4th December

Vince got used to being around Tracy and Lilly the whole day. In the few days they already were like little sisters for him. When they woke him up this morning he just smiled at them and got up quickly. After his shower he could not find any unused clothes in his bag and so wore the shirt and pants from the last day.

The house was now warm and cozy. At breakfast he noticed that all snow leopards had very light clothes on. Tracy and Lilly still were in their night grown and Stacy had something that looked like a summer dress. Looking at their fur he was sure that it was too hot for them in the house. Even for him it was a bit hot but he was used to it. He was happy that other than feral wolfs anthro wolfs were able to sweat.

"I hope I do not cause you any trouble. I know that this is too hot for you." He approached Stacy shyly. The older female looked at him with her blue eyes that kept his gaze captive. "Don't worry dear. As long as it is comfortable for you we are fine." She ruffled his head. Normally Vince hated being treated like that but he did not object.

"What are we playing today?" Tracy asked and guided his attention away from Stacy's eyes. Her eyes looked the same as Stacy's. It did not help him to find the answer and he just looked at her without answering. "Maybe we can go sledding with the others." Her eyes sparkled. "Mom, can we go to the sledding hill with Vince?"

Stacy smiled and nodded. "But only if you are careful. And make sure to be back by the evening before it gets dark." She smiled at the excited cries of her children. "You will love it I think." She told Vince. "They will show you how to do it. Just be careful not to go too fast."

Vince had seen sledding in television a few times when they did it for sports. He never had done it before and he was a bit hesitant because it looked fast and dangerous to slide down a frozen canal. After he was packed warm into the clothes of Stacy's late husband again he went outside with the girls. Soon they met with the Purringtons and they also were excited about it directly. After their mother agreed with it they got a few wooden sleds from a shed that looked different from those in television. There were a few small ones and one big sled. In front of them there was a rope to pull them. Miles showed Vince how to connect all the sleds with the ropes and then they started to pull them all together. Lilly and Alia jumped on the big sled and giggled while they led the boys drag them over the snow. Stacy and Mia walked beside them and whispered with each other.

"It is nice to not have to drag them alone anymore." Miles started the conversation. "Don't worry, it is not far, just a mile or so." Vince did not answer. Despite him being a big bigger and surely stronger than Miles he still had problems to walk in the snow properly. It was far more exhausting than running on a hard street. The snow squeaked with each step and the energy he had to put into each step reminded him of the one time he was at a beach and walked through sand.

It did not take long to reach the hill and they climbed up. Vince was totally exhausted when they reached the top and he looked down at the other side. There was a nice slope that went for half a mile. While Vince sat down in the snow the others untied the sleds and put them into position. There was one for every one of them and Miles took the big one.

"Come Vince. No time to rest. Now we slide." He pointed at the space behind him and Vince got up and sat down behind the snow leopard. "You can either hold the sides or me if you want and grip tight because we will go quite fast. Put your feet on the vats. I will do the rest."

Miles explained him how he will turn and stop the sled while the others already took off. Vince could see them screaming in excitement and gaining speed until the slope got gentler and they deaccelerated slowly and came to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

"Here we go." Miles shouted and pushed them over the edge. Vince just had time to grab around the snow leopard to not fall back when they were on their way. Down the hill in a fast pace he just saw the snow fly up from the vats. Miles shouted loud but Vince could not understand what he was saying. He gripped tight in fear to fall off but the wind felt nice around his ears. He took a look past Miles and the wind directly hit his face cold and icy. After half of the hill he joined Miles in his cheering. This ride was more fun than even the snowball fight. When the sled deaccelerated and came to a stop Vince was a bit sad that it ended. He saw the other kids already pulling their sleds up the hill and Miles urged him to get off so they could also go back.

When the sun was low in the evening the children made their way home. Most of the way back they just sat on the sleds and slowly sledded the gently slope to the town. Vince was totally exhausted but happy. Just now they all noticed how hungry they were and after putting the sleds in the shed and parting from the Purringtons the two snow leopard girls and the wolf pup rushed home where Tracy had a warm dinner prepared for them. Vince just fell into his bed after the dinner and had no troubles to fall asleep. He was totally exhausted and tired.