Preparing for the Winter

Pharaoh lay his head down on his paws, imagining the clouds slowly take over the sky. The sky had been blue in the morning (or so it had felt) and he had taken advantage of it to made some last minute visits to the spots around his den. The stream for a fresh drink of water, the forest to find moss to line his nest, and a visit to the last place he had stashed food. While he did prefer a somewhat meatier diet, the nuts and dried seeds he had hidden away would definitely be a boost for over the cold winter months. He had stopped to listen to the water of the stream, pondering at how the fish didn't freeze during the winter. He supposed that water was always liquid under the ice as long as the stream was deep enough, but worried for them anyways. He shook himself back to the present and stretched, making sure his muscles stayed warm enough to not injure himself during a hunt. It hadn't bothered him much before, but now he couldn't help but to wish that he didn't have to spend the winters alone. It was a lonely and cold, even if his thick coat was enough to keep the temperature at bay.

He dozed off, waiting for something - anything - to happen. Anything to make the winter pass faster. At least in the spring, he could meet the other animals in the area, or even search for other strix. He didn't know of any others living in the area, and the snow was too cold and too deep for many of the other subspecies. Only his thick fur and height made it possible for him to travel across the snow. By the time he woke up again, there was a thin layer of snow covering the world around him and he sighed, watching his breath puff up in little clouds. When there was no one else around, he kept only the bangle on his horn. The rest of his usual outfit was carefully polished and hung in the back of his den, waiting for him to wear it again. The gold had been a gift from an old friend, and he had never had it in him to stop wearing it. It gave him strength. He pawed the one on his lower horn now, trying to draw warmth from the metal that he had once felt from another body.