A woman wakes from a deep sleep to a distant, piercing sound and briefly clings to a fading dream of ropes and rivers. When she goes to the window, she sees that spring has finally come to Hallowell: the frost is gone from the panes, and the sound outside is not screaming after all, but soft whining.

Wrapped in a blanket, the woman opens the front door and recognizes the source of the sound as Tempest, the fox. Beyond the garden gate, the river has thawed and runs dark and dangerous again, while a waterwheel turns freely in the distance. The chapter lingers on the changed season, showing a valley restored to movement, warmth, flowers, and small living things after winter's long stillness.

Tempest sits at her den and whimpers for her kits to come out. When they hesitate, her mate joins her, touches noses with her, and gently nudges the young foxes into the grass one by one. The four kits begin exploring the roots of the old tree, the bark, and the three large moss-covered stones nearby, tumbling and playing in their new world.

The woman watches the fox family from the doorway and remembers, feeling wonder mixed with an old, tender grief. Even so, joy outweighs sorrow as she takes in the sight before her. She notes that there are four kits in all: one large red male like the father and three slender, dark, silver females like Tempest.