* these characters belong to a closed species - North Wind (https://vk.com/northwind.closedview)!!!
* this art is inspired by "Ice Age"

STORY

- Come on, darling, I have a surprise for you, – Ragnar danced with impatience, peering into the spruce–covered den. Athema, who was pregnant, was carefully spreading a green feather bed. Taking a step towards her husband, the lioness smiled tenderly. Her fur caught the last rays of the sunset, making Atema shine like a jewel. Her eyes twinkled with interest. Ragnar froze for a moment, once again captivated by her beauty.

The air was permeated with freshness and the subtle scent of pine needles. Somewhere in the distance, a bird was chirping. The crimson-golden sky was slowly fading away, giving way to soft twilight penumbra and the first stars. Sparse snowflakes danced down to the ground, merging with the snow-white blanket.
Ragnar led Athema along a narrow path between snow-covered bushes. The snow crunched softly under his paws, and the tall fir trees watched silently, bending their branches under the weight of the snow caps. Around a bend in the path, a small snow-covered meadow opened up, in the center of which stood an ancient tree with spreading branches and bark decorated with frosty patterns.

– Ragnar… This is incredible... – Atema whispered on an exhale, seeing an ice carousel hanging from a spreading branch of a mighty tree. It was carefully decorated with flaming red berries and three figurines: his, hers and their future kitten. The lioness glanced briefly at her lover, who had already lost his former confidence and was now gloomily picking at the snow with his paw. The sound of ice crystals tinkling resounded in the silence.
– What's wrong, my love?.. – with a noticeable excitement in her voice, the lioness asked, coming closer.
Ragnar hung his head heavily. His majestic crown of horns, which usually rose to the sky, suddenly became heavier.
– I have chosen the path of the leader of the royal guards, the path of the defender of the Frosty Valley.. – his voice faltered. – But what if, because of my vocation, I am not destined to become a worthy father?
He lowered his eyes, as if ashamed of his words.
Athema pressed her velvety muzzle against his forehead, closing her eyes. Her breath, warm and steady, enveloped Ragnar with soothing tenderness.
– You're going to be a wonderful father, – she said in a quiet but confident voice. – Your heart, which is capable of loving me immensely, will be able to love our baby. You will teach him what your father taught you. You will tell him the legends of our people. And I'll be right there.

After these words, lion relaxed his powerful shoulders, leaning towards his beloved. His soul was filled with a feeling of sincere tenderness and endless love. At that moment, he realized that meeting Athema was a real miracle.

They stood there, their breaths entwined together, warming each other in the golden rays of the setting sun. And the wind, slowly circling over the Frosty Valley, carefully rocked the icy carousel, as if singing a quiet lullaby to their future happiness.