deep roots are not reached by the frost ~ any

[Merida]

Merida

from the ashes, a fire shall be awoken

With the melting away of snow and ice, spring had not only brought warmer weather and blooms of flowers – with it, it also brought mischief.

Deep within the silent forest, where pockets of snow still cling to the bottoms of the tall trees and hang in their now blooming branches, there is movement.

Nothing is seen except for a twitch of tail, full and white, bouncing quickly through the underbrush. Dark, slender paws thrum quietly against the dirt, barely touching the forest floor for more than a second. The smallish figure darts gracefully, her movement lithe and quick with each bound. Her fur is a brilliant reddish orange beneath the speckles of sunlight that shine through the open branches of the tall trees, the brilliant white of her underbelly flashing as she runs. Her fast moving body kicks up dust that catches the light, sparkling like gold in the springtime warmth.

Finally she halts, her ribcage expanding and tightening with her quickened breaths. A single paw is curled as if she is going to take another step, her black nose twitching as she inhales the scents and smells around her – scents that she had never smelled before in her equine form. She flicks her tail, her blazing and fiery red eyes peering out into the darkness of the forest.

Ears, brilliantly orange and white, flick backwards as her dark lips peel back to reveal her fangs, small and delicate but incredibly sharp, while the fur on her back begins to bristle. She crouches low, swishing her now-bushy tail back and forth behind her in agitation.

“Show yourself,” the little red fox snarls, her eyes searching through the trees for the figure she knows has been watching her.