Blackfoot Forest summertime sadness

With aching limbs and tired eyes, Roo napped beneath the green foliage of Blackfoot Forest, nestled between a slightly scratchy shrub and a tall tree. The two-year-old had clocked up quite a few miles today and so probably deserved the rest that he was awarding himself with. When golden eyes eventually opened, the beast stretched out all four legs and clumsily pulled himself into a seated position, blinking to adjust to the bright morning daylight and yawning to remind himself of the nice nap he was thankful to have taken. Feeling his stomach tighten in a rumble, his next move was decided: time for food.

Tracking was something that Roo had always taken pride in. He could still remember his first catch, a small but delicious bird. Even more vividly did he remember the grin on his father's face, the pride he'd felt on being congratulated by his mother when returning home from his first hunt. Calculated steps weaved him through the trees as he followed the scent of something tasty, nose hovering an inch or two above the moss and twigs. It didn't take long for him to come across the unsuspecting rabbit nibbling on a berry and he licked his lips in anticipation.

The swift dive was timed to perfection, outstretched paws ready to ideally grasp the prey but instead sending dirt flying in all directions as his claws scraped the ground. The startled rabbit had clocked onto Roo's shadow cast by the morning sun and made a break for it, twisting behind trees and darting in random directions. Roo gave a good chase but just when he was considering lunging again, his left forepaw gave way and sent his body crashing to the ground, wincing as he plummeting into a tree with some force. With a disgruntled growl he rolled away from the tree and pulled himself into a seated position, staring glumly into the distance and wondering where his meal that wasn't to be was now.