The founder of Scouting, Sir Robert Baden-Powell of England, based his ideas for Cub Scouts on a Rudyard Kipling book called Mowgli's Brothers. The story is part of Kipling's Jungle Books series and is set in India. In the story, a young boy is separated from his family when his village is attacked by a tiger named Shere Khan. A family of wolves finds him and raises him. When the boy grows older, the family asks Akela, the great leader of the wolf pack, if he may join the pack. The pack council allows him to join so that they can protect him from Shere Khan and other dangers in the jungle.

A Cub Scout who has completed first grade (or is age 8) works on 12 achievements to earn the Wolf badge. Before a Cub Scout can become a Wolf Cub Scout, each boy must earn his Bobcat badge. He then begins the Wolf Trail, where he must complete a series of 12 Achievements to earn the Wolf badge.

These achievements are divided into 62 tasks of which 52 selected tasks must be completed. The achievements are primarily done at home and signed off by an adult family member after the boy has completed each one. The book is then shown to the Den Leader who records the progress and also signs the boy's book.