Max sighed. "Yeah, he did."

  Shadow nodded in acceptance. "You guys had a right to know....and I never talked about it....that's on me."

  Max clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to lose a friend like that. I - I can't imagine - "

  "He was my FRIEND!" Shadow sobbed, then he placed a hand over his eyes. He sighed once again.

  Max felt strong sympathy for him.

  The boys looked at the pond in silence. Shadow sighed, and Max turned to look at him. His blond friend leaned forward and put his hands on the back of his head, and sighed once again. Max tilted his head. "You good?"

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  Shadow nodded, and went back to his normal sitting position. "I'm fine...hey, uh...listen...I want to thank you for what you did for me yesterday."

  Max tilted his head once again. "What? What are you talking about?"

  Shadow made a small smile. "What you were saying to me in the dungeon..."

  Max took a second to comprehend what his friend was saying, then scoffed when he realized. "I didn't think you were even LISTENING to me!"

  Shadow looked at Max. "I was."

  Max looked back at his friend in disbelief.

  Shadow looked down at the ground in shame, and continued. "I needed it. I didn't even realize that I've been such an ass to you guys lately." He looked ahead of them. "I see it now..." He then looked back at Max. "And I'm sorry."

  Max hated to ask this, but the question burned in his mind. "Why do you do that, ONLY as the black wolf?"

  Shadow stared straight ahead. "I - I don't know...it just etched in with the way I lived, I guess."

  Max tilted his head.

  Shadow nodded and buried his lips in his fist, and sighed shamefully. "I'm sorry I take it out on you guys."