Cricket is unabashed, but he laughs a little at Forrest's expression.

"Forrest, I didn't mean you had to feed the whole party." He reaches up and squeezes his friend's shoulder. "And I got plenty of vegetable and fruit things for them to eat. And pita chips and hummus--you ever eaten hummus? It's good. Mashed up chickpeas with garlic and such."

He'd rather have the homemade fried chicken, too, really, but you have to eat some vegetables sometimes.

Cricket hastens to grab one of the smaller mason jars for Forrest and brings it over. "Come see the coop! There was leftovers from the lumber you brought me, so I gave it to a friend o' mine who was building kind of a garage for his bike. Reckon we both appreciate it. And the chickens do, too."

As they get closer to the coop, Forrest may notice the brightly colored feathers. Cricket has gotten a variety of chickens: silkies, wyandottes, a couple plump Brahma hens, and a rooster with a fantastically long, feathery tail. Loki has dressed them up for the party, so to speak. They're all a rainbow of color.

"They don't usually look like this," Cricket says with a grin.