“And that is the last leaves. I guess it is time to go hibernate. Sleep until the flower sprouts. I still wanted to stay awake but there was no way I would survive the cold. Mom and Dad always remind me to conserve energy during winter since it’s harder to find food, especially during blizzards. I would not argue with them. It is better for me to go to sleep. Hmmm… I wonder what the woodpecker will do during winter. Where do they sleep? Can they sleep? The ants too. I know they have a wide burrow down there and I think they also don’t move much during the cold season. How about fish? I thought the water would be frozen. Would they be frozen too? How can I eat them if they’re frozen? Wow, I never think about this before. Nice try brain,” Noah lay on his back seeing nothing on the cave ceiling.
“Well… whatever, I get to eat honey again next time. How are the bees doing now? Hmmm… I heard dogs and cats are lucky enough to be able to stay together with humans, those two feet walking creatures. Gee… Stop thinking Noah, it’s time for me to sleep,” he saw his parents silent already.
“Why am I awake already? It’s still dark here. There are no flowers yet. It’s white everywhere. Wow… It’s… it’s beautiful… and also cold. I’m lucky to have this thick fur. Could I go outside? Maybe not. I’m not supposed to go, right? Hey, why do wolves get to play out there? Mom, Dad? Oh, they are still sleeping. I am tired already even though I haven’t left my place,” Noah was about to close his eyes when he heard a little crack. “Mom, Dad? Did I wake you up?”
“What do you mean? We always wake up once in a while, you silly. Let’s go out and see around for a bit. See if we can get something. If there’s nothing, then we just go back and continue our hibernation, okay?” Noah’s father shook his body as he stood on his four feet. His mother yawned and also shook her body when she stood.
Noah was surprised to see the sky was lit up when they walked out from the cavern. “Dad, what’s that?” He wasn’t aware of it when he was still in the cave.
“The spirit is coming to this world. When the light touches the tip of the mountain, that means the spirit will stay here for a while. This is why it is cold, son. The dead brings no warmth, unlike us,” his dad answered. “Do you want to check the river? You must be curious to see how is the fish,” his dad chuckled. Noah smiled and followed along.
Thumbnail by Roberto Barresi from Pixabay