The Wall_Spring 2023_Issue 9

There is a hoarse scratching sound.A sleek red fox emerges from its deep underground burrow, before darting through the lush-green forest. Here, sheltered by the gentle trees, is every kind of life: from humble bumblebees drifting from flower to flower, to extravagant birds of every colour, shape, and size. Upon the forest floor, woven with ancient tree roots, comes a faded light, filtered by the bouquet of foliage above. It is a soft, cascading light, illuminating the path that takes the fox speedily onwards. From the oak trees tumble rich, golden leaves; they take to the air as carefree as parachutes soaring through a summer breeze.The trees are veiled in the lightest of mists, their trunks sombre brown with sable cracks that gnarl the bark. Even though each canopy appears to be green, over their shaded sides grow moss and ivy like powdered paint, so softly green that it is close to a pale white.

The fox moves into the evening light. She is pale red, her fur glossy and thick. Her paws kiss the soft earth, and a deep serenity shows in her gaze. She comes with light paws upon the earthen track, her eyes aflame and her tail flowing, ever at home in the pale dusk.There is still a wisp of youth to the body of the fox, yet her breadth shows she is entering her prime years. For in that moment her dark soulful eyes speak of vulnerable honesty valued by the youthful forest.

The resplendent sun sinks down beneath the tops of the pines that are tinted gold. Each canopy begins to fade to a midnight blue. In the summertime, they were white gold, illu minating the greens, yet the gift of those warm days has passed now. On these wintry days, the fogs and mists cast those same beams of light into sepia tones and the woodland becomes pale with the ever-growing darkness.The trunks of fallen trees bear icicles longer than my hand, so fragile yet entrancing that many stop to admire their imperfect beauty. Every twig and blade of grass grow winter ice crystals, frost deeper than the fleece in my gloves. But winter must slowly melt away to make way for new life and new beginnings.

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