Ram grunted as he looked around the Hollow. He was angry. Which, considering the location was probably appropriate. This was supposed to be the Summer Hollow after all. What wasn’t appropriate was the fact that the normal ash blackened ground was pure white. At least six inches deep in snow. And Ram holding a packet of Spring seeds. The Hedge apparently didn’t hold to California’s hardiness zones. Or maybe it was trying to take vengeance on his disturbance of its ‘natural’ balance.

He started digging through the fluffy ice, looking for the stuff he’d stored in the hollow, when he yelled and pulled back his hand. Tiny pinpricks of blood oozed at intervals on his skin. So that’s what this was. The Thorns were trying to reinvade the spot he’d so carefully cleared of their presence. Well, if they wanted to fight dirty, Ram was willing to come down to their level. Sure breaking apart a snow bank presented a unique challenge. However, Ram had gotten a gift from Spring and he fully intended to have them in non-frozen soil by the end of the day. Even if he had to bulldoze the cold itself out of his purview.