Calder Wind walked slowly along the fence, his hands tucked into his gloves and the collar of his coat turned up almost to cover his face. The previous night’s storm had left the prairie unrecognizable: everything was white, still, silent, as if the world had decided to bury itself under the snow. Even so, Calder knew these lands well enough not to let his guard down. After every heavy snowfall, something always turned up broken: a ripped-out board, a strange footprint, an injured animal… or some other misfortune.
He bent down to check for coyote tracks near the posts, but then he saw something that didn’t fit in with the landscape. A faint red patch, almost swallowed by the ice. At first, he thought a wolf had dragged prey during the night. He took two more steps and his chest sank.
Beneath a low pine tree, half-covered by snow, there was a little girl.
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