arduous process. He had to pour a tiny amount of water into the tiny kettle, and place it over the flames without putting it directly into them. Despite his size, the gentle motions and minuscule movements that he made were a sight to see. For such an enormous creature, he sure knew how to handle tiny things (even if he had to bring it right next to his eye to see). it wasn't long before he was sprinkling the christen leaves into the boiling water, and placing the kettle on his coat to let the water cool enough for Jem to drink. There wasn't much speaking, besides Jesper's quiet, rumbling humming. His voice made a song from his childhood, one that his father would sometimes sing to him when he was falling asleep.

Eventually, a sweet aroma drifted from the kettle, which was now much cooler than it had been over the flames. He pinched the tiny kettle to feel it -- yes, it was safe to pick up, it seemed. Taking a whiff of it, it smelled strongly enough to seem ready to drink. "Ah, perfect." His voice was soft and gruff, reveling in his achievement. "Drink now, little Jem." He set the kettle down in front of where she sat. His tone was a coo again, but there was the subtle strength behind it that communicated it to be less of a request and more of a command. He glanced to the tiny fire he'd created, and brought a thumb up to his mouth, letting his tongue flick out and wet his fingertip. He then lowered it and pressed on the fire, smothering the flames in an instant. There was a biting tingle on his thumb, but it extinguished quickly. When his thumb rose, it was nothing but ash, crushed wood, and slowly fading embers.

[ThelittledDeonCat]

I picked up the kettle and drink it like he told me to. It tasted a bit too bitter for my liking, but I force it down anyways. I soon felt a warm feeling in my chest and my body felt less sore. Well, he knew how to make some strong medicine some there was at least one good trait that he had. After what felt like hours, but was only minutes, I muster up the courage to ask him a few questions. "....Ummm..." I was trying to figure out what to speak without upsetting or offending him. "M....Master Jesper......Can you tell me a little about what I'm in for? A...are there others that you have somewhere or am I alone? Did you have an actual home or just the outdoors?............" After a long pause, I got to the one that I had the most concerned with. "Are there more of you?" There was a bit of worry in all my voice as I asked my questions, showing that I didn't run because I wanted to stay, but because I had nowhere else to go.

[Wisply]

He watched her pick the kettle up promptly, and drink the tea. A brief look of disdain had crossed her face, but she continued anyways, eventually draining the kettle and setting it down. Feeling satisfied with her obedience, he glanced aside and casually scooped up the firewood left on the ground. Ash flipped through his fingers, floating downwards like a heavy mist. He reopened the drawstring pouch that held his collection of firewood, and dropped what was left in his hand into it. It was always good to save resources; even if he was an over 200-foot giant, he was just like any other creature surviving in the wild, and resources were important. He just had a huge (literally and metaphorically) advantage in the game of life.

It was a few minutes before Jesper heard the tiny voice near the ground speak up again. His head perked up, and he glanced back to her, focusing deeply on her once again. She seemed to hesitate before she started to speak, asking very soft, careful questions after addressing him as her master. So, she wanted to know the fine details of her capture, did she? The anxiety that laced every word made a hungry smile come to his face. Just like any other plaything, he had a feeling she would run the first chance that she found. Of course, she could not escape him. His past pets had been as clever as their little minds had allowed, trying to sneak away, trying to run in the night. One even got themselves captured by bandits on purpose, to hopefully be taken anywhere but back to the giant. With escape attempts only came punishment. Everything was a game to him -- escapes just made the game a little more fun to play. Her unwillingness was surely one of the things that made the capture the sweetest, in his opinion.

"Hm-hm-hm .. " His chuckle was as evil as evil could get as he pulled the drawstrings on one of his pouches. "Question time, eh? You're more bold than I initially thought to ask such things of me." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together in front of his nose. "I am curious about that, however, so I'll give you answers to rest your weary little mind." There was a hint of coldhearted pleasure in his eyes for a moment, enjoying soaking up her worry.

"For your first question, it's just as being a pet might expect. You follow my commands, and if I feel so inclined, I will reward you for doing so. If you resist me, or try to escape, I will punish you." He cracked a smirk. "And I will simply tell you that you will not want me to have to punish you, so I suggest you be a good little pet and follow as I say." His gaze was heavy and domineering. If it had any physical weight, it might as well have been crushing her. "And I do not suggest trying to escape either. Some pets have met a very long, painful demise in punishment for trying." He spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world to kill living, sentient creatures in cold blood. "You are here to pleasure me, and me alone. I only choose to pleasure you when I feel you deserve it." His hands dropped from hovering in front of his face to lying in his lap.

"For your next question, there were others, but there are not anymore. I keep pets if they are convenient to me, if they continue to satisfy me. When they begin to get restless, or stop being convenient for me -- " He paused, his eyes narrowing, " -- I turn them into the last thing that I feel they're useful for to me." He did not elaborate on what this was. He would just let her imagination run free in guessing it. "Next, I do have family that are alive, as far as I am aware. However, I have been living in the wild since I was fourteen years old, and I plan to for as long as there is more world to travel." It was fourteen years for him, but quite a while longer for a human. As every year of a giant was equal to five of a human year during sexual maturing, he was really around seventy years old when he set out on his exploration. "And for your last question .. "

There was a moment of silence as his playful expression brightened. "Of course there are more giants! We are a species, after all, albeit we are extremely small in numbers. You could say there are more of me .. but at the same time, there aren't more of me." His chin tilted up a bit in some sort of pride as he continued, "The Gricken bloodline is of what giants call Alpha ancestry. In simpler terms, we are physically, mentally, and emotionally the most capable and developed of our entire species. Many giants are barely half of my height, and very, very few manage to scrape past two-thirds of it." His smile faded a little bit, became a tad more serious. His voice deepened. "There are more giants in this world .. but I -- I am one of a kind."

In that moment, there was a sort of .. majesty to be seen in the giant. He was a looming, massive being of pure power and intellect, both scientifically and metaphorically. She was such a tiny being, so fragile that a tight enough pinch could break her bones. He looked like an owl eyeing a mouse for their next meal. Something came forward, a predatory instinct that made the human seem like little more than prey for him to swallow down. His heart beat a bit faster, and he felt his mouth water, his jaw flexing in his own frustration. Swallowing his saliva, he recollected himself, even though he felt himself get hot. He wanted nothing more than to snatch her up and have his way with her .. but that would have to wait. Her first night might as well be the night that she is spared from his actions.

After calming in some heavy silence, he let his eyes soften and grinned again, seemingly back to normal. "That is about as much information as I wish to give you." His fingers unwound from each other, and he placed a broad hand on the ground as his legs stretched out. His body lowered to the ground, leaving him lying on his side. Without warning, one of his hands reached outward towards Jem. His fingers wrapped around her, and he lifted her from the ground, moving both her and his coat towards him. Once the coat was positioned next to his chest, he placed her onto its soft surface once more, laying her down carefully. Her scent was right beside him then, overwhelming his senses. Yes, if he lost her scent during the night, he would surely notice.

"For the moment," His chest rumbled beside her as he spoke, "I should rest, and you should as well. Hopefully, you will feel less ill by morning, if you don't already." His body heat was enough to keep her warm, and with the soft texture of his jacket, it seemed like it would be a comfortable enough place to sleep. "I will know if you try to run, so I'd suggest just letting loose for a while and actually sleeping." To emphasize his point, his hand loomed above her and rested over her, keeping a physical contact as well as contact with the senses for extra careful measure.

Jesper opened his mouth wide, pulling in a room-full of air and yawning it out. Settling into his spot, he let his hand and body relax as he said, "Goodnight, little Jem." He had a prediction that in light of the situation, sleep might be hard to come by -- but her safe option was to at least try to doze off. She was secure where she was commanded to be, and he would make sure that she didn't try to leave his grasp.

[ThelittledDeonCat]

My feelings towards his answers were a bit mixed. His answer to my first question definitely put some straight-up fear into me...Maybe I'll be ok so long as I just play the part of the obedient little girl. If that's all it takes to keep him happy and from hurting me, then I will oblige. I wasn't sure on how I felt about being the only one he has. On the one hand, this is not an ideal situation that I would wish for anyone to be in. He just flat out took me regardless if I wanted to go with him or not, however in my case I was already in a bad situation before he found me. Still there was the feeling that it didn't matter what circumstances I was in, I could have been living the perfect life and he would have been just as eager to take me from it. I would not wish for him to take somebody out of their peaceful life, but at the same time felt a sense of isolation that was a bit hard to bear. There was a sense of relief that he was the only giant that I would be dealing with, I did not think that I could even survive one more. Tired and sensing that I could count on the giant for protection during the night, I force my eyes shut and fall asleep.

[Wisply]

Sweet, calm golden light streamed through the trees and branches. Birds were twittering to one another, and droplets of dew condensed along the grass, glittering with sunlight to look like tiny diamonds. The giant's coat was still rested on the ground -- however, the giant that it belonged to appeared to be missing. Instead, it was just the tiny human sleeping deeply among the sea of soft fur.

Off in the distance, the sounds of massive footsteps and distant laughter could be heard. It was indeed our missing predator, who was going through the morning looking for more breakfast to fill his stomach. His boot slammed down onto something, which seemed to almost shriek in unbearable pain. It yelped as many sickening snaps and crunches could be heard beneath him. His eyes were frenzied, his breathing heavy as he leaned down with a wild, crazed smile on his face. Moving his boot, below him was a stray wolf, whose body had been practically crushed beneath Jespar's shoe. It was barely hanging onto life, whimpering meekly -- just the way the giant liked it. His hand descended without pause, and he scooped the wolf up off of the ground with ease, leaning back up and cocking his head back. In a swift, practiced motion, his jaws opened like a bear trap, huge, sharp teeth lining his gums, and he dropped the near-dead wolf into his mouth from his palm, shutting his mouth with a tremendous snap of his teeth. Within, darkness overtook the surroundings of the wolf, afraid and confused at the humid, fleshy, wet cage it'd found itself in. His tongue suddenly flexed and pressed the wolf against the roof of his mouth, smothering it in his saliva as the giant's taste buds ran along every detail of the wolf's body. It tasted delicious, and with its shattered bones, it was very easy to maneuver in his maw.

He started a stride once more as he toyed with the wolf before pushing it aside next to his cheek, placing it underneath his fangs of teeth. A stomach-lurching crunch sounded as he shut his teeth together, and another loud, helpless yelp could be heard faintly from within. Blood rushed over his tongue, a savory taste to his senses. His tongue moved the wolf back center, tasting it once more, enjoying the now revealed flavor of fresh, buttery flesh. He then tilted his head up once more as his throat opened, and the tiny wolf slid back towards it, squirming weakly. It slipped down, throat muscles eagerly grasping at the morsel and pushing it towards his stomach. His Adam's apple bobbed as a wet, loud GLK signaled his swallow, and his tongue flicked out between his lips, licking them and humming in pure satisfaction.

A few more pieces of prey would do, and then he would return back to his little human toy to wake her. His expression was full of sadistic pleasure, out of his mind with the thrill of the hunt. He stalked on, searching for more morsels to make a good, hearty breakfast for him. His stomach make a gurgle as the wolf dropped in, to be enveloped in his stomach acids and broken down.

[ThelittledDeonCat]

When I awoke the giant was gone, now was my chance to get away, to run. I got as far as the end of the giant's coat but was frozen with fear. I curled up as I could hear him threatening me with punishment for trying to escape in my head, if I so much as step off this coat. If I run he will find me. My own mind was keeping me cage using the fear he made sure to inflict on me the night before. It turns out that the giant wouldn't have to wait for me to decide to run to get his chase that he was hoping for last night. I looked up to see and hear familiar voices of men as they forcibly pick me up by my arms and tie me to a horse. "We have found the witch, take her back to be executed properly!"

"Master Jesper, HELP!!!!!!" I cried for the giant unsure about where he was or if he would even hear me.

[Wisply]

There was something .. off. The tiniest of noises seemed to prickle in his ears. Hearing even the slightest bit of the noise made him freeze. His expression faded and abruptly became blank. The distant, minuscule noise had somehow caught his attention enough to break him free of the hunt's grasp. What could possibly have triggered the removal of his attention? His head turned, and his face no longer held a trace of the predatory flare. There was a moment of utter silence, which lasted for a few long seconds before the noise reached him again. Focusing, it was from somebody. It was a voice he'd just begun to become used to hearing.

It only just then hit him -- it was Jennifer. It was her yelling in panic.

He stood himself up in shock. For just a moment, he was caught in thought, as if it was something that hadn't occurred to him that she was even capable of becoming in danger. But when he realized what was happening, his expression began to fade. It was no longer vulnerable in surprise. His eye twitched; his nose crinkled up; his expression became stony, which soon became irritated, which became angered. This couldn't have been his imagination. He was as clear in the mind and in his senses as clear could be. Either something was wrong, or this was a joke, and both would meet sure destruction from the giant. He bore his teeth and released a burst of air, snarling unlike any growl he'd made in a while. His fist closed, and his knuckles popped with his force as his stride began in the direction of the noise. His strides were no longer as agile as they'd been during his hunt; they were long and pounding, with his back straight and his powerful hands curled into fists by his sides.

With the way he walked, it was a short trip back to the clearing. Roughly, he pushed past one of the trees in his way, which quite nearly snapped at the base of its trunk from the force. Jesper's expression was a glower, sharp eyes hard and zipping this way and that. And, surely enough, there was no human in sight, no Jem sleeping on his coat. "Rah, DAMN - " His frustrated growl was followed by him leaning down and snatching his coat from the grass. His head tilted skyward as he began to take in rough, deep inhales of the air. Her scent was distinct to him, and it was not the only one in the area; other unfamiliar scents were briefly detected, and he latched his senses onto the new smells. Rage rushed through him, making his blood boil. How dare any creature even consider to intrude on his territory, much less steal one of his belongings as well? How much could a creature possibly want to die?

The scents moved into the forest, and his eyes flashed in his vexation. He practically threw his coat back onto the grass, which landed in a haphazard mess with a thump of the ground. With a low, dangerous growl, he began a stride that exuded intimidation and power, the ground trembling before his great footsteps. He inhaled the trails of the scents, both of Jem and of the bandits that had taken her. There was no need to say that the captors would not live when he found them -- it was already well-established, from the wild, enraged glow of his eyes to the fury in his gait.

--

"Thought we'd ne'er find ya, witch." One of the captors held a triumphant smirk on his face, walking alongside the horse that Jennifer had been ungracefully restrained to. "Seems ye' were gone like a wisp when we tried catchin' up to ya." The man to her other side snorted, saying, "I would'a gone durin' moonrise, but ya cowards were 'fraid of creatures stalkin' around." "Oui, that was just Dev tha' was scared!" The young bandit apparently named Dev stayed silent in the rest of the group's conversation. There were legends of beasts that only did roam at night, and with the danger and variety of creatures he'd studied, it was just as plausible of a reason not to go out at night as any. "He's 'fraid of werewolves an' banshees an' unicorns." The others laughed, while Dev tensed. If they don't shut up, by the gods, I'll make them .. The young bandit's thoughts did not translate to his expression, left blank and emotionless. "As if anythin' like that even exists, as if we were gonna find a damned beanstalk an' come face-ta'-face with a g -- "

He could not finish his sentence, as the ground began to tremble beneath them. The horse whinnied, discomforted by the quakes. "Wha' in the world?" The trembles persisted. The horse began to pat its hooves against the ground nervously. "What tha' hell is -- " Dev, the quiet bandit, turned to see something approaching from the distance, between the tall trees. It was a figure, a shadow of a person, but .. it did not look like a human. No, it was too .. too large ..

" .. G-guys, I-I think we should run." Dev backed up, and the others turned to glance at him with angry exasperation. "What, why would a big ol' monster come after us? For the witch?" He laughed out loud, but the laugh faded as the trembles grew stronger. Dev backed up faster, and before he could even know it himself, he turned and ran full speed from the other bandits, "Oui, come back here ya' -- "

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, MAGGOTS?!"

A voice bellowed out from the trees, and all of the bandits jumped and turned to find an enormous creature swiftly approaching. From the looks of it, it wasn't an animal -- and it could speak? No, this wasn't just any animal that they could kill -- this creature was built so tall that they couldn't even look up enough to see the fiery, infuriated expression on his face, or his snarling mouth full of bludgeoning teeth. But it was too late for them -- and the first sign of it was when a boot lifted, and slammed down to crush the couple of straggling group members behind the horse. An earthquake was sent through the world, making the trees tremble and blowing back the other bandits.

After a moment, his boot lifted, only to have a mess of gore beneath it, with what were once human beings smashed like bugs on the floor. His eyes scanned the scene, with the bandits yelling at one another to run, and with the horse bucking and neighing in fear. Tied to the horse was his property -- Jennifer. Before the horse could take off galloping, he knelt down and snatched it from the ground, hooking his finger beneath the ropes and pulling back to break them with little to no effort. Jem slipped off of the horse and landed on the ground, though it was only a few feet; he would leave her there and retrieve her when business was done. Tossing the horse aside like a discarded toy, he stood again, rising to his mountainous height and stepping over his human on the ground. He strode forward, catching up to the running bandits with no effort at all.

His knee fell to the ground with force, and with a single fast motion, he grabbed the entire group of fleeing bandits -- excepting Dev, who had already began to run and was further ahead. Four gruff, ugly men were held in his massive grip, and they screamed and cried like children when they found themselves caught in Jesper's grasp. He brought them to his face, his huge eyes focusing on them and his expression becoming a scowl. "You ugly little creatures .. " With a small, sudden squeeze of his hand, he heard bones pop and crack like toothpicks in the bodies of the bandits. More shrieks, begging, and crying ensued in the pain and shock of the event. "You thought that you could get away with stealing my property, huh?" His voice deepened into a growl.

"Well," he bore his teeth once more in a cruel smile, hissing, "enjoy the ride down, pests."

Raising the four humans above him, he tilted back his head and opened his mouth, strings of saliva stretching thin and his long tongue stretching out to beckon them. He let his fingers flex out, and released his grip on all of the bandits. They shouted in shock and fear as they fell, but their noises were cut off by the quick snap of his shutting jaws. Jesper did not take the sweet time to taste them, or to even chew them -- instead, he pushed all four of them back towards his throat and gulped loudly and wetly, forcing them all down in one swallow. He felt their descent from his esophagus to his stomach, until they were pushed in along with the other creatures he had eaten before to break down. No, they didn't have the privilege of being enjoyed by the giant. They were simply stains on the earth to Jesper, vile creatures that deserved to be alive for every second that they digested in his cavernous stomach and seething stomach acids. It could not be heard from the outside, but the humans beat against the fleshy confines of the organ they were trapped within, sobbing and begging for mercy as their clothing and armor began to dissolve -- but there was none to be found, and there wouldn't be any to find anytime soon.

[ThelittledDeonCat]

I watched horrified by the acts of violence that were in front of my eyes. I knew that he was powerful and could easily crush a person if he wanted to, but to see it....it....it was sickening. It was hard to feel bad for the men long, after all they did want to execute me. I was saved by the giant, but also had to watch what would happen if I even ended up on the receiving end of his rage. Once he was done I plead for forgiveness. "M...aster Jesper, please don't be mad I me....I wasn't trying to escape, they took me by force. I...I know better than to try to run... It....it wasn't my fault." I was not lying so there was no deception in my voice.

[Wisply]

Jesper's expression was dark and vexed, his blood still pumping fast through his body in anger. His head turned aside, to glance behind him at Jennifer with a frenzied look in his eyes. The wind around him wooshed as he rose, and he turned towards her, with an uncharacteristically furious look on his face. Usually, Jesper was all smiles and jokes, even if he tended to put them at uncomfortable times -- but it seemed that the anger that shifted his entire character would not go away so quickly. He stepped towards her, completing the distance between them in two steps, until his boots were placed right in front of the tiny human girl. He did not take his eyes off of her, even as he crouched down and hung above her menacingly, even as he listened to her pleas. His breathing was heavy, huffing through out of his nose as if he was an aggravated bull. It looked as though he was ready to off her right then and there to anybody observing the scene, including Jennifer herself.

However, the sight of the girl on the ground made something different than blood-lust rise within him. With her torn-up dress and dirtied skin, with her hair messy and her figure looking so fragile that he felt she'd shatter -- it made the rawest of his instincts suddenly take him over. Before he could stop himself, his hand reached down without a pause, and he picked her up, rolling her flat on her back in his palm. Without a word, he brought her to his face, disregarding any reactions she had to his actions. The tip of his other finger came up, and his fingertip pushed against the bottom of her chin, moving her tiny head with the most strangely feather-light of motions. His glowing eyes examined every part of her face, moved along her body, scanned every inch of skin to look for any injuries on her form. There weren't any significant injuries that he found, and his enraged expression cooled down just a tad. If there had been, he might have just regurgitated the bandits to torture them further.

All through his actions, he did not say a word, more-so communicating through purrs and growls. Like an enormous dog, he lifted her towards his nose and took a long inhale, pulling her hair and dress up towards his face. The scent of those wretched bandits was still on her .. he didn't want a trace of them to be left. Automatically, he moved her towards his cheek, and rubbed her up against it, essentially nuzzling her entire body with what seemed like a goal behind it. He moved her down his face and pressed her to his neck, being cautious with how he held her, making sure not to smother her with his actions too terribly. He rubbed her back up his neck, to his jaw, and to his cheek, giving her one last thorough nuzzle, his head moving side to side. He then moved her back to his nose, smelling her again -- and fortunately, his own scent dominated the scent of the bandit's, just as he'd intended. Any creature who tried to come near her would smell him on her now. He marked his possession as his own, refusing to allow her to smell like anything but him and herself. A purr of sorts rumbled in his chest, feeling more content now. His anger began to calm further.

"I heard you call for me." He mumbled in an aggressively protective voice. "I am not angry at you. I am angry at the scum that thought they could take something that is mine." Holding her in front of his chest, staring down at her, he said in a deep, possessive voice, "You are MINE now, Jem." There was no trace of relent in his tone. Truly, giants were the most greedy and possessive creatures that existed, even more-so than dragons were with their own treasures. His jaw flexed, and he changed his grip on her, holding her lower body in a fist and letting her upper body stay above his grasp. Holding her upright, he let his hand drift in front of his chest as he began to walk. She was high, high up, able to see the mess that he'd left behind in his fit of rage. It would take the giant some time to return to his normal self, and she wouldn't be out of his sight for even the briefest of seconds -- he'd make sure.

The giant, now content with his pet safely back in his possession, began to walk back to the clearing to retrieve his coat. He figured that it was about time to leave this area of forest. It would simply be an inconvenience if others came to search for the bandits. Anyways, his stomach felt full enough for the morning in that moment.

[ThelittledDeonCat]

I rode a bit nervously in the Giant's grip. He was huge powerful and could be very menacing, but at the same time, he saved my life more than once now. One could easily make the argument that it wasn't for my own benefit, that I should even be terrified by his true motives, still it didn't matter, not right now. As I was carried I made sure to stay quiet for awhile, he may not have been angry with me, but I didn't want to risk having that aggression turn on me. When the giant begins to relax my own body would relax as if directly responding to him. The view of a new place could be enjoyed from up here, to see what no other human could see. If I was going to be staying with him then I would need to learn to embrace moments like this.

[Wisply]

Time allowed his tense muscles to release, and in his hand, his little Jem began to relax herself. The threat to his property had passed -- figuratively and literally. The insignificant, tiny fists that beat against the slimy, thick walls of his stomach had slowed until he could feel them no more, and the cries that went unheard by him in the first place had quieted as well. The deaths of the bandits were graceless and humiliating, forcing them down from living beings to food in less than a minute. His body held not even the tiniest hint of mercy for anything that entered it, whether it be an inanimate object or a creature with a heart and soul. Though he didn't allow himself to taste them, their addition to the numerous other creatures that had been sentenced to his stomach was satisfying, and calmed him further. His quick heartbeat slowed, and his eyes returned to their normal topaz shade. She was safe from destruction, and that's all that mattered to him.

The whooshing of his breathing could be heard behind Jennifer, with rumbles accompanying the simple, natural action. His hand, which had been curled firmly around her, loosened enough for more wiggle room. His eyes would flicker down to her, and briefly watch her as she observed the world around her. Each time he looked at her, he was reminded of her awareness to her world, and her sentience. It was easy to feel as if his pets were just property, but on occasion, a tiny voice would speak up and remind him that they were alive, and that they sensed and felt and pondered. Of course, this voice was often fleeting, and was quickly snuffed out by his other instincts. Regardless, they were little moments of waking up to her reality for even just a moment, and they were sobering to his usual self that was drunk on power.

At some point, he noticed the familiar break in the trees in the near distance, where his scent began to faintly emanate from. He looked down at Jennifer again, and she was still looking out past the trees, as if entranced by the world beyond. The corners of his mouth lifted in a tiny smirk as his face became smugly observant. Again, he noticed how dirty she looked, with her dress that was practically torn to shreds and with the mud caking some parts of her skin. His thoughts faintly wandered to how he would clean her up, and where he could get her a new outfit. Perhaps a dress of some sort was lost in his trinkets and human belongings. Worse came to worst, he could simply find a village and raid a dress -- and some other treasures -- from it. As to how he would clean the rest of her .. well, he could just wash her in the lake, but she couldn't do it on her own. Oh no .. he could undress her and do it for her. Some part of himself became excited at the prospect, most likely the perverted one. In truth, Jesper was a dirty-minded creature when it came to his pets. They were there for a reason, after all: to satisfy him. It wasn't like he was going to find any giants to release his sexual tension with, so why not do it on what was available? it wasn't like she could do anything about it, after all ..

He felt his mouth salivate at his thoughts, now staring deeply at her with a questionably hungry expression on his face. He seemed to be caught in this train of thought for longer than he should have been. A long blink and a shift of his face pulled him out of his perversion. He made his expression soften back to normal as his focus returned to the crack in the trees. That could be saved for later. Soon .. just not right then and there. Maybe that night, or the morning after it.

His foot stepped through the trees with a mighty boom of the ground. His free hand casually pushed a tree aside with a tremendous chorus of rustling leaves. As his figure stepped the rest of the way through, he let go of it, and is swished back to its normal position with a loud whooshing of air and the cracks of falling branches. His coat was on the ground where he'd last left it, untouched by foreign creatures. Any creature with a decent sense of smell would not dare approach it anyways. His body lowered as he reached down to grab it, with Jennifer still in his grip. He lifted the fabric off of the ground and placed it comfortably over one of his shoulders, standing himself back up to his mountainous height and remaining still.

He had paused, and his gaze moved down to Jennifer again, a faint amusement in his eyes. His grip switched, and his fingers unfurled as his hand tilted horizontally, leaving her sitting on his palm in his wide, now open hand. There was always an energy to his aura, but his expression was less cruel and more like he was a cat-lover holding a tiny kitten. His free hand rose and approached her without hesitation. His fingers placed themselves against the skin of her back, while his thumb pressed against her breasts and moved slowly down towards her waist. Her minuscule stomach, pushing in and out with her breathing, made his senses tingle in pleasure, and the feeling of her breasts against his fingertip was just as, if not even more fantastic.

" .. Aah." He released a satiated sound, as if he'd just eaten a huge meal after starving for hours. His lips grew into a smirk again, one of his eyebrows rising suggestively. "You're a beautiful creature, you sweet little thing." The fingers against her back moved up to stroke her hair, which felt good to him, despite the fact that it held tangles and mud. Though his voice was condescending to her in his own dominant way, he was not lying. She really was a pretty human. He'd truly gotten lucky on this catch. "I'll have to find you new clothes .. " His fingers lifted from her and instead lifted a part of her tattered dress. His head leaned just a tad closer, and his voice deepened as he said, " .. and we'll have to do something about cleaning you up, too." His breath was hot and humid as it brushed over her. The faintest smell of blood remained in his exhale. There was some motive behind his voice, but it was not one that she would be able to decipher so easily. In that moment, Jesper simply enjoyed the immense difference of a single hand to her entire living body. She was just so cute, he could have gobbled her right up ..

.. and that was no metaphor.

His head rose back up and he straightened himself. His fingers curled in once more as his hand slowly turned vertically, creating a loose, but careful grip on the human. He considered placing her on his shoulder, or perhaps on his head, but he decided to wait on that. At least until she adjusted to being held by a giant. He took a deep breath and released it with a loud exhale, looking forward and starting his stride once more. It seemed they had some road to travel, and he was as excited as ever to find a new place to settle with his pet.

[ThelittledDeonCat]

When he stroke my body I was pretty accepting of his touch and took any touching of my breasts as a byproduct of the size difference or at least that's what I kept trying to tell myself. When he started calling me a beautiful and sweet creature I took it as a sign that I could relax for the time being, as long as he stayed gentle and satisfied with me I may have a chance at some sort of a peaceful existence. Yes, I understood that the relationship I had with the giant was far from anything that one would find in a fairy tale. In a since he was both a hero and villain to me. He took me into as keep, not caring if I wanted to be in it or not and if I were to try to leave, he would crush me in the very hands he was being gentle with at the moment, but did I even what to leave at this point? Yes I have seen first hand what he could do, but he did it for my protection.On top of that how can I ever trust the human world again? My own people, people who knew me since I was a child was ready to have me killed at the point if a finger....But still, I know the relationship I have with the giant is symbiotic at best. He gets something that he can feel superior over and I get protection from a world that would have killed me by now.

I lose my train of thought when he talks about cleaning me up and I feel my dress or what's left of it being pulled at. He wasn't wrong I did need some new clothes and I was dirty as hell, but had almost forgotten about this fact with everything else going on. Despite not putting up a fight on some other things that he's done with me, him trying the strip or wash me would probably be met with some form of protest. I may know that he is not human, but he is still humanoid enough to make me feel uncomfortable at the thought of him seeing me naked.

[Wisply]

Time passed. The sun crossed over the sky lazily, each hour rolling into the next. Their entrance into the forest diluted the beams of sunlight into a faint green glow, a canopy of leaves preventing any golden rays from reaching all the way through. The swaying of his footsteps remained as steady as ever. Each impact of his boots in the fresh ground left a ridged imprint in its wake. Tiny forest creatures scurried away swiftly upon capturing his scent and feeling the tremors in the ground. Every so often, his grip on the human girl would become too relaxed for his liking, and his hand would curl around her more securely once more. His breathing was a noise that she could not escape from, a deep sound of tons of air flooding his lungs and leaving them. If she listened closely enough, his heartbeat could be detected as well from her vantage point, thumping without rest to carry all of his blood through his powerful body. He didn't say much during their journey, simply glancing down to check on her once in a while, only to see her admiring the view. To some tiny extent, her enjoyment of the simple traveling was uplifting. Yes, he was a pretty cruel guy when he set himself on it, but a heart was a heart and sentience was sentience; the good did very much peer through to greet the world, just as much as the bad did. A tiny grin would come to him before he looked back forward, calculating his direction with the wind and the shadows.

Eventually, the two came across a distant break in the trees. He drew in a sniff, and smelled fresh water in the distance. Likely the lake he'd visited before, or perhaps some other one. He could use a drink, and Jem could probably use a bath. The thought made that scuttling mischief intrude again. It was afternoon, sluggishly moving on towards the later hours. A decent time to stop and take a break. His voice cracked the silence that had so solidly made its way between the giant and the human. "Seems like there's a rest stop up ahead, darlin'. You thirsty?" He glanced down at her with a smirk. "I mean, I know already that you're dirty. Could use a bath, hm?" He only grinned, not continuing further on the subject. She'd understand the intention when the time came. I mean, heck, she might not have even wanted to wash off right then, so waiting might have to come into play.

Once more, his free hand stretched open and pushed against one of the trees in his way, bowing it low with a tremendous rustling. When he'd stepped over and out, he let it go, hearing thousands of leaves settling and the bark of the old tree moaning and groaning. just as he'd predicted, a patch of sand was between the trees and the shore of a wide lake. The water was as clean as it smelled. His boots pressed into the sand and stopped several feet from the lapping shore. Slowly, minding the human in his grip, he lowered himself down into a squat. His hand lowered towards the ground, and when he was inches from the surface, he gently placed Jem against the soft sand. His hand hovered for a moment before rising, and swiftly, he popped the stiff knuckles and stretched the muscles in his once occupied hand. "Rgh, maybe I should rest you on my shoulder from now on .. holding you is giving me a cramp in my dagger hand." He was being jocular, a teasing tone in his words. "Now -- " Slowly, he rose up to his immense height. His voice echoed down to her, managing to still be clear as day. "I'm goin' to go in a bit deeper to get m'self a drink. If I look back, and I don't see you here .. " He fell silent for a moment, and chuckled, " .. well, now I'm sure you understand what happens." He grinned, looking far down at her minuscule body. She seemed to have been affected pretty deeply by his past actions, so surely, he'd left some kind of imprint on her. At least, for her sake, he hoped he had.

With those words, his boot rose high above her and landed forward, signaling his entrance into the water. The softly lapping waves turned into quivering rushed waves as he stepped foot into the lake, entering in to about where his boot ended and his pants began. Another lowering of his body, and he was suddenly hovering above the water. His enormous hands cupped together and dipped in, and he drank from them with wet gulps, his Adam's apple bobbing with each one.. He didn't feel much of a need to glance back at that specific moment -- perhaps, a perfect moment for her to try and run. He wasn't opposed to a little chase, but she seemed smarter than to try it. However, he couldn't know everything about her, so he waited while he hydrated himself, enjoying the sweet coolness of the lake water.

[ThelittledDeonCat]

I had no plans of running away, not after what I've seen. I feared his wrath and did not want to be on the receiving end of it. There was also the fact that I see the giant as a form of protection as long as I stay on his good side. I come up to the water and wash my face and hands some before taking a long cold drink. With a reminder of how thirsty I was, I also grab my stomach when it gives me a painful reminder on how I haven't eaten in awhile and I look out to the giant in the lake who's back was to me. "Master Jesper, can I good look for some fruit and barriers? I promise not to go too far, but I do need to find something to eat." Even for basic needs, it was clear that I was so far under the giant's power that I felt the need to get is approval before doing anything. I didn't want to mess up our relationship for lack of a better way of putting it.