Seeing Snow by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters. You have been warned.
The weather is cold outside. A place where the trees are heavy with thick snow and where one can see their frosted breath against the chilled wind. The slushing and squishing of snow as they walk about in their snow apparel. Thick garments…often covering from head to toe with little of their actual body to be seen. Such is the way of life for some…but for others this is nothing but what is seen on film and television.
Nait was a young boy who lived in Mexico in a place where the weather only seemed to shift ever so slightly when the seasons changed. To him the so-called winter months of the year were seen as a less intense summer. There was no change in the leaves…there was no significant change in temperature. To the boy it was nothing but a slight respite from the often blazing hot heat of the other months of the year.
Nait was an only child who lived among a pride of lions. He was a social cub who knew the value of friendship and seemingly got along with everyone he met. Yet, winter was the one time of year where the young lion cub was left wanting. It was not for lack of things to do…or want of presents when it came to the holiday season. Rather he longed for a change of pace…he wanted nothing more than to experience snow.
Little did he know that year that his parents were planning something special. A trip to the frigid white north of Canada. A trip to a ski resort…where he would be exposed to not only a much harsher climate but also the sports that went along with it. So far they hadn’t told him about it as it was supposed to be a surprise. They’d even gotten him a set of warm clothes that would more than accommodate for the temperature when the time came.
Winter break was just around the corner and school was winding down. There wasn’t a whole lot going on academically. The testing period had come and go and with It now gone, things took a much lighter tone. Classes were now focused on having fun and allowing the cubs to enjoy themselves. It was many of the kids favorite time of year simply because of the reduced work load in addition to the time off.
As the final day sounded it’s much anticipated bell, the boy’s parents plan began in full. Nait had still been told nothing and had only been asked to wait for them at the car loop. The idea was that they would be going straight from the school to the airport. The older lions had already packed his stuff and everything was ready to go. This was to be part of the boys Christmas gift, albeit an early one.
Nait made his way out of the school building along with the rest of the cubs. The crush of kids and the speed at which they moved was nothing short of astounding considering the confined spaces they were moving through. The lion was near the end of the crowd. By the time he managed to get out of the building, he could see that his parents familiar minivan waiting for him in the distance.
The cub waved to his friends and rushed over towards the car loop. His parents had told him not to waste time today but gave him no reason why. Nait was not one who disobeyed his parents orders and wasn’t about to question it. The boy made his way over to the car. His mother was driving the vehicle and she had already unlocked the door for him. The lion cub made his way inside.
The moment Nait entered into the vehicle he saw some of the families bags in the back seat. Immediately he became suspicious about what was going on.
“Why are there suit cases in the car, Mom & Dad?” He asked before fastening the seat belt over his lap in the back seat.
His father looked back to him while his mother soon started the car out of the loop. “Because we are going on a little trip.”
“We’re not going to Aunt Sofia’s house again are we?” Nait didn’t like going to see his Aunt as in his mind, the woman had nothing to do since she lived in the middle of nowhere.
The older male looked back to him and chuckled. “Not quite…we’re going on a much longer distance trip than that.”
“Where are we going then?” The cubs ears perked up in curiosity.
The father looked to his wife and she softly nodded as if to give him the okay to spill the beans.
He smiled at the boy. “We are going to Canada…You are going to see snow for the first time.”
“Really? You’re not joking are you?” The boy couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
The man shook his head. “Nope. The bags are packed and we are headed to the airport now. We will be going for a few days.”
“Wow…I can’t believe it. Thanks, Mom & Dad!” Nait straightened up in his seat in excitement.
The older lion smiled back at his son. “You’ve been asking for a while to see the snow and we figured this would be as good an opportunity as any to do it.”
“Cool, it sounds super neat. I can’t wait. Should I get changed in the car?” The younger male didn’t want to be cold when he got off the plane.
The father shook his head. “You can get changed when we get at the airport. It is supposed to be sub zero in Montreall…then we have to take a bus to the ski resort.”
“Wow…that sounds cold.” Nait had never been in anything close to zero let alone below it.
The parents laughed before his mother answered. “Yup…you’re in for a nice change of scenery so I hope you’re ready.”
“Totally!” The boy chirped happily.
The rest of the ride to the airport was a one of silence. Already Nait was thinking about what it would be like. Never in his mind did he actually believe that he’d see snow and yet here it was about to happen. He began fantasizing of things…of snowmen, of snow angels, and even a snowball fight. The cub hoped he’d find someone to play with as he knew things were always better with a friend.
They arrived at the airport before long and proceeded into the car lot to park. His mother found a spot to park before stopping the car and unlocking the door. The airport at Mexico City was one of the larger ones in the country and was always busy with people. Once they had parked his father asked for the boys help and the two worked to unload the luggage. After they did, they made their way over to the bus to make their way to the main terminals.
At the main building, the place was bustling with furs walking every which way. They made their way to check in where the family waited in line until it was there turn to check in their bags. The line worked through pretty quickly before they were seen by a large crane woman. She asked for their boarding passes and indentification. The lion’s mother provided everything and they put the baggage on the scale to be weighed.
Once they were all checked in it was time to go through security. Of course, since it was an international flight they had to go through a few extra steps. Each of them went through the security check point with little issue. They were taken on a small shuttle to the international side of the terminal. The little vehicle sped through the halls, occasionally honking as it made its way through the foot traffic along the way.
Soon they arrived at the gate where there plane was waiting. He was told to change once they arrived…and so he did before returning. Back at the gate, a large Air Canada Jet was visible, emblazoned with a red maple leaf on the side of it with the corporate branding accompanying it. The moment Nait saw it, he couldn’t help but plaster his nose on the glass to get a closer look on it. The young lion cub had always had a thing for planes and this one was by far one of the largest he’d ever seen.
They had to wait around at the gate for a while until it was announced they could board. The families boarding schedule was to be in the third group so even them they couldn’t board immediately. When it was their turn, they waited in line until the man checking boarding passes and passports re-checked their stuff. Soon they made their way down the breezeway that led to the plane itself.
Boarding the plane took quite a while. The jet was packed with furs, most of which were going on vacations much like the lion family was. A few of them were going home from the same. After boarding was finally complete the flight attendant shut the door, and began to go over the usual rules and protocols of flight. Nait had already buckled in and had taken out his handheld game that one of his parents had packed for him.
The plane was soon underway and began it’s short track to the runway. It reared out of it’s parking spot and headed down the various routes leading to the actual speedway that led into the skies. By this point the flight attendants had checked all the overheads and things were getting closer to actually being underway. Within moments the jet sped down the runway and took off.
The flight to Canada was to be a few hours. It was by far the longest flight that Nait had ever been on. Of course there was service on the flight and they were given a meal. It was nothing special but the cub wasn’t about to complain as it was served well after his usual meal time. There was an in-flight movie which made the whole thing seem to go by much faster than it would have otherwise.
The jet landed shortly before it was scheduled to. Nait looked out the windows but could see nothing but the airport in the distance. It was pitch black outside and they still had one more route to go before they would see their hotel for the night. The cub wasn’t yet tired though he was stiff from sitting around all day. When the plane finally de-boarded he was more than happy to get up and move around.
De-planing took much longer than the boy thought it would. The amount of people in the jet made the aisle seem like it was moving at a snails pace. Eventually it would be their turn to get off. Nait went first as he was more than impatient with waiting at this point. Once he was off the plane he stretched and yawned. His father patted him on the back, goading him to follow along so they could make good time.
They went through the airport and headed into customs. The parents had already turned in their declarations so it was just a matter of showing their passports. Going through customs had no problems and was quick since his parents were fluent enough in English to get by. The lion family was soon passed through to baggage claim. This process took much longer than any of them would have hoped as the amount of bags that came out far exceeded anything they realized.
Once they were finally done with the airport, it was time to head to the busses. The ski shuttles were at the public transportation stops at the bottom of the airport. They continued to rush along until they were waiting at the sign that indicated where they were going “Mont Tibalt”. The bus was already there so it was just a matter of them loading their luggage and getting on board.
The trip to the ski resort wasn’t terribly long. Nait was too tired to do anything during the bus ride from the airport to the mountain. It was a four hour ordeal. Even his parents couldn’t help but sleep as by the time they arrived it was nearing midnight. Their was an abrupt announcement over the intercom to indicate they had arrived. Even still, the boys parents still had to wake him up.
The three of them headed out of the bus. The shuttle had dropped them right outside their hotel and they found their luggage before pulling it out. Heading inside, the three of them were slugging it along just going through the motions of the the night. Once they were in their hotel, the boys parents checked in and they were shown into their room. It had been a long night and not a single one of them was in a mood for washing up before bed time.
The next morning…the three of them slept in. Woke up only by a knock at the door that reminded them it was time for room service. The cubs mother woke up first and shook her husband to do the same. They soon came over to wake up Nait who was still fast asleep. It took a few tries but eventually he came around. The cub immediately sprung up and looked outside the window.
The glass on the window was frosted and fogged up. It was obscured by the frozen mist that had accumulated over night. Touching the window, he felt it was cold to the touch. It was apparent that it was cold outside, even from within. He pounced out of bed, already thinking about what snow would be like again. He ran over to the door, forgetting all about the fact that they had to get breakfast and change for the day.
His parents laughed at him before asking him to calm down. They didn’t want him to be cold or freeze because of being underclothed. Nait looked into his bag. He’d never had to dress for the winter weather before and was completely naïve to how it worked. His father came over to help him pick stuff out and gave him some stuff to wear. Changing into the layers of clothing he was provided was much more involved than he realized and took longer than he expected.
After the boys parents got ready, they handed him a jacket and urged him to follow them. They made their way once they put on some snow boots. Making their way down the long hall down the hotel to the front office where breakfast was served. Already they could smell the aroma of maple, sausage, toast, and various baked sundries in the air. Nait could feel his stomach grumble as he anticipated whatever was being offered for breakfast.
In the front of the building was the serving station where an assortment of foods was being offered for breakfast. By the time they arrived, the room was all but empty. Only a few members of the hotel staff were cleaning up from the initial rush that came in the early parts of the morning. Yet, it was still early enough to be served so the family helped themselves to what was left of the food offerings.
Nait partook in the pancakes, fruit, and syrup. His parents didn’t even mind the fact the pancakes had chocolate in them as they figured he would need energy for the day at hand. The cub ate more than usual since it had been a while since he’d been served food on the plane and the meal they were given wasn’t very large. Once his family was done, they grabbed their jackets and made their way towards the front desk.
In front of them stood the door to the outdoors. Even the transparent door was frosted but it was large enough that one could see outside of it. Snow littered the ground with almost no portion of the undereath being visible. Nait could feel himself bubbling with excitement as he ran as fast as he could through the automatic door. His parents reminded him to put his jacket on before he went out but it he was much too excited to wait.
The moment he got outside, he was hit by a rush of cold air. His breath was visible in the wind and his body shook in reaction to the sudden change of temperature. Without a word, he threw the puffy jacket over his upper half and sealed himself within. The boys parents chuckled at him as they emerged from the hotel. Nait leaped forward and plowed himself into the soft snow before rolling around.
“Come on cubby…you can play at the ski resort. You’re going to learn how to ski today.” His mother reminded him of the task at hand.
The lion cub balled up some snow and threw it over at them. Yet he hadn’t packed it hard enough and the soft ball fell apart mid-air even before it hit its target. Nait huffed at his own apparent failure. He’d never made a snowball before and was unfamiliar with the best way to do it. His father helped him up and the three of them headed over to the waiting area where the local ski shuttle was scheduled for pickup every so often.
The wait for the bus to the ski resort wasn’t very long as the thing came around every quarter hour or so. The vehicle had the logo of the resort on the side of it so it was apparent it was the correct bus rather than one of the other ones local to the area. They made their way onto the shuttle once it arrived. The sound of the radio could be heard playing as they made their way up the stairs to the aisle between several rows of seats.
Nait plastered his face against the window. The windows in the bus had been defrosted as the warm air inside the vehicle had melted whatever ice had accumulated. Outside he could see trees, bushes, and all others sorts of greenery which was entirely covered in white snow. Piles of the white powder was piled on the sides of the road. The vehicle soon began underway with it occasionally stopping every once in a while to pick up other furs.
The trip to the ski resort didn’t take very long even with the occasional stops. They soon arrived at the ski resort. A large wood cabin with large outreaching canvas awnings that covered some of the area leading towards it. At the center a blazing fire with some logs around it, some furs bundled up trying to keep warm. The bus came to a stop near the side of the building before the doors opened up to let the passengers out.
His father reached over to Nait’s shoulder to get his attention. The lion cub turned around and joined his parents as they disembarked the vehicle. Back outside the family soon made their way into the ski lodge. They were shown by guest services to the check in and fitting stations, where his parents had to get their lift tickets printed for their jackets. Of course, for Nait he’d be shown the lighter side of things and they’d set him up for lessons.
Nait was soon picked up by the “bunny crew”, a portion of the staff that was assigned to teaching cubs how to ski or snow board. The lion cub was taken to the fitting station where he was given a set of skis, sticks, and boots. The boy had some difficulty changing into the boots as they were much stiffer than he was expecting. An older male walrus realized he was having problems and came to help him out.
“Eh, yo. Gimme your paws…” The walrus had a slight accent and was chewing on some bubble gum.
The boy put his feet on the man’s legs and he helped him buckle up the ski boots before putting the cubs shoes in a nearby storage area.
“Try an’ walk” The man stood upright and waited for the boy to do the same.
The cub stood up without an issue but the moment he walked, he wobbled a bot. Ski boots were a bit cumbersome to walk in compared to normal shoes. He continued to fight with it for a few moments as he figured it out before long.
“A’right come wit’ me.” The walrus motioned to the lion to follow him.
Nait took his ski’s and poles and put him under his arms, since everyone he’d seen walking around had done the same. As he was making his way through the small aisles of the rental office, the ends of his skis continued to hit against the wall. The walrus noticed and asked him to hold them upright, which made the whole task easier than it had been before. They soon made their way out into the outdoors once again.
Outside Nait could see that there were a bunch of other cubs waiting in a line. The walrus took him over to the line and the lion proceeded to wait. The cub wasn’t sure what he was waiting for. One by one the cubs in the line filtered out as they were taken by one of the resort trainers. Before long he reached the front of the line as he waited for whoever it was that had been assigned to him.
After a few minutes of waiting, he saw a polar bear teen approach him. The burly girl made her way over to him.
“Oy! My name is Sabrina….but you can call me Sabs. What’s yours little guy?” She moved the goggles from her face so she could see him better.
He smiled at her and moved forward to join by her side. “My name is Nait.”
“Righto…come with me cubby. I’m gonna show ye’ how to ski.” The older girl motioned for him to follow her.
The lion cub followed in tow as the two made their way down a path leading to the area known as the bunny hill. There was no ski lift…just a small conveyer belt that moved beginners up to the top of a small hill. The bear led him over to it. The hill was full of furs of all ages everywhere. A large line led up towards the conveyer belt with very little space between the furs who were going up it.
Sabrina took him to the the top of the hill where she instructed him to sit down. The older girl stepped into her skis in order to show him how it was done.”
“Alright…so to go faster…you have to what we call the french fry.” The bear placed her skis parallel of one another causing her to go down the short mount at the top.
She then crossed her skies. “This is called the pizza….this is how you stop.”
“Okay…now stand up and put your skis on the ground.” The older girl stepped out of her own skis and made her way over to him.
Nait nervously got up and stood upright before placing the skis on the ground. She helped him into the skis but did not move him just yet. The bear remained there right by his side so he didn’t slide down by mistake.
“I’m gonna to walk out in front of you…just try not to fall.” The bear eased herself in front of him and took him by the hands.
Slowly Naits body began to edge forward. Each time his skis made a bit of progress, he stopped abruptly on the strong woman’s ski boots. They continued doing this until they made their way down the entirety of the bunny hill. The whole time he went down, the cub struggled to keep himself upright but the bear lady was always there to catch him. Once they were finally at the bottom of it, Nait couldn’t help but feel relieved the ordeal was over with.
At the bottom, the bear helped him stepped out of his ski boots and he thanked her. Soon she took him back up the bunny hill. The lion was nervous all over again and looked back, feeling more than certain that he would fall. At the cub the top didn’t seem so willing to go down again.
“Nervous?” She leaned down in front of him in an attempt to comfort whatever anxiety he was feeling.
The lion cub softly nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“It will be fine, cubby. If you fall…you fall. The snow here is soft. Look all around you. Cubs fall all the time here and never get hurt.” The older girl under-exaggerated a bit to put him at ease.
Nait stuttered. “But…”
“But nothing. You can’t have fun if you don’t just let go. So relax and let your worries go away.”
The younger boy thought about it for a few minutes. Part of him wasn’t certain yet the other part of him wanted to try it again. He picked himself up and slowly eased himself into the skis, trying to remember what she had told him. The polar bear nodded with him and walked to his side. The older woman once again remained at his side, running right along him to catch him if he fell. Fortunately for both of them, the cub only fell once so it was a low key trip.
Nait was feeling much better about himself when he got to the bottom of the hill that time. The thrill and exhilaration of the moment had pushed whatever anxiety was remaining out of his mind. He stepped out of his skis the second he stopped. The cub stood took his skis back into his arms and nodded to her. The older girl couldn’t help but smile at him, glad the cub was having fun finally.
They made their way back up the hill together. Once they back up at the top, the girl waited for him to join her. Nait was much more willing to get into his skis this time. She decided to let him go by himself.
“See if you can go down the hill on your own. Just take it slow and easy and try not to make any sudden movements.” The bear smirked at him as if to goad him on.
The cub thought about it a second. His self confidence was riding high and he wasn’t about to back down from this challenge. He nodded and she handed him his sticks, which he still had no idea how to use. The older girl put on her skis, just in case she needed to do something urgent. Though she knew once the boy pushed off, there was little that could be done to save him from an untimely fall.
Nait eased himself off the top of the hill. He kept his ski’s in pizza form which maintained his pace at a slow but leisurely speed. In front of him he saw another cub who was having issues and tried to turn around him. His own body keeled over and hit the snow. Yet…he wasn’t disappointed about it. Instead he was glad that he hadn’t run into the other fur. He soon picked himself up and stepped to the side so he didn’t have to turn.
The lion cub made his way down the rest of the hill without an issue. The entire time he maintained the steady pace as he pizza’d down the hill. Once he reached the bottom of it, he couldn’t help but be proud of himself. The boy puffed out his chest proudly and took off his skis. Walking right back over to the conveyer belt so he could go back to the top and try again. His trainer clapped at him upon his return.
The boy and his guide continued that way for a few hours. He would learn how to turn, but that wasn’t quite as easy as going straight. The cub fell a few more times but there was no dampening his spirit as he continued to gain confidence throughout the day. Of course the progress he made was marginal, but he was getting the hang of the sport. When the bear finally left his side, Nait felt he was ready to tackle it on his own.
He soon lost track of time and his parents had to come looking for him for lunch. They found him in the same spot. The cub even showed off his newfound skills to them, which they couldn’t help but be happy about since he was having fun. But it was time for lunch and they didn’t want their son to overexpend himself and pass out. He begrudgingly agreed. They soon turned to the cafeteria to sate their appetite and whet their tongues.
Nait and his parents soon made their way into the large mess hall that was at the center of the resort known as the village. It was buffet style of meal where the patrons could pick whatever they licked. The place provided it so long as the furs showed their lift passes for the day. Nait’s stomach was growlin and he couldn’t wait to get something to eat. His parents took his skis and sticks from him as he sped through the building to the line that led towards the serving area.
In front of him was a large queue of people that wrapped around the walls. He waited patiently a few moments before his parents joined him after they had put away the ski gear in a storage area nearby.
“Gosh…I wish this line would move faster.” The cub whined out loud to his mother and father who were talking about something else entirely.
One of the furs in front of him overheard his complaint and looked back at the boy.
“First time here?” An unfamiliar voice asked him.
Nait looked towards where the voice was coming from and noticed an arctic fox boy, who appeared to be around the same age he was, was speaking to him.
The lion cub nodded. “Yeah, we’re here on vacation. Were from down south.”
“That would explain how overdressed you are. It’s not even that cold today.” The bigger boy smirked back at him.
The smaller cub arched his eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Oh…don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. You’re probably just not used to the weather. My name is Pent, what’s yours?” The white fox extended his left paw out in a gesture of greeting.
Nait looked at the boys paw before shaking it with his own. “Nait. Are you from around here?”
“I’m somewhat local so you could say that. Where are you from?” Pent had seldom heard the boys accent before and couldn’t quite place it.
The lion smiled at him. “I’m from Mexico. This is my first time here.”
“Ah, well welcome. Perhaps you’d like to ski with me after lunch? My brother didn’t come today since he stayed home sick so I’m here alone.” The fox walked over towards his new friend to join him.
The smaller boy thought about it a moment. “I’m not very good. This is the first time I’ve ever skied before. I don’t want to hold you back or whatever.”
“That’s fine. It’s not a big deal. We can stick to the green hills. They are no problem for me. I don’t ski though.” The white fox put his hands behind his head.
Nait hummed for a second as he thought about it. “I guess you ride the board or whatever?”
The lion cub had seen a few snowboards around though he didn’t quite know what they were just yet.
“Yeah, a snowboard. It does more or less the same thing….just a different way. I’m afraid I can’t give you many tips on using skis though. It’s been a while since I’ve skied.” Pent didn’t want to mislead the other boy into thinking he could teach him some things.
The smaller cub shrugged. “That’s not an issue. Still…I’m not very good. Are you sure you want to ride with me?”
“Sure…if nothing else, I can show you around and tell you what I remember at least.” The arctic fox figured he would be able to help the other boy at least a little bit.
Nait looked back at his parents who were just behind him. “Would that be alright? Can I go down the green hills with Pent?”
“Sure, I don’t see why not. Are you alright with it, dear?” The boy’s father looked over towards his wife.
She nodded. The idea of her son hanging around someone his own age was much better than him following them around to her.
Pent smiled at them and nodded. “Thanks!”
The two boys proceeded to wait in line for a few moments. Nait would ask whatever questions came up to his mind. His thoughts were all over the place but he was trying to be serious about whatever he asked. They filed forward as the line made it’s way towards the serving station. Once they were at the front of the line, there was plenty of selections of food available on hot plates.
Nait looked in front of him; Things like pasta, chicken, sandwiches, and a variety of salad were all there to pick from. The lion cub was surprised that so many of the meal offerings were ones he associated with dinner. One of them he didn’t recognize. From just looking at it, it appeared to be some French fries, cheese, and gravy. He pointed at it, before asking the cub in front of him figuring that Pent would know what it was since he was a local.
“What is that?” Nait could smell whatever it was and the aroma wasn’t exactly tantalizing.
Pent looked over at it. “That is Poutine. It is a well-known Canadian junk food…you should try it if you’ve never had it before.”
The fox was no fan of the stuff but supported the idea of trying new things. The smaller boy nodded at him before scooping a pile of it onto the tray in which he was serving himself. They soon made their way to the end of the serving station. Each of them had to show off their lift tickets, which was then scanned before they were allowed to head off to the sitting area. Pent joined the lions family at the table and sat down next to his new friend.
The two cubs soon began eating. Both boys were focused on their meals as they were quite hungry. Even the lion’s parents didn’t say much as they were just as hungry as the boys were. Nait found the meal he had picked to be somewhat lukewarm. Still, he was hungry enough that it didn’t bother him that much. When he finally got to trying the poutine, he found the stuff to be a lot thicker than he expected.
The combination of gravy, cheese, and potatoes was an odd choice but the taste wasn’t terrible. It was savory with a hint of salt on it but he told himself that he wouldn’t have it again.
“How’d ya like it?” Pent asked as he had noticed the other boy had tried the junk food.
Nait shrugged. “It’s alright. I don’t think I’d want it again though…”
“Haha…it’s kind of an aquired taste. More or less like the Canadian version of grits or something like that.” The fox tried to relate it to something American he was familiar with.
The lion cub arched an eyebrow as he was curious what his friend was talking about. “Grits?”
“You said you were from down south. Are you not from the states?” Pent had assumed this was the case since his friend’s accent was indistinguishable to him.
The smaller boy shook his head. “We’re from Mexico.”
“Oh…sorry. Most people who come from the south here are from the states. I’ve never been to Mexico before…What is it like?” The fox kit tried to take an interest in the other boy.
Nait hummed a moment before answering. “Well…it’s hot where I live. We don’t really have a change of seasons.”
“That stinks. So no snow or changing of the leaves? What do you like to do for fun?” Pent nibbled on his food after he finished speaking.
The lion boy smiled as he spoke. “I like to draw and play games. What about you?”
“I enjoy reading and playing hockey.” The fox sipped on his drink.
The two continued through their meal, until their plates were clear. Just as they were about to get up, the lions parents stopped their son as they didn’t want him to get cramps. Nait begrudgingly agreed to wait around. Of course his new friend wasn’t about to get up and go without him. They waited for a bit until the boys parents allowed him to go. The two cubs exploded out of their seats, as they were well past the point of waiting.
They made their way out of the mess hall and back into the open air. Pent’s coat was still not fastened and yet the chilled frosty air did not seem to bother him even slightly. The lion cub went to go fetch his skis while his new friend went to go get his snowboard. The two rejoined shortly after and began to head down the snow covered pavement paths that led towards a hill that inclined into a ramp that other furs were working their way up.
Pent put his board under his arm and motioned for the other boy to follow him. Nait wasn’t entirely sure where his new friend was taking him and yet he felt cettain he could trust the other boy. The lion followed him to a small line where they waited for a moment. In front of them the smaller cub could see a closed door carousel that was taking people up a thick metal wire.
Nait and Pent waited in line until it was their turn, filing into the small bucket car with two other girls who appeared to be older than they were. The fox kept his board between his legs so the other boy followed in suit. The two cubs sat on one side of the bucket car with the older girls on the other side of it. The entire way up, none of them said a word to one another as it took them to the top of the small hill.
As they bucket car arrived at the top, they were expected to file out quickly since the thing didn’t stop. It moved slow enough that all four of them could get out without an issue. Nait looked around, noticing they were in a much more wooded area than before. He couldn’t help but feel like this was a more experienced run.
“Nervous? Don’t be…I promise this run is an easy one…See?” Pent pointed to a sign nearby with a bright green circle on it.
The colors of circles often indicated in ski lodges the difficulty of runs with the easiest runs being designated as green. Nait could see there were a few other cubs with their parents around. This put him a bit more at ease. He nodded to the fox kit and proceeded to follow him through the crowds. Pent found a spot that was vacant and plucked is board on the ground before stepping on it to keep it from moving.
“I’ll try and make sure you don’t fall.” Pent was confident he could be a guide for the most part.
The lion nodded at his friend and stepped into his skis after he put them on the ground. He still hadn’t learned how to use the sticks so he just kept them to his side for now.
“What are these for anyways?” The smaller boy couldn’t help but ask as he was curious.
The fox looked over and recognized what his friend was talking about. “Keeping your balance mostly. Just keep to them to your sides but if they are too awkward then you can do without.”
“Alright…can you hold them for me?” Nait still wasn’t entirely sure how they worked and he didn’t want to fall because of it.
Pent popped himself on the board and slid over before taking them. The fox motioned for his friend to join him before angling himself over the part of the hill that led off to the slope down. Nait eventually slid himself over, finding it to be more difficult to go on the flat ground then one that had some sort of incline or decline to it. Still, he was able to manage to slide over after a few seconds as his skis carried him along.
The fox nodded to him, putting his arm forward to motion for his friend to go first. Pent knew he could likely ride circles around the other boy.
“But…I don’t want to go first. Why can’t you go?” The lion boy asked with a look of concern in his face.
Pent huffed. “Because to catch you if you fall…I need to be behind you. It will be fine. Just take it slow. I promise I will do what I can.”
Nait looked for a few moments over the top of the hill. Slowly his body began to inch forward before beginning to take off. Pent wasn’t quite prepared for this and quickly swooped in just behind him as if to maintain a close distance. The fox found himself able to keep up with the other boy with no problem. Even going far to circle around him as if he were a shark swimming in open water.
The lion cub took it as slow as possible. His ski’s remained almost crossed just about the entire way down. Nait wasn’t going fast but that didn’t matter to him. All he cared about was having complete control over his singular movement down the slope. Yet…the moment he hit a small pile of snow his body began to waver. The fox quickly swooped in to catch the boy and was able to do just that before the other boy hit the ground.
“Thanks…” Nait regathered his posture and stood back upright.
Pent nodded and let him go so that they continue their way down. They continued in this fashion for the rest of the way down. This particular run was much longer than the first one that Nait had been on so he couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious during the course of it. When he finally saw the end of the slope in sight, he felt a bit of relief. The moment he got to the bottom, he slipped up again ending flat on his butt for the first time that afternoon.
The fox tried to hold it back but spoke among his own broken laughter. “See? That wasn’t so bad was it?”
“It’s not funny…” Nait grimaced as he laid there sprawled out.
The bigger boy stood next to him and offered his paw to the other boy. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” The lion cub stood upright and stepped out of his skis the moment he could.
Pent felt a bit guilty. “Do you want to go again?”
“I think I’m going to take a break.” Nait crossed his arms defensively.
The white cub frowned a bit. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“You didn’t…I promise. I just want to do something else. Do you want to build snowmen or something?” The smaller cub picked up his skis and took his sticks back from his friend.
The arctic fox thought about it a moment. “Sure, we can do that. I’ve been riding all day anyhow.”
The bigger cub unbuckled himself from his board before picking it up. He offered to do the same for his friend but Nait was still a bit sour from having fallen. Pent led them over towards the storage area where both of them left their pieces of equipment with one of the members of the staff. They were given claim tickets for later to pick them up when they were ready.
“So where should we go build snow furs?” Nait asked since he hadn’t seen any place designated for alternative activities.
Pent pointed over to the far area of the resort. “They have a place where you can just do whatever you want with the snow there. It’s usually for younger cubs so we’ll have to find somewhere away from them to do something.”
“Hmm…they don’t have a place for older cubs?” He looked over towards it and saw nothing but toddlers around.
The fox shrugged. “Well figure something out…come on.”
They continued making their way over towards the area that was signed as the “Play Area.” A number of adults were around, most of which were off the sides of the piles of snow where plenty of young cubs climbed and rolled about. Nait felt a bit silly about asking to come to this place but that one fall had hurt his pride more than he was willing to admit. Pent led him back to the rear of the play area where a fenced in area was parceled off from it.
Inside the fenced in area were some older cubs. Some of them were making snow furs with the rest of them participating in a snowball fight. The moment that Nait realized what they were doing, he raced forward in an effort to join them sooner rather than later. Pent smiled at his friend, glad that he had kicked whatever funk he was just in. Before long the fox followed in tow going as fast as his snowboard boots allowed him to.
Pent and Nait split up on opposite sides of the small field. Each of them joining whoever was already there. The lion’s own partner a smaller snow leopard who was in even more clothing than he was. The small girl beckoned to the lion to get behind the small mound of snow. Nait crouched down as close as he could to the ground. He looked over at the girl, not knowing what to expect.
Nait began packing the snow in his right paw, still uncertain of how best to do it. He looked over at the younger girl and watched her. She packed it into her own paw by gripping her palm and fingers into it. Each time she did so, the small ball of snow became more compact. Before long she threw it as hard as she could. The lion watched as the ball sailed without issue, falling just short of the other hill across the small field.
It was then that the lion understood what he needed to do. He began to pack his own ball of snow into his palm. Mimicking the motions of the girl as best he could. Nait looked at it a moment before trying to throw it. This time the thing was able to clear through the sky without falling apart. He watched as it soared just beyond the small hill where the other two cubs hid for safety.
Soon an unknown voice called out over a nearby intercom. “Let loose!”
The girl next to Nait soon began scrambling. She curled another ball in her paw before motioning for the lion to join her. The bigger boy had no idea what was going on and yet he felt compelled to join her all the same. Nait picked up a small amount of snow in his hand before joining her in scaling the small mound of snow. The four cubs met at the center of the field where they began throwing snowballs at each other.
Nait was nowhere near quick enough before the feeling of cold and wet slush hit his face. The boy wiped it off and lobbed his own ball forward. The white fox boy lept out of the way just in time but the snow leopard was able to hit him the moment he hit the floor. The fox’s partner, who was an squirrel cub quickly reeled a snowball of his own. The ball hit the snow leopard square on the side of her snout.
Pent soon picked himself up, wiping the snow off his cheek. He rolled another ball of snow before throwing it over towards the girl who pistoned forward to avoid the hit. Nait quickly pounced on his opportunity and scooped up more snow before balling it up and throwing it at the fox. The white cub wasn’t paying attention this time and it exploded along the side of his thinner coat. Nait couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as he had hit the other boy.
The snowball fight continued in much the same way for a while until the cubs got tired of it. The younger pair of them trailed off before the two older ones rejoined at center field. Both Nait and Pent were covered in snow. Some of it had melted from their body heat with the rest of it clinging to certain parts of their coats. Pent put his arm around the other boy with a big goofy grin on his snout.
“Have fun, Nait?” Pent took off the hood from the other boys head.
The smaller boy nodded. “Yeah, that was totally cool.”
“We could make snow angels or snowmen or something if you want…unless you want to go warm up?” The fox asked as he wanted to see what his friend was in the mood for.
Nait thought about it a second. “I could do with a bit of warming up. I’m sure my parents will come looking for me soon anyhow.”
The fox nodded. Pent knew just the place to take the boy. The communal campfire kept in front of the Tibalt ski resort. It was a place where many furs took advantage of and often shared things like smore or hot chocolate. The white cub motioned for his friend to join him and Nait followed in tow. Of course they had to stop by the rental station on the way back so that the lion could get back into his normal snow boots.
Once that was taken care of the two cubs went on their way back to the front of the building. It was beginning to get dark out and light snow flurries were cascading down from the ski. The moment that Nait had noticed it, he peered upward and opened his maw. A few of them skirted into his mouth before he closed it. The other cub tugged on him, renewing his intention to continue onward.
After they arrived back up front, Nait could see that the entrance to the place was just about busy with furs making their way out of the complex. At the center of it was the same fire they had come past when his family first arrived. Several logs were situated around it in square-like fashion with some furs sitting all around it. A small bag of marshmallows laid on a nearby log with some of the furs toasting them on the open fire.
Pent soon sat down on an open space at the end of one of the logs and motioned for his friend to join him. The lion did not hesitate as he could already feel the heat emanating from the warm flames despite being a few meters from it. He walked over towards it and sat down next to the fox. Soon he pulled his phone out from his jacket to text his parents to let them know where he was so they didn’t worry or go looking for him.
The fox grabbed two of the sticks and handed it over to the other boy. Nait took one and pierced a marshmallow with the sharp end of the stick. Placing it over the open flames, his body began to warm up before long. The aura of heat surrounding the small pit of flames was more than enough to keep him and everyone around it warm.
“Planning on coming here tomorrow?” Pent asked as he wasn’t sure what his own plans were just yet.
The lion shrugged. “I think so but I’m not sure. Are you coming back?”
“I haven’t made plans yet but I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you again.” The arctic fox cub smiled at him.
Nait smiled back. “Sure. That would be cool if you don’t have anything else in mind.”
The two continued to huddle around the fire, though Pent didn’t need it nearly as much as his friend did. In no time at all Nait found his body had warmed up as he nibbled on the marshmallow that he had cooked in the fire. One by one, some of the furs around them began to leave as it became darker and even more cold. The temperature was beginning to drop and Nait wondered where his parents might be.
A short while later and both his mother and father showed up. The two parents joined them at the flames.
“Did you have fun today?” His father asked him from behind while touching his shoulder to get his attention.
Nait looked back at the older male. “Yeah, Dad. Pent and I are going to hang out again tomorrow if that’s alright.”
“Sounds good honey. We’re glad you made a new friend, even if but for a short while.” His mother smiled at him.
The fox kit got up and started to head off. “Well, I’ll see you later. I need to catch the bus. It was nice to meet you.”
“See you later, Pent.” The lion cub waved to his friend.
Nait’s parents would remain with the boy at the fire for a short while before getting up. The boy started yawning as his fatigue was finally catching up with him. It was then they insisted on going back to the hotel so they could hunker up for the night. The family made their way back to the shuttle stop. The mere moment they stepped away from the fire, Nait could feel the chill return to his body as he tried to bundle up.
The local shuttle didn’t take very long before it arrived. The three of them made their way on the bus. Nait was dragging along by this point but he was trying to force himself to follow along. Once he sat down, he couldn’t help but rest on his mother who nudged him every so often to make sure he didn’t entirely fall asleep. Luckily for him the ride back to the hotel wasn’t long and the seat wasn’t very comfortable.
As they stepped back out of the shuttle, Nait discovered the snow was dropping much more heavily now. Looking towards a spot light in the distance he could see the flakes of stuff cascading along with the wind. He shivered a bit as his mother nudged him forward so they could get back into a warm environment. They shuffled their way back in the hotel where each of them took their coats off and placed them on a communal rack near the entrance.
Dinner that night was a quiet one. The hotel restaurant didn’t have many furs in it. As such the meals they ordered came out quite quickly. Each of them ate without saying much. They were all tired and the lack of the usual meal time conversation showed it. Still, they were able to get through the food without dozing off. The lion’s parents paid the bill and so the family continued onward to their room.
They would retire that night after each of them took a shower. It was a long day and so it didn’t take any of them very long to fall asleep. They were tired enough that the family would sleep in the next day, much to the young cubs dismay who realized it the moment he awoke to the a glazed sun peering through the frosted glass of his window. Even going far as to rush them out to get ready so that he could get back to the ski resort sooner rather than later.
The rest of the trip would go by much quicker than Nait would hope. That day would be the last day that Pent could accompany him since the fox kit wasn’t on the same school schedule he was. Though the two would exchange phone numbers and other forms of contact information so they could keep in touch. It would be the start of a long lasting long distance relationship, one that would remain indelible on their young lives.
Pent would continue to guide the younger cub on what he knew of skiing. Each and every run the fox maintained himself as a sort of guide to his new friend. Over time Nait would pick get a little bit better at skiing, though he wouldn’t quite feel confident enough to do it on his own. The idea that he would fall and get hurt would remain at the back of his mind each and every time he got up to do it. No amount of convincing from Pent or even his parents had changed that. By the end of the trip, he had developed a marginal amount of confidence in himself.
When it was finally time to go home, Nait was a little disgruntled. He’d enjoyed himself and wasn’t looking forward to going back to the balmy environment of his homeland. Yet, he had no choice in the matter and his parents promised him they would return some day. A day he would look forward to and think about for some time. Wanting nothing more than to return…to perhaps see snow again and to reignite his friendship anew.
Nait’s life would return to normal. That winter break would be one he remembered for the rest of his life. His holiday gifts that year would be less…but it didn’t matter. He’d finally gotten to experience the one thing he’d been talking about for ages. It was an excursion which he would boast to about his friends for some time. Ever so often looking at the pictures that were taken of him, reminiscing of good times of the past…and fantasizing of those to come. He could only hope that this would come to be…
