Whitebark Stream when I reach the tops of the trees

There was nothing that could've prepared Artyom for the overwhelming love that brimmed within him in recent days. Although he'd felt it swell in his chest to learn that Dawn was pregnant, knew it with the flurry of anxiety in the weeks approaching the birth if their litter, it came flooding in a whole new capacity when they did arrive.

His life with Dawn had started so suddenly, yet he would be forever grateful for the opportunity she'd presented him. Despite his worry and reluctance in the beginning, each concern had melted away as the weeks ticked by. The ranger, once fearful to even dare to hope for companionship after Ana's death, had truly come to adore his silver huntress. Each day with her at his side filled him with a joy that he didn't think himself capable of experiencing ever again, an emotion that had multiplied by four with the arrival of their beautiful children.

So imagine the skip of Artyom's heart to hear Dawn murmur the words he'd longed to hear following a year of indescribable loneliness. He did not at once lift his head from atop his mate's paws and instead took a moment to giddily process her declaration and consider how best to respond.

"Dawn," he crooned. A pause, as he felt emotion tighten his throat, before he lifted his head to seek his partner's features through the dark. "You weren't supposed to say it first," a glisten in his toothy smile, his voice hushed with a playful tone as he reached to bump his snout to hers.