Old things made new

Kane released a hearty guffaw when Tamsyn looked up at him and asserted that he was most certainly not surly. "Hey, I've still got time, don't count me out just yet! I could still end up a grumpy old curmudgeon," he remarked, flashing her a wide, toothy grin, as if that possibility could ever come to pass. Since the day he'd saved Gwynevere and met Tamsyn two seasons ago, he couldn't recall a single bad day he'd had. It was as if the Carpathius matriarch had chased away every shadow, every demon clinging to him, and replaced all the pain in his heart with love and acceptance. He might have saved her daughter's life, but Tamsyn had saved his in turn. He didn't say it out loud, but his original draft of his revenge plans had ended with him either dying for his justice, or taking his own life with nothing left to go on for. Tam had given him a future worth holding on to. Without her in his life, the colors had bled from the world and he was simply going through the motions needed to ease his pain until it eventually consumed him. She had remedied that pain entirely.

A warm and loving smile spread across Kane's face while he listened to Tamsyn talk over her children and their accomplishments. She was such a proud and loving mother, it was no surprise her children had turned out the way they had. It was like this was how she was always meant to be. It brought a warmth to his heart to see the love and devotion she held for her family, and for a brief glimmer of time, Kane wondered what being a parent would be like. After Tiva's death, he had long since given up the fanciful daydreams of having his own hoard of tiny wolves, resigning himself to a lifetime of solitude until Death finally caught him and brought him back home. Death would have to wait a while longer now that he had a Tamsyn. He snickered when he watched his lover's reactions of genuine happiness and delight to his little shows of affection, her wagging tail being the best and nearly making him laugh with joy every time he saw her start to wag. By the Moon and Stars, was he so hopelessly smitten with her!

Kane's ears perked up on top of his head when Tamsyn admitted that if she did happen to get pregnant again, she would be happy for the children she'd bring into the world. The dire wolf felt his heart jump in his chest, freezing mid-nibble along the back of her neck as the implication of what she said registered in his brain. Unless Tamsyn was having some secret tryst he wasn't aware of with some other brute, that meant if she wanted to be a mother again, then he would be the father. A low hum rumbled in Kane's chest while he pondered that future; he tried to picture what little puppies blended of their traits would look like. How adorable they would be! "Well..." he began, repeating the same words and cadence Tam had, "if you did happen to want to get pregnant again, I would be happy for it as well." A sly grin replaced his smile, though he doubted she could see it from where he had his neck craned over her shoulder to nibble down along the curve of her neck, keeping her body held close to his all the while. Could he see himself being a father one day? If he knew Tamsyn was the mother of his children at his side through parenthood, there was no doubt in his mind.

"Kaneonuskatew"