Snowberries

Little feet lightly stepped amongst the twigs and powdery snow. A small hand picked up an occasional acorn and put it in his pouch. He and his family often used acorns for many things. Food, tools, hats, and much more could be made from them. The acorns weren’t the reason he had gone out foraging today however. No, today he was looking for a special treat, Snowberries. They were a favorite treat for the Gnomes. They made some of the best winter pies with them. They made some of the best winter pies with them.

He knew of a cluster of bushes, just at the base of the next hill. It was usually covered with juicy berries this time of the year.

His bag made out of sewn leaves was almost filled to the brim with the white berries when he heard a beautiful song resonate from the Spruce tree above him. The song was beautiful, The sounds of spring, but it sounded a bit sad in the cool, chilly air of winter. The Gnome tied his bag closed and pulled it around tightly. He quickly made his way up the tree, following the sound of the beautiful and sad song.

High up, perched tightly against the trunk of the tree, on a thick branch was a brightly colored Western Tanager. His orange head and yellow body stood out boldly against the green foliage of the Spruce.

“It’s alright, I will look after you. Are you lost? Injured? It’s gotten chilly, the nights near freezing. You should be far South by now, my friend.”

The bird chirped and Gave a sad, small peck at his wing.

“Oh, I see, you have a broken wing. Not to worry. I will put you on my back and take you to my burrow. You will be safe and warm there. Away from the cold air.” The Gnome worked quickly and carefully securing the bird to his back, mindful of it’s injured wing. He would fix him up when they reached the burrow.

It didn’t take long. They reached the burrow, tucked bellow an old Oak. In the burrow were several different passages and chambers. The Gnome set the Tanager down in a chamber that had soft leaves and fur all around. A perfect nest.

The Gnome walked out, putting the berries in the kitchen for his family to turn them into a tasty pie. He quickly gathered some food from the shelves and some water to give to the injured bird. He gathered sticks, leaves and sticky sap from the pantry to make a splint for the birds’ wing. It wasn’t long before the Gnome family was filling up on juicy Snowberry Pie and in the chamber down the passage, the Western Tanager rested, warm and safe with his wing all fixed up. He drifted off to sleep. Dreaming of the warm sun, bees, butterflies and flowers all around. Soon his wing would heal and Spring would be here.