The squirrel sat on the branch and looked out at the falling snow. In a few weeks, he would curl up in the bole of a tree and sink into warm hibernation for a few months, emerging into a new spring.
But for now, he had to sit and freeze. His mind remembered the dim echo of sitting in front of a roaring fire as snow swirled outside a thickly insulated window.
His new claws, although adept at climbing and leaping, had forgotten the trick of making things.
It was one of the few times he regretted the witch’s bargain.

The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!