Page 86 of Monster's Pet

Rhiannon quickly tied off her spell and let it go.

Moonbeam gently butted her forehead against mine for a moment, holding my gaze with her swirling purple one, and then leaped over my head. Her wings, which I hadn’t noticed, erupted from her shoulders and swept her up to the top of the cavern. She yowled again, and the manducare encircling the giant stopped flying to stare at her.

I got to my feet and ran closer. I wasn’t sure what to do, but on instinct, I raised my hand with the ring in the air. “Don’t kill him!” I shouted.

Now every eye in the cavern was fixed on me.

It was unnerving.

I swallowed hard. “You were not made to be killers. My ancestor helped you become who you are, to help us put the giant to sleep. We did not ask you to kill him.”

One of the largest manducare I had ever seen landed in front of me, the dirt exploding upward from the force of the landing. Each step forward, puffs of dirt burst up around the paws. I trembled under the intense gaze of the creature, a single eye nearly the size of me.

“Siobhan, get out of there!” Grandfather yelled.

The manducare rumbled deep in its chest.

I was trembling, but I stood my ground. “Thank you for coming to our aid once more,” I said, my voice shaking.

The manducare ducked its head, pressing its nose to my hand. It was cold and wet, just like a cat’s.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

There was a sudden flurry of wings again, loud thumping as the manducare all landed, and then silence.

“Where’s Gràineileachd?” Aiden asked. He was right behind me, in full beast form.

Surprised, I realized that there was no giant in the cave.

“Did he escape?” I asked anxiously. “He can shrink. Maybe he snuck out?”

A large manducare leaped over several others, bounding to a halt in front of Aiden and butting its head against Aiden’s chest.

“Moonbeam?” he asked incredulously.

The manducare chirped and stamped her feet.

“She’s so big now,” I marveled.

“Not as big as her mama,” Aiden said, running his hand behind her ears the way she’d loved as a small kitten.

Moonbeam nudged him again and then pranced away, looking back at us expectantly.

“I think she wants us to follow her,” I whispered.

We started walking through the pod of manducare, their furry sides brushing against us as we passed them.

“Siobhan!” Grandfather shouted from above. “Get away from there! The giant’s there!”

“We’re safe with Moonbeam,” I called back.

“Are you sure about that?” Aiden asked in a quiet whisper.

“You should have more faith,” I replied, nudging him in the ribs. “You’re her mama, after all.”

“She’s just… so much bigger than she was,” he said.

“She’s the same kitten that you gave your magic to,” I retorted. “Trust her.”

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