Another thundering step sounded, followed by the unmistakable cracking of a massive tree trunk giving way.
A massive head, the size of a truck, swung toward me. The small yellow eyes seemed to focus more on me than anything else, like it was trying to decide if I was a snack or something worth worshiping.
Its snout was long and scarred, lips curled back in a permanent snarl that showed rows of teeth like railroad spikes. Not white, not clean, but old and cracked and still somehow sharp enough to split steel.
Breath puffed from its nostrils like steam off a boiling pot, and its whole body trembled with a low, vibrating growl that made the wooden platform beneath my feet rattle.
And yet… I didn't flinch. I tilted my head.
It tilted its head back.
"Don't worry," I whispered to the creature, my eyes bright as I continued to study the massive thing. "Daddy already said that you could be my pet."
