Chapter Text
Cerul sat in his quarters, his wings spread wide to accept the sunlight filtering in through his windows. Flickers of emotions brushed against him as others moved about within the enormous cottonwood tree, but Cerul tuned them all out in favor of his relaxation. Such moments could be rare, as he'd often warned his young pupil. Rischa was out playing now, surrounded by the feelings of everyone around her.
He took a slow breath, a measured movement with the slightest sway of the tree he called home. After so many years of housing the treepalace and the sprites' Archives, that cottonwood was alive with its own energy, its own laconic, stalwart personality.
It was a gracious host, and, like with all home trees, the sprites cared for it the best they could in return.
A stirring of attention in the living wood around him warned Cerul long before he felt the frantic urgency of the sprite running towards his rooms. He was already facing the door when they burst in. Their breathless surprise ached in Cerul's own chest, so he was patient as he waited for their explanation.
"Sir," they greeted before taking a few more heavy breaths. "Leafwing and Winchester just came back from a patrol. They found a giant."
Scar was already on his way to the wide front porch of the treepalace when Cerul intercepted him in the halls. Scar lifted his eyebrows, and merely got a slightly exasperated look in return.
"It's a bit beyond coincidence, isn't it?" Cerul said, and Scar snorted as they continued walking.
"If I'm honest, which you know I am, I figured it'd be those two that found one."
Cerul hummed thoughtfully. "It definitely suits them."
Scar smirked, thinking the exact same thing. Sam was, without a doubt, the most interesting knight in the ranks. Scar was proud of how far he'd come since he arrived, shivering and sniffling, clinging to the High Knight and shyly peeking around him at everyone. The boy had learned to fly, and had grown up into a confident young man with an uncanny ability to work as a seamless team with the other knights.
Bowman, like his father, had grown up into an accomplished flyer and the fastest patrolsprite in Wellwood without contest. His own father might be the only one to come close to his ability. He and Sam were exceptional in what they'd made of themselves, and it only made sense that they'd make the first contact with a giant that Wellwood had in several generations.
When they finally exited the tall doorway onto the porch, they found Sam and Bowman waiting dutifully for them with a few other patrolsprites listening to Bowman's description of the giant they'd found.
"Well?" Scar greeted, his eyebrows up. "We heard you two have quite the interesting tale to tell." His eyes fixed expectantly on Sam for the explanation.
Sam’s own eyes were bright as he stared back. He stood at attention before the High Knight, eager to tell the sprites about the first human seen since Sam himself. It might not be Dean, but meeting another person like himself was a rare chance.
“His name is Jacob,” Sam began, hoping to remind the other sprites that Jacob wasn’t just ‘the giant.’ Scar and Cerul knew best of all that humans were people like anyone else, but the other sprites could get caught up in the concept of how big humans could be.
“We went on patrol first thing this morning, and passed through a field on the way to the fence to survey the area. When we got there, we found a campsite set up with belongings, including a bag bigger than a house, so we decided to investigate. While we were on the ground, the human came back.” Sam did regret how off guard Jacob had caught them when he’d returned. “Bowman distracted him and I attempted to get my glider off the ground. I didn’t have enough time, but we were able to talk to Jacob and made him realize that we’re people just like him.”
Sam gave an abashed smile. “It was touch and go at first, but he was just curious. He won’t try to grab anyone again.”
Bowman nodded to confirm Sam's story, though everyone saw his sheepish look. Cerul and Scar were both bemused, and it didn't take Cerul's gifts to understand just how much Sam was glossing over the most important details of their first encounter with the human.
"Again," Scar echoed, doing well to hide his chuckle.
"It's good you weren't hurt," Cerul cut in, before one of the other sprites around them could blurt out the question tempting her tongue. "And you talked to this human for some time?"
Bowman nodded, knowing that Cerul was thinking about the usual policy of reporting such an important finding immediately. But, considering the safety of the village wasn't in any jeopardy, Bowman wasn't apologetic. Cerul looked like he guessed that.
"Like Sam said, it was touch and go. We got it figured out and Jacob's going to stay where he is unless he's got an escort."
"Ha," Scar answered with a grin, imagining a giant needing a blasted escort just to walk around in the woods. "I suppose you lot of patrolsprites lazing about should spread the word that there's a giant in the woods, hmm?" he asked pointedly.
Cerul rolled his eyes while the patrolsprites scattered, ready to tell the whole village and other sprites flying on patrol about Wellwood's latest visitor. "Not you, Bowman," he chided, amused.
Bowman stopped. Cerul could feel the excitement and wonder that still danced around the two of them, and it piqued his curiosity like few things ever did. "I think I'd like to meet him," he decided.
Scar, who had been the head of the search for Sam's family for months, nodded in agreement. He'd never wanted to give up, but he'd never imagined the wait would be this long. "I suppose we should see if we owe him any apologies for Leafwing's big mouth," he quipped, smirking now.
Bowman rustled his wings, but knew better than to flare them at the village's best fighter. "I didn't even say anything that bad to him," he complained.
“You’re just lucky he has no idea what sprite swears are,” Sam chided the sprite in return. It had taken time for him to pick up the different lingo that the sprites used, and his own background shone through on occasion. Jacob hadn’t had that chance, yet.
Sam had a feeling the human would be hearing more sprite swears from Bowman if they visited him again.
“Jacob did ask that if anyone is around, that he knows about them,” Sam informed the two noble sprites. They all understood the danger of being around an unaware giant. “He has to be one of the tallest humans I’ve seen, probably close to what my dad might have been if we’d ever found him. Otherwise, we warned him to expect company if he remains nearby. It’ll be safer for everyone if we don’t catch him off guard.”
Both the nobles nodded, and flexed their wings in clear preparation. Bowman glanced behind as the other patrolsprites flitted from home tree to home tree, spreading the news. Jacob was probably going to be aware of some visitors very soon. News always spread like wildfire in the village.
"I suppose we should surprise him with another visit sooner than later," Cerul mused, and Scar nodded. The High Knight was already as prepared as Sam was, with his sword belted at his side and a willingness to use it if he needed to.
Thankfully, with as mild as Jacob really was in spite of his size, he probably wouldn't need to worry about any more wounds from a knight's rapier.
"We can lead the way," Bowman said with a respectful nod. "He's made his temporary house in a clearing a couple miles south."
Sam nodded in agreement and strode back over to his glider, parked gracefully on the front porch. The cottonwood tree offered an excellent platform for take-offs, an important part of Sam’s original training when he’d created the glider.
He couldn’t help a thrill of excitement to be preparing to fly with Scar, his mentor.
It was the work of a few quick moments to strap into the glider. It was already prepared for him, and pointed at where he planned to take off. Sam exchanged a glance with Bowman, then leapt into motion. The floor vanished from under his feet to be replaced with open air, and he plummeted two feet down before the wind caught under the wings and it swept up to level out.
Bowman leapt into the air with a strong flap of his wings, and Scar did the same. Cerul took a running start to push himself off the edge of the porch much like Sam did, taking to the air on less powerful wings than the other sprites. They drew some gazes from other sprites around, with not one but two nobles heading out into the forest.
With the wind in their wings, they were on their way to the giant's camp.
Bowman didn't wheel and loop through the air as much as he normally would with Scar and Cerul around. It was strictly business as the four of them sped between the trees, sunlight glancing over their verdant wings. It didn't take them long to return to Jacob's clearing.
Bowman pursed his lips at the sight of the human stretched out on the ground relaxing, his full size easy to see. His bag lay under his head and the ends of his music pod cord were in his ears. It was easy to lose track of how big that human was while they were back on familiar ground in the village, but once again Bowman had a reminder. All four of them could probably huddle under his folded hands and be concealed from sight.
Scar, flying apace with Sam's glider, muttered out a curse. "Spirit's dance, he's big." Seeing that Jacob hadn't appeared to notice their arrival even as they circled the clearing, he glanced at Sam. "Where should we land to announce we're here?"
Sam observed Jacob’s relaxed position against the ground. The sight of the earbuds in the giant human’s ears made it easy to figure out how he might have missed the entrance of the sprites fluttering overhead. Sam pointed to the side, towards the empty patch of ground not far from the bare firepit. “Not too close to him.”
With a motion, Sam gestured at his own ears. One hand stayed firmly on the twig in front of him for support while he flew. “Those things in his ears block out sound and play music. He showed me and Bowman earlier. We’ll have to figure out a way to get his attention.”
Scar and Cerul both looked intrigued as they angled down towards the grassless patch of earth. Bowman remained hovering in the air once the others had come to their landings, and glanced over at Jacob. He still hadn't noticed them. "His music pod is pretty loud. No wonder he can't hear us."
Scar and Cerul both shared a glance before gazing past the young patrolsprite. Jacob was a massive person, easily over seventy inches tall if he were to stand. Even lying down, he was taller than a sprite, and his huge chest rose and fell with the sound of strong winds as he breathed peacefully.
"Why don't you go and get his attention, then, boy?" Scar suggested, the faintest smirk on his face. Cerul schooled his expression a little better, but Bowman felt his cheeks heat up anyway.
"I dunno what's so funny," he groused. "But yeah. I'll do that." Bowman turned with a rustle of his wings and surveyed Jacob's enormous form, wondering how best to let him know they'd returned.
He ended up gliding over and landing on the human's chest, between the two branches of his earpiece cord. The steady breathing immediately hitched and Jacob shifted. Bowman saw his eyes opening in surprise, but whirled around when a shadow crept up behind him.
Bowman's wings were half open and Jacob's hand was frozen, looming close. There was a pause, and then Jacob lowered his hand to tug the cord of the earpieces so he could hear.
Bowman turned a glare on his face. "Were you about to swat me?"
Jacob blinked at him, bemused. His voice rumbled in the chest beneath Bowman's feet. "What the hell were you expect-" His voice cut off abruptly when his eyes wandered to the side and spotted Sam and two more sprites nearby.
Jacob sat up abruptly, which knocked Bowman off his feet. He fluttered his leafy wings, but Jacob managed to stop his fall on a quick hand underneath him before staring back at the newcomers. Both of them stepped back in surprise and their little wings were fanning restlessly. One even had his own sword like Sam, and kept one hand on the hilt.
"Uh. Hey, Sam," Jacob greeted lamely, while Bowman sat up in his hand and shook his head to clear it.
Sam was having a hard enough time hiding a smile of his own at Bowman’s annoyance and how flustered Jacob looked at being caught off guard while he relaxed. The human hadn’t even closed his hand around the sprite when he caught him, so clearly they were making progress.
Taking a step forward from his glider, Sam inclined his head towards the nobles. “Hello, Jacob,” he greeted in return, keeping a straight face at the sight of Bowman in a hand. So long as he was with the nobles, he aimed for more ceremony. “The Lords Cerul Elanwyn and Scar Wolfblind wished to make your acquaintance and ascertain if there was any threat to the sprites.”
His eyes were solemn as they met Jacob’s large browns above. Best behavior, he thought to himself, hoping that the large human would meet with approval. Cerul’s ability to see into the hearts of others was invaluable in a situation like this.
Jacob's mouth hung open for a second more, and he felt his face heating up. He called them Lords, he noticed, and the fact continued to nudge its way to the fore of his mind. He was making a complete ass of himself in front of the leaders of the sprites.
"Jacob," one of them greeted, the one without a sword. His wings relaxed and he held up his hand towards his peer in a calming gesture to convince him to let go of his sword. "I am Cerul. Apologies for startling you." He almost looked amused.
Bowman finally regained his bearings and his wings fluttered to life on Jacob's hands before he could reply. Mumbles of the strange curses could be heard before Bowman hopped down and glided to the ground next to Sam's glider. The other lord, Scar, smirked openly at his miffed expression.
"Leafwing has his ways," Scar remarked. Bowman pouted, but had the presence of mind not to curse at him.
"Y-yeah," Jacob answered, finally finding his train of thought. "Ah, it's good to meet you, I'm glad you came to see me? Sorry for any trouble."
Cerul stared at him intently, and a pause drew out that no one else seemed to think was awkward. Jacob remained frozen while the tiny winged man looked up at him with intent, keen eyes. It gave Jacob the feeling he was being read like a book.
Cerul nodded to himself after the silence had lasted for several seconds. "It was a misunderstanding, so we've been told," he replied. "I think everyone surprised everyone."
Sam relaxed a bit after Cerul’s assessment, understanding that the sprite’s natural empathy, what they called the Voice, had come into play. He didn’t completely understand how it worked, but it did. He’d seen evidence of the magic they ‘borrowed’ from the Earth Spirit consistently ever since coming to the village, including the flower petals that the sprites could turn into lights for work deep inside the trees or lanterns at night.
More than once, he’d hauled Bowman to his home to get the sprite to Pray the lights on.
“I think Jacob might have been the most surprised,” Sam remarked. “It’s not like anyone would expect to find sprites living in the forest.” He shared a look with Scar. They’d talked about the myths humans had about fairies on more than one occasion, and the fact that anything resembling the sprites was just a myth. Even Dean and John had never mentioned anything about fairies or sprites. “He did pretty good. No one got hurt and everything got sorted out quickly.”
Bowman rustled his wings, but didn't disagree with Sam. Even though he'd been the one pinched in two fingers earlier that same day, he was alive and well now thanks to Jacob's consideration. Even when the human had no idea what was going on, he hadn't made any moves to hurt anyone.
Jacob chuckled quietly for his part. After a pause, he carefully shifted so he faced the four on the ground better without twisting his neck to the side just to look down at them. Multiple sets of wings flexed and quivered, showing how much he still shook the ground despite trying not to.
"I am really sorry about that," he said solemnly. "I was a little grabby at first."
"Just a little," Bowman interjected with a roll of his eyes.
Jacob sighed and shrugged, but it was Cerul who spoke next. "We know you didn't mean any harm by it," he said.
Scar propped his hands on his hips, appraising the human with his own intuition. He was mild in demeanor despite his size, and clearly repentant of whatever shenanigans he'd gotten into when he first found Sam and Bowman. It didn't take the Voice to see that.
"Well, I think so long as we all learned our lesson, it's easily forgiven, boy," he said, waving a hand. Behind him, his wing mimicked the gesture. "I doubt that's the last time you'll see Leafwing fluttering about in a huff, though. Welcome to Wellwood."
Jacob grinned, unable to hold it back while Bowman shot Scar an indignant glare and Sam smirked out of his line of sight. "Thanks. Glad to be here."
FIN