Squirrels store food
Little flying rabbit Lucky and his parents settled in the forest, where Lucky made many new friends.
One day, Lucky went out to play with the other animals. Suddenly, a chilly wind blew by, and Lucky couldn’t help but sneeze.
At that moment, he bumped into Little Squirrel Orange.
Little Squirrel was up in a tree gathering nuts.
Lucky flew up curiously and asked, “Orange, what are you doing?”
“I’m helping my mom collect food,” replied Orange.
“Why are you collecting food?”
Orange looked surprised. “Of course, it’s to prepare for winter! Look, the leaves are starting to turn yellow, and the wind feels chilly. That means winter is coming. Winter is cold, and it’s hard to find food, so we gather it early to ensure we won’t go hungry during the season.”
Lucky, equally surprised, said, “That’s so different from Planet T! On our planet, we don’t have winter.”
Orange was even more astonished. “No winter on your planet? That’s amazing! I’d love to experience that someday. But for now, you can experience Earth’s winter. Come visit my house!”
Orange pushed open the door and led Lucky into his treetop home. The room was warm and cozy.
Lucky exclaimed, “Wow, it’s so much warmer in here than outside.”
“That’s right,” Orange explained. “When winter comes, besides preparing food, we also make our homes warm and comfortable. We spend most of our time indoors. When I sleep, I curl up into a little ball and use my fluffy tail as a blanket. It’s as warm and soft as a thick quilt!”
Lucky said, “I’ll definitely tell my parents about all these fascinating things when I get back.”
Orange added, “If you think this is interesting, let’s visit Little Bear Bay’s house. He’s also preparing for winter, and you’ll see even more amazing things!”
Bear Hibernates
Orange and Lucky went to Little Bear Bay’s house and found him eating a lot of food. His round belly looked even rounder.
Lucky asked, “Bay, why are you eating so much?”
“I’m preparing for hibernation! I’ll be sleeping all winter, so I need to eat a lot,” said Bay.
Lucky was amazed. “You’re going to sleep for the whole winter? Why?”
“That’s hibernation. For us bears, it’s perfectly normal. Winter is cold and food is scarce, so we sleep to conserve energy.”
After saying goodbye to Bay, they continued their winter adventure.
Little Rabbit Molt
Flying rabbit Lucky and Little Squirrel Orange left Little Bear Bay’s house and ran into Little Rabbit Fluffy on the way.
Orange said, “Fluffy, you’ve finally changed your fur! It looks so beautiful! And it looks thick and soft—definitely warm. I remember you were worried about not being able to change your fur!”
Fluffy smiled and said, “Yes! My mom told me that we rabbits grow thick, soft fur for winter, which keeps us warm. This was my first time changing fur, so I was excited but also a bit nervous, worried that I might not grow a new coat. My mom reassured me, saying that as long as I got enough nutrition, sleep, exercised, and stayed healthy, the fur would grow naturally.
I followed her advice, and soon I noticed my new fur growing in thick and fluffy. It’s so warm that I’m no longer afraid of the cold this winter.”
Lucky exclaimed, “Fluffy, even though we’re both rabbits, we’re different. On Planet T, we don’t have winter, so we don’t need to change fur. I can’t wait to tell my parents about all these fascinating things!”
As Lucky spoke, he sneezed again.
Fluffy and Orange both said in unison, “Lucky, you have to keep warm! This is Earth, not Planet T.”
Swan Flies South
After saying goodbye to Little Rabbit Fluffy, Flying Rabbit Lucky and Little Squirrel Orange met Little Swan Lily.
Orange asked, “Lily, you look so happy!”
Lily replied, “Yes, because winter is here, and we swans are about to fly south for the winter. Thinking about reaching our warm new home makes me very happy.”
Lucky asked curiously, “Why do you fly south in the winter?”
“Because winter is very cold, and food is scarce. The southern winter is much warmer, and there’s plenty of food. We fly there to spend the winter and return in the warm spring of the next year.”
Lucky suddenly understood. “Oh, so that’s how you swans spend the winter! Lily, flying such a long distance must be tough, right?”
Lily nodded and said, “We fly over mountains and rivers, enduring the wind and rain. It’s really exhausting, and sometimes we encounter dangers. But when we finally arrive at our warm new home with plenty of food, it feels like all the effort was worth it!”
“Hmm… Lily, I hope your journey goes smoothly and you don’t face any danger.”
Lucky felt happy for the swan but also a little worried. At the same time, he couldn’t wait to share all these new discoveries with his parents.
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