Her brother and sisters were sleeping. Rio was the one who awoke before the rest more often than not, but it was nothing the small girl prided herself in. That extra hour or so was a lonely one, empty of purpose. Most of the time she simply sat off by herself, watching the sky through the window of their little cabin. It was there that she now lay flat on her belly, her face tilting to one side as she watched floppy snowflakes cascade down toward the window. She was so small that she couldn't see anything but sky, the ground below hidden from view by the windowsill. Rio shivered suddenly, a draft of cold wind ruffling her dark fur. She stilled, her mind reeling—where had that come from? The window was closed, and wind always came from outside, right? Quietly so as not to disturb her parents and siblings, Rio padded toward the door, and found it partially open. "Oh!" she squeaked, and immediately afterward shrunk in on herself, looking around to see if anyone had been awakened. But they were still sleeping.
Rio didn't know if she was supposed to be outside by herself. But she really wanted to. Maybe Mama and Papa wouldn't mind. The girl wedged her nose in the crack between the door and its frame. She struggled for several moments with it before she was finally able to squeeze herself through.
She was outside! A happy smile lit up her face, and she darted off into the slushy grass. For the moment, she forgot about her parents back in the cabin; she was overtaken by such a strong surge of adventure, the frigid air fueling her bottomless energy. The cabin was further and further behind her as the moments passed, but she paid no mind to this. Instead, she slipped through the icy grass, a neverending network of snowy chutes. It was not long before the child was soaked to the bone, shivering without realizing it. The snow continued to fall all around her, and for a moment she stopped to watch, fancying the large snowflakes as dancing fairies.