Winter was cold, and her coat was naturally thin, even in this season. Taika shivered when the wind blew, huddled in a corner of a cluster of trees and had tried to use as shelter. So much for really large twigs keeping her warm. She smirked at the thought. Of course, during the nights many of the gypsies regrouped after their days and laid about. If not everyone in one big pile, than at least everyone within proximity. The group was growing, shrinking, and morphing. Some came and went while others swore loyalty to the group. It warmed her heart, when it did not warm her body, to see her friends and soul siblings come together in something so beautifully transient. There was a particularly chilly gust of wind, but this time the gypsy woman did not shiver. Instead she smiled. It seemed like magic in her world was only growing.

The sun rose higher in the sky, warming the earth ever so much that Taika finally felt as though she could leave her shelter place. A grin on her lips she trotted merrily through the snow, tossing pawfulls of powder into the air and snapping at them with her teeth. Alone, she giggled to herself and started to play with the snow she threw into the air. If everyone was going to spend their days doing this or that, she was going to continue to have a good time. Maturity be damned!

The snow around the thicket she had occupied was now thoroughly packed and pawed at. A reckless grin lit up the young woman’s face and she raced away from the area, going wherever her paws took her. Laughing to herself, she jumped this way and that, diving into deeper snows and skittering across areas of mere dusting. Free spirited, she lifted her voice into the air, calling out to see if there was anyone who wanted to play with her. Or if there was any other gypsy in the area, they could find a new place to bed down for the night.