The Arctic Fox's Dream (eBook)

Kelly Johnson (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
156 Seiten
Kelly Johnson (Verlag)
978-3-69111-493-5 (ISBN)

Infos

The Arctic Fox's Dream follows Luma, a young arctic fox living in the icy expanse of the north, where the shimmering northern lights light up the sky with their magical dance. One night, as she gazes up at the aurora, Luma feels a deep longing for something beyond her familiar, cold world. While her family and fellow foxes are content with the simple rhythms of life, Luma dreams of distant lands with warm sun, lush forests, and new adventures. Inspired by the stories of her ancestors, she feels an undeniable pull to venture into the unknown, to seek out the mysteries that lie beyond the snowy hills. As she sits under the celestial performance, Luma makes a silent promise to herself that one day she will follow the call of the lights and explore the world beyond, where her own story awaits to be written.

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Textauszug

Chapter 3: The Old Walrus's Tale

The journey to the icy cliffs was longer and harder than Luma had anticipated. The snow, deep and powdery, clung to her legs with each step, slowing her progress and sapping her strength. The wind was merciless, a constant companion that bit at her ears and nose, howling around her like a restless spirit. Sometimes it came in sharp gusts that nearly knocked her off her paws, and other times it sighed mournfully, tugging at her fur as if trying to persuade her to turn back.

But Luma pressed on, her head low against the wind, her breath coming in soft white puffs. There was something about the quiet beauty of the world — the way the sunlight caught in the drifts and turned them into fields of glittering diamonds, the way the horizon seemed to hum with mystery — that kept her moving forward. Every step felt heavy in the snow, but it also felt right, as if she was following a path meant only for her.

She sang little songs to herself as she walked, tunes her mother had taught her as a cub to keep the cold from creeping too deep into her bones. She thought of the old tales too — of brave foxes and great journeys — and each memory was like a small lantern, lighting her way across the endless white.

Hours passed, and the light grew thin, painting the world in soft blues and silvers. Luma’s paws ached with the cold, and her stomach grumbled, but her heart stayed light, buoyed by excitement. The world was vast, just as she had dreamed, and she was finally, truly in it.

After what felt like a lifetime wrapped in snow and wind, Luma finally reached the towering cliffs that marked the boundary between her homeland and the unknown. They rose sharply from the earth like ancient giants, jagged and weathered by countless storms, their faces carved with deep cracks and shadowed crevices. The tops of the cliffs disappeared into a thick mist that clung low to the sky, swirling and shifting as if it were alive.

Below the cliffs, the ice stretched out into the sea, broken into great floes that drifted on the dark, endless water. The air here smelled sharply of salt and old stories — tales older than any living fox, carried across the waves and locked in the frozen stones.

Luma stood in awe, her heart hammering in her chest. She had made it. She was here, at the very edge of everything she had ever known.

And it was here, at the foot of these towering cliffs, that she first saw him.

She had been so focused on the cliffs and the vastness of the sea that she almost missed the large shape resting near the rocks. At first, she thought it was just another drift of snow piled high against the stones, but something about it was different — too solid, too deliberate.

Curious, Luma crept closer, her small paws silent against the snow.

As she drew nearer, she saw the shape more clearly: the massive figure of an ancient walrus, his huge body partially dusted with snow. His tusks gleamed like ivory under the misty light, long and curved, each one etched with faint marks that looked almost like writing. His fur was dark and rough, weathered like old leather, and he bore scars that told of battles fought and won in a younger age.

He sat very still, like a statue carved from the earth itself, his great head turned toward the restless sea, as if waiting for something — or someone.

Luma froze, her breath catching in her throat. She had never seen a creature like him before. The elders sometimes spoke of walruses in their stories, calling them the Keepers of Tides and Secrets, ancient beings who had seen the world change and change again.

For a long moment, she simply watched him, half-expecting him to vanish like a dream if she blinked too hard.

But the walrus did not vanish.

Instead, after a while, he slowly turned his heavy head and looked at her. His eyes, small and deep-set, were as old and knowing as the sea itself. They regarded her not with surprise, but with a quiet, patient interest, as though he had been expecting her all along.

The wind shifted, carrying the salty scent of the ocean around them, and in that moment, Luma knew: this meeting was no accident.

This was the beginning of something she had only just begun to understand.

Luma paused at the edge of the snowdrift, unsure of whether to approach. The walrus seemed deep in thought, his dark eyes distant, lost in memories. He looked both ancient and wise, the kind of creature whose presence made the air around him feel heavier with age.

After a long moment, the walrus shifted and turned his gaze toward her. His eyes were kind, but they held a depth that made Luma feel as though he had seen the rise and fall of many lifetimes.

“Well, well,” he rumbled in a voice like distant thunder, “what do we have here? A little fox with dreams too big for the snow?”

Luma’s ears flicked back in surprise, but she stood her ground. A shiver ran along her spine — not from the cold, but from the sheer weight of the moment. She had never met a creature like this before, not even in the oldest stories told by the elders. There was something about him, something ancient and vast, that made the very air seem thicker, heavier. His presence filled the space between them, making everything feel utterly still, as though even the restless wind had paused to listen.

“I’m Luma,” she said, her voice small but steady against the hush. Her tail twitched once behind her, but she held her head high. “I’m looking for something — something beyond the snow. I heard a story of a place where dreams come true. I thought maybe… you might know where it is.”

The walrus’s heavy brows lifted slightly, and then he chuckled — a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to rise from the bones of the earth itself. The ice beneath Luma’s paws trembled faintly, as though responding to the ancient laughter.

“Ah, the Valley of Dreams,” he said, his voice rich with memory, softening as though cradling a treasure long held. “Yes, little fox, I know of it. It lies far beyond these frozen waters, past lands no map can mark, where the sky meets the earth in ways you cannot yet imagine.” His eyes, dark and glinting with old wisdom, seemed to peer right through her, as though reading every secret tucked away in her heart.

“But hear me well,” he continued, lowering his voice until it became little more than a deep whisper. “It is not a place for the faint of heart. Many have sought it, drawn by hope and dreams, but few have found it. And those who do… well, they are never quite the same again. Some return wiser. Some return lost. Some… never return at all.”

Luma’s ears perked up, despite the chill that prickled her skin. Her heart was hammering, wild and insistent, as if her body already knew what her mind was still daring to believe. This was it — the adventure she had been dreaming of all her life.

“Tell me,” she urged, stepping closer, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and longing. “Please — where is it? How do I find it?”

The walrus, who had been gazing out across the endless expanse of the frozen sea, now turned his full attention to her. For a heartbeat, Luma felt as though the world had narrowed down to just the two of them — a small fox and a timeless guardian, standing at the edge of the known and the unknown.

His eyes, deep-set and gleaming with an ancient light, studied her with a seriousness that made Luma’s fur bristle. It was as if he was weighing her soul, measuring her courage, her intentions, her heart.

“You seek more than a place, little Luma,” he said slowly, as if choosing each word with care. “You seek a part of yourself that has not yet awakened. The path to the Valley is not marked by stones or stars. It lies through trials — tests of spirit, heart, and mind. Only those who are true — truly true — to their dream can pass.”

He paused, his massive tusks gleaming faintly in the shifting mist.

“If you still wish to go, there is a path,” he rumbled. “But know this: once you take the first step, you cannot turn back unchanged. Every choice you make will shape the road ahead. Are you ready to carry that burden?”

The wind stirred again, tugging gently at Luma’s scarf, as if urging her to answer.

Luma swallowed hard. The weight of his words pressed against her like the deep snowdrifts she had fought through earlier. And yet, within that weight, there was a spark — a flame that refused to be smothered.

She lifted her chin, the tip of her nose catching a flurry of snow.

“I’m ready,” she said, her voice steady and sure.

For a long moment, the walrus said nothing. Then, slowly, he smiled — a slow, knowing smile that seemed to stretch back through the centuries.

“Then listen well, little dreamer,” he said. "For the road to the Valley begins not with your paws... but with your heart."

“Ah, it’s not something you simply find, dear fox,” he said slowly, his tusks gleaming in the pale sunlight. “The Valley of Dreams is hidden, yes. But more than that, it’s a place that only reveals itself to those who truly believe in it — to those whose hearts carry a pure and unwavering desire for something greater. It’s not about seeking it on the outside, Luma. It’s about searching within.”

Luma’s tail twitched with confusion. “Searching within?” she asked. “But I don’t understand. How can I find something that isn’t even there?”

The walrus smiled gently, and with a slow, deliberate motion, he beckoned her closer to the cliffs. He pointed toward the distance, where the snow seemed to meet the sky in a...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 10.5.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: Adventure • ancestors • Ancient • Arctic Fox • Aurora • Beauty • Celestial • Cosmos • Curiosity • Desire • Discovery • Dreams • excitement • exploration • freedom • FROZEN • heart • journey • longing • LUMA • Magic • Mystery • Nature • nature's call • northern lights • PAST • PATH • Promise • pull • Rhythm • Sky • Snow • Stars • Story • Tundra • Unknown • unknown lands • Wilderness • wonder • World
• ISBN-10: 3-69111-493-8 / 3691114938
• ISBN-13: 978-3-69111-493-5 / 9783691114935