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Summer was a fickle season, of heat and humidity, of summertime birds singing songs by day and crickets and frogs singing a midnight minstrel by night. Tsubasa didn’t quite like it. It was too warm, too foreign for her wintry ways, as she’d been born of a snow spirit. A beautiful creature of the winter, who thrived in sub-zero temperatures and loved the feel of the snow crunching underneath her nimble paws. She was utterly and completely fox, from the large cups of her fluffy ears to the thick fur of her tail, down to the tiny toes and claws tipping her paws. She was small and lean beneath a shaggy coat of blues, quick on her feet and twice as crafty. She was Yuki-Onna, born of a herd where winter lasted forever and where winterkin of all sorts collected, her five identical sisters not the only creatures in the frosted woods.

But she was a curious sort; curious to what lie beyond her home of cold temperatures and slick ice. Curious enough to leave their mountains for a little jaunt… Curious enough to slip through the forests where grass and dirt was packed instead of snow, soft and warm beneath her feet. This heat, though… She was weakened by it, by the thick fur she wore that kept her comfortable in the mountains. And she found herself seeking out water sources more than usual. Her paws padded silent over the ground as tall ears swiveled, listening to the world around her every moment of every day. Her nostrils flared as she caught scent of fresh water--a running river, perhaps?--and she flicked her tail and began to move slowly forwards.

Before too long, she could hear the trickle of water, soft and rushing swift and she moved quicker, tail lashing behind her as her mouth dried, tasting of the berries she’d consumed on her journey. She found the river which was wide and curving as far as the eye could see both ways, deep enough to submerge her entire body in. Her toes curled at the thought. She couldn’t swim--in the mountains, that would be considered foolish and if you fell through the ice by accident, you’d better get warmed up quick before hypothermia set in. But she was a curious little fox, so after she greedily guzzled all the water she could consume, she dipped her paws in. It was cool, the pebbled bottom rough against her feet.

Inch by inch she slowly slid in, until the water was lapping over her back and her fur was completely soaked, the ends of her long hair drenched and dripping, droplets on her face and whiskers, but it was so delightfully cool. She wanted to lay down and sleep here… Only the fear of being dragged downstream kept her feet firmly on the ground, but as she danced through the water, her movements became almost fae-like as she danced and jumped and splashed around, making a kit of herself no doubt, but really? Who was here to judge?