the usefulness of this uselessness

Out under the mild winter sun on the Moor was the place this time of year. She had considered doing another soap making lesson, but then decided it was probably a bit advanced at this stage, particularly with the risk of burns, so she had instead set out some shells and feathers, bits of pliable branch and cords. There were even some reed baskets that had been started, enough to give the children a head start should they choose to try their paws at that instead. There wasn't going to be a huge amount of structure to this lesson, it was mostly about giving the kids a way to express themselves that might be useful to the pack in the long run. Modesty was growing tired of hiking all the way to the north to attend the markets, and she was cooking on a plan of her own.

"speech"