The Choice - Bob

Bob, the little tawny wolf, hadn’t been in Boreas long, but it liked it a whole lot more than home. Even though the sky looked a mean red, no one shouted at him here, no one said nasty things; like he was useless, that he ought to just die. It wasn’t easy to fend for himself so he’d just been scavenging here and there where he could, but weirdly enough there were loads of carcasses about. The pickings were slim as plenty of other animals had beaten him to it, but he’d always managed to grab at least a mouthful, sometimes enough to fill his belly if he was lucky.

Except now…he felt weird, unwell. Everything hurt, a pressure throbbed behind his eyes and belly ached, all swollen and distended. Poor Bob was so so tired. No amount of sleep was enough, the red sky was too bright, and it made him afraid, like something was coming. And so Bob stowed himself away somewhere deep and dark, found comfort in it, though he didn’t really know why. Just that this was where he was meant to be. He laid there, curled in a tight little ball deep in the darkness, trembling as he wondered if he ought to go home. Was it better than this?

He didn’t even raise his head as he heard sets of paws approach.