The snow fell in fluffy, white clumps, clinging to my sweats and watch cap as I ran. Departing the gate of the encampment, tanks rumbled past, fellow soldiers waving from their cupula's as I gestured back before turning from the road to a trail entering the surrounding woodland.
The roar of their engines and clank and clatter of heavy tracks continued behind me for almost a mile before fading to silence. Finally, I was alone in the lovely, white wild.
My lungs fully expanded, I increased my stride and loped like a wolf pack following a blood trail, the only sounds the wind in the trembling branches, my feet striking the snowy pathway and my breath as it passed my lips in little white clouds.
The trail to my front unmarked by shoes, paws or hooves, the snow clung to the encircling firs and oaks. But as I rounded a bend in the trail, I entered a clearing where a massively antlered deer stood, his eyes wild with the rut.
The object of his attentions, a sleek hind, turned away from his courting and watched curiously as I passed. The stag snorted and stamped, and I quickened my pace. The image in my mind of him lowering his rack to charge increasing an already rapid pulse before I exited the clearing.
The beautiful image of the stag and the hind in the falling snow slipping softly from memory, I entered a new patch of white woodland and ran swiftly on.
About the Creator
John Cox
Where would you like to travel? Who would you like to meet? No ticket required, a surprise at every destination guaranteed. Strap on your time travel goggles and bring a compass. It's sometimes bumpy in my imagination, so hold on tight!
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