Snowfire glanced quickly around before running into her den. She’d just caught her dinner – a big juicy wild hen.
She put it down and looked proudly at it. A nice kill, she thought. A nice steal as well.
Snowfire remembered getting it clearly:
She had crept out of her den, and dashed towards the farmhouse nearby. Crouching low, she had opened the door to the chicken house, and slowly looked into the nesting ground. Taking her time, she picked out a nice fat hen. Cautiously, careful not to wake her up, Snowfire grabbed the chicken in her mouth and had strangled it to death.
The noise then was loud.
Chaos erupted in the chicken house, all hens clucking and shrieking at a fox being in their home. Snowfire ran. She rushed out of there as fast as she could, to escape the noise and hens chasing her.
Once away from the farmhouse, she stopped running, and trotted along proud and cheerful, happy of her good steal.
Now here she was, ready to feast on it. But she remembered another thing she had seen while hunting.
She had felt watched when she’d left her den, she remembered. When she glanced around, she’d heard a rustle of leaves, like something trying not to be seen by her.
Uneasily, she walked outside again. Looking around slowly, she tried scanning for anyone watching.
Deep in her search, she didn’t notice someone creeping up behind her. When it was too late, a white fox with a sea blue stripe pounced on her.
She twisted face up to see the stranger. He had a silly grin on his handsome face, a happy look in his eyes.
He let go of Snowfire, and said, “I’m Seaflame. I live round the bend, seen you quite a lot I have.”
Snowfire let her anger drain away before answering, “I’m Snowfire… This is my den…” She met his eye contact and blushed a little. Awkward silence.
Then she couldn’t resist the urge. “Did you want to have dinner with me?”
“Sure!” Seaflame replied in a nervous yet excited voice.
The two walked into Snowfire’s den, and Seaflame saw her kill.
“You caught that?!” he exclaimed.
She nodded, “Sure did.”
Seaflame sat, waiting for her to divide the bird.
She cocked her head and examined him. To him, she looked rather pretty. Her white fur was snowy coloured, the odd colours of red tipping her ears, eyes, legs and tail. Beautiful, even.
“Dig in, I said,” Snowfire repeated, looking at him strangely.
Seaflame blushed. He hadn’t heard her say that, being so focused on his thoughts. Watching her, he bent down and nibbled on the chickens leg. The taste flooded into his mouth, and he started to bite it a little.
Snowfire joined in the feast, eating about as fast as he, maybe a little quicker.
The two young foxes ate and ate together, until finally, there was only a little bit left. Both looked at it and then their eyes met.
Seaflame pushed it forward with his nose, then sat up eagerly, waiting to see her reaction. Instead of eating it though, Snowfire pushed it right back to him! He grinned, and halved it with his paw, giving her a piece.
Then it was settled.
Snowfire yawned. “It must be close to midnight,” she said tiredly.
“Yeah…” was his reply, not seeming tired at all, looking at the full moon outside. The stars were glittering, their different sizes making it more beautiful. “Come out here, I’ll show you what happens in spring to this place I found…”
He went out, each step slow and steady, and stood waiting for her to follow. She did, so Snowfire and Seaflame walked side by side to a place that Seaflame had claimed his.
What she saw looked like an ordinary cliff edge. Seaflame took her to the edge, and there he sat. She sat next to him, and waited for his words.
They took a while to come, while he gazed into her eyes. In this short time, the starry night sky seemed to shine happily, as if the young foxes only existed.
He put his paw on hers, and looked out to the sea over the cliff. She followed his eyes and saw the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen. At that second, the moment was perfect. Here, sitting, seeing the stars over calm waters, with someone she’d already fallen in love with. It couldn’t get better.
“You know, my dad used to take me here,” Seaflame said softly. “Every springtime, we’d come up here and look at the stars. He’d say they were ‘shining with new love’, but I never understood that. I was only young. Then one day… He passed away. Not that long ago, yet not that recently. On his death bed, he said to me, ‘son, you’ll know when you find your true love. You’ll be able to feel it every time you look at her. And my son, your true love isn’t as far away from us now as you think she is’. That was just about one of the most important things he’s ever said to me. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it either.” Seaflame sighed.
Snowfire looked at him, but didn’t meet his eyes, so she looked back out to sea. Does he love me? She wondered. As she thought of this, her heart raced. Being loved, not by your family. She hadn’t felt that before.

The next morning Snowfire woke up to a chilly morning, but she didn’t mind. Last night had been one of the greatest nights of her life. Seaflame and herself had sat there for an hour or so, and seen a shooting star. Both had made their wishes in silence, then retreated home. Seaflame took Snowfire back, and finally went back to his own den.
She lay there, remembering every detail of the night. Such a good feeling, just being with Seaflame, seeing him there, knowing he was for real. It made her happy.
She stood outside, catching the first rays of the rising sun. Her fur glittered, the white as shiny as snow on sunlight.
She sat, and cleaned herself. Grooming was important to her, even though no one noticed. But now she had someone who would.
Drawing to the end of her cleaning, hunger stuck her, a little stab in her stomach. She got up, and was about to set out to kill herself something, when suddenly someone jumped in front of her. Someone she knew, and was very happy to see – Seaflame!
She yelped excitedly, and nuzzled Seaflame. He lifted his front paw and stroked one of her ears, looking into her sparkling blue eyes. He presented her with a little gift, a large hare that he’d caught. She smiled and lead him into her den, and there, they ate their second meal together.
When they finally finished, Snowfire lay down, looking outside. Seaflame sat by her side, one arm on her back, protectively.
Eventually, Seaflame lay beside her and slept.
It was noon when Snowfire woke. She felt Seaflame’s breathing, and his arm around her. His body was keeping her warm, and she liked it. She snuggled under his arm, going as close to him as she could, and lay there, hoping the moment wouldn’t pass.
Seaflame woke up and held her to his chest. He sunk his face into her soft fur and held it there for a second. Snowfire closed her eyes, and smiled. A nice feeling went through her, like a tingling of love passing through her whole body.
They lay for five or so minutes, then they hopped up at the same time. The two didn’t want to look each other in the eye; it was kind of embarrassing for them both. Instead, Seaflame went to the opening of the den.
“Come on then! Wanna see the dock and catch us some fish?” Seaflame said cheerfully.
Snowfire’s face broke into a wild grin. “Ok then! I’ve never been fishing before, though. Just  a little warning – so don’t depend on me!.”
“Aww, that’s ok… I’m a good fisher, so not all hope’s gone for lunch.”
Off they went, trotting next to each other, seeing many birds and squirrels on their way.
Some time after they had set out, they found themselves in a swampy marshland. There were some mangrove trees, and the ground was a bit damp. A couple of minutes later, they saw a river flowing slowly. The water was clear, and various fish could be seen in the depths. It also looked clean, with pebbles flooring it, not dirt or mud. Snowfire couldn’t wait to get right in.
“We can’t go in yet…” Seaflame said, noticing her eagerness. “Here isn’t good. Too many animals. Further up is good though, it’s a bay-type thing… the fish get cornered, so we get an easier chance of a catch.”
She nodded, understandingly, and held on to her impatience.
They followed the river north, and saw the dock. Just under it ran the water, into a bay, like Seaflame had said. The water was still fresh, and teeming with even more fish.
Seaflame left her standing there, while he ran to the edge of the dock. “We can go in here.”
Slowly, Snowfire crept up behind Seaflame and pushed him in! He splashed into the water, and broke up to the surface, laughing, and still standing on the river’s bottom. As she could see, the river was shallow enough.
She put her paw down teasingly, but to her surprise Seaflame grabbed it, and pulled her in after him. The water was cool in the heat of midday, and Snowfire and Seaflame played together, splashing and diving after each other, having a good time.
Soon though, it was time to get serious. Lunch was needed, and they would have to catch it. Seaflame showed Snowfire to fish.
He stood in the water and arched his back. Lifting his right paw out of the water, and held it above where he wanted to catch his fish.
He waited patiently, staring intently into the water. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a fish come swimming. His excitement rose, and he pounced a little too early. Falling into the water, he missed his fish.
Snowfire laughed at him, then tried to catch one.
She copied what Seaflame had done, and waited for a fish to come her way. Basically straight away, one came. Big, fat, and silver it was. She lashed out at it, taking it in her claws and using her teeth to get a hold on it.
It wriggled and wriggled, almost squirming under her strong grip, until she threw it onto shore, and followed it there, watching it jump around as it swallowed air that it wasn’t supposed to have. Seaflame quietly crept up beside her, looking at her catch. “First time lucky.” He wasn’t jealous. He was happy for her, and killed it for her carefully. He took it in his mouth, and gave it to her, then walked out to the river again. She turned her head to watch him walk, and saw him catch a fish for himself.
He came over, put it on shore and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He smiled, and walked off home.
Snowfire was sad to see him leave, as abrupt as it was. He must have a good reason though, she thought.
Holding her fish, she went home as well, water dripping off her fur all the way.
When she arrived she ate alone. She had never had fish before, and realized that it tasted wonderful, rich in flavour and filling for her. Snowfire gobbled it down, then went outside.
She walked alone to the chicken house, and when she arrived, she saw that there was a new door there, preventing her from going in. It was made of metal, with a latch holding it shut.
She shook her head at the stupidness of humans. Sometimes, they could be so thoughtless.
Snowfire dug a hole under the fence, and went through. In the chicken house, straw was everywhere. She gathered a pile, and carried it home to make a nest. It was better than sleeping on the ground, she thought.
Using her paws, she evened it out all over the ground of her home, keeping a lump left over for her bed.
By late evening, it was done. All sorted, ready to keep her warm through the rest of spring. It’d only just started, and she had over fifty days left of it!
She didn’t feel like dinner, so instead she went out into the night, and followed the path up to the cliff where she’d fallen in love with Seaflame.

Sitting there alone wasn’t that bad. It just reminded her of every minute of the night before with him, everything they said and did on this cliff. The touch of his paw on hers, the feel of his fur and hers mixing, and the sound of his voice saying beautiful things to her. Snowfire didn’t think she would ever forget that.
She lay down, the soft breeze blowing through her fur. Suddenly, she caught a scent of something on the wind, coming from behind her. She knew it was Seaflame, but would rather not see him that night. She didn’t know why.
Snowfire stood up and ran home, making sure not to look behind her. She went into her bed and slept. A deep sleep took hold of her, and she dreamed all night long.
Sitting in a chair, Queen Snowfire was next to King Seaflame. They were here, ruling the forest they lived in, leading the deer, rabbits, squirrels and more. All animals bowed down at their arrival. Not a sound was made as the King left his chair to make the daily announcement. “Animals of the forest! I have terrible news…”
Snowfire woke with a start, sweating. It was around midnight, still a lot of sleeping time left. She calmed herself down, and lay on her straw, letting sleep take hold again.
Drifting off, she saw some strange images in her head, the beginnings of dreams.
A picture of Seaflame floated into her head. He was in front of her, looking at her. ‘I’ll be right back’ he says, and runs off. On return, he’s carrying something, but Snowfire can’t see what. She tried to see what it was, but found she couldn’t move to see. Using her patience, she waits. He’s walking slowly, blushing a fair bit. In her anxiety, she tried to jump up, but instead of that…
Snowfire got up and shook her head. Thankfully, it was day time. Late morning, she noticed.
“No breakfast today,” Snowfire said to herself, not really caring. She knew by lunch though, she’d be starving.
She went outside to a grassy patch near her home, and rolled around a bit, not knowing why. Suddenly she sat up. She thought back to that dream…
Where had she been with Seaflame when he rushed off like that?
Thinking deeply, it suddenly clicked to her. They had been right here, on this grass. She shook her head. Impossible.
Looking around, Snowfire groomed herself. She caught Seaflame sneaking up on her from behind. Whipping around to face him, he grinned wildly. “Morning, Snow.”
“Hey,” she greeted, returning his smile.
Like in her dream, he looked at her. “I’ll be right back, promise,” he said, running off.
Snowfire knew this time she would find out what was behind his back. This wasn’t a dream, and it wouldn’t just end all of a sudden. She was glad of that.
While thinking, she looked up and saw him coming back. He was carrying something, hiding it from her view, blushing again like she’d seen in her dream. She actually felt his nervousness this time though, being there with him.
He sat in front of her, and dropped a pile of flowers at her feet. He’d picked them himself – and they weren’t all the same type. There were daisies, some roses, and a couple of daffodils all mixed up. On a harder look, she noticed that Seaflame had brought her a white rose. She had never seen one before, and it looked beautiful. Like a soft material, all rolled up into a wonderful flower.
She felt herself blush. No one had ever given her flowers before, not even her parents. She had a sudden urge to leap out and smother him in love. She knew she couldn’t though.
Instead, Snowfire stood up, and sat next to him, leaning on him. She rubbed her head on his chest, and under his chin. She lifted her forepaw furthest from him and took him in a hold. Pulling him close to her she hugged him, her heart feeling high, her body in a perfect happiness. He put his paw on her too, gathering enough courage to say something he never knew he would say to anyone.
“Snowfire…” he said, looking into her beautiful eyes. “I… I think I love you.”
For a moment there they were silent. It sunk right in to Snowfire, and made her heart beat faster.
“You know Seaflame…” she began. She fell silent, and thought carefully about her next words. They could change a life. Or two. “I’ve loved you quite a while… ever since… ever since that night over the ocean… it changed my life.” She whispered.
They sat together, letting this into their hearts, nuzzling and getting closer and closer in their friendship.

That very night, Seaflame moved in with Snowfire. She knew that one day this may happen, and that was part of her gathering the straw. To prepare.
She made a space next to her, and they lay there, silent, keeping each other warm.
A dreamless, happy sleep took over them both, and they slept for hours, waiting for morning.

A month later, Snowfire and Seaflame where still living together, love stronger than ever. It was still springtime, and the two were in their den, Snowfire laying on their bed, and Seaflame sitting next to her, reassuring her. Snowfire was pregnant, and had been for quite some time. She had a round tummy, ready to give birth. She was tired though.
“Sleep, my dear. It’ll help you later, and I’ll be right here next to you if you need me,” Seaflame said, his eyes full of love for his mate.
She closed her eyes, painful as it was, and slept.
When Seaflame woke up, he looked beside him at Snowfire. He jumped up when he saw what he did!
There was Snowfire, the one love of his life, laying next to three little cubs of theirs, feeding them.
He was speechless. The thought of himself being a father was breathtaking.
Snowfire smiled warmly. “Three, honey. Three.”
Seaflame beamed at her, and looked down at the little offspring’s of himself. Two boys, and a girl. The boys were purple-spotted on snow white fur. The girl on the other hand, was just like her mother.
The partners nuzzled each other lovingly, extremely happy to finally have their own family.