Her world had changed once more. Instead of being filled with vibrant greens and earthy browns, Neha's world was covered entirely in white. Pure, sparkling white, for as far as the eye could see. Always full of bubbling curiosity, the Princess's answers were quickly acknowledged, either by her mother, or one of the other adults. Snow, was what the powdery, cold white substance was called, and it was a normal occurrence in Winter, especially at this elevation by the mountains. At first the growing she wolf was not so sure about it. It felt wet and cold on the pads of her paws, and in some deep spots, it proved tricky to navigate through. But within no time at all, she had overcome her awkwardness and discovered there were far more joys than drawbacks to it. First, it was absolutely delightful to roll in, the sprinkle of millions of tiny flakes a dazzling sight to behold as it showered down all around oneself. Her first winter coat had grown in well, keeping the chilly snow at bay, away from her skin. And second, with the coming of each fresh snowfall, with it was brought a wide variety of scents, bound to keep a curious nose occupied.

Despite her enjoyment of her newly transformed home, Neha was struggling to keep her spirits up. The past month had been hard on the wolves of the Cove, especially her father and guardian @Nathaniel. Both males had lost not only a brother and a friend, but a well loved member of the pack, @Anthem. Her memories of the male were few and blurry, but she knew his scent well and had often heard his name circulating amongst the adults. While she had not been present when his body was discovered, news traveled fast in the Cove, and she was saddened by the loss. All wolves here were family, and to lose even one, was a devastating blow. She knew that her father was understandably shaken by this, making his appearances few and far between. She was conflicted. She wished to give @Vespertio his space, but at the same time she felt as if the bond between them was lacking. The same could be said for @Aleister, who so far, had seemed to be a bit of a loner. While closest with @Cernan, she did not wish for any barriers between her and her family. It just didn't feel right. 

As she ducked out of the cover of the communal den, she bowed her body down in a slow stretch. Honey brown eyes lifted automatically to the panoramic view of the lake in the distance before her. She noted with a satisfied huff, that there were no filthy swans around this time. The massive body of water had always fascinated the girl, but ever since that one time she tried to get close, her efforts were denied. But today something about it looked different. There was a peculiar glint to the water she didn't recognize. Setting off comfortably now through the feet of snow, she kept her eyes and ears peeled for her middle sibling, letting out a soft woof in case he happened to be in the immediate vicinity. Yet she stayed on course to the lake, to which when she arrived at it's banks, was puzzled by what she saw. The water did indeed look different. It wasn't flowing so smoothly like it normally did. As she stepped closer, she could see her reflection perfectly in it's frozen surface. Even stranger still, was that there was a rather large branch sitting on the water, likely blown from a tree during one of the recent snowstorms. She tipped her head to the side, brows knitting together. How could this be? Everything that touched the water either floated or sank to the bottom. So why was this one innocent branch just sitting there like it was on solid ground? Unfamiliar with the concept of ice, Neha was left to figure this mystery out on her own.