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There's a chill in air when Shiro digs out of their burrow, up through the bed of leaves and moss that keeps them cozy, and though a fluffy sprinkling of powder that tickles his nose.
The world is white.
A pretty red bird has replaced his usual brown friends who have flown away to their winter homes, and his feathers are bright and flashy against the bare branches.
He's still not as pretty as the fluffy orange fox snoozing in the den though – Keith's bushy tail is so sleek and shiny, Shiro loves to snuggle up next to him when they nap, especially in weather like this.
Shiro has only seen the woods do this twice before, though the crows say it does this every time it gets cold and the days get short, but he loves it. The little mice scurry underneath the snow, making a fun game of pounce and catch each time. Keith always says that Shiro is better at it because his ears are so big and pretty, but he thinks that Keith's fluffy ears are the prettiest of all.
Everything about Keith is pretty – which is why Shiro is leaving their nice cozy den to brave the chilly winter morning. Mr Robin told Shiro he was getting his mate a present – some pretty string and berries to weave into their nest – and it got Shiro thinking... Keith deserves presents and a pretty den too!
So he sets off into the woods, looking for the perfect present for his favorite fox. He's not sure what kinds of things he'll find, but he's sure he'll know it when he sees it... after all, he saw Keith and knew he was perfect, so Keith's present must be just like him.
Shiro searches high and low, peeking into stumps and skating across the frozen creek, but the woods are awfully bare of pretty things. He stops to ask the flashy birds if they know where he can find pretty things for his pretty fox, and they show him where a few of their feathers have fallen. It's not quite what he had in mind, but he has to admit the bright red will look nice in their little den, so he thanks them and trots onward with the feathers stuffed into his fur.
Of course, Mr Robin isn't too happy about that, he thinks that his feathers are much finer than the flashy birds – so Shiro takes a few of his as well... and of course Ms Jay can't stand to be left out...
Before long Shiro is beginning to look like a bird himself, feathers tucked into his fur all over for safe keeping. Even the usually reserved Mr Raven offers a few of his glossy feathers when Shiro explains he's looking for something pretty for Keith. Shiro only wishes that he knew how to weave a nest like they do, but tucking them all over the den will have to do.
Still... even his feathery bounty doesn't quite match the pretty sheen of orange fur that's waiting for him back home, but everything is buried underneath the white for miles around. He sighs and sets off for home, trotting through the snow that swirls in glimmering swoops and dips – like it's so happy to be here it can't help but play in the chilly wind.
The front of their den has another set of tracks leading out when Shiro gets home, Keith has probably gone out to get them food – which means Shiro can make the den pretty as a surprise! He hurries to work, shaking the feathers out of his fur and arranging them carefully so they glimmer and gleam in the little bit of light that trickles in from the entry hole. It looks... nice.
He just wishes he could do more for his pretty fox, but the snow has covered all the pretty flowers Shiro used to pick for Keith.
Now all he can do is wait for Keith to come home, which is best done from the stump next to their den – giving him just enough height to see over the roll of the hill and down to the river, just in case Keith needs help carrying something home.
Of course, waiting is never a lonely task, not when you live in a forest filled with such friendly neighbors.
Ms Beaver waddles up with something in her mouth – a beautiful long fuzzy thing with all sort of colors.
“Hello dear,” she says to him after spitting it out near his stump, “I heard you were looking for something pretty for little Keith.”
“I am!” Shiro yips, tail swishing in the snow below him, “Have you seen something for him?”
“This washed up on my dam the other day,” she nudges the fluffy thing toward him with a smile, “you can have it if you'd like, we're plenty cozy already.”
“Really?” Shiro gasps, hopping off the stump to paw at the thing – it's so cozy and beautiful! “Thank you, Ms Beaver!”
“Of course dear, thank you for being such a nice young pair of foxes.”
She waddles off, leaving Shiro to drag the big fluffy thing into his den, filling the cozy space with even more color and softness. It's so lovely now he can hardly stand it... but it still feels like something is missing...
“Hello down there!” a voice calls from the top of the den, “Anybody home?”
Shiro scurries to poke his head out, tongue lolling happily when he sees his favorite owl.
“There you are, my boy!” Mr Owl hoots, cocking his head this way and that as he blinks at Shiro, “I heard you were looking for pretty things... and, though I need all my feathers, I thought I might have just the thing for your little fox!”
Mr Owl stretches out one talon and drops his treasure into the snow – and Shiro knows instantly that this is the perfect thing for his Keith. The rock is so sparkly – so shiny and purple and wonderful on its black and red silky string.
“Oh! Mr Owl, this is beautiful, where did you find it?” Shiro asks, hopping from foot to foot in excitement as he sniffs at the treasure.
“Far, far away,” the owl hoots, turning his head nearly all the way around to point his wing toward the far side of the river, “where the people are... they left many shiny things just laying around – how silly!”
“I am glad they are silly,” Shiro beams at him, stretching up to boop his snout into the owl's fluff. “Thank you so much, now our den is perfect!”
“You are most welcome, my boy.”
And then he takes off in a great big swoosh of his wings, swirling even more snow into the sparkling sun... almost as sparkly as Shiro's new treasure. He gently takes it in his mouth and carries it back down into his den, giddy as he nestles it right up against Keith's side of the snuggle spot – where he's got the comfiest parts of the pretty fluffy thing tucked against the warmest dirt.
The whole thing is so much nicer than when he woke up, he can't help but preen as he admires his handiwork. He only hopes that he won't have to wait too long to share it with Keith.
Fortunately, he hears the familiar pitter-patter of his favorite paws as they come up to the tree, and he pokes his head out of the den.
“Keith!” he yips, tongue lolling, “I have a surprise for you!
“No, I have a surprise for you!” Keith barks, bounding the last few steps until he tumbles into Shiro in a happy pile, “Look at all these snacks!”
Shiro wriggles loose enough to lick across Keith's muzzle before he realizes what Keith has brought with him – a whole pouch of nuts and berries!
“Did you find all these in the snow?” Shiro asks, amazed at his little fox's resourcefulness.
“Some,” Keith nods before tipping his nose to the trees, “but the neighbors helped me get all the best ones still stuck up high... they brought me all the way out past the river and shook down shiny acorns and seeds for us!”
Oh! So that's why Shiro had so much time to be extra sneaky... and he thought foxes were the crafty ones!
“We have the very best neighbors,” Shiro decides, nudging Keith toward the den with kit-like glee, “they helped me today too.”
Keith yips in surprise as he slides down the entry and lands in a fluffy pile inside their den. “Shiro, this is beautiful!”
“Almost as beautiful as you,” Shiro agrees, planting another sly lick across Keith's muzzle as he plops down in the den and rolls onto his back, “happy snow-time, Keith!”
“Awww.” Keith licks Shiro back, snuggling up to nuzzle into his warm chest floof. “Happy snow-time to you too, Shiro.”
Shiro sighs happily, it's been a big day – thanks to the help of all their friends their den is now perfect...
But especially because of the little fox tucked in beside him.