Underneath the shade of trees and dappled in the fading light of the afternoon sun a young boy sat, head bowed as he picked at the prickles that were lodged between his toes. With soft grunts and snarls he extracted the annoyances one by one, wincing as he hit a cut or accidentally scraped his teeth against his tender paw pads. Having come from such a cosy family living in their safe home in the woods, Noah wasn't used to such pain that came from weeks of wandering - his legs ached, his stomach was empty and his fur was matted and covered in a layer of dirt. Yet he felt more alive than he ever did back at home. Alive but fearful. The wilderness had been nothing and everything Noah hoped it would be.
He had almost been killed countless times either by other wolves or fiercer creatures, as evidenced by his most recent scuffle with a badger that left him bleeding from his forehead. However, slowly, Noah had built up some knowledge on how to survive at least the night, and continue putting distance between himself and his former pack by day. But it was quickly becoming apparent that he was not built for the life of a lone wolf. He found himself missing his family sometimes, before roughly shaking that feeling off and reminding himself of the reasons why he had left in the first place. Besides, he was quite thoroughly lost now; the chances of turning back and finding his way home were slim to none.
Satisfied with his efforts, the boy placed his paws firmly on the ground again, feeling slight relief from not having sharp prickles digging into his skin anymore. They still ached though, the type of pain that could only be removed with time and rest. Noah could not rest, though, not yet. Bright eyes turned skywards and he studied the shifting colours of sunset, wondering how long he had before the forest would be covered in complete darkness and he would be forced to find a hiding spot for the night again.