Eagle Eye

Gwen was out of the pack lands looking for something very specific, which is to say, someplace interesting and fun to bring the pups on an overnight field trip far from the pack lands they knew. This land had seemed like a good idea at first. What child didn't like the beach? And this one was fascinating with its black sands. But as she had dabbled her toes into the water, it occurred to her that it was getting a bit chilly for beach days. The ocean tended to stay warmer longer in the fall than the air temperature, and this was quite a bit south for Boreas, though, so it might still be a fun trip. And there was a cave for shelter just back from the beach, so they could have a ready-made camp right there.

She maneuvered around a boulder to deftly avoid a tidepool in her path, only to come face to face with a stranger as she came around the other side of the big rock. She paused, surprised, but offered him a smile in apology. "Good morning. I'm sorry if I startled you."