Nothing to see here, folks.

Seriously, nothing. If you want interesting, try my Uncle Kacey, who has one ear, a lopsided grin and a ton of stories about everywhere you’ve never been. If you want calm and kind, look for my mum, whose soft patience has won every heart she’s ever come across. If you want brave, look no further than my sister Thalia, who fearlessly pokes her nose into every available crevice.

Me? I’m the one hiding at the back of the den, my paws pressed over my eyes because Uncle Kacey brought a colourful bug in to show Thalia. I’m no one.

Up until recently, everything about me and my life was average. I was born in a den with my sister, I stayed in the den for as long as I possibly could before my mum firmly nudged me out with her nose, and then I reluctantly started learning basic life skills like not crying hysterically every time I see a beetle. I was okay as long as I had mum and Thalia. Thalia would roll her eyes at me a lot but she would always come to my rescue whenever my legs froze and I couldn’t move. In my defence, that only happened whenever something legitimately scary happened. If you ask me, Thalia isn’t scared often enough.

Then… well, I don’t really like remembering it. There was a storm, and there was fire, and… well, my legs didn’t freeze that time. That time I ran.

Now I’m lost and alone, and it turns out the world is way scarier without mum and Thalia.

Fortunately, nothing with big teeth has taken an interest in me yet – but then, neither has anyone soft-faced. My paws hurt. After the – the storm, I couldn’t find my way back to anywhere I knew with my nose so full of smoke, so I just kept walking. Since nowhere is familiar at all, I just keep picking the safest-looking options. I sought high ground at first, then turned towards open fields when my only other option was descent into a dark and gloomy forest. At least out in the open I could see anything coming.

Some of the grass is as tall as my knees. It folds around me as I pad through it with my overlarge paws, following the sound of water. The grass gradually shrinks and clears entirely as the land gives way to a sizeable lake. I leave the security of the long grass and step cautiously out onto the shingle, looking carefully about. There are other wolves – I can see a few at a distance and smell more – but none bother me. Satisfied that nothing is going to jump at me from the land, I glare into the pool of water for a moment, checking that there are no nasties lurking beneath the surface, before finally dropping my head to wet my burning throat.

LEFTERIS
homeless year-old cub. bugs suck.