Random shorts/stories

True Friends

Original: http://lumieredarling.deviantart.com/art/True-Friends-Chapter-Two-511837218

Author: http://lumieredarling.deviantart.com

(The next few parts are of the same author and series so I'm putting them in the same section.)

The hissing of metal on metal is the first sensation I am able to detect aside from the intense pounding in my skull. Groaning I try to open my eyes, but my body doesn't seem to want to respond. My tongue feels heavy in my mouth, and I vaguely notice that I can't seem to taste anything or even move it. My mind slips in and out of focus, yet the metallic hissing continues. What is that? With a final burst of will the grogginess begins to clear, and my eyes open some.

The noise stops.

Above me I can see the stars. Thousands of tiny orbs in the sky. I stare at them, still blinking the sleep from my eyes. I wonder what its like up there. I roll my eyes and attempt let out a massive yawn, only half managing; there is something weird covering my mouth. Working my jaw around I determine that it has to be some sort of muzzle. Then it all comes back to me: losing my temper, desperately fleeing the city, Gideon following, seeing the look on his face, attempting to explain, him knocking me out, falling... Wait, that means I'm still a giant. I feel another yawn come on and this time I manage a small one, it's then I hear a familiar cussing noise.

"Holy ****!" I feel something scrambling around on my chest, just below my chin. Craning my head to look down I gasp in pain as my hair is yanked backwards by what I assume is ropes. I must be tied down. I strain try and lift my arms and legs and the notion is confirmed. Yep, tied down. I snort in annoyance, and try again. This time lifting my head slower, I manage to lift it high enough to see Gideon sprawled on my chest, propped up on his elbows as if he just fells backwards and froze in the process of trying to escape. He stares at me, his breathing heavy, eyes huge with fear. He must have been frightened when I yawned, oops. We stare at eachother for several minutes, each trying to work up the courage to speak. Finally he seems to relax some, sitting forward he rubs a hand over his face, eyes hard by the time it reaches his hairline. Standing he lifts his sword from where he dropped it on my chest, sheathes it, then picks up the stone he was using to sharpen it. That must be what the metal scraping noise I heard earlier was, he was sharpening his sword. Gideon sticks his hands on his hips, one still holding the stone, and stares at me for a long while. I remain silent, unsure of what to do. Finally he lifts the stone in front of his eyes, looks at it calmly, then throws it across the arena.

"What the heck Cole?!" He screams, pulling at his hair. He spins around, sword ringing as he pulls it from its sheath, pressing it's cold tip to my throat. "Why didn't you tell me? What the heck are you? What is this, turn into a giant monster and play the giant slayer until it's time to eat everyone?!" I feel blood trickling down my neck from the sword tip. "I mean, I spend my whole life protecting this city from gigantic monsters, only to find out my best friend, and adopted brother, IS ONE."

I attempt to speak, but the muzzle muffles my ability to talk, before I am able to form a coherent word Gideon snarls and pushes the sword point deeper into me throat. "Don't you dare speak you know this sword has killed giants before, it can do it again." I can feel the sword swaying against my skin, he is shaking. "How could you do this? We were brothers, we told eachother EVERYTHING, we would have died for eachother man. How could you lie like that? How could you not tell me? Are you even still Cole anymore?" He steps back, lowering the sword, and looks at me with a look I never thought I'd see Gideon give me: desperation. I blink sympathetically, yearning to tell him I am sorry. Instead I resort to the oldest joke we have as friends, it started when we were playing as kids. I got hurt when we were being rather naughty and sneaking into the arena, we both got caught, and as they were dragging us home I gave Gideon the thumbs up, which he then returned. Ever since that day thumbs up has been a special thing between us.