Winter on Nexus, and every child, every spouse
Was snug safely and warm, ensconced in their house
Except for those who went prowling about
Or those who had not, but none went without.
"..at least, that's what my grammy used to tell me." Muldoon says, idly kicking the snow off his boots. It falls softly into the deeper snow below the barn loft.
Muldoon looks over his shoulder. "Wish you wouldn't shiver so, Scilly. You're makin' me cold jus' watchin' you."
Scilly sniffs, "I ain't made too much for alla snow, Muldy. B'sides, it's so cold t'night that it'd freeze the whiskers off the mayor in town. Wouldn't that be a sight?"
Muldoon chuckles. "He'd make a good snowfur." The fox wrinkles up his brow. "Do you make snowfurs here?"
Scilly frowns and looks over towards said fox. "What's a snowfur? Doesn't that happen bad enough when ya stand out in the blizzard?"
Muldoon yawns, leaning back and looking at his partner upside-downishly. "It's making furs out of snow. It's fun."
Muldoon shakes his head. "No wonder you don't like your childhood. I bet you don' even believe in Santa Claws."
Scilly says, "D-do they get up and wave their arms out and go *aaaaaauuuuuugh* as they run at you? Oh! So they do have claws!"
Muldoon chuckles and gets up, groaning as his stiff muscles protest. "No, no. Two differen' things, Scilly. Snowfurs are just snow, packed an' decorated wif yer own two hands. Santa Claws is a big fur who brings presents fur everyone."
Scilly rolls over, hay sticking in his fur and all through his ear tufts. "Why would he do that? Got too much?"
Muldoon shakes his head. "No, 'coz it's for good girls and boys ta get presents for being good kids."
Muldoon smiles. "Sounds like you never had fun when you were a kitling, and I aims to make up for it. Bundle up, and climb down- we're gonna make snowfurs."
Scilly kicks a bit of hay, sending it down into the loft's floor. "Well, there goes that. Ain't too many adults who'd think I've been good. Eh? It's cold."
Muldoon nods. "Yeah, but the snow's still soft. If we don't do this now, it'll be froze by mornin'."
Scilly leans over and grabs up his thinning coat, mittens and scarf too. He wraps them tight and pulls in his little muzzle of whiskers so that the tips just poke out. "Guess it's warmer this way annaway. Lead on."
Muldoon shakes his head. 'Naw, I'm going to clean off the shovel-- you go first."
Scilly says, "Shovel? Ain't those fer scooping paths and stuff?"
Muldoon nods. "Yah, but it'll make it easier to get lots of snow together. But I gotta clean off the stuff that was on it first."
Scilly gazes over the loft's edge. To land in the snow covered hay, or to use the ladder. It seems that this time the hay wins. He leaps off the top, arms stretched out and aiming for the loose bundle below.
Muldoon takes a few minutes, but follows after, the large shovel from up in the loft tucked under his arm.
Muldoon makes sure to pick his way down the ladder, the hay bale not even an option.
Scilly shakes out the snow and fodder, leaving a trail of straw behind.
"See, what we do, is we first make two really really big snowballs-- more like boulders of snow. Make sure you leave an area of snow clear, though, coz that's where we'll stand 'em."
Scilly says, "Uh... 'kay. What do we do with the boulders after then?"
Muldoon lopes out into the great (and cold) outdoors outside the barn, and starts wielding the shovel with vigor. "When I was a kid, we were too small to use the shovel- it took hours to make the boulders big enough." he reminisces. "Oh, you put one on top of the other. Makes a body an' bottom."
Scilly says, "Oooh.. I see. Boulder-butts." He starts scooping snow with his mittened paws. Not too effective, but why not. "Wassit about Sandy claw?"
Muldoon starts piling snow near the ferret. "Use this pile, if ya want. Pack it an' make it round."
Muldoon says, "An' about Santa Claws..." he begins, "...that's a long story.""
"Santa Claws is older than the hills. He's red, like a fox, but thas' only his suit, you see."
"Ack'tually, he's a tiger. Big white tiger, they's rarer than rare, an' there's only one Santa Claws, and tigers have big sharp nasty claws, so it makes sense."
Scilly says, "Yer goshing me? This big white tiger comes around putting presents for good kids places? How's he know if they're good or what?" He starts stacking snow together in a big round ball. "And this ain't gonna come to life and chase after me is it?"
Muldoon shovels more snow into the pile as he talks, his breath coming out in big white frosty clouds.
Muldoon chuckles. "Well, sa'posedly Santa Claws spends all year just watchin' people, an' he makes a list for all of those kits who are bad and who do nice things."
Muldoon stops shoveling, to help pack. "No, no, we're making this, an' we're not carvin' those witchy runes in it, so it ain't goin' nowhere."
Scilly scoops up another mitten full of snow and sticks it to the ball. "So, how come I can't just wait till he's not looking at me anymore and he's looking at, what... you? Eww, witchy runes."
Muldoon yawns a little, packing more snow. "Ya never know when you's being watched. Actually, I think he's got a bunch of, of, mice who work for him an' watch you too."
Scilly says, "Mice?" He pads at another spot for the moment, "that's really odd. Think we should go find him someday?""
Muldoon says, "Well, if you wanna walk alla way ta the North Pole, you'll find'im. The trains don't go that far north. An' he flies in and out, so there's no roads.""
Muldoon hmms, and uses the flat side of the shovel to shape an errant spot on the boulder.
Scilly stops, tucking his hands beneath his arms for the moment. "Now I know yer pulling my tail. Everyone knows that *tigers* don't fly. They ain't got wings. Bats're a little odd, they ain't got feathers, but tigers ain't even got wings."
Muldoon chuckles, "Start on the next one."
Muldoon starts shoveling snow again into a new pile. "No, actually, Santa doesn't fly-- his magic buffalo do. They's winged buffalo, and they pull his sleighfull of him and his toys fer all the good girls an' boys." The fox wrinkles his brow. Somehow that's not quite right, is it?
Scilly starts packing at the snow again then nods his head, "Oookay, I understand now. Buffalowings. Buffalo....ain't seen one of 'em, but I've seen 'em wings. Reminds me, I'm hungry.
Muldoon chuckles. 'Well, you're always hungry. Finish this and we'll go get something to eat."
"Anyhow. On Christmas Eve, happens one day a year, he flies alla round the world with his toys, an' he gives 'em away, wrapped up so ya don't know what it is right away. An' he's happy an' jolly an' stripey an' everything."
Muldoon packs more snow, rounding it on his side. "An' he goes 'ho ho ho' a lot."
Scilly continues to frown, taking all this new information in. He finally just says, "ho ho ho.... an red suit. Still doesn't tell me why he does it? Why not keep it fer himself?
Muldoon shakes his head. "He'd have way too many toys and treats."
Muldoon okays. "This one's big enough. Now, you get that end, and I'll get this end, an' we'll stack 'em."
Scilly nods his head and heads around to the side. His teeth chattering, he says, "ready... when ye are."
With a bit of difficulty, the pair stack the one atop the other. "Anyways, it's all part o' the magic o' Christmas." he explains. "Maybe you jus' need to believe."
Muldoon says, "Okay. Now, we make one more, smaller yet, fer the head. Shall we make this one a fox, or a ferret?"
Scilly wraps his arms over his chest again, "which ya want, Muldy. I'm gettin really cold."
Muldoon hmms. "Tell ya what. I'll make a fox head, an' you run back up an' get warm, okay?"
Scilly looks over then nods with a chatter, "that sounds like an idea. I ain't got too thick fur fer this right now. I'll look from the barn, 'kay?"
Muldoon nods. 'Sounds good. Shoo!'
Morning comes, clear and cold. Scilly wakes first, and decides to do something about that morning 'breakfast thing. Still two scones left from last week.
Scilly stretches, wiggling his toes amid the hay then blinking his eyes. Hmmmm.... his stomach rumbles. Scones. He licks his lips a moment, then rolls over. The other thought passes through his mind. Hmm... Scones. With that his stomach growls. He rolls back onto his back and pushes up onto his elbows with the delightful thought of scones on his mind, yet again. (One track mind?)
Unfortunately, someone appears to have beat Scilly to the scones. Or at least, someone's unwrapped the paper wrapping and eaten half a scone, left next to the pair's packs.
Muldoon, the most likely culprit, is mumbling something in his sleep about giant leeches, and is burrowed into one of the hay bales.
Scilly perks up suddenly and looks over towards Muldoon's spot. His eyebrows shoot straight up and he exclaims, "We've been ROBBED! I can't believe it!"
Muldoon's left ear perks, orients, and then the fox lets out with an awfully loud snore as the ear drops again.
Scilly grabs up one of his shoes and tosses it, aiming to hit the fox in the leg. He exclaims again, "part o'our very last scone's been pilfered from right unner our noses... " He then pauses and says, "pilfered.... s'right word I think. It's been et! Ahh, I'm gonna waste away, poor little... wait, didn't get anything else, did he?"
Muldoon yips softly as the shoe hits him in the leg, and curls up into a tighter ball. "Gol' leeches."
Scilly rolls out of his haybale and pads, bare pawed (cold cold cold..) across the loft floor. He squats down and gives a shake to the fox's shoulder. "Ain't got any in th' hay. Wake up, fuzzy."
Muldoon stirs, finally. "Whathmm?" He blinks awake, staring blearily. "'mornin'."
Muldoon ughs. "S'cold."
Scilly says, "Ya, both. An we's gonna be hungry. We've been robbed!"
Muldoon isn't awake enough to be alarmed, apparently. "Robbed?"
Scilly makes a little whimpering sound, "an I'm gonna waste away... robbed. Our last scone, it's been fingered, heisted. Taken from unner our poor little blue cold noses."
Muldoon ohs, and grins softly. "No, no, I don't think so.."
Muldoon gets stiffly to his feet, pulling his boots on. "C'mon, I'll show ya.. I hope."
Scilly hefts a thumb towards the food supply, "why else's all those crumbs all over the place, an very little scone?" He grabs up his tossed shoe, pulling it on over the sock with a hole in it, now that Muldy's reminded him of his cold toes.
Muldoon surveys the scene, and grins a bit more. "Look by the entrance t'the loft." he says, and points out a set of very LARGE bootprints in the fine layer of semi-frozen snow.
Scilly blinks and his eyes widen, "Heeee, if he's that big, he ain't gonna need just one plain ol' scone. I better go see if there's anything left at all in our pack." He heads right for the food, always thinking of stomach.
Muldoon giggles. "It means Santa Claws's been here. C'mon!" He heads for the ladder, gaining the second rung in a leap.
Scilly rummages in the pack, pulling out a bit of cheese and breaking a piece off. "He ain't et anything else... you mean that big old white bearded guy goes in an eats all those starving kids foods?" His hunger at least addressed, he heads towards the ladder in a saunter.
Muldoon, with a bit of effort, pushes open the roof hatch. "Don' worry. If 'was him, was worth it."
Icicles and snow fall down on Scilly's head.
Scilly ecks and dances a little. He chatters, "s'cold... jeesh, whatcha thinking. He eat an runs, how's it worth it? Who's this Sanny Claws fella anyway?"
Muldoon's voice floats down from above. "Don'tcha remember, he brings the good little girls an' boys presents.. an' it was him! Ya gotta come up and look!"
Scilly scrambles up the ladder, swinging his short legs up each rung, "Wassat?" His mind's off that poor half eaten scone and onto whatever's going on above his head, now.
Muldoon stands on one foot impatiently, waiting for Scilly to arrive. When he does, he points triumphantly at his find on the roof. "See!" Apparently, a number of horseshoed critters just happened to land on the roof, along with something large and two-tracked. The bootprints make two paths, one to, and one from, the roof hatch. "Flyin' buffalo an' the sleigh."
Scilly says, "aaaaah dern. I forgot to get my sauce." He admires the tracks across the roof. "How come such a racket didn't wake me up? I mean- a whole herd stampeding 'cross timbers makes a racket."
Muldoon thinks . o O { ..when above from the roof came a terrible racket.. } "You were sleepier than a rock when I finished th' snow fox.'
Scilly shivers, "I was a cold as a rock, ya mean. Wassit all mean?"
Muldoon grins. "Which means we should prolly check the barn floor."
Muldoon says, "Race ya!"
Muldoon grins, and jumps down the hatch, catching the ladder sides and sliding down. A miracle he doesn't break an ankle.
Scilly blinks, "huh? Floor?" But his kid-instincts take over on that one single challenge phrase. He hops onto the ladder and wheedles his feet as fast down the rungs as they can go. "No fair, yer leg'ser longer!" He calls down, grinning.
Muldoon grins and skids out, obscuring the big boot tracks as he gains the second ladder leading to the ground floor.
Scilly breaks into a run when he hits the loft floor. With that, he launches himself over the edge of the loft and right into his favorite hay bail pile with a 'foommf' of straw.
Muldoon, before Scilly catches up, surreptitiously glances over at the old tarp that covers the bigger boots and horseshoes he used last night.
Much to the ferretoid's surprise, there's a small shrub, and a pile of paper-wrapped boxes almost as tall as the shrub.
Scilly pokes his head out of the hay and exclaims, "hey! Someone brought a bush in... an... wassat stuff?
Muldoon chuckles softly. 'Tol' ya."
Muldoon says, "See an' find who they're for.""
Scilly slides out of the hay and looks down over the wrapped boxes with a blink. "Um.. um... " He looks at the box from all the angles then says, "It's gotta be yers."
Muldoon wrinkles his brow for some odd reason, and takes a look at the proffered box. "Nuh uh. This one's addressed to you."
Muldoon says, "Don't worry about saving the paper, unless you think we need it."
Scilly says, "Me? I don' even know Sanny Claws, why would he make boxes for me?"
Muldoon chuckles. "Because, paly, as long as I've known ya, you've been a good kid."
Muldoon says, "Go ahead, open it.""
Scilly stares at Muldoon for a moment then down at the box, then back at Muldoon with just surprise. He then tears into the paper, letting shreds of it fly in all directions as any good ferret should let do to paper that stands in his way.
The first box contains, among wood shavings, a doll made out of straw, vaguely in the shape of a ferret, with two buttons for eyes, and a tiny green cloth vest.
Scilly opens his mouth, then blinks again and turns the doll over. He looks at it again then says, "it's me! Muldy, it's me!"
Muldoon picks up the next thing in the pile, a small cylindrical object. "Yep. An' this one's for you too."
Scilly looks up from his first treasure and towards the object. His ears perk forward then he says, "this Sanny Claws is a pretty neat guy.. good trade fer a scone or two. Two boxes fer me?" He takes it, curiously, into one paw and shakes it a bit.
It rattles slightly, almost, but not quite, like pebbles.
Muldoon grins, and just watches his friend.
Scilly sniffles at the packet then finally tears it open, getting more excited.
The container proves to be a cylinder with a top; when opened, it contains, of all things, raisins. Enough to eat yourself sick on if eaten in one sitting, or to last at least two weeks if munched often yet sparingly.
Scilly sniffs again then lights up with delight. "Raisins! I can't believe it! How'd he go and know these were my favorite.. an hard to get too. Wow." He pops one into his mouth immediately, chewing it very slowly and savoring the flavor.
Muldoon chuckles. "He knows."
Muldoon smirks and picks up the next package in the pile, a large one that crinkles and doesn't keep its shape well.
Scilly blinks and stares again at Muldoon. "Oooooh, he knows what I look like, an he knows my favorite food... someone's been spying on us, Muldy."
Muldoon thinks . o O { I didn't know he liked raisins that much. }
Muldoon thinks . o O { So much the better. :) }
Muldoon nods. "Remember what I said about the mice?"
Scilly says, "mice spies? Brilliant! They're ever... ry.. where? Wait, that means he knows what I'm up to. This is spooky, y'know?"
Muldoon chuckles. "Open the next one. It's cold."
Scilly looks at the package, "another fer me? I didn't know I was this good.. what 'bout you, Muldy? Ain't any labeled fer you?"
Muldoon chuckles. "Not yet.." he says softly.
Scilly takes the package and turns it over, investigating the feel of it this time. He shakes it as well.
Scilly gets a bit impatient with this form of opening presents and tears into the paper eagerly. Strips of paper start littering the barn's floor around him.
The package, in this case, contains a wool blanket, looking perhaps a bit careworn, but functional.
Muldoon grins. "Hope you can carry that, partner."
Scilly buries his hands into the wool, "Ohhh... it's warm. C'm here Muldy, it's warm! Of course I c'n carry it... particularly when I c'n keep warm in it."
Muldoon scoops up the last package, a small and heavy thing, boxy and hard to the touch. "An' this one's yers as well."
Scilly flicks his ears, "Another? I know I ain't been this good... y'sure it's not yers?"
Muldoon says, "Sometimes it's a matter of stuff ya need, too. An' yeah, it's got your name on it.""
Muldoon thinks . o O { Somehow it doesn't seem right getting stuff for yourself, you know? }
Scilly leans over, keeping his paws in the blanket and looks to the other side of the shrub, "there ain't any others.. y'sure? I mean.. I ain't the only good kid 'round.
Muldoon grins and shakes his head. "Well, I'm the only other one here, an' I found these in my pocket this mornin.'" He digs in his coat pocket and displays a handful of coal. "I've been a bad kid an' I know it."
Muldoon nods cheerily, still. "Open it."
Scilly flicks his ears back and tilts his head, "maybe you've not.. an it's just Sanny's way of keeping ya warm. We can use that fer our next move..." He takes the last wrapped gift carefully, curiously.
Scilly shakes it, and turns it upside down, then sniffles at it for a moment.
Scilly shrips the paper again, not so tenderly. Even torn bits and pieces make a good fire later, but his curiosity hits him for the now.
It's not much of a thing, but the picture on the outside makes the contents clear, and quite precious. Canned ham.
Muldoon chuckles softly. "Merry Kitsmas, Scilly."
Scilly says, "oh my... oh my.. Muldy, it's a ham. I ain't ever had this stuff. 'Nuff fer a long time an we c'n pack it in snow." He looks over to the fox and shakes his head, "I ain't this good... Did Sanny Claws come from wherever you were?"
Muldoon, half lost in his own thoughts, takes a moment to answer. "Yeah. He's a legend from my home."
Scilly looks down at the ham, at the blanket and then to the doll then just smiles, delighted, "Then I didn't jus get the worlds bestest friend when ya showed up. He brought good stuff too."
Muldoon thinks . o O { Nice thing is, there's still a bit of coin left from when I cashed in that flute. I may've been a bad kid, stealing that magic stick, that got me here, but I got a good friend to keep the nights from bein' lonely. Makes missing home not near so bad. } "Hmm? Yah. You said it."
Muldoon grins, and heads for the door. "C'mon, Scilly, I wanna show you the snow fox I finish'd while you was sleepin'."
Scilly pulls up the blanket, wrapping himself in it then standing. He piles his things neatly then tilts his head as he looks at them, an odd half grin on his face. He then pads off after Muldoon.
Muldoon slides open the barn door, and pauses. "Uh.. uhm.." he says intelligently.
Scilly leans over and peers around the fox, or at least tries.
While the snowfox from the last night's activities is still there, someone else has taken the care and crafting to create a MUCH larger snow dragon, curled protectively (or predatorially?) around the fox.
Muldoon says, "I.. I didn't do that..""
Scilly says, "uhh.. Uh... Muldy? Did ya say Sanny Claws was a dragon?"
Muldoon shakes his head. "..no.. he's a fo...err.. r.. he's a tiger."
Muldoon thinks . o O { Please don't notice. }
Muldoon pads out into the snow, circling the dragon. "This wasn't here last night, honest.."
Scilly stammers, a little bewildered by the dragon. "Do tigers like making snowcritters too? Please say they do?"
Muldoon looks about as bewildered. "I dunno..I suppose they could do anything they want...."
Scilly says, "Muldy.. " and pauses, looking towards the barn. "I think this blanket's big 'nuff fer two kids, and ya aren't a morning fox." He looks up then says, "we c'n watch fer the snow that looks like might start.. an keep warm fer a while t'day. Whatcha think?"
Muldoon grins softly. "Ya got yourself a deal."
The pair head off to the barn, Scilly's voice floating across the frozen snow. "You like raisins, Muldoon?" 'Sure...'
...Merry Christmas to all, and to all.. a Good Night.