Golden Glade in a house that's not a home

once-white paws tread through the underbrush with careful constitution. the air was strangely still, not a whisper of a breeze in earshot, leaving the heat of the summer bore down on his dark pelt. pike took to the forest to shield himself from the sun, traveling most frequently at night to keep cool. not that it mattered much anyway, his days back in the teekon wilds were quiet, lacking a soul to miss even in the light of the afternoon.

today was no different than the last, except perhaps that he was traveling in the daylight. he'd repeated positive affirmations to himself when demons settled around his skull, piercing daggers torturing the happiness he longed to protect. fighting needless guilt in silence as he travelled. he still hoped of finding his mother, one of his siblings, but each day seemed to take a little more optimism from him. he continued along, one foot after the other. 

he'd find something --  even if it wasn't family.