not only did she cradle them to sleep , lying with her back turned to the caves drafty mouth to shield them from the cold , but each morning she left and came back with what nourishment she could procure : empty beehives dripping with honey , large , queer-coloured fowl , and a peculiar breed of animal theyd never seen before , which she caught in a large pond of ether milk that lay near the cave : creatures flat and shiny , with round milky eyes and spiky skin which , sliced in the middle by a single cut of her claws , revealed a pale reddish , soft , delicious meat theyd roast on small glowstone fires that their self-appointed protectress , unlike any other beast , showed not the least fear of .