Isle of Giants

Chapter Five (1)

    Forest of Caelia, Rai'lun

    Oana

    Oana stirred from her slumber and opened her eyes. The mellow glow of the moonshine orb was soothing as she came to, slowly dimming down and fading from sight as the light of the sun began to peek through the roots of the hyjial tree, stroking at her face and coaxing her into consciousness with tender shafts of yellow light.

    She blinked as she began to take in her surroundings in the illumination of a fresh new dawn. She seemed to be the first to awaken as all else was still. Opposite her she could see the giant slumped against the back of the hollow trunk with no tensed or coiled muscles, although his hand was relaxed around the wooden handle of one of his weapons. His head hung forward as if he had no bones in his neck and his hair fell into his face, just above his eyes. Looking down at her lap, the young griffon nuzzled his head contentedly and curled around Eon, pulling her closer into his warmth with his paws.

    Oana pulled herself further up into a more comfortable position and wondered whether or not she should wait for Iancu to wake up on his own or if she should do it herself. She didn't want to go anywhere near him and nudge him awake since there wouldn't be enough room for her to dodge if he felt like swinging his weapons again without thought. Instead she chose the safe option and cleared her throat, loudly.

    His head twitched before he looked up at Oana, alert and vigilant, his hand clutching tighter onto the hilt of his weapon. Oana then proceeded to stroke the young griffon's growing mane of fur to motivate him into getting up, but as always he was reluctant and was beginning to be a bad influence on Eon too. Usually she would have been up and out just as the Yellow Sun touched the top of the forest, but since she had left her patch of Caelia to join Oana she had started to become languid.

    Oana didn't let up until the both of them had opened their eyes and acknowledged the dawn. Defeated the griffon stretched his front paws out and rolled right off Oana's lap and hit the ground. The sudden impact jolted him into awareness and Eon began giggling at his clumsiness, her light growing brighter.

    Iancu groaned loudly as he shook his head, as if the deva's laughter clung to his skin like dried mud and he was desperate to cleanse himself of it.

    "How long has the sun been up?" He asked Oana, all the while giving Eon a deadly glare in which she gladly returned.

    "Not long."

    "Good. Let's go." Iancu grunted as he moved forward towards the lit opening and hauled himself under and out.

    Oana looked down at Eon who had her arms crossed unhappily and her wings fluttering in irritation at the krynn's snappy attitude. Oana gave her a look to rise above it and then began ushering the griffon and deva out first, remembering to gather the orb latched onto the bark first and stored it in the stave's pouch.

    Iancu paid them no attention as he assessed his surroundings. The griffon flapped his green feathered wings a few times before he hauled his rotund body into the air and onto a branch where he and Eon jumped and played together as the oreiad moved through the undergrowth with the giant.

    Oana scanned the trees for food, only picking the ripest of fruit which were at the end of their growing season and close to dropping to the ground, until her pouch was full for the light journey ahead. She turned and handed Iancu one of her picked fruits.

    "I'm not hungry." He retorted holding it out at a distance.

    "I've heard your stomach rumbling all dawn. It's the same fruit you ate last night. Eat, you'll need the energy."