Winter Women

My breath came out in clouds of glass slivers, mimicking the blanket that covered the ground. My boots crunched through the snow, leaving a trail pointing my travels back and forth. The glow of the fire far off in front of me shone through the woods, making rainbows in the snow. I entered the glowing clearing, delighting in the warm fire. Entering the ring of fur-dressed men, talking and laughing crudely, grease and bits of charred venison caught in their long, unruly beards. I tossed my armload of firewood onto the ever-shrinking pile of firewood. I sat down on an available log, grabbed a piece of meat, and bit into it.
The tall, beefy man at the other end of the fire-circle stood up, and, gathering everyone’s attention, spoke out in his loud, ringing voice, “Men, this has been our best year yet. We have trapped more animals, skinned more pelts, and eaten better than we ever have before. We’ve topped everyone else in the entire woods, and no one can beat us. We are the BEST!!!” All the men cheered at that. The hollered and clapped. The leader looked sad. “However, we’re still stuck with the same problem as always - No women.”