Chapter 18: Family
Chapter 18: Family
~~[1,149 Words]~~
Amaya took a wrong turn and had to double back.
Non-stop running.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Every time Baby Giant's huge feet hit the ground, it felt like a sledgehammer crashing down. So heavy. The earth gave way with each step, and the ground shook, almost like a mini earthquake.
Yuren sat on the back of his neck, grinning like a fool. Seriously, there wasn't a better spot to be, like riding in a carriage, nothing to worry about. He couldn't stop smiling, and honestly? He wasn't even going to act like he didn't love it.
"You're fast, Baby Giant. We'll get there in no time," Yuren said, bouncing in place every time the ground shook beneath him.
Baby Giant made a sound in reply.
Meanwhile, Amaya had caught up from behind, Yuren didn't even notice her at first. Not that it was shocking. Amaya was way faster every time. She was a bird, that's what she was built for: speed, quick turns, and noise. Loads of noise.
"Oh, Amaya, you're already here," Yuren said, surprised. "Didn't see you coming. That was crazy. You really are something else for a bird."
"Tweet-tweet," and then she let out a "Tweeeeeeeeeeeet," long and sharp, practically in his ear. Yuren tried not to go deaf. Amaya's wings went into overdrive, and she shot past them, not even close.
"Did you say something, Amaya?" he yelled after her. "Hey, wait up!" He had not expected that. "You know what, forget it. I'm done talking to a bird who doesn't even get a word I'm saying," Yuren grumbled. "It just makes me look crazy. She's just an animal."
But Amaya was long gone, a blur heading forward.
"She's unreal. We don't have a prayer of catching her, Baby Giant, hahaha," Yuren laughed.
Baby Giant answered.
"Pick it up, Baby Giant." And he did. "We're almost there, almost."
And then—
A flicker of movement. Amaya, racing back toward them with crazy speed.
She didn't stop. She yanked Yuren's hair as Baby Giant sprinted full tilt.
"Ow—ow—ow—ow," Yuren snapped, clenching his teeth, Amaya's beak digging into his scalp like she was trying to pull a root out. "What's your problem, Amaya?" He tried to shake her off, but she hung on. "You're really pushing it. Quit messing with me."
Baby Giant slowed. He could tell something was off.
Yuren snatched Amaya out of the air, quick as a hawk snags a mouse, didn't hesitate, just shoved her straight into his mouth.
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And with that, silence. Well, not total silence, he could still feel her, thrashing and fuming somewhere in his cheeks. He gave Baby Giant a signal to keep moving.
It was like trying to swallow a live bird, impossible not to notice her fluttering around inside.
Baby Giant got the message and started running again.
Yuren held on. They were nearly there; he could feel it. He could also feel Amaya's tiny claws scraping his tongue, sharp as needles, frantically searching for a way out. He almost gagged. Feathers brushed his mouth over and over, every little movement huge and distracting, like trying to swallow a twitching apple whole.
Then—crack. She bit him, dead center on his tongue. He barely had time to react before Amaya burst out of his mouth, exploding back into the air.
A scream tore out of him, echoing through the trees, pure pain, enough that every animal in the forest probably heard it.
That hurt. He pressed his fingers against his tongue, wincing, face twisted with pain.
And just in second, everything stopped. Eyes moved. There's something watching him.
Rustling in the bushes. Growling, low and close, coming from all sides. No mistake. He looked left, mid-grimace, already knowing what he'd see.
Predators. Circling. No way out.
Baby Giant started to panic.
Yuren spun, scanning the underbrush, way too many. Hungry faces, eyes wild. These were the same monsters from earlier, except there were twice as many now. At least ten.
"…We're so dead."
He slid off Baby Giant's neck, landed with a thud, grabbed a stick, and stood his ground.
"Don't panic, Baby Giant. We're not dying here. Not today," Yuren said, sweat already running down his cheek. He swallowed, steeling himself.
Baby Giant made another sound.
"Brought friends, huh? Great. Very brave of you," Yuren said, but his grin was forced. Sweat kept coming; he swallowed again.
Baby Giant let out a strange call, loud then fading, like calling for help.
The growling got heavier, tightening around them. The kind of sound that crawls under your skin and stays there. The way they looked at him, starving, desperate, eyes flashing meat. They'd boxed them in, not a gap anywhere. The kind of stare that says, No one leaves today.
Baby Giant kept calling.
Yuren gripped his stick, ready for anything.
Amaya hovered high, watching it all unfold.
In one violent rush, the whole pack surged forward.
And then—
Baby Giant howled, deep, loud. And right away, something howled back. Even louder.
Every tail in the pack dropped instantly.
Then, total silence. That second voice boomed over everything. Yuren recognized it, identical to Baby Giant's.
The predators froze, eyes wide, scanning for the new threat. Pure fear took over; not a growl out of any of them. Then they backed away, slow at first, then scrambled, wild with terror.
Heavy footsteps crashed through the trees, each step louder than the last, until two giants burst out of the forest. Massive, almost too big to believe, fifteen, maybe twenty feet tall. The bigger one in front, the smaller close behind.
Baby Giant's parents. They'd finally arrived.
The second the predators saw them, they vanished, gone without a trace, like their souls stayed behind in the leaves.
Finally. Relief slammed into Yuren.
"Yes! I thought we were dead for sure," he gasped.
Baby Giant ran for his family, and the three huddled close together, one huge family reunion.
"Look at them," Yuren said softly. "Look how huge they are, especially that one. That's gotta be Baby Giant's dad." A grin sneaked across his face, he laughed. "Hahaha." "I've never seen anything like this. This forest… it's actually wild. Like a fairy tale."
His smile faded and turned thoughtful.
"I… I didn't think it'd actually be dangerous here." Then the smile came back, wider than ever. "Maybe this is why Grandpa brought me. So I could see something unbelievable. He always knows what'll blow my mind."
"This is amazing. Aren't you excited, Amaya?"
Amaya floated nearby, stone-faced, like she'd given up on the rest of them. She didn't say a word.
"This has to be the best thing I've ever done. Seeing creatures like this up close, nothing beats it."
Then everything seemed to freeze for a split second.
Yuren's head snapped up.
He heard voices. Before he knew it, he was running toward them, heart pounding with joy.