The palisade was made of old growth: large, heavy logs a good three feet across, sharpened at the top and driven deep into the earth. They were woven together with something that looked like steel ribbon, gleaming and well-maintained. For all that the place had the look of a simple forest outpost, Chris was willing to bet that it could stand off almost any conventional attack.
He padded along at Antoinette's side, watching as they neared the wall. If he'd held to his human configuration, the gates would have been well over three times his height; they were wide enough to drive a tractor-trailer through. They were also firmly closed.
Someone called out, and after a moment there was a sort of distant groan. Chris watched as a massive head and shoulders heaved into view, looking out over the top of the wall.
Peter, unexpectedly faced with a giant, slowed and called out: "Hello! We seek entry to your city!"
The giant frowned and leaned forward, fumbling a ridiculously large set of lenses into place over its eyes. It looked them over, then shook its head. "No beasts," it said. "No beasts inside these walls."
On Antoinette's left, Elyssa stood up. It wasn't an instantaneous transformation; her body resorbed fur and claws, reshaped bones and flesh, and returned the clothing that she'd taken with her into the change. "Better?" she asked.
The giant nodded. "No turning back once you're inside. You wear a person's body, and you keep to that."
Chris shrugged his way back to a human configuration as well. "We understand," he said. "We mean no harm."
"Best that you don't," said the giant, then nudged the gates open from the inside. "Come inside, then, if you're willing to follow the rules. We had a caravan arrive earlier, and the market is yet open. There is plenty of time to find what you need, and seek a place for the night as well."
"We recognize your hospitality," Peter said, "and we are grateful for it."
The giant sniffed. "No need for gratitude that we meet our most basic obligations here," it said, but a small smile curled around its lips.
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