The little cub looked around him. He was confused. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know what happened. This terrified him. The fact that he found himself here, out in the open, made him feel vulnerable. He wanted to disappear again. It was too bright here. It could get too cold, or get too hot. He wanted to be in the shade, be where no one can find him, hurt him. He didn't want to hurt anybody as well.

The small child looked around him, squinting at the world. He saw rivers, rivers he probably made with his tears when he was alone. He saw birds, sweet little birds who's hopeful and tuneless chirps were far to loud. He noted that there was a big, bright spotlight up in the sky. There was an invisible force nipping at his fur, trying to drag him away from this quiet place and out into the jungle, out into the forests, out into the world.

This cub, however, wanted to stay here. He preferred to be here. He had been to the crowded city. He felt like a face among the crowds. He had been out in the isolated tundra. He felt like he was and always had been alone. Here, however, he felt like he was a thing. A thing that can play in the open fields. He could do so despite the fact that others might see him. The cub still felt anxious and timid when he saw the other orphans.

Right now, the cub was hiding under his little overhang. It was a piece of rock that jutted over a tiny pond. It provided the shade from the harsh, cruel light that the spot light of a sun was giving off. It provided shelter from the winds of change. It provided shelter from the prying eyes that everyone has. He felt safe here. Hidden, but cramped and hurt. He felt safe.

Looking outside, the tiny animal saw the world. It looked harsh. There was hope everywhere. The sky was limitless. The earth was round. It had beautiful mountains that you have to traverse. It has cool brooks and streams that can drown you. It has winds that make you want to change direction. This was too much for the lone cub. Too much.

He shivered slightly and adjusted his cramped body. He felt better here, underneath his overhang. Despite that the fact that he had to deal with the occasional bug that made him scared. Or the people that try coax him out of his den. He always found ways to mess up. Usually by accident, but he always found ways to mess up.

To him, his mistakes were the only ones that baffled him. He wondered why he seemed to be the only insignificant one around here, in this world. He looks at others, and sees animals who can function normally. He sees them handling things normally. He couldn't understand why they had perfect lives with out consequence. He wondered why only the bad things happened to him.

When he asked this question to a bear, the bear just shrugged and said, "I dunno. I have problems too. I just don't say them a lot." This cub took the bears saying and held it with his heart. He started to hold his problems to himself. The bear had actually said something more mean, but the cub got the message either way - keep to yourself. That way, no one would bother you.

Then, the cub started wondering why he never saw his mom or dad. He sees other cubs getting along with theirs. He had looked for as long as he could remember, but he just couldn't find this Mom or Dad. He couldn't understand why others had them. This confused him, so he asked an elderly badger. The badger, the sour thing it was, said, "Ye nev'r had no paren's, Ther nuthin' but trouble. They'll try n' teach ye things tha' might harm ye later in life."

Again, the cub took these words to heart.

While coming home from the school he went to occasionally, he saw two animals kissing. He wondered what was happening, so he asked. These people got angry at him, and called him a pervert. They shoo'd him away. The young boy left as quickly as possible. He asked his neighbor, a hawk, who told him that they were in love. They were kissing. It confused the boy.

"What is love?" asked the cub.

"Something you should never have. It will rip your heart out. It will hurt you. You should stay away from it, got it kid?"

The cub obeyed the hawk.

Now, here is the cub. Hiding from the world. He was taught that love was wrong. He was taught that parents can't understand children. He was taught that he should keep to himself. He wondered why he was still confused. The cub hid his sadness, only tried to convey happiness... He kept to himself, he rebelled against parents, and didn't want to be close to anyone.

While he was busy pondering on questions like, "What is life? What does love feel like? Why is love bad if it makes you feel invincible? Why are emotions confusing?" he did not notice a pair of foot steps above his overhang. He did not notice the voice crying out, calling. He did not notice the fact that he missed his chance at meeting his parents.

But the cub didn't mind. He didn't know them, so why should he care? More so, they abandoned him, so why come looking now? Do they just want to hurt him? Do they want to make him love them? Despite the fact that they didn't want him in the first place? Geez. Idiots.

He looked up. He saw the pond. It reflected the sky. It shown the clouds, the wonders, the sun. It reflected these things that amazed other cubs. He had tried to look at them with awe, to try fit in, but he just didn't see it. They were just water. Water was something that people shouldn't find inspiring. He couldn't see it.

Deciding that trying to find inspiration in something he found uninteresting, he decided to try look closer to the ground. He saw birds. They were pretty. Especially the black colored ones. Of course these birds "caww'd" more than they "chirped", but they were interesting to say the least. Plus, they look like they could be cuddleable. However, this cub did not want anything cuddleable, nor lovable, so he decided birds wouldn't help.

Looking about what he could see, he saw the beautiful landscape. He saw the way that Mother Nature had painted this world. He saw how she sculpted the mountains, how she added fluffy clouds where they were needed, and, most of all, made sure to make sunsets - or in this case, sunrises. He saw the beautiful sharp reds spread across the horizon. He saw how the fluffy clouds were painted. He saw how the landscape made a stark contrast to the brooding sky.

Nothing.

It was just land. To the cub, at least. He noted that inspiration causes hope. Hope causes one to fly. Flying would be cool, but they'd fall either way. The cub did not like that. He wanted to find a way to do things with out getting him - or anyone for this matter - hurt. Emotionally, physically, mentally... Really, the cub just wanted to live life with out experiencing life.

After a few minutes of thinking, he found himself saying his goal to live life with out experiencing life quite counter intuitive and pretty much something that is not possible. He adjusted his body again. The bugs started to gather again. Hewhimpered and closed his eyes. He then proceeded to try and blindly crush those bugs. He always hated doing this. It was messy, it was disgusting, it was gross. He didn't like those bugs.

But this was the only safe spot as far the tiny child can tell. He can deal with the bugs. There was no one here to help the kid with his bugs, with his fears. He didn't anyone, he told himself. They would just tear your heart out.

A few hours later, when he was sure he got rid of the bugs, he decided to go for a walk. He needed one. He crawled outside of his little overhang. He felt the winds brush through his fur. He felt them tugging him this way and that. They wanted him to go climb the mountains to know he was strong. They wanted to send him to the river to let him learn to swim. They wanted him to go to the city to search for himself, to find love, to be with people.

He shivered.

The young cub looked towards the mountains. It looked lonely. He was pretty sure it would be much better if he were to be with someone, travelling would be much more pleasant. There would be points where he might want to give up, but he'll have someone to talk to. Someone to rely on. He knows him and this other person he'll be with would disagree, fight, argue, bicker, annoy each other, get under one another's fur, drive each other crazy... but they'll have both have someone to make those memories as they climb these beautiful, yet deadly mountains that surround the world.

He looks toward the river. He can see him and this other person trying to keep each other afloat. There is no room to feel angry at the other. There would be no room to worry about the outside world. Just themselves, as they teach one another how to swim. They care for each other, worry about one another, and generally try and fight the waves together. Both will get tired, both will feel like it would be better to drown. But, if they do, then that would mean they wouldn't be with the other. So they'll have to keep swimming with each other.

Remembering the cold, lonely city he used to live in, the child looks towards the city in the distance. He remembers he was scared, lonely, and overwhelmed with all that was going on. Again, the cub was sure that if he had someone there to calm him down, he would be more content with life there. He'll repay the kindness as well. Be it through making him or her a drawing, sharing cookies, or something like that, he knew it would be alright with this person.

He started to think that it would be a much better if he were to befriend someone. Maybe even become family. Either way, he saw that in order to make it in this world, he knew he had to be with someone. He needed a friend. A best friend would do, yes, but a friend would suffice as well.

With a small bit of courage now in his little heart, he took the small spark of bravery, and started to walk. Where? Well, that's entirely up to you. What happens to this cub is up to you.

"You're not alone."