They walked amidst the large trees, heading towards their strawberry plantation. Henry and Sandra Chapman had been married for over two years, and together they owned one of the biggest strawberry plantations on Small Island. They needed many men to collect all the strawberries, but for now it was too early to worry about that.

The plantation was on a small hill, and from there they could see the sea, and in the distance, Dragon Isle stood tall and gigantic, like its inhabitants. Every time he saw it, Henry felt a little nostalgic. He had worked on Dragon Isle as a thief for some time, stealing objects from the giants, but after he met Sandra, he quit in order to live an ordinary life with her. It was love at first sight, and it didn�t take him long to find the guts to ask her to marry him. Both their dream was to have a family�and most important, a child. But after two years of efforts, they still weren�t blessed. They were both purebred griffins, so it was quite unlikely that they were sterile. A doctor visit verified this: however, even though they were fertile, a baby would not be coming soon, mostly because Sandra�s womb had a �hostile environment� as the doctor explained. Whatever that meant. They weren�t shuttered though, and kept trying.

�Henry.� Sandra�s call brought him back to reality.

�They are almost ready, Henry. We must start hiring people to help us harvest them,� she stressed. Henry groaned inwardly. It happened like this every year. The closer the berries were to ripening, the worse she became.

�You�re right,� Henry answered as he checked on the leaves that poked above the ground. �Well, we have to go back home and start preparing the pamphlets�� He put his arm around her as they started heading back towards the city. Suddenly, a loud cry made both of them stop and look back.

�Did you hear that?� Sandra asked, eyes wide open.

�Yeah�� Henry confirmed. His eyes were as wide as his wife�s. �It sounded like a baby crying� A very loud baby!!�

Sandra let go of Henry and ran towards the direction the voice came from. �Sandra, WAIT!!� He called as he ran after her.

She ran through the forest, Henry following close behind. He looked left and right as he ran, checking to see if there were any two-leggeds among the branches. Two legged gryphons were very dangerous for anthros. While not common, everyone had heard stories of anthros being attacked by these creatures. There was good reason to be cautious. He didn�t notice Sandra stop, and he rammed into her.

A quick look around told him they had reached the beach, the pristine white sand glittering in a long strip between them and the water.

�Sandra?� He asked but she shushed him and motioned for him to look forward. He followed her gaze and he saw the source of the sound. A small spot was covered in eggshells, and lying among them was a baby of a giant, crying! Sandra was about to approach the baby, but Henry grabbed her arm.

�Sandra! Where are you going!?� She didn�t answer. Instead, she shoved him off and approached the baby who was still crying loudly.

�Hello baby�� she said as she scratched his nose. �Stop crying� it�s all right�� The baby Risso sniffed and giggled when Sandra stroked him. �Awww�.�

But Henry wasn�t sharing her enthusiasm. Is she nuts? He asked himself, not believing this. �We have to go, Sandra! His parents won�t be far away��

�I don�t think so, Henry,� his wife objected. �Look around. There�s no one to be found!�

�Still, it�s a giant! Let�s get outta here!!� Henry glanced around furtively, sure that any moment the giant�s bigger parents would appear.

Sandra gave him a cold stare. �It�s a baby, Henry! An orphan, most likely! We can�t leave him alone like this! He�ll surely die!� She gave him the soft, sad look she had perfected, the look that her husband always bought. And they both knew it. Henry sighed and approached the baby, knowing he had lost. The little creature put his paw behind him, and before he could scream, the baby dragged him close to his face and hugged him. �Awww� he likes you!� Henry grimaced and struggled in the baby�s grasp, but it was in vain.

He sighed. �But what are we gonna do with him?�

�I have an idea!� Sandra exclaimed. Henry bowed his head. Uh oh.

----- �WHAAAAAT!� The mayor couldn�t believe what he was hearing! �Take a giant baby into custody? Do you realise what you�re saying!?� He scoffed. �Ridiculous.�

�Please, sir,� Sandra pleaded, �It�s just a baby! We can�t let it die!� It didn�t help. The mayor scowled at her, and before either could speak, Henry decided to interfere as the voice of reason.

�Your honour.� the mayor turned to look at him. �I understand that raising a giant can be very difficult and costly, and our thieves will have to steal more stuff for him, but, think of the benefits�� I can�t believe I�m actually saying this. That caught the mayor�s attention.

�Benefits?� He asked, raising an eyebrow. �Do tell.�

�Yes!� Henry proclaimed, actually excited. �Think about it! We�ll have our own giant! He will help us a lot with constructions, he will carry things faster for us, and he will also protect us from predators, like the two-leggeds! Giants are much bigger than two-legged gryphons! It�ll be a piece of cake for him to chase them away! Not to mention that he�ll make a great tourist attraction!�

�Hmm�� The mayor scratched his forehead. Henry grinned. The man was actually thinking about it

�Tourist attraction?� Sandra asked Henry as he sat down, her displeasure evident in her voice and features. �Henry��

�Come on, Sandra!� He whispered. Pleaded. �It was the only way to convince him.� The mayor hit his hammer on the giant bottle can in front of him. �Hey, he�s gonna tell us what he decided!�

�I have reached my decision. The baby giant goes under custody of Henry and Sarah Chapman and of the city council. This meeting is now over.� After hearing this, Sandra gave Henry a strong hug. He lifted her up and spun her in the air and kissed her. The mayor left the room, mumbling, �I�m getting too old� a giant in our city� hmf�

- - - -

Years passed and the baby Risso grew up among the little anthros. When he was old enough, he chose a small cave very close to the city and turned it into a personal space, something like a one-room house. All the objects in it came from thieves. An inflatable bed and chair, a very small black-and-white television, a small microwave, two plates and one knife and fork. For a door, he used a large piece of wood to seal the entrance, but only used at night when he slept. Quaint, but it was his home, and he loved it.