Chapter 587 - Challenger

High up in misty lonely mountains a large group of giants follows one of the tallest giants ever seen thirty feet tall. The Gurg, the giant clan chieftain, Wurfbog lead his growing number of followers. Behind him walks a twenty-five-foot-tall giantess, his new mate, and the giant clan shaman. He had triumphed over her Gurg in battle and took her as his own.

The Giantess shaman's name was Iwara. She was tall with broad shoulders, a large chest, and a curved bottom. She was on the slender side, which was rare for giantesses' women. Her golden hair was braided with fangs, claws, from her own kills and that of her new mate. Her pale sour face is painted with the blood of their enemies. Her fingers are strong and capable of crushing bones with her bare hands. Her teeth are sharp and her nails like claws easily able to tear through flesh.

Iwara carried a carved staff in her gray hand which she used as a wand much as the wizards did. She was perhaps the first giant witch in existence and the last. She was far from being a powerful witch, but for a giant that was already rather dangerous and impressive enough. Most giant shamans possessed the capability to cast invisibility spells and healing magic to aid the wounded and those in childbirth.

However, Iwara could perform basic wizarding spells. In the past, she had raided wizarding homes and stolen books which to read and study. An old half-giant had taught her to read and write in the human tongue. As long as it was English, she'd been able to learn magic on her own, which was a source of great pride for her.

Wurfbog had challenged her father the Gurg giant clan chieftain of their and crushed him, quite literally. Iwara had been thrilled at being asked to become the mate of such a tall and powerful giant. She happily agreed and they mated that very night.

Iwara held out her hand and said, "The shaman of this tribe is rather powerful. He or she has cast protective wards. Most shamans cannot except the most powerful."

Wurfbog flashed his razor-sharp shark teeth and said, "Can you tear through the wards?"

"Easily," Iwara growled with a fierce hungry delight. She'd never killed another giant until her mate had led her into conquering the last two clans that followed them. And she discovered she enjoyed the scent of blood and the taste of death on her tongue.

Iwara muttered gibberish under her breath as she tore through the wards and followed Wurfbog into the mountain. The giants following them proudly stomped up the mountain following their Gurg. Gray skinned, Wurbog wore his dragon skin clothes and necklace of dragons and teeth of his vanquished enemies. Through a new necklace of crimson dyed teeth hung around his neck that was still growing, the molars of the giants that he had killed.

Wurfbog's hair was thick and black chopped at his earlobe kept short. And his face was clean shave with no hair on it. Many a giant stared at him strangely, but it was a constant reminder to Wurfbog to remain constantly vigilant. One careless move and he could easily nick his own throat with the sharp blade he used each day to shave his face.

A group of giants with clubs surrounded a large, fat, lazy giant. The fat Gurg rumbles to his feet and in giant says, "Intruder. Get out. My land!"

Wurfbog flashes his shark teeth at him and says, "Challenge."

There is a gasp from the giants behind the fat Gurg. They can easily tell that the giant before them towers before their own chief. And holds a bloodied club that is fifteen feet long and thick as an oak tree. The said club has spiky dragon's talons inserted into it and has the scent of fresh blood on the club. Many a giant had already died at this giant's hands.

"Accept," the Gurg of the giant tribe foolish replied. In this giant's lazy, pig-like mind; it could not comprehend the danger that stood before him.

The giants standing behind him hastily step back as the fat Gurg climbs to his feet. The fat Gurg barely has time to grab his own club when Wurfbog dashed forward. A trained, fit hunter Wurfbog easily dodged the clumsy strike and smashed his own club with full force into the fat Gurg's head. The fat Gurg's head cracks open like a watermelon spraying the nearby giants with brain matter.

The giants tremble at the horrible sight as their Gurg falls to the ground dead with a loud thump that shakes the forest floor. The shaman of the tribe, an old giant slowly bows his head as do the rest of the giants. The children giants hide behind their mothers and tremble in fear. They knew instinctively that this new Gurg was dangerous.

"We celebrate and rest tonight," Wurfbog bellowed as the giants following him loudly cheer. "Tomorrow, we move on to unite more giants under our tribe!"

Iwara proudly stands next to her mate and stares down her large nose at the other giants. With the aid of the shaman before her, they would be able to travel via the old ways and gather the remnants of the giant tribes into one. And then, they would show the human world what fear was. They had forgotten that Giants were meant to be feared!

Elsewhere a giantess with thick salt-peppered hair pulled back into a long braid stood at the edge of a small human village. She had carefully wandered into the village at night and knocked at the door of an elderly witch.

The elderly witch in a nightgown with a shawl wrapped around her carefully opened the door and blinked at seeing the giantess who had once lived and married a farmer, who lived on the outskirts of the village, Mr. Hagrid.

They had, had a son, Rubeus Hagrid, but the giantess had left them. And then the poor boy's father had gone and died. But worst of all the lad had been expelled from Hogwarts. Thankfully, Professor Dumbledore had intervened and kept the poor boy on as the groundskeeper.

The elderly witch waited for the giantess to speak first. Fridwulfa softly said, "Hello, Mrs. Colgate. Remember me?"

"Aye, I remember you, Mrs. Hagrid," the elderly witch said in disapproval. "You went and left your husband and child, yes, you did. I warned Mr. Hagrid that you were nothing but trouble! Giants weren't meant to be with common folk like us!"

"Yes, I go," Fridwulfa replied a bit shamefaced.

"Yes, abandoning that poor boy only three years old!" Mrs. Colgate snapped. "And as for that poor husband of yours, you broke his heart! Yes, you did."

Fridwulfa nods her head with a mix of emotions, and asks, "I look for son. Know where son went?"

"Why should I?" Mrs. Colgate snapped. "You went and abandoned the poor lad and not nary a word from you all these years! Not even when his father died did you return!"

"Human mate is dead?" Fridwulfa blinked in obvious surprise.

"You did not know?" Mrs. Colgate narrowed her eyes and suspiciously asked.

"No," Fridwulfa truthfully answered with a slow shake of her head.

Mrs. Colgate squints at Fridwulfa, before slowly saying, "Alright, I'll tell you. But only so you can apologize to that poor boy of yours. Your son is the groundkeeper at Hogwarts. Do you know how to get there?"

"Son is wizard?" Fridwulfa blinked in obvious surprise.

"Aye, he went to Hogwarts," Mrs. Colgate answered tactfully failing to mention the boy being expelled. But she had heard rumors that the poor boy had been retried and found innocent. Who knew in the end, but she wasn't about to say a peep on the subject?

Fridwulfa seemed to be in awe at the very thought, before saying, "Thank you. I will go now."

Mrs. Colgate seeing the pinched look on Fridwulfa knew that the giantess must have traveled from far away. "Wait," Mrs. Colgate called out. "I've some food in the storage for you to take."

"Thank you," Fridwulfa sincerely said as Mrs. Colgate showed her to the cellar in the back of the house. Mrs. Colgate pointed to the buckets of picked apples and other such things that could be taken away. Fridwulfa soon gathered said items and left with plenty of food to feed herself and her family.

Mrs. Colgate sighed as she watched the giantess leave and disappear into the night. "I can only hope she doesn't bring trouble to that boy of hers," Mrs. Colgate muttered to herself. Because why else would a giantess return in search of her son?

Pulling her shawl around her in the night chill, Mrs. Colgate returned into her warm cottage. Still, sound asleep in bed, Mr. Colgate had not even stirred as Mrs. Colgate climbed back into bed. Sniffing, she says, "I could have been eaten alive and you'd not have awoken Mr. Colgate. I am most unhappy."

Mr. Colgate's response was a very loud snore as Mrs. Colgate with a sulky huff turned on her side to try to sleep. And if the next morning Mr. Colgate found himself facing a grumpy wife. He was none the wiser for the reason as to why.