"It's only cold when the wind blows!" he shivered pulling his jacket tightly to his body to keep the frosty wind from his neck. He shoved his ungloved hands deep into his pants pockets for warmth.
"It's not that bad you big baby!" she retorted shaking her head.
"Well the wind is always blowing it seems." he muttered under his breath.
She smiled to herself but said nothing. They walked casually through the snow-covered Spruce trees; the new fallen snow crunching under their feet.
She motioned for him to stop. She pointed to the east, where two Snow Wolves were digging furiously under a tree, attempting to make a meal of a jack rabbit burrowed beneath.
He blew his breath out just to watch the white wisps swirl into nothingness. He tried unsuccessfully to make shapes with his breath. The rays of the rising morning sun sparkled on the wet snow, like silver glitter, dancing over the ground as the Spruce leaves swayed filtering the light in the chilly wind.
"Look!" he whispered excitedly pointing to a large white heap by some trees. "A polar bear!"
She laughed at him so hard that she couldn't speak. Finally she was able to catch her breath long enough to say "Snowdrift silly."
He rolled his eyes at her and stuck his tongue out at her behind her back as she continued walking. He hurried to catch up to her.
"Man, it's still cold" he thought to himself, but being near her made him warm inside. Of course, it had to stay inside, and never escape, just because that is how it had to be.
It was a long walk and had it been anyone else he would have complained but today he didn't mind.
"What? Did the ice breaker sink?" he asked as they strolled past a frozen pond, the thinning ice shimmered on top as the sun's warmth thawed the top layers of the exposed ice.
"And where are the penguins?" he chided. He knew he was being silly and rambling but he would say anything just to hear her voice.
The birds sang to each other from their perches high above, or alighting on the ground seeking an early morning worm or slug. He pulled his hands from his pockets long enough to pluck some lovely wild flowers from the side of the path and slip them unseen into his jacket pocket.
"Almost there" she announced. "Think you can make it, tough guy?"
As they rounded the bend in the trail he saw a warm, inviting log cabin nestled amidst the Spruce trees. “It was now or never” he decided.
He ignored the cold, wet snow on his bare hands as he scooped a handful together into a rough ball. He threw it lightly, hitting her square in the back, sending small chunks of cold snow splattering on her neck.
"Oh..." she screamed from the unexpected shock of wet snow sliding down her neck and back.
Her voice echoed through the trees. She determinedly gathered a snow ball of her own and hauled her arm back to throw it.
"Truce!" he called playfully, pulling out the wild flowers and holding them out to her with a confident smile that suggested he was sure she would back down.
The packed cold ball of snow hit him square, bursting into an explosion of wet bits. She snatched the flowers from his hands and ran off toward the cabin laughing like a school girl. He gave chase, but he was not used to the lack of traction caused by the ice.
By the time he shed his boots at the front door and went inside, a fire was already roaring in the fireplace and she was sitting on a cozy blanket in front of it.
She looked askance at him as he approached, the crackling fire reflecting fiery in her eyes. She patted the blanket next to herself indicating he should sit.
"Cold now?" she coyly asked as he situated himself next to her before the flickering flames, the heat emanating from the fireplace caressed over him.
"No!" he conceded with a grin. "No I am not!"
"It's not that bad you big baby!" she retorted shaking her head.
"Well the wind is always blowing it seems." he muttered under his breath.
She smiled to herself but said nothing. They walked casually through the snow-covered Spruce trees; the new fallen snow crunching under their feet.
She motioned for him to stop. She pointed to the east, where two Snow Wolves were digging furiously under a tree, attempting to make a meal of a jack rabbit burrowed beneath.
He blew his breath out just to watch the white wisps swirl into nothingness. He tried unsuccessfully to make shapes with his breath. The rays of the rising morning sun sparkled on the wet snow, like silver glitter, dancing over the ground as the Spruce leaves swayed filtering the light in the chilly wind.
"Look!" he whispered excitedly pointing to a large white heap by some trees. "A polar bear!"
She laughed at him so hard that she couldn't speak. Finally she was able to catch her breath long enough to say "Snowdrift silly."
He rolled his eyes at her and stuck his tongue out at her behind her back as she continued walking. He hurried to catch up to her.
"Man, it's still cold" he thought to himself, but being near her made him warm inside. Of course, it had to stay inside, and never escape, just because that is how it had to be.
It was a long walk and had it been anyone else he would have complained but today he didn't mind.
"What? Did the ice breaker sink?" he asked as they strolled past a frozen pond, the thinning ice shimmered on top as the sun's warmth thawed the top layers of the exposed ice.
"And where are the penguins?" he chided. He knew he was being silly and rambling but he would say anything just to hear her voice.
The birds sang to each other from their perches high above, or alighting on the ground seeking an early morning worm or slug. He pulled his hands from his pockets long enough to pluck some lovely wild flowers from the side of the path and slip them unseen into his jacket pocket.
"Almost there" she announced. "Think you can make it, tough guy?"
As they rounded the bend in the trail he saw a warm, inviting log cabin nestled amidst the Spruce trees. “It was now or never” he decided.
He ignored the cold, wet snow on his bare hands as he scooped a handful together into a rough ball. He threw it lightly, hitting her square in the back, sending small chunks of cold snow splattering on her neck.
"Oh..." she screamed from the unexpected shock of wet snow sliding down her neck and back.
Her voice echoed through the trees. She determinedly gathered a snow ball of her own and hauled her arm back to throw it.
"Truce!" he called playfully, pulling out the wild flowers and holding them out to her with a confident smile that suggested he was sure she would back down.
The packed cold ball of snow hit him square, bursting into an explosion of wet bits. She snatched the flowers from his hands and ran off toward the cabin laughing like a school girl. He gave chase, but he was not used to the lack of traction caused by the ice.
By the time he shed his boots at the front door and went inside, a fire was already roaring in the fireplace and she was sitting on a cozy blanket in front of it.
She looked askance at him as he approached, the crackling fire reflecting fiery in her eyes. She patted the blanket next to herself indicating he should sit.
"Cold now?" she coyly asked as he situated himself next to her before the flickering flames, the heat emanating from the fireplace caressed over him.
"No!" he conceded with a grin. "No I am not!"