As the newborns grew older Greer no longer felt as though he needed to remain so close to the dens; it was finally time for him turn his quick little ‘trips’ into day trips. Adrenaline swelled up inside his chest as he darted forward, his slender legs carrying him quickly over the terrain as he left the familiar willows behind him. While he preferred travelling under the cover of darkness, the shadow prince had gotten into the habit of leaving just before the sun broke from the horizon. The air was much cooler, and it still supplied him with a temporary cover as he slunk out of the forest he called home.

Typically his adventures took him south, or west – he seldom ventured north and was unfamiliar with its territories. With the cool, morning air fueling his movements, the boy continued forward, his silver gaze focused on what remained undiscovered ahead of him. He sought after something he was comfortable with; something that was easy to follow – a body of water. They cut through the land and created an easy path to follow, which would come in handy if he got lost.

Like a hot knife through butter, Greer maneuvered through the trees with ease. There was an eerie grace about him; he was all legs and proud of it. The boy was not keen on brawn, or fighting – he liked that he was built for speed; it made hiding in the shadows much easier. As he navigated through the foliage, the prince realized that the area was almost completely void of neighbouring packs. Though odd, it was also reassuring – today was for adventure, not for idle conversation. Greer was desperate for solitude, and was not keen on crossing paths with another. With speed on his side, hopefully he would not have an unwanted encounter.

It did not take long for him to reach the creek. The comforting sound of the bubbling water had captured his attention as soon as it entered his radar. With expert precision, the boy maneuvered over the rocky shoreline. He followed it further north as his speed slowed considerably; now that he had found what he was looking for, it was time to enjoy his discovery.

It seemed it was nearly impossible to find complete solitude in Relic Lore. With the abundance of wolves and their packs it was difficult to avoid interactions no matter how hard he tried. The moments he got tio himself he treasured, and constantly sought out the more isolated areas of Lore. Before the russet-coloured loner appeared, the shadow already knew he was there; his scent carried on the wind, alerting the inky assassin of his location. A small frown appeared on his maw as he continued forward, favouring the edge of the water as he maneuvered along the shore. As much as he hoped that the loner wouldn’t show interest in his presence, Greer knew that it was unlikely. The wolves he encountered seemed to be of the ‘chatty’ variety, and didn’t pass up an opportunity to converse.

Just as expected, a voice called out from the foliage—a timid greeting, followed by a few questions. He swallowed hard, his mercury-coloured gaze landing on the stranger’s slim figure. Loners seemed to be the most curious, filled with an array of questions and always poking their noses around. Pack wolves, however, were more conservative and confrontational. “Live south of here,” he started, his voice low as he ceased his movement. As for the second question, the yearling was unsure of how to answer. He shrugged at first, lips tight as he debated on how to respond. “Maybe? Don’t know.” All rivers were potentially dangerous—it depended how cautious one was around them. Water was both a necessity and a potential enemy; caution was always required when dealing with a body of water.

The russet-coloured wolf that crept from the foliage was unusually docile—something the slender shadow was not accustom to encountering. While submissive and meek, the loner was chatty in the sense that a flurry of words poured from his maw, breaking the silence that hovered between them. The wolves of Willow Ridge were intimidating in both their appearance and demeanor; this stranger was the complete opposite of what he was used to. Although it was peculiar (and somewhat unsettling), it was also a welcome change. Greer did not have a preference on the wolves he encountered—his only preference was being alone. The shadow prince neither liked nor disliked those he encountered; he merely tolerated them. He was indifferent to the wolves that entered his life and hardly retained any memory of them. There were a select few that stuck out, whose names and features were embedded into the corners of his mind, but the others were cast out as soon as they entered.

More words, more disruptions. His lips drew tight once more as his mercury gaze narrowed slightly, his large, coyote-like ears pinned forward as the timid loner spoke. Something about crossing the river, and something about a missing brother… the thought of misplacing family members was absurd to the raven. Even though he had also experienced the ‘missing brother’ syndrome, the rest of his family remained strong together. Curious about their separation, Greer kept his questions to himself. He would help the loner, but that was it; dabbling in the loner’s past was none of his concern, and would eat up precious alone-time.

“Greer help cross. Come.” The quicker the smudge helped the loner, the quicker he would be out of his fur. With a quick nod, the boy resumed his trek along the river’s edge, his silver gaze searching for a pass across where the water was low and slow. 

The russet loner seemed extremely unsure… about everything. There was an overwhelming sense of worry that radiated from the thin male; it filled the shadow’s head with an abundance of questions, but he kept them to himself. As curious as he was, he really did not care about why the other male seemed so tense. It was none of his concern, and he did not want to extend their time together by pestering the already skittish stranger.

Through narrowed brows, the shadow glanced over his shoulder once he realized the loner was following him, and gave him an encouraging nod. As much as he did not enjoy the company of others, the wolf behind him clearly needed his help, and Greer worried for the timid creature’s safety if he was to leave him behind. All he had to do was help the wolf across the creek and he could leave—easy peasy. It seemed that’s all Red wanted—he kept his distance from the long-legged smudge, ensuring that there was at least several tail-lengths between them. It did not bother the yearling; in fact, he preferred the distance. Most wolves—especially the annoying, talkative ones—knew nothing of personal space. The distance was welcoming and refreshing.

Words struggled to fall from Red’s tongue as he interrupted the silence that had fallen between them. The loner confessed that he could not swim, but that did not hinder the determined shadow. “No swim. Greer find better way.” While the slim-built assassin had no problem with water, he would not make the frightened loner cross the water if there was a risk of him falling in. His attention refocused on the creek, mercury pools searching for a spot where the water was slow and low. He did not want to make his already anxious company uncomfortable, so finding the easiest way across was ideal. Luckily, with the recent heat, the water level was considerably low, making his search much easier. Breaking away from his companion, Greer padded over to the edge of the creek as a soft frown formed against his lips. “Step across rocks? Or no?” There was a spot in the creek with several rocks protruding from the water; would the loner be able to cross there, or would he want something easier? Features relaxed, the yearling turned to Red as he awaited a response. As much as he wanted to return to solitude, Greer was in no hurry. He would finish aiding the russet loner before they parted ways; he would not leave Red stranded.

Despite his desire to be alone, Greer did not want to leave the russet loner stranded. The shadow prince knew what it was like to have misplaced family members and hoped that Red and his brother would reunite. It made him question his own motives—why wasn’t he searching as frantically as this loner for his own brothers? As much as he wanted to cross rivers and search meadows for his brothers, Greer also remained tied to his remaining family in the ridge. He did not want to abandon them… but he also did not want his brothers to feel as though he had abandoned them. Greer had already alienated himself from his siblings when they were younger—he did not want them to think that their silver-eyed brother detested them…

Attempting to redirect his thoughts, Greer returned his focus once more to the honey-eyed male with a feeble attempt at some sort of smile pressed to his dark lips. Red had agreed to stepping stones in order to get across, which made his job much easier. If the fear of water was already present the smudge did not want to make Red cross through the water; guiding him over steps would be much easier. Good, good… he thought to himself as he stepped closer to the edge, his mercury gaze seeking out more stones for the loner. With a quick flick of his muzzle the yearling motioned for Red to come closer before motioning to what he had found. There were a few large, flat rocks situated in the river, offering the perfect nature-made steps through the water. The last one was a little far from the other side of the creek, but Greer was positive that Red would be able to make it.

“Red cross there. Greer help. Greer walk beside in water, make sure Red no fall.” With a short nod the boy stepped into the water as he waited for the loner to close the distance between them. The shadow prince knew that the stranger was putting a lot of trust in a wolf he had just met and he did not want to do anything to jeopardize that.