FierroChase adventure, with Samirah and Sleipnir!

Night Fight and Flight

We approached Odin's stallion with confidence but caution. I tried to maintain a friendly aura, holding my palms outward, wishing Hearthstone were here to summon Stanley, so our own eight-legged friend could tell his father we come in peace.
Sam was saying soft words to Sleipnir as we crossed the clearing. The closer we got, the smaller the grey appeared to be. When we got close enough for him to reach out and sniff our hands, I realised he had intentionally shrunk down to just bigger than horse-sized-Alex.
Sleipnir nickered, much less intimidating now, and happy to greet us. I poked at the knots while Samirah stroked his face.
The knots had a visible pattern to them, perfectly matching, figure-of-eight shaped. I didn't like our chances of untying them.
"We could see if Jack can cut it?" At the mention of his name, the rune hummed against me collarbone.
"I can try my axe first." Sam said, pulling it from her side. "Also, if Jack breaks into song, that might wake the giant."
Jack vibrated his argument.
After some hacking, in which the rope didn't even dent, Alex jumped up and strolled over. The giant was still snoring deeply and deafeningly.
"Let me try my garrotte." He offered. The thin gold wire was a strand from the very head of Thor's wife, Sif, and had magical properties.
Sleipnir stretched out to snuff Alex, seemingly interested in his bright clothing.
Alex's wire didn't cut the rope. He moved on to investigating the knot at the tree.
Dusk was upon us, and the trees surrounding the clearing were cast in dark shadow. I didn't fancy spending any more nights in Jotunheim. I looked at Alex. Granted, I was already staring at him, but I shifted my attention from his body to what his hands were doing.
"We should try Jack." I whispered. Why was I whispering? It was so quiet in the clearing, I felt like we should be keeping our voices low. Sam and Alex were murmuring together about the knot. I heard the words 'Loki' and 'enchantment' used in the same sentence and thought great.
Previously, I had been counting the pauses between the giants snores, and maybe too late, I realised he wasn't snoring anymore, or was taking an almighty breath. Sleipnir neighed a warning.
We all leapt behind Sleipnir's tethering tree as the giant sat up and stretched then rubbed his eyes.
Content with his afternoon nap, he grunted, "Time to cook supper." And rose to his feet, not as tall as the giantess but probably just as bad-tempered.
He stomped across the clearing. We kept hidden behind the tree, our hearts beating quickly.
"I think I can untie the knot." Alex breathed. I was pressed warmly against his side."You guys distract him."
"You better do it quick, Odin's horse is about to be dinner!" Sam readied her axe, not keen to fail the mission.
"Little horse, why have you shrunk?" The giant mumbled as he came over. The stallion pulled against his rope. "I was looking forward to a hearty meal. Consuming Odin's own steed ought to do something good for me." We saw a hand reach towards Sleipnir's lead and Samirah leapt out, with a battlecry and sliced his fingers.
"UGHHWWWAGAGGH!" The giant somewhat said, retracting.
"Get out there!" Alex shoved me out from behind the tree and went back to work on the knot.
I summoned Sumabrandr and took a fighting stance in the clearing, between the giant and Alex.
"You got this Jack?" I asked my sword.
"Ready to slice and dice!" He replied happily. I threw him towards the giant and Jack and Sam began their hacking. I stood my ground and tried not to look helpless.
Alex muttered and cursed Loki as he tugged the knot. Sleipnir was impatiently pawing the soft ground with two hooves and snorting.
The giant swatted at Jack and tried to stomp Samirah who was nailing the army rolls out of the way. The giant was threatening to serve us up as a side dish once he got us.
The giants feet were getting close to Alex, Sleipnir and I.
"Jack!" I warned. My sword zipped over to fend the giant from us.
"Nearly got it!" Alex cried. Sleipnir seemed to be dancing on the spot, performing little rears. I hoped he wasn't going to do the bolt once we freed him.
It was getting rather dark now, but the giant was a great black silhouette against the treetops that couldn't be missed. Sam suddenly got kicked and went sprawling across the churned earth. She had bruises and was slow to get up.
"Got it!" Alex yelled and shot past me, garrotte brandished. He ran to defended Sam against the sole of a huge foot coming down. I made the decision to grab Sleipnir's now trailing lead, not that I'd have the strength to hold him if he turned and bailed on us.
Alex flicked out one end of the wire and sliced off three fat toes. The giant screamed something terrible and hopped around the clearing, blood waterfalling from his foot.
Alex pulled Sam to her feet and put her arm around his shoulders.
I ran over, leading Sleipnir, who thankfully obliged.
"We should go." I said.
"Ride Sleipnir?" Alex asked.
"No. He's Odin's." Sam murmured, dazed. A spot on her forehead was turning purple and swelling.
The giant, walking on the heel of his massacred foot, charged us.
"You're gonna regret doing that, green-haired weasel!" He roared at Alex in particular.
I stepped in front of my friends. This giant was going to have to pummel me before getting to them. Which mightn't take him long. Suddenly Sleipnir leapt towards the giant. He had grown to an immense size and swung around, tucked his handsome head between his four front legs, and bucked with the four back ones. Two pairs of giant black hooves connected with the giant's chest with a crack like thunder and he went flying back, flattening about twenty trees at the side of the clearing. He lay there flat on his back, moaning.
Sleipnir neighed with pleasure and looked up to the night sky. Somehow, I realised what he was about to do.
"Grab his rope and hold on!" I cried to the others. We all lunged for it as the grey horse leapt into the sky and galloped towards the stars. We all hugged the rope, dangling through the air after him.
"My blade would have cut the rope." Jack informed as he trailed after us. I wanted to grab him and I don't know, maybe throw him, but I figured if I did I would pass out from the fighting he had done and fall back to the earth.