Old things made new

The time he'd spent with Tamsyn on their island vacation had been some of the best days of his life—not just in recent memory, but in all six years of his time in this world. Seeing his little blackbird so free, so happy, so serene, it had brought him a joy and peace the likes he hadn't known in years. Not since Tiva had passed. Every morning he woke up to see her in restful slumber, and every night he watched her fall asleep in his arms. He had gazed at her silhouetted in the sunset from the windows of their cabana and watched her swim in the sea so that her majestic black fur clung to her voluptuous body. Mint eyes had forever been seared into his mind and his soul, and Kane knew his life would never be the same without Tamsyn. While they may have begun as a simple hookup in the throes of desperation and loneliness, the two wolves had birthed something much more magnificent than casual sex together. They had created a whole new life with each other.

Returning home had not been an easy feat. Kane had considered trying to talk Tamsyn into moving onto the island permanently, to take up residence in their little slice of heaven and forget all the troubles of the world beyond the strait that isolated them from everything. He knew that would never happen though. Tamsyn was a mother above all else, and until her children had grown and could lead their own lives, she would want to remain in the Hallows for them. He respected the love and devotion she had for her children, and that was why he didn't fight her when their vacation of relaxation, play, and sex sadly had to come to an end. He did, however, make sure to remember and mark their cabana so they could return to their Elysium whenever they desired.

After they'd gotten settled back in at the castle, Tam had come to him and asked him to move in with her. He was a little surprised—it was a big, official step for the couple—but he happily agreed. Not even an hour later, Kane was packing up the last of his things. One benefit to typically leading a nomadic life was that it prevented one from accumulating a lot of possessions. Besides the furs on his bed, the only things Kane had to his name were a small bag of herbs he'd been gathering, a piece of limestone, a shaft of mahogany, and some sculpting tools he'd borrowed from the armory.

He took one last look around the room he'd called home for the past couple of months, then fixed Tam with a wide smile and an enthusiastic nod of his head that tousled the feathers in his scruff. "I think so!" he said as he stepped over to her, giving her a gentle nuzzle along her cheek before stepping out into the corridor with her, gesturing for her to take the lead back to their new room. "Are you sure you want this, Tam? I don't want to intrude on anything special to you, and I won't feel put out if you wanna keep that space... private."

"Kaneonuskatew"