I hope the customers like fireboar, thought Jess as the kitchen began to process the meat that remained from the epic battle of Jess, Audrey and Mika against the fireboars. Mika's onslaught had left the remaining swine to beat a hasty retreat. The giantess had taken enthusiastically to skinning and gutting. The facility with which she cleaned the carcasses indicated that despite her sometimes primitive grasp of language she wasn't stupid. She also continued to refer to Jess as "Mommy" in a voice that could probably be heard in the village ten miles away. Jess still loved her daughter, but the new Mika was clearly going to be a handful, not to mention hard to keep fed. Well, at least there was plenty of fireboar.
Audrey came trudging into the kitchen, and by the grim expression on her face Jess knew the worst. "No sign of it" she said. After her transformation, Mika had thrown the stone away somewhere to come to grips with the fireboars. And given Mika's strength she could have thrown it a mile.
"Mama Audrey sad?" said Mika. "Don't cry, Mama Audrey. Rock will turn up one day!"
Audrey smiled in spite of herself, but she did not share Mika's confidence. And she wasn't sure how she felt about raising a giant like Mika. Audrey had worked hard for every bit of skill and muscle she had developed to become a warrior. But she knew she could never win a fight against someone like Mika, who had just said some words to a magic rock. Life was unfair.
Jess came over to give her co-mother a hug.