Clifton opened his eyes, feeling a cold breeze in the air. Shivering, he slowly sat up from his mossy nest and blinked, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to his surroundings. He glanced over at his daughter, asleep in her own nest, seeming completely unfazed by the chill in the air. Clifton smiled to himself. Of course. She was a fire-type, after all. He scooted closer and carefully scooped her into his arms, hoping he wouldn’t mind his taking advantage of her naturally warm fur, and held her close to him. He perked up, surprised at the scene waiting past the cavern in which they had slept. Outside was a thick blanket of snow, small flakes still falling down. The Fennekin stirred moments later, and he focused his attention back down to her. “Good morning, Ray,” Clifton murmured. “Did you sleep well?” She gave him a small smile before yawning. Well, I’ll take that as a yes, then, he thought. Ray blinked a few times before glancing toward the light from outside. Her eyes widened then, and she turned to her father, bewildered. Clifton laughed. “You needn't be frightened– it’s only snow.” Ray opened her mouth slowly, the word being completely unfamiliar to her. “S… sn…ow?” “Yeah, er– wait for a moment...” He gently set her down back into her nest and approached the ground. He grabbed a handful of snow and balled it up before taking it back to his daughter, who watched in awe. He set the snowball down in front of her and sat down. “Go on. Touch it.” Ray cautiously sniffed it before reaching her paw out. “You should know, however, that it’s a bit–” Ray squealed as she made contact with it and jumped back. “...cold,” he finished with a chuckle. Ray frowned, but slowly approached it again and poked at it. She perked up and pushed it, rolling it back to Clifton, to which he rolled it back to her. She pushed it back a little harder. “I don’t want it,” he said, rolling it back to her. “Go on, take it back.” He laughed as the snowball was practically shoved to him. “Take it back!” Ray promptly batted at the snowball with her tail. Clifton almost spoke again, only to end up with a face full of snow. He recoiled, shivering and shaking the snow off his face as Ray scampered away, laughing hysterically. “Oh, no you don’t!” Clifton said, chasing after his daughter. He picked her up, holding her high over his head, and fell back into the snowy fields. Ray cried out as she landed against her father’s chest and continued to laugh. Clifton, smiling all the while, scooped up another small pile of snow and gently set it on top of her head. She squeaked, shaking her head wildly, and fell back as well. Both of them lay against the soft, white ground, having been reduced to a giggling mess. Clifton turned his head to face Ray, who grinned widely, her eyes bright with joy. “See?” He said. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Ray jumped up, climbing onto his chest. “Again! Again!” Clifton smiled brightly. “Again?” He picked his daughter back up and held her above his head, spinning around as Ray swatted at the falling snowflakes with her paw. “Sn-ow?” She asked, pointing to the sky. Clifton nodded. “That’s right. That’s where it comes from. The sky.” Ray’s tail wagged and she giggled again, continuing to wave at the sky. Clifton set her down, and she pawed at the snow on the ground. “We have to go find more berries,” he told her. “Do you want me to pick you up or do you want to walk?” Ray hopped about before running toward the woods, leaving a small trail of paw prints behind her. “Alright, wait up!” Clifton laughed, heading after her. ||Credits|| -Original Characters/Species- The Pokémon Company -Song- “Song For A Winter’s Night” - Sarah McLachlan -Drawn on Procreate- Merry Christmas, everyone!
