King Elk Forest MJ didn't want me, either

At times, he thought he was following a scent he once knew. The grass grew tall and thick between the more widely-spaced trees, and Murdock couldn't decide whether the scent tickling his nose was smattered across the blades or hidden deep within the soil. It didn't matter, he decided. It was an old scent either way, and he'd be hard-pressed to put a name to it. Why even try?

The male cut through the foliage, moving away from the long-dead trail. It seemed to wander instead of travel, and Murdock was much better suited to the latter. The fast he went, the soon he'd get there, he told himself. Only, he wasn't quite sure where there would end up being.

At the end of the night, when the sun started rising just past unbearable, Murdock decided that there was right here. He wasn't travelling any further in this heat. With a loud harumph, the male collapsed at the shady base of the nearest tree and glowered out at the too-cheerful forest around him. He half thought about taking a nap, but it seemed like an awful lot of energy would be needed to get ready for bed. Instead, he simply laid against the tree, hoping something interesting happened before his boredom got the best of him.