Field trip with Granda and Grandpa

It felt like only yesterday Kane had been walking these very paths across Auster with his own pups no bigger than the younglings he and Tamsyn were herding eastward today. It was a strange thought to consider that those pups of his were now yearlings, soon to be full adults. My, how the time had flown... But these little ones! There was almost a dozen of the energetic little fuzzballs and they made the elder dire wolf feel young again! With permission from his stepsons, Kane and Tamsyn had escorted the pups out on a field trip to explore eastern Auster, likely the farthest any of them had been from the safe stone walls of their castle home. He still remembered his trio's excitement the first time they got to experience the outside world and was eagerly looking forward to seeing that same enthusiasm in this new generation too.

The trek east wasn't terribly long, and the group drew closer to the coves of the eastern shore just after noon. Kane had brought up the rear of their little puppy pack, keeping an eye on the rambunctious pups to make sure none of them ran off—that three-legged one especially. Who knew that losing a leg actually made you faster! The giant wolf plodded along with little Bramble close by him. He was happy to keep the demure girl company while Tamsyn herded the rest of the bunch up front, and occasionally the dire wolf would give his little granddaughter a big, toothy, saber-filled smile. When they arrived at the cove, Tam laid the ground rules for them, then set the pups loose to play and explore. Kane bellowed a hearty laugh when all nine of the little rugrats took off in different directions, his gaze moving from Dusk who looked like she was trying to drown herself to Caladia who was shouting out for his attention.

"I'm watching you, sweetie! Don't you worry about that!" Kane called back to her while he settled into a relaxed sit on the warm sands. And watch he did, keeping his eyes on the energetic young lass while she wound up, then bounded forward to go diving into one of the tide pools, sending seawater and froth all over. Kane laughed and clapped his giant paws together, applauding Callie's bravery and athleticism. Positive reinforcement was highly beneficial to a young pup's development, after all. She asked if he wanted to watch her do it again, and Kane nodded his head so vigorously it nearly shook the feathers tied up in his fur loose. "You bet I do! There's another good sized pool right over there!" he said, pointing out another nearby tide pool for her to practice her diving in. By the end of today, he was sure all of these kids would be knackered, and their parents would be ever grateful for wearing out their hyperactive children. But what greater joy could there be as a grandparent than getting to spoil your grandkids rotten!

"Kaneonuskatew"