Oak had experienced no winters to compare to this one, but by the slightly disgruntled attitudes of the adults and the length of time the snow remained on the ground, he suspected that this cold season had been longer than usual — at the very least, it seemed that way. At first, he had been excited about snow and cold. He remembered his impatience to see snow for the first time, and his elation when he had awakened to a world blanked out completely by white. He had spent hours romping in the sea of powdery white, as it had posed as a natural playground for the rambunctious young boy.
As the months wore on and nothing changed, the sun shining without warmth to give, the snow had become a nuisance, making it difficult to travel and hunt. Even the darkness of the shortened days affected his mood. He wished for the season he had been born into, when he could step outside the manor without fear of being uncomfortably cold. He missed the vibrancy of the warm season, tired of the dull brown and monochrome hues of winter. The boy had becoming stir-crazy and as ready for Springtime and warmth as the rest of the Dreaming wolves.
Oak moved through the forest at a slow lope, his limbs freezing and stiff with the snow that clung to his fur in small clumps. He had been hunting throughout the morning but his efforts were futile, because not even the rangiest rabbit scurried along the snowy earth. Discouraged, the rust-furred wolf slowed his gait and changed direction to the end of the trees, towards the manor. The world was silent save for the occasional snap of a twig as melting snow tumbled down from the limb of the tree of the soft drip of water. Signs of Spring were everywhere; it could not be too much longer.
The sturdy wolf loped across the field, spying a prone figure on the porch as he approached it. Oak realized that the resting wolf was Cypress as soon as he was close enough to see the smaller frame draped in sunlit gold and black fur. His eyes were closed, and Oak could not tell whether or not his brother was sleeping. He climbed the first of the steps and touched his nose gently to the other's, speaking in a gentle whisper. Cyp? You awake?
.Oakfreebe01 b {font-weight:bold; color:#3f7b90; letter-spacing:1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.2em #e1dad0; }
.Oakfreebe01-ooc {font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size:12px; color:#97552d; text-align:right;}
.Oakfreebe01 p {text-indent:0px; padding:5px 15px; margin:0px;}
.Oakfreebe01 {margin:0 auto; width:460px; background-color:#ffffff; background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/ ... able01.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #dec2a4; padding: 190px 0px 10px 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size:12px; color:#97552d; letter-spacing:.3px; word-spacing:.9px; line-height:12.3px; text-align:justify;}
.Oakfreebe01-border1 {width:462px; border:3px solid #ffffff; margin:0 auto;}
.Oakfreebe01-line1 {width:430px; border-bottom:1px dotted #dec2a4; margin:0 auto 3px auto;}
</style>
[/html]