Beware the Anklebiters!

Pitter patter,
Tiny feet!

Chomp and gnaw,
Ankles raw!

Lazy children, Better run!
Beware the Anklebiters! Run!

— Song of the Anklebiters

The Anklebiters are a story in Dhanû typically told in nursery rhyme or short song to children that feature the titular Anklebiters. These diminutive devils are devious deviants that demolish the ankles of lazy children. They lurk in the darkness of messy rooms, beneath clothes not put away properly or in toys heaped hap-hazardously, always ready to strike!

Song of the Anklebiters

Why are the Anklebiters so different between different stories? You think that mean that they aren't real?
(Yeah!)
You haven't been paying attention, have you?
Well, would you like me to tell you?

---

Anklebiters are featured in a series of songs and poems that are common across Dhanû as an antagonist in children tales. They're variously described as scaly, tiny devils of roughly humanoid shape to balls of fur and a ravenous maw.
No matter their appearance, Anklebiters are mischievous and chaotic creatures that thrive in dirt and hunger for human flesh. Capricious and cruel, they might play deadly pranks one minute and attack the next.

---

Almost invariably, children in Anklebiter tales face gruesome fates. Few come out alive and even fewer unscathed. The typical story ends with the unruly child being either eaten alive by a swarm of ravenous Anklebiters or, as the name suggests, have their feet eaten from the ankle.
The injuries detailed in the story tend to be explicit and gory, more than likely as a result of a parent stepping on a toy left out in the middle of the night.

You see, Anklebiters come in many forms - just like us. The small ones are different from the big ones, see?
How do they grow big? By eating, of course!
And they have their favorite meal right here. They love to hide under dirty laundry, or in messy rooms

Dhanû
The city-state of Dhanû is located in the hostile Sheoin region. They are a proud and fierce people with a strong tradition of storytelling and song. Behind the glowering masks and glory-seeking headhunts, their poets are not afraid to get a little silly sometimes - as exemplified by the Anklebiters.
Read More About Dhanû

by Critters movies

Skalds

There is a strong tradition of storytelling in Dhanû, most often in the form of song or poetry. Skalds, or bards, are entertainers that keep these stories alive through generations.
Any skald worth his skull knows at least three stories that relate to the Anklebiters, but those who become parent tend to know many more.