"Not as different as you'd think," she replies with a little shrug. "Quarkbeasts are non-evolutionary creatures. They were created by the Mighty Shandar. He was showing off." He wasn't the only one, but he'd definitely won the 'weird invented creatures' contest.

"Quark," the Beast says, all mournful resignation. He's used to getting this kind of reaction, but that doesn't mean he likes getting it.

"If it makes you feel any better, he prefers eating metal," she says, craning her neck around the other side of the shrub. Which isn't to say that meat is off the menu, but metal is the real favorite.