Emberkin
The fox had never seen a flower. He had been born during a winter that seemed to stretch forever. Snow covered the hills and frost clung to every branch. Even the streams moved slowly beneath sheets of ice. To the young fox, the world was simply never-ending white, cold and silent.
One evening, while wandering farther from his den than he ever had before, he noticed a faint golden glow dancing among the roots of an old oak. Curious, he crept closer.
A small creature sat upon a stone, no larger than a rabbit. Its round face shone with a gentle amber light, and tiny sparks drifted from the crown of moss and earth upon its head. The creature looked up and smiled. "Good evening," it said.
The fox blinked. "You glow."
The creature nodded. "Sometimes."
"What are you?"
"Emberkin."
The fox considered this. "Why are you warm?"
Emberkin tilted his head. "Why wouldn't I be?"
The fox looked around at the snow. "Because everything is cold."
For a moment Emberkin said nothing, then he stood and brushed the frost from his mossy shoulders. "Come walk with me."
The fox followed. They crossed frozen meadows and silent groves and wherever Emberkin stepped, tiny changes appeared. A patch of green moss emerged from beneath the snow, a sleeping seed stirred and a single blade of grass pushed upward toward the sky.
The fox watched in amazement. "I've never seen that before."
Emberkin smiled. "Of course not. You were born in winter."
They continued until they reached a sheltered hollow beneath a rocky hill. There, protected from the wind, tiny blue, yellow and white flowers had begun to bloom. The fox stopped completely. The colors seemed impossible. "What are they?"
"Spring," said Emberkin softly.
The fox stared at the flowers for a long time. "I didn't know the world could look like this."
"The world looks like many things." Emberkin knelt and touched the earth. Warmth spread through the hollow like sunlight and soon insects stirred among the leaves. Water trickled beneath the stones and somewhere above them, a bird began to sing.
The fox listened, then he laughed. A bright, joyful sound that echoed through the trees.
Emberkin laughed too.
They spent the rest of the evening exploring the hollow. The fox chased drifting petals and sniffed every flower. He asked questions about everything.
When dusk finally settled, they returned to the edge of the forest.
"Will summer stay forever?" the fox asked.
Emberkin shook his head. "No. Summer leaves. Autumn leaves. Winter leaves."
The fox's ears drooped. "Then why does any of it matter?"
Emberkin looked toward the distant flowers glowing in the fading light. "Because it returns."
The fox thought about that.
As the first stars appeared overhead, Emberkin continued down the forest path, carrying his small golden glow into the darkness. Behind him, the fox sat quietly in the snow and for the first time in his life, he was waiting for spring.