Light peeked under the hat. Bowman’s eyes widened as the side slowly lifted, and he pondered diving underneath to escape. A huge hand snaked its way under the brim and his nerves shattered. Fingers the size of his body fished in the dirt, looking for him. Bowman tried to evade them, but soon enough one of the giant fingertips brushed his arm.
A fearful squeak formed in his throat as he tried to sidle around the hand only for a giant finger and thumb to pinch the front of his shirt. He twisted away, but that grasp dragged him forward several irresistible steps before the whole hand lunged forward and clamped around him.
The skin was much thicker than his, to say nothing about the strength of the grip coiled around him. Air fled Bowman’s lungs and the hand dragged him out of his prison at last. It engulfed his body from the waist down, with one arm pinned to his side. Bowman felt the human’s slow pulse, heavy and powerful compared to his own, and heat radiated all around him.
He squirmed with every ounce of strength he had, and his wings twitched with him. He pushed as hard as he could on the giant’s thumb as it lifted him up. The huge face loomed close, and Bowman did what he could to ignore it.
By the time the giant was back at its full height, panic had settled around Bowman’s heart like a cage. The giant stared awkwardly at him, and he trembled every time he glanced up at those enormous brown eyes. His attempts to escape didn’t bother his captor at all.
With no other options, Bowman let a desperate impulse drive his actions. He leaned forward and sank his teeth into the giant’s finger. The thick skin resisted his effort at first, and then his sharpest teeth broke through just enough. A faint taste of copper came just before the giant dropped him.
He fell like a stone, taking a deep breath with newly freed lungs. Then, his wings snapped open and he leveled off in the air. He hurtled towards the edge of the clearing with his wings blurring in the night air to bank upwards.
No giant would catch Bowman Leafwing when he was flying.
( To find out what happens, find the book here: x )
Artwork by the amazing @featherpantsart
Writerly Things 