Now that Kansas took a moment to think about it, he hadn't played with too many puppies, either. It was probably also his reason that it was possible for him to identify him in his jumble of foggy childhood memories. He'd spent most of his time with his father or with Firefly, but she didn't count—the two had been ageless in the little world they'd shared only between each other. Even so, Kansas couldn't remember the details of their meeting. He just recognized her eyes, her manner, her scent. He could see that she was puzzling over the information he'd given her. It was understandable for her to be confused about the different packs; there were a lot of pale wolves in Clouded Tears. Odd that he could even remember that.
She mentioned her father, the man who'd accompanied her to the river that day so long ago. The thought of him sent Kansas wondering why she had left him, what she'd been doing in the time since they had last encountered one another. He questioned in his mind if she and her dad had lingered until the wildfire broke out. Perhaps it had just taken her a while to relocate the wolves she'd once lived among.
When Sofia asked about Pilot's whereabouts, Kansas felt an unexpected stab in the chest. He remembered what had happened to the ghostly man, how it had caused Savina to get into a horrible fight with the one who'd hurt him. He didn't know what had happened to Pilot after that. Kansas hesitated, knowing he couldn't tell Sofia everything. "He... he left not too long ago. I don't know where he went," he explained honestly. Kansas let a few seconds pass, then decided to satisfy his curiosity about his long-lost playmate. "So are you here to stay? Or just visiting...?"