It's cold up here, in the mountains, thinks the spirit. Lonely. Isolated. Just how they like it. Oftentimes, there is no sun. The snow-laden clouds cover the distant horizon of their world.

The cold, cold tundra.

They wouldn't say they dislike this world, though, it can get lonely at times up here, above it all. They've never thought about venturing back down from this peak.

Once upon a time, they inhabited the world below.

Once upon a time, there was another.

And Once upon a time, they climbed this mighty peak, the bitter cold at the bottom bit at their feathers. But The Blizzard had passed. Leaving them up here in this snowy cave.

They were too scared to come down. Not because of their inability to fly, but out of fear. What would they find at the bottom? Was it worth climbing all the way back down from their icy perch to investigate?

They'd prefer to stay at the top. It was safer, after all. The view was much nicer here, anyways. When it was dawn, when those light feelings came back, the view was like no other. The sun rose up behind those distant peaks of the ridge of mountains nearby, bathing everything in a rainbow-hue of colors. The sun itself, like a brilliant beacon against the dark.

When it shone off of the snow, it really Shone.

The ice and snow acted as a mirror, reflecting these colors. the fog, and the frost came together to make a picture so impossibly brilliant, it could take one's breath away, even more so than the altitude could itself. It reminded them of days past, of bright, blue skies and fluffy blue clouds, of the feeling of play.

Of course, play cannot last forever, as with everything, it must come to an end.

The Blizzard came soon enough. Whirling flurries of snow battering the land, enshrouding everything in a blanket of thick, silent snow. All was dark, the clouds above choking out the sun's rays completely. The only sound one could hear was the quiet rustling of the wind as it whistled across the tundra.

There was no play during this time.

The spirit eventually, had enough of the gloom. It filled them with a sense of longing for that bright, brilliant sky. The Blizzard had left them bitter. Colder. Tone as biting as the cold wind around them.

That was when they climbed to the top of the mountain.

They had to get away from The Blizzard, they hated how cold it made them, how it killed the gentle and free part of their soul.

And so they climbed. It was arduous, fraught with peril, but still they climbed. They slipped downwards a fair few times, but they still climbed. The Blizzard battered their body as they climbed, but still they climbed.

Eventually, they made it to the top. Arriving at the icicle-laden cave. A quiet, lonely place. The Blizzard raged outside, but this was a safe haven away from the cold. The bitter, bitter cold.

But still it remained.

It wasn't until the spirit had enough, that The Blizzard dissipated. But it was still dark. Still dark. Occasionally, it returned. Not as strong as before, but still ever-biting. At times, the spirit grew angry. Frustrated. Ever bitter at the biting cold that never seemed to truly go away.

They missed the sun. Oh, how they missed it. The times of happiness, They were their most treasured memories.

They stayed in the cave for a long time.

Eventually though, something changed.

Something changed.

The sun came out.

It wasn't a big change. It was actually a rather small one. There was a small, miniscule gap in the clouds, but a significant one nonetheless. Big enough for the spirit to notice, and to exit their cave for the first time in a while.

The spirit had felt hope, for the first time in a long while. That the sun might come back out again. Another part of them though...refused. No, the sun would not return. It would go back behind the clouds. It was just a small beam of sunlight. It would get smothered again, and again.

The sun would never come out.

They went back inside of their cave, returning to their isolation. There was no use in hoping for sunlight in a frozen wasteland.

But...even a small bit of sunlight can go a long way.

The sky started to clear a little bit more, unbeknownst to the spirit. Each passing day, the clouds began to part. They were still there, lingering like a bad memory, but those too can fade away with time.

Eventually, the sun came out.

Now this was noticeable.

The spirit could hardly believe their eyes as they stood on their icy perch, gazing into the blue sky with wide eyes. The sun was shining, it wasn't as bright as it was before. Not by a long shot, but the sun was actually Shining.

They felt salty tears stream down their face at seeing the sun for the first time in ages.

Maybe...maybe they'd make that trip back down the mountain after all.