Malachi bounds through the fallen leaves, adrenaline pumping addictively through his veins as he sprints the knife’s edge: one wrong paw placement and the slick floor will slip from underfoot and bring him crashing to the ground. Last time he fell he bonked his nose and that hurts. Occasionally, he races back to Mother to point out something of interest – look mom, that flower smells funny! That rock is cool! There’s a giant hole! Most of these, Mother dismisses quickly; however, the mention of a hole snatches her attention and the next thing Malachi knows, Mother appointed him her loyal sentinel and disappeared into the hole. Mother is usually hesitant to leave him alone, that she gave him such an important job this time must mean she recognizes he’s almost a proper adult now! He puffs his chest up pridefully, his keen silver eyes absorbing his surroundings with eagle-like scrutiny.

Ha! Wait, no, that’s just a beetle. Ha! Oh, a bird. Malachi briefly considers stalking it, but it flies off before he even has the chance to get up. It must be intimidated by his excellent guard skills – he can’t blame it, nothing is getting past his watch! He settles into silence, eyes and ears and nose on high alert. So much that when there is a sudden chitter, he is quick to pinpoint the source, leaving his gaze locked with the beady black eyes of the squirrel: his nemesis. A low growl rumbles in his chest, his eyes narrow dangerously. "You…" He half-whispers; then, faster than a blink of an eye, he is on his feet and perched against the tree trunk. The rodent flinches but does not move from its branch. "You won’t escape this time! Fiend! Defiler!" He threatens, and though nothing physically changes, Malachi knows it is recoiling with fear on the inside. He barely starts plotting how to end this villain when a voice distracts him from his mission.

Still, braced against the tree, Malachi looks back to Mother, reluctantly abandoning his post only when she calls him away. That rodent got lucky this time, but next they meet it will face its demise for sure. However, he is curious about Mother’s friend, and on the short trek over he absently wonders if this one will be like the “Zelda” wolf they met earlier. The first thing Malachi notices is that this new stranger is big, far larger than any other wolf he has ever seen! Not only that, but this was a fellow male – he shoots Mother a confused glance before he huddles courageously behind her legs and peer around at this “Roman”. Their entire life, Mother told him to lie low, don’t attract other wolves’ attention and for the love of the Moon, stay away from males. Why is it okay to brazenly approach strangers today? "Are you especially happy to see Mom?" He asks suddenly, putting two-and-two together. Didn’t Zelda say something like that about a “Roman” she was discussing with Mother? Not that he can fully comprehend what “especially happy” is supposed to mean. He looks to his mother, "Is he a packmate, too?"