It was a chilly Autumn day, transitioning into a bitter Winter. The animals knew it would be harsh to find food, let alone live. Therefore, the forest was now, at it’s last moments, bustling with busy creatures. The birds were readying themselves for their grand migration, the snakes were about making warm beds of leaves, the great brown bear of the forest snuck into her rocky cave for hibernation, and even the mice took refuge in the cracks of the great redwoods.
Bunny, a round, cheerful, grey rabbit who usually turned white during Winter was, surprisingly becoming darker. Now, instead of a snowball he looked much like a shiny pitch black ball of fur. It was a baffling transformation, but everybody was too busy to be concerned.
Well, everyone but Bunny was busy. Bunny did not care for work or preparing for Winter. All he wanted was to have fun. While everybody else prepared, he snuck down into the thick wood and played hide-and-seek with the vivacious chipmunks. They would peek in and out of the trees, swift as silverfish while Bunny made remarks like, “I caught you!” or “There you are!” Their shadows danced on the forest floor, and that is what Bunny enjoyed.
One night, old Owl stopped Bunny in his tracks. She gazed at him from above with her wise, knowing eyes.
“Bunny, I suggest you start making your burrow for the upcoming Winter and at least gather some food. You won't survive if you don't start working now,” she advised.
Bunny replied, “There will be plenty of time for that later. Don't you fret about me.”
Bunny scampered back to his summer home, a mere patch of dead grass, ignoring Owl’s warning. Behind him, Owl fluttered her wings.
“I’m afraid not,” she whispered sympathetically to herself.
As he slept in the cold night atmosphere, Bunny thought to himself, I’ll make a burrow and gather food tomorrow. All will go well. Little did Bunny know, he was a bit too late.
The next day was horrid. The the wind blew, harder than ever, the cold chilled, harsher than ever, and the snow fell, for the first time ever. At this time, Bunny was in the thick wood playing hide-and seek with the chipmunks. The chipmunks, scrambled to hide in small holes and old nests in the trees, not from Bunny, but from the storm. Of course, Bunny did not realise this until he was in deep trouble. The wind picked him up and flung him around. His soft fur was now speckled with shards of ice. Oh, he thought. If only I had listened to Owl! Bunny did not have a burrow to cower in, or food for that matter, so he scurried for dear life. Eventually, he found himself under a dying bush. However, the twiggy bush was not enough to protect Bunny from the great, raging snowstorm. Bunny’s black body shivered. The snow fell rapidly, covering him completely. He could not bear it. Suddenly, Bunny’s vision went dark, like someone had blown out the candle of his mind.
When the storm halted, the forest looked magnificent, like something out of a fairytale. A white, glittery blanket had covered it and icicles hung from every branch, making a sort of natural chandelier. The animals crept out of their cozy homes, marveling at the sight. However, Owl knew what destruction this beauty brought. Trees had fallen over, littering the paths. Everything else was officially lifeless. Then, the thought of Bunny struck Owl.
“Come! We must go to the thick wood! I feel something terrible has happened…”
Following Owl's lead, the animals rushed to the thick wood which was more like a powdered junkyard. They searched for Bunny tirelessly, but all they found was a motionless black ball of fur lying in the vast blanket of white.

Moral: It is essential to do important tasks when they need to be done, rather than procrastinating.