Chapter 3: DecemberSide by side they stared at the sky. Winter was coming. Both hide and nose responded to it; one with ripples that were more apprehension than shiver, the other with huffs and snuffs of scents that left their nostrils wet and their blood racing. No sound was voiced to break the silence. Just a thought. Run with me. And in an instance both beasts leapt into movement. * * * * Randy leaned against the pillar on his front porch, his eyelids at half-mast, and his entire body at peace. There was something so very relaxing about watching snow clouds in a night sky. During quiet stretches, black and purple masses hung so low in the atmosphere that they created the illusion of a horizon of mountain peaks. Then, as though rousing themselves, the clouds would shift and roll acro