these things came in stages. playing the part of member was only one role of many; the shadow knew that it was time to move on. it had been some time since he'd seen the wolves of the hollow. after meeting the foreign girl in the mountains, he continued westward, eventually landing somewhere new.

there was a stranger off in the distance. the shadow, being the man that he was, thought to approach and introduce himself.hello, friend, he called once close enough to be heard. a mock limp had befallen his hind leg, though the enthusiastic wag of his tail countered it. am i intruding? his voice was soft, welcoming; this version would be different from the last.

the boy held back any alarm that he might have been feeling. in shadow's mind, this warranted a more casual demeanor; instead of observing from a distance, he moved a few steps closer and sat down on his haunches. that seems so long ago, don't you think? it was difficult for him to discern between then and now, but it felt like something that his character might say.

his character. the shadow thought that the spirit might need a name. i'm benji, he said, deciding that it fit quite nicely. who are you?

the lapse in conversation was okay, the shadow thought. it added a touch of.. organic-ness(?) to the conversation. sorry, he laughed, tone bashful and sweet. 

the boy didn't seem to suffer from a shortage of pride, he noted. which pack? benji asked, confident that the answer would be fruitful.

redhawks, the boy said. shadow logged the details of the briefing that followed. wow. there must be a lot of you guys, huh? he wondered if this family led the rest of the wilds in some unspoken hierarchy. they could just be irresponsible, shadow thought. stifling the resulting giggle proved impossible.

shadow worried that penn might press further for a background. while he waited for a response, he began to peice together a potential story.

the extent of the boy's pride seemed endless. intrigued by the show, shadow took a step forward to examine the blackthorn stripe. sounds of awe were mindlessly released as he listened to the boy brag.

that stripe would be something that he continued to look for. shadow silently cursed his monochrome pelage, wishing that he'd been given the correct genes to mimick this feature.

and you guys all live here? he asked. it might be fun to impersonate a lost relative, he thought, but if the entire family was based in the wilds then his efforts would likely prove useless. it must be awesome to have such a huge family.

shadow nodded. an intermediate silence ensued. you see, neither shadow nor his writer knew how to continue this conversation. that was okay because it'd gone on for fairly long, anyway.

there were still several questions swarming his mind. it would be stupid to try his luck so early in their relationship, so instead of continuing his interrogation, shadow decided to say his goodbyes.

can i come see your pack sometime? he asked, tail wagging excitedly behind him. i mean, if that's okay. the prospect of joining was just as, if not more attractive than a tour, though he knew his potential membership wouldn't last for long.

the directions sounded simple enough. like everything else, shadow logged these details carefully. it would be a while before he returned to these flatlands, but when he did, his destination was clear. 

shadow gave another smile. i'll be there! eventually, i mean. he turned on his heels and began making his exit. westward, he thought; there was still much to be seen.