Chapter 1 - Arga "The first to fall"
The year was 1888.
It was the first day of winter and the animals that weren't hibernating were out looking for food in the scarse winter landscape. Although autumn had already been very cold, this winter was shaping up to be the coldest one yet.
Suddenly a loud bang was heard and everyone looked up to the sky. The clouds dissolved above Felwood and a giant ray of sunshine broke through the fog. Then, out of nowhere, a giant ball of snow and ice came crashing down from the heavens.
As it was falling, the snow evaporated and a white fox emerged. She seemed unconsious and unaware of the speed with which she plummeted towards the ground. The animals around Felwood couldn't belief what they were witnessing. Everyone rushed to the forest, to see where the white creature would land. From between the trees they could see her body splash into the water of the Felwood lake. The sound was deafening and everyone was sure that the fox would be dead after such a fall.
A cold breeze passed the animals that were watching around the lake. A breeze that grew stronger and stronger. The wind gathered above the lake, exactly where the white animal had fallen in. In a matter of seconds, there was an actual tornado swirling above the water. But instead of taking up water, it seemed to pull snow from the sky above and into the water below. Everyone watched the scene unfold, but noone could believe their eyes. Even if it was happening right in front of them. This was more than just a rare nature phenomenon, they could feel it in the pit of their stomach.
The strong whirlwind pulled the body of the small white fox out of the lake and gently put her ashore. Everyone held their breath, curious to see if she would still move.
After a few seconds the fox started shaking, coughing and eventually gasping for air. She was alive, and that in itself was a miracle. The wind died down and the grey clouds had all vanished above Felwood.
A silence fell over them. The animals turned around to go home, since the presence of a predator was giving them chills. After all, there hadn't been a carnivor in Felwood or any of the surrounding forests for ages.
While everyone left, there was one animal whose curiosity was bigger than her fear: Lily. A beautiful light brown doe, with a tender heart.
She walked right up to the vixen who was still laying flat on the cold earth. The snow was getting thicker and the ground was almost completely white.
"What is your name, dear?" she asked.
It took a while for the fox to find the strenghth to lift her head. Eventually she looked up to the animal next to her and answered her question with a rough voice; "Arga".
Lily looked at her extremely light blue eyes. In her astonishment she didn't immediately notice how badly the poor creature was shaking. The wind had blown part of her fur dry, but she was still wet and cold.
Gently, she helped Arga stand on her feet. To her surprise, she didn't sustain any visible injury from the huge fall. Lily made a soft bed of moss that she dug up from under the snow. After that, she pulled some twigs from all parts of the forest, to build a little shelter for the fox.
"Now," she said, "most animals hibernate. If you want you can stay here in this little den. I don't sleep during winter, so I will come by daily to check on you and bring you some food and water."
Arga curled up in a ball, happy to have a warm soft bed and a shelter from the wind. She thanked the doe and watched as she vanished behind the trees in the distance.
The white fox didn't known what the future would hold for her, but for now she tried not to think about it too much. 'Let's first get through this winter', she thought. 'Then I can worry about the rest.'