Millipede's talent is protecting foot (8)
I believe the answer is:
pedestal
'foot' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'millipede's talent is protecting' is the wordplay.
'is protecting' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'PEDESTAL' can be found hidden inside 'millipedes talent'.
(Other definitions for pedestal that I've seen before include "Statue's base" , "Plinth, base" , "Support for a column or statue" , "Base on which something is mounted" , "Architectural support or base" .)