Life Renewed, Problems Postponed

This is my first story so I would love as many tips and constructive criticism ad you'd be willing or capable of posting. It's not the first but a very early story of the characters from my character thread, chronologically speaking. 

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Contact Initiated

The hillside was frozen, shrouded in an infinite layer of snow and ice. Two specks dotted the white canvas as they trudged haphazardly. Neither were moving quickly, battered by the constant sleet and hail. 

Upon closer inspection the blurry dots appeared to be two men each covered in their entirety. The first was a rather gaunt fellow. Ginger hair and goatee wrapped in a thick grey parka along with his foggy spectacles while a heavy backpack bogged him down. 

The second was a taller lanky individual in a parka matching his companion's. Spindly blond hair tumbled down his face while his eyes were hidden behind thick goggles. In his hand he held a large stick that prodded the ground.  

The first's shivering form allowed a gasp to escape his mouth. His breath clouded the air when he spoke. 
"Allen we have to stop." He squinted at his partner while the snow continued to pile up on him. "We're going to freeze just help me pitch the tent. please!" he pleaded to his fellow wanderer. 

The other man, Allen, could only offer an exasperated heave in response. He shook his head and limply waved a hand at his compatriot. Finally he managed a hiss through his pale blue lips. "A little more Grant, I want- I know we can manage just a little more then we'll stop I promise." Allen's knees buckled under him and all of his weight shifted onto his creaking walking stick.

Grant stole a glance at his failing friend, eyes wide and mouth agape as he knitted his brow. Inching over towards Allen Grant dislodged his heavy pack with a powerful shove. Holding his coat tightly to his face in a desperate attempt to hold in any semblance of warmth.

Fatigue grabbed Allen. The relentless daze infested his body and seeped away his last reserves of strength. In a moment everything gave way. His aching form collapsed to the frigid ground in front of Grant. He had lost any sort of resolve to progress. He lay utterly defeated by the icy assault.  

Prepared for the worst Grant unfolded parts of a tent from his bag with one hand. Using the other he brought Allen close to his body, pressing him into his marble skin. "Goddamnit Allen what have you gotten yourself into?" Grant said under his breath, more mist seeping into his view. Allen began to shudder reacting to Grant's chest. He reached towards his partner's face, which seemed like a million miles away to him. 

"Grant? Grant what's going on?" Allen's eyes began to drift through the brutal blizzard as its barrage of ice refused to quit.

Grant stole a sluggish look back down at the blonde man.  "I'll tell you what's going on you almost died! Again I should add. Now get up the tent's almost ready." He hastily reached over Allen as he anchored the squat tent to the white floor of the tundra. It was a reflective firey orange standing out against the white of the frozen world.  Sparing no time he squeezed into the tiny dwelling and pulled the frozen Allen in after him along with his walking stick.  

Being inside wasn't much of a comfort to either of the explorers. The vicious howls of the wind surrounded them and the powerful sleet painfully rocked them back and forth. Both men laid there motionless, corpselike. The creeking shelter was only a small reprieve from the harsh environment as it fought a losing battle of atrition with the cold. Frozen air skulked under the entrance flap. It seized the zipper from the control of the frosty inhabitants and held on with its icy grip. Desperate to hold onto his and Allen last reserves of precious warmth Grant burrowed through his pack unearthing a large wool blanket, shriveled sleeping bags and thermos. 

Shoving himself and his compatriot into the tight space of the pouches Grant shoved the blanket up against the front flap. Once it was lodged in the screaming wind became less and less audible, eventually quitting completely. Next was the thermos. Cracking open the silver canister the aroma of it's delicious treasure pierced the cold air.  

Allen was still out of commission, huddled in a wad in the corner. He was withering, teeth chattering, skin chafing, all of him was wilting. The only comfort was the rejuvenating scent of maple and coffee swirling through his head. Grant met his gaze and scootched over by him. "You look like you could use a warm up Allen. Here." Slipping his finger into the thermos he began to rub some of the sweet smelling elixir on Allen's forehead. 

Allen bit down on his brittle lip. The searing heat of maple coffee blasted away the cold and clashed with his fatigue. "I could use some of that in my mouth you know Grant" he gasped. Grant was only too happy to oblige and handed the steaming canister to Allen, gently. Allen's ratty hair flopped in front of his goggles, which in turn flopped off his face onto his lap as he struggled to sit up straight. Finally rejunenated after a drink Allen's energy began to return to him, sluggishly. Cold crust from the corners of his eyes fell to the tent floor, his chapped blue lips had their colour returned. No longer were they a pale winter sky azure, instead the faint pink of summer flowers. Allen was a once petrified stone come to life.

After a small session of relaxation the two men lyed in the tent as they spoke about their trip, among other things. 

"Do you really think coming out here was worth it Allen? I know you love your research at the university but you're a researcher not a field reconaissance expert." Grant expelled a prolonged breath through his nose. 

It was hard to find the right words to describe quite how dull that managed to make Allen feel. As he sulked he scoured his mind looking for the perfect way to express his thoughts. With a quick low hush finally Allen glanced back and said "Grant I have been a thinker for decades. I have spent my life writing and testing, I have spent my career writing and testing. Often on things I've never seen before. I've stayed inside a uni lab experimenting and dissecting plants for 26 years!" He took his glasses off to wipe them of the fog birthed by the cold. "Sometimes I look back and I regret it. I know what I do could be important someday but I can't spend my life inside a school."

Grant reached over for more coffee. Specters of frost and sleet tormented his body even within the confines of his expedition sleeping gear. "Gee Allen, I always thought you loved your job at the university."

"I do Grant. It's just I can't waste my entire life taking samples and writing papers. Out there in the blizzard I was having the time of my life. Even when I collapsed I felt more alive then I have In a long time."

"I understand, in a way I mean. Sometimes things get boring out here in the field. Doesn't matter what you do, you're gonna get bored from way too much of it. Though when I'm collecting specimens I usually just lug things around for the rest of the team. It feels good not to be treated like a pack mule. 'Cept if they came along I probably would of been. I guess you have to expect a small list of volunteers when you're scheduled to come here."

Allen let out a cough. He wiped his head, he rustled his sleeping bag and motioned to the thermos full of coffee. Grant smiled a soft half smile at him and passed the drink over. After a modest sip Allen let out a shy chuckle. 
"No kidding. Which is why I'm so curious about your involvement with this assignment. Care to explain?"

"'Cause it's cold. Y'know how many hot muggy jungles I've trekked through? Far too many." Grant eyed outside as he adjusted his bedding. "'Course it looks a lot less enjoyable now than a few hours ago. So what are we coming all this way for again?"

As he rummaged through the pack Allen enveiled an excerpt of pages from an older almanac from the university. Plastered across the paper were stout white flowers and indecipherably complex diagrams. "These right here friend. I don't know what they're called on account of the terrible condition of the pages but it says they can affect the sound around them. Can you believe that? I mean it's just so wonderfully unique and applicable. A departure from making hormones and medicine to grow other plants that make hormones and medicine. I just hope the physics department doesn't make me fork it over."

"Well it looks like something special alright. I'm glad I could come along and see it with you. I just hope your old book is right."  

A second small breath was let out again by Allen. " Yeah. Say Grant." The brown haired man looked up from himself. His gaze met his partner's as his faced twisted into a mask of inquisition. "Do you really think what they say about this world is true?"

"You mean... hold on did you feel that?" 

"No what are you feeling?"

"Its, something's vibrating, I can feel it going through me."

Indeed the ground quivered and the world buzzed around the camp. A tremor pervaided their gumline like a powerful bass riff. It stopped, then came again. It happened over and over, first it was felt. Then the two saw the world move, coffee jostling over. Finally it was heard, like a mighty hammer being brought to the ground. 

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A figure walked through the tundra. Long flowing locks of dove white hair cascaded down her back. Rich golden eyes surveying the endless white snow.  Her idle pace quickened at the site of something puzzling on the horizon. Amidst the white snow and grey sky A speck of... Something, it was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She had to see what this tantalizing blot on the landscape was. 

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"What do you think it could be?" Allen said to Grant. Grant shot him a condescending glance that quickly evaporated into a smile. 

"You'll never know if you sit around asking. Let's check it out."

The two gripped the opening flap, working to pull it open. The shattering of ice followed the opening of the frozen hatch. Whatever lurked outside lay just beyond the opening of the tent. 

Or so they had thought. 

Miles of snow and sleet presented itself on display. Simply a vast wasteland, smooth and without blemishes perverting it's purity. Nothing  capable of rocking the earth loomed. 

"...Perhaps merely a small- very miniscule earthquake?" Allen said, utterly baffled by the empty view outside. Chills crept through Allen and Grant's body. Emptiness all around was the only thing in the entire waste, strangling the senses. Pressure began to pile up. At first a small weight, a burden on their backs. Soon it felt as if an entire sea's worth of water was crashing down on them. Aching, Pushing, crushing. Finally everything broke, resolve shattered into thousands of shards as the world began to shake again. 

Electricity shot through the bodies of Grant and Allen as they sank into the tent floor. The lodging was rocketing upwards, the men's stomachs sinking into their feet. They stopped briefly as weightlessness overcame their bodies. Once everything had stopped moving the two finally dared to move. Desperate for anything at all Allen edged closer to the entrance flap of the tent. His blonde hair was beginning to collect the sweat off his brow. His face grew paler as all his resolution had dropped to his gut. As his hand rippled like pond water he reached for the aperture of jagged ice and frosted air. The zipper ripped apart with a deafening roar as it spat shreds of hail at him. When it finally died and the cold eventually fled neither Allen or Grant believed what they saw. They stood dumbstruck and Wide-eyed searching their minds for an adequate expression for what they were seeing.  

A giant eye was glaring back at them. 

The realization was burrowing into the surface of the two partners' concsiousness. Again Allen broke from his trance brought on by the wave of surreality. Crawling he moved towards it. Then it blinked. Once. Twice. Then the tent swung again sending the occupants careening to the sides.  The flap fell closed as the sleeping bags clogged the entrance. For a moment nothing was seen or heard. Crisp air was leaving the hovle and Grant permitted himself to breathe again. His bottom lip curled down and he looked over at Allen. The blonde man looked back at him. 

"So I suppose what they say about this place is true then. " Grant said, gasping to Allen. Allen looked back. His grin grew and grew more into a cheshire smile that splintered his cheeks.  

"Amazing isn't it?" Motioning at the door he shook with anticipation like there were pangs of ecstatic energy below his skin. Surely Grant was as enthusiastic to greet whatever was out there as Allen was. Of course the scowl he shot back at Allen told him this was  as far from the truth as could be. 

"You're going to go out there and get yourself killed Allen! Just stay in here. Calm down, don't be stupid." Maybe trying to get him to simmer down would help. If he could just grab him and keep him here both of them wouldn't have to take any unnecessary risks. Slowly, closer and slower still he reached for Allen. He had the sparkle of a child in his eye, fidgeting and anxious to play with his new toys. 

That was when he scrambled for the flap once he had procured his parka. Why couldn't the good doctor simply listen to reason? He was halfway through the flap when Grant had grabbed his leg. "Why won't you listen to me? You're going to get us both killed." The cold again blasted them while Allen dragged Grant through the opening. Refusing to let go Grant's fingers dug deeper into Allen's ankle as the hitchhiking assistant denied his client the ability to leave. 

"Just-unhf-calm down Grant. We'll be fine I swear to god."
    
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Genili peered down at the tiny orange object. She had placed it on the ground once she had discovered the little creatures living inside. Never had she seen anything like them! She wiggled her blue little toes and fluttered her wings. On her back were translucent indigo butterfly wings that twittered with excitement.  Her watchful eyes betrayed her thoughts, insides squirming with excitement and anticipation like she had been filled with sugar. She stopped. Everything froze. One of the tiny little animals was coming out! Emerging from their bright hideout was the taller lankier one. It struggled first, a torrent building on the precipice of a dam. Finally it came tumbling out. That was when they had made eye contact. She stared at it with expectation in her eyes. What was it going to do?

"Hello!"

Genili's heart did a flip and flew into her throat. The little thing could speak. She shifted her weight to try and get on it's level. Her legs slid back and she laid on her stomach bringing her face towards him. Oh it must be waiting so patiently for her. She had to say something lest she kept the tiny thing waiting. What was their to talk about with a tiny animal that lives in a bright- um something coloured- house?

"Um, hi. " Oh that was a stupid thing to say! Suddenly the little thing broke an incredible smile, bursting through the shell of his previously stoic visage. 

"Hello, My name's Allen! And what's your name young lady?" The little fellow had a name apparently. Allen, she mouthed the word once then twice letting it sit on her tongue. She was tasting the word with her ears. What an odd thing to call someone. Oh! He had asked something hadn't he? Her name, oh how could she be so rude? She must quit dawdling like this so much. 

She batted a massive gold eye at him. "My name is um, Genili." Her hand reached out to grab him then stopped, repeled by a force that wasn't there. "is it ah, okay if I touch you? Um-"

"Allen."

"Yes, Allen?" She leaned into him closer anticipating his answer. 

"I don't see why not Genili. Be gentle though please, and not too high. " He stepped forward further into her reach. Surveying her peculiar blue skin and rich golden eyes the giddy thrill of excitement resurfaced. 

 She grasped him gently like he was made of glass. Using her right hand as a platform and left as an impromptu guardrail she raised him to her face, rising up off her stomach onto her knees as she did so. "So Allen where are you from?" And um, what are you anyway?"

Allen's face became one of bewilderment. He had forgotten just how isolated the tundra and it's occupants were. "I'm a human," he said. "And I'm here to study this world, I'm here to study Felarya." 

"What's Felarya?" Genili asked in return. 

"You mean you don't know? Um put me down for a second. I need to go ask Grant something."

"Who's Grant?" She said, rather understandably while she lowered her new acquaintance down to the ground.

Allen looked back to the tent. "He's my partner. We're here to find a flower. You see I'm a professor and he's a field reconaissance expert. "

Genili fluttered her eyelashes again and stared forward at nothing in particular. He smile widened and cheeks became rosy. "I don't know what either of those things ar..." But the little 'human' had already ran back inside his bright hiding hole. 

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"Grant!" 

"It's good to know you're alive Allen. Next time can we discuss confronting the giant feral people with zero idea what they might be like?" Allen smirked and rolled his eyes. 

"You're clearly jealous that I made such a good impression on her." He began stuffing their bedding together into a clump in the middle of their tent. "Maybe you shouldn't be so afraid of meeting people? Anyway help me find those Imoreithales diagrams, and the camera too."

Grant ceased his movement and asked inquisitively "What do you need them for?"

"Oh I forgot to say didn't I? I'm going to ask Genili-"

"Genili?"

"Yes Grant the young lady's name is Genili. Anyway I was going to ask her to escort us their. Oh! Found them!" Allen whipped out the crusty papers from the heap in the middle of the tiny room. "Come outside and chat with us. I'm sure she'd like to know who the other fellow she's escorting is."

Grant closed his eyes. He took a deep breath in an attempt to make his patience flow more coherently. At last he worked up the means to speak. "Allen we need to discuss what we're going to do as a team before you rush in- hey!" Allen had already began leaving again through the hatch. Scrambling after him they both found themselves outside. Grant found himself staring into the face of impossibility. 'Genili' was lying in front of him. Her face alone was several times larger than him, it would have completely overshadowed him if the tundra wasn't perpetually overcast. She had pale blue skin as if she was stricken with frostbite but lyed in the snow like it was her bed. Her massive gold eyes concentrated on him and her bug wings fluttered behind her.  She opened her mouth and he was given a chilling sight of the massive pink cavern. 

"So this is your Grant friend, Allen?"

 

Second part of the ongoing story. Sorry that the first part was a bit short. This is a continuation and I hope the small time skip in between was in good taste. 

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"I still can't believe you pulled this off." Grant eyed outside at the pristine landscape. It was no different really whether viewed from the ground or seventy feet in the air, where their tent was perched in the hands of the blue giantess. Every step resulted in a dip and a bob upward from their perspective in the shelter. Only the two heads of the inhabitants stuck out the door flap, never daring to look downward. 

The white nothingness that once stretched over the horizon morphed into an odd grey blue as the sun fell from the sky. The pure snow no longer resembled the whites of one's eyes. The Fairy girl's unseen feet reached over the barren waste, gliding aimlessly. Withdrawing back into the flap Grant turned to The pile of bedding in the center of the tent. There was far less of a need for it now. A powerful warmth radiated from the Giant woman Genili's palms which the tent sat upon. Allen had cast his parka aside and sat cross legged on the mound in a turtleneck, scanning through his notes with a laser focus. Occassionally he glanced up to look outside or ask their colossal chauffeur to head this way or that. Now that the sun was quickly retreating he began to run out of natural light to brighten the room, obfuscating his notes into a cryptic blur. A tinge of angst graced his mind while he reluctantly looked up from his paper which became more and more indecipherable. He was met not with another glimpse of the infinite arctic but rather his partners expression of unamused incredulity. 

"Can't believe that I pulled what off? Oh you mean asking somebody for a favour after making pleasant conversation? It isn't that hard." Allen whipped his ratty blonde bangs out of his face and squinted at his colleage. "Maybe you should try it instead of being so cagey about the people you meet."

Grant's voice became like stone, "It's hard not to be cautious when the individuals you're trying to talk to could flatten you with a finger."  His face for a second became unreadable like a tome written in a dead language. "I'm not joking Allen that was beyond stupid."

"She's still a person Grant. What was I going to do, sit their an-"

"I know she's a person. What I'm worried about is whether she knows we're people." Allen looked down at his feet which in the evening dusk were nothing more than undefined ovals. "All I'm saying is that we're a team Allen, we should act like one. Let's talk with eachother before we talk with the mystical behemoth ladies."

A half smile seized Allen's face. Faint circles of pink crossed his previously pale cheeks. "Why do I get the feeling  'mystical behemoth ladies' will be a running theme of this expedition?" Now it was Grant's turn to crack a grin. He took his place beside Allen in the sleeping bag heap. The world was almost black, the snow still a deep grey blue that mirrored the sky. "We Should probably stop for the night. Why don't you go ask Genili about settling dow..."
Allen's speech slowed, it died as it tried to escape his mouth. No longer did any sound spill from his throat. Eyes wide he brought his hands up slowly. Reeling them back then throttling them forward they slammed into each other creating a seismic clap that, again produced no sound.

An air of disbelief hung in the room for seconds, quickly it was replaced with equal parts confusion and glee. Allen scurried back to his notes grasping for pen and paper like a drowning man gasping for air. In a flash he had scribbled some barely legible words onto a blank page before he rocketed back to Grant. Unveiling his notebook to the shorter man Grant was struck with what Allen had discovered. On the page opposite the notes and diagrams of the sound eating flowers were two words scratched into the paper; we're close. 

Leaving the tent in tandem the two men stood on the precipice of agony, lying 50 feet off the ground neither dared look below at the dizzying trip to the snow and ice below. Crouching Allen stayed close to Genili's large blue hand which both them and their shelter rested on. He traced his hands along the snow covered dome where they had rested, a frigid moist pain penetrating his hands like needles. Grant progressed much faster, oblivious- or perhaps apathetic to the fall below them. Arriving at the back of the tent at the heel of the giant woman's hand the two were quickly reunited. Grant motioned at Allen with his free hand while clutching the canvas of their shelter. Like a startled mime he pointed skyward at the fairy girl's face. Motioning again he put his hand to his mouth and thrust it toward Allen. Grant then pulled his thumb and forefinger across his lips. Allen's face flushed at the realization he had failed to think any of this through. Communication between them and their escort was dead. 

The professor's mind began to race. He needed the attention of Genili right away. Without his voice there was nothing to alert her to the presence of the duo. He waved his hand in Grant's face. He pulled toward his own and his colleage approached. Together they crouched on the living ground and began prodding as hard as they could. Grant's fists collided with the palms of Genili's hands in vain. Over and over the surface was struck by the two minuscule passengers. The futile assault continued as the two attempted to bring down a monolith with a pebble. Finally Allen brought up his heel in an arcing swing. Crashing down on the blue surface it went digging into the hand like a drill. The whole world went into a whirl as the tent flew up in the air. Finally the duo had the big girl's attention! It was a shame getting it had thrown them into the air.

Genili was thunderstruck by pain in her hands. Ripping them from their place in front of her to her face she let out a yelp. Or she would have. No sound escaped her mouth. She stared at her hands with arched brows. This was no time to be perplexed though, she had just sent the tiny people and their super bright house thing jettisoning into the air. Oh she had to do something!   

A weightless feeling infected the innards of the two men. Looking toward the massive woman they prayed she do something, anything at all. Sweeping at them with her hands ineffectively was all she seemed to be doing. Clearly still flummoxed by the sudden Mutism of the world around her. The ground was catching up to them. Rushing at them with break neck speed in the most literal sense. Faster and faster still they fell. Their escort (who they stabbed in the hand, in retrospect) was incapable of pulling herself together in time to catch them. This was it Allen thought to himself. He'd gotten himself and Grant killed all because of his naive idealism. 

If only he hadn't insisted on seeking danger for it's own sake. If only he hadn't dragged Grant into it as well, if only he hadn't landed in the antlers of a huge dear thing. 

Wait, what? 

He wasn't well, not at all. He'd done quite a bit of falling just then. Fifty, sixty feet to the ground. His back torn and joints on fire. A rude awakening but a welcome one, his mind no longer resigned himself to death. Sliding out and off of the beast which even in what must have been a distressing startle made no noise. Neither did he actually. Surveying the landscape around him and the creature he was met with more and more of the animal. 

It was definitely odd to say the least. Very tall and slender they resembled elk on stilts, riding high on not just four but six legs. Each had a pure white coat that melded them with the snowy floor of the tundra. None seemed to have any direction. Every so often one would swipe at another with an antler after sniffing the ground and the herd would slink off following it. 

He looked left happily spotting Genili. The massive blue skinned girl held a smile to her face, softly regarding her hands. Squinting Allen realized Grant was situated in them, good to see of course. Slowly the lumbering woman tilted her head til her eyes met his. Her soft smile burst into an ecstatic grin. Flittering over she asked no questions, never even opened her mouth, simply plucked him off the ground and placed them back in the tent. What happened next he failed to see coming but really should have. 

Genili's fingers had reached into the herd with all the grace and precision a hundred foot tall body could allow. Grabbing two of the spindly deer creatures in a single grip. They briefly vanished from sight as the doctor glanced upward to see two of the creatures legs protruding from her mouth. The other followed it's comrade right behind her. With that she was moving again, away from the group of wannabe caribou this time. She let slip a complacent sigh above them, the first sound he'd heard in what felt like ages.  Maybe he could talk again?

"Genili? Miss?" he said, hand cupped around his mouth. 

"Huh? Oh Allen!" she replied with equal parts surprise and cheer in her voice. "Let me put you down first."

The tent they were held by floated down. It came to rest on the snow with a muffled shift. Genili lied down on her now visibly distended stomach peering into the tents only opening.
"I'm so so sososo sorry about that! I should have known about the taraneides but they just snuck up on me from behind and then I was surprised and...I thunk you did something but I don't care because it's all my fault!"

Allen surveyed the girl with a slight unease. "Calm down Genini, no need to be upset, we're both in one piece. Now, what's this business about the elk creatures?"

"Well uh... The taraneides? They're what caused the silence." 

"But how?" Allen said. "They look like they're pretty loud, and big. Although I suppose I might need to reevaluate what 'big' is." Allen gave a little smile glancing at the woman's stomach where two of the beasts now rested. 

genili smiled back sheepishly. "I guess you will yeah. I don't know how they do though, they just do. They might get it from the imoreaithales, it's really the only thing they eat."

"So if they eat the flowers, the imoreaithales, then we could follow them there right?"

"Sure, just might want to stay behind them a bit."

"Don't I get a say in this?" came a voice from the tent. Grant was kneeling in the archway arms crossed. His face bared a scowl that telegraphed his distaste to the others. 

Allen raised his eyebrows. "Absolutely Grant, ask away."

"Thank you Allen." Grant allowed himself a small smile for Allen which soured turning to Genili. "Miss."

"Genili please."

"Yes, Genili." He paused with a thoughtful expression on his face. He glanced skyward in the dark and back down at his hands, hidden by the night. "We need to set up camp. Allen I know you want to continue badly but we need sleep. Jesus look at you! You have holes in your clothes! Did it even occur to you to put a coat back on? Your hands look like they might frost over." He let his gaze drift from Allen who only bit his lip and arched his brow. His expression soured as he looked to Genili. "I want to thank you for the help Genili, your assistance has been truly invaluable." Seeing her smile in return softened his stonelike face. "But, and I assume you already know this, we have no way of repaying you for your support." Rather than the frustration he anticipated from the giant she let out only a snicker. 

"Oh it's no trouble at all! You're company is the most wonderful thing I've had in a while." She skimmed the waste of the tundra with her eyes. Nothing but black sky and grey snow forever. "It gets lonely out here." she added, more somber now. 

Grant nodded. "If you really want nothing in return-"

"Its not nothing, you've given me a lot already."

Grant took in a breath, frustration was stirring beneath his bones. " Right okay, but we won't be around much longer. So I want to know if we can do anything at all for you.". 

Genili brought a finger to her chin. Her pupils looked skyward as she thought. "Well... Maybe you could... "

"Yes?"

"Umm, nothing; nothing! Can we talk about this in the morning?" Already the Fairy had begun hovering above the ground. Jittering above the duo she returned back to the ground shortly. "We should probably be sleeping soon."

"Agreed. I wish we could invite you inside the tent. It must be quite cold out here."

"No not at all! Besides I need to keep your, your..."

"Tent."

"tent! Yes! That's it. I need to make sure nothing happens to your cute little tent."

Grant nodded in agreement. "I'm glad to hear. I hope you don't mind staying up late."

Genili smiled softly. "It'll be no trouble at all.

Allen cleared his throat, garnering the attention of the others. "Then perhaps we should hit the hay hmm? Genili we both cannot thank you enough for what you've done for our expedition. I promise when it's over we'll mention you in our research."

"I don't really know what that means, but it sure sounds fun."

Retreating back into the tent Allen and Grant prepared their sleeping bags. A sensation of claustrophobia occupied the tent. If either could see outside they'd have known Genili had pushed their residence down and embedded it in the landscape. The giant lay cradled around the tent, hiding it from sight. It lay just below her breast and above her knee. Swathed in the curves of the living terrain an atmosphere of drowsiness descended on them. 

Night had found it's way to Imoreith.