Coraline stayed near the human as he slept. She didn't even know if he knew he had fallen asleep because even she didn't notice until he didn't answer her when she asked if he was hungry. Before she had gotten water, she had gone and picked apples off of some trees away from the village. And by some, she picked a few trees clean of them. Probably even more than a few.
A quiet groan caught the young girl's attention and her brown eyes turned towards Conrad with a frown, who was holding his shoulder and frowning in his sleep. A frown fell over her own face as she remembered her leg and pulled up her pant leg just enough to see the dry blood streaks on her leg which led up to tiny bullet holes in her skin. "At least they're small." She whispered with a quiet sigh.
Sometimes she didn't feel six years old. She felt older, because of how much she had to take care of herself and be alone. Make smart choices to keep herself safe. So having this adult human around, maybe she could be a kid again. Maybe he could take care of her and be the friend she needs. Her mind began to wander as she stared at the caves rock wall.
The giantess ran across the dark land, clutching her child close to her chest. The humans were spreading out, surrounding them. After her husband was brutally murdered, she couldn't let the same thing happen to her little girl. Not tonight.
The five-year-old Coraline clung to her mother with tears running down her face. "M-Mommy." She whispered, fear clear in her voice.
"Hush now child." Her mother whispered, moving a hand to the back of her daughter's head. "We'll be just fine, don't worry." She cooed gently, closing her eyes for only a moment. Once she opened then, there was a crowd of humans in her path causing her eyes to widen in fear as she held her child tighter against her.
Coraline managed to glance around, seeing the humans surrounding her and her mother. Tears continued to run down her own face as she stared at them. Suddenly there were loud popping noises, and she was dropped from the safety of her mother's arm onto the ground.
As the child hit the ground, she saw that the tremors had made some of the group lose their balance. Turning to her mother, she saw her holding her ankle. "Mommy?" She asked with fear and now worry in her voice.
The giantess held her heel tightly, eyes shut as she crouched on the ground. Blood was running in between her fingers and down her foot into the grass below. The humans had been smart shooting at her heel. They hit the main muscle that once it's cut, you can't walk. The Achilles heel. As tears began to run down her own face, she felt something wrap around her ankles and wrists, seeing rope being wrapped around them. She wanted to fight back. She wanted to pull away but her nature just wouldn't allow her to hurt them.
Coraline stood in fear as she watched them tying her mother down. She immediately thought back to when the humans had slid a blade across her father's throat, and she had watched him choke on his own blood. She couldn't do that again.
Turning away from her mother, she bolted away into the night. She could hear shouts about her getting away, but they were more focused on the older, bigger giantess that they had tied down anyway.
She ran and ran, for what seemed like hours, until the shouts were out of earshot. Her vision was blurry, her legs were aching, but she had to get away. Coming to a stop, she breathed heavily and looked around through the dark night, not a light in sight until she looked to the north, a village a few miles away.
Looking around some more, she saw a large hole in the side of a mountain, quickly getting down on her hands and knees and crawled inside, tears streaming down her face. Pulling her knees to her chest, she held them tightly and hid her face in them as she allowed herself to just cry.
Conrad woke up suddenly to water landing on him, and looking around he saw the giant child sitting with her eyes closed. She had tears running down her cheeks, falling down onto the floor. "Coraline?" He called out gently and pushed himself into a sitting position.
Coraline's eyes snapped open and she looked down at Conrad with a frown. But her frown turned into a slight smile when she saw his hair and part of his shirt soaked. "D-Did I cry on you?" She said with a small giggle.
"I think so, but it's alright. Just tell me what's wrong okay? Are you hurt?" He asked softly with a gentle smile.
"No, I'm okay." She answered simply and reached down, lifting the human up and close to herself like a stuffed animal again.
"Are you sure?" He murmured, ignoring the way he was being held and knew she just needed comfort.
"Yes, I'm sure. Just...can I hug you?"
"Yes, that's fine." Conrad chuckled softly as he felt himself pressed into the child's chest as she hugged him gently.
"Thank you. I-I was just thinking about my mommy and daddy again. It makes me sad." Coraline said quietly, looking down at the human as she gently placed him back on the ground so he could relax.
"I know, it must hurt huh?" He said quietly, frowning. "I'll do whatever I can to help, okay? You saved me. I want to help."
Looking down, Coraline messed with her hair. "Thank you, again." She looked at him and smiled. "You're nice like my daddy was."
"Well, I'm glad you think I'm nice," Conrad said with a light chuckle as he laid back down on his back, staring at the rock ceiling with a hand resting on his shoulder. It was then he began to think about what on earth he could do to help this girl.
YOU ARE READING
Misunderstandings ((G/T))
Fantasy((I DREW AND OWN THIS COVER!!)) Ever since giants were discovered by the humans, who were only about as tall as their hands, humans became hostile. The giant race was suddenly being slaughtered, left and right, and was not in their nature to fight b...
