Young rabbit Toby loves walks through the snowy forest. In winter, as soon as the first snow falls, he rushes to put on his favourite little boots and white coat to head out for a walk. Toby never sits at home all day long, but his forest friends—hedgehog Sasha and squirrel Masha—don't enjoy going for walks.
Sasha can watch cartoons for days on end without leaving the house, and Masha can play with her toys indoors and not even notice the day passing. It's hard to convince these friends to go for a walk even in summer, and in winter, when the frost nips at your cheeks, it's nearly impossible!
Toby is always very sad that his forest mates miss out on the most fun winter games and stay indoors. He often tells them:
You lot have no idea how brilliant it is outside in winter!
It's cold outside in winter, not brilliant, grumbles hedgehog Sasha in reply.
And why play outside when you can stay home? There are more toys here and it's warmer, adds squirrel Masha.
The little rabbit became discouraged time and again, but then he came up with a plan to lure his friends out of the house and show them all the wonders of winter. He proposed a wager to the animals:
Let's play snowball fight. If anyone gets too cold or isn't having fun, I won't ask you to go out again. You can stay home watching cartoons, but if you enjoy it, we'll go out every day.
You're always coming up with something, Toby! I agree because I'm sure I'll freeze solid! said Sasha.
I agree too, because it can't possibly be more fun outside than at home, added Masha.
Just promise to dress warmly and don't forget to bring a good mood, otherwise it won't work, said Toby and looked carefully at his friends.
We promise, agreed the animals.
They decided to play snowball fight the next day after their discussion. The rabbit personally made sure his friends wore warm mittens and didn't forget their hats. Outside, the sun was shining and the snow was soft and fluffy, perfect for a fun winter game!
The animals gathered in a large forest clearing, and rabbit Toby said:
The rules are simple: everyone plays for themselves, and whoever stays the driest by the end of the game wins.
Hedgehog Sasha and squirrel Masha weren't in a hurry to start. Sasha was even beginning to feel a bit cold, and Masha was getting bored. Suddenly, a snowball whizzed right past Masha's hat. She even squealed with surprise. And she wanted so badly to catch up with the rabbit and hit him with a snowball that her boredom quickly vanished and she ran towards Toby shouting: "Attack!"
The hedgehog was getting colder and was about to head home when a perfectly round snowball landed right on his spines. Masha had hit her target perfectly. Then rabbit Toby ran right up to the hedgehog and said:
Hedgehog, don't fall asleep—you'll freeze! Let's team up and catch Masha!
Let's do it, snorted the hedgehog and joined in the game.
For a long time the animals ran about the snowy clearing, sometimes playing individually and sometimes teaming up in pairs. When everyone was out of breath and the game came to an end, they couldn't determine a winner because the three friends, in their joy, dove into the snow and were now equally soaked!
Wow, that was brilliant! said the hedgehog, climbing out of the snowdrift.
Never mind, I'll get my revenge tomorrow, replied the squirrel.
You lot, I'm so happy you enjoyed playing snowball fight, let's build a snow fort tomorrow and play in it! said rabbit Toby enthusiastically.
Let's! shouted Sasha and Masha together.
Now it's time to dry off, suggested the rabbit and the animals headed home.
Throughout the rest of winter, the animals played together. Toby was happy that his friends had now grown to love winter too. And that first snowball fight, Sasha and Masha remembered for a long time, because it was far more interesting than cartoons and toys, and most importantly, nobody froze!
