"Help! Help! Oh, please, isn't there anyone who can help me?"
The calls for help were so quiet that, at first, Aralisse almost didn't go to check.
'It's just some children playing games, maybe,' she thought to herself, coming up to a large branch that hung over the road she was traveling on. To anyone else, the tree limb would have sailed harmlessly overhead as they walked beneath, but for Aralisse? She had to duck underneath, and even then, the top of her head grazed the 13-foot limb before she continued on her way, her lips pursed in mild concern.
The giantess was distracted.
The cries for help weren't going away, not like she would have expected for a game. And, come to think of it, she hadn't passed a village in some time, and these woods certainly weren't a good place for children to be playing amongst themselves. The wolves and beasts stayed far away from her, being the biggest thing in these woods, but the voice that called out was small, weak.
The giantess paused, despite herself. What if it wasn't children playing? She didn't know if she could just walk away, now that the thought had crossed her mind.
"Help!"
Her mind made up, Aralisse broke off the road and pushed into the woods, the darkness forming around her almost immediately as the trees' canopies shielded the ground from the sun. The air got colder, too, and for a moment she felt a shiver steal over her--who was out wandering in these woods? And why?
Part of her question was soon answered, as the dark woods opened into a clearing, and she was presented with an interesting scene: a small, scrawny man, or was it a boy?, stood on top of a tall rock, and three wolves surrounded the base of the boulder, eyeing him with hunger and malice. Occasionally one would lunge upwards, their jaws snapping at the man's shoes that hung over the side of the rock. He yelped, then turned--she saw at a glance that he was smaller, smaller even than a human. A gnome?
The man saw her, his cries for help going quiet.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you!" Aralisse said excitedly, walking into the scene, but she paused as the wolves turned on her. She was much, much larger than the gnome, though, and she merely reached down to grab a nearby boulder, lifting it over her head. "Go on, you!" she shouted, throwing it towards the wolves, where it harmlessly hit the ground and rolled towards them--it was nearly as large as they were, and they backed up quickly at the threat, giving the hapless gnome some space.
Aralisse bent and grabbed an old log, waving it towards the beasts. "Go away! Find someone else to pick on!" she shouted again, and this time the wolves gave in, turning and fleeing into the forest with their tails between their legs.
The giantess looked for the man but realized quite belatedly that he was gone--in fact, all she saw of him was his cloak as he tried to run into the woods, likely to repeat this whole scenario when another pack of hungry wolves found him.
"Wait!" Aralisse cried, running after him. Thankfully, he was much smaller than her, and it took only a few steps for her to catch up to his fleeing form, her hands gently wrapping around him and lifting him into the air.
He was tiny, at least compared to the giantess, and even compared to a normal human he likely would have only come up to their knees or waist.
Aralisse had never met a gnome in person before, but she was certain that he was one. "Stop squirming," she said, chidingly, as the gnome was doing just that, "or I might accidentally hurt you." He put his hands on hers and tried to push her fingers open, and after a moment, she did so, allowing him to stand on her hands in front of her face.
He was rather cute, now that she was looking at him, and now that he wasn't squirming so much. He had short, ruffled dark hair, and he wore a dark robe and hat. He looked to be young, but an adult, so perhaps in his early years away from his family.
"Not even a thank you?" Aralisse teased, as the gnome had yet to speak since he first saw her. She poked him with her finger, which caused him to double up with an ooph, and a small smile flitted across her face when he straightened. "I'm Aralisse, and I just saved your life. I think that means you owe me."
"Owe you?" The gnome spoke for the first time, and Aralisse giggled. His voice was high and pitchy.
"Yes, owe me!"
Standing in her hands, the two could not have been more different. Aralisse was tall, though only average for a giantess, with long, blonde hair that reached down past her waist and a full, curvaceous form that was concealed by loose, thin cloth and occasional bucklers that held on armor, though the plates of armor were more for blocking irritations than a real battle. Underneath the curves and clothes, the firm silhouette of a muscular, massive body could be seen, though only dimly.
The gnome, on the other hand, was small and slight, looking as if he could blow away if she breathed too hard on him. Without thinking, she leaned in and pressed her lips to the side of his face--soft and small and not expecting it, the gnome stumbled backward with a shout of surprise, nearly tumbling from her fingers until she gently caught up and straightened him.
"I'm sorry," she said, though she didn't feel sorry, "I couldn't resist. You're so very cute. What are you doing out here all alone?"
The gnome, for the life of him, was struggling to figure out what he should do. Seeing the giantess coming out of the forests had been terrifying, but having her hands wrap around him while she easily lifted and carried him about was somehow... not. She didn't have to say it, but he knew immediately that she would not harm him.
"My name is Dilben," he said, finally, wishing that he could kick a rock and instead only seeing the smooth, soft skin of her palms.