Winter

In a Shelter in the Suburbs, a group of young animals gathered around a raven. Storytime was always their favourite part of the day. The raven was just finishing off one of their stories.

“…and so the animals worked together, alongside the White Raccoon themself, and many other Spirits, to put a stop to Winter and end its wrath once and for all!”

They raise a wing triumphantly in the air at the conclusion of their story. Many of the children clap, but one of them, a kitten, raises her paw into the air.

“But, Mister Storyteller, Winter still comes around every year,” she says. “Was it really defeated?”

The raven is taken aback for a moment, clearly more well-versed in telling rehearsed stories than coming up with answers to questions. Their companion, a platypus, steps in to help.

“Yes, you’re correct to point that out, and it’s an important distinction to make,” he begins. “The animals fought against Winter the Spirit, rather than the time of year. You see, Winter was trying to make it too cold for the animals to come together and thrive, for they feared the spread of fire, and what had come from it when the humans ruled the land. The humans had heated the land, causing terrible imbalance; now Winter was cooling it, threatening the reverse.”

“The animals knew that they could not get rid of Winter entirely. After all, that would simply bring yet another terrible imbalance. So they struck a deal. Winter would back off, their realm only arriving in ours during its time, and they would never cause such harsh colds as they did that year again.”

A young hyena asks, “But what if Winter doesn’t keep to this promise? What if it becomes very cold again?”

The platypus chuckles slightly. “Well, in that case, my boy, we’ll have to come together as a community, as we are now, and show them we won’t give up. We’ll come together to share food, huddle together for warmth, and share stories to keep our spirits raised.” He pauses for a few moments, before speaking again. “Now, I’m sure that the story of Winter is not the only one my friend here knows. Who’s ready for another tale?”

The children cheer, and the raven begins a new story.

And so, as the first snows of Winter fall, the peoples of the City and its surrounding areas come together, to share in the blessing of community.