We are companioned

In the imaginal realm, the sky glows like a gray pearl. Snow swirls around me like frost-smoke. 

Out of nowhere trots Fox, with a jaunty air. Sparks of magic fly from his russet fur. Wonder fills me at his presence. 

Fox does not pause in his trotting, but acknowledges me with one backward glance over his shoulder. A clear invitation.

"I am coming!" I call. "Wait for me!"  

But Fox slips along the trail only he can see, and disappears into the tanglewood. 

I head off. Only in such fresh snow would I ever be able to track a fox at all, you understand. Though the drifting snow tries to swallow the prints, I follow them to an opening under the hill. 

I stoop to peer into the cave. I do not see the fox, but a small wood fire burns on the stony ground. 

I enter and sit down. As I warm my hands at the flames, I hear the voice of the fire: "I am here to warm you, to shine down upon you, to bring you light in dark places. Know that you are not alone." 

The ancient stone beneath me speaks next: "I am Earth's bones. For your whole life and beyond will I hold you; you are never alone." 

I hear the liquid voice of small rivulets that trickle down the cave walls. Water says to me, "I am with you, to quench your thirst, to bathe your wounds, to wash you clean. I am part of you, you are never alone." 

Then, from the darkest part of the cave, where the shadows flicker, comes forth Fox. In the firelight, he gazes at me in silence. Then I hear him say, "I am the voice of the bright peoples. We are your teachers, your soul kin and companions in this life. Seen or unseen, we are always with you, so you are never alone."