It was only a bite, how did it end up like this

Basilisk startled at the noise. Rising a food straight in the air like a startled cat, turning even as he landed. Heart hammering in his chest, he realised he wasn’t busted for his midnight hunt for snacks. Instead, he was faced with a fuzzy bird the height of a house cat. He paused, mouth partly open for a moment, and realised this must be Zeph. He’d been told of Zeph, mostly in the lines of ‘friend, not food, don’t eat’ a shame, too. He would have made a great snack, if a little feathered.

“If you don’t tell anyone about this adventure, you can come” he said, giving the bird a stern look. He didn’t want another lecture from his grandfather. And he definitely didn’t need another about his eating habits. He grew like… a foot a day, okay? He got hungry. “Can you, uh... make it down the stairs on your own, or do you need a ride?”

"Speech"