Work Text:
The plumehound visits him, sometimes, as he saunters back to his cave.
Tau does an elegant prance as he follows Einar down the path. In his wake, the dirt clouds up behind his paws, the beautiful insects of Kilima scuttering out of the ground. On a typical day he simply observes Einar, his nose fixed right against the bucket of fish Einar hauls back each night, until Einar reaches his home, gives him a gentle pat on the head, and turns in for the night. But today—
Today he stops Einar. Tau runs up from behind him just as Einar crouches down to his door, skidding to a firm stop and blocking his trajectory. He looks up at Einar with an overjoyed, expectant gaze, his head tilting and his throat whimpering.
Einar has been waiting for this.
"Good evening, Hassian's plumehound," Einar says, his deep voice almost singsong. He makes a sweeping gesture with his hand. "If you move to the side, I will present you with a gift."
Panting, Tau steps aside. Einar enters, shuffles around for a moment, and then returns to face Tau with a container of fish in his hand.
"You are a very good boy."