Moonspear Hello It's Me

He was surprised on a patrol to find a little one rushing toward him, only to see the girl stop short, looking at something in the ground.

Hey. . . Killdeer said quietly. His nostrils flared; her parents weren't far gone. Still, he came closer and shielded her from going farther down the path, instead feigning interest in the creature she'd found in the dirt.

That's a worm, he said, smiling. They're long and pink, and they come up when it rains. Birds like to eat them. They're not bad eating, honestly.

He held himself back from slurping up the arthropod; he figured that would traumatize the girl. Better to let her figure it out for herself.