Frija scurried on all fours, slipping between, under, and around feet, extended legs and the occasional dropped morsel. She stopped to inspect one such item. Green… food, she confirmed internally, dismissing as useless. Won’t do at all.

Behind her, she heard the rest of her group follow behind. One of them was close enough that she could feel him breathing on her ankles. “We have to hurry,” she whispered over her shoulder. “He’s not going to wait much longer.”

The boy nodded, and they continued forth. They traveled through a cavern, tablecloth draped over the sides, hiding them from the sun and the giants. She could see the light on the other side, however, and beyond that, their goal. A feast worthy of gods. The buffet was slightly taller, but that only meant more room to sneak about underneath.

She giggled to herself as she hurried ahead, barely slipping underneath a set of legs raised onto a chair on the opposite side. Gasping, she slid to a halt just as a lady stretched a foot before her. Feet kicked into the middle of the cavern’s path. The boy returned to her shoulder. She didn’t bother to learn their names anymore. The beast god was too hungry and too often they failed to return with enough to satisfy its beastly desires.

Her feet settled on the ground, and the boy pushed onward. “Stop,” Frija hissed, raising her arm to block him. He gave her a curious look. She nodded at the feet. “They haven’t settled yet.”

Wincing, he turned back to look. It took a while, but sure enough, the feet pulled back, which would’ve spelled the doom for any of her brave travelers seeking the glory of the buffet.

“Go,” she hissed, scurrying forth on all fours. Her stupid dress pulled oddly, but she’d at least been lucky to have enough room to move in it. She blew a stray hair out of her face, as she scurried around the last of the obstacles. Now there was only the last gap between the cavern and their goal.

“We must be quick,” the boy whispered. “Right?”

Frija nodded. “Quick and fast.”

Peeking out from under the tablecloth, she saw no one standing about the target. “Now!” she hissed, leaping forth herself, rolling out of her cavern and into the cavern underneath the buffet. Soon, she found her place and snuck a hand up, grabbing as much from the platter as her fingers could hold.

“The beast’s favorite,” Frija explained, displaying her trophy to the others. The handful of cubed chicken had been marinated in some sort of really delicious smelling sauce. A piece slopped from her messy hand and onto the grass. “Just remember, no bones,” she warned her people. “Bones that have been cooked will splinter and anger the god.”

“Is Mena—“

Frija interrupted the girl before she could finish. “Do not speak its name. Gods can hear when mortals say their name and the beast ones do not take kindly to it,” she glared around at the others. She couldn’t have them accidentally calling Menace up to them, instead of where he was resting. That would ruin the game. “Now, pick your offering and let’s go. You’re on your own on the way back.”

She hurried forth, leaping from buffet cavern to table cavern and nearly toppling over a new set of feet she hadn’t noticed before. Shaking her head, Frija cursed herself. Fucking idiot, and hurried along. Licking her hand, she gobbled up one of the small cubes. The savory taste of the sauce sent twitches into her jaws. “The god will love this,” she whispered to herself, taking another nibble.

Returning was easy when she wasn’t dragged down by the newcomers. Her only hurdle was when one giant dropped their utensil and had to reach down to get it. Frija almost got impatient then. The giant seemed unable to differentiate between the man next to her’s leg and the fork she was looking for. Frija would’ve bet on her being blind, but wasn’t willing to risk it.

After too long, the woman finally grasped her lost tool and returned to upright and Frija hurried on, shaking her head. Sometimes the giants were too stupid.

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She could see him now. The beast god. Gray fur lit by the right afternoon sun. His tail curling up and down at the tip as he lazily gazed in her direction. His tongue, bigger than her hand, peeked out from his mouth to lick at his snout. He could smell her offering. She couldn’t help but smile then.

Glancing down at her palm as she finished the trip, she noticed just how many cubes had vanished. Must’ve dropped some when that lady lost her sense of touch, Frija thought, shaking her head. Beginner mistake. Maybe she could just nibble one more before handing over?

She glanced up at Mena— the beast god. He was too close. She couldn’t risk it. Emerging from the tablecloth, she extended her offering. “Please, spare me, oh dreadful lord of the fang and claw,” she’d asked Vasso to come up with a really good prayer before beginning the ritual. With all the books he read, he had to know of a few good ones. She’d been right. Some really good ones.

The beast god leaned forwards and licked her palm, his rough tongue delicately pulling her fingers apart to get all the sauce and chicken from her. “It is accepted,” she whispered, pulling her hand back and wiping her brow. She grimaced, realizing Menace hadn’t been completely done cleaning.

“Frija,” Daddy asked, just as the others started appearing. “What are you feeding Menace?”

She glanced in his direction. He was approaching them. She could already see his eyes taking her in. Taking all of them in. It was too late to hide. “We were just playing underneath the tables,” she said, making her eyes wide and big.

“Sure you were,” Ranvir said with a smile, and knelt before her with a napkin. He first wiped her mouth. “That’s how you got all that sauce on your mouth, of course.”

Frija frowned at the stains and reached up to touch her lips.

“Let me clean the hand first,” he interjected, grabbing her questing fingers.

‘Questing’, that was a nice word. Vasso had used it in another of the prayers, but Frija couldn’t remember how it went since it was so long. She just remembered the word.

“Questing,” she breathed.

Daddy just smiled and began wiping her forehead. “Fireheart,” he said. “I think this game is over. You’re going to blow Menace up with all the food you’re feeding him, and you’re all getting too messy. We can’t force Elpir to clean up after you on her wedding day.”

“You should wait at least a day,” Kyriake said. Frija hadn’t seen where she’d come from, but it didn’t matter since she was a good guy.

“Okay,” Frija said. She only pouted a little. “I’ll go play vetinarian.”

“Veterinarian,” Daddy said.

Frija hurried off towards the other kids. She considered how to explain it to them, but then realized she might like to play it only with Menace. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “But I have to play with Menace alone now,” a few of them pouted, but they knew each other well and understood. “Menace, come,” Frija said, reaching for an ear.

The cat flicked it away from her fingers, but still got up with a grunt. “First, we have to check your speed,” she cried, running away from the tables and towards the gate. It took Menace a moment, but soon he caught up. He struck her on the back, just hard enough to knock her to the ground, causing her to roll dramatically. “Phew, you are very strong!”

She jumped to her feet, then pushed Menace’s shoulder. “Onto your stomach now. I have to check if you’ve been…” she paused, leaning against the cat. “Dimesting? Di… if you’ve been okay with food!”

Grunting low in his belly, Menace fell onto his side, then as she began heaving on his legs, rolled onto his back. She carefully placed her ear on his chest, listening for his stomach. She could hear his breathing and powerful heart. One paw landed heavily on her shoulders. It was almost enough to keep her in place, but she pushed away just enough to listen lower, causing Menace to curl slightly.

She gasped. “Are you hurt?” but looking up, she found Menace wasn’t looking at her, but at the two newcomers who’d just passed through the gate and into the garden. They scanned the nearby area. The house was blocking the dinner tables from view, so they could only see her.

“That’s the right hair,” the girl muttered to the man. He nodded and they strolled over. “Hey kid,” the woman said. She was wearing odd clothes that Frija’d never seen before. “What are you doing here?”

Frija frowned and pulled back, glaring at the woman.

“That’s a nice ribbon you’ve got,” the woman noted, pointing at Frija’s hair.

Glowering at her, Frija got to her feet and cupped her hair. “You can’t have it.”

“Again?” muttered the woman. “It’s every damned child I meet.”

“It’s because you don’t think of them the right way,” the man said, approaching. He looked much friendlier. “Can I pet your dog?”

Frija frowned, but Menace tentatively sniffed the man’s hand as he offered, before dismissing him. “That’s…” the woman said. “I don’t think that’s a dog.”

“It sure isn’t,” the man muttered with a smile, scratching Menace behind the ears. The cat flicked his ear at him. “Hm? No scratching?”

“No,” Frija said, shaking her head. “He doesn’t like it.”

“Oh, he doesn’t? He’s very particular, then?” the man asked, looking at her. Frija gasped as she saw his eyes. They flashed a bright blue before turning into a rainbow.