300+
Rio didn't move a muscle for a long while. Unlike many young puppies, she had the amazing capacity to patiently stay very still. She could hear the soft whisper of the rain falling, and despite it being further proof that there was no more snow, the gentle noise comforted Rio. It reminded her of being sung to sleep, wisps of sound from something much larger than her in many ways. But she wasn't sleepy; her senses remained alert, other than her sight; the darkness all around her as her paws covered her eyes. She wished she could simply rise to her feet, open her eyes, and see a gentle cascade of snow, the tiny ladies coming forth to let her know everything was all right. Maybe it could happen, something magical such as that. Rio was a child, so anything in the world was possible.
The door creaked from behind her, so suddenly that it startled the little girl. She removed her paws from her tear-stained face, resting them against the wood of the porch floor, and her eyes flew open. It was the exciting kind of surprise, not the fearful one, because she now remembered that Papa was still inside. He wasn't around all the time, so seeing him there made her feel at once very secure, and very relieved. But the tears continued, cheered on by the sadness like a monster eating her from the inside out. She was swept into his arms, and there she cried quietly, slowing only when his wonderful voice questioned what was wrong with her. She buried her face into his strong chest, dampening his fur with her tears. He was warm. "Why the snow faiwies l-leaved me?" she whimpered quietly, desperately. Surely he would know what she was saying. "Where dey go?"