+7. I finally get an excuse to post in this territory XD. Set around early afternoon.

The anxiety pushed his form further, faster, into the heart of Cercatori d'Arte. He had been told by his friend that it would be somewhere among there, and it wasn't Bangle's usual route. The scents of pine, birch, and oak filled his nostrils, knowing for sure when he would reach the place with gigantic structures practically hanging in the sky. The coywolf was alone this day, with nothing to drag him down or hold him behind, and so all the craftsman did was keep striding forward, low-hanging branches and bushes whipping at his sides.

"Yer close, Bangle.." He muttered to himself, staring up at the forest which blanketed him. His moss colored drape that hung at his waist further disguised him as a mere shadow, a child of the forest. The trees began to cover the sky, providing a canopy of shade and dappled sunlight to fall across his fur. Pausing, his ears caught movement, before bolting towards it. Bangle pressed his head down and felt the forest lashing out at him, clutching, trying to hold him back from his destination, wanting him to get lost and turn back for home. But not today. Today he was driven to do something more - not just for his family, but for all Cercatori families to come.

And finally, he could feel the open air engulf his body, his bare chest panting for air, the belt at his waist partially askew in the run. When Bangle finally found his footing, tongue hanging out the right side of his muzzle, he looked up. In place of the engulfing forest, he found an expanse beyond anything he could measure, with trees stretching up into the sky. His head rose and rose, until he could no longer see the highest treetop, and felt his head tilt back vertically, until the coywolf could tilt no further. The base of each tree before him were as massive as any house in Thornbury, and could fit many bodies if one were hollowed out. Far off the ground were the structures, hanging like bridges and wrapping around trees, crossing one into another, and into another. It seemed to go farther in, into forever, and higher still. These were not trees, they were giants. "Woah!" He exclaimed into the cool air, his face beaming as he admired the place.

As he walked further in, he spotted a ladder set in among the oak. It looked old and withered, but it never stopped Bangle. It was practically an invitation to the sky, to look out into the world, and the former gypsy had awoken within him suddenly, placing a hand on the ladder. He could not resist the call. The coywolf climbed, until it was around the first wooden structure. It was high, but others went up higher. Under his feet, he wriggled his toes as he examined the worn wood jutting out from the tree trunk, but it seemed sturdy enough to hold his weight. He could be found with a large grin on his face, standing there as he looked all around him, slowly walking around the length of the platform.

The Guffawri male halted as he saw a house not far from where he stood, leaning forward just slightly to get a better view. It was new, that much he could tell, and it was also the only real house that was built among the looming platforms and bridges. An idea came to him, and instantly the craftsman knew it had to have been his place - a giant among other giants. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he barked out. "Shaw!" But the coywolf awaited no answer, and quickly he swept back down the ladder he climbed up from and raced in the grass towards the house.

Long shadows played against his multi-hued body as he carried himself at a quick pace towards the house. It loomed high above the craftsman as he stopped just under it. "Oi there! Shaw!" He called up again, certain it belonged to the wood worker. He knew no one else who could have done a better job suspended from a tall, thick tree. It was just the man he wanted to see, too, for the idea that formed inside his head for many moons. Since his talk with Orin up in his own tree, his determination drew him there, as he stood among the watching structures and called for the young giant, tail wagging happily behind him.

+3. For suuuure.

In no time at all, Bangle's giant of a friend emerged from his home, as the coywolf had expected. Eyes flickered over the man whom he hadn't seen since the pack's celebration, though their reunion had been brief then. He looked curiously at the wraps around the man's body, which could be seen even from a distance, but nodded vigorously at the invitation up the tree. The merchant grinned as he heard Shawchert mention the house's stability - something the coywolf wasn't at all worried about - and he walked around the tree and found the ladder in question. The climb seemed to take a while, but soon enough Bangle found himself on top of the wooden landing to Shawchert's house.

The view from up above was even more spectacular than from the earth, and Bangle felt at home once more. It was as if he were up in his tree, seeking solitude and reprieve from the real world that loomed below. From up here, Bangle saw the other, slightly smaller houses built on adjacent trees, connected by bridges with railings along them. In comparison to the rugged state of all else, the Guffawri male judged that Shaw had done a job well done with what he could work with, and at the given elevation.

Bangle wound his way around and towards the entrance that marked the male's home, easily fitting the short coywolf. As he stepped in, the male looked around with a smirk stretched across his face, impressed with what he saw before him, but also confirming the question that boiled in his mind. "Only a giant could live among its own kind. Thornbury too good fer ya now, eh?" He teased as he looked up at his friend, and was now able to see the bandages much clearer, with spots of blood staining them. "What 'appened there, friend?" Bangle wasted no time at all in pressing the question, but the craftsman could ignore it no longer.

WC: 672. Can we coin the term 'Shawdust'? ? -is lame-

Wooden shavings and sawdust were evident of Shaw's abode, and Bangle could only imagine the upkeep when the wood became old and weather worn. Still, his friend was adamant about his work, and Bangle trusted the sturdiness of the structure upon entering it. If it was strong enough to support the giant man's weight, then surely the coywolf, smaller by comparison, would do no harm. At the red male's gesture, the craftsman sat on a wooden bench propped against the wall, jewelry ringing along the walls. The coywolf gave a sure, swift nod as his friend uttered a rhetorical question, eyes glinting as Bangle looked outside briefly. "S'pose yeh got a good bird's eye view then, eh?" The smile was returned, until the taller man turned away from him.

Bangle turned his head back to his friend to get a good look at his bandaged body. No doubt something had happened, and it was no ordinary scrape either. Shaw was a warrior, he knew, but the coywolf would bet anything that Shawchert's wounds and possible scars were not a result of a spar. Ears flicked forward as he listened to his friend's reply, and his own eyes widened some. "Trouble?" He echoed, sounding like a confused whelp who did not understand the word. The multicolored male shook his head, and tried to sound consoling as Shawchert moved to pour something. He hadn't heard anything about any trouble at the borders, but Bangle took that to be a good thing. "Well, Cercatori's giant showed 'em a thing or two, eh?!" He moved to rise from the bench, to clap the man on the shoulder in a comforting gesture, but instead he took the proffered cup of water and sat back down.

At the question to his visit, the merchant decided to drop the troubling subject, and could not help but return his giant friend's grin with one of his own, and just as sly. He reclined on the bench as a hearty guffaw began to rumble in his chest, suddenly remembering a book that Skye had once told him about. Something about a huge beanstalk that went to the skies and a giant that lived somewhere up there. Bangle closely related himself to Jack, the poor fellow who, with curiosity, climbed the beanstalk and entered the giant's castle. His laugh grew louder as he slapped his knee with a free hand, drops of water sloshing over the rim of the cup in his other. "Don' worry yerself, I'm not 'ere to steal'a magical hen from yeh, Shaw," he commented, his laughter subsiding. The coywolf wasn't sure if his friend knew of the story, but it did not matter.

Bangle quickly lifted the cup to his wide mouth and drank the water down, the cool liquid sliding down his throat. He smacked his lips loudly with satisfaction, and set the cup to the side. His toothy smile became a smirk, reclining on the bench as bright eyes fell on his friend. "I've got some work fer yeh.. for us, even," he began, folding his arms across his light hued chest. "Been talkin' t' Orin, n' we thought it migh' be a good idea fer the lil' ones t'have a tree fort'a their own, right 'ere in this place." He paused only long enough for Shawchert to register the request, before the crafty craftsman continued. "It'd be easy t' watch 'em, y'know? N' not only fer yer pups n' mine.. but fer any of Cercatori's rascals! So what d'ya say, hrm?"

There was excitement in his voice, as the coywolf shifted to the edge of the wooden bench. All of a sudden, the smirk melted off of his face as Bangle planted his feet on the ground and leaned forward, suddenly fixing Shaw a stern look. "But seriously, my giant friend, yeh wouldn' hide golden eggs from yer friend Bangle, now would yeh?" His thoughts lingered back on the story, unable to hide an amusing grin any longer, as it stretched his face once more.