Time was going to be honest: he had no clue what he was hoping to accomplish smacking a giant wooden shield with his sword. It was a little embarrassing to be bested by what is essentially a wooden door, but there was no time to dwell on it since the creature was already dead.

Instead, he took to looking over the newcomer. The first thing he noticed was that he was young, probably in his mid-teens, if he had to guess. The second was that he was holding a Hylia-damned claymore — even if it was mostly on the ground, how was he still standing straight? The third was that his hair was light gray bordering on white and his eyes were a bright, striking red. Perhaps he was Sheika? No, it's not possible — apart from the hair and eyes, nothing about him was Sheika. His clothes were nothing like what they wore — baggy green pants, a small scarf-poncho-thing that left his midriff somewhat bare, a long open cloak with a hood, and accessories he couldn't name. Speaking of, wow this kid had a lot of hair — it was actively attempting to escape his hood, defying gravity with thick spikes and fluffs, and from the way he could spot some hair reaching his hands at the back he suspects the kid had to make a hole in the hood to let it out.

Refocusing on the boy's face, he could spot a scar from his chin up to his left cheek towards his nose. He was also… glaring? It looked like he was glaring, at least, with his brows pinched and furrowed and his eyes slanted. Though if Time looked closer, the kid just looked curious and maybe a little wary — his face was just like that, it seems.

Bringing the examination to a close after a few seconds, he used that as a context clue that the kid wasn't likely to attack, Time shifted to a more relaxed stance but didn't relax fully — the kid was holding a damn claymore the size of himself! Seriously, who gave him that?!

Slight crisis aside, he turned slightly to his brothers — careful not to turn his back on the armed teen — he gave them a quick lookover with his eye to make sure no one was injured. Everyone looked alright, if a little winded. So, happy that they were not in danger of dying, he turned back to the kid.

"Thank you for the help," he started, watching the kid perk up at being addressed, and then asked like a responsible adult, "Are you alright?"

The teen nodded slightly, his thick hair bouncing at the motion, before responding, "I am okay. Everyone… okay?" he asked, his eyes jumping from person to person. Time noted how the boy's voice was somewhat rough with disuse, his words stilted as if he had to think before speaking.

"We're okay! No need to worry, they didn't even lay a scratch on us," Sky stated, walking over with a grin on his lips and the Master Sword strapped against his back. The others came closer to him, and oh look, Four was awake and being brought over by Warriors.

When everyone had joined him in looking at the stranger, Time took that moment to ask: "What's your name, kid?"

The boy blinked. Once. Twice.

He put his free hand against his chest and spoke, "Razor."

He thought it was a strange name before he remembered he traveled with people named Legend and Four. Nicknames, but still, that was hypocritical of him.

Unaware of the musing going on in Time's head, Wind bounded forward and stuck out his hand for a shake with a grin on his face.

"My name's Wind!"

"Wind?" the boy — Razor — asked, his brows furrowing a little in what Time could recognize as confusion, "But, you are not wind…?"

"Ah, no! That's just my name…" Wind chuckled, pushing his hand out some more to bring attention to it.

Razor, for his part, just stared at the hand blankly, like he didn't know what to do with it.

Wind took pity on him; "You're supposed to shake it."

His eyes brightened in understanding and the hand clutching the claymore lifted to stab it into the ground next to him, where it promptly burst into golden sparkles when he let go of the handle. Which… okay, wow. The first time Wild had pulled out or put something into his slate, it was something that none of them had ever seen before; Undoubtedly useful, but it was surprising the first time. But while the slate would absorb the trails of blue light to show when something was coming in or out, Razor's weapon just… scattered into sparkles and out of existence like fairy dust.

While everyone was busy gawking at where his weapon used to be, Razor clasped Wind's hand with his own, giving it a little shake.

"Like this—?" "How'd you do that?!" Razor was cut off by Wind's excited yell, who promptly pushed into the older boys' personal space, "I've never seen anyone just make a weapon disappear! I know Wild put things in his slate, but you don't even have one! Or at least, if you do, I can't see it."

"Now now, give the kid some space, Wind," came Time's light admonishment when he noticed Razor's uncomfortable look, reaching over to gently pull Wind back. The younger boy flushed and pulled away, mumbling a small 'sorry' while Razor shuffled backward to put more space between them. "Let's go back to introductions. My name's Time," he told him, sending a little nod toward him.

It didn't take long for the others to introduce themselves while Time watched. While he watched, he took notice of how Razor would react when some came closer. His nose had flared slightly when Legend had come close and again when Twilight came close, although he regarded him almost suspiciously.

After everyone had done their introduction, he took the metaphorical reins again. As much as he didn't want to be suspicious of the teen, none of them had lived this long — even if most of them were in their teens — without being careful.

"Say, Razor, did you know we were here or was it a coincidence?" he asked, looking down at the teen, "As much as I appreciate you helping us, I find it strange you came in from the middle of nowhere."

The look Razor gave him was the most deadpan look he's ever gotten from a teenager when he responded with "I live here." "Oh—" "I heard an explosion… I was worried." He squinted up at Time with the most intense eye contact that if he was anyone else, he would've shivered; he was not, so he didn't quake in his boots.

"Ah…" was the eloquent sound that fell from his mouth as he shifted to look at Wild, as did everyone else.

"That… was my fault," admitted Wild, looking at Razor apologetically, who in turn crossed his arms over his chest.

"You scared away prey," he informed them very seriously, his brows furrowing a little more. "Tonight, we go hungry."

"Oh… We're sorry…" Sky apologized, wringing his hands together.

"You were hunting?" Hyrule interjected, looking up towards the sun — checking the time, if Time had to guess; not that he would know why hunting in the middle of the day was strange.

Razor nodded, "Me and my pack… had an ambush. But… now, all prey ran away."

Ah, yeah, he could see how that explosion messed up their chance for dinner—

Hold on.

Back up.

"Pack?" That was Legend's voice, incredulously voicing what everyone else had been thinking.

"My wolf family," Razor clarified, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Your… wolf family…" Legend repeated, looking at Razor up and down.

And, wow, if that didn't explain a few things. Why he didn't know what a handshake was, his stilted way of saying things as if he was thinking through his sentences, how his voice sounded like it wasn't used in a while. The scars on his body that Time has noticed since coming closer, the slight mats and sticks in his hair, and how all of his clothes had dirt and grass streaked on them.

Sure, Wild had been a little feral when he had joined, more at home in the forests than the towns, but he also wasn't raised by wolves. As far as he knows, at least; the smug look he can see Wild sending Twilight from his peripheral isn't making him very sure of that assumption. Still, they won't tell him about his journey, so he won't pry into their secrets.

This kid though? He's more than happy to proclaim he has a wolf family and lives in the forest to strangers.

Speaking of the kid, he was squinting at Twilight like he was trying to unravel his secrets.

"You," he started, pointing at the aforementioned Rancher, "you have a pack, too?"

"Why do you ask?" Twilight challenged, keeping eye contact with the teen, which Time recognized as a somewhat aggressive gesture in canids. If there wasn't so much sudden tension — only the chain knew Twilight had a wolf form how did this kid figure it out — Time would have teased his successor on how easily he slipped into wolf language when another knew it.

From the low rumble in Razor's voice when he spoke next, he understood its meaning. "You smell like strange wolf."

Oh, well that explained how he knew.

"You can smell it?" Twilight sounded genuinely surprised, though he kept staring, which in turn agitated the younger boy. There were a lot of subtle shifts in their bodies that Time couldn't read, but from the look on Wild's face, he could. Seeing the shift, the rest of the group tensed but stayed out of the way, as they didn't know enough of what was happening to interfere and not make it worse.

"Other pack can't be here." The brief flash of teeth from the teen was the only way Time knew it was getting serious. "Our territory. Breaks the code."

"Whose code?"

"Guardian of this land."

Twilight faltered in confusion, he could see it in the way his eyebrows shifted, but he still hadn't looked away. "So, there can't be another wolf pack in your territory?"

"No." Razor had all but growled. Time was starting to wonder how long a hylian could go without blinking — he sneaked a glance at Razor, and never mind, he didn't have the long ears of a hylian.

"Then there is no issue," Twilight stated, sweeping his arms out to motion to the rest of the Chain. "They are my pack."

Razor's growing growl had all but evaporated at the statement, his metaphorical hackles lowering. He stared for a moment longer before blinking and lowering his eyes with a quiet whimper, giving Twilight a little dip of his head. At what Time could recognize as a sign of submission, Twilight untensed and shifted out of his defensive body language.

Time should really ask Twilight and Wild to show him how to read and speak in body language like that at some point; that was an enlightening encounter that was mostly spoken by their bodies, so he probably missed quite a lot of context.

"Sorry…" Razor apologized once he looked back up. "Did not know your pack was human…"

"It's okay," Twilight said, giving the kid a small smile. "You were only trying to protect your pack."

Razor gave a little nod, his face brightening slightly even if his expression didn't shift too much. "Lupical are important to me. Will keep them safe."

"…Lupical?" Time questioned, the word unfamiliar in his mouth.

"Lupical is family fate gave me," Razor started explaining, placing a hand against his chest as he talked. "When wolf accepts human as its own. Or human accepts wolf. That is Lupical."

"That's… such a nice sentiment, actually…" He heard Warriors mumble, and apparently so did Razor, because the kid curled his lips into a smile in his direction.

Now. Time wasn't one to be picking up strays… even if his whole group is a bunch of strays he picked up— But! He didn't pick them up often! However, if this kid kept up with those cute sentiments he was going to take him home, Hylia-assigned journey be damned. No, he wasn't fatherly, shut up—

"But what about your human family?"

"Legend!" Warriors hissed.

"What?"

"That's sensitive!"

"You don't have to tell us if you're not comfortable…" Hyrule jumped in, attempting to salvage the situation.

For his part, Razor didn't even look bothered by the question; he simply shrugged lightly and said "I have no human family. Do not have a human Father or Mother. I am a wolf."

He technically was not, but Time wasn't about to break it to him. Legend, apparently, had no such tact.

"You're not."

"Legend!" That was Wild this time.

"What?! Look at him! Does he look like a four-legged animal to you?"

"That's insensitive!"

"It's the truth! He's not a wolf!"

"I know!" Razor all but barked, voice cracking, his shoulders up to his ears defensively, and a pained expression on his face. "I am not a wolf, but not human either! I do not know what I am!"

Oh Goddess above, they hit the identity crisis. Quick, damage control! Pull the wise old man card!

"It's alright," Time soothed, coming closer to pat the kid's back. "You're still young, you have time to figure it out…"

Comforting a half-feral kid who didn't know whether he was a wolf or a human was not how he imagined this journey going. He also wasn't expecting the kid to throw his issues at them half an hour after meeting him, but not growing up around humans probably had to do with it. The Chain kept their journeys close to their chest, not showing their trauma or what they had gone through unless it was necessary. Actually, maybe that was why this kid didn't bother to hide his issues; it wasn't so much trauma brought by other people or events, but crises due to his way of life. Still, most others would have kept that in and not let others see unless agitated.

He was going to have words with Legend later.