The night air held a sharp, crystalline frost, each breath misting in the frigid air. A silver rime dusted the edges of the woodland, crunching softly under unseen paws. Above, the sky was not just inky, but a profound, velvet black, deeper than any ocean trench, and across it, a million stars didn't just glitter, they blazed with cold fire, each a diamond scattered on blackest velvet.