Wander || Chapter 1

"God…" Jude sucked in air sharply.

He ran a hand through his short golden brown hair and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain. His arm was killing him. He had mentally bashed himself for three days now- for reaching for the wrong rock in climbing the mountain face. The jagged rock left a nasty gash in his arm. He had bandaged it up to the best of his abilities, but his job involved camping out in the deep of woods many a night, and the lack of proper sanitation was taking its toll. When the sun began to sink in the sky, he removed his camouflage and started a small fire. Leaning back against a sequoia, Jude unraveled the dirty strip of bandage and groaned.

"Oh that is definitely infected..."

~~~~~

For many, life on the road sucked complete and utter ass. And Penelope was no different in that opinion. Pen liked warm beds with roaring hearths crackling with fragrant alpine logs that smelled of heavy wood and sap and moss. She liked her warm, woolen blanket, a thick piece she'd sewn with her dextrous fingers and she liked being able to make tea without worrying about whether or not she was going to get her short, defenseless ass mugged by highwaymen.

Her pixie like features dotted with freckles scrunched up and she shivered against a small gust of cold wind that managed to invade her poncho and long tunic alike. Adjusting the round silver spectacles upon her face, Pen pushed short, mussed up auburn hair away from her face. Many regularly mistook her for a boy. It was the hairstyle and lack of stunning looks, she guessed. Not a big deal. She could always lament her lack of romantic pursuers by her lonesome and ogle any attractive farm boys or travelers she came across.

And that was when Pen heard it, a voice that sounded louder than the average humans. It was big yet almost muted at this point as if strained by tiredness and pain. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she adjusted her travel satchel and dashed through the brush, stumbling over a root but managing to remain upright.

Pen brushed herself off upon reaching the clearing- And proceeded to freeze mid-tunic brush off to stare up, up, up... WAAAAAY up toward a positively gargantuan man.

The way she saw it, she could hope that he had not seen her and make a run for it, or she could try approaching and hope he wasn't hungry. Pushing all of the folktales and horror stories about giants to the back of her mind, Penn took a deep breath, stood tall and walked closer to the giant. She kept enough of a distance that she could still run if she wanted to. Cupping her hands over her mouth, she called up to him in her raspy voice.

"Hey! Lookie down here! You need some help with that nasty-ass wound?"

Jude stiffened and swiveled acutely in the direction of the intruding voice. His eyes grazed the forest floor, landing upon her small figure.  The giant’s cautious movements made Penelope wonder if he had been any of those human-awareness classes. Along the border between giant and human territories, there were centers where giants were trained to be extremely careful around humans; absolutely no sudden movements, violent reactions, or jokes about grinding their bones for bread. 

The giant’s bright aqua eyes contradicted his posture with the alert intensity they bore into the human with. The crackling fire and distant birds calling to each other emphasized the momentary silence between the pair. The intensity of a gaze had always been enough to make her falter in the past when she'd attended cleric's school against the odds of her being a woman. Eyes unnerved her, especially when they were very large and belonged to a giant she was meeting in the middle of the woods. Regardless of how unnerved she felt at his spine tingling stare, Pen's pastel blue eyes fixed themselves upon the man.

"Are you a nurse?" He finally spoke. His deep voice reverberated in the still evening air. He unconsciously tucked his injured arm in against his abdomen defensively.

"Cleric, actually. I gots me magic hands, I does." She lifted her hands clad in fingerless gloves and wiggled her digits to accentuate her point. "Can I get a lookieloo at any of your wounds, if you've got more? Name's Penelope Farthing, by the way. Pen for short. And don't you start on the height jokes, my frickin' co-workers back at the college library used to call me 'halfling' for Pete's sake."

She wore a sloppy but genuine, unconditional grin up at the man. "I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you but let's face it, this method of becoming acquainted sucks all kinds of griffin arse. You're bleeding, I'm a walking popsicle. But meh, let's fix them problems, shall we?"

"Jude Akil." He introduced himself.

Leaves and fabric rustled as he turned more to face her and extended a single finger in greeting. Once she had tentatively shaken it, the finger, along with four others, slunk around her back to lifted her off the ground. Jude lifted her to around chest height, opening his hand to reveal her sprawled in his palm. 

Never in her life had Pen experienced what it was like to be lifted off the ground by the hand of a living creature. Certainly she had seen giants from time to time but in her home-town that was seldom the case. Naturally, she was a bit nervous about getting grabbed so suddenly after shaking his finger tip- which really gave her a stark appreciation of their vast different in height. One false move and she was a stain on the dirt. He seemed aware of his movements and gentle enough that she figured she could trust him.

"I could use a pair of magic hands." He turned his other arm over so she could see the seeping cut. 

Upon reaching chest level, she fought that vertigo that accompanied loud noises that [ through her whole body, in this case, his voice. It wasn't terribly loud, at the very least. She removed her glasses and polished the lens on a clean edge of green tunic.

"Why do you want to help me?" Both charm and suspicion were contained in his tone.

"You're kidding, right? You're bleedin' and the wounds' gone all gross. Go too long without treatment and even a giant will die... Lordy, that's one hell of a damn wound. Get me closer, I'm gonna give healing that a try." 

Though she'd truthfully never healed anyone this big before, she figured she'd at least have the energy to accomplish something. After straightening her glasses on her nose, she pulled off bulky brown work gloves to reveal surprisingly delicate hands.

"'Damn wound' is right..." the giant muttered under his breath. 

He complied to Pen’s request and moved the occupied hand closer to his mangled arm. He watched her closely. It was a pretty gruesome sight, even from his perspective. Someone with a weaker stomach might lose their lunch over such a sight. But she held her ground well. The humid puffs of his breathing slowed, no doubt in anticipation of whatever she was going to do to him.

"Ok, I feel seriously horrible for you, buddy." She cringed more out of a desire to highlight the severity of the situation than out of true disgust. In Pen's time as a cleric, she'd witnessed enough wounds that even qualified as worse than this to the point where these things just didn't really effect her anymore. No nausea, no profuse upchucking, no fainting. Nothing.

Raising her hands, she placed them gingerly upon the wounded area. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her energy on chanting a basic healing spell, her specialty. This sort of spell qualified as white magic and would not only heal the wound seamlessly (provided she had the energy to leave him without a scar) but it would purge the area and all around it from bacteria and infection.

Jude’s pupils dilated, his jaw dropped slightly as he watched his skin knit itself closed before his very eyes. Penelope's hands tingled with the warm, sunlight-esque glow they streamed from them and funneled into the wound. It began to knit shut after a moment of bacteria purging. She grit her teeth, pushing her own body to make this wound heal.

Though the wound had closed and the infection prevented, her strength waned before she could prevent a scar. Still, she pressed on, trying her hardest to prevent the scar. Her arms shook and her knees finally buckled, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. She looked suddenly ashen, devoid of her previous energy. That was the thing about magic; there was always a tradeoff. Penelope was getting weaker at the price of his healing.

At last, she gave into her tiredness and let her hands drop to her lap, her body rising and falling with ragged, exhausted breaths.

"Whoa! Hey- take it easy..." Jude exclaimed anxiously.

He immediately slid his other hand underneath the one cradling her for extra support. As he did so, he got a better glimpse of his arm in the firelight: It was nearly seamless. He turned his attention back on Pen. 

"Please don't exhaust yourself for my sake." He requested quietly, bringing her closer to his face to inspect her. "But... Wow. Thank you. That was absolutely incredible." .

There was a ringing in her ears, a brief pounding in her head, a dizziness that made her feel nausea galore. It was horrible and she'd never used so much energy on a single healing binge before in her entire life. She laid across Jude's hands, catching her breath with a hidden desperateness that concerned her a little. Her lungs wheezed but at least that phase was passing little by little.

Pen regained her bearings to find herself awkwardly close to the giant's face. The proximity made her freeze and a little nervous, scooting back a minute portion. She cursed her body for the involuntary movement. The cleric's eyes searched his a moment, staring upward with something like a cross between childish awe and the denial of instinctual fear of a predator. That same sloppy smile found her lips and dimpled her face again. She rubbed the back of her messy red hair

"Just... Just not used to healing that big of a wound. M'good."

She could practically feel a bit of his breath, his voice that much louder at this close a range.

Jude sat back, no longer crowding her view. He nodded in response to her explanation but he wasn't smiling yet.

"It's dark." He stated the obvious and glanced toward the dark treetops above them. He locked his blue-green eyes back down upon hers. "Can I make it up to you? Stay here tonight." His tone was a cross between a command and a puppy-eyed implore. 

Pen blinked, then proceeded to gain the energy to burst out laughing until her lungs hurt. This guy had seemed intimidating as all hell at first but now he just reminded her of an overgrown puppy dog...A really overgrown puppy dog with crazy eyes that reminded of the summer sea.

"Okiedokie, artichokey. I'll stay here tonight. Honestly didn't expect to find much in the way of accommodations or warmth 'round these parts anyhow."

She wore a bright smile, color slowly returning to her cheeks. Pen sat up and brushed her tunic off a bit, finally noticing a twig in her hair. She made a bizarre-ass face as she plucked it out and tossed it below, clapping her hands off.

"Happy to oblige. We can't have little popsicles littering the trail, after all." Jude answered.

"I'm really kind of horrible at bushwhacking, to be brutally honest. I'm built to be a city kid at heart. Meh. Forest's damn pretty and all but I'm shit at navigating through trees alone." She chuckled. This was her first time traveling out by her lonesome, after all.

"I can understand that." He nodded. She fidgeted, and the giant took immediate notice.

"Oh right. Forgive me..." Jude swiftly lowered his cupped hand to the ground and slid her off close to the fire, several feet away from his boot.

There was some exhilaration in being lowered down, to feel the slight pressure of the wind produced on Pen's freckled cheeks. She landed with a slight stumble but with some exaggerated windmills of her arms, she steadied herself.

"Phew. I'm good. Totally good there. So good. And steady." 

"Well... just take a load off for a while. It’s a half day’s walk to the nearest town, even for me.” The giant raised his eyebrows and let out out a gusty sigh, allowing himself a semblance of relaxation once he saw Pen was taking his advice. 

“There’s peace in the woods.” His afterthought was murmured, but still audible to the girl at his feet.

She plunked down by the fire and rubbed her shoulders, pulling her knit shawl closer to herself. The damn thing hardly qualified as a full on poncho, regardless of wishful thinking. That was what Pen got for attempting to knit a full article of clothing with scraps of yarn. It was warm but only a scant amount. Pen was certain that if she could have married a plasma and not gotten incinerated, she would have married the fire before her.

"Man oh man...Today has been one long day. You're right about the forest, though." She smiled up at him, neck craned back. "It is peaceful. Sort of detoxifies."

"That's one way to put it." He returned the smile as he reached into his breast pocket. The massive hand lowered down to her, draping a silken handkerchief around her shoulders like a blanket.

"Hold onto that for me, will ya?" He let his finger tip stray down her back a fraction of an inch. As soon as he realized how she would perceive this, he withdrew his hand altogether.

Pen's body stiffened at the sudden feeling of soft material around her body. Then, there was the odd comfort of a fingertip trailing her back. It made her shiver for reasons imperceptible. It was the touch of a man... A very big man, to be certain, but a man none the less. Being touched with any kind of intimacy made her feel a bit nervous. When he withdrew his hand, Pen couldn't help but feel the sudden weight of something like emptiness without Jude's touch.

"Thanks. This helps. Feels like a frickin' bed sheet."

"That's the point." He chuckled.

She nuzzled the silk and she could smell what she inferred was the giant's scent, like woodsmoke and nature. And for some reason that made her face feel a bit warm. He watched with amused eyes as she drew the cloth around herself and curled up. The fire wasn't the only warmth growing between them. 

Jude touched his arm, dragging his hand over where the gash had been only a minute before. The skin was as white and smooth as a baby's bottom. Except for the tiniest scar that she hadn't the energy to remove. 

"So tell me," He picked up a large tree branch he had snapped off an elm tree and prodded the firewood, shifting the kindling to ignite further. "Do all clerics heal travelers bleeding out in the woods? Or am I the exception?" 

The fire crackled and hissed. He leaned back again, the tree branches above rustling a great deal in response to his weight. 

There was a heaviness growing her eyes from the warmth of the fire and bed sheet sized silken handkerchief wrapped around her minuscule body. Pen had always been looking up at people, being as vertically challenged as she was but being in the presence of a giant had her neck hurting from looking so far up. There was no denying that this giant seemed like a kind man- no denial in her mind at all.

At his inquiry, Pen glanced over her shoulder, all minor fears or unease erased by interactions with Jude. She smiled and kept her large blue eyes like painted droplets of clear horizon upon his, like the sky meeting the sea.

"I dunno. Personal preference. I will heal anyone who needs it but other clerics tend to charge money. I personally think it's complete bull-honkey to charge money for a persons' well-being."

Night was settled heavily now, and the sounds of nocturnal creatures awakening chattered around in the trees. The huge man listened quietly, a small smile tugging at his lips. There was a loud rustling of fabric as he moved, getting up from his relaxed position against the tree. Slowly, and with a fair amount of caution, he lowered himself to the ground. Several meters away so he didn't completely wall her in. He laid his head in his arms atop a folded cloak that served as his pillow. Closer to her level, she didn't have to crane her neck so much. Of course, the was a compromise; his immense frame was more immediate. She could see every detail.

Facing away from the fire, she was darkened, but the flames dancing in her bright irises made his heart skip a beat. She looked positively endearing wrapped under his handkerchief, and decided he would probably let her keep it. She would make better use of it. That poncho she wore didn't look very warm. Humans were strong, but much less durable. This petite girl was a prime example of that.

"I like your policy." He said quietly, his gaze dancing over her. "The world could use more healers like you."

Many would have stared at a moving giant for fear of being crushed even by accident but Pen trusted easily. She trusted Jude to be careful with his immense frame around her and felt confident he knew how to behave around a smaller creature. There was no fear or unease that might send her into 'flee for your life' mode. In fact, Jude's presence brought her a measure of comfort. She turned toward him, but not before tilting her head to the side until she felt and heard a satisfying crack.

"The world is starved for kindness. I wanna do what I can to encourage people to hope again, you know? Sort of my service to folks." 

Pen lifted her hands to her head and undid the bandana that resided there, spilling bangs down her forehead in a messy collection. She worked on tightening the short auburn ponytail and habitually stuck her tongue out of her mouth. Once she was satisfied, Pen looked back to the giant with a raw, open smile.

"What's your mission in life?” She asked.

"My life mission?” Jude snorted. “That’s light conversation, is it?" He exhaled heavily as he mulled it over. "I guess to do my job well. Use my strengths to help other people. I figure, we're made who we are for a reason."

Pen's round face lit up in a sunlit smile as she got up and moved even closer to the giant, reaching out to give him a pat on the arm.

"I'm liking your way of thinkin'." she smiled, keeping the handkerchief around her petite body. "We are who we are. And no one has the right to tell us our own identity."

"Exactly.” Pen took a seat against his arm and leaned back against the giant. "You're really warm, yeah? Like crazy warmness right here."

Jude was comfortable to be around and for once she didn't feel like she was annoying or weirding anyone out. It was a damn relief. 

"You still cold?" He raised a surprised eyebrow. Jude lifted his head a little to look her over. 

"A little cold, I guess." the young woman admitted, expression scrunched up. The very tip of her button nose was a bit pinkened, which lent her a visage decidedly younger than her true age of 19 years. She nestled closer, curling against the impeccable warmth of his body. 

Pen paused a curious moment and smiled. "You're kinda fantastic, you know? First male that hasn't made the 'oh God it's Pen' face in a long time."

Egged on by both masculine instincts to protect and her own affectionate behavior toward him, he lifted his arm and placed it in front of her instead. She was fenced in between it and his chest when she resumed leaning against it.

"You're not too bad yourself... What face is that, exactly?" He asked, his amused smile leaking into his voice. Her facial expressions were so animated and entertaining.

When he'd shifted some, the young woman re-adjusted and got comfortable once, fiddling with her 'blanket', laying her bandana, a square of simple moss green cotton fabric in her lap, folding it into floppy origami. The many ways that it could take shape like sodden flower petals fascinated her as she formulated the perfect expression.

At last, she did, albeit it was grossly exaggerated and honestly quite humorous. He brows were furrowed, lip curled in distinct disgust. There was the beginnings of a snort written upon her face as she cocked her head to the side for affect. Jude burst out laughing. 

"I'm sure it's not that bad." He tilted his head to the side; perfect teeth shone as he smiled down at her.

Jude's booming laughter vibrated through the cleric's entire body but not in a way that made her feeling apprehensive or afraid. On the contrary, in fact. She joined in his laughter and could not help but find her eyes drawn to his mouth, so close and so...big. His teeth were almost unnaturally white and as clean as freshwater pearls.

"Seriously, though." She shrugged, recovering from her raucous laughter, giving a sigh. "I've been single all my life. Either I creep the guys out or I'm just 'a friend.'" 

What was she doing, discussing her lack of a love life with a giant she'd just meant? It was odd but the topic felt almost relevant.

"Eh, no shame in that." He said breezily. "I can sympathize. Once, I made the mistake of asking out this human- very pretty, smart too- and she literally broke down crying! Her parents weren't crazy about me either." he recalled with a self-deprecating chuckle. "That taught me to stick to my own species." 

Pen frowned, her brows furrowing deeply at the notion that someone would flip out so much over being asked out. Other than the obvious differences height-wise, she could see no reason to turn down someone who was such a gentleman. Jude looked a little off as well, she noted to herself. Perhaps the experience had been a worse blow to his heart than he let on. Instead of pushing him too much for that information, she chose a different tactic.

"Writing off your chances with an entire species narrows everything, I think. Even though that sounds like one lame experience, she was one human with one set of beliefs toward you." She gave him a comforting pat on the arm. "It sucks that groups need to get tarnished by the vocal, negative minorities."

"If only everyone was as open-minded as you, Pen." He smiled appreciatively at her comfort. "It does lower the diversity of fish in the sea, but it's for the better. That experience just brought some things to my attention I had to learn the hard way." He smiled again, but it was getting tight around the edges.

"How old are you?" Jude suddenly asked.

She paused a moment before responding to his query: "Nineteen, turning twenty in the Spring."

Something shifted in his eyes when she revealed her age. A slight pupil dilation, nothing more. 

“Twenty-two." He informed her in reply. 

Pen wore a toothy, silly grin; her cheeks bore that same lively, summery rose color that always showed joy.

"I think diversity is good thing." she said.

With some care, she climbed up onto his arm before reaching his face. There was trust in these actions. She placed a hand on Jude's cheek, and rubbed the stubbled surface before pressing herself against the side of his face. By nature, Pen hated to see anyone unhappy.

"You will find someone who appreciates all of you. I promise you that." she said.

The clouds threatened rain with their oppressive weight. A far off rumble made the cleric tense up immediately, her heart pounding fast as a mouse's. It was still cold out but not enough for snow.

They broke apart simultaneously to look up at the sky. It was about nightfall in the woods, but the thunder of coming rain was unmistakable. Her quiver did not go amiss. Jude reached up and lifted her off his arm. He got to his feet and walked a few paces away from his gear to set her down on the ground. 

"Wait one sec." He held up and single finger before standing up again and walking over to his area. 

Jude had been imposingly tall whilst seated, even when laying down. But seeing him stand up, to be in his grasp as he walked and to know for absolute certain that a fall from this high up would kill her, Pen wisely remained still as he carried her a stayed where she was placed, watching the giant set up his bedding. He unrolled out a thin mat and laid it out on the ground. A thick quilt followed that. He laid down on it and turned on his side to face her. 

"Come here." He smiled invitingly at her and curled a finger inward.

Penelope started out at a walking pace, only for a burst of punishing thunder and lightening to inspire panic in her. A sharp cry erupted from the wide-eyed Pen as she ran headlong over toward the giant and crashed into him, burying her face. She shook and let out a small whimper. In spite of her bravery toward so much else, thunder terrified her.

He didn't have time to react. One moment she was walking towards him, the next, she was burying herself against his chest. He swallowed his surprise easily this time, draping his hand smoothly atop her quivering form and holding her lightly to him. 

"Just a little rain.." He tried to console her. 

Thunder rolled again. He glanced up at the sky when a couple droplets landed on his skin. He removed his hand so he could pull the quilt over his whole body, ducking his head under. It was like being in a dark circus tent...with a giant. 

"See, warm and dry." He relaxed, and urged her to do the same by running the back of his curled fingers up and down her spine.

She was hardly even aware of the world around her, save for the rustling of immense fabric and the gentle rumbling of a kind voice. She felt warm, at least, and dry. Pen took in deep breaths, the feeling of Jude's touch soothing in effect. Her tremblings grew fewer in this artificial, make-shift shelter.

"Thanks, Jude." She spoke in a voice that had scarcely any volume. Her speech was stunted by residual fear but strengthened by gratitude. She grasped at the fabric over Jude's chest, her face burrowed into it.The rain began trickling in a steady stream, slowly soaking the quilt. He curled his hand closer around her, keep her dry, and sheltered by his body. 

As time wore on, the roar of the sky's wrath diminished and not a thread of lightening could be spotted across the sky. Pen was so very thankful for the calming company of the large man who protected her from the elements, from one of the few things she truly and genuinely feared. How strange it was, for a human not to fear a giant when by the standards of her race, they were a much worse and more immediate threat. None the less, she saw no danger in Jude but a gentle and kind man, almost charming as well.

In moments, she slid down toward the earth, falling asleep quickly, breathing steady and even and passing away the panic Pen had experience into nothing.