The woods are silent. He prefers the open plains but in winter, it is good to seek shelter. The ground is frosty, and when he moves, it makes crunchy sounds under his hoofs. He snorts, his breath flowing in curlicues through the frozen air.
The cows keep watch over the calves, playfully gathered by the shore of the ice-covered lake. The young ones frolic in the snow, butting heads in imaginary battles yet to come.
A wild bird sings in the thicket.
It is peaceful in the great white. Competitors and the two-legged creatures are not yet a threat. Only the howls in the mist. The danger comes later. When the air warms, raising the heat. The struggle begins again. So do the rewards. Good grass. The taste of victory on the sweet neck of the cows.
In the long polar night, they dream of the Great Bull. Their protector and guide who watches over the herd. When it’s time to move on, it will be at his command. For now, they wait in the stillness beneath a borealis sky.
I generated these images with Stable Diffusion. I prompted it to generate a buffalo blowing steam through its nose in the cold tundra air. The buffalo is a formidable creature that once roamed the plains of North America in large numbers and contributed to the development of cultures. The last image in the set is my favorite because it got me thinking about whether or not animals are capable of spiritual experiences like humans. If so, what are these experiences like? I think SD nicely captured this idea. Perhaps on some primitive level, these creatures have a conception of a higher being that watches over their affairs and actions. I hope you enjoyed them.
