Sleep was slow to subside from her mind, and Vesper let out a groan as she buried her face back into her warmed blankets and desperately attempted to claim back some of the comfort of sleep. Despite her best efforts, wakefulness slowly encroached on her, leaving her blinking her blurred vision from her eyes as she slowly raised her head to begin her day. Almost immediately, Vesper was hit with a chill in the air as she raised her head from her protective nest. As her vision cleared, it became obvious that, outside, a familiar blanket of white coated the ground. The first snow of the season had finally arrived. She had felt it approaching lately, the distinctive bite of the cold that always preceded the first snowfall of the year. The trees had long since shed their summer leaves, and it had become more and more apparent that autumn had run its course. Winter was overdue – although it did not make her any more thrilled to see the snow had finally hit. Sighing, she braced herself for the cold air as she raised herself from her bed. Even prepared for the sharp cold, Vesper felt a shiver wrack the body the moment she stepped away from her cozy bed. Although she was already lamenting leaving it, the day called – and she unfortunately had actual work to do. Allowing herself to grumble just a little more, she stretched with a groan before setting about her day. There was a time that the first snow fall had been one of her favourite times of year, always loaded with anticipation as they waited for the day to finally hit. There was always a brief moment of time when the snow had first fallen where it laid completely untouched and pristine on the ground. The world always seemed a little softer then, the regular sounds of the world muffled by the glittering white snow, and the barren trees covered with a shimmering new life. She could remember being a small foal and not being able to wait until morning to dash out into the snow, taking advantage of the fresh blanket to carve her owns paths and art into the land. These days, though, the first snow had the tendency to simply herald the beginning of a long, cold - and often times miserable - winter. Today, unfortunately, was no different. Vesper needed to gather several items for her work, and rather unfortunately, that meant braving the cold and treading outside. Not for the first time, she contemplated if it would have been a better idea to move further south, finally breaking away from her home in the North Akana Mountains. But, there was still work here to be done, and despite her trepidations about the weather, she was not quite ready to give up on that. Readying herself for her journey and slinging a bag across her back, Vesper took one more moment to bask in the coziness of her cabin before pushing over the threshold of her home and braving the cold. Instantly, she was greeted by a gentle wind that carried a biting cold with a few fresh flakes mixed in. The worst of the storm had clearly hit overnight and had quieted to a gentle fall now. Careful to pull the door shut behind her, Vesper trudged out. Despite having experienced many a winter now, it was still difficult to explain the stillness that shuttered over the land when the first snow came. Although her hooves still crunched against the ground, everything was muffled – not even the birdsong seemed to cut as sharply in the air. It would be eerily quiet, if not for the beauty of the glittering powder that covered every available surface. Which was why her ears pricked as she heard a few shouts off in the distance, loud enough to make her pause in her stride. A few more exclamations carried with the wind, but the tone they carried were not of distress. Ears forward, Vesper carefully altered her course and began striding with purpose through the snow, cutting a swathe through it. It did not take long to find the source of the shouting. Just a little on the outskirts of town, Vesper came across two foals gallivanting in the snow, their shouts of joy carrying further than usual with the stillness in the air. Snow flew from their hooves as they leapt and tumbled through the snow, and Vesper would not help the smile that tugged at her lips. Satisfied now that all was well, she turned back to her task at hand and began heading towards town – and the first snow of the year feeling a little less dreary.