<Epilogue>

	"Mmmh... Auntie, you're gonna make me late for breakfast," Starla whined, though it was hardly much of a protest as Starla's snowy fur bristled with delight.  Warm, morning sunlight filtered gently through the restored bedroom window to wash the naked pair of worgen in dim light.

	Diana giggled as she planted a final canine kiss upon her niece's bare nethers before propping herself up on her hands.  "Very well, dearie.  Maybe I'll go pester your mother for a bit then."

	Starla laughed as she lifted herself to sit at the disheveled bed's edge and stretched her arms high above her head, groaning happily.  "I know my mom's got worse itches, but I swear you're hungrier than the rest of us."

	Diana grinned cheekily and hopped off the bed to stretch as well, though she dropped to all fours to arch her naked backside upward in a more feral gesture.  "Don't tell me I'm too much for you all to handle," she teased before proudly and nakedly striding out of the room.

	Starla simply smiled and took a moment to look around her mother's old room.  It had been almost five months since the Shadowclaw Pack had returned to the manor, and in that time the four of them had worked tirelessly to fix up their old home.  Carson had gone to the king and reclaimed the title that he'd abandoned before, and with renewed access to their fortune he'd gotten the finest Gilnean craftspeople to repair nearly every inch of damage to the grand home.  The one modification they asked for, however, were a series of new doors installed between the upstairs bedrooms.  Each door was also capable of being barred from either side, but the resting bars were already collecting dust from lack of use.  Of course, despite Diana's room being the furthest from Starla's, somehow she ended up in there more often than not.  That may have been due to Starla's preference to sleep in, as Diana very rarely slept in her own bed through the night.

	Likewise in the nude, Starla nonchalantly padded out of her room and down the lavishly carpeted hallway, humming a happy tune to herself as she trotted down the staircase and through the parlor to the dining room.  A long, sturdy, hardwood table stretched the length of the grand room, and at one end sat Carson with a newspaper stretched between his fur-covered hands.  The white-furred female strode quickly over to her grandfather to drape her soft arms around his neck from behind.  "Morning, Papa Wolf," she cooed happily and planted a tender kiss on his cheek.  "Sleep well?"

	Carson tilted his head upward to smile at his granddaughter.  His stoic demeanor had nearly disappeared, replaced by the true, genuine empathy that had always laid beneath it.  "Good morning.  I haven't had a bad sleep in months," he returned and puckered his muzzle to steal a second kiss on the lips from her.  "That is, when your mother's not in heat, anyway."

	Starla giggled softly and gave him a third kiss, her hands slipping down through the fur over his bare chest, her fingertips playfully reaching down to tease over his sheath.  "Mmm, she [i]can[/i] be a handful, huh?"

	"I heard that," came a melodious response, followed by a rather sharp spank on Starla's upturned rump.  Dorothea shot her daughter a teasing grin as she placed the loaded breakfast tray on the table with her other hand.  "You better watch your tongue, young lady, or I might make sure [i]you[/i] don't get any sleep for a while."

	The rogue squeaked sharply with the spank, but only giggled and turned to kiss her mother casually on the muzzle.  "Don't tempt me with a good time, Mama.  You might regret it."

	Just then, Diana poked her head around the corner at the far end of the dining room.  Her hands cupped around her muzzle as she called out, "Gaaaaaaay!"

	"Takes one to know one!" Dorothea shot back, busying herself with organizing the spread she'd cooked.

	Diana laughed and shrugged as she made her way over to her family.  "Fair enough!  You got me there."  One by one, Diana went from her sister to her niece to her father, kissing each one in turn and touching them affectionately.  "So, Daddy!  How's training been going with these two savages?"  The gray-furred mage took a seat at the table as she spoke, earning a pair of unamused looks from Starla and Dorothea.

	Carson folded his paper as he brought his attention back to his family.  "Di, be nice.  Dora and Starla have made wonderful strides in their lessons."

	Both mother and daughter nodded in unison as they took seats opposite of Diana.  "I think I'm ready to join SI:7," Starla added confidently.  "I haven't lost control during a sparring match in at least a month, and I don't really get the mating itch until after dark.  Plus, I can run whenever I want now, but... I haven't really had the energy."

	Dorothea shot her daughter a sideways glance.  "You know, SI:7 may send you on missions longer than just a day's work.  You think you can handle that?"

	"I'll be fine, Mom," Starla assured her with no irritation in her voice, smiling lovingly at her.  "I'm positive I can keep myself in check... but no promises whenever I come back."

	Her mother chuckled and gave her a one-armed hug.  "Well, if we go on missions together, you won't have to worry at all."  Dorothea beamed proudly at her daughter before looking back to her father.  "And [i]I[/i] really can't remember what anger feels like, truth be told.  Dear lord, living like that was horrendous.  All of that pent-up tension...."

	Diana giggled once more as she filled up her plate.  "Water under the bridge, hmm?"

	All four of them nodded in agreement and began to tuck into their morning meal like ravenous wolves.

	The Shadowclaw Pack had reunited for good.