Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
Shade is not, and will never be, what you might call a natural born leader. The brute was born to a large litter, the litter itself just one of many sired by his father over the years. Siblings and half-siblings and cousins surrounded him from infancy, most stronger and older than he, and so Shade, aptly named for his curiously dark pelt, learnt to embody his namesake in more than just colour. It was necessity that drove him to solitude, world-weary from a young age and much preferring his own company to the chaos and noise of his fellows, with just one exception.
His half-brother, Wight, with whom he shared an absent and disinterested father, was the only one Shade could tolerate; an irony, really, as they did not appear to have much in common beside a parent. Wight was charming, debonair, and outgoing; capable of conversing with just about everyone. He took life in his stride and did not waste time overthinking that which could not be changed. In spite of this, he was also kind and welcoming, never bullying or teasing his younger siblings as many of his littermates did, and after a while, Shade saw the hidden depths that Wight feared to show. The bravado was an act, Shade realised -- as much a defence mechanism as his own introvertism.
Despite their many differences, the half-brothers are the perfect complement to one another's disposition. A perfectly balanced yin and yang. By the time Shade had decided he would escape the pack, he and Wight were inseparable, and there was no question as to whether Wight would accompany him. Shade had never had any intention of leading a pack, content simply to travel until they found a new one worth joining, but fate had other plans for them.
credit to Chipper #50444!
credit to Izu #51423!
