It was a chilly February afternoon with puffy white clouds covering the sky. Cree, Delilah and Maurice were taking a stroll hand-in-hand in the nature trail by the park. The trees, except for the evergreens were all barren, with thin layers of snow decorating their branches.
"Goodness, I can't believe we're already at the middle of February.. pretty soon this whole place will finally turn green again!" Cree's eyes glanced around the snow-laced trees and snowy ground. "Boy, I'm sayin'.. all this gloomy weather's really been bringin' me down. Can't wait for spring to be here already," Delilah sighed as she also gazed at her surroundings with her hands nestled into the pockets of her hoodie. "Sure, I'll admit, snow can be fun to romp around in and all, but nothin is better than watching all the plant life awaken and bloom everywhere, the fresh aroma of daffodils and roses fills the air. I dunno why, it's just so.. captivating."
"True, true. My parents are planning to start a garden in our backyard this year. Fruit trees, vegetables, flowers.. the whole shebang, y'know?" Maurice said in his usual calm, level-headed manner. "Oooh, you too? My mama is startin' a garden too! We're gonna grow a flower bed around our backyard fountain, as well as some trees n veggies," Delilah chimed in. "Yall gotta see when the trees a little bigger though. It'll be great!"
Around a few more minutes into their stroll, Delilah found a giant patch of snow near a clearing of the woods, and instinctively dove into it like an excited puppy, much to the amusement of Cree and Maurice. They both joined Delilah in the fluffy white blanket, and it wasn't long before one of them tossed a snow ball at the other. Before they knew it, all three were giggling like little kids as they splashed and tossed snow at each other. This went on for a couple of moments until they tired themselves out and stood up again. Cree giggled and hugged the two shorter teens, "Thank you both for taking me on this hike, I really needed to get out of the house for a while.. plus, that snow fight took me back to when we were still kids."
"Don't mention it, puddin' pie~" Delilah crooned as she and Maurice kissed her on the cheek. The teens then began to make their way back to civilization, and around halfway was when they heard it: the sound of frantic chirping. "Yall hear somethin?" Delilah looked around, her ears twitching a little. "It's coming from over there!" Cree rushed in the direction of the noise with Delilah and Maurice, only to find a small red bird whose feet were frozen stuck to the icy road as the poor thing desperately tried to free itself, vigorously flapping its wings. Cree cautiously rushed over to the little creature, crouching down as she began blowing her warm breath onto the shivering bird's little toes until it could free itself and fly away.
It was then that Delilah and Maurice noticed a car speeding up the road, and they instantly made a break for their girlfriend's life. "CREE, LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!!" Delilah shouted, but it was too late. The vehicle struck Cree hard, leaving her injured on the roadside as the careless driver continued tearing down the street at seemingly full speed.. Delilah screamed before rushing to her girlfriend's unconscious, bleeding body. She instantly felt her previous meal rise up her esophagus from the horrible sight mixed with her panic, and she went behind a bush to vomit while Maurice frantically dialed 9-1-1. "Hello?? O-our friend got hit by a drunk driver.. yes, we're at the park by the woods, just get here as quick as you can!!"