Chapter Text
“Shall one of our own turn against the tide of the Almighty, punishment is mandatory. To preserve the fate of the many, that traitor must be sacrificed to our greatest enemy. Only then will their spilled blood cleanse the region of the dark shadows cast by their treachery.”
Caden had memorized the ordinance since he was a babe. Caden knew the rules, the no-nonsense commandments and the punishments set for each crime, terrified of the fate that would befall anyone who stepped out of line. Indeed, though the judgement was fierce, the penalty did its job; no one dared speak out against the elders, for fear of the monstrous beast that could sometimes be spotted lurking at night outside their city walls. The city wasn’t always the happiest of places, but it was safe, and that’s more than most humans could expect in a world of such cruel beasts.
But here Caden was, the first human to be sacrificed to the enemy in over a decade- and he wasn’t even guilty of the crime. It had been Elder Shawn’s daughter who wrote the blasphemous letter, but when it came time to make an example out of someone Caden quickly learned that innocence was of no consequence. Eager to spare her life, Shawn accused Caden, and the elders rallied around one of their own, deaf to Caden’s pleas.
The poor lad shifted, the ropes around his wrists beginning to chafe after so many hours tied to this pole. Caden had been brought out at sunrise, to the chorus of cheers from the people who had raised him and grew up beside him for 22 years. Now the sun was setting. His voice was hoarse from screaming for mercy, knowing no one would come. Caden was too far for the village to hear his cries, regardless. His throat was parched, lacking any water to quench his thirst.
But worst of all, Caden could feel faint tremors in the earth, rhythmic like footsteps.
Caden’s breath hitched, his heartbeat picking up as the ground shook further. Even after having all day to accept his fate, as the beast approached Caden realized he wasn’t ready.
Thump, Thump, Thump-
The pines had begun to sway dangerously, further than they should be rustled by the wind alone. Catching only a glimpse of the massive shadowy figure, Caden squeezed his eyes shut, deciding he wasn’t going to look death in the eyes. The creaking of the trees told him all he needed to know, hearing the giant get closer and closer.
Thump, Thump.
With that final step, the ground ahead of Caden trembled, and the steps stopped. Caden internally whimpered, imagining the giant before him already sizing him up, maybe deciding just what to do with its midnight snack-
“The hell are you?”
Caden’s eyes shot open, having never once expected the beast to talk. He blinked, eyes skimming past gigantic boots up tree-trunk sized legs as he tried to crane his neck back to meet the eye of his foe, not quite succeeding with the angle. “W-what?”
The giant crouched down, one hand digging into the earth and creating great divots as the beast steadied itself, likely not even aware of the chaos it caused as it leaned in to inspect Caden. Now he could make out the giant’s face, scratchy and unshaven and certainly muscular, huge, but not necessarily monstrous either. At least, Caden didn’t see fangs or horns. Hopefully that was a good sign?
Despite his desperation to hold out hope, Caden still flinched when the giant’s free hand came up to prod him in the side, wincing at the pressure.
“You’re a scrawny little thing.” The giant’s voice rumbled, a frown gracing his features.
Caden gulped. “Er, yes.” Caden hastily agreed. “I doubt I’d make much of a-a filling meal.”
Surprisingly, the giant let out a snort. Caden felt the breeze of it ruffle his hair. “Aye, I’d have to agree with ye there.” The giant smirked. “What are ye then? A pixie o’ some kind?”
“A- a pixie?” Caden shook his head. “No, I’m human. A human being.”
“Never met a human before.” The giant admitted. He squinted at Caden as if sizing him up. “Are you the sort to cause trouble?”
“No!” Caden rapidly shook his head, knowing his people would currently disagree with that notion. “No, ah, usually I’m just a farm hand back in the city, the one beyond the wall.”
The giant let out a low whistle, one that shook Caden’s bones to the core. “Geez, kid, you’re a long way from home, aren’t ya?”
Caden didn’t bother to point out he wasn’t a kid; it probably wasn’t worth arguing with a giant, anyhow. “Er, yeah, I suppose.”
“So what, just decided you’d get yourself killed or somethin’? These woods are prowlin’ with predators, at least for someone like you, pint-sized.”
“Well it’s not exactly by choice.” Caden huffed, shifting at his ropes once more. It certainly didn’t help that once such predator might be right in front of him.
The giant pushed at the sacrificial pole, which caused Caden to grimace as he hit his head against it. “What’s all this about, anyhow?”
“…er….” Caden bit his lip, knowing he only had one chance to try and phrase this in a way he didn’t once again get framed as the bad guy. “My people decided to get rid of me.” The giant raised an eyebrow, which Caden took as a sign to continue. “It’s a long story, but basically they say I did something that I didn’t.”
There was a howling in the distance, the shadows growing darker as the sun set further.
“So no one’s coming for you then.” The giant murmured, almost to himself.
His massive palm wrapped around the top of the pole, giving the wood a swift tug out of the earth. Caden let out a yelp, startled as he was elevated and began frantically squirming to try and free himself. He had been a fool to let his guard down for even a second-
“Woah, slow down there, manticore.” The giant’s other hand came to wrap around Caden’s struggling form, only making the human fight back harder. In response, Caden fought harder, feeling himself slipping off the pole and into the giant’s waiting palm.
“Hey, hey, easy.” The giant hushed, Caden’s stomach dropping as he was elevated quickly up to the giant’s eye level. His chest heaved, skin paling as he found himself the sole focus of the giant’s gaze. “You good, lil’ fella?”
Caden paused, taking a few deep breaths as he realized what the giant just asked. “Y-yes?” Caden tried, not certain what was happening anymore.
The giant rolled his eyes. “You sure? Because you still look like you’re gonna pass out on me.”
Caden certainly hoped he wasn’t; he at least wanted to know what this giant was planning, first. “What are you gonna do to me?”
“Do to you?” The giant raised an eyebrow. “Hopefully nothin’. Certainly don’t want to cut you by mistake. Can you get out of those ropes on your own?”
Caden felt at the cords again, already knowing the answer. “…no.” He admitted.
The giant sighed, his great breath rustling Caden’s hair again. “Alrighty then.” The giant decided, pushing up to his full height and once again leaving Caden’s stomach behind. “Sun’s too low. We’ll have more light back at camp. I can cut them for you there.”