Impenetrably Mysterious

The relentless series of snowfalls
finally scatter themselves in a wan
flurry of exhaustion, satisfied with
the effects of their seasonal decor.
All that might seem sinister in a
leaf-shorn forest now generously
cloaked in pristine white. The sky,
reflecting the arras below, its own 
shade of white, all absorbed in the
shimmering, glimmering presence
of winter. Though it is still yet
afternoon, dusk claims the remains
of the day, adding mystery and a
suspense of furtive activity from
the forest understory to skyward
aerial reaches; of nature's creatures
settling under that plush white
sound-absorbing comforter betraying
the tracks of the residents below
and above. All, that is, but the
raptors and the night-hunting carnivores
whom the dark of night and the
creeping shadows on the snow
alert them to take swift and deadly
advantage of the comforted unwary.