race me! race me!

He hadn't meant to get lost in his thoughts. He startled at the sound of her whine. Was she... worried about him? She was too sweet. They had been friends all of a day, and she was already making sure he was okay. He tucked his wing a little tigher around her, burrowing his head into the soft fur of her neck for a moment. Taking the comfort she offered, and enjoying the feeling of another wolf wanting to be close to him. His bright smile was already back, and his tail gave a gentle wave behind him.

When he had been younger, after his mother had forbidden him from ever trying to fly again. Or take his life. He had forced cheer until it had been real, until mother and Auntie no longer kept him on suicide watch. His ability to smile on a whim was so easy now, it was like he had been born with it. "Sorry, just lost in thoughts of succession, yah know?" He explained himself. "Of what the pack might be like in the future. I don't really know what to expect, It wasn't my idea to be heir" he shook his head, laughing a little at himself. "So where did you come from, before this?" He asked, pushing the questions back to his friend.