-DISCLAIMER-
Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.
All other characters/themes © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.
-GRANDMOTHER WINTER-
It was a little late in the afternoon around the royal castle of Soleanna. The sun across the watery horizon gleamed a brilliant orange as it slowly allowed itself to be swallowed by the sea. Elise held her arms and shivered as she made her way up the spiral staircase that lead from the pool to one of the balconies of the castle. It was in the middle of November, and though Soleanna hardly ever was graced with snow, it still got quite cold sometimes.
She hopped on her balcony and turned to enter the castle through large, glass doors. Entering the warming ambiance of her room, she quickly changed from her amber bikini, and into a thick pair of denim jeans and a long, white sweater. She combed her short hair, after swimming it had become matted, and dried it with a nearby hair dryer.
After which she returned to her balcony to watch the sunset, and wonder if her love was going to visit her tonight. She rested her chin on her intertwined fingers and surveyed the flickering waters of her ocean country. Each wave twisted and rippled gently in the wind as the colors of the sun meshed together, enchantingly. She became so out-of-it that when a small fleck passed in front of her eyes it nearly snapped at her. She shook her head for a second and tried to focus on the dot that had just dropped before her.
"Snow?" she asked herself.
"Hey, hun!" Elise's head immediately shot upwards. As her silver eyes locked with emerald ones she smiled brightly. "Miss me?" He asked, giving his most charming of smirks.
"Sonic!" Elise voiced, laughingly.
The blue hedgehog had placed himself on the limb of a nearby tree. It's branches, though normally painted in massive, bright-green foliage, was now stripped and barren thanks to the unusually cold months. He sat, highly visible in the absent greenery, against the trunk. One of his white-gloved paws gripped another branch above him for support. Around his neck he wore the lime green scarf Elise had given him the rainy day they re-met, face-to-face. He pulled himself up and jumped onto the rail of her balcony. His red and white sneakers clapped on the stone, his face landing only a foot from hers.
"Bit nippy today, ain't it?" Sonic asked sweetly, seating himself next to her on the edge.
"Yea, this is about the coldest Soleanna ever gets during the winter," Elise responded, watching his every move.
Sonic shivered a bit. "Wow. At least it's not as bad as some places I've visited," as he said this he turned his face to the sun.
"Did anything exciting happen this time?" Elise asked, like a kid waiting for her father to tell her a bed time story.
"No, not this time. Egg-Head's kind-a in a rut thanks to the weather, so I've had some time off," Sonic explained.
"Oh, I see," Elise sounded a bit disappointed.
She loved listening to the stories of his adventures. Sonic's ear, that was closest to her, twitched upon hearing this.
"But," he mused, "looking at the sun like this, and how cold it is, reminds me of one when I was young. I'm pretty sure I haven't told you it yet."
Elise bobbed her head to the side, listening to him.
"And what's it about?" she asked, excitedly.
"It's really where I got the saying 'if you have time to worry, then run,'" Sonic explained. "I met someone when I was younger. She actually told me that 'if you have time to worry, then smile. And always remain facing the sun.' I kinda just modified it for myself." Sonic took a pause to laugh at the thought.
Elise became curious. "And who was that?"
Sonic turned to her. "Well, I'll start from the beginning..."
After the death of his parents and sister, Sonic was taken and raised by his uncle, Chuck. When the hedgehog turned eleven he decided to set out and see the world for his own. Throughout his uncharted journey he had met many people. And, of all he had met, dragons were his least favored.
Every dragon he had communicated with annoyed him to no end. Each talked in philosophical rhyme and a superior tone that made Sonic believe that each felt as though they were in control of the world. Sonic disliked them, every single one, and tried his best to avoid them at all cost.
Around this time he had also began to joust Doctor Ivo Robotnik, a wanna-be Mechanist with a taste for world domination. Sonic had foiled many a scheme and evil plot of the young scientist, and thus the two had become enemies from such.
At the time the young hedgehog's trail had led him to one of the five arctic regions. He had explored one already, and though he thought dragons couldn't exist there, he had a memorable experiences in the last. So, this time he decided to run through as fast as he could to limit any chance of encountering one.
He sprinted at top speed, sending two large waves of snow at either side of his heels. The sun was setting to his left as a glittering display of stars began to emerge from the blackening sky. God, it was cold. He just hoped he could get across the polar region before night fully fell.
Ahead of him a mound emerged from the frozen, dead earth. He decided that, instead of changing his course or going over it, he would ram it at full speed so he didn't have to risk slowing down. He quickened his pace and prepared himself for the collision. He had done so a multitude of times before, knowing what to expect.
Upon reaching a foot from the hill he closed his eyes and, BAM! He smacked the mound like a wayward comet. But instead of feeling frozen snow fleck his fur as the hill shattered like frail glass from a stone, he sunk into it like jello! He felt his body become engulfed in course flesh for a second or two. In response to the speed he had struck the object with, the rubbery configuration bounced back like a spring and sent him flying into a nearby snow drift.
Sonic took a moment to contemplate what had happened. He laid there till a large pile of snow collapsed on his head, forcing him to jump up and start moving again to regenerate lost heat. He spun around in a circle for what seemed like an eternity before stopping to discover what he had actually struck.
He edged closer, cautiously, and started to poke at the form. In response it shifted slightly, then settled once again in the snow. It was definitely something living, and as he squinted he noted that it was scaled. He gulped, realizing that he might of just ran into a dragon. But then, why didn't it respond to his abrupt introduction? He decided he wasn't going to find out.
So the young hedgehog turned and ran around the wide girth of the creature, if he didn't wake it up already he didn't want to wake it now. When he finally made it around and saw the blackened horizon he grinned, although he had no idea just how far he had to go till he reached warmer skies. He hadn't even reached nearly twelve feet from the being when he heard a deep voice speak.
"You're going the wrong way."
Sonic skidded to a haunt and nearly slipped and fell on his back. His head turned in haste towards the eye of the sound. It had come from a smaller portion of the mound.
He looked around tentatively. "Helloooo?" he sung.
"You're going in the wrong direction, young one," the voice spoke again.
"Right well, I'll just be going now." Sonic took a few steps forward.
"I'm afraid you still have a long way to go then," the voice said, again the mound shifted slightly.
Sonic looked at it, a bit peeved. "Okay, so which way should I go?"
"Facing the sun," it simply retorted.
"Right." Sonic was use to these kind of responses, philosophies that made no sense. Sonic walked a bit closer, towards the epicenter of the voice. "So you're saying I should go West, right?"
"Yes, towards the sun," it simply expressed.
Sonic's eyes widened, it was such a simple answer. Was this really coming from a dragon? He walked closer as the sun nearly set far beyond the horizon. A bright orange and yellow blanket still fell across one side of the bulk.
He could see clearly now from this side, a head and neck connected onto a prodigious girth Sonic jogged a bit closer to it and watched the head and body shift again, it appeared to be turning to fulling face the light of the sinking orb. He walked up to it, now only a foot or two from its muzzle. What he then saw in the light was a little surprising.
Its face looked so ancient, as though its skin was literally falling off its skull. Long flaps of wrinkled flesh lined its muzzle and almost made it appear like a colossal, ivory-colored bull-dog. A set of Steer's horns mounted the sides of its head, one was fractured while the other was missing chunks and dull. Beneath the horns, frilled ears laid against its jaw. Both had the membrane torn. As for its scales, it was missing some in patched intervals. He could easily tell in which places, as its skin was dull and pimply while its scales were flat and gave off a dull shimmer. As for its eyes, Sonic couldn't say. They were closed, perhaps asleep? Then who was the one talking?
Sonic walked in front of it and felt slow gusts of heat burst from its nostrils and gently tassel his quills. His ears could also hear its deep snoring, each breath crackled sometimes as if its lungs were filled with mucus.
"Aw man." Sonic shook his head in annoyance and kicked a small pile of snow towards the dragon's nose.
It's muzzle shifted, snorting loudly, almost blowing the tiny hedgehog over. Finally, the eyes appeared heavily out of the up cast of speckles. Sonic was now faced with two, dark orbs that appeared to be crushed onyx and diamond gemstones swirling in a cauldron. Neither had a pupil, just starry, night-blue spheres hiding under rows of fleshy eyebrows.
The dragon's lips moved in diminutive ripples. "Thank you," it said in mild sarcasm.
It's voice, though very deep and crackly, had a distinct femininity to it.
It was the same voice Sonic had heard before, and it was coming from the dragon. He watched the creature's lips quiver and smack gingerly, a gray-blue, forked tongue appeared for a moment and rode across the dry edges of her mouth. The two orbs then disappeared behind endless rolls of skin.
"Um, excuse me." Sonic waved a hand to the dragon, and again those black holes appeared. "Yea, were you the one who was speaking to me before?"
She gave a deep-throated laugh, "I am, my friend. There is no one else hear as I know of."
"And you said for me to just go West, right?" Sonic asked, still in disbelieve that a dragon was speaking so simply.
"Yes, follow the sun," she reiterated
"So, why should I do that?"
Again, the dragon laughed, though this time with a bit more vigor. " Why, so you don't get lost!" Sonic looked at her questioningly so she continued to explain. "If you were to have continued to go in the direction from before you would of quickly lost site of the sun. As such, in the darkness and this unchanging plane, you would of quite likely found yourself running in circles. A worser fade would of been the lack of sun itself. From such a low temperature at night you most likely would have froze, died before you found your destination. For someone so young that would be a terrible fate."
"Why do you care?"
The dragon tilted her head slightly to one side as she spoke, "why would I not?"
"Look, most of the dragons I've met don't care about anyone other than themselves so-"
"You should get going," the dragon cut him off, her eyes closing once more. "There is a valley a few miles from here, where it is warm and you may drink and eat your fill. If you wish to talk to me again-" she shifted once more to face the sun. "I shall still be here tomorrow"
The dragon gave a long exhale and said no more. Sonic braced himself for the wind and looked across the horizon, the sun was now nothing more then an iridescent sliver across the landscape. So, with out another thought, he dashed off towards the direction given.
"So, she was a dragon?" Elise asked in surprise.
"Yea," Sonic responded cheerfully. "All the dragons I had met up to that point were young compared to how long a dragon can live. She was old, very old, dieing actually." He heard Elise gasp at this. "At the time I didn't know that was why she wasn't going to be moving in the morning..."
It took about an hour before the young hedgehog arrived at the valley the dragons had spoke of. It was a magnificent sight! It appeared right out of the blue, a large hole in the winter landscape. It was a coniferous paradise, small slopes of jade grass curved the roots of colossal fern trees in a long-awaited beauty. A thunderous waterfall flowed at the opposite end of the valley, leading a silver scar to cut the center of the oasis.
Sonic rushed down as fast as he could, the sun had fully vanished now and, the dragon was right, it was much colder at night. But the subtle warmth of the basin was like being bathed in pure sunlight compared to the frozen landscape he had just left behind. Once he reached the river, he drank ravenously, and almost drown due to trying the swallow and breath at the same time. He searched around the edge of the water and found a small patch of apple trees a short distance away. He thus gorged himself on the honeyed fruit and, eventually fell asleep in the arms of one's timber branches.
By morning's light Sonic awoke, groggy and stiff. He stretched and scratched himself, forgetting for a moment that he had made his bed in a tree and nearly toppled downwards. He ate and drank his fill before decided whether or not he should go back to the elder dragon who had redirected his course. Her words still remained strange to him, the fact that she would still be in the exact same place he had left her. He jumped onto the tree he had made his bed in that night and grabbed as many fruits as he could carry -she was a BIG dragon- and rushed back out onto the arctic encompass.
The cold shocked him like a slap in the face when he exited the valley. He had forgotten just how long it took him from the dragon's position, so he had to rely on the sun to guide him. He became more optimistic now that the bleak and glittering landscape was revealed by the new light. Within a short while he spied a prodigious incline with broken appendages at each side. When he arrived at a closer distance he could make out that those appendages were indeed wings, and that he was facing the dragon's backside.
He ran around her form, viewing fulling in the sun's light every ragged detail of her aged body. Her tail was long, and flat, similar to a crocodile's. Her wings looked badly beaten, the membrane between each finger was nearly torn clean off. The bones of those fingers appeared to merely be wrapped in paper skin, as each nub protruded ugly in clear view. Along her spine to the tip of her tail lay a clustered row of black, needle-like spikes. Her back itself was lumpy, like her wings the sections of backbone were clearly visible beneath her wrinkly skin. Her thick back legs rested limply against her bulbous stomach, while her front limbs however, lay tucked into her chest as she laid pleasantly on her stomach. He noticed around the patches of missing scales some of the shimmering plates still clung to her ancient skin like half-plucked feathers. Sonic also noticed that, around the radius of her body, scattered piles of her shed scales laid shimmering amongst the agitated waves of snow.
Sonic rounded her girth and stopped a few feet in front of her muzzle. Her eyes were closed and her breathing still deep and raspy. He as well, noticed that she still remained facing the sun, now in the eastern direction of dawn. He dropped his load of fruit into the ankle-deep snow to release both his paws.
"Hello!" he called to her.
The dragon, at first, bluntly snorted in return. It took a few seconds more before it's eyebrows could be lifted with much exertion. To Sonic her majestic oculars appeared dimmer than they were before. Maybe it was simply because of the bright sun at his back, he thought.
Soon a wide grin slit her cracked muzzled as she focused on him. "Oh, hello there. To tell you the truth I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she breathed, cheerfully.
"Umm, I've brought you something," Sonic spoke shyly.
That smiled still remained. "And what would that be, my friend?"
The tiny hedgehog reached down and griped one of the, nearly-frozen fruits in his gloved paw.
He held it out to her. "I never got a change to thank you for helping me yesterday."
Her smile continued to remained prominent. "What a nice gesture. You are welcome."
Sonic watched her mother open just enough to let a foamy, blue tongue stretch outwards in his direction. He watched wide-eyed as the forked tips intertwined the red fruit like two, versatile fingers. They pulled it effortlessly from him, eventually disappearing behind her lips. He heard it crunch with little movement of her mouth, Sonic wondered if she actually chewed it or the feeble oval was crushed by the weight of her head. It took a few seconds more before he heard a swallowing sound.
"Mmm, thank you. I haven't had anything to eat in ages," she said.
Sonic gave her a confused look. "Umm, I've brought you a couple more, if you want them." He then reached down and gripped another to hold out to the dragon.
Again the creature took it with her black-blue tongue. This time though, it swept downward and coiled around the small pile Sonic had just revealed to her and pulled the remaining fruits across the snow and into her mouth. She gorged herself as best she could, compared to her size this was hardly a meal. Again, Sonic heard the crunch of the cluster giving way to her jaw, and another gulp.
"Thank you dear, such a nice gesture from someone so young." She grinned kindly. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I've told you my name."
Sonic couldn't wait to hear this one. Though his meetings with dragons and other similar, high powered and long-lived, secretive creatures he had learned that they never gave out their true names. Instead they masked the truth with long winded names, making no sense to pronounce, in hopes to lead the listener off their trail.
"You can call me Grandmother Winter, the name I have taken for the last portion of my life."
"Grandmother Winter? That's an odd name for a dragon," the hedgehog responded.
She laughed meekly. "Well, I've had so many in my life; it's hard to fantasize new ones."
Sonic scratched the back of his quills shyly. "My name's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog."
Another chuckle vibrated the ground around her girth. "A fitting name for one so swift! I can think of few better."
"So, why are you here? How come you haven't moved?" Sonic's curiosity got the best of him.
"Through out my live I have travel to this and many other worlds. I have returned here, to the place of my birth, to spend my last days," she explained calmly.
"Your last days?" Sonic spoke up in surprise, "you're not going to die are you?"
She chuckled again. "All good things must come to an end, as they say. I'm happy that I lived my life to the fullest, for that's all that really, truly matters. You'll understand, someday."
"But, don't you have any friends, or relatives? Don't you have any great-great-great grandchildren, or something?" he asked.
"I do dear, but they have their own lives they must live -such as yourself. You mustn't concern yourself with my well-being. Everything will be fine. My life is soon to be done, but yours is only just beginning."
The young hedgehog was puzzled by her demeanor. "I don't understand. Why are you so happy? If you're about to die then-"
"I remember something." Grandmother Winter stopped him, "that you mentioned when we first met. You said that the dragons you've met before cared nothing for others. Yes, I guess you could say that's true. They concern themselves only with the hear-and-now, never reaching for something beyond the stars." The elder dragon lifted her head to the sun. "They go about their days in thoughts of self preservation; worrying about what others think of them and fussing over their image like narcissistic butterflies." She brought her head back down to stare into the hedgehog's irises. "I am satisfied with my life because I have lived the way I have wanted, working towards the future."
Her head fell back to the snow with a whoosh, and a small flurry.
"Remember something for me, my friend, and maybe live by it yourself. You might find your life will take a much needed turn." Grandmother Winter smiled at Sonic's silence. "If you have time to worry, then smile. And always remain facing the sun."
"That's sort of like what you told me," Elise spoke.
"Yea, though I made up my little version of it." Sonic grinned at he stared across the sunset.
"So what happened next? Did you go back when she died?" Elise asked.
Sonic's quill's dropped as he frowned. "Unfortunately, yeah..."
Sonic dashed across the endless white horizon, heading west. He didn't understand this dragon. He thought he had figures out everything there was to know about dragons. They were annoying, self-centered beings who would rather scorch you than give you the time of day. But this one, she was kind enough to help him through the snow, and was grateful for everything he did for her.
He heard something, something oddly familiar He skid to a stop and began to look around. The sound grew louder and louder, then began to fade. Suddenly he looked to the air and got his answer. It was the Eggcoptor, Eggman's very first mode of transportation, and he was heading in the direction Sonic had just come.
For a moment the hedgehog stood bewildered. Should he head after him? What reason would Egghead have to be out in the middle of the arctic? Something in the back of his mind began to hurt and nudge him back from the direction he had just passed. And so, he preformed a direct u-turn and headed eastward.
In the distance a booming screech shattered the frozen air. Sonic erupted in a Sonic Boom to confirm his suspicions. He saw it! A vision of horror came into view that caused his heart to hammer against his ribcage.
The Eggcoptor hovered a distance away as a chain protruded from its hood. On the separate end a massive harpoon speared straight into Grandmother Winter's heart. The dragon herself stood on hind legs like a colossal temple, powerful, proud, and beautiful.
He skid to a halt and examined the cosmic battle. From this angle the aging mother looked thousands of years younger. Her skin was stretched across her bones, her sail-like wings blocking the sky. He noticed her front talons for the first time, hand-like and tipped with onyx claws. Her crocodillian tail slammed repetitively to the ground as trunk-like hind legs stabilized herself. The spines along her back spiked like a porcupine's as the scales that remained attached to her skin vibrated and sparkled in rage.
One of her forelimbs held firm to the spear in her chest, her muzzle shaped to reveal two rows of carnivorousness knifes. Sonic snarled, why was Robotnik doing this? He had to help her!
"Hey! You leave her alone Robotnik!" Sonic gave a battle cry and dashed full force at the chain connect the two waring beings.
"What?" he heard the scientist exclaim.
He shot into the air like a bullet and snapped the vein in a shower of iron. He dropped back to the ground and awaited the effect. Grandmother Winter yanked the blood-stained lance form her hide with a roar, tossing it to the side. Sonic grew giddily like a child watching his favorite superhero about to defeat an evil villain. She was so ancient, so wise. He grew anxious to witness what kinds of might she could command.
Another eardrum splitting screech erupted from her gullet and Sonic's heart leaped with pride -only to sink painfully with her toppling body. Like the collapse of a once great nation she fell and shattered the packed snow below her girth. Crimson splattered the shifting earth and pooled about her chest.
Sonic was speechless, unable to comprehend what his eyes had just witnessed.
He swallowed and regained his voice. "No!"
At that time Dr. Robotnik had landed his hovering vehicle and rushed over to the fallen's head. Sonic saw a flicker before hearing something sharp pierce flesh and crack bone. Sonic bolted over and struck his nemesis squarely in the stomach, forcing him away from the dragon.
He first viewed the damage the doctor had just caused. Apparently he had cut into her forehead and shattered the skull to access the brain-flesh. He noticed an odd gap that looked as though something belonged there.
"Damn it!" the young scientist shouted angrily.
Sonic turned to him, sluggish and unbelieving at the the events that had just transpired. He saw a much slimmer and non-mustached or glasses-wearing Robotnik throw something into the snow.
"Stupid! I was too late! All that for nothing!"
Sonic didn't know what do. He continued to stand in the frozen wasteland with the stench of blood and high-pitched exasperations of the human a distance form him. Robotnik finally dismissed the object and stomped back to his contraption, eventually hovering off into a gathering of gray storm clouds.
The hedgehog step over to where Dr. Robotnik had just stood and brushed some scattered flakes of snow to reveal what the man had been so irritated by. Sonic almost missed it because of its color. Snow-white and speckled, there lay an orb about the size of a tennis ball half-buried in the drift. He lifted the sphere to his face and examined it. Unintentionally he placed it in front of a ray of sunlight slicing through the darkening sky. It lit up and shown a rainbow of pastel colors, like a Mother-of-Pearl.
He walked over to the quickly decaying carcass and dropped to his knees in front of her muzzle. Not a breath of warm air flacked his fur, nor did her starry irises give him view. He was far too young to remember his parent's and sister's death. This dragon, the closest living thing to a friend he had yet found, was now just murdered before his eyes. He felt as though he had just lost another part of his family. If he had witnessed his parents death now this would of been what it felt like.
His chest heaved and hurt as cold tears fogged his eyes and scarred his cheeks. With one final effort he moved to the side of her head. Crouching into a ball he spun as fast as he could, forcing her to face what remained of the diminishing light. When all was done the tiny hedgehog fell forward and silently gripped the past one's icy muzzle in one last good-bye.
"That's so sad." Elise gave a sniff and whipped away a stray tear.
The now older hedgehog was silent safe a sigh escaping his lips. He reached behind himself and felt for something entangled in his quills. He brought out the same orb that Eggman had pulled from the head of his long-passed, draconic friend.
"I've never told anyone that story, not even Tails." He examined the orb as if the entire story was playing out again beneath its glass-like sheen.
"That's the thing the Doctor tried to take?" Elise asked tentatively.
Sonic nodded and passed it to her. "It's kind-a dull after all these years but, it's still beautiful."
The princess held it at the tips of her fingers and showed it to the dying sun.
"I found out later from Yugi that it's a Dracontias. All dragons have them. They're found near the front of the brain and hold the same main power the dragon had in life. The trick is, it has to be removed while the dragon is still alive in order for the power to stay within it. That's what Eggman missed, he took it after she died."
She squinted her eyes, something was strange.
"Hey Sonic, was it always like this?"
He bent over and saw what she saw. Only about an inch below the edge the golden light shown through. Afterwards a black mass churned inside it. Within a second there was a flicker and the star douched itself below the horizon.
"Weird. Never noticed that before," Sonic mused.
"Um, it's shaking!"
The red-headed teen moved to place the sphere on the base of the stone balcony as Sonic followed suit. It wobbled back and forth for a minute or two before a silver vein broke across its surface. That crevice grew and widened, eventually causing chips to flake off. Then an entire section finally broke free as a pure ivory, vine-like object protruded from the hole. A stub of a foot popped forth, then another. Finally the object shattered completely and atop the shimmering remains was a tiny winged lizard as white as freshly fallen snow.
Sonic and Elise both gasped as it rolled onto its feet and shook itself of shell still stuck to its scales. It opened its muzzle and gave a dolphin-like chuckle. It clearly resembled a miniature version of Grandmother Winter. It had watery crystalline-onyx eyes and two stubs where ebony horns were to grow in. Little nubs come into view along its spine and tips of its fingers. Two overly large, bat-like wings with pastel blue membranes flopped to the floor. Upon viewing Sonic it wagged its thick tail like a puppy and dribbled its forked, purple tongue at the side of its crocodilian mouth.
"It can't be," Sonic spoke disbelievingly. "I've got to ask Yugi about this when I see her again."
The little dragon trotted up to him, wings dragging, and rubbed itself against the hedgehog like a cat.
Elise exclaimed with a giggle, "a baby dragon."
The wyrmling swiveled its head to look at the one who spoke. It chirped like it had done before, bounced over to her and placing its head against her leg.
"Looks like she likes you, Elise." Sonic laughed.
Elise lifted the mini dragon and cradled it to her chest. "How do you know it's a she?"
"I think it might be Grandmother Winter herself, somehow." He really didn't know why he thought this.
"Then she should be named Winter, like she was before."
Sonic smiled. "You think your dad would let you keep a pet?"
She looked up at him. "What?"
"Well, I can't travel around with a dragon on my shoulder where ever I go." He chuckled.
"Would you like to stay with me then, Winter?" Elise looked down at the baby.
Winter again laughed like an excited dolphin, her mama and papa joining in blissfully as a happy ending to the story of Grandmother Winter finally arrived.
-END-
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