Zain's twin sister was the only dog he felt truly safe with--if he ever spoke at all, it was to her. They both shared a deep connection and history, and because of this the pair were rarely seen apart. Zahra would read his mind and talk on his behalf, and he would leap to her defense in a heartbeat.

Zain fell into extreme depression after Zahra's death, and the hole in his heart left by her absence would never truly heal.

Zain saved Layali's life after she was injured by an impala, bringing her to the Pack of Falling Ash to heal and recover after her banishment. She was not always kind to him, belittling him for his timid nature and his inability to speak. He was the only dog who knew that she was a banished princess, and shared that secret only with Zahra.

After Muambe's eruption, Zain joins Layali on her journey to clear her name rather than rejoining his home pack. She began to appreciate his value and the pair form a tight bond from their shared experiences and trauma.

In the sequel, Layali and Zain become a queerplatonic couple--not mates, but more than friends.

Zain was surprised to find that Layali was protecting a cheetah cub during Muambe's eruption. He enjoys Kioni's company and is usually the one to provide for her. While Layali sometimes ignores the cub or pushes her away, Zain finds comfort in her innocence and sweet disposition. She helps him with his depression, as feeding and raising her gives him a clear purpose.

Cyrah was the only nursing dog in the Pack of Falling Ash when Zain and Zahra were abandoned, so Queen Xenia assigned her to raise them alongside Kichea, the only one to survive her first litter. Cyrah resented the pair as she felt they were unworthy "replacements" and did not trust wanderers to grow as true Ash dogs.

Cyrah disliked Zain in particular because he would not speak. She gave him a nick in his ear when he was a pup, a punishment that she was actually directing at Zahra for being disobedient. Zain quickly disowned Cyrah as a mother figure when he graduated from the nursery, but Cyrah would often assign the twins to babysit her second litter as "repayment".

Feoria is slightly older than Zain, Zahra and Kichea and would play with them in the nursery until she started her healer training. She often teased Zain for his anxiety, though was never truly malicious about it. She respects him for his hunting skills.

Growing up together in the nursery, Kichea was affectionate towards her foster siblings and loved to play with them. However, Cyrah would frequently remind her that they weren't truly kin, and that she shouldn't grow so close to wanderers.

Following the accident that scarred Kichea and left her confined to the medicine cave for moon cycles, Kichea became extremely withdrawn and seemingly more distant from Zain and Zahra than ever before.

Zain is not particularly fond of Jabari, though he respects his devotion to his mate. Jabari would ramble on about gender roles, how he as a male should lead his group and provide for the weak. Zain did not always agree with his views, though grew to tolerate him more with time.

Shani is stern but patient with Zain, allowing him to open up on his own terms. She thinks Zain works too hard for the sake of the group and needs to let Layali take initiative more.

Zain reunited with his long-lost mother by sheer miracle. Occasionally visiting the border of the Pack of Falling Ash in secret, Ode never gave up hope that she would one day reunite with her children. After Muambe's eruption, she began a search for them, eventually running into Zain and his traveling group by coincidence.

Zain was quick to forgive his mother mostly for his own sake, choosing to accept her as she made amends with him and acting as her caregiver as she healed from the amputation of her paw. She was absolutely devastated at the news of Zahra's death.