"Whatever he needs to keep him safe," she says. "He's never really been sick, so if he starts acting weird, not being his usual happy self, I'll know. And I can bring him back in."

He's all she's got.

"His mother was a frost giant. Or maybe an elf. They say the line's kinda hazy, depending on what side you're on politically--like, her father started as an elf and ended as a giant, but she started out as a giant 'cause she was at war with the gods, or something. And he could turn into an eagle and she could turn into a wolf and now Egil's a fox. I think the ability is genetic, but the kind of animal isn't. I don't know how helpful that is."