A Giant's Heart: Chapter 20 (Patreon)

With a strength beyond any human Osa grabs its head and hauls the dead weight of the pack animal closer to her then wrenches its neck to a most unnatural angle.  Taking up a large rock she brings it down on the skull of the donkey formerly known as Spud, cracking it open with a sickening crunch.

She is all smiles as she starts tearing skin and peeling bits of skull away to get to the gray matter.  “Brain best part.”  She says merrily, hungrily licking her lips.

“You…but…that was…Spud!”  I babble.  It had all happened so quick!  A terrifying reminder of just how dangerous Osa was.  While I had a soft spot for her extreme and unfiltered moods, these combined with such savage power was a recipe for disaster.

Looking at me like a kid receiving their most coveted wish during Solstice Eve gift giving she motions to the glistening exposed brain of the animal.  “You eat.”

I look down at the caved in head of Spud and the fresh raw brain steaming in the cool damp air.  Holding up a hand I say.  “No, I’m good.”

Her face falls, just for a moment, before the smile returns.  With the nail of finger she scoops out a dollop of the organ flesh.  In a voice low and solemn she extends her hand and offers it to me.  “Drake eat first.  Have best meat.  You bring, you have best.”  Her wide amber eyes urged me to understand.

I could see this was very important to her, but I had no intention on consuming Spud’s brain.  I consider ranting at her for killing my trusty old pack animal but I could see no purpose in it now.  Spud wasn’t coming back and I didn’t want to sour the endearing smile that looked so nice on her right now.

Gently yet firmly I push her hand back again.  “I brought it for you Osa.  It is a gift.  All for you.”

There is a flinch, her eyebrows furrow as she considers my words.  “Humans dumb.”  She says before jamming the finger into her mouth and voraciously slurping it clean.  She is soon prying the skull wider to gouge out the rest.  “Mmm, good brain.”

Picking up the kitten I walk over to sit beside Osa out of the rain.  The unpacking could wait.  Shivering and wet the kitten huddles against my belly as I dry him with my cloak.  It isn’t long before I have him purring and kneading his little paws with their pin prick claws against my stomach.

After the brain Osa cracks more bones to pull the eyes from the sockets, bringing them to her lips almost daintily like they were a fancy hor d’oeuvre.  They pop and squish in her mouth.  Seemingly satisfied for the moment after the delicacies she sucks each finger and thumb clean then smacks her lips.  She looks down at me and the feline and with no compunction reaches down to lift me up onto her lap.

“Hey!”  I protest at being manhandled, but let it happen anyway.

Once on her good thigh she gives me a big all encompassing hug, pulling me hard into her soft boobs, and lays a big kiss on my cheek.  The little cat squirms between us.  After a moment’s hestitation…I hug her back.  I hadn’t realized until just this moment just how much I yearned for exactly this.  After what happened with Zayne, and knowing in my heart that I probably would never see him again, I need a hug more than anything.  She holds me a long time and I gladly take every second of it.  Some deep down child like part of me felt safe and cherished in this big soft warm embrace.

When we part I am treated with another wet brain smelling kiss.  Though no longer holding me Osa continues to touch me in anyway she can, her big hands rubbing my back and stroking my leg and just…touching me.  

“Happy.”  She says again.

I can’t help but chuckle.  “I am happy to see you too Osa.  Looks like you are feeling better.”

“Leg hurt.  Better though.”

“I should look at it.”  I pick up the kitten and put it into the palm of one of her massive hands.  “Here.”  Before letting go of him I look her in the eyes.  “Be gentle!  No killing the kitten.”

“No kill.”  She says as she bring the little orange cat to her face to inspect him more closely.

As I pull back her blankets and clothes to get a look at her splinted leg I add.  “You need to do something for me Osa.”

“What?”  She asks.  The kitten was sniffing her nose now then rubbing his nose against hers.  The way her face scrunched up was adorable.

“I need you keep him alive.  You have to look after him.  Feed him, make sure he gets water, that sort of thing.”  I carefully place my hand over the site of the break.  The flesh was hot to the touch but had a healthy color to it.  “He’s a barn cat but pretty much domesticated.  Look after him and he should stick around.”  The kitten begins licking her lips, wanting a little taste of the raw donkey.  I reach in where the token was and pull it out.  It was now a dark steel gray, darker than the clouds in the sky, but not yet black.  I slip it back into place.  “You know, I think this might just work.  It might not get your leg to a hundred percent but hopefully it’ll get you up and walking.”

“Why?”

“Why?  Well, the magic should…”

“Why cat?”  She interrupts.  “Grow cat to eat?”

I cover her leg back up.  “No silly, grow cat to be friend.”

“Cat no talk.  Friend?”

“Well, he can’t talk but you can talk to him and sing to him.  And he can cuddle and play.  Having a pet is pretty great.”

She didn’t quite grasp the concept but accepted the request regardless.  “Okay.  If Drake want.”

“I want that.  Thank you.”  I doubted she’d be able to keep the cat long, but if it did work out I hoped it would ease her loneliness once she was headed back out into the wilds.  “He needs a name.  A good strong name.”

“Him not strong.  Him puny.”  She taps at his head with her thick finger to which he arches his back and rubs against her.

I laugh.  “He’s big for his age.  He was the biggest of all of his brothers and sisters.  He’s big for what he is.”

Osa likes this.  “Biggest?  Strongest?”

“Yep.  The pick of the litter.”

“Blerk.”  She pronounces directly.  “Good name.”

“Strong name.”  I finish her next words.

She looks at me and giggles.

“Blerk it is.  Blerk and Osa, sounds like they belong together.”

“And Drake.”

I roll my eyes.  “For now.”

Chapter 21