As much as he’d been dreading it, the first meeting between Gray and his new handler passed without any serious confrontation. She was older than his previous handlers, and seemed less in awe of his reputation. He’d gotten used to being the focus of attention and while the change was welcome, it was a bit grating to be discounted so early in the partnership.

They’d gone through the ritual exchange of naming– for a moment he’d wondered if she’d change him from Gray to something less literal, but she paused only a moment before granting him the same call sign he’d carried since he first joined the Corps. It was only symbolic, wolves didn’t use names the way handlers did, but humans had a need to title things, claiming ownership in a way that was foreign, but understandable.

The piles of paperwork that followed the ceremony was less so.