Neverwinter Forest white noise

AW but specifically tagging @Orochi for obvious reasons, @Huā bc this is a member of her pack, and @Mal bc this is in NWF territory c: 
Set 8/15, late afternoon. 

It wasn't even raining when it happened. 

Thunder rumbled overhead, but no water fell from the sky. The temperature was dropping - it was getting dark out, probably around sunset, Hide figured, but that didn't really mean much for him. He'd been traversing the territory obsessively over the last couple weeks, trying to learn the layout, and he was getting pretty good at not running into trees anymore. Orochi helped, of course, but sometimes Hide didn't want to bother him. After all, he had to have a life outside of the blind boy. 

After today, he'd both be grateful that he hadn't asked Orochi to come with him, but... part of him would regret it, too.

Neverwinter's scent was washed out a bit by the rain, but Hide had found the border. He was walking a couple meters inside the territory, using his sense of smell and careful pawsteps to avoid trees and fallen branches and try to keep from embarrassing himself like he had early on, when they'd first gotten there and he hadn't found ways to travel around yet. 

It was about time for him to start getting back. He'd just turned to head back into the territory when it happened.

Maybe, if he could see, he'd have witnessed the flash. But instead, his world, filled with the sound of rumbling thunder and sounds of night animals coming out, erupted in a deafening

BANG

It was only moments later that he regained consciousness, disoriented and confused. Lightning had struck a nearby tree, less than forty feet away, but he wasn't aware of it. What he was aware of was the pounding in his head, and a high-pitched ringing in his left ear. The world seemed muffled now, and he could smell blood. And, ugh, everything hurt...

Where was he? He opened his mouth from where he lay in the mud, intending to call his mother, father, brother, anyone, when he remembered. That wasn't where he was. He'd... he'd followed Orochi to his home. They were on an island. There was someone there that could probably help him.

If he were thinking clearly, he probably would've just lay there so that someone could find him. But, dazed as he was, he couldn't reason that out. So he stood, legs wobbly but working - he was lucky he hadn't been burned by the strike - and balance off-kilter. Blood leaked from his left ear, dripping from his cheek and landing in a small puddle on the ground at his feet. 

He turned and staggered to where he hoped the Yuelong wolves would be congregated, toward the center of the island. The only problem was that this was not the island, and in fact, he was heading east. Away from any potential help. Away from his new home. 

There would be a small pool of blood where he'd lain in the mud. A wolf-sized indent, perhaps some red fur. But it would begin to rain as he walked away, and his trail of prints would fade out the further he walked away. The ensuing rains would be sure of that.

Hide has left NWF