Warmth

     “It’d go faster if you’d let me help!”

     “Sorry, Zou, but I trust you with an axe about as far as I can throw you.”

     “Hey! I’m gonna be a Battledome Champion! I can use an axe!”

     Lifting a paw, Velserica wipes at her plush brow. Her sister’s protests fall mostly on deaf ears as she readies the tool in her grasp and swings it down once again, splitting another log in half. Usually, this task for the Winter Celebrations falls to their brother, but since he’s across the planet for the holidays, she’s picking up the slack.

     She’s just never realized how much of a workout chopping wood is before now. Her brother deserves more praise for being able to effortlessly knock the task out in such a short time.

     “Are you listening, Vel?!”

     Ah, right.

     “Yes, yes. You’re a super tough future Battledome Champion–”

     “Don’t patronize me!”

     “–but I’m still not giving you an axe.”

     “Uhhhhhhgh!”

     A smirk splits her lips. Zouji really is growing up so fast, but that whiny kid is still very present and alive within her. It’s almost a little comforting. Almost.

     “One more log should do it. Then you can show me just how strong your lessons at the Swashbuckling Academy are making you by helping me get these inside,” Velserica soothes with an undertone of snark that only an older sibling can accomplish.

     “Carrying logs is nothing! That won’t show off what I’ve been learning!”

     “Then we can light a fire and hang our stockings,” she continues, once again ignoring the back-talk.

     “Will you at least let me light the fire this year?” The pout on the little Kougra’s face is completely palpable, despite the fact that Velserica isn’t even looking in her direction at the moment.

     “Hmmm,” she hums, purposefully stretching it out to build suspense. “Sure, Zou. You can light the fire. You’re old enough for that now.”

     A huff comes in return, but one glance in her direction confirms that Zouji’s tail has already started to slow from its earlier irritated swishing. Every small perceived victory that the young one can get never fails to puff out her chest and inflate her ego. Which is why neither of her siblings can make it too easy for her.

     She brings the axe down one final time. Her brief time as a lumberjack has finally come to an end.

     “C’mon. Let’s get this inside.”

     “Okay.”

     And to her credit, Velserica is actually impressed with how much stronger Zouji has become already. She claims that such a task isn’t enough to show off everything she’s been learning (and maybe it isn’t), but even still, her little legs keep up a swift pace even with a big stack of firewood strapped to her back. Velserica is lagging by comparison, and a bit of pride in her sister blooms in her heart as she watches her race ahead.

     Plush lips split into a wide smile on the way back into the house. Sure, she doesn’t like to make her sister’s head any bigger than it already is, but she supposes she can throw some genuine praise her way this time.

     “Great job, Zou. You were even faster than our brother with the firewood there.”

     “Wait, really?” A fumbling pause. “I–I mean of course I was! I’ve been training! That was nothing!”

     “You’ll have to brag to him about it.”

     “I will! When he gets back, I’ll run circles around him and flip him over my shoulder like it’s nothing!”

     “Uh-huh. Now, light the fire, will you?”

     Within a good ten minutes, a roaring fire is filling the fireplace of their living room, the heat of it rippling across their fur and the skin underneath as they hang stockings. It’s nostalgic, it’s comforting, it’s relaxing. Velserica feels she could fall asleep right there. Soft purring vibrates in her chest, and Zouji answers it with her own, likely without even realizing; she’s too busy balancing on her sister’s back to hang her stocking.

     And once they’re finished, the pair take a few steps back to admire the scene before them: a roaring fire, hand-made stockings ready to be filled, twinkling lights dangling from the ceiling, and a gentle snowfall outside the window as the sun slips beneath the horizon. It’s enough to make her smile again. It’s a perfect, picturesque sight that belongs in a Holiday calendar on the December page.

     And speaking of calendars, Zouji picks this exact moment to come up with another one of her ideas.

     “I’m gonna stay up until midnight tonight. So we can get the Advent Calendar prize right away!”

     Velserica’s smile wobbles and she snorts.

     “And ruin the surprise for tomorrow morning?”

     “It’s more exciting to count down to it instead of having to sleep first! It’s like New Year's, but we’re anticipating a mystery prize instead of the next year to come!”

     “...You’ve really thought this out, haven’t you?”

     “Of course I have! Who do you think I am?” The little one scoffs and jumps down from her sister’s back, prancing over to the couch. Velserica follows after, curling up on it beside her.

     “And how do you plan to do that? You’ve never managed to stay up on New Year’s before.”

     “Because it’s not as exciting! I said that already, Vel! We’re waiting for a mystery!”

     “Uh-huh,” she deadpans, eyes flicking to the side to watch as their Petpets scramble to join the pair on the couch. “So because it’s more exciting…?”

     “I’ll be able to stay up until midnight no problem!”

     “Mmm. And what if I don’t?”

     “I’ll jump on you.”

     Velserica heaves an exaggerated, withering sigh to appease her younger sister’s innate need to annoy the older siblings. There’s no way that Zouji will actually be able to stay up. Not with the fire warming up the room and the way that her eyes were already beginning to droop despite her words. But there’s no real harm in letting her try. Plus, it will prevent any more whining for the night.

     Hopefully.

     “Fine, fine. I’ll stay up with you.”

     “Yes! Hear that, Bartholomew?” she asks the barbat that’s pressed up against her side. “We’re gonna stay up!” The Petpet chirps in response.

     With that, the noise level quiets down once more, leaving the Kougras to watch the dancing flames and listen to the satisfying crackling.

     Things may be a little different without their brother there to enjoy the Winter Holidays with them this year, yet a sense of peace washes over her all the same. Secretly, this has always been her favourite part: soaking up the shared presence of her family while the warmth–physical and metaphorical–of their home lulls all of them to sleep. No other celebration throughout the year brings the same type of feeling. Not even close.

     It must be why it’s her favourite time of year.

     And in no time at all, soft snoring from both the young Kougra beside her and the Barbat suddenly join the fire’s crackling chorus, and Velserica chuckles silently to herself. Patches the Meowclops seems to echo her sentiment with a chuff of her own, and she brings up a plush paw to pet her softly. Then, she lowers her face to give the top of her sister’s head a gentle nuzzle.

     “Happy Holidays, Zouji. Sleep well.”

     The End.