Hushed Willows like a rolling stone

this will be my only post -- tags are mainly for reference, but if you want to pop in to say goodbye, feel free to do so!

be good for your mamas, cortez told @Atwood, @Reif and @Sundance, beaming down at the three of them as they stood near @Olive and @Seabreeze. his eyes were sad as he met his sister's verdant gaze, at odds with the smile on his face. they're good women. . .and they're gonna make you into fine young men. i know i'm already proud of you three.

his primary concern was for his family—to say goodbye to them was paramount. even so, he summoned @Sunny with a brief howl; the satori could come if he liked, or not. on his way back through the willows, he'd passed @Ziggy, and given the boy an affectionate nudge to the crown of his rapidly growing pale head. he'd miss the pup, who had become somewhat of an honorary nephew since lily had died.

he inhaled deeply, looking troubled, casting a glance toward the burly brown wolf at his side. to have dylan back in his life was nothing short of extraordinary. how had his long-lost lover found him here? cortez was past asking questions; he now only wanted to fully melt into the moment, to enjoy all the seconds that had passed since they had last parted.

the shakti stepped forward toward olive, his gait halting. sister, he said, his voice choked, and then he half-stumbled into her embrace, breath catching hard in his throat. i'll miss you—so much. and i'll come to visit one day. i wish you. . .everything. all the love and joy and peace in the world.

naturally, leaving her behind was hardest of all.

but when all the goodbyes had come to pass, and the two wolves padded out of the willows, a kind of bliss settled over cortez once more. the kind of serenity, with an edge of sparkling excitement, that only accompanied the start of a new adventure. just like the other pieces of his heart scattered all around, he'd leave part of it here, with his family.

the rest of him was on the road again, where cortez would always truly belong.