Kintla Flatlands for here i lie in wait; hush little heart

Zephyr promised that he wouldn't die, and Taikon remembered himself saying the exact same thing to Takiyok right before he'd left. He also remembered having to drag himself back to the dark woods with a terrible injury and admit to her that he had been wrong to go without someone. That had also been when Taktuq was still around, and he wondered if the stress of his care had somehow pushed her away.
You better, he said firmly. Or I'll murder you, he joked, chuckling and snuggling the boy against him. He was certain that Takiyok wouldn't approve of such closeness, but affection was important to him. He held Zephyr for likely longer than he should have before finally pulling back away. His eyes were watery by the time they'd stopped.