As she set up her little birthday dinner and gift for Kane out in the plains, it did feel a little bit like things had come full circle to bring them back here once more. Setting off on their own to raise their children while exploring the wilderness with them had felt like such a crazy notion to her at the time, but she was so glad they had done it. It did mean that all three of their pups had gone off on their own once they were old enough which made her heart ache with worry for them, but she knew she and Kane had done well in raising them and they were more than prepared to face the wide open world. Now all she could do was hope that they found the adventure they were searching for and that they occasionally came back to see their parents. But, now that they were empty nesters, she had to start considering where they might spend the rest of their days. The Hallows was an obvious choice so that she could be near her oldest children and–though she didn't like to admit it–they could have a more readily available supply of medicines and Gwyn's skills as they got older.

They built a comfortable den out on the plains since she knew Kane would prefer that to sleeping in the castle, but she did go back and forth between the two throughout the day. It felt like this would likely be the last time they moved somewhere so she spent more time setting up a more substantial bed within the dug out den and made sure they built it next to the calm stream that passed through the plains so that it was easy to grab a drink of water. Tonight though, she was out in the parts of the plains that were farther from the castle and closer to the outskirts of the Wildberry Grove. She had recruited her daughter to keep him busy and tasked him with helping her prepare some poltices and in the meantime she had pulled out one of their larger bed furs and had used it to flatten out a spot for them among the thick grasses of the plain. By the time it started to get dark and she was expecting Kane to be finding his way back to their den she had a campfire built and a modest dinner cooking for the two of them–along with a couple other treats that she kept tucked away for now. She looked up at the sky and smiled a bit to herself. She had planned his birthday surprise to hopefully land on a full moon and though the sun was still peeking over the horizon and painting the sky with deep shades of red and purple she thought she had judged it correctly. Settling onto the fur with a sigh, she tipped her head back and called gently for her mate, eagerly awaiting their evening together.

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

The nomadic family had eventually and inevitably migrated their way back towards the Hallows. As their pups grew older into young adults, Kane knew his young ones would want to branch out and explore the world for themselves, to carve their own paths and find their own destinies, and he let them do so without qualm. They always knew where they could find their parents if they needed them and he trusted the spirits and his ancestors to watch over them wherever they ventured. But with an empty nest came a longing from Tamsyn to be near her older children and grandchildren. And so they had headed back to the Hallows, where they were welcomed warmly by Artorias and set to making a den out in the Starlit Plains. Kane would have gladly sucked up his preference for the great outdoors to sleep inside the castle if it brought Tamsyn comforts, but true to her giving nature, his little blackbird opted instead to stay out with him. She was far too good to him...

Life within the Hallows was peaceful and routine. Kane became an assistant to Gwynevere, helping her craft her medicines and foraging for herbs for the pack's pharmacy, while also getting in some hunting to help keep the larders full. Basically making himself useful anywhere and everywhere he could to earn his keep. Gwyn had asked him to help bulk craft some poultices with her now that spring had come to Auster and many of the more delicate herbs were back in abundance, and the dire brute was happy to do so. His day was spent mixing and mashing herbs down until the Hallows was overstocked on many of the essentials, but it was something he was happy to do. It was late afternoon, almost early evening when he finally left the castle and began making his way back to the den to meet up with Tamsyn. Kane was halfway there when a call from his mate came from the nearby north, catching his attention and his curiosity. Cocking his head to the side, Kane shifted his path and began heading for the edge of the Wildberry Grove. What could Tamsyn need him for at this hour all the way out here?

Kane got his answer when he crested a hill and spotted the dark form of his beloved spread out across an expansive fur laid out on the grass, a campfire crackling beside her bathing her in glowing firelight as meats roasted over the open flames. An intrigued brow raised on Kane's forehead as he approached her, eyes roaming over Tam's form appreciatively once before moving up to meet the mint green of her own gaze. "Got a hot date tonight?" he teased her with a knowing grin, coming up to flop down on the blanket and settle in beside her, nuzzling into the back of her neck with tender affection. "What's all this, little blackbird?"

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Tamsyn wasn't kept waiting for very long before the shift and sway of the grasses moving around an approaching figure reached her ears. A grin tugged at her lips as she turned her gaze toward the sound, spotting Kane over the top of the grasses. Her tail wagged gently across the surface of the fur she was laying on as he came to join her, returning his grin and chuckling at his question about her "hot date". "The hottest date," she teased back as he flopped down beside her, pulling a pleased hum from her as he nuzzled the back of her neck. She always loved how affectionate he was and these moments that they had alone together gave her plenty of opportunity to enjoy him and those affections to her heart's content. As much as she adored her children and loved being a mother, she was throughly enjoying having an empty nest at least so she could enjoy him as much as she wanted for the rest of her days.

When he questioned what all of this was for, she gave him another smile and giggled softly, kissing the end of his nose. "This is for you, handsome. A little celebration for your birthday just for the two of us." If their children were still living with them and not out exploring the wide open world she likely would have had a proper dinner with the family and then swept him away for some personal celebrations later, but since it was just the two of them it was easier to do a bit of both at the same time. "I know we don't need an excuse for a date night, but I still like to surprise you from time to time," she insisted with a grin, brushing her tail over the top of his thigh as she tipped her head up to nuzzle at his cheek.

She reached for the meats that had just finished roasting then, pulling over the skewers of venison and hardy vegetables that she laid out on a flat piece of stone like a platter. Between that and the bowl of berries and honey that sat off to the side for dessert she was sure there was more food here than they would be able to finish, but what kind of surprise feast would it be without an impressive plate of food? "I might have another little something for you after dinner," she added temptingly as they began to eat, leaning into his side while she enjoyed her own handy work and the sun continued to set, slowly revealing the stars and the round, white moon overhead.

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

Kane couldn't resist raising his brows in suggestive innuendo with a husky chuckle when Tamsyn played right along with him, claiming she was waiting for "the hottest date". "Well, I don't know about the hottest in my age, but I can see about making it a gentle simmer," he continued to tease her while pressing little affections into her neck and cheeks. These little moments of peace, love, and privacy between the two senior wolves was everything Kane had aspired towards when he took Tamsyn as his mate. There had been a time when he'd thought his life had ended, where all he was living for was revenge for the ghosts of his past. It was these moments with his beloved blackbird that made him grateful he had been so, so wrong. Tamsyn explained that all of this was for him, a celebration for his birthday for them to enjoy together. Kane blinked in surprise, a delighted smile slowly making itself at home on his muzzle. The sweet gesture was not lost on him, and the giant brute's bushy tail began to wag and beat against the furs displaying just how much this meant to him.

"All these years and you still find a way to one-up yourself when it comes to spoiling me, my love," Kane replied with a happy rumble, squeezing Tam closer in his forearms as he embraced her. "Thank you, Tam. This is very sweet of you." Leaning in to plant an affectionate kiss and lick to his mate's cheek, Kane settled back into the furs while Tamsyn began to gather up the food she had prepared for their meal. The food smelled delicious and he was starving! As Tamsyn began to serve up their food, his beautiful mate made a subtle hint at a special surprise she had for him after their dinner, catching the brute's interest as he began to tear into a venison skewer. "Oh? Well, now you've got me all sorts of curious," he remarked in his deep rumbling tones, nuzzling into the back of Tam's scruff again with a playful wag of his tail. Whatever she had in store for him could only be good things and he couldn't wait to see what his sweet lover had for him.

As the pair ate, the sun continued its gradual descent, the sunset burning bright in the sky as it slowly ebbed and faded into twilight hues. Stars became more visible, the moon rising toward its zenith in the heavens. It was due to be a gorgeous night, and a perfect one for stargazing on top of that. "I am glad we are back in the Hallows," said Kane in passive conversation, a gentle smile on his lips as he looked down at his smaller mate. "I enjoyed our days traveling together, but there is a simple pleasure in being somewhere so serene always. Plus this is your home. I'm glad we could bring you back to it." As a nomad, Kane's home had always been anywhere under the sky. For Tamsyn, this was her home. In their twilight years, however long they were to last, he was glad they could spend them here with her family, surrounded by peace and love.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Tamsyn did love when she managed to genuinely surprise her mate with something. One of her favorite ways to show her love was to do things for them–whether it was a small thing like helping them with a task they needed done or something a little more elaborate like this surprise birthday dinner. Actions had always spoken louder than words to her so it was her way of really showing how much she cared. They settled in to eat as the sun continued to set, bringing the deepening hues of the twilight across the sky and giving them the perfect backdrop for their dinner across the plains and the grove of trees in the distance. She was so glad that the weather was clear as she had predicted it would be, giving them a perfect view of the sky and all of the stars as they begin to pop up across the wide expanse of the darkness above them. It was lovely and just what she wanted for her nature loving mate.

She looked up curiously as he mentioned how he was glad that they were back in the Hallows. He had never been very keen on being a pack wolf so hearing that he was glad to be here was an interesting change. Once he explained that it was because of enjoying being somewhere serene and because this was her home she understood. The more that time crept on and they aged along with it the more they had come to appreciate the quiet, peaceful life here and the more she valued every single moment she could spend with her children and grandchildren. "My home is wherever you are, my love," she assured him with a sweet smile, tipping her muzzle up to press a tender kiss to his lips. "Still... I'm very glad we decided to settle here again too." He was her love and a part of her family just as much as her children were so she couldn't imagine living her life without him at her side any more than she would want to miss out on a single moment of any of their lives. The fact that he was willing to give up his nomadic ways for her meant more than she could ever say.

Maybe she could get close to showing him with the things she did for him though–at least that's what she hoped. After they finished their dinner and enjoyed the stars for a bit longer, she kissed his cheek and got to her paws long enough to retrieve a small pouch she had tucked out of sight in the grass at the edge of their blanket. Coming back to his side, she settled down and sat the little gift in front of him. "Happy birthday, love." She knew that neither of them really needed physical belongings and that experiences were much more precious to them now so when he opened his gift he'd find a bottle of a slightly golden liquid that had flecks of green suspended and swirling gently in it. It was a fairly small bottle, but certainly big enough to provide a dose for the both of them. "I heard about this concoction the lead healer of Elysium came up with and asked Gwyn to get word to her to make us a special batch. I had her include some cannabis for us, but the base of this is supposed to make my real gift to you even more enjoyable." She gave him a sly grin at that, her tail brushing across his thigh.

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

Kane smiled adoringly at his beautiful mate beside him as she asserted that her home was wherever he was. Tamsyn was much too sweet to him, but he’d never complain about how wonderful his life partner was. To her, it might have seemed like a tremendous sacrifice to give up his nomadic ways and his lifestyle of roaming free, but to Kane it didn’t even require a second thought. He had spent almost all of his life following his tribe’s nomadic ways; his paws had seen all sorts of terrains across the nooks and crannies of the earth. There had been a time when he believed he would die along the path and he had accepted that as his destiny, as was the destiny of his people. But now all the elder wolf wanted was to spend his twilight years in the peace and comfort of Tamsyn’s love, indulging in her family and making as many memories to outlive their time as they could. There was no doubt or question in his mind that this was the destiny he chose.

With their meal coming to a conclusion, Kane settled in to relax and enjoy the serene evening with his beloved fae, licking his paws and lips clean of the remnants of the delicious food she had poured her heart and soul into. "Truly you spoil me, little blackbird," he teased with a guttural chuckle as she leaned up to grace his cheek with a kiss. As she rose and moved to grab something from the other side of the blanket, Kane couldn’t help but let his hazel eyes roam over the gorgeous black fae’s lithe body and supple curves, lingering on her shapely rump with a sabertoothed grin. One thing that certainly hadn’t subsided in his age was his libido, thanks in part to the very active love life the pair maintained. Tamsyn returned to his side with a small pouch that earned her a curious head tilt from her giant mate like a curious puppy.

Before he could ask her what this was, Tam was wishing him a happy birthday and gesturing for him to open the pouch. With a lopsided smile on his face, Kane chuckled and began to open the pouch. "You didn’t have to get me anything, my Moon and Stars. Time with you is all the gift I could ever need." As sweet as his words were, even the humble Kane was taken by surprise when a small bottle rolled out of the open pouch and into his massive paw. Kane blinked in surprise and studied the pale gold liquid contained within the glass, swirling it around with careful digits and watching the small verdant flecks dance about within the liquid. As he was inspecting the strange potion, Tam began to explain what his gift was—a special concoction made in Elysium, custom ordered for them with cannabis. Kane raised a curious brow at Tamsyn, a roguish grin playing on the corners of his lips. Ever since he had introduced her to the world of recreational drugs, she had been an enthusiastic and avid partaker with him. It was one of the many things that they shared together and that he loved about her. Now it looked like she was going to show him something new.

At the mention of the base solution being an enhancer to her real gift to him, Kane felt the soft brush of silky fur trailing up his thigh as Tam's tail teased him. His nerves prickled with excited energy and his own big bushy tail began to tap against the blankets. It took very little from his mate to get him raring to go, but knowing that she was the orchestrator of their drug trip this time ignited that desire in his belly like nothing else. Kane returned her sly grin, the lustful gleam in his eyes unmistakable as he leaned closer to press his lips gently to hers, thanking her with a kiss. "You never cease to surprise me, my little blackbird. Thank you, I can't wait to try it out with my real gift," he replied in rumbling, seductive tones. Using a claw to uncork the bottle, the dire brute took a tentative sniff at the vial, his nares immediately met by the scent of honey and saffron, sweet and slightly spicy. His brows raised in interest again, looking back to his lover once more. "How much of this should I drink?" Dosage was key when it came to recreational drugs, and although he was highly curious about what the concoction would do, he didn't want to spoil the surprise if Tamsyn wanted him to experience it before telling him. He trusted her unconditionally.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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