{"submission_id":"186320","keywords":[{"keyword_id":"15817","keyword_name":"2011","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"391"},{"keyword_id":"60","keyword_name":"cat","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"110685"},{"keyword_id":"13772","keyword_name":"dribble","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"210"},{"keyword_id":"128","keyword_name":"husky","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"21382"},{"keyword_id":"189","keyword_name":"kid","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"4151"},{"keyword_id":"56113","keyword_name":"kidofthej","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2"},{"keyword_id":"165","keyword_name":"male","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"639755"},{"keyword_id":"2712","keyword_name":"micro","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"5042"},{"keyword_id":"28249","keyword_name":"raemon","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"5"},{"keyword_id":"3494","keyword_name":"request","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"5107"},{"keyword_id":"948","keyword_name":"story","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"6798"},{"keyword_id":"5862","keyword_name":"winter","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"3315"}],"hidden":"f","scraps":"f","favorite":"f","favorites_count":"0","create_datetime":"2012-01-01 01:36:15.577141+01","create_datetime_usertime":"01 Jan 2012 01:36 CET","last_file_update_datetime":"2012-01-01 01:28:06.05352+01","last_file_update_datetime_usertime":"01 Jan 2012 01:28 CET","username":"Dribble","user_id":"5496","user_icon_file_name":"46841_Dribble_otters.gif","user_icon_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/46/46841_Dribble_otters.gif","user_icon_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/46/46841_Dribble_otters.gif","user_icon_url_small":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/46/46841_Dribble_otters.gif","file_name":"239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.doc","thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.jpg","thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.jpg","thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.jpg","thumb_huge_x":"200","thumb_huge_y":"200","thumb_large_x":"200","thumb_large_y":"200","thumb_medium_x":"120","thumb_medium_y":"120","files":[{"file_id":"239263","file_name":"239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.doc","mimetype":"application/msword","submission_id":"186320","user_id":"5496","submission_file_order":"0","full_size_x":null,"full_size_y":null,"screen_size_x":null,"screen_size_y":null,"preview_size_x":null,"preview_size_y":null,"initial_file_md5":"93eeebe560ed970db38a3e2875768036","full_file_md5":"93eeebe560ed970db38a3e2875768036","large_file_md5":"","small_file_md5":"","thumbnail_md5":"458f7ff7afb08f199147ecbde8877cca","deleted":"f","create_datetime":"2012-01-01 01:28:06.05352+01","create_datetime_usertime":"01 Jan 2012 01:28 CET","thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.jpg","thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.jpg","thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/239/239263_Dribble_2_-_raemon_-_the_gift_of_giving.jpg","thumb_huge_x":"200","thumb_huge_y":"200","thumb_large_x":"200","thumb_large_y":"200","thumb_medium_x":"120","thumb_medium_y":"120"}],"pools":[],"description":"This old request from last year was for Raemon, another of my d-dear friends. I expanded heavily on this one because I felt bad about how short it was, and I still wish I could push it further.\n\nEither way, I hope he likes the ch-changes, at least.","description_bbcode_parsed":"This old request from last year was for Raemon, another of my d-dear friends. I expanded heavily on this one because I felt bad about how short it was, and I still wish I could push it further.

Either way, I hope he likes the ch-changes, at least.","writing":"\tAs the commotion rose at the other end of the bar, Kid did his best to ignore it. Few things were more frustrating to get involved in than the quarreling actions of a collection of drunks. And drunk jocks on top of it all, if their clothes and formidable musculature were anything to go by. The bartender, a friendly bear by the name of Dave who’d opened this place fifteen years ago and who was a good friend of most everyone who came in, had gone backdoors for something, and there was currently no one supervising.\n\n\tInstead, the annoyed cat took another sip of his drink, debating whether a second beer was a good idea at this point. On one hand, being able to drive was quite certainly a necessary requisite for leaving, as he had no intention of walking the four miles of road between Dave’s bar near the edge of town and his home out in the woods, especially not in this weather. On the other hand, however, he felt an inspirational urge to buy another delicious foaming pint of the bear’s homemade brew. Something about the taste always made his taste buds cry out in rapture and his tongue delight.\n\n\tWhen his ponderous drink-buying thoughts were interrupted by yet another round of deep-voiced, annoyingly raucous laughter from the crowd of drunks, Kid decided that he was far too curious to keep wondering about what was going on that could be so funny. Standing up, he made his way over, leaning curiously over the counter and looking around a particularly large wolf to see what the source of their entertainment was.\n\n\tHe was rather surprised to see that it was a micro, a husky in particular, and he was in quite a bad situation.\n\n\tAs he watched, one of the lions puffed at his cigarette, leaned in closely, and slowly wheezed out a cloud of smoke that enveloped the tiny canine and made him start coughing. This was enough to merit another round of laughter, and Kid frowned in annoyance at their lack of empathy, able to see the tiny tears in their victim’s eyes as he gagged on the thick, odorous smoke that had been blown at him. His arms waved at the thick cloud in futility, trying to get a breath of fresh air.\n\n\tSuddenly, and without warning, the bear that was nearly blocking Kid’s view snatched up the defenseless little man, dropping him into a glass of beer that was hopefully the bear’s own. The husky took a moment to react, surfacing and moving his limbs to stay afloat in the glass even as he sputtered and looked up at his bullies. The bear put a finger on the tiny dog’s head and pushed, submerging the husky in the beer again and smirking as he easily overcame the micro’s frantic resistance, chuckling as bubbles of air rose from his victim’s mouth.\n\n\tAt that point, Kid had had enough of standing by and watching these idiots bully the poor micro. He smacked the bear’s hand away and grabbed the husky, trying to be as gentle and yet as quick as possible. Stepping back, he looked at the micro for a moment before snapping his gaze up at the crowd. The surprised, drunk jocks were sluggish to react, but when they turned, Kid realized that he was about to receive a rather brutal beating for disrupting their fun. He closed his eyes, bracing himself to be punched... and heard the sound of a shotgun being pumped.\n\n\tTurning and peeking with one eye open, he saw Dave standing behind the bar with a thick shotgun in his hands and a frown on his face. “Now boys, I see two possible courses for you here. Either you try to beat this nice fellow up and I have to get forceful with this twin-barrel beauty here, or you leave nice and polite-like, and I forget this happened. Make a choice.”\n\n\tThere was a tense moment, where silence hung in the air as the two sides eyed each other. Kid prepared to make a quick retreat as one of the lions looked at him out of the corner of his eye, apparently trying to decide whether a fight was worth it. Luckily, it wasn’t.\n\n\tAs he watched the last muscle-bound drunk walk past him and step outside, the raccoon let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He turned and gave Dave a smile, trying to play it off. “Thanks for that, Dave. I really appreciate it.” He wasn’t looking forward to picking a fight with several people who all looked considerably stronger than himself.\n\n\tThe bear chuckled and leaned across the counter, placing a thick hand on Kid’s shoulder. “Hey. You were standing up for someone in trouble. I couldn’t just let you get hurt for that, now could I?”\n\n\tSuddenly, as if all memory of the event had faded and was at that instant rushing back to him, he recalled the source of the stare-down. He opened his fist and looked at the small husky who lay in his palm. Apparently he’d fallen unconscious at some point and now, drenched in beer, was sleeping softly in the raccoon’s hand.\n\n\tKid looked worriedly at the husky, knowing that the micro likely had nowhere to go. He’d just saved his new roommate.\n\n~ = = = = = {} = = = = = ~\n\n\tRaemon awoke with a frantic scream, panting for breath. His last moments of consciousness had involved drowning in beer, and it took him a while to collect himself and assume some semblance of calm. His rapidly beating heart slowed down as he tried not to think about how he had nearly drowned in a macro’s drink, shuddering both in fear and at the thought that he couldn’t get out of his head.\n\n\tAfter a few deep breaths, the micro looked at his surroundings, wondering where he now was. It appeared to be a small apartment, and luckily one that smelled much less of alcohol than his previous location. In fact... he sniffed his semi-wet fur... yes, the only alcoholic smell was the one that was coming from him, and for obvious reasons. His last few memories had involved swimming in a glass of beer.\n\n\tWhere was he? He noticed that he was lying on a rather comfy pillow, which in turn was on a couch in a giant room, and that he was covered with what appeared to be a cotton scarf; that hardly seemed like actions his brutish captors would take. So who then? Had he been found out in the street and taken in to be used as some sort of toy? Was he going to be sold to someone for a measly number of bucks like a piece of property? Or maybe he’d already been sold... He’d had enough experience in both, and had come to distrust macros for it. And so the husky sat there, shivering slightly in the cold air, and awaited his new captor’s arrival. He didn’t expect it to sneak up on him, literally.\n\n\t“How are you doing?”\n\n\tWith a sharp cry of surprise, Raemon all but leapt into the air, his fur standing on end as he turned around to stand face-to-face with someone he didn’t recognize. Due to the collective forces of nearly drowning in beer and extreme distress, he hadn’t glimpsed his would-be savior’s face in the last moments of consciousness, and so he was extremely confused as he looked up at the rather huge cat before him.\n\n\t“Wh-who are you?” he blurted out, nervously and with some fear in his voice. He didn’t look like any of the men who’d captured him, nor like someone they might hang out with. Still... Better safe than sorry.\n\n\tHis confused words were returned with an equally confused expression. “... Um, well, I’m Kid. I... I’m the guy who saved you. I got you away from those jerks at the bar, and since I didn’t really know where you lived, or if you even had a place to live... Well... I brought you back to my place to keep you safe while you were unconscious.” As he spoke, his eyes were constantly on Raemon as if expecting him to panic or flip out at any moment.\n\n\tIn fact, the little husky was doing his best not to do just that. This stranger might have shown some kindness, but that didn’t mean he could be utterly trusted just for one small deed. He’d fallen asleep with lungs full of beer and woken up in a stranger’s house. He clenched the scarf tighter around his shivering body, as if the cold air in the room had just come rushing towards him, and asked, “Now what’s going to happen to me?”\n\n\t“That’s entirely your choice. If you do have a home with someone, I’ll gladly take you to them so you can be together again. I know what it’s like being alone, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially not this time of the year.” What, this time? Was something special going on in the world of normal-sized people? “Or, if you live by yourself, or don’t have anywhere to go...” The cat hesitated, and Raemon’s ears perked curiously as he listened to whatever the giant had to say. “Well, you’re more than welcome to stay here. I-if you want, that is.”\n\n\tStay? Here? In the house of a giant? Any other circumstance, and the mere mention alone of such an idea would have made the husky balk. And yet, his mind was entertaining the idea, no matter how alien it seemed. Why? Was it the simple act of charity he’d opened with, by saving his life and his body from being the plaything of a bunch of drunken jocks? Was it his warm, inviting eyes, or the soft grin on his muzzle? Was it perhaps the promise of a comfortable house and relaxed living after years on the street, or was it something more? Or did the reasoning even matter?\n\n\tHere he was, a youthful husky micro, with only a few years of experience alone by himself in the harsh, unforgiving world of alleys and sewer tunnels, and here was someone who was kind, gentle, and polite enough to offer him shelter, if only for a while.\n\n\tSo it came as no surprise to him when he nodded his head and spoke.\n\n\t“I could try living here, I guess. It has been getting worse out, and I’m still recovering from when you found me.” His head was pounding, and even sitting up he felt dizzy. He lay back into the soft, comforting layers of the scarf and looked up at Kid, smiling slightly up at him. “Thank you...” he murmured, still quite timid around the giant who could easily do with him whatever he wanted.\n\n\tWith those two little words spoken, Raemon once drifted off into a world of sleep, hoping that he hadn’t just been dreaming and that when he next awoke, the world would be just as warm and inviting...\n\n~ = = = = = {} = = = = = ~\n\n\t\n\n\tOver the course of the next day, Kid learned his young new friend’s name and much more; they became closer in a few hours than most friends became in months, thanks in no small part to Raemon’s dependence upon the sweet, gentle giant who he’d been so lucky to meet in his hour of need. Raemon likewise learned a lot, mostly about Kid’s childhood and what kind of things he liked to do. The youthful micro had an intense curiosity about him, and many times the big cat would chuckle as the husky spouted another excited question and his face filled with awe and wonder as he listened like the most attentive of students. And so it was that on the evening of December 24th, one day after encountering the little husky, Kid showed Raemon the Christmas spirit and what the holiday meant.\n\n\tIn his years, the micro had seen many trees: trees in fall, trees in spring, trees in winter, short trees, tall trees, red trees, green trees, and more. But none of them, none of them compared to a Christmas tree. Like a dazzling tower of color it loomed over him, monolithic, glittering with its ornaments, and utterly breathtaking. It was a sight he had never seen before, and one he thought, at that moment, he might never find something to compare to.\n\n\tExcept, perhaps, for his new friend who had shown him these things. Raemon found the cat to be quite attractive, from his soft, bodily warm fur to the deep blue eyes that he could happily stare back at for hours. This single person had given him so much without even asking for anything in return, something else that he’d never experienced before. So it was that Kid gently held the husky in his hands, lightly cuddling him against the warmth of his chest as the Christmas tree twinkled nearby. In the micro’s hands was the last remnant of a chocolate cookie ( “I don’t think Santa will mind if you have one,” Kid had said as he’d taken it from the plate ) that he was happily devouring, and the air was filled with the sweet sounds of Christmas music.\n\n\tAs his tiny friend fell asleep, Kid looked at the glimmering star atop his tree and considered that this might very well have been the best Christmas ever. After all, there was quite a bit to be said about the gift of giving...\n\n PAGE \n\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"\tAs the commotion rose at the other end of the bar, Kid did his best to ignore it. Few things were more frustrating to get involved in than the quarreling actions of a collection of drunks. And drunk jocks on top of it all, if their clothes and formidable musculature were anything to go by. The bartender, a friendly bear by the name of Dave who’d opened this place fifteen years ago and who was a good friend of most everyone who came in, had gone backdoors for something, and there was currently no one supervising.

\tInstead, the annoyed cat took another sip of his drink, debating whether a second beer was a good idea at this point. On one hand, being able to drive was quite certainly a necessary requisite for leaving, as he had no intention of walking the four miles of road between Dave’s bar near the edge of town and his home out in the woods, especially not in this weather. On the other hand, however, he felt an inspirational urge to buy another delicious foaming pint of the bear’s homemade brew. Something about the taste always made his taste buds cry out in rapture and his tongue delight.

\tWhen his ponderous drink-buying thoughts were interrupted by yet another round of deep-voiced, annoyingly raucous laughter from the crowd of drunks, Kid decided that he was far too curious to keep wondering about what was going on that could be so funny. Standing up, he made his way over, leaning curiously over the counter and looking around a particularly large wolf to see what the source of their entertainment was.

\tHe was rather surprised to see that it was a micro, a husky in particular, and he was in quite a bad situation.

\tAs he watched, one of the lions puffed at his cigarette, leaned in closely, and slowly wheezed out a cloud of smoke that enveloped the tiny canine and made him start coughing. This was enough to merit another round of laughter, and Kid frowned in annoyance at their lack of empathy, able to see the tiny tears in their victim’s eyes as he gagged on the thick, odorous smoke that had been blown at him. His arms waved at the thick cloud in futility, trying to get a breath of fresh air.

\tSuddenly, and without warning, the bear that was nearly blocking Kid’s view snatched up the defenseless little man, dropping him into a glass of beer that was hopefully the bear’s own. The husky took a moment to react, surfacing and moving his limbs to stay afloat in the glass even as he sputtered and looked up at his bullies. The bear put a finger on the tiny dog’s head and pushed, submerging the husky in the beer again and smirking as he easily overcame the micro’s frantic resistance, chuckling as bubbles of air rose from his victim’s mouth.

\tAt that point, Kid had had enough of standing by and watching these idiots bully the poor micro. He smacked the bear’s hand away and grabbed the husky, trying to be as gentle and yet as quick as possible. Stepping back, he looked at the micro for a moment before snapping his gaze up at the crowd. The surprised, drunk jocks were sluggish to react, but when they turned, Kid realized that he was about to receive a rather brutal beating for disrupting their fun. He closed his eyes, bracing himself to be punched... and heard the sound of a shotgun being pumped.

\tTurning and peeking with one eye open, he saw Dave standing behind the bar with a thick shotgun in his hands and a frown on his face. “Now boys, I see two possible courses for you here. Either you try to beat this nice fellow up and I have to get forceful with this twin-barrel beauty here, or you leave nice and polite-like, and I forget this happened. Make a choice.”

\tThere was a tense moment, where silence hung in the air as the two sides eyed each other. Kid prepared to make a quick retreat as one of the lions looked at him out of the corner of his eye, apparently trying to decide whether a fight was worth it. Luckily, it wasn’t.

\tAs he watched the last muscle-bound drunk walk past him and step outside, the raccoon let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He turned and gave Dave a smile, trying to play it off. “Thanks for that, Dave. I really appreciate it.” He wasn’t looking forward to picking a fight with several people who all looked considerably stronger than himself.

\tThe bear chuckled and leaned across the counter, placing a thick hand on Kid’s shoulder. “Hey. You were standing up for someone in trouble. I couldn’t just let you get hurt for that, now could I?”

\tSuddenly, as if all memory of the event had faded and was at that instant rushing back to him, he recalled the source of the stare-down. He opened his fist and looked at the small husky who lay in his palm. Apparently he’d fallen unconscious at some point and now, drenched in beer, was sleeping softly in the raccoon’s hand.

\tKid looked worriedly at the husky, knowing that the micro likely had nowhere to go. He’d just saved his new roommate.

~ = = = = = {} = = = = = ~

\tRaemon awoke with a frantic scream, panting for breath. His last moments of consciousness had involved drowning in beer, and it took him a while to collect himself and assume some semblance of calm. His rapidly beating heart slowed down as he tried not to think about how he had nearly drowned in a macro’s drink, shuddering both in fear and at the thought that he couldn’t get out of his head.

\tAfter a few deep breaths, the micro looked at his surroundings, wondering where he now was. It appeared to be a small apartment, and luckily one that smelled much less of alcohol than his previous location. In fact... he sniffed his semi-wet fur... yes, the only alcoholic smell was the one that was coming from him, and for obvious reasons. His last few memories had involved swimming in a glass of beer.

\tWhere was he? He noticed that he was lying on a rather comfy pillow, which in turn was on a couch in a giant room, and that he was covered with what appeared to be a cotton scarf; that hardly seemed like actions his brutish captors would take. So who then? Had he been found out in the street and taken in to be used as some sort of toy? Was he going to be sold to someone for a measly number of bucks like a piece of property? Or maybe he’d already been sold... He’d had enough experience in both, and had come to distrust macros for it. And so the husky sat there, shivering slightly in the cold air, and awaited his new captor’s arrival. He didn’t expect it to sneak up on him, literally.

\t“How are you doing?”

\tWith a sharp cry of surprise, Raemon all but leapt into the air, his fur standing on end as he turned around to stand face-to-face with someone he didn’t recognize. Due to the collective forces of nearly drowning in beer and extreme distress, he hadn’t glimpsed his would-be savior’s face in the last moments of consciousness, and so he was extremely confused as he looked up at the rather huge cat before him.

\t“Wh-who are you?” he blurted out, nervously and with some fear in his voice. He didn’t look like any of the men who’d captured him, nor like someone they might hang out with. Still... Better safe than sorry.

\tHis confused words were returned with an equally confused expression. “... Um, well, I’m Kid. I... I’m the guy who saved you. I got you away from those jerks at the bar, and since I didn’t really know where you lived, or if you even had a place to live... Well... I brought you back to my place to keep you safe while you were unconscious.” As he spoke, his eyes were constantly on Raemon as if expecting him to panic or flip out at any moment.

\tIn fact, the little husky was doing his best not to do just that. This stranger might have shown some kindness, but that didn’t mean he could be utterly trusted just for one small deed. He’d fallen asleep with lungs full of beer and woken up in a stranger’s house. He clenched the scarf tighter around his shivering body, as if the cold air in the room had just come rushing towards him, and asked, “Now what’s going to happen to me?”

\t“That’s entirely your choice. If you do have a home with someone, I’ll gladly take you to them so you can be together again. I know what it’s like being alone, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially not this time of the year.” What, this time? Was something special going on in the world of normal-sized people? “Or, if you live by yourself, or don’t have anywhere to go...” The cat hesitated, and Raemon’s ears perked curiously as he listened to whatever the giant had to say. “Well, you’re more than welcome to stay here. I-if you want, that is.”

\tStay? Here? In the house of a giant? Any other circumstance, and the mere mention alone of such an idea would have made the husky balk. And yet, his mind was entertaining the idea, no matter how alien it seemed. Why? Was it the simple act of charity he’d opened with, by saving his life and his body from being the plaything of a bunch of drunken jocks? Was it his warm, inviting eyes, or the soft grin on his muzzle? Was it perhaps the promise of a comfortable house and relaxed living after years on the street, or was it something more? Or did the reasoning even matter?

\tHere he was, a youthful husky micro, with only a few years of experience alone by himself in the harsh, unforgiving world of alleys and sewer tunnels, and here was someone who was kind, gentle, and polite enough to offer him shelter, if only for a while.

\tSo it came as no surprise to him when he nodded his head and spoke.

\t“I could try living here, I guess. It has been getting worse out, and I’m still recovering from when you found me.” His head was pounding, and even sitting up he felt dizzy. He lay back into the soft, comforting layers of the scarf and looked up at Kid, smiling slightly up at him. “Thank you...” he murmured, still quite timid around the giant who could easily do with him whatever he wanted.

\tWith those two little words spoken, Raemon once drifted off into a world of sleep, hoping that he hadn’t just been dreaming and that when he next awoke, the world would be just as warm and inviting...

~ = = = = = {} = = = = = ~

\t

\tOver the course of the next day, Kid learned his young new friend’s name and much more; they became closer in a few hours than most friends became in months, thanks in no small part to Raemon’s dependence upon the sweet, gentle giant who he’d been so lucky to meet in his hour of need. Raemon likewise learned a lot, mostly about Kid’s childhood and what kind of things he liked to do. The youthful micro had an intense curiosity about him, and many times the big cat would chuckle as the husky spouted another excited question and his face filled with awe and wonder as he listened like the most attentive of students. And so it was that on the evening of December 24th, one day after encountering the little husky, Kid showed Raemon the Christmas spirit and what the holiday meant.

\tIn his years, the micro had seen many trees: trees in fall, trees in spring, trees in winter, short trees, tall trees, red trees, green trees, and more. But none of them, none of them compared to a Christmas tree. Like a dazzling tower of color it loomed over him, monolithic, glittering with its ornaments, and utterly breathtaking. It was a sight he had never seen before, and one he thought, at that moment, he might never find something to compare to.

\tExcept, perhaps, for his new friend who had shown him these things. Raemon found the cat to be quite attractive, from his soft, bodily warm fur to the deep blue eyes that he could happily stare back at for hours. This single person had given him so much without even asking for anything in return, something else that he’d never experienced before. So it was that Kid gently held the husky in his hands, lightly cuddling him against the warmth of his chest as the Christmas tree twinkled nearby. In the micro’s hands was the last remnant of a chocolate cookie ( “I don’t think Santa will mind if you have one,” Kid had said as he’d taken it from the plate ) that he was happily devouring, and the air was filled with the sweet sounds of Christmas music.

\tAs his tiny friend fell asleep, Kid looked at the glimmering star atop his tree and considered that this might very well have been the best Christmas ever. After all, there was quite a bit to be said about the gift of giving...

 PAGE  

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