Cambria first, then Jeffy! I PPed Cambria a lot - if it's not okay, let me know. Also, you guys get my 300th!
300+




Kansas felt like he'd been waiting for summer to come for so long. He hadn't any regrets for the seasons past - this year had been his best yet. But he'd been anticipating the light and warmth of the summer sun to compliment his pretty world. And today felt like summer. The midmorning sun was hot on his back, but once he'd turned onto the overgrown road toward Whisper Beach, the trees shaded him with dappled shadow. Last time he'd been to the Beach, it had been chilly and windy. While the time he'd spent there had been fun, he'd been waiting to see what the place was like during the warmer months. With her adoration of the ocean, Savina had probably been there ten times for all he knew; that girl was always off somewhere. Kansas grinned to himself.



Cambria shifted on his shoulder, burying her nose into the pale fur of his neck. He rubbed her small shoulderblades, moving a little faster. "Almost there, baby," he told his sleepy daughter. He'd meant to leave on his own, but he'd awakened to find Cambria asleep on his chest, so there was no way he could have gotten up and left without waking her up, too. Savina was in the room with Gotham and Amata, asleep. He'd left them a note and started off toward the beach with the cinnamon child in his arms.



The trees began to thin along the road, and the salty scent of the ocean alerted him that they were very close. The road ended, opening to the pale beach and the hissing water beyond. Cambria stirred, lifting her head to look over his shoulder. "Daddy..." Kansas laughed - her little bell's voice was so precious. As he stepped onto the soft sand and walked toward the ocean, the child squirmed, giggling as he tickled her ribs. "All right, I guess you can get down now," he teased. Kansas carefully put her onto the sand. He was so glad he had brought her with him. He'd needed to show her this. "What d'you think, Cam?"

It's all good with me And yay special! <3 300+


It had been early when her daddy had woken up and decided to take him with her on a little trip. She didn't usually like getting up so early, but getting to spend some special time with her daddy was enough enticement. Also he had decided to carry her so she hadn't had to walk. That was nice. Otherwise it would have taken them like, a hundred days to get there. So the little girl had dozed in her father's arms, relaxed by the rhythmic motions of his walking and the sound of his breathing and heartbeat. She didn't know where they were going, hadn't bothered to ask. She knew her dad wouldn't take her anyplace scary or dangerous.



He said they were almost there and her doleful eyes looked around. How far away from home were they? Quite a ways she guessed, from how long they had been walking. That made the pup a little nervous, but then she remembered she was with her big strong daddy and that went away. Then he began to tickle her ribs and she giggled uncontrollably. There was no doubt she had inherited her ticklishness from her mother. After that he picked her up and gently placed her down onto the beach. What was this stuff they were standing on? It felt so weird underneath her feet. Not bad at all, just...different. A loud roaring noise filled her ears and her head turned to see the crashing water that was the same color as her eyes.



Cambria looked back to her father, her tail waving slowly. "Is preddy. Wha is dis pwace dahdah?" The pup looked to her front paws, wriggling her toes in the strange tan stuff. "Whas dis stuffs we standin' ins?" This was the farthest the Marino child had ever been from home and it seemed so different. She had no idea there was also a beach in the southern reaches of Crimson Dreams territory. She hadn't ever been that far.

What time was it? He hadn't slept that night, nor had he returned to the pack that needed him, either. Jefferson's moods had been torrential for quite some time. He'd met his children over a month before, and yet their eyes, their scowls were still perfectly preserved in his mind, haunting him in ways the cyclops had never expected. He'd argued with both DaVinci and Geneva sometime thereafter and spent at least a couple weeks in such a mood, testy and short-tempered. Yet when the dark-furred Dahlian subleader stood on his lands, his personality had shifted to something unnatural despite his thoughts, somehow managing a good mood to meet poor Cwmfen.

Jefferson did not leave Phoenix Valley for several months before May, always busy with one thing or another, but the past few weeks had driven him away from the sanctuary of the packlands. The waters are Raven Beacon were too familiar to be a comfort from nature. At first, he'd moved to Dahlia de Mai and spoke with Cercelee, then to Crimson Dreams since he and Geneva hadn't spoken since their last meeting and he was more curious as to what she had left behind and refused to return to. And now, though it was unnatural, he had spent the night out in the wilderness somewhere, leaving the pack to DaVinci for an evening. Jefferson's little retreat was spent in the sand, overlooking the ocean with his back against a rock, minutes flying past in the midst of his thoughts and musings. Sleep never reached him.

And yet somewhere in the early hours, when his eye drooped the heaviest and his body ached, the male was alerted to voices. He must have been dozing -- a wolf and pup had stopped at the coast just a short distance away, yet his keen ears had heard nothing of their arrival. The idiot gritted his teeth at the ache in his back from its stiff placement, but he pushed himself up onto his feet and yawned mightily. Jefferson turned to start away, but his eye curiously fell on the wolf and what seemed to be his child. The father was recognized quickly, and although he should have just walked away and gone home to check on his pack, the brute rolled his shoulders and casually approached. "It's sand," the brute said quietly as the child's question distantly reached his ears. "Good to sleep in but bad to eat." Unsurprisingly, the cyclops's rough approach to parenthood became evident, but in the end, at least Addison was turning out all right. Jefferson had met Kansas's mate just a few days prior (and what he could accordingly assume to be his other child). The boy that Savina had been holding was unafraid of the one-eyed idiot's looks and demeanor, thus Jefferson stepped up unafraid to frighten her away if she possessed the same audacity of her siblings and parents. "Your mother would be proud," Jefferson smiled at the father, hand in his pocket.

300+



If it was the beach he'd wanted to show Cambria, there were probably a hundred other, more easily accessible places he could have taken her. But he couldn't resist the charm of Whisper Beach, and he hoped that she sensed it too, at least at some level. The sand was soft here, and the ocean was the most beautiful shade of blue-green he had ever seen - except for that of his little girl's eyes. Besides, it was the perfect time of day to come here: just before the heat of the summer day settled in. He didn't want her paws to burn on the sand or something.



After he'd set her upon the sandy ground, she gazed at him with those captivating eyes of hers, her ropy tail wagging slowly behind her. Christ, she's cute. Grinning widely, the boy's lips parted to answer her, but before he could, another, vaguely familiar voice did. He turned hurriedly, taken aback. He hadn't expected to see anyone here at all. Not this early. Even more startling, perhaps, was that this was the man he'd met in Phoenix Valley several weeks (or was it months?) ago. "Jefferson?" Kansas managed to continue grinning through his surprise. It was rare that he had second encounters with those he met, probably because he never tried to.



The scarred wolf's words made something in Kansas's chest release. "Thanks." He often wondered what Iskata would have thought of his puppies. She probably wouldn't have babied them, but she would have been proud, he was sure. Kansas turned his sky eyes to his little girl, his expression calm. He didn't want her to be frightened of the one-eyed brute, because he trusted him for a reason he couldn't put his finger on. "Cam, this is Jefferson." He looked back toward the latter, "And this is Cambria."

300+


Whatever it was they were standing in she decided she liked it. It was soft on her paws and they kind of sunk into it. The pup gave a short giggle as she looked at her feet. Instead of the waves and the size of the ocean intimidating the girl they calmed her, and she couldn't say exactly why. Little did she know that it was ingrained deep into her genes. That her very surname meant "of the sea". Still looking at her toes she waited for her daddy's answer but when an answer came it was not in her daddy's voice. A shocked look took over her face and only became more shocked when she saw the man walking towards them. He was all scarred and only had one eye and his appearance startled her. Unsteadily she took a few steps back closer to her father, her hindquarters bumping against his leg. Unfortunately for Jefferson he was meeting the most timid of the Sadira-Marino litter.



Though then her daddy said what she guessed to be the man's name and it seemed they were acquainted. Cambria's little muscles relaxed and she did her best to wipe that startled expression from her face. She didn't want to be rude to a friend of her daddy's. That would embarrass him and she didn't want that. Mother? The girl looked up to the cyclops, but he was talking to her father, not her. She had never met her daddy's momma, he hadn't ever really talked about her either. Come to think of it neither of her parents ever talked about their parents. Suddenly she wondered why, though she didn't say anything.



The chocolate pup looked back up at her father and his eyes showed that they were safe. The remaining tension left her, though her shyness did not. As her father made the introduction she took them in, but bashfully looked down at her feet, her paws shuffling in what she now knew was sand. "Hewwos..." she said, glancing back up at the man. "Sorries I stawed..." Staring wasn't nice, she knew this. If it were her she wouldn't want to be stared at.

Kansas's daughter was rather precious, though Jefferson would have hung himself before admitting such a thing aloud. He smiled confidently at his child when the two were introduced, though his smile warped when he recognized fear in the pup's eyes. Clearly, she was unlike her brother that Savina had been toting; Gotham was rather undaunted by the sight of the male's scars and the feel of his demeanor, but the pup introduced as Cambria had other thoughts. The thought of seeing a father and child was pleasant and heartwarming even for a stone-hearted beast like he; he had children of his own, but their case was different. He was their father by blood only... but in actuality, he'd been hardly a father to them at all.

Jefferson bent his knees and lowered himself down to the pup's level when she apologized, meeting her eye-to-eye. His scars and single eye were closer than ever, but he smiled to make up for the torment they might cause. "Don't worry about it, kiddo. I've had worse." He grinned and reached his single arm to ruffle the top of her head before straightening up once more, feeling the ache in the center of his back as he moved. "I didn't know you had children, Kansas. I met Savina and one of your boys just the other day."

300+



Kansas couldn't remember the first time he'd felt sand beneath his feet, but he knew he'd always liked it. It was the most comfortable thing to tred upon, as long as it wasn't too hot. Cambria seemed calmed by being here; she hadn't been wily beforehand, but he sensed her ease. He watched her small, dark face and couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. When Jefferson approached, Cambria shrunk back toward his leg, and Kansas was a bit alarmed for split second. But he'd been half-expecting that sort of reaction. His chocolate daughter was the most frightful of the puppies; he couldn't be surprised if she was a bit scared by the scarred man.



Following his words, Cambria seemed to shrug off some of her shyness, enough so to actually speak to Jefferson. That definitely surprised him. He was proud of her. She even apologized. Kansas continued to watch her for a moment, shaking his head subtly. Pups were so entertaining.



The cream-coated male watched as Jefferson knelt to his child's level. The gentle movement of the cyclops was touching. Kansas had the rather obvious impression that the tawny brute had been dealt a difficult hand, and it had hardened him. But he approached Cambria with something not too unlike tenderness. When the Phoenix Valley leader mentioned that others had stared at him more intensely, Kansas froze, recalling their first encounter, how he'd stared relentlessly. Wincing slightly, he rubbed the back of his head and put one of his own hands into the pocket of his tight pants. He kept his voice light as if to apologize for his past wrong. "Yeah. I'm still kind of surprised, too," he said honestly. "You met Savina and Gotham? I wonder why—she didn't mention it..." He laughed a little. She probably hadn't a clue that Kansas knew Jefferson. "We have one other, Amata... You have kids?"

The tall brown man knelt down to look at her and for a second she worried that he would be upset about her staring, even though she had apologized. Would her daddy let the man scold her? If they were friends maybe he would. She didn't like being scolded, but maybe she deserved it for being naughty and staring at Jefferson. But instead he smiled at her and said that it was alright. A small smile crept its way onto her own face as her sea-like eyes met his green one that reminded her of her mother. Cambria gave a short giggle as he ruffled her head. This man wasn't scary! He was a nice man!



At the mention of her momma and brother her head looked up at the two tall adults and cocked to the side. So Jefferson knew his mommy too? That was good! She always liked her parents' friends. Her daddy was surprised to have them? Why? Had they popped out of nowhere? Cambria sure didn't remember that, but it didn't seem like something they would do. Maybe Amata, but not her or Gotham. "We was surprises dahdah? Why we surprises yous?" She had never heard him call them a surprise before. Momma neither. At her father's question to Jefferson about having kids her gaze switched to him. Maybe that's why he was so nice, cause he was a daddy too. Maybe she could play with his kids if he were! That is if they were nice and not mean. She didn't like meanies.

     The cyclops chuckled at Kansas's mumblings about his mate and child, amused by the man's obvious devotion and care for the love of his life and the children that had entered it. It reflected even in the most subtle motions he made: the passing gaze to Cambria, the twinkle that lit in his eye at the mentioning of Savina. It was amusing, almost heartwarming, but Jefferson was a beast with a stone heart. He had a soft side and it was constantly defended; even his warmest behavior did not go much further than the simple action of ruffling the pup's head, a motion that seemed to delight the child and somehow gain her trust at the same time. Strange, how a one-eyed monster could do that so easily.

     He smirked at the pup's curiosity when she persisted on an answer from her father. Sure, Jefferson could imagine a father's surprise, finding that his mate was pregnant and however that worked out to happen, but somewhere in the back of his mind, the brute scoffed. Kansas's surprise surely wasn't anywhere near to his own, having found three year-old children of his that he never knew existed nor considered the possibility of. Not only that, but they were out for his blood. His surprise had been a bit more overwhelming, for sure. He grinned, allowing Kansas to answer the child's question, having already dug himself into that hole. "I have... four." It felt strange to say. "I guess I've adopted one of the pups from the pack I rescued. The other three must be around a year old." He didn't mention more on purpose, being that he was unsure.

Poor Jeffy. Aaawkwaaard.



Kansas hated scolding his children, for selfish reasons. It didn't feel right to him. This probably had something to do with his complex about being too young to be a father at all. Regardless of the reason, he was probably a bit more lenient with Cambria, Gotham, and Amata than Savina was. Though he truly didn't think his mate would have chastised Cambria for staring at Jefferson for a little too long. In all honesty, it was difficult not to stare at the intimidating man upon a first encounter. And it didn't have only to do with the scars; Jefferson's vibe was in itself intimidating.



Cambria's question caught the Sadira offguard. He chewed his lip a moment, then forced a grin and answered her sheepishly, with an air of reassurance. "I just didn't think I'd ever have a cute little girl like you," he said truthfully. Relieved that he'd come up with a half-intelligent answer, Kansas poked her forehead and turned to listen to the scarred wolf. His brow rose; he really had not expected the other to say he did have children. "That's neat. What're they like?" he asked, pure innocence. Being a dad did do one thing for him for sure—it took away some of his social anxiety, because he always had something to talk about.

The pup's head was cocked to the side as she looked up at her father. She was excited to hear why they had been a surprise. She certainly hoped that they had been a good surprise and not a bad one. At the sudden thought that they might have been a bad one an unbelievable sadness clenched her small heart for a moment. The girl didn't know what she would do if that were true. It would hurt her like she never thought possible. But as his grin shone down on her like the sun those shadows were chased away. Cambria smiled back at her dad and giggled once more as he poked her head. One overlarge paw batted at his hand. Oh, she just loved her daddy so much!



As the two adults continued to talk she felt as though she were a tiny mouse in the presence of giants. Their voices so far above her head, even though she could hear them just fine. She didn't want to be down here when everything what happening up there. The chocolate pup turned and placed her front paws on one of her father's legs, pawing at him to let him know she wanted to be picked up. Then she would feel more involved in what was going on. "Whas adopted mean?" The Marino girl had never heard that word before. Jefferson apparently counted this adopted puppy as one of his own, but how was being adopted different than just being someone's child? Obviously there was a difference or there wouldn't be a word to distinguish it.

What were his kids like? Oh, the usual. Dark, brooding, malicious, hellbent. Determined to not only make their father's life a nightmare through impacting guilt and whatnot, but probably killing him at some point, too. They showed up like any other child, after all: an unexpected surprise. Most pregnant parents might have been happily excited, but unfortunately Jefferson hadn't met the same situation. Finding that he'd had three kids derived from horrible actions he couldn't even remember (and scarring them for life, too, when he killed their mother) wasn't exactly much of anything the brute had expected of himself in the period before his amnesia began. What was done was done either way, but Jefferson could only wonder what other crimes he'd once committed and how many other litters of sin he could lay claim to out there in the world.

"They're, uh..." he stammered. "They're very confident." Kansas didn't need to know about their origination or any of that, and especially not in front of Cambria. Even if she didn't understand the words rape or murder, she'd obviously have to ask. Kansas would be curious for the cyclops's hesitation, however, so some clarification would be necessary... "The three of them only came to my knowledge recently. They were raised elsewhere... I didn't know. It's a long story." He cleared his throat, attention falling to the pup when he query arose. He smiled. "Her name is Addison. She's a little bit older than you, Cambria. I found her in the snow almost frozen, so I took care of her. She calls me Dad like you do to yours, but she's not related to me, so she is my adopted daughter instead." Would she even understand that? Jefferson still sucked at parenting. He never exactly asked to be a parent, after all.

300+


Again, Kansas was struck by how easily wrongs were righted with children. He had said something potentially hurtful—more so than he could have imagined—and yet his simple answer had left her just as content as before. However, Kansas knew there were probably complexities to his puppies, so many that he would never be truly able to understand them. He worried sometimes that his inability to see how what he was doing affected them exactly would mess them up somehow. Not that he didn't hope his kids would do wonderfully in the world, when the time came.



Kansas wondered if Jefferson was having similar thoughts; his hesitant tone of voice suggested that he might be. It seemed to him that his uncertainty was deeper, and Kansas tilted his head slightly, curious. Just then, he felt a remarkably sharp scratching upon his calves and looked quickly to the ground, where his cinnamon daughter was asking quietly but insistently to be held. "Silly," he told her. But he grinned and lifted her carefully, situating her in his arms so that she could face Jefferson. As the man continued, Kansas wondered absently what Cambria was thinking of this.



Understanding dawned on Kansas; Jefferson's explanation explained his hesitancy sufficiently enough for the Sadira to wonder no more. He thought the Cyclops sounded regretful, but Kansas wasn't exactly sure. It certainly would have made sense, whether or not Jefferson had anything to regret; the snowy boy was sure he would feel pretty badly if he had an unknown litter out there somewhere. "It's, eh, cool that you found them again," he offered, obviously very unaware of the truth. But that didn't matter. Jefferson explained adoption well enough to Cambria, and again Kansas was surprised by how much he admired Phoenix Valley's leader. "That was nice of Jefferson, huh?"

300+


The Marino child really didn't mind listening to adult conversations at all. True, sometimes they could be a little boring or she wouldn't understand exactly what they were talking about or what a certain word meant, but she was content to enough to stick around. Besides, if they were willing to answer her questions, like her parents and Mr. Jefferson were then it was a good opportunity to learn. Sometimes when adults were talking and she was with her brother and sister they would want to play if they got bored with the talk and she would play with them, but right now it was only her so it was good and she could get smarter from it. Cambria wasn't a particularly excitable pup and she preferred calm situations for the most part.



Her tail wagged happily as her father complied to her request and lifted her into his arms. "I's not siwwies, I jus' wuves yous!" she countered. There was nothing silly about wanting to be held by her dadda. The girl took the time to quickly nuzzle against his chest and take a deep breath of his comforting scent before returning her attention back to Jefferson. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk about his children much and he seemed very uncomfortable about it all. Cambria wanted to ask why he hadn't known about it, but decided against it. Maybe sometimes it was better to let things be than to question them. To her, this felt like one of those times.



The pup was a child of the spring, so the concepts of "snow" and "frozen" were completely foreign to her. What were those things? They didn't sound very nice at all. "Snows?" she questioned quietly before letting Jefferson finish his explanation of what adoption meant. Oh, that made sense. At least she thought she understood what it all meant. At her father's question the girl nodded her head. "Yes, dat was vewy nices of you. I sure she happies." All kids needed someone to look after them, even if they had somehow lost their parents. Like how Mati was taking care of Ambrose the little hedgehog.

Addison had entered his life when she'd been but a few months old. Jefferson had known nothing of parenting, assuming that the lost and forgotten days before the onset of amnesia were spent with much more freedom: he'd raped at least one chick, who was to say there hadn't been more? Apparently mindless idiots and rapists had no concern with immediate parenthood. Instead, Maluki had a streak of procrastination and decided to worry about potential children later in life, such as after he got his brains knocked around and could push the responsibility to his new self, Jefferson. Charming.

As Kansas raised his girl into his arms, the cyclops smiled. He'd done the same for the little bundle he'd adopted, whether it was the nights she couldn't sleep, was sick, or was in pain from frostbitten remnants. He'd lost plenty of sleep over her and rescued her more that once. Was that the definition of parenthood? Geneva had seen it in him, declaring his character to be capable of love because of how he treated the little pup. Was he a parent? He was a guardian for Addison, but not her father. As for Miriette and her brothers, he was the bane of their existence... and never a father for them, either. He smiled at Cambria's cutesy exclamation for Kansas, but a nagging feeling scratched at his mind and gut. Of course, it didn't occur to him that she didn't know what snow was. Addison, after all, had been somewhat afraid of it. "Don't worry about snow," he smirked. Pups always seemed to love their first winter, if not just at first. Snow was an amazing thing for an unknowing child. "...And yes, Addison is very happy. Maybe you'll get to meet her sometime." Or so he assumed. She seemed happy enough.

Sorry, this post really really sucks.





This conversation was actually going very smoothly. He didn't have the sense that Cambria was bored; they'd included her pretty well. Or, he hoped they had. He'd always hated to be left out of adult conversation, which had happened a lot with Phoenix. It was probably important for children to feel included as much as possible, as long as they were around, anyway. Funny how his childhood always seemed only a few steps behind him—but perhaps that helped him understand his own kids better. Cambria's little bell voice chimed almost heartbreakingly, and he felt guilty for calling her silly even in jest.



But before he could dwell on that, she had moved on to questioning them about the concept of snow. Kansas snickered; he recalled very clearly his first experience with snow. "Yeah, snow is a lot of fun. You'll like it," Kansas added. It would be unbelievably fun to play with his puppies in the snow; they'd surely be less fragile then. Cambria surprised her father with the genuine sweetness of her words to the Cyclops. But Kansas had to agree; Jefferson seemed like he'd be a likeable dad. "Hmm. You should bring Addison to Crimson Dreams sometime... Or something." Unless Savina had hosted playdates he didn't know about (and he wouldn't put it past her), their pups hadn't really had the chance to play with other kids around their age. It would be good for them.

300+


For once, the adults seemed like they didn't want to tell her what something was. That was strange, why wouldn't they explain to her what snow was? They didn't seem upset or like they didn't want to talk about it like Jefferson seemed with his kids. She pursed her lips together for a moment, trying to think of a reason they were being so mysterious about this snow stuff. Then something dawned on her and her face lit up again. "Is it a surprises!?" That must be it! They didn't want to tell her what it was because whenever she found out what it was it was going to be a surprise. That made her want to know even more though! Cambria would try to be good though, and not ask anymore questions about snow, even though that was going to be hard.



Thankfully the conversation brought up something else to distract her. The prospect of meeting another puppy was exciting! Oh...but then she remembered the boy Conor who had come that day and said she wasn't pretty. Maybe meeting this Addison wasn't such a good idea. "Is...she nice?" If Jefferson's adopted daughter was nice then there would be no problem. "If she is, I would likes dat vewy much." Meeting new people could be a bit of a challenge for the shy girl, but as long as they were nice it was easy. At least she imagined it would be, she didn't have much experience to go on. The only people she really knew were part of the pack, and she had known them her whole life. She had met a few of her parent's friends, like Mr. Jefferson, but that was different. If they knew her parents then in her mind they were okay. It was the complete strangers that made her wary.

The more the cyclops watched Kansas dote on his dear daughter (and the pup's sickeningly cutesy reactions), the more Jefferson wondered if he himself had been anything close of a father to Addison. The brute had never been too incredibly gentle with her. Jefferson was a first-time father of sorts without the knowledge of his own father's ways to guide him in the least. As a result, the Patriarch had been more of a guardian or cornerstone for the pup as she grew, instilling in her the same morals he himself had (which, against general knowledge, were not that bad). He'd been himself around her -- which meant that when he'd hugged her it had been actual affection. Strange, since the cyclops considered himself to be lacking any sort of real affection whatsoever.

Cambria admired her father. This notion brought a smile to the cyclops's scars; Addison was growing up to be the independent creature her father was, though certainly lacking his pessimism, scars, and altogether grumpiness. Surely she would grow into something wonderful, perhaps in substitution to what her guardian was not. Jefferson gave the pup some sort of mystic, I've-got-a-secret smirk in response to her excitement of a surprise, but otherwise forgot to comment on it. "Well, she's quite a bit older than you," he started, "but she's nicer than me. You'd get along just fine."

You guys wanna wrap up soon?




Kansas didn't realize until his girl's face lit with excitement, her soft question bringing to light the knowledge that no one had answered her question at all. Perhaps he could leave it as a surprise, but that didn't seem right. He looked at her, shaking his head slowly. "Nah, it's not a surprise. It's just cold, soft white stuff that falls from the sky." He was aware that, no matter how well he explained it, Cambria wouldn't really know what snowfall was until she experienced it for herself. He recalled Moon telling him all about snow, and then later when the two of them played in it together, Kansas had been shocked out of his wits.

Cambria's caution made him feel like she must have had a bad experience with another kid, one he didn't know about. His brow rose; she didn't seem overly concerned, just wary. Kansas turned to Jefferson for his response, expecting that whatever he said would surely alleviate some of Cambria's fears. Perhaps Kansas was naive in thinking that all puppies were naturally innocent and nice. "'D you like that? To play with Addison sometime?" he asked his daughter, nosing her forehead as he held her. He looked toward Jefferson and shrugged casually.

failErin is fail. and closing soon would be good.


It seemed whatever this snow stuff was it must be a surprise, for Mr. Jefferson said nothing more about it aside from giving her a knowing look. But then her father said it wasn't a surprise and explained what snow was. Despite the explanation though, it was pretty hard to imagine. Cambria knew what rain was, but fluffy cold stuff came down from the sky too? That was totally different from rain. For a second she thought she might be getting tricked, but her daddy wouldn't trick her. "It sounds wike magiks or sumtings. Is vewy cowds?" The spring pup had never experienced true cold. All she really knew were chilly breezes on cloudy days.



The cyclop's reassurance that his adoptive daughter was nice was enough for her. If anyone knew her it would be her father! Little did the Marino child know that sometimes pups acted much nicer around their parents than they did to others closer to their own age. She wasn't a deceptive creature, she was what she was, so no such thoughts ever occurred to her. "Bu' you's is nice Jeffersons." She didn't know why he had said that she was nicer than him. It wasn't like he was mean! The girl giggled as her dad's nose poked her. "Yesses, I'd likes dat," she confirmed.