Deep breaths, deep breaths. Willow tried to calm down as the strands constricted around her. Professor Rose had shown her and her cohort traps like these; fairies used them to capture fireflies for food and light. She knew the more she struggled, the tighter it would pull. This particular trap was pretty rudimentary as far as she was concerned – the loops were large and loose and the weave was uneven. Nevertheless, it did the job. Focusing on these details calmed her somewhat. She slowed her breathing and hung as still as she could.

The stickiness of each fibre was particularly annoying. They smelled of pine. Willow began slowly, methodically detangling her left arm from the web. She worked it through the loops and tangles, pulling mightily against the sap. Sweat beaded on her forehead in the cool evening air. Straining as hard as she could, she finally pulled her left arm free. In utter exhaustion, she dangled from the trap, catching her breath.

Through the taut strands she felt the earth shake. Her blood ran cold. The rhythmic, heavy steps of a giant pulsed through her. She began working her other arm at once. This wasn’t a trap set by fairies, it was set for them. She looked on in horror as a giant woman thudded into the clearing, her brilliant blue tea dress contrasting against the yellow larch.

“No, no, no!” Willow screamed, becoming increasingly frantic as she tried to free herself. The footsteps stopped and Willow felt that heavy gaze upon her. She felt exposed, naked; she felt so unbelievably small. Dread seeped through her and seized her heart. Her breath quickened. She felt an almost painful tingling in her wings and feet, adrenaline willing her to run, fly, hide. She tried to focus on freeing her other arm. A shadow fell over her and she screamed helplessly. Tears sprung to her eyes as she looked up at her enormous captor.

Avalee walked to where her prey hung from the web. She watched it struggle for a moment. The fairy had chin-length, wavy, lilac-coloured hair and a dress made from what appeared to be white lily petals. Its wings were gossamer like a dragonfly, but wide and papery as a moth. Very good targets for a sap trap. She watched as the little thing grew more and more panicked. Avalee smiled slightly. Her mere presence was enough to stir the fairy into a frenzy. She reached out a hand and hooked two fingers under the fairy’s back, pulling it closer. Avalee felt something stir within her as the most delicate touch caused the fairy to flinch violently.

“There, there, little thing…” Avalee said, her voice deep and soft as sweetgrass. She lifted the fairy into her left hand.

Willow struggled as much as the bindings would allow her. They dug into her skin as she moved. Willow tried to use her free arm to fend away the giant’s huge, probing fingers, but could do nothing as she was pulled into the giant’s grasp. She felt the warmth of the vast hand below her and her mind reeled at how wrong it felt – too much skin, too much flesh. The giantess’ fingers approached and Willow screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, scrunching her body into the fetal position. She felt the huge pads of the giantess’ index finger and thumb press around her shoulder. She felt the immense power behind them. She knew she could be crushed between them with a passing whim. Heat bloomed from the strand wrapped around her back and shoulders and the slightly acrid smell of burning pine overwhelmed Willow’s nose. Her eyes snapped open as the giantess peeled the strand away. Willow couldn’t understand what was happening. She stared dead ahead, dissociating completely as the fingers came down once more.

Avalee gently, almost lovingly removed the trap from her prey, calling upon some subtle magic to burn away the sap. The strands glowed and smoked, filling the air with a pine-scented haze. The fairy trembled and curled up like a piece of burning paper. She was so light that Avalee was almost worried she would blow away.

When the last of the strands was removed, Avalee splayed the fairy out on her palm with two fingers, unfurling its defensive position with ease. Her eyebrows raised. “What’s this,” she murmured. The fairy’s hands were whole and unblemished. There was no sign of a mana stone in either. Anger swept through Avalee, and for a moment she considered consuming the fairy right there and then. It had no use to her, and she couldn't just let it go back and warn its friends. And yet - Something about the way the pathetic thing shook, helpless and vulnerable, not even possessing the magic to theoretically defend herself - Avalee bit her lip. Another emotion fizzled to life within her, something she thought had died with Hannah.

Something nurturing and kind. An urge to protect. An urge to teach.

Surely it will pass, thought Avalee. But perhaps keeping this thing around will prove useful. It might grant me information on the nexus, or on the Attuning. I only have a rudimentary knowledge at best. Understanding the meaning behind their patterns will make me more efficient.

Willow stared up at the giantess, her eyes glazed. She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that this was the same woman from her dream the night before. The blue dress, the lacy bodice, the pinned up brown hair, the mole on her cheek – it was all the same. She knew what was coming. She could already feel those full lips upon her, the warm, wet heat of her mouth, and then the noise and constriction of swallowing…

“You're not attuned,” The giantess said. Willow blinked, feeling herself return to her body. She felt cold and hollow. Her body ached from being so tense. She lay on her back, prone, as the giantess’ fingers held her arms down on either side of her, preventing her from curling back up. She felt the pressure of those fingertips pushing her into the soft flesh of the palm. The giantess’ words finally registered in her sluggish mind. Willow laughed. The sound came out high-pitched and hysterical.

“That’s all you have to say?” Willow said, her voice shrill. “You’re about to eat me alive! Is it not enough to have me suffer so much? You want to torture me mentally as well?” Willow felt tears flowing down her cheeks. She was so lightheaded. Everything was too bright.

“I’m sorry for frightening you,” The giantess purred. Her voice rumbled through Willow’s body. Her auburn gaze never wavered. “Do you believe the stories your kin tell you? I’m not going to eat you, precious thing.”

“Lies!” Willow screamed. The giantess’ eyes widened. “I saw you! You-you swallowed me up and…” Willow gulped air, hyperventilating and sobbing. “And you liked it! You monster!”

Avalee stared at the fairy as it shook with a tear-filled coughing fit in her palm. There was no way a fairy could be spying on her. She only consumed them in or around her home, and the whole place was laced with traps. Its words were a bluff. Although, the absolute certainty with which the fairy made these proclamations held with it a passing familiarity...

“I don't believe we've met.” Avalee said. "I'm sure I would remember a sweet little thing like you." Clearly the fairy was hysterical. Or perhaps, she dared think, it would confirm her dormant suspicion –

“Just get it over with.” The fairy spat. “If you’re not going to eat me then let me go!”

“Shh,” Avalee whispered. She lifted the fairy to a sitting position in the palm of her hand. She began to stroke its pale purple hair with the tip of her index finger. The fairy flinched at the touch, but Avalee kept going. "Shhh..."

Willow's mind raced as the giant finger petted her head. Her whole body was tense. She felt like a songbird being preened by a hawk. Surely this was meant to lull her into a false sense of safety. At any moment, the huge thumb to her right and the unseen fingers behind her could snap closed. Willow looked up at the giantess' face and saw she was not looking back at her. The giantess' gaze flitted back and forth. She was clearly thinking about something. The way those eyes almost glowed in the sunset light was transfixing. Willow swallowed hard and sat very still, feeling the finger stroke her hair with surprising gentleness. She should fly. She should escape while she had the chance. And yet –

The giantess met her gaze. Instantly Willow looked down. Sustaining that stare was just too much to handle. She felt like the giantess was peering deep into her, like she could read her every thought and expose her every secret.

"You know," Avalee said softly. "Attuning is only a small part of magic. Humans don't need to Attune to practice it. You've been having difficulties Attuning, haven't you?" Avalee had put significant effort into tracking the patterns of Attunement each year. She hoped her charts and theories were correct enough to make the assertion that this fairy was late.

Avalee felt the soft tugging of a new strand, a new connection formed between her and the fairy. She smiled inwardly; she was right on the mark. The connection was weak and fragile, but it braided itself around an eyelash and fluttered when she blinked, glittering as it wove into the fairy’s hair. The fairy looked up at her. It looked exhausted.

Willow was drained. All the adrenaline had worn her down. The words the giantess spoke, paired with the warmth of her hand gently beckoned her to let her guard down. How did the giantess know? And moreover, Willow had seen this moment – or perhaps, a moment in her near future – clear as day. The déjà vu made her dizzy. The colours, the movement, everything was so familiar. But the giantess’ words made her feel something new. She felt mana flow between the two of them, guided by those enormous, auburn eyes.

"You seem tired," the giantess said. "Let me take you to my home to rest. When you wake, we will speak more on this. For now, I bid you sleep..."

Willow felt herself falling. Her head hit the palm of the giantess' hand as the world darkened.

Avalee pulled on the knot keeping the fairy awake. With a gentle tug it came undone. The little thing collapsed. Its body relaxed into the contours of her palm. Avalee smiled and began to walk back to her cabin, taking care not to wake it.