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Winter. To some it is one of the best times of the year. A time where the oppressive heat would be overtaken by a wondrous chill. A time where foals could enjoy frolicking in the snow and adults could partake in the various festivals and rituals ranging throughout the lands. To most, it was a magical time meant to bring families and friends closer together…and not simply for survival. But there were others who preferred the other seasons over winter. Those who disliked the type of weather winter brought with it and who had little care for the so-called magical feeling of the season.

Hollow Tzalmon was one of those. Winter was one of his least favorite times of the year. It wasn’t that he hated the cold though. It was the snow. Always the snow. Cold he could handle, but the wet stuff bothered him. It had for as long as he could remember. Which is why he migrated south alongside the flocks of birds with his bonded, Shinzui, faithfully in tow. This year, however, the stupid white nonsense had followed them. They’d woken up one morning to find their refuge covered by it. Hollow had not been amused, unlike Shinzui. The wolf had turned into a pup at the sight and somehow had managed to drag him into the snow for a bit of fun. They’d played for hours in it. Well, Shinzui did most of the playing. Hollow spent his time trying to avoid staying out in it, but kept getting drawn in every so often. Needless to say, while he liked seeing Shinzui happy, he was relieved when the snow melted.

That blizzard had, fortunately for him, been a one off phenomenon for the year. The remaining weeks of winter had passed by without further surprises. The only wetness he’d had to deal with after was the usual rainy weather. Still a little cold. Still very wet. But at least it wasn’t snow. In fact, now that winter was waning, even the small amount of cold that lingered was fading. Yes, the rain still persisted but it was a warm rain these days.

“Now this is more like it,” Hollow pronounced as he awoke to one such day. A light rain was falling, coating the earth in damp. He couldn’t complain though because it was warmer than it had been. The last of the cold was finally on its way out it seemed. Which meant that they could start heading back to the north, back to their true home. “I didn’t think that was ever going to end.” “What? The snow or the cold?” Shinzui walked up beside him. He had a knowing smirk on his face. Hollow ignored it, answering with his own question, “Which do you think?” The wolf snorted then shook his head. “You do realize what this means though, don’t you? With the dying of winter…” The walker glanced down at his friend. He squinted his eyes, thinking. With the dying of winter came the birth of spring. And spring typically brought one big thing- babies. Love would be in the air. Inescapable as the cold of winter. Hollow sighed. “You just had to remind me.”

WC: 534

Hollow sighed. What had come from that spring, from that feeling he believed to be love had been the birth of more of his kind. He hadn’t known how much trouble that would be. Not at first…not really. Wolfheart had shared stories of raising him, and they hadn’t been the most flattering, so he did have an inkling. He tricked himself into believing he could handle it. He had been raised to be good. Had been taught everything there was to know about doing what was right. Hollow was convinced he could pass that knowledge along to his children when the time came. He had believed that’s what the mother had wanted too. The day she took the baskets and hid them from him was the day he lost his belief in love. She’d lied, and he’d fallen for it because he’d been blinded. Blinded by the notion of love. That spring had been the worst. Hollow had not only lost his love but his kids as well. The feline walker searched high and low for the baskets. His hopes of finding them and charming them dwindled with each passing day. Even with his father’s help their chances of being found were small.

Then their luck seemed to change. They managed to find out which way the mother had gone. That, in turn, led them to the general area where they’d discovered the baskets. The only problem was that the foals had already emerged from their wicker constructs and were on the move. Hollow, Shinzui, and Wolfheart had done their best, managing to catch up to the young ones but ultimately failing to charm them. And the foals hadn’t taken kindly to their endeavors, especially the one named Dead Reckoning. She had since vowed to do everything in her power to make her father’s life difficult. Part of that vow was to create more walkers like herself. To force him to deal with the darker side he so desperately wanted to keep at bay. In turn, he vowed that he would one day charm her and help her see the light. Father and daughter had been in a perpetual game of hide and seek ever since, with him having the added disadvantage of trying to track down his other daughter in hopes of also charming her.

So, yeah, springtime wasn’t one of his most favorite times. It brought with it the painful reminder of lost opportunities. But…he could keep those emotions to himself. Let others enjoy the miracle of new life. He would just focus on other things. Things like his mission…which he should probably get in gear and start back up. Drawing in a breath, Hollow shook his head as if to clear it. “We’ll cross that pass when we get to it. Let’s focus on what we’ve got in front of us for now. It’s spring, after all. There’ll be a lot of babies soon, and we need to be on the lookout.” “So we’re heading back?” “Yeah.” “Starting where we left off?” “Yep.” Shinzui’s lips curled into a wry grin. “Then let’s try to avoid the twitter pated ones this time, okay?” Hollow scoffed. “Not asking for much are you? Let’s just do our best to make it through this spring without too much trouble.” The wolf’s brow quirked upwards. There was no doubt they’d make it through the season; however, not falling into trouble was a whole other issue. Hollow was a magnet for it, and that went double for now. It was springtime after all.

FIN

WC: 590