Monster is as monster does, maybe. Cricket hasn't seen his dark side, and he's an innocent in his own way. That, and he comes from a place that's pretty close to nature. You get to see the bright and the dangerous when you live in poor Appalachian country. You can still starve if the harvest fails, or get hypothermia if you wander outside in the winter. He figures the best thing to do when the natural world gets mean is to get out of its way. Humans are harder to deal with, in a lot of ways.

"I never met a giant swamp monster before, sir, so I wouldn't pre-judge." He grins a little, and then nods. "Blackberries are my favorite. My...my ma used to make pie out of 'em in the summer, but she ain't around any more."

He looks thoughtful. "Wonder if you can make moonshine with berries in the mash, like you can with apples? Bet it'd be sweet."