Nida laid on the floor staring at her dinner plate. All that was left on it was a pair of dwarf steaks that had grown cold over the past hour. "Mom! Do I have to eat it?"
Her mother sighed from where she was sitting across the room to make sure that Nida ate her food. "For the hundredth time, yes!"
"Why?"
"Because you will be wasting all of your fathers' hard work if you don't. Its good food."
"No, it's not. It's all yucky and cold!"
"And who's fault is that?" Her mother asked, "Get up off the floor."
"I don't want to," Nida complained.
"Well, you are staying there until you have eaten it all. If you feed it to the hell hound I'll make you eat him too." her mother snapped but Nida knew she didn't mean it.
"Kiko wouldn't eat it, he knows that dwarf is gross," Nida said leaning her head back and rubbing her horns against the table leg. "They always taste like stale beer and metal."
Her mother's tail was quick to slap her horns away. "Don’t do that! You will score the table and then we will have to fix that as well. Just eat it."
Nida rested her chin on the floor and stared at the dwarf steaks on her plate, the blood had already run out. She'd used it to draw pictures underneath her chair earlier. Nida grinned to herself, her mother hadn't noticed.
"Oh! I saw a weird Tiefling today. He had pale skin and no tail or horns like we do and his eyes had lots of colors." she remarked, rolling onto her back so that she could see her mother's face.
Her mother gave her a flat look. "Changing the subject now, aren't you? He wasn't a Tiefling, Nida, he was a human."
Nida frowned "Oh…. So that's why he was so weird. You sure that you are going to make me eat this?"
"Yes."
Nida got excited for a moment and sat up then realized what the yes meant and laid back on the floor, muttering "Figures…where's dad?"
"Working. And he would say that you have to eat your dinner as well. So stop your fussing." Her mother got up as she spoke. "I have to go out for a little while but if I come home and find out that you hid your dinner instead of eating it again, you are in trouble. You hear me, Nida?"
"Yes, mom. I hear you." Nida muttered and rolled over again.
Her mother sighed and Nida felt a hand rub her horns for a brief moment before her mother left the room. Nida waited till she heard the front door close then sat up. There had to be somewhere that she could hide the dwarf steaks.
Nida poked one of them. Her finger didn't go in very far, dwarf meat was too tough. She picked up the steaks carefully to avoid dripping any of the remaining blood on the floor in case it left a trail. Then she went into the main room. Maybe she could hide them underneath the chairs? Nida peered underneath the carved seats of dragon bone and hide. Nope. And if her mother ever found the steaks under the furs she was done for. The top shelf was too high up for her to reach. Nida huffed in annoyance.
She went back into the kitchen and dumped the meat back onto her plate and sat down again glaring at the meat. She stuck her tongue out at it.
Then she ran to her room as an idea came to her. Nida lifted her bed with a grunt, it was heavy. Then held her nose with her tail as a foul smell wafted up to greet her from underneath it. Right. She had forgotten that she had hidden her food under the bed last time. There was a pile of rotten meat covered in all kinds of wriggling insects and maggots hidden underneath. Nida dropped the bed on them then coughed as a wave of foul-smelling air hit her in the face then went to find Kiko. The large hell hound was chained to a post at the back of their small house.
"Hey, Kiko," Nida said, pulling a necklace out from under her shirt laden with keys, she had only found the locks for some of them but she would find the rest someday. For now, she picked a thick iron key and used it to unlock the chain from around Kikos' neck. She didn't need to bend down very much since Kikos' head came up to her shoulder.
"Come Kiko, I got a treat for you." She gave his collar a light tug and led him through the house, his rank breath in her face. Nida grunted as she lifted her bed again. Kiko helped, his intelligent red eyes looked at her in askance. She tilted her head so that she could fit underneath and pointed to the rotten meat with her tail. "That's for you Kiko."
The hell hound growled in pleasure and dug into the rotten meat, maggots, and all. Nida laughed as his heavy tail beat against her and she stumbled, almost dropping the bed. "Kiko! Careful!"
Kiko looked to her for more. "Will you eat dwarf steak?" Nida asked.
Kiko snorted and shook his head. "Please Kiko?" Nida pleaded.
Kiko wriggled out from under the bed and started down the hallway. Nida followed but he only went outside again. "Kiko…" she said.
But he only went to his post and waited. Nida sighed and chained him up again. "You aren't very nice," she told him so he licked her face.
"Eww! Gross!" Nida exclaimed, grinning as she wiped the stinking dog slobber off of her face. She rubbed it off on Kikos' head by way of friendly revenge and played with him for a while before going back to her room to open the window to get rid of the rotten smell.
At least now she could stick the dwarf meat under her bed. Nida ran back to the kitchen, picked up the dwarf steaks and started for her room again. She heard her mother's voice outside, she was coming back! Nida still hadn't gotten rid of the steaks yet! She stood there in front of the door with the steaks in her hands covered in dried blood, dog hair and general dirt. A guilty sight if there ever was one. Nida glanced towards her room. There wasn't enough time! The doorknob turned.
"Nida, did you hide your food?" Her mother asked when she came in and saw the empty plate.
Nida grinned despite herself. "Nope! I ate it!" then burst into mad giggles on the floor. "I ate it! I ate it!"
Her mother looked at her for a second then nodded "Thank you, Nida." then left the room where she could be heard searching the house.
Nida kept laughing, she had found the best hiding place of all. It was where she knew her mother would never find it. In her stomach.
Her mother sighed from where she was sitting across the room to make sure that Nida ate her food. "For the hundredth time, yes!"
"Why?"
"Because you will be wasting all of your fathers' hard work if you don't. Its good food."
"No, it's not. It's all yucky and cold!"
"And who's fault is that?" Her mother asked, "Get up off the floor."
"I don't want to," Nida complained.
"Well, you are staying there until you have eaten it all. If you feed it to the hell hound I'll make you eat him too." her mother snapped but Nida knew she didn't mean it.
"Kiko wouldn't eat it, he knows that dwarf is gross," Nida said leaning her head back and rubbing her horns against the table leg. "They always taste like stale beer and metal."
Her mother's tail was quick to slap her horns away. "Don’t do that! You will score the table and then we will have to fix that as well. Just eat it."
Nida rested her chin on the floor and stared at the dwarf steaks on her plate, the blood had already run out. She'd used it to draw pictures underneath her chair earlier. Nida grinned to herself, her mother hadn't noticed.
"Oh! I saw a weird Tiefling today. He had pale skin and no tail or horns like we do and his eyes had lots of colors." she remarked, rolling onto her back so that she could see her mother's face.
Her mother gave her a flat look. "Changing the subject now, aren't you? He wasn't a Tiefling, Nida, he was a human."
Nida frowned "Oh…. So that's why he was so weird. You sure that you are going to make me eat this?"
"Yes."
Nida got excited for a moment and sat up then realized what the yes meant and laid back on the floor, muttering "Figures…where's dad?"
"Working. And he would say that you have to eat your dinner as well. So stop your fussing." Her mother got up as she spoke. "I have to go out for a little while but if I come home and find out that you hid your dinner instead of eating it again, you are in trouble. You hear me, Nida?"
"Yes, mom. I hear you." Nida muttered and rolled over again.
Her mother sighed and Nida felt a hand rub her horns for a brief moment before her mother left the room. Nida waited till she heard the front door close then sat up. There had to be somewhere that she could hide the dwarf steaks.
Nida poked one of them. Her finger didn't go in very far, dwarf meat was too tough. She picked up the steaks carefully to avoid dripping any of the remaining blood on the floor in case it left a trail. Then she went into the main room. Maybe she could hide them underneath the chairs? Nida peered underneath the carved seats of dragon bone and hide. Nope. And if her mother ever found the steaks under the furs she was done for. The top shelf was too high up for her to reach. Nida huffed in annoyance.
She went back into the kitchen and dumped the meat back onto her plate and sat down again glaring at the meat. She stuck her tongue out at it.
Then she ran to her room as an idea came to her. Nida lifted her bed with a grunt, it was heavy. Then held her nose with her tail as a foul smell wafted up to greet her from underneath it. Right. She had forgotten that she had hidden her food under the bed last time. There was a pile of rotten meat covered in all kinds of wriggling insects and maggots hidden underneath. Nida dropped the bed on them then coughed as a wave of foul-smelling air hit her in the face then went to find Kiko. The large hell hound was chained to a post at the back of their small house.
"Hey, Kiko," Nida said, pulling a necklace out from under her shirt laden with keys, she had only found the locks for some of them but she would find the rest someday. For now, she picked a thick iron key and used it to unlock the chain from around Kikos' neck. She didn't need to bend down very much since Kikos' head came up to her shoulder.
"Come Kiko, I got a treat for you." She gave his collar a light tug and led him through the house, his rank breath in her face. Nida grunted as she lifted her bed again. Kiko helped, his intelligent red eyes looked at her in askance. She tilted her head so that she could fit underneath and pointed to the rotten meat with her tail. "That's for you Kiko."
The hell hound growled in pleasure and dug into the rotten meat, maggots, and all. Nida laughed as his heavy tail beat against her and she stumbled, almost dropping the bed. "Kiko! Careful!"
Kiko looked to her for more. "Will you eat dwarf steak?" Nida asked.
Kiko snorted and shook his head. "Please Kiko?" Nida pleaded.
Kiko wriggled out from under the bed and started down the hallway. Nida followed but he only went outside again. "Kiko…" she said.
But he only went to his post and waited. Nida sighed and chained him up again. "You aren't very nice," she told him so he licked her face.
"Eww! Gross!" Nida exclaimed, grinning as she wiped the stinking dog slobber off of her face. She rubbed it off on Kikos' head by way of friendly revenge and played with him for a while before going back to her room to open the window to get rid of the rotten smell.
At least now she could stick the dwarf meat under her bed. Nida ran back to the kitchen, picked up the dwarf steaks and started for her room again. She heard her mother's voice outside, she was coming back! Nida still hadn't gotten rid of the steaks yet! She stood there in front of the door with the steaks in her hands covered in dried blood, dog hair and general dirt. A guilty sight if there ever was one. Nida glanced towards her room. There wasn't enough time! The doorknob turned.
"Nida, did you hide your food?" Her mother asked when she came in and saw the empty plate.
Nida grinned despite herself. "Nope! I ate it!" then burst into mad giggles on the floor. "I ate it! I ate it!"
Her mother looked at her for a second then nodded "Thank you, Nida." then left the room where she could be heard searching the house.
Nida kept laughing, she had found the best hiding place of all. It was where she knew her mother would never find it. In her stomach.
