Blackbeak Bluff Red is such a lovely colour on you but you won't be needing those

He grinned sheepishly when she complimented him. He guessed he wasn't used to getting too many of those. The troupe had been hard on Lucas more than they had praised him, but he knew they were doing it in his best interest. It wouldn't do if he only found meaning in the praise and approval of others—as a performer, sometimes you couldn't please your crowd. Sometimes you endured criticism. Lucas had learned to self-regulate his emotions so that he didn't need anyone else's praise or approval. He could find it within himself.

That didn't mean he didn't like praise when it happened, though, as evidenced by the pleased expression on his face. Ali went on to speak of joining the pack where her friend was and being more carefree, and he bobbed his head in agreement. There was no point being or staying anywhere if it wasn't enjoyable. That was Lucas' philosophy, anyway. It was ultimately the reason why, had he known they were close by, Lucas still would have gone looking for his troupe over his own family. He loved and missed them dearly, but he enjoyed being with the troupe more.

"You can always leave," he agreed, "but you'll never know until you try! I think you should go find her and see what her pack's all about. Maybe they're really cool and you'll find somewhere that fits you forever. Maybe they're psychos and then you can just take off again, like you said." Loyalty, according to Lucas, was conditional on whether or not you were having a good time giving it. That wasn't how most wolves operated, in fact it was a perspective that was likely to get him into trouble in the future, but that was how he saw it. He didn't know to what lengths some would go to ensure the loyalty of their followers—he didn't know you could die for such a thing. She called him wise and his face blossomed into a huge, bashful smile. He didn't think he was, but it was nice to hear someone else say it.

"Don't worry," he said with a boyish wink. "I won't change for anything." Taking a deep breath and flicking his gaze back up to the gulls, he smiled and said, "well, I better keep looking for my troupe. Who knows how far they've gone. And you better go and find your friend and ask about her pack, if that's what's calling to you." He wouldn't have minded her tagging along with him to meet the troupe, maybe join them with her spectacular leaping skill, but it sounded like her life was bound to a different path. "I hope we can cross paths in the future," he said, bright eyes twinkling, "and compare how we got on."