Mirren had met the entirety of her family by now. And he had not left her. Of course, her family wasn't crazy or anything; Kite had grown up happily and pleasantly. But that she came with a mate and a new surname surprised her family, who naturally was interested in the man despite the days they had ahead of them. Kite stayed with her passing sibling, who had requested her by name, and cared for them. Her mother interrogated her on her newfound mate, and Kite would escape to his arms come nightfall to meet his comforting words and him. His being there confirmed what she had known for a long, long time: he was her forever.


It was the coldest night of the Winter when her sibling passed. The memory was one she did not like to think back on, because it meant it had truly happened. Even now she was coming to terms with that fact, partially in denial. When asked, she would brush the subject aside. She was not ready to delve into this yet, this untapped sadness she had never known. But at the least, she was surrounded by family (Mirren included). They had a promise to keep; they had to return to the lands she had found him. So, when the snow first began thawing at the Plains—although she wanted him to see the empty place in its glory—her mother ushered them off. Kite felt a strangeness in her, nearly wanting to run at the woman who had reared her... but obeyed, a strange itch crawling up her spine and a knowing look in her mothers eye.



Who only briefly mentioned that she might feel strange in the coming days, but never why.


Kite had always thought there was no such thing as too much of her mate, was there a way that was possible? And defying her own beliefs, as they passed the threshold and drew closer to the place she had found him, Kite could hardly let him leave her side. Coupled with the newfound anxiety he might fall ill, there was also something else... something else! That itch!


The Tainn had stepped away to scout ahead, see how close they had come. A familiar landmark caused her to double back toward her mate, hollering, WE'RE CLOSE NOW! Her eyes hungry for the sight of him, he who had truly blossomed into a man in his absence from this place. They had both been placed as second in command at home, giving them some experience, but Kite had always seen her mate as more than that even in appearance alone. He looked so regal, so kingly, and he was all hers. Her tail waved triumphantly with her find.

At his touch, Kite felt her body go quite literally aflame, though could not understand the meaning. As he stopped, she drew her body alongside his own without thought, the sensation of his touch sating her for the minute. That they could be any closer did not occur to Mrs. Tainn, who desired it but did not know how to obtain it. These things, she was an utter amateur at. She knew not what her heat meant, but she thought of her mother at home hosting a whole new slew of siblings for her to have. And then for a moment, her mind adrift, she wondered what it might be like to have her own little set of paws weaving in and out of her legs crazily, and tugging at their fathers ear for morning walks. Kite blinked as he spoke, falling out of her reverie and back into him as she curled around his rear to draw back to his side again.



His question was met with a pensive look. What would she do? Take the longest nap of my entire life, she half-jokes, looking to him with a grin, With my best friend in the whole entire worllllllldddddd, she croons excitedly, now moving to nip at his chin, her tail waving left and right. He was her love at first sight, and she could find no collywobbles with him at all.


Y'excited? She questions, content with their break. They were on the final stretch, but they had traveled for miles beyond miles to get here. Her muscles screamed, and although she was a scout and had plenty of endurance, she was as mortal as he was. Kite nosed into his shoulder, finding the need to draw him nearer, the scent of him irresistible to his wife. The Tainn could not fathom how he was with her still, how he had to patience to deal with her always. Her eyes closed and she leaned into him, her rock, and as of late her strength, ears flattening reverently atop her head. Kite adored him above all other things; she would do anything for him, and with him.


He had weathered one of the greatest storms in her life, and met the whole of her family in one fell swoop. They had taken to him, and her sisters chirped her ear off about how handsome he was. How'd you do that, Kite? They would joke, He's better looking than you! One eye opened, now, and she had to grin despite herself. They were probably right. Mirren, to Kite, was one of the most marvelous sights she ever had beheld. Even in the morning when he had a cowlick, or bedhead, he was brilliant. I love you so much, she murmured into his shoulder, closing the eye again and taking this moment to rest, to reflect. While she had lost a family member, she had gained much on this journey. A healthy dosage of respect for her mate, and a deep bond with her remaining L'Crowe's.

Kite was quite happy he had come with her. When her sister—Raven—came in the dead of the night summoning her urgently, Kite was not sure she wanted to ask him to come, given all of his responsibilities at the Woodlands. But at his request, she could not lie. She did want him to come. Kite wasn't sure if she could admit the need she felt for him, how weak she was when she heard the news. For some of the time, she had been a true shell of herself. Less spirited, certainly less impish and playful... more morose and quiet, unsure, and anxious. Mirren came to know a side of her that Kite did not know she had herself, yet. So together they combated her demons then. From time to time, they would still need to. But the trip home had been a good one as a whole, a peaceful one. The warmer weather certainly helped.


As Mirren responded to her, she grinned, removing her face from his shoulder. Kite had always considered her family to be the closest ones to her, but there was no one in this world that had ever amounted to what Mirren had become to her. Her littermate, Robin, had been the one she was closest to aside from her brother Falcon. The duo approved of Mirren as she knew they would, though admittedly they questioned him the most, and would even steal him from her for hunts and patrols at the Plains.


Her ear twitched at his nip, and as he paused she watched him. A nap is warranted. Her tail waved triumphantly, glad he agreed with her. He spoke of Nina, and Kite listened. As he admitted he never missed his blood mother, she grew somewhat surprised. This she did not expect to hear. Though she supposed she could relate; Kite had never been too terribly homesick for her parents, knowing they were well. Kite missed her siblings more than anything. I've missed Nina, too, actually. She was great to me always. And really understanding when we went... She was so, so thankful for that. The last thing Kite had wanted was bad blood with the woman who had been nothing but gracious toward her. I wonder how the Winter was, here. The Plains had been mild, but she knew it was not the same everywhere. Kite did not want to say that everything would be alright, as she typically may have had she not looked in the face of death. Kite knew cubs frequently did not make it in the Winter... but, Nina was a strong woman, and when they had left, the Woodlands had strong wolves to look after them.


Kite thought of the womans cubs, and then cubs in general, before Mirren took her from her thoughts with his requited words. Kite moved to bestow upon him many kisses, before the bridge of her muzzle brushed his feathery throat adoringly. Her tail waved as, like a cat, she shifted to drag her entire self slowly across the side of him as she moved in a circle... before her face was aligned with his rear-end. She lingered there for a moment, before moving to nip the top of his hindquarter in a love-bite, snickering and bolting away so he could not reciprocate. Tag.


This damnable itch had brought out a different desire in her, one she had not felt in a long time; the one to be chased.

Wherever her mate went, Kite would follow. To the ends of the world. And Kite knew it was much the same for him; he had proven that to her in his trip with her, to her crazy family. Kite thought of this even as her strides grew longer and longer, and she laughed at the thrill she felt, of being hunted; but he was upon her soon enough, and she slowed, her eyes bright and her tail waving. She felt his nip and would have turned to nip back had his teeth not met their mark so consistently after up her side, and she felt a chill unlike one she had ever felt, one that made her body go from cold to hot. A warm breath tickled her withers as his muzzle lingered there...


And then he was gone, racing ahead. Kite did not see his destination, only that he was going somewhere. Her muscles coiled and Kite wasted no time in moving doggedly after him, long strides carrying her to his behind where she nipped playfully at his heels, before she pushed forward even faster, harder, to get to his side and best him in this race. Ahead she saw the trees he had spotted, and if he let her go ahead surely she would surge past him in this race. This time she would not trip.

Kite's shrieking, guffawing laugh rang in her own ears up until the point she realized he had slowed, and she skidded to a halt roughly, nearly falling herself. This time she did not slam on her face (to her relief, it was embarrassing enough the many times it had happened before in front of him) and even managed to make it look cool (in her own head of course) as she rounded a tree that budded with the promise of the life it would bring. As the evening light hit her, it could look like she glowed with the same promise before that tree. She did not think of this, could only think of him as her eyes fell to him. It was him the light hit perfectly, him that looked positively radiant and kingly in this light.


She truly had changed since they had first met, but the credit could largely go to his presence that caused her to grow into a woman rather than a mere girl. Without Mirren, Kite could very well have vanished into nothing that Winter. But he had found her. More than that, accepted her right off the bat, even with her awkwardness, her way with words. Kite Tainn realized as she looked to the changed man before her, realizing that she had loved him from the very first time she had saw them. This was far more than sweet serendipity; they were meant. For many things. Firstly, each other. And beside one another, surely they would resurrect the empire Mirren had dreamed of. They had promises first to keep, and keep them they would—


But destiny could never be stopped.


Kite felt a strange instinct within her, and she let out a low, beckoning growl to her mate, who approached her immediately thereafter. He did not delay in his affections, which she pushed into, which caused a slow-burn to ignite within her belly. A low, excited whine was offered at his rumble, and his warm breath caused the eager Kite to quiver, tail waving all the quicker as she moved to nibble at his sharp jawline, and then to his shoulders... Kite continued in these gentle ministrations, trailing dotingly along the length of his body, allowing her tail to wave again, this out of instinct and excitement both as she rounded him and sidled up to his side once again, pressing her muzzle beneath his own, needing his touch, wishing for a closeness to him she could not understand, pushing against him and whining again lowly, wantonly—a sound the likes of which she had never emitted before, but that she thought nothing of all the same.