After their goodbyes, the two large wolves set off toward their home. Well, all of Gray Lake was their home, truthfully, but, the shrine was more or less what they'd truly call a home. On the way there, West was assaulted by an onslaught of thoughts that had formed and fermented within his noggin. Honestly, it was a tad annoying. Sorta like the fleas that pestered Shade earlier on. 'He had to have noticed me staring at him... He just had to.. There's no way he didn't, and, if he did, what would come of it? Is he taking me back to the shrine alone to demote me? Or.. Maybe he's going to have one of those talks with me...' Unfortunately, the voice within his head went on and on, ranting about possible scenarios that may very well take place in the near future. He tried distracting himself. Really, he did. He'd constantly take quick glances around the lake, peering up into the sky to watch as tiny lunar pearls were woven into the sable fabric that was night time. Even the sounds - of which commonly bestowed the sweetest of all forms of serenity upon him - seemed to have no effect whatsoever. From the buzzing creatures whom frolicked about the dimly lit forest, to the unwanted peaks that fluttered about the air, and even down to the soothing water that curled and pushed against their coats, tickling his underbelly. "Mm? Well, you didn't exactly specify on how I should've entered. And, you know that I like to make an entrance." His current train of thought was derailed by Shade's spoken thoughts, and, upon answering, he noticed that they'd neared the forest. West followed closely, emerging from the water at a leisurely pace, as not to douse his friend yet again. Though, it would've been pretty funny, now didn't seem like the time. Truth be told, he thought that they both looked kind of funny with their pelts all soaked and slicked down. It made him look skinny, even though, admittedly, he had just a bit of chub-chubs. His paws felt great on dry land. "So, Sh—.." He immediately halted his speech, having felt the cold, wet about of another wolf press against his shoulder. The sound of West's footfall vanished, and he turned to face the male responsible for his lack of movement. Shade seemed to be sincere at the moment, which meant they were in for a talk. His ears flattened against his head, and he slowly sat, anticipating a stern lecture. He faced Shade, rump planted firmly to the ground just before the black alpha.

"Y-yes Sir?.."

What silence fell upon them only felt as though it were the calm before the storm. It put him on edge, and caused his thoughts to form a malicious torrent in his head. What would become of their friendship if he spoke to Shade the way that he'd hoped to. When the two first met, they were both rather secluded, and had the common tendency to clam up. Hell, screw when they first met. It took a good deal of time to earn the black wolf's trust, and, once he's earned it, he did his absolute best to maintain it. Eventually, they became inseparable friends. That, of course, was made clear by the alpha's decision to hold West at such a high rank in the pack. Knowledge wasn't the only thing that a good leader required. It took a heart that could speak to others in a way words could not. Yet, at the very same time, that same heart was required to sever bonds in the blink of an eye. Whatever it took to make decisions which would benefit the pack's majority, rather than risk complete annihilation. Casualties were to be kept to a minimum. Even his own life was outweighed, in this sense, of course. It was the trust that Shade had bestowed within his snowy-self that made West beta material. If he lost that, what would become of him? 'Focus on one thing at a time, mutt!' He mentally reprimanded himself, cutting off any extraneous thought from here on out. What mattered most right now was manning (or wolfing) up, and telling his friend how he really felt. He let his golden gaze look over the sable body before him. 'You're so handsome, Shade..' He thought, not daring to speak such a thing. Oh lords no, he'd not ever. At least, not given the current circumstances.

"Mm? Mating season?" He replied, having to rewind a bit, analyzing the thoughts once again. 'Wait.. He's asking about mating season...' West spoke only on the inside. This was bound to lead to something in just a moment. It was a good start, anyways, despite it being too early to tell where exactly the conversation was headed, it opened up opportunities to let his true feelings surface. Of course, he himself could've very well given rise to said openings, but, they'd have made for a much, much more awkward situation. 'Okay, West, stay calm, and—' "I've no interest in females." A reddened face followed the sudden blurring of his thoughts. He was suddenly far too nervous to even filter out what went on within his cognitive before letting it run free. Deeper, the new hue added to his palette of color began to sink in. West's face now resembled blood splatter atop fresh winter snow, tainting its purity with a crimson wave. West gave a soft, completely out-of-character whimper. "W-well..." He began to choke up, shifting nervously. "Let me rephrase that, please.." The pallid canine then shifted his eyes down towards the earthy soil beneath where he sat, and a limp paw began to trace shaped into the brown dust, which had slowly thickened and turned to mud due to his being wet and all. "I've no interest in females when it comes to mating.. I-I'm... I'm.. Uh... Different, in that sense.." He added, then stilled his paw and averted his gaze back up towards Shade's own. Those amber chasms brimmed with sincerity, and, were almost begging for forgiveness and acceptance. Simply put, he looked like a big, slightly-chubby, soaked puppy. Ears and all.