Merry Mornings

The blazing sun beats down on the desolate Sahara Desert. A fine dusting of sparkling sand blows across the ground, winding between the four legs of a fearsome apex predator. She raises her nose towards the wind and sniffs, taking in the faint scent of her unsuspecting prey. With the direction of her next meal known she breaks into a slow jog, four mighty paws pounding the sand in a steady rhythm. Several miles later an unexpected sight graces her vision, an oasis! An island of life giving moisture among the infinite sea of dusty dunes and barren landscapes. She edges closer and finally gains sight of her target, a lone zebra lapping at water from a small pond. The oblivious animal is partly hidden behind tall palm trees and long grass but its clashing stripes gives its position away almost too easily. Our apex predator licks her lips. This brown bear is going to be eating good tonight.

The bear surveys her avenues of attack. Rush in and run the zebra down? No, she's not fast enough to catch up to the zebra if it has even a small head start. Quietly get closer and pounce on the zebra? No, this prey's hearing is too good, no way she could get close enough. But there are a few palm trees with trunks leaning almost directly above the pond. If she could just climb one of the trees then jump down she could take her prey by total surprise! Perfect!

With a giddy shake of her head she sneaks closer to the oasis, soft paw pads muffling her movement. She reaches the base of one of the palms, its trunk almost directly above the unsuspecting zebra. With a great deal of finesses she begins climbing the tree, her sharp claws giving her grip as they sink into the soft flesh of its trunk. Step after nail biting step, our bear edges up the tree. She briefly looks down to gauge her position and immediately regrets it, she's so high up that a single misstep means she would fall dozens of feet toward the ground. Steeling her nerves, she focuses on the climbing and soon reaches a position almost directly above the zebra. The palm is bending significantly due to her weight, and a few cracks as it shifts threatens to scare the zebra away. Our apex predator stops, looks down at her prey, and realizes she has mere moments to jump downward before her prey moves out of reach. She readies her claws, takes a few deep breaths, and leaps towards the ground!

************

A high pitched scream fills the air, waking me from an otherwise peaceful sleep. My eyes slowly open to see a ceiling fan spinning above, blue light from a coming dawn barely making it through a curtained window.

More shouting.

Feet stomping about past the door.

A cry for help.

Something just got knocked over in the living room.

In another time these sounds might have frightened me. I turn my head to the other side of the bed. There, just as tired as I am, is my wife and the mother to the little furballs causing all the ruckus that woke us up.

“What are the cubs up to Gabby?" I ask, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

“Kimmy is playing hunt the zebra again." One of her ears twitches in the direction of the door. “Daisy is the zebra this time."

“And Delilah?"

She sniffs the air before responding.

“Eating cereal in the kitchen."

I sigh and lay my head against the pillow. Four little paws stomping on wooden flooring suddenly run past the door and I catch part of a heated argument.

“There are no bears in the desert!"

“Yes there are!"

“Nuh uh!"

“Ya huh! GRAARR!"

The voices dissipate into some other corner of the house and I turn to face my wife.

“We should get up soon. Gotta get a tree today before all the good ones are gone."

A displeased groan is her response and I try to ease her displeasure.

“But not just yet. We can sleep in if we want to. Chuck said he keeps the place open until sundown, and I have a feeling he wouldn't mind us snooping around a little later than that."

“Good, good. You humans don't know how good you have it, not having seasonal instincts to contend with."

I chuckle and rub her cheek.

“You say that as if it wasn't the girls that just woke us up. If they have hibernation instincts I have yet to see them. Not to mention the boys are still fast asleep as far as I can tell. If anything our furry daughters inherited my instincts and the furless boys inherited yours."

She briefly pauses then chuckles with me.

“I guess you're right. Our girls will feel the need for hibernation soon enough though, cubs are always rambunctious when they're so young."

“Are you saying that from experience?"

The corner of her lip curls into a poorly suppressed smile.

“No, of course not, I was a model child and my parents loved me for it." She very clearly lies.

“Oh, really? Not a single angry tantrum or stolen cookie?"

“Not a single one!"

“Okay, sure, I totally believe you." I reach a hand out and begin stroking her chin, her eyes becoming half lidded in response. “If only our cubs inherited your even temper." I whisper, tone equal parts joking and longing.

Her eyes suddenly shoot open and she gives me a displeased stare. Even if her protective maternal instincts have simmered down since the cubs started walking she still hated it when anyone, even me, dared to imply they were imperfect. Typical mama bear.

“They must have inherited their rambunctiousness from you then, Jack." She fires back before shifting into a softer tone. “But it's something I can easily overlook. They are children, after all."

“That they are."

I resume rubbing the bottom of her chin and she drops back into a half lidded daze. We lay like this for a few more minutes, the chaos going on outside the door gradually quieting down. As my hand continues sliding across her fur one of my fingers rubs against the side of her muzzle and I feel something other than soft fur. It's the healed remnants of a scar, one of three that run across her muzzle with another that ran across the top and bottom of her blinded left eye, pupil a milky white. Her head twitches and I stop.

“Does it still hurt?"

“No, not since they healed up years ago. It just feels odd when anything touches them, those scars are the only part of my body not covered in fur."

My finger traces the edge of one as my mind goes back to the day she got them. It was before she had gotten pregnant with our daughters but after we started dating. At the time she was living in an apartment with several roommates. She got along well with all of them except for one, a Lioness named Maya. I didn't know Maya very well, but from what my wife tells me she was a bitch in every sense of the word. One of those catty, stuck up, holier than though kind of people that always seem to know how to get under your skin in the most irritating way possible. One day Maya went over the line and their words became heated, claws came out, and that night Gabby called me asking if she could spend the night at my place. I ended up picking her up from the hospital, a few bandages covering up her injuries. After that charges were pressed, the justice system did its thing at the usual glacial pace, and from what I heard Maya ended up spending a few weeks in jail and paying a hefty fine. She got off easy as far as I was concerned. My wife never told me exactly what caused their fight and I never tried to pry, content to put the whole thing behind us as quickly as possible. But that was many years ago, today we've got work to do.

“Honey, we really should get up. We don't want to be stuck wandering the tree farm after it gets dark."

“Ohhh alright." She grumbles. “I guess I'll get up. I call dibs on the first pot of coff-“

She cuts herself off and suddenly leans upward, rapidly sniffing the air. After a few moments I smell the same thing she does, the acrid smell of something burning. The kids!

In a flash we're both on our feet and marching towards the kitchen, the smell growing stronger. When we round a corner I spy Delilah in front of the oven, a smoking frying pan being the source of the smell. Hearing the heavy footsteps rapidly approaching she turns around with wide eyes.

“I-I-I'm sorry! I tried to make some bacon just like you showed me to but I think I left it on too long and then it started smoking and-and-and-" She trails off, staring at the ground in shame. I turn the burner off and remove the pan with several very blackened strips of bacon laying on it. Taking a spatula I begin prying them free of the pan while Delilah gets a stern talking to from Gabby.

“Did I ever give you permission to use the oven by yourself?"

“…No…" Delilah eventually responds.

“And why not?"

“…Because it's unsafe…"

“And why is it unsafe?"

“…Because I could burn the house down…"

Mama bear leans down, both hands on her hips.

“Or hurt yourself. It's deceptively easy to accidentally burn your fur on a stove little bear. It's a miracle you didn't set off the fire alarms with all that smoke. If you did then I would have been woken up before I was ready, then I really would have been angry."   

“Sorry mom…"

As I struggle to free the black strips of carbon from the pan Daisy and Kimmy run up to me. Daisy is clearly more out of breath than Kimmy is.

“Dad-dad-dad!" Daisy shouts.

“What?"

“I was on the couch trying to read a book for a book report LIKE YOU TOLD ME TO and then Kimmy climbed up on the top of it and jumped down and tried to bite me and claw me and eat me! Look at what she did! She basically bit my paw off!"

Daisy holds a paw out and I set aside the pan and spatula. I turn her little paw around looking for sign of injury and see nothing out of the ordinary.

“Your paw is fine Daisy. And stop playing hunt the zebra Kimmy. You're going to hurt someone if you keep trying to ambush people like that."

“I was just trying to play. It's not my fault she has such bad reflexes." Kimmy says defensively.

“She did too bite me look at this!"

Daisy parts some of her fur revealing an almost imperceptible cut on her skin. I cross my arms at her little trick.

“You got that cut yesterday when you were trying to cut up construction paper Daisy. You really think I would forget?"

She lowers her paw.

“Well…okay. I guess you're right."

“I know I'm right. Now go sit at the table and eat some breakfast with your sisters. We'll be outside all day today and you'll need the energy."

Kimmy's ears perk up at my words.

“Outside?! Are we going to play a game? Catch? Frisbee?" She says, eyes full of excitement.

As much as I hate dashing her hopes I can't get her expectations up that high.

“No Kimmy, we're not playing a game. We're going to pick out a Christmas tree today. A nice big tall one with lots of branches to hang ornaments from."

“Awwww maaaan." She whines. “That sounds boring."

“Too bad, this is a family event and you're going."

“Fiiine."

The cubs move towards the kitchen table and I eventually manage to get the pan free of its scorched contents. Leaving it to soak in the sink, I walk towards the bedroom the boys are still sleeping in. How the heck could they still be asleep with such a ruckus going on just a doorway away? I open the door and flip on the lights.

“Caleb, Carter, get up-get up-get up! We've got a big day ahead of us!"

The boys groggily lean up shielding their eyes from the light.

“Uhg, why so early? It's Christmas break dad!" Says Carter.

“Ya, aren't we supposed to get to sleep in? This is practically a crime." Adds Caleb.

“Because I said so. Now let's get a move on!"

I remove myself from the doorway and head back towards the kitchen. Gabby is already mixing pancake batter and frying some eggs by the time I'm back. I dutifully man the coffee maker while we wait for the boys to finally wander in. By the time the first pot is done Gabby's already got the table set and is dishing out fat stacks of pancakes to five waiting mouths. I take my seat and join in the feast. Against my better judgement I allow Caleb and Carter a few sips of coffee in an attempt to wake them up, finally allowing them to join the realm of the living. When the plates are empty and our bellies are full we start to get ready to finally pick out our Christmas tree.

Gabby and the cubs, already having a natural adaptation to inclement weather in the form of insulated fur coats, need nothing more than a gaudy Christmasy sweater on top of their regular clothes to keep themselves warm. However, me and the boys require something a little more substantial.

“It's so unfair, why do they not have to wear all this stuff while me and Carter do." Caleb says, pulling at his thick winter coat.

“Ya, it's unfair. Why can't we stay inside while they go out?" Says Carter.

Kimmy hears this and blows a raspberry at them.

“Stop teasing your brothers Kimmy." I command with a pointed finger. “Go outside and get in the van with the rest of the girls. Tell your mother we'll be out soon."

“Okay." She quickly replies before slinking outside. I turn back to Carter.

“It's just the way we were made, no sense complaining about it." I fit a small wool beanie on Carter's head and lean down. “But trust me, it won't feel so unfair when it's the middle of summer and the sun is beating down on you. Then the girls would be wishing they didn't have such thick fur and you'll get to enjoy the sun without constantly overheating. Trust me, when your mother and I took a vacation to the beach in the middle of July she almost wanted to shave her fur off." I say with a wink.

“Summer is so far off though…"

“It'll be here before you know it!"

I step back and look at my sons. With so many layers they resembled mummies more than little humans. At least that means they'll be warm. We step outside and I lock the door, looking outside I see Gabby and the cubs all piled into our van. Seeing our approach Gabby gets out of the passenger side door and walks up to Caleb and Carter. They stop, and knowing the drill, Carter turns his head to the side so she can rub her muzzle on it and in the process scent mark him. A common practice for human children with anthro parents, rubbing some of their parent's scent on them made them easier to track given anthros generally superior sense of smell. But when it came to anthro children the process of scent marking was unnecessary given their stronger and more unique scents compared to humans.

“I…pleh…think…pleh…you got me mom." Carter says, turning his head in an attempt to not get any more of Gabby's fur in his mouth.

“You've got enough of my scent on you when I say you do young man." She counters, intensifying her muzzling until briefly drawing her head back. Only to then plant a slobbery kiss on his cheek.

“Ewww. Gross." He groans, wiping his cheek.

I chuckle at his predicament.

“She only does it because she loves you Carter. Now hop in and let's get this show on the road!"

Oh for the Love of Honey

The radio plays the usual rotation of Christmas songs as we drive down the road, the kids either staring out the windows watching the snowflakes drift by or napping. I think Carter and Caleb crashed after the tiny bit of coffee I let them have earlier. Lightweights.

“Oh this isn't good at all." Gabby whispers, a claw sliding across her phone screen.

“What?"

“A snowstorm is supposed to come in later this afternoon. Not quite a blizzard but it's going to be close." Her eyes drift from her phone up to me. “If you want to continue we can't stay very long at the tree farm. We'll have to pick one out, cut it down, and take it back ASAP. Absolutely no delays. Or…we could go back and do this later."

I'm quick with an adamant response.

“No, we are doing this today. We're all in the car, I already told Chuck we would be coming down, and if we wait then all the good trees will be gone. If we have to do it in a rush then fine, just as long as we end today with a Christmas tree in our living room. An actual tree, one that smells of pine and doesn't have a plastic sheen. "

She shrugs.

“Okay, have it your way. Just don't be surprised if the kids are begging to get back home halfway into the journey because they're cold."

“I know, I know."

After a few minutes of silence Kimmy pipes up from the back.

“Hey dad?"

“What is it Kimmy? Please don't tell me you have to use the restroom."

“I don't."

“Then what is it?"

“What happens to bees when the winter comes?"

Great, another random question I would have to scrape up an answer to or risk a cascade of even more esoteric questions.  

“They, uhhh, they all get together in their hives and hibernate."

“Hibernate? Like me?"

“Ya, kind of."

“Is there still honey in their hives during the winter?"

“Yes, I think that's why they make it right? So they have something to eat in the winter?"

I turn towards Gabby expecting her to help me out but she just shrugs, her knowledge of bees just as limited as mine. Kimmy continues.

“So…like…if I found a beehive outside could I smash it and take the honey?"

Ah, her master plan becomes clear.

“Absolutely not Kimmy. Don't even think of trying to find a beehive while we're looking for a tree and get the honey inside. If you smash it then the bees will come out and sting you and then they'll die off in the cold. Then they won't have any honey to harvest in the summer!"

“Not even if I just wanted a little bit? I'll make a really small hole in the hive and just take a spoonful out."

Finally Gabby decides to chime in.

“Listen to your father Kimmy. No running off and trying to steal honey from poor sleepy bees. I'll be watching you the whole time out there."

“Fine…" Kimmy grumbles in response.

The rest of the drive to the tree farm is mercifully quiet. We park just outside the entrance and once the children are wrangled out of the van we begin walking up to a kiosk placed at the entrance gate. Manning it is a coworker of mine, a kindly old anthro Mustang named Chuck.

Gabby leans in beside me, her words hushed.

“I thought you said Chuck was a horse, not a reindeer."

“He is a horse."

“Since when did horses have antlers?"

I can't help but laugh.

“They're decorative, tis the season and all that. Come on honey, you may only have one good eye but I know your vision isn't that bad."

Hearing us approach Chuck turns his head and his entire set of fake antlers wobbles in response.

“Oh. Never mind." Gabby quickly spits out before putting on a polite smile.

Chuck puts his arms out wide as we come closer.

“Jacky boy! Gabriela! And you even brought all your cubs. Glad you all could brave the weather to make it down!"

“It's good to see you too Chuck." I motion towards my family as I introduce them. “This is my wife, Gabriela, who I've already told you about. And here's Caleb, Carter, Daisy, Delilah, and Kimmy."

He leans over the counter of the kiosk to get a view of the children.

“Well it's a pleasure to meet all of you. Welcome to Chuck's Christmas Tree Farm, it's a little thing I like to run in my free time. It's mostly a one man operation but thankfully we only get busy one time out of the year, hehe."

“I trust that there's still some prime trees out there?"

“Oh yes, yes, yes." He assures me with a smile. “We got tall ones, little ones, wide ones, skinny ones, any kind you want you ought to be able to find it with enough effort! Just don't dilly dally too long in there, there's supposed to be a mighty mean snowstorm moving through here in an hour or two."

“We know." Replies Gabby. “Checked the weather on the way up, came out of nowhere."

“I know right? I almost thought about shutting down early but I'll keep the place open until you all leave. Least I can do."

“Thanks Chuck. So, uhh, how does this whole tree choosing and buying and cutting thing work out exactly? This is our first time doing this."

“Oh it's real simple! Simply take this ribbon…" He hands me a bright orange strip of cloth. “…and wrap it around the outside of the tree you want to take home. That way it's marked as yours. Then just come down here and take a chainsaw, go up and cut it down, then come back and pay for it. I even have sleds if you need help transporting it from the farm to your car."

“And why can't I just take the chainsaw with me to save a trip back here?"

He leans in, voice low.

“People have been stealing them after they go out. Throwing them over the fence and pawning them somewhere, I think. So now I only ever let one saw out at a time, helps me keep track of who has it so if it doesn't show up again I know exactly who to blame. Besides, you only actually need the chainsaw after you have a tree picked out, no point carrying around a bunch of dead weight when you're just looking. Saves you back pain down the line, trust me!"

“Right, right, so wrap this ribbon around our tree, come back here for the saw, then cut it down and pay for it."

“That's it! I'll have to measure it after you bring it here. The bigger the tree the higher the price, obviously."

“Understood. Thanks Chuck!"

“No problem. Oh-oh-oh wait just one moment!" He leans below the counter before presenting a handful of candy canes to me. “For the kids!"

I smile and retrieve them.

“They'll appreciate it. We'll be back here soon."

“See ya Jack!"

 We depart with a wave and begin our trek into the tree farm, misty clouds of snowflakes falling from above. I begin handing out candy canes as I explain our mission.

“Alright kiddos listen up. We're picking a tree out so I want you all to be on the lookout for one that's roughly seven feet tall and with branches about this wide." I stick out my arms to show the width I'm talking about. “Got it?"

They all shake their heads in unison.

“Great! Now stick close to me and your mother and start looking."

Almost immediately Caleb runs a few feet away and points excitedly at a tree.

“Dad-dad-dad! This one! This one looks perfect!" He shouts over.

I shake my head in disapproval.

“Caleb, son, that tree is twenty feet tall. It's more fit to be standing in a town center than in a house."

He looks to the tree then back to me.

“So? That just means we can stick more ornaments on it!"

Gabby takes him by the shoulder and guides him back to the rest of us.

“Caleb, seven feet, that's this tall."

Gabby sticks a paw above her head to illustrate what seven feet looks like.

“Oh, uhh, okay. Fine. I guess it is a little taller than that." He grumbles.

When he's back with the group I survey the trees in the immediate area. Spotting one that seems decent I turn to Gabby.

“Honey, look at that one. Right height but it's kind of skinny. See any that are wider? A little more filled out with needles?"

But she's not focused on the trees, no, she has her snout turned up to the wind.

“Smell something? An animal?" I ask.

Hearing my words she stops her olfactory investigation.

“Huh? Sorry, what?"

“What did you smell? A wild animal or something?"

“No I thought I smelled…it was probably nothing. We should get going, the storm will be here before you know it."

I raise an eyebrow.

“Okay, whatever you say. Just give me some warning if you smell a feral cougar sneaking up on us or something, okay?"

She chuckles. 

“So you can fight it one on one, man against cat?" She smirks.

“Of course! Wouldn't be a fair fight otherwise!"

She pats me on the shoulder condescendingly.

“Typical male bravado. Getting into fights when you don't even have the teeth or claws to give you a fighting chance. Just be sure to tag team me in when you get worn out, okay?"

“It won't be necessary, but sure."

“Hey! Hey guys!" Shouts Daisy.

“Yes cub?"

“Me and Delilah found a really great tree! Come look!"

And with that began the start of our search for the perfect tree. That one was too short, another one too wide, too thin, not enough branches, too many needles, not enough needles, some grew at a slight angle or had signs of rot. Several times we picked out a tree only for me to find some imperfection in it. After what had to be at least an hour of trudging around in the snow Gabby and the kids had finally found one that I was on the verge of accepting.

“Come on, it's perfect."

I raise a hand to my chin.

“I don't know."

“Come on Jack, it's picturesque. Seven feet tall, thin top and wide base, plenty of green needle filled branches."

“Hmm. It might be a little too thin at the top."

Gabby nudges me in the side with a sharp elbow.

“It's perfect and the kids are getting cold and restless. We're picking this one." She states, voice filled with cold command.

I finally remove the hand from my chin.

“Okay, it's good enough! This is the one."

Without asking she snatches the orange ribbon from my coat pocket and wraps it around the tree. Looking around I perform a quick roll call before we begin our trip back top the kiosk to get the chainsaw from Chuck.

Let's see, Caleb is currently in a sword fight with Carter. Thankfully their swords are actually thin branches, not that it stopped them from dramatically falling to the ground when they got 'stabbed'. Daisy and Delilah are building some kind of snow castle thing in a clearing. So that leaves Kimmy.

“Kimmy?" I shout.

No response.

“Kimmy come on! We got a tree! Kimmy?"

I wait a few seconds and…no response.

“Where the hell is she." I mutter under my breath.

I begin walking further into the forest but a paw on the shoulder stops me. Gabby sniffs the air before pointing a claw to our left.

“Over there."

I nod and together we all follow mama bear's lead through the snow. A few hundred feet out we finally gain sight of Kimmy through the whirling snow. My heart stops as I see her a dozen feet off the ground, her legs and arms wrapped around the trunk of a great Oak tree. My pace increases and we all stand below the tree looking up to the ball of brown fur clinging to its side.

“Kimmy what are you doing up there?! Come down!" I yell upwards.

“Little bear you come down right this instant! You know that climbing trees is not allowed!" Shouts Gabby.

Yet Kimmy shows no sign of following our orders, instead edging upwards in small increments. She comes closer to a branch and finally I spy the reason she made the climb in the first place. There's a beehive hanging near the base of the branch she's coming close to. I groan internally.

“Kimmy. Get away from that beehive and get down here."

“No, I can reach it!" She yells back.

“We have honey at home. There's no reason to risk a climb just to get some. Don't make me come up there little bear, I'm a better climber than you think!" Threatens Gabby.

Kimmy finally stops her climb and reaches a short arm out, slowly edging closer to the beehive.

“No you don't understand, I have to prove I can-“

There's a dull scratching sound as the claws on her feet gradually lose their grip and I watch in horror as Kimmy races towards the ground, a shrill scream escaping her muzzle the entire way. I move to try and catch her before she lands only to realize that Gabby is already in place with her arms held out.

“AHHHHHHH-OOF!"

Kimmy has the air knocked out of her lungs as she impacts Gabby's chest, her strong arms stopping the cub's fall. We all stand there in shock for a few moments, hearts slowing as our bodies adjust to the fact that the danger's over. Gabby gently lowers Kimmy onto her feet and leans down, a stern maternal finger pointed to the cub's nose.

“What were you thinking trying to pull a stunt like that?!" She says with a low growl. “You could have fallen and broken a bone! Or worse! You're lucky we arrived when we did."

“You don't understand! He dared me to do it!" Kimmy says, a finger pointed towards the forest.

I look to where she's pointing to see no one there. I cross my arms.

“Kimmy don't try to blame this on some imaginary friend. We all know that-“

Gabby stops me with a palm.

“Wait.." She says, sniffing the air. “…there's someone there." She leans up and raises her voice. “Come out kitten. We know you're there."

The head of a juvenile lion reveals itself from behind a nearby tree. I'm only barely able to tell he's a lion due to the large scarf wrapped around his face.

“I-I didn't think she'd actually do it. It was a joke." He hesitantly says.

Before we have a chance to question the kitten a screeching voice comes from behind him. A figure appears out of the snowy mist and I recognize it as a Lioness in a thin coat. No way it's…

“Mason! You wandering little miscreant where did you go?! I'll have your tail for lunch if you don't make yourself known right this instant!"

The lioness stops as she sees us, her tail going limp behind her. Before I have a chance to ask Gabriella if that's who I think it is she answers my question.

“Maya. Long time no see."

Maya's tail twitches.

“Oh. If it isn't my former roommate and her…brood. Come here kitten, I don't want you to catch any fleas." She motions for Mason to come closer and he runs over, taking a place behind her. “I don't seem to recall us ending on the best of terms Gabriela. How's your left eye been treating you?"

“It's just fine." Gabby replies between gritted teeth.

“Good, good, I always knew grizzlies could take a beating."

Gabby side steps closer to me and suddenly I feel a paw wrap around my hand tightly, fingers interlinked.

“I seem to recall that you didn't come out of that fight unscathed either, Maya."

Maya rubs a paw across her unblemished cheek.

“You would be correct. Thankfully I was able to see some of the best doctors in the country after our little spat and what can I say? They did a wonderful job of hiding the scars. It's unfortunate you didn't see some top rate doctors yourself, not that I think you could have afforded them."

Her grip on my hand grows tighter.

“If only we could all could have parents as rich as yours."

“If only…" She says longingly, a wicked smirk on her face.

“Speaking of parents, where's the father to your kitten? Don't tell me you got busy with a tom cat."

Maya puts a paw to her chest and laughs just long enough for it to be awkward.

“No-no-no! His father is in Paris right now, on a business trip. He works for an international banking firm."

Gabby cocks her head, curious.

“The same firm your father works for?"

“Yes! How did you know?" Maya says with a knowing smile.

“Call it a hunch. I'm sure he was hired based on merit rather than some form of nepotism."

Maya lets her smile simmer down.

“I assure you, he's good at what he does. Really brings home the bacon so to speak. It's just a shame he has to be away from home for so long."

“Almost like he's trying to avoid being around someone…"

Maya gives a forced chuckle before slowly walking closer to me and Gabby.

“Gabby, I know we didn't end things on the best note all those years ago. They say that time heals all wounds, and I like to believe it does. So, why don't we settle things with a handshake? Let bygones be bygones?"

Maya sticks a paw out in front of her, five well-manicured bright pink claws on display. Gabby, however, refrains from shaking her hand.

“You never paid rent. Left it all to the rest of us."

“I was young and bad with money."

“Always hogged the bathroom."

“A girl has got to look her best. Doubly so for lionesses."

“Never cleaned your dishes."

“I was too busy with my studies. Besides, I never let it get that out of hand."

“Broke the television I bought."

“The remote slipped out of my hand! It was an accident, I assure you."

“Insulted my husband."

“He was your boyfriend at the time. And I was totally wrong about him, he's clearly a wonderful human being."

“Left scratches on all our furniture."

“I'm a klutz and lion claws are deceptively sharp, you of all people ought to know."

Gabby's grip on my hand grows even tighter and I have to clench my teeth to keep from not grimacing. But it quickly loosens and to my surprise Gabby raises her hand to return Mayas handshake.

“So, we're even?"

“Even." Gabby replies flatly.

They exit the handshake and say goodbye to each other, the two felines drifting back into the clouds of snowflakes. Snowflakes that seemed to be multiplying, the storm is almost upon us. I turn to Gabby.

“I think you handled that very well."

She puts a paw up to shield her mouth from the children behind us.

“If the kids weren't with us I would have taken a swipe at her when she approached. Just seeing her set off all sorts of defensive instincts in me."

“Well it's good you didn't, otherwise it might have been you going to prison this time."

“I know. I'm just…trying to set a good example."

I pat her on the cheek.

“And that you did. Now let's head off to get that chainsaw and hope we never have to see her stupid face around here again."

Firy Snatch and Grab

“Are you sure it was this way?"

“Yes Gabby, I'm sure."

“I think we've been walking in circles."

“No we haven't, I've been tracing our footsteps the whole time. I know where we are."

Gabby grumbles something back but I can't hear it over the sound of the wind. Looking behind me I check to make sure all five children are with us. One, two, three, four, five, good, we're all accounted for. Setting the chainsaw down for a moment I stop to survey our surroundings. In truth I only had the barest idea of where we were and an even fainter idea of where our chosen tree is. We're in the southwest corner of the farm…probably. That means we should head North to be in the general are of where we chose our tree…I think. In a desperate measure I swivel my head around to try and find some landmarks we could use to help guide us. That's when I see a faint orange color appear through clouds of blowing snow. That must be it!

“Honey! This direction!" I giddily point and shout, picking up the chainsaw and breaking into a jog.

As we edge closer, the orange ribbon becomes clearer and I know for a fact we're coming up on our tree. We just barely made it back in time! With the weather getting untenable I should just barely have enough time to cut this thing down and-

Oh. Oh no.

As I approach the tree an unwelcome sight greets me. The orange ribbon is laying in tatters on the snowy ground. Half of the branches have been torn off and deep scratches are gouged into the trunk. The tip of the tree is snapped off and thrown a few feet away. My lips curl into a harsh frown.

“Hey, what happened to our tree?" Asks Daisy.

I remain silent, there is no answer I could give her that doesn't involve half my words being curses. Gabby silently walks up to the tree, inspecting it. What's even the point? The whole thing is a write off.

She gently pulls something off of the trunk and walks over to me, her palm held out. What I see on her paw brings my blood to a boil. A single claw, pink in color and with a sharp edge. My eyes drift up to Gabby's and we stare at each other, silently sharing the same thought.

That bitch.  

She lets the claw fall into the snow and crosses her arms. I stand there despondent. Until I feel a tug on my jacket. Looking down it's Kimmy.

“Hey dad. Do you have another candy cane?"

I shake my head.

“No, why?"

“I think I lost it when I fell."

“You…lost your candy cane?"

“Ya…" She admits sadly.

Something inside me breaks. I see the sad cub in front of me. Our other four children freezing behind us. My wife idly kicking the snow in an attempt to not have an angry meltdown.

And…I see the chainsaw in my hand. I run a finger over the blades on the chain. They're shiny and sharp. Chuck must have sharpened them recently. I got a full tank of gas too. A devious plan forms in my head.

“Gabby. Take Caleb, Carter, Daisy, and Delilah to the van."

“What? Why?"

“Me and Kimmy are getting another tree."

“Have you gone insane Jack? The snowstorm is upon us! We don't have time to search for another tree!"

“I didn't say we were searching for another tree I said we were getting one. Me and Kimmy will meet you at the entrance. Keep the engine running."

I throw the keys over to her. She opens her mouth as if to say something but stops herself, eventually giving a tired shrug and turning towards the children. She gathers the four of them before heading off into the forest. When they're out of earshot I lean down to Kimmy.

“Do you remember where that beehive was?"

“I think so."

“Think you could track the scent of a cat through this snowstorm?"

“I don't know."

I rub her head.

“It'll be just like playing a game of hunt the zebra. Except you're not looking for a zebra, you're looking for a lion. Think you could do that for me?"

She looks down, uncertain, before popping back up.

“Ya, I think I could do that."

“Good! One more thing though." I lean in close. “Under no circumstances are you to tell your mother what we're about to do, okay?"

She smiles and shakes her head.

“Excellent. Now, where's that beehive at?"

************

“Gabby open the trunk! Open it!" I scream, running as fast as my legs will carry me. In my arms I'm holding the base of a moderately decent Christmas tree, its top dragging on the snow.

“Dad! Wait up!" Yells Kimmy from behind, her little feet moving as fast as they can and arms burdened with the chainsaw.

“Almost there Kimmy! Just a little further!" I encourage the little bear.

Gabby gets out of the van and spreads her arms.

“The trunk?! I thought you were going to tie it up to the roof. Isn't that why you brought all those tie downs?"

“We don't have time! It's going inside!" I shout back.

She gives me a confused stare before taking her keys out and and unlocking the trunk, raising the lid just in time for me to shove the tree over the rear seats.

“Jack…why does this tree have a blue ribbon on it?"

“No idea!" I lie and look around to see Kimmy already offering me the chainsaw. I take it from her paws and rub her head. "You did great little bear. Get in the car and get ready to go." I say before stumbling off to the entrance kiosk.

The mustang looks at me strangely, scratching his head.

“Didn't I give you the orange ribbon? And you know I have to measure that thing before you pay."

I take out my wallet and retrieve all the cash inside, slamming it all down onto the counter. Next to the money I lay the chainsaw. He looks at the cash for a few moments before smiling.

“But…I'm sure this is enough. And that tree looked to be about seven feet tall to me. I'll give you your change back later, you really ought to leave before the snowstorm gets any worse."

“Thanks Chuck." I say, relieved. “Just one thing, can I get another candy cane?"

“Sure!" He reaches below the counter and hands me another one.

“Thanks! You're the man!"

And then I'm running back to the van, hopping into the passenger seat and slamming the door shut. Gabby turns to me.

“Jack, where did you get that tree? Does that blue ribbon belong to who I think it does?"

Before I can answer I see two figures start to appear from beyond the entrance gate. I can already imagine the honey covered scowl on the larger one's face. I turn back to Gabby.

“Me and Kimmy went looking and found a perfect one nearby. It was a Christmas miracle. Now can we get a move on please?!"

She looks at me with a cold stare before breaking into a smirk and putting the car in drive.

“You're setting an awful example you know."

I take the candy cane out of my pocket and reach back to hand it to Kimmy who immediately tears off the wrapping and sticks it in her mouth.

“Sorry honey, but you know why I had to do it. Defend the family's honor and all that."  

Gabby turns onto the main road and we start putting distance between us and the tree farm. I almost nod off until I feel a slobbery lick on my cheek. Before my brain has a chance to process that it came from Gabby I say the first thing that comes to mind.

“Eww, gross."

Gabby looks to me with a smile.

“Come on Jack, you know why I do it."

I do. She loves me.