Healers' Call

Unhappy Campers

Valda jerked awake, looking around to see what had woken her. The furs slipped off her as her confused eyes connected with a pair of nervous ones.

A smaller giant was crouched on the floor placing fresh bowls of food on the mat. She straightened when she caught Valda looking at her, playing with her mossy dress and green pigtails.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Princess." She bowed but stumbled forward as her nerves got the better of her. "Um, I've got to go." Spinning on her heels, she headed towards the door at lightning speed.

"Wait," Valda called out, making the giant girl stop and tilt her head back, a scared look on her face. "Thanks for bringing us food."

Valda smiled at her, pleased to see an answering smile appear on the giant's face before she bustled out of the hut.

Valda shook her head, it was going to take a lot of time until she was comfortable being called Princess. To her, she would always just be plain old Valda.

The delicious smells made her stomach grumble and she hurried over to see what was on offer. Bowls filled with berries and other fruits that looked ripe and perfect for eating. Chunks of different meats, some in broths, others covered in glazes, made her mouth water.

Though they'd done well surviving through the forest, they hadn't had food like this. And there was so much of it.

She wanted nothing more than to dive right in, but then she remembered her friends. She would check on them first and then gorge herself on food.

Mauve's bed was closest, but she was already starting to wiggle around so Valda left her be.

She had to stifle a giggle when she caught sight of Tevin. He'd cocooned himself so well in furs he resembled a giant burrito. Whilst Carrick had thrown most of the furs off himself and slept on his stomach.

From what she could tell, they both appeared as if they were well. Both had patches of moss tied around their heads and Valda only hoped it was the same stuff Nisog had given Mauve. If not, they were going to wake up with some major headaches.

Seeing that her friends were in no immediate danger, Valda helped herself to the food, relishing the taste as it filled her empty stomach. With everything that had happened the night before, they'd missed dinner and now her stomach was pushing her to make up for the lost meal. Thankfully, it appeared a giant's portion was much larger than the average Fae's.

"Mmm, what is that delicious smell?" Mauve's head popped up, her nose high in the air as she breathed in the food's aroma.

She spotted Valda sitting cross-legged on the floor and went over to investigate. It wasn't until she sat, picking at the bowls, that she even realised something was different about their surroundings.

"Valda? Where are we?" She kept her voice neutral, but inside she was panicking.

The room was vast and round. It looked like it was made of a combination of rocks and mud, but there were also flowers pressed into the mix. Explaining the slight floral scent that seemed to cling to everything. The floor was covered in a course rug, similar to what she assumed was the door. It wasn't uncomfortable to sit on, but wasn't as soft as her bed.

Valda looked at Mauve, trying to judge how much she would freak out if she just told her. "We're in the giants' camp." She decided it was better just to get it out there. Better if Mauve freaked out whilst there was food to calm her down.

Mauve's expression went from panicked to terrified in under a second. "We have to get out of here."

Valda pulled at her hand, stopping Mauve from jumping to her feet. "Look, just calm down and eat some food. We're safe here," she tried to explain, but Mauve was having none of it.