Read this excerpt from white fang. further, [white fang] was more directly connected with the wild than [the other dogs]; and he knew more of its secrets and stratagems. a favourite trick of his was to lose his trail in running water and then lie quietly in a near-by thicket while their baffled cries arose around him. which best states white fang’s motivation for leading the other dogs into the wild?

a. his fear of the other dogs
b. his fear of being alone in the woods
c. his friendship with the other dogs
d. his knowledge of the woods