Wild Life by Cynthia DeFelice is a book about a boy named Erik. Erik is preparing for his very first hunting trip, when he learns that his parents are being deployed to Iraq. Then Erik is shipped off to live with his grandparents, Oma and Big Darrell. When Erik finds a dog he later names Quill, he can't bear to be separated from her. When Big Darrell says Erik can't keep her, Erik runs away, taking the dog and his uncle Dans hunting boots, camouflage jacket, gun, and a few boxes of shotgun shells.