Horizon Ridge Love, death, birth

I'm actually going to date this for January 1st, unless that doesn't work for your timeline. :) <3

Even as the sun began to set, painting the placid sea with tinctures of orange and gold, Pied turned to Kisu and said, "We should find a permanent den, somewhere where we can raise a family when the time comes." She smiled like a lazy cat stretched out in a patch of sunshine after finishing a warm saucer of milk. "I lived in a log in Blackfoot Forest and a hollow tree on the plateau. I wish one of those sequoias grew nearer the ridge," she mused, picturing the colossal trees, some of which took root in the nearby Ravensblood Forest.

After allowing her companion to voice his opinions on the matter, Pied said quietly, "I know Akhlut wants us to wait for his ritual to make things official between us. To tell you the truth, though, I already think of you as my mate. I think it will be fun to celebrate it with the pack but I kind of want to mark it between just the two of us." She paused, letting Kisu absorb that before finishing. "What do you think of marking today as the day when we made it official? I'm already yours, mind, body, heart and soul, and I'm ready to enter into that covenant with you, Kisu."