All welcome, and I'd like to get this done quickly for the tasks thingy
Word Count: 423
Yumiko wiped her hand across her brow and smiled into the sunshine outside her den-cave. She'd spent the last half hour sweeping out her new den with a pine branch, clearing out the accumulative dust and dirt that she'd dragged in throughout only a week. It seemed fitting, being finally able to cast out the horrid winter she so despised and bring in the sunshine once again. After all, spring was the season of growth and renewal, and she had only just begun her new life here; what better way to declare she was starting her life anew then to do some good cleaning? It helped that she was proud of her cozy home, with its high ceiling, fence, shelves and small fireplace dug into the stone. She was only a stone's throw away from the river too, and the village was a pleasant walk away. She had found prime real estate, and wouldn't give it up for anything. It had been hard enough to find the place too, with the confusing forests and scarce tribe members.
She still had to go out and gather more soft pine needles and feathers for her sleeping corner, since she'd just swept it all out. It needed replacing anyway. She felt unusually clear-headed today, as if the coming Spring had given her very spirit a boost. She'd needed it. With a stretch that cracked her spine, she headed out the small cave entrance, threw away the branch/broom, and stepped through the gap in her fence that both held back snow and marked the cave as her's. The forest was calm that day, and the snow pure despite the trampled markings her paws left behind. She headed towards the same place she'd found several feathers last time, beneath a large oak tree with hundreds of nesting birds in its branches. It was a surrealistic sight, all those birds amongst the ice-coated branches, huddling for warmth yet dropping the very thing that kept their heat. She dropped to her knees despite the snow and gathered up several dozen downy feathers in her arms. They would keep her dry and warm tonight, and for many nights to come. She hummed a tune to fill the air, and a few birds joined in as if just to make her smile. It was a good day, the sun at her back, no wind to speak of, clear snow, and music in the air. A rare thing after the bleak winter and her own past. Maybe it was a sign of change.