Winter World Waits (слэш)

Tonight is the deepest chasm of darkest night, and the world is aglow with laughter and light. Bells cling to boots, jingling merrily with every step, and the deep baritone of warrior voices in song shake snow from trembling boughs above their heads. Thick pelts of silver and tawny fur flicker and catch the candles’ warmth, weighing down the backs of villagers and children alike as they trawl through calf-high snow and towering forest. 
The sun will not come for hours yet, and all the animals are curled in the depths of earth and tree for months still. But here, in the dense clutch of the woods, walking in joyful procession, is warmth. Family.