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Pups will begin to appear outside the den and can be found near the den entrance. This is the time when the pack will begin interacting with the pups. Their ears will perk up around 27 days and by day 30 they should have relatively good hearing and straight ears. The tips may still be floppy. Pups will develop their canine teeth and premolars during this time. By the 4 week mark, their heads and paws are comically large and play fighting for dominance begins.

First it was sight, now it was sound. The world around him had suddenly grown rather loud, but that didn't seem to bother him. When light was just beginning to brim over the horizon, Crow tumbled out of the den and into the area just a few feet outside. Instincts told him not to go further, and he looked back at the den's entrance (where @Finley and @Elwood were surely lurking, along with the rest of everybody who lived there—I honestly can't keep track).

Something scuttling across the dirt outside grabbed his attention, and Crow pounced on it immediately. The squirming sensation under his paw was very much not wanted, and he let the beetle go just as quickly as he'd caught it with a tiny shriek of delight.

It didn't take long for Dorminos to realize that Colt had been telling the truth about needing a helping hand; there almost seemed to be more pups than adults. Breeding season had only just come to an end so it made sense that there'd be new members to watch over, but this was admittedly more than Dorm had expected. He'd been making an effort to stay as far from the whelping dens, mothers, and children all alike, but it was obviously harder than it sounded. 

He'd set off after a squirrel that morning. It was small, but it was something, so Dorminos held no shame in carrying it to a nearby cache. Along the way, he saw the curious toddler's fiasco and halted, wondering if he should go forward. Dorm dropped the carcass, figuring he could always come back to it, and began to creep carefully forward. Caught something? he laughed, keeping his voice low to avoid startling it.

It wasn't anybody that Crow knew, but that didn't seem to bother the Blackthorn. The question (which came across as nonsense to Crow) followed by the laugh sent Crow into a mini gigglefit. Once he'd recovered, he grinned and walked right up to the stranger, jumping up to bite his chin. Crow's teeth had been growing in, which meant he was in the mood to chew on literally everything, including strangers.

The innocent giggles of the little one standing before him sent Dorminos’s tail wagging excitedly behind him. He allowed the bite to his chin, as one always should, then gave a playful growl as he slowly flipped over onto his side. It should be noted that he was no longer the young pup that he had once been; although it looked like an endearing scene from the preview of an upcoming nature documentary, Dorm was sure he’d pulled at least two muscles in the process.

Dorminos reached out a paw in an attempt to gently swipe across his playmate’s maw. Chances were the gesture would either start a real play fight or Crow would decide to use his paw as a chew toy; both worked.

Crow watched with delight as the big wolf rolled over onto his side. Squealing joyously, the small child nipped at whatever he could get ahold of: ears, nose, tail, ribs, etc. When the paw came swooping overhead, Crow lost his balance and flopped to the right with an audible OOF! He wasn't really speaking yet, but he could still make those age-old sounds that came naturally to him. The Blackthorn wasn't ready to give up just yet, though, and he was able to roll back over and attack Dorminos with even more gusto, growling and yapping the whole time.

Secretly, Dorminos had been hoping that his hit would lead to this. He groaned and whined, calling out, Oh! and Ah! with each tiny bite. Someone had told him that doing this helped kids feel confident which is the only reason why he was doing it, really. He didn't enjoy any of it at all. At all.

Eventually, Dorm gave his final yelp of pain and "died". His paw lay over his eyes, his tongue hanging from his mouth; he'd keep up this facade until Crow paused his attack.

Just a dad-cameo! Carry on! :)

Elwood had been tasked with watching the kids at present; this was a little more difficult these days since they were becoming more mobile and independent. He was lucky, though, that at this early hour, Crow was the only one awake and moving so far. It wouldn't be too long before the others began to stir, however.

The Blackthorn patriarch watched from within the den as his son cavorted about in the morning light, hunting a bug. Soon enough, they were joined by an unfamiliar figure; Elwood stiffened slightly, but detected Colt's scent mixed in with this stranger's own. He kept a watchful eye on the pair as they played, finding that he was pleased by the other male's ability to keep Crow entertained.

If Crow had been able to comprehend strangers, maybe he would have run back to his father and crawled between his legs. It appeared that he was destined to be rather outgoing. When the big white wolf "died," Crow gasped, his whole body going rigid and still. Cautiously, he took a step forward, craning his neck out to sniff the "dead" wolf.

Hilarity ensued, as it always did with children, and eventually Crow wore himself out, returning to the pile of pups in the den.