Author's Note: Set in the same universe of ʻīlio hae.
Mr. Hoppy's Very Scary Morning
"And who's this?" Danny asked, eyeing the squirming ball of fluff his daughter was carrying toward him in a small cage.
"Mr. Hoppy," chirped Grace, holding up the rabbit for inspection. "Step-Stan bought him for me to take to school for animal show and tell today."
Danny was pretty sure if Grace brought Mr. Hoppy any closer to him the poor rabbit was going to suffer a coronary from the scent of Big-Bad-Wolf that clung to him no matter which form he was in.
"That's…er…nice, Monkey," he hedged, hoping Grace wouldn't pick up on the false edge of sincerity in his tone as he led her around to the passenger side of the Camaro. A rabbit was not a pet. A rabbit was food and barely a mouth full at that. If Step-Stan, the smug wife/mate steeling bastard that he was, was going to spring for his daughter a pet the man could have at least gotten her something that didn't scream 'Eat Me!'
With Grace fastened in and Mr. Hoppy secure in her lap Danny pointed his car in the direction of the Academy of Sacred Hearts.
"You know Danno," Grace hedged, her fingers drumming a low tattoo on the plastic lid of Mr. Hoppy's cage. The poor rabbit still hyperventilating from where it had crammed itself into the farthest corner it could get from Danny. "If I could, I'd rather be taking Lobo to Animal-Show-and-Tell than Mr. Hoppy."
And if Danny's heart didn't just damn near burst with pride at that pronouncement. Never mind the anarchy it would cause if Grace showed up at her ritzy private school with a real live timber wolf on a pink-and-purple butterfly leash or the fact that Rachael would skin him alive for a new fur shawl if he ever even entertained the notion of going in the place of Mr. Hoppy. But still it was nice to know he counted higher on the totem pole than a squirming hairball.
"I'd rather get to spend the day with you as Lobo too Gracie," he said a warm smile curling at his lips. "But –"
"But you've got to go and catch bad guys, right?"
"Right, Honey."