Hugs' Christmas
Short Story / Written 1/2/05 / Rated G

This was just a short little story to introduce a new member to their little family x) It's a cute one!

It was a peaceful night. Christmas had been a huge success at the Mizu woodland household; Ainad's small living room was scattered with shredded wrapping paper and untied bows. Aire was off in her bedroom admiring and playing with her new prizes. (The sweater Ainad had knitted for her was left forgotten on the floor under the tree) Koarai and Koj had already retreated to their waterfall hideaway for the night and Ainad had withdrawn to the kitchen as usual.

Ainad hummed merry Christmas tunes to herself as she washed dishes from the Christmas dinner and birthday cake. Nothing could have interfered with her pleasant mood... that is, nothing but her pet Nimbus, Hugs.

Hugs hated Christmas. This wasn't much of a surprise, of course, as he really hated every day of the year, but still - not many people hate Christmas. He had spent most of the day hiding from people to avoid any unnecessary cheerfulness and brooding in the shadows. Naya was in the living room with him that night while Ainad did the dishes - it was her who had alerted Ainad in the first place...

"Oh dear!" Naya shouted from her usual perch on the sofa armrest. "What's wrong, Hugs??"

Ainad poked her head out of the kitchen with rubber gloves still on and eyed her pet in confusion. Hugs' face was contorted like never before, his color was slowly changing to a dark grey, hinting that he was not in a good mood.

"Hugs?" asked Ainad cautiously as she stared at him with the utmost concern.

Shortly after she had spoke, Hugs inhaled sharply and, making a loud whistling noise, spat a small object across the room where it bounced off the window and landed on the floor.

"What the...?" Ainad wondered aloud as she and Naya looked back and forth from the window to Hugs, who still looked a mixture of sick and angry.

"What was that!?" Aire asked as she screeched to a halt in the living room. "What did Hugs ha...." But she quickly cut herself off once she saw what the object had been. She squealed with delight and dove down on it immediately screaming only one thing as she cupped her hands over it. "BUG!"

"Aire!" said Ainad sternly. "Don't touch that thing! It might be poisonous!"

"But I haven't seen a bug in forever!!" said Aire with her hands still cupped over the spot on the carpet where the bug was laying. "Did Hugs find it?"

Hugs opened his mouth angrily and began to generate his usual electric current as if he were trying to communicate something.

"It was in his mouth." Naya finally said. "Almost as if he were... choking on it."

Aire peeked under her hands to look at it. It was small and yellow with a bee-like stinger on one end. "It looks juicy... and I think Hugs knocked it unconscious."

Ainad breathed a sigh of relief. "Good... then we can get rid of it easier. Give it here."

But Hugs wouldn't have it; he zoomed right over to where Aire was squatted on the carpet and snarled directly at her.

"I think he wants to get rid of it himself!" Naya chuckled as Hugs buzzed Aire to get her out of the way.

Aire rubbed her hands where Hugs had zapped them and eyed him disdainfully as she backed away from the bug. "You could have asked nicely..."

Hugs narrowed his eyes and lowered himself closer to the bug to get a better look. No sooner had he done so when the bug's large eyes fluttered open, the bug ignited like a match and it sprung off the floor like a Jack-in-the-Box.

"Where'd it go?" asked Ainad frantically as she had run into the kitchen to find a flyswatter.

"It jumped on Hugs!" said Aire excitedly as she pointed to the small, yellow bug clinging to Hugs' underside.

"Hold still, Hugs..." Ainad whispered as she tiptoed towards Hugs with the flyswatter poised to strike.

Hugs saw this and speeded backwards away from her. Even he knew better than to let Ainad swing a flyswatter at him.

Ainad noticed this and frowned, "Well, how are we supposed to get rid of it, then??" she asked him.

Hugs peeked downward at the little bug clinging helplessly to him and then he looked over at Aire who was still staring at him hungrily. The little bug felt warm against him, the fire now emanating from it didn't bother him at all, seeing as how he was mostly only made up of air anyways. Sure it had tried to choke him... but could he really just let Ainad kill it - or let Aire eat it? It was probably only looking for shelter from the cold outside...

He looked back at Ainad with an odd look of uncertainty on his face. "Oooooh no." she said sternly as she recognized the look. "You're NOT keeping that thing in my house!"

Hugs buzzed slightly and Ainad shook her head. "No... not even just over the winter - I won't have it chewing on anything or getting us sick or something!"

Aire had been paying close attention to the conversation and grinned mischievously as Hugs' plan came apparent. If he kept the bug, maybe she could catch it alone someday and eat it when he wasn't looking... She'd just have to play along with his plan.

"Aw, let him keep it mom." she said sweetly. "It could be his... his... Christmas gift!"

Ainad deepened her frown and looked back and forth from Aire to Hugs. She would rather die than allow her house to be infested by even one creepy-crawly... but she couldn't deny Hugs the only thing he'd ever really asked for... especially on Christmas day...

"Oh FINE." she said with an exasperated sigh. "But the minute that thing crosses the line, I'm coming after it with bug repellant."

"Yay!" said Aire as she eyed the Hugs and the bug deviously, already beginning making plans of how to get at it.

Hugs didn't notice Aire in the least - he was too occupied by the little bug sticking to him. Was that a smile on its face? It was so little that it was hard to tell... but he could have sworn the bug had just smiled at him...

"Well, I hope you're happy, Hugs." said Ainad as she folded her arms across her chest. "You know it's going a lot against my will to let you keep that thing. Just promise me you'll get rid of it as soon as spring hits."

Hugs buzzed happily and flew over to Ainad to nuzzle her in thanks. This Christmas gift was much better then the sweater she had given him earlier... maybe Christmas wasn't so bad after all.


The End



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