Luck of a Snowbunny

      A Purple Gelert named Belle shut the tall wooden door after she called for her brother.

      “Man, it’s cold out there,” Belle muttered to the small Snowbunny who was asleep in her basket by the warm fire. The Snowbunny’s ears twitched, but she did not awake.

      Soon after Belle closed the door, a slightly larger, more masculine, Shadow Gelert came through the doorway, shivering. In his arms, he held a stack of wood for the fire. Though his fur was black, the specks of snow made him look spotted.

      “Whoa, that snow’s really coming down out there!” exclaimed Baxter to his sister, trying to make polite conversation. It had been another unsuccessful day in trying to find a job, and Belle knew it.

      Belle glanced over at her brother and noticed that he had tracked snow in all over the kitchen floor.

      “Aw, Bax, I just mopped the floor,” Belle moaned.

      Baxter froze, then looked down at the, now wet, floor and said, “Oh, sorry about that, Belle. I’ll clean it up.” He put the pile of wood on the floor and got a towel to mop up the water.

      All the commotion had awoken the small Snowbunny. Her ears perked up when she saw the Shadow Gelert and then bounded towards him.

      Baxter grinned broadly when he saw her and said, “Hey, how’s my little Rose doing?” He patted her on the head; Rose’s foot thumped on the floor, reflexively.

      “Dinner?” said Belle as she sat down at the table.

      “Oh, right.” Baxter hung up his scarf and went over to the table.

      There was a small turkey, mashed potatoes, and steamed carrots on the shabby wooden table.

      “Looks great.” Baxter smiled at his sister.

      She nodded as she quietly spooned carrots onto her plate.

      Bax gave up and cut the turkey.

     * * * * *

     Baxter put down his fork and pushed his plate away from him.

     “Holy Kau. I’m stuffed,” he groaned as he patted his stomach.

     “It was pretty good, wasn’t it?” asked Belle as she stood up and began placing the dirty dishes into the sink.

     Baxter quickly stood up and took the plate that was in Belle’s paw.

     “No way. I’ll do the dishes. You don’t have to try to do everything for me; you’re not Mom. You go get some sleep. It’s late,” he said.

     Belle looked at her brother and sighed. There was no use arguing.

     “Alright. But don’t forget to feed Rose.” She then walked out of the kitchen and went up the stairs.

     Baxter looked at the sink full of dishes and then at the Snowbunny that was now at his feet.

     “This is going to be a long night,” Bax admitted to Rose as he handed her a carrot.

     Rose chirped her thanks to him before hopping over to her basket to eat her dinner.

     The Gelert found the yellow sponge and soap and started to work.

     * * * * *

      Just over an hour later, Baxter put up the last plate and rung out the sponge.

     He yawned as he glanced out the window above the sink. The snow was falling very softly now, but the ground was still covered with it. But then again, there was always snow on the top of Terror Mountain.

     He went over to the door and made sure it was locked before he switched off the kitchen light. After this, he went into the den and tossed a few more pieces of wood into the fire.

     “Night, Rosie,” he whispered to the sleeping Snowbunny before walking across the room to his bedroom door.

     Bax didn’t even bother turning on the light as he walked through the entryway. He simply picked up his pajama bottoms from off of his desk chair and pulled them on before crawling under the covers and dozing off to sleep.

     * * * * *

      The following morning, Baxter woke up just after the sun had risen. The sun’s rays made the snow outside sparkle like a million diamonds.

      The Shadow Gelert yawned and scratched his head as he pulled back the blanket and stumbled out of bed. With his bright blue eyes still closed, he felt his way to the bathroom and switched on the light. Squinting at the bright light, he finally managed to find and turn on the shower. While he waited for the water to get warm, Baxter went into Belle’s room to see if she had left for work at the Ice Crystal Shop yet; she had. Feeling glum, he went back to the bathroom and showered in a haze.

     * * * * *

     “I am going to find a job today, Rose, if it’s the last thing I do. I’m getting a job even if it’s hand-feeding the Snowager,” declared Baxter.

     Rose simply looked blankly up at him from the floor.

     “Thanks, Rosie. You’re a big help.”

     She wiggled her cotton-ball tail and chirped happily.

     Grabbing his scarf and hat and shoving on his snow boots, Baxter swiftly marched out of the house.

     The sun was out and made the air around the Gelert slightly more bearable. Tromping through the snow, Baxter headed for Happy Valley with determination being the only thing on his mind.

     * * * * *

      “Are you sure you don’t have any positions available? Any at all?” pressed Bax.

      The Striped Eyrie at the Slushie Shop flipped through a few papers on a clipboard, eyebrows raised.

      “Yes, I’m quite sure. I’m sorry. We’re simply not hiring at the moment,” he said firmly.

      With his spirits as low as the base of the ski-lifts, Baxter nodded solemnly and left the shop.

      Baxter, with his head hung low, plopped down onto a nearby bench to rest for a moment. This was becoming hopeless.

      Suddenly, a crash erupted from behind Baxter. His head spun around, and he saw the Blue Bruce who owned the Petpet Shop tumble head first into the snow as three young Snowbunnies darted past him out the front door.

      Without thinking, Bax leapt up from the bench, leapt over it, and dashed forward, toward the set-on-freedom creatures. In only a couple bounding leaps, Bax managed to scoop up one of the excited Snowbunnies up in one arm.

      The second one was headed for a large brush, but before it could hide in its shaded safety, Baxter dived for it. He grasped it under his soft belly without harming either petpet or himself.

      Bax gently tucked the second Snowbunny next to the first as he scanned the snow for the third and final one. He spotted it hiding under the bench he had previously been sitting on. Slowly, Baxter inched his way toward the shivering creature.

      “It’s okay, little one,” crooned Baxter. “It’s okay; I’m not going to hurt you.”

      The white Snowbunny’s pink nose twitched as it slowly moved toward Baxter. Then, when it got close enough, it curiously sniffed Bax’s paw.

      “There, there.” He picked up the petpet in his free arm and pulled all three close to his chest in order to keep them warm.

      Baxter made his way to the awe-stricken Bruce as he stood in his shop doorway.

      “I think you lost something, sir,” said Baxter with a slight grin as he nodded toward the petpets in his arms.

      “That was mighty impressive! How’d you ever learn how to do that?” asked the awed Bruce as he motioned for Baxter to come into the store.

      “Oh, well, my sister and I have a Snowbunny-- her name’s Rose—at home and you kind of have to be quick on your feet with them,” replied Baxter as he returned the jumpy Snowbunnies back into their basket.

      “Well, I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years. I’m getting a bit old, and I’m afraid I’m just not as quick as I once was. To be honest, I could probably use someone like you around here to help keep these little critters in control,” said the Blue Bruce.

      Slightly taken aback, Baxter stuttered, “Wha-what? Really? You’d give me a job? Here?”

      Grinning, the Bruce cried, “Certainly! You seem to have a natural connection with those Snowbunnies. They’ve never approached someone so quickly before; they trust you. I’d be happy to offer you a position. But only if you want it, of course.”

      “Yes, sir! I’d love the job! I can’t thank you enough; it couldn’t have come at better time,” said Baxter, thrilled.

      “Alright then. So how about you come by tomorrow morning, about an hour before we open, and you can start then.”

      “You can count on it, sir,” said Bax with a wide grin as he headed for the door.

      “Oh, son! Wait one moment. You haven’t told me your name,” called the Bruce.

      “Oh, right. I’m Baxter. Sorry about that,” muttered Bax.

      The Bruce nodded. “Nice to meet you, Baxter. My name’s Fred. See you bright and early tomorrow.”

      “See you then, Fred,” he replied as he exited the shop.

      Baxter finally had some good news to tell his sister.

The End