Cold Sparkles

"brrrr"
He picked his front foot up, hating to put it back into the print on the frost-encrusted grass. Summer was on its way out, whether the little deer knew it or not.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, the grass became green again and the apples regained their distinctive aroma and taste. But the mother knew the signs, and she encouraged her children to eat much and play less. They needed to be in good physical shape for the days of leanness to come.
They also needed to learn about the different gun sounds. The ones they'd grown up with, living close to the shooting range, were harmless. It would be the sharper cracks of the hunting guns that the deer should fear.
A hard time for all was soon to come.