Firestone Hot Springs enthralled

Sameth hadn't been his home for some time, now. Though he still thought fondly of the place, and sometimes even with longing, Grayday knew that he would never go back. It wouldn't be the same, and the things he longed for couldn't be found in the barren lands. Nothing could bring his father back from the dead, and he was slowly but surely reassembling his family in these lands.

"I am home," he said ruefully, moving to nibble at the bulb of her ear. And he hadn't meant her when he said it, but now that the words were out, he couldn't help but think about it. About her being part of his home. About her telling stories in the moonlight, or teaching the cubs to fish, or laughing with Moonstone, or curled up with him.

He thought about how, when they'd arrived back at the plateau on the day they met, he was sure she'd be staying.

"What about you?" he asked. "Are you going back to your island?"