Just a bit of cold fun!

A gentle snow was falling, swirling and sparkling in the cold evening air. Burrowgatory was quiet as the soft glitters settled onto the ground, blanketing every surface in white. It was quite the beautiful backdrop — perfect for many buns as they went about the end of the first day of the new year, decked in all manner of warm layers and exchanging hot drinks and sweet treats alike.

It was so perfect, pristine, and serene — everything that Dove liked to see. Wrapped up in warm, fluffy robes and rather enjoying how the winter scenery complimented their colors, the soft cherubun made their way outside, beaming with a happy smile as they trotted through the fresh snow. The bell at their collar rang out a pretty noise with each step; almost festive, one could mistake it for still being Cherubmas if they heard the sound.

It was a pleasant walk, with many buns along the way for Dove to greet. But before long, they reached their destination — a small park, dotted with lanterns — the perfect place to sit for a while and watch the snow continue to fall into the night.

Finding a bench, the cherubun settled contentedly, pulling their robes closer around themselves and smiling softly. This was nice… it truly wasn’t often that Burrowgatory had such weather, so it was scenery that they wanted to cherish, as long as it lasted. Perhaps later, they could scrounge up some hot cocoa and mochi, and get a fireplace going for-

Smack.

Dove yelped. The clump of icy snow that had hit their pale blue ears was starkly cold, and they immediately jumped up, trying to shake it off.

“W-What?? Who-“

A familiar laugh came from behind them. Dove spun around, only to spot — and really, how could they be surprised — Jackal, who was snickering, not dressed for the weather in any sense of the concept, and was actively gathering up snow for yet another snowball.

Dove didn’t know what they expected, if they were honest. Just as the beautiful, sparkling snow was perfect for their love of the scenery, for the rowdy succubun, it was time to cause some mischief in the cold. They just knew she had been waiting for this very chance, and clearly was more than eager to take full advantage of it now that the time had finally come.

“Look alive, Dove!” Jackal laughed — just before slinging another big snowball right their way. This time, at least the cherubun was prepared to get out of the way, though it didn’t make it any less obnoxious.

“J-Jackaaaal!” They whined as they ran to the side, grabbing their own ears. “Come on - I just did my hair earlier!”

“Hey, it doesn’t snow often!” Jackal retorted. Yes, Dove thought, that was exactly why they wanted to spend it peacefully, not dodging wayward chunks of snow. “Let’s have a little fun with it while it lasts!”

Swishing her dark, spaded tail, Jackal bent down to start scooping up a new pile of snow. Dove took the chance to duck behind a tree, considering their options.

They could just run home — they were small and fast (hopefully faster than Jackal), and it wasn’t far — they could easily get inside without much trouble. But at the same time, a part of them felt a little bad; Jackal was having so much fun, and they didn’t particularly want to put her down for it. Once a year… maybe it wasn’t so bad.

Okay, I’ll bite.

As Jackal snickered somewhere nearby, Dove finally bent down and began to make their own little arsenal, hurriedly stuffing snow into balls and getting ready for the next attack.

“Gotcha, little bird!”

Jackal jumped around the tree, ready to pelt them — but they were ready. They quickly ducked out of the way, and retaliated with a snowball of their own, managing to hit Jackal head-on.

“W-Whoa, Dove??” Jackal squeaked, recoiling. Now it was Dove that giggled as they got some distance from her.

“Come and get me, then!”

A big, beaming grin came onto Jackal’s face, and Dove knew then they made the right choice to make her happy. Now they both laughed, as they fell into quite the spectacular battle. Snow was thrown, clothes were ruined, and not just a few poor innocent bystanders got caught in the crossfire. They hardly felt the time go by until the moon was high in the sky, and they flopped onto the cold ground, both still laughing together.

“Wow, Dove, you’re pretty good at that!” Jackal said, grinning, as she slung her arm around the cherubun. Dove smiled, their cheeks red both from the cold — and also the close proximity to the other.

“Well, I couldn’t let you win so easily~” they cooed back. With a sigh, they leaned into Jackal’s side and watched both of their breaths puff in the air, and the bright moonlight sparkle on the snow around them. “This is really nice…” they continued, blushing more. “I’m glad you came out tonight too.”

They didn’t look up, but they heard Jackal let out a fond huff. Rough as she was, Dove knew she felt just as mushy and smitten right now as they did.

“Yeah. We gotta come out a few more times before the snow melts, okay?”

“Sounds good, Jackal. And I’ll beat you again!”

“Hey! We’ll see about that!”

Dove laughed, and pulled Jackal up — then took her hand, linking their fingers together.

“Come on, let’s go and get some hot chocolate together. I’m freezing now!”

With Jackal’s agreement, the two headed back home, hand in hand, ready to warm up together and enjoy the rest of the winter night.