Leaving the den was something that Herne had slowly grown more comfortable as time had passed. The shy boy had slowly begun to leave more and more often, exploring the outer world in bits and pieces. When he felt overwhelmed, he would retreat back to his mother's side, and slowly Herne had come to recognize that the world was not as big and scary as he had thought at first. It was full of beauty that could not be found within the den - the greens and blues that the world was full off could not be found in the darkness of his home.
Sure, it was still pretty big (and still kind of scary, if Herne was totally honest), but there was so much about it to see. Maybe he was lucky in that nothing bad had happened to him he was exploring, for that surely would have chased him back into the den for a week at least - a long time, for one as young as him. But he had so far only seen beauty and he was coming to adore the outside world.
This particular summer day found Herne nosing around not too far from the den. He could make it back within five minutes of travel perhaps, even with a little break and his short legs taken into account. It was just far enough that he couldn't hear his family, but close enough that he still knew it was there if he needed it. At any rate, he was enjoying himself, playing contentedly with a small bug. He would catch it in his paws and hold it for a moment before releasing it to freedom - and then catching it again a few moments later. He had yet to comprehend that this thing had life that was different from the plants and that, in its own way, it might have free will. To Herne, for the moment, this was just a strange little move-y thing.
