Here I Stand

With a huff and a puff the male strode through the thick of winter. Tendrils of breath rose from his lips and dissipated above his head. From a light foggy white-gray to naught but air; invisible. Still he continued onward in search of what he knew not. Perhaps someone to share warmth with in the heart of winter and the chill it wrought across the landscape far and wide as he left deep paw impressions in the thick layers of snow. So high that the newest grown trees were either completely concealed by the snow or only the very tops of them could be spotted.

He decided that he couldn't stop to really enjoy the scenery or investigate. Not when the wind force rose and the temperature continued to drop. He had to find far better shelter than he could see within the Redbud Nook. Thus far he'd known only a lonely winter with none to share stories with as they warmed one another and gazed to the skies and the far off horizons.

The male moved so quickly that he missed a step. Caught his own hind paw with one of his fore-paws and let out a yelp as he tumbled forward head first into the snow. His muzzle sank beneath the soft snow drift. Lifting his head from the face and mouth full of snow he shook his head with a huff of breath.