Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Aarre plodded onward, no destination in mind, just mindlessly walking. I can't believe I finally did it. He thought to himself.
"I'm free!" He shouted into the harsh arctic winds. He'd finally made the decision to leave his family. They had loved him, but they had expected him to grow up to be the leader of the large family of foxes. Normally foxes lived in smaller groups, but due to the scarce food supply, they had banded together. More hunters meant more food supply for the young and helpless.Â
Aarre's father, Justus, was the current leader of the group. The pack hadn't discussed whether leadership would be handed down or elected, but Justus had hoped to see Aarre rise to the position either way.
But Aarre didn't agree. He wanted to live in a small pack, a small, tight-knit family. That was the way foxes were supposed to live, anyways, and he intended to do just that. If he could ever find another, smaller group to join, that is.Â