A short story involving Boneflower's, daughter Adelaïde, mother Lyra, and an unexpected arthropod. This takes place at Boneflower's parent's home in the foothills on the western side of the Doggerland plain, roughly equivalent to central to northern England, where they fashioned a small natural cave into a hospitable, comfortable homestead.
Adelaïde has multiple nicknames: her grandmother (Lyra) calls her Addie, her mother (Boneflower) calls her Elaida, as does her dad (Sceya); and her grandfather (Raskan) calls her "Loidy".

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Lyra froze, then set down her knitting, keeping her eyes affixed on the creature beside Adelaïde. “What, in God’s holy name, is that?”

“Granda says it’s called a Scare-Ubb! It followed me home, can I keep it?”

“Please, please, put it outside.”

The little girl put on a pout. “But it followed me, Nana! And it’s sweet!”

She forced a smile. “Dear little Addie, could you have your, er, friend wait outside for one minute?”

“But-“

She let her teeth show the train in her smile. “Please, for Nana’s sake.”

Adelaïde turned sadly to the beetle. “Sorry, Mr. Scare-Ubb, you heard Nana, you need to wait outdoors,” she said, moving toward the door. The scarab followed her out, and when she returned, it did not.

“Thank you,” Lyra exhaled. “Thank you.”

The girl regarded her with wet eyes. “Mr. Scare-Ubb wasn’t hurting nobody. Why does he have to stay outside?”

“Addie, do you know what scarabs eat?”

“What? I don’t understand.”

“Everyone eats, don’t they? We eat meat and fish, mice eat grain and grass, caterpillars eat leaves — and scarabs, they eat, er, dung.”

“Dung? What’s that?”

“It’s what comes out from behind you, love.”

“My tail? No, nonono, Mr. Scare-Ubb wouldn’t do that!”

“No, no, not your tail. It’s… it’s what goes in the dirty little pot.”

Adelaïde blinked, then a look of horrified disgust came over her. “Eewwww!”

“Yes, Addie, it is very eww, and that’s why Mr. Scare-Ubb can’t come inside.”

“He’s a dirty beast, Nana! Dirty, dirty!”

“Yes,” she chuckled, “yes he is. And I think I know why he was following you. Tell me, did you need to use the pot when you were out?”

She retracted her neck. “Yes?”

“Did you go in the grasses?”

“Yes.”

“Did you remember to wipe your bottom after?”

She looked away and was silent.

“Addie, did you wipe yourself clean?”

“No,” she mumbled.

Lyra closed her eyes with a smile and shook her head. “Addie, you’re five years old now. Don’t you think girls your age should have good, clean bottoms?”

“Yes,” she replied meekly.

“Quite right, my dear. You see, that scarab smelled the dirt on your behind, and it got hungry.”

“Eww, poop isn’t food!”

“No, no it isn’t,” she laughed. “But it is for scarabs. That’s why you need to be clean: so scarabs don’t try to eat the dirt off your bottom!”

“Eeeewwww!” Adelaïde laughed too. “Don’t want that!”

She nodded and, clapping her hands, got to her feet. “Come on, let’s say goodbye to Mr. Scarab, then we can wash you up nice and clean.”

“Alright, Nana!”

They opened the door just in time to see the scarab open its back and release its wings. The thin membrane shone golden in the sunlight. Then it took to the air with a deep buzz, and hovered for a moment.

“Goodbye, Mr. Scare-Ubb! No poop for you, sorry!”

It seemed to Adelaîde that the insect nodded its head in understanding before it flew off, its low hum fading into the breeze.