“Another ice-cold morning, somehow I knew I had to keep on walking. The day was even shorter, with only a few hours of light. And so much darkness. That day was very silent. I had seen and heard flocks of birds fly by earlier and squirrels climbing up and down trees. Only the crackling sound of me walking broke the silence. “
“Without any warning the wind started to blow stronger. I had to hold on to a tree to avoid sweeping away. Something cold hit me in my face. I thought it had started to rain. But when I looked up, there was something white that fell. It looked like birds down. The ground turned white, and the trees with it. That night I found shelter under a root of a fallen tree. It was not much of a cover, but at least it blew only from three sides, and the white stuff did not hit my head. ”
“As I stood there through the night, with a few minutes of sleep in between, I watched the white slowly cover the ground. Soon it looked like a thick, soft blanket and reminded me of my warm duvet back at the anthill. I wish I had brought it with me, even if it was so big and heavy (which was the reason I left it). I shook the thought off, too late for regrets, and continued my walk. Now my walk was even slower, hindered by the white.”
“I remembered where the path I followed started, but I soon lost it. I could no longer see the ground and had to guess the right way to walk. I did lose the path because of the white, but it saved me too. Without food and cold, I had not much of a chance. I understood I had to find help. I walked and walked and felt more and more to just lay down on the ground and sleep. I was so tired and hungry and… there I suddenly saw marks of footsteps right in front of me. ”
“I tried to follow the footstep the best I could, round and round, under a root. Over a root. Behind that tree. I walked and walked to my feet could not bear me any longer, and I fell. Oh.. what a lovely feeling, finally rest, just like laying in my bed. “
“I was too tired to react when I first heard a voice from something that sounded far away, and I felt paws grabbing me, dragging me through the snow. There was a squeaking sound and sudden heat around me. Then I remember no more. “
“Two days later, I woke up in a bed covered with several blankets. My hands and feet felt numb, but else I was thankful I was ok. I was the uninvited guest of a mouse family through the winter, which treated me kindly even if I was eating from their food storage, making portions smaller for everyone. They thaught me much-needed lessons on how to survive the winter. ”
Ant King went quiet disappearing into his mind and thoughts. Heffanutt listened to the howling winds around the corners of the house. He was thankful for a warm place to stay, food on the table and that his friend was safe and warm with him.
More stories with Ant King and Heffanutt:
Ant King 1, Birth The story of Ant Kings Birth and his first adventure.
Ant king and Heffanutt 1, A walk in the forest Ant King and Heffanutts first meeting, and a nutfight
Birds imagination 