It had been a warm day. Tadec had sought to hunt for the young Redleaf children who had grown considerably in the last two months. His prize for them had been a large hare that could easily be shared between the three of them. It would not have been long and he would have been hunting for his own children’s food. The thought was a frightening one. Tadec could only hope that they would be as strong as Laurel’s pups had been. 

As the coywolf neared the den with the rabbit clasped in his narrow muzzle, the dark crow caught sight of the plump form of Lucas. Tadec smiled softly at the boy and approached with a low head and a twitching tail at his rear. Dropping the rabbit nearby, the dark thief lowered his torso some so that he might be on the same level as the child. “Hungry, Lucas?”

Lucas did not know him by name. This wasn’t enough to bother the good nature of the crow. He nudged the rabbit toward the young pup with a gentle, shriveled smile. The glimmering of his bronze gaze caught the light in the boy’s puppy blue eyes. Though Tadec was not known to the boy by name, the child seemed to bounce forward eagerly. The coywolf remained where he stood, holding his frame low toward the earth. His large ears were pulled forward to collect the words that the puppy spoke, allowing his dark lips to spread further into a grin that revealed the tips of pointed canines.
 
“Hello, Lucas,” Tadec breathed reverently to the young boy. “I am called Tadec.”
 
The dark moonlighter rolled to his side, reaching out a narrow limb to stretch his paw toward the plump puppy. It was relieving to see that the child had grown so well, so full, and that the many times he had hunted and taken the children food had provided enough for them to grow. There was even more hope that his own children would grow to be just as strong and healthy as the blonde-coated young man before him.

The young boy padded close to the stretched coywolf. He sniffed curiously at the dark hair of his stomach. The thief was keen to remain perfectly still while the pup finished his inspection. There was a small fear that if he were to react, it would frighten away his present playmate. First impressions were everything, after all. When Lucas had completed his examination of the stranger who had brought him food, he pulled himself back and inspected Tadec’s features with bright eyes. It was only then that the crow noticed the distinct features in the youthful face. He was a jovial child; the corners of his mouth were lifted in a sweet smile, and his eyes seemed to crinkle with a pleasant welcoming mark.
 
Wha doin’?
 
The length of the coywolf’s ears stood straight on end. A small smile creased Tadec’s lips into a gentle smile. “Tadec is looking for someone to go on an adventure,” he whispered softly to the boy. “Has Lucas seen the fireflies?” Knowing that Indra would not be likely to want to race off into the unknown in search of little lights, Tadec hoped that the young boy would be eager to go. The sun was slowly making its way down to hide behind the mountains, which would leave them with plenty of time to seek out the glowing bugs.

The eagerness that lit the boy's face was enough of an encouragement for Tadec. Lucas had grown enough that a short trek through the territory should not have been harmful to him. With a shriveled smile, the coywolf rose to a standing position and lowered his skull so that his gaze lingered like floating lanterns in front of the young pup. There was a moment where he wondered if Laurel would really want him to take the boy on an adventure, but he pushed it aside. It would have been far too difficult for Tadec to tell Lucas no than it would have been to endure the wrath of Indra's sister. With a flagging tail, the coywolf motioned in the direction he had intended to travel. Then, he swung his crown back around to where the boy was and he offered a smile that caused his eyes to crinkle and his gaze to glitter.

“Tadec will show Lucas. Fire fly is like dancing light in the dark. If swift, you can catch them,” the moonlighter offered to him with encouragement written on his narrow features. The other pups did not appear to be in sight, so Tadec imagined that it would just be him and Lucas on the grand excursion in search of the glittering bugs. That was for the best; he feared losing one of the young in the darker light of evening hours.

Warmth rushed to his cheeks as the boy drew closer. The halfling was not accustomed to the youthful energy, or the need for protection. He looked down at the child with a peculiar expression, unreadable surely to one so young. In a matter of moments, the dark thief shook away the feeling and set his sights on the great beyond. With a few jittery steps, he set out and they made their way toward the open expanse where he had last seen the dancing lights from glittering bugs. As they trekked, Lucas piped up with some interesting questions. Try as he might, Tadec was not certain that he would respond well enough for the pup.

With a thoughtful furrowing of his brow and a glance toward the darkening sky, the thin-limbed creature thought it was a strange idea to want to eat bugs. Still, the child seemed as though he was curious, and Tadec did not wish to be discouraging at all. He lowered his head some and glanced toward Lucas with a soft smile. “Tadec has never eaten fire fly,” he answered carefully, trying to word his response well enough for the pup. “But, Lucas and Tadec can eat one for first time tonight.”

While he may not have been eager to try such a thing, the dark male would have rather buried himself alive than disappoint his young companion. He would eat a firefly with Lucas.