Christmas with the Pack

Kadis turned and stared out the window. School was almost over and everyone seemed anxious to run from the room the second that last bell rang. Today was the last day before Christmas break. No school for ten days. Even Kadis found herself smiling. Instead of spending break alone with her cousins, her mate, Shiro, had invited her entire family, the honorary pack members, to join the Ookami pack for the holidays. She’d never been with so many people for the holidays before, so she was looking forward to it.

“There’ll be games and partying every day,” he’d told her, a grin spreading across his face. He’d seemed so excited himself that day. “The pack does Christmas a bit differently. It’s sort of tradition, I guess. You’ll join us right? Bring everyone!”

The bell finally rang then, pulling her from her thoughts and she stood, stretching for a moment while everyone rushed from the room. Only she, Akaru, Neko, and Nate stayed back. The three of them waited for the crowd to clear. “Geez, why’s everyone so worked up?” Nate murmured, running a hand through his red hair. “It isn’t like the world will end just because they’re not the first out the doors. It’s only a few days off after all.”

Kadis rolled her eyes and poked his side. “Lighten up, Ebenezer,” she joked. “It’s the holidays. Everyone has plans. They wanna get home to their families and celebrate too.”

Neko giggled, most likely about the Scrooge reference. “Kaddy’s right, have fun! That’s what break is for!”

Nate shook his head. “Yeah, alright, I guess. You guys win. Now can we please go? Kaze’s waiting outside, I thi--“ He stopped suddenly, pointing out the window.

“Hm?” Kadis followed his finger and gasped, running towards the window. “Snow! It’s snowing!” Her wolf ears perked immediately and her tail swayed back and forth. Turning back to Nate she said, “My brother’s down by the gate, waiting for us. We should go. Now.” She giggled and ran from the room.

The cat girl ran after her. “Kaddy, wait for me!” she shouted, giggling as well. Her own mate, Akaru, followed after her.

Nate sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, a small smile on his face now. “That girl has the attention span of a child,” he said, following after them at his normal pace. He wasn’t in any real rush, but he was a bit excited to be spending ten full days with his boyfriend.

Outside, the other three were laughing and chasing each other in falling snow. “If there was enough snow on the ground, we’d be having a huge snowball fight right now,” the wolf-girl said, smiling widely. She pointed over towards her brother by the gate. “He’d lose, badly. He’s lost every one we’ve ever had.

Akaru smiled. “We’ll have a snowball fight later today, Mistress,” he said. “Snow in the mountains is more fun than down here anyway.”

“Hey, you guys, c’mon!” Kaze called. “We wanna get up there soon, don’t we? Shiro’s waiting for us!” He waved to them before heading towards his car.

“Guess we should go, nya,” Neko said, dusting the light layer of snow from her coat. She took Akaru’s hand in hers and dragged him to the car.

Kadis grinned back at Nate as he came out of the building. “Hey, Nate, last one to the car has to give my brother a kiss!” She laughed and sprinted ahead of him.

“W-what? Hey, get back here!” the redhead shouted, running after her. He knew his face was red. He’d not kissed the older wolf yet, and he still wasn’t quite ready for that. Though, since he’d failed the race, he had no choice. He groaned and glared at the violet-haired girl. “I’ll kill you one day,” he muttered.

She giggled. “Love you too, Nathan. Now do it! You lost, you have to do it!” She shoved him towards her brother. “C’mon!”

Nate grumbled something then sighed, his face red as he pressed his lips against the grey-haired wolf’s. “T-there, happy?” He growled at the girl.

Neko peeked out of the car. “Aw~!” she exclaimed. “So cute, they finally kissed, nya!”

Kaze blinked, his cheeks turning a light pink. “W-what was that for?” he stammered. “I mean, that was really out of nowhere, Nathaniel…”

“Your sister made me do it,” he muttered, climbing into the back seat. “Can we just go?”

“Alright, alright. We’ll go pick up bags and such and then head up the mountain.”

Kadis giggled and hopped into the front seat. “Off we go!” she exclaimed.

~

Shiro ran over and scooped Kadis up in his arms, giving her a quick kiss. “You guys made it,” he said, grinning.

Kadis smiled. “Wouldn’t have missed it,” she said. “Not only for you, but I’ve gotta be here for the pack too.”

Himuro smirked a little as he joined them. “We don’t need a useless little pup like you here, Miss Pack Leader,” he said. When he saw Shiro’s glare, he quickly reworded that. “I meant…we can take care of things ourselves…you should be more focused on your life outside the pack.”

She stuck her tongue out. “I know perfectly well what you meant, Himu, and I say too bad.”

Shiro sighed. “Now now, you two, don’t start. It’s the holidays after all.” He watched the entrance to their little village, where a black van had just pulled up. “Looks like everyone’s arrived today.”

Kadis waved to her cousins and the three others as they piled out of the van. Kuroi had his cat ears on today and just couldn’t seem to be able to stand still. Yami had his hands shoved in the pockets of his brown jacket, a small smile on his face as he noticed everyone already there. Shikyo looked just as annoyed and pissed as always. She glanced around, as if looking for something or someone.

“Well, they don’t look out of place at all,” Akaru murmured.

Neko kissed his cheek. “You need to lighten up a bit too, nya,” she said cheerily. The cat girl smiled as his cheeks turned pink.

Kadis smiled as they joined them. “Hey guys!” she said, dropping from her mate’s arms to hug her cousins and most of the others. The wolf girl steered clear of Shikyo with a small shudder. “I’m surprised you came,” she told her instead.

Shikyo scoffed and pointed at Kuroi. “The fag made me,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “I’d rather be out torturing kids, and other fun things.” She grinned then, showing her slightly pointy teeth. “Just don’t annoy me too much or I’ll have to kill you too. Got it?”

The violet-haired girl shuddered and nodded. “R-right…got it…”

Izuko laughed and placed his hand on Shikyo’s shoulder. “Aren’t you a charming little thing?” he said casually. “A cutie like you wouldn’t hurt a fly, I bet. Why not spend this break with me, hm? You know…alone…” He flashed her a bright smile and winked at her.

The demon-girl just stared at him for a while until she finally bit his hand, her sharp teeth breaking skin. “Dream on, dumbass.”

Shiro shook his head. “This is gonna be a strange Christmas break…” he murmured, as Izuko swore in the background.

~

“Mommy!”

Kadis turned and was knocked down suddenly as a ball of fluff ran into her. She laughed. “Kai, sweetie, calm down,” she told the pup, petting his head as he shifted back into the form of a boy. She hadn’t seen him in a while and she was just as excited to see her adopted son as he was to see her.

“Mommy, you’re not gonna leave again so soon, right?” he asked, staring up at her with his golden eyes.

“I’ll be here for a little while, sweetie. So will everyone else. Don’t worry, okay?”

He seemed relieved and nodded. “Yay, okay!” He grinned. “Uncle Himuro gave me the job of showing everyone to their spare houses and rooms. But Mommy gets to stay here with Daddy and sleep in Daddy’s bed!”

Her cheeks went red. “Y-yes, that’s right. Just like always.”

The young wolf grinned as if he had made a great accomplishment. “Okay! Uncle Himuro told me to come get you and bring you to the banquet hall. Let’s go!” He took her hand and pulled her down the street to the banquet hall.

“You’re spending a lot of time Himu, aren’t you?” she asked, curious.

“Uh-huh! Uncle Himuro’s teaching me to be a big, brave hunter. I’m like his…um…apprentice! That big word.”

She blinked and looked at him again. Now that she looked again, he did look a bit older and more mature. “I see. Well that’s good.”

“We’re here!” He pushed opened the doors and inside, everyone had gathered. Food was being passed around and people were chatting and flirting. He led her towards the head of the table, where Shiro sat, a smile on his face.

“Hey there, what do ya think?” the white wolf asked, waving his arm across the hall. “This is really only in celebration of you all.”

“For us? Really?” She smiled and sat down next to him, picking up the pup and setting him in her lap. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Himuro joined them at the head of the table, placing himself on the other side of the pack leader. “Don’t worry about it, Kaddy,” he said, placing what looked to be deer meat on his plate. “We haven’t had a huge dinner like this in forever.”

Shiro winked at his mate and stood, addressing the entire room. “Welcome all!” he began. “This year has been a good one for us all. And during this seemingly short period of time, we’ll be celebrating all the good things that have happened this year, while also anticipating the many good things to come in the new year.” He motioned for Kadis to stand and she did so. “This year is special, seeing that this is the first year  that my wonderful wife and her friends and family have joined us.” He paused for a moment and a few of the pack members cheered. “Let’s make this celebration a great one, for their sakes.” The white wolf lifted his glass and toasted, the rest of the wolves mimicking him.

Kadis blushed a bit at all the attention and sipped her drink as well. She, too, had a feeling that this would be a good Christmas Break.

~♥~

The violet-haired wolf awoke the next morning and found Shiro still asleep beside her. Last night had been tiring. They’d played games after the dinner had finished and stayed up till well into the early morning. She was surprised she was up so early after that late night party. She stretched and stood up, heading down into the kitchen to make breakfast. As she stood at the stove, humming as she cooked the eggs, a knock came at the back door. She tilted her head as she answered it, Shikyo stood in front of her. She jumped back a bit, surprised. “W-what are you doing here?” she gasped.

“Tch, don’t have a cow,” the dark-haired girl said, stepping into the kitchen. “I need you to hide me for a while. I’d really rather not come to you of all people for help, but I figured you’re the best to come to.”

“W-wait, why? I mean, you of all people can handle yourself…” She was slightly confused now, wondering why exactly Shikyo was here.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m hiding from that red-haired freak with the eyepatch. I had a bit of fun with him after the party last night and now he’s got the wrong idea about it. So, help me out. I’ll pay ya back.”

She tried not to giggle. “Y-you spent the night with Mana?” she asked, going back to the stove to hide the smile forming.

“Hey, shut it before I slit your throat. It just kinda happened, alright? Help me out.”

With a sigh, the wolf girl nodded. “Alright, I’ll help. You can stay here today. But I can’t do much if he comes searching.”

“I’ll take care of him,” she muttered, pulling one of her daggers from it’s sheath and licking the blade. “He’s such a pest.”

“Don’t kill him. He’s one of our warriors. We need him around.” She took three plates from the cabinet and placed the eggs on them.

Shikyo rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine…” She sniffed the air and her stomach rumbled. “Hey…uh…can I have some of those?” she asked, a little nervous. She’d never been the type to ask for things.

“Well, yeah. I’m making enough for three people,” Kadis replied, taking some bacon and tossing it into the frying pan. “There’ll be enough. Though Shiro can eat a lot…”

“Bah, who cares about him? He can make his own food. Lazy bum.” She looked at her dagger once before placing it back where it belonged.

“Who’s a lazy bum?” Shiro grunted, as he came down the stairs. The pack leader quickly kissed his mate’s cheek before sitting down at the table beside Shikyo. “What’s she doing here? And so early…”

Kadis giggled. “She’s hiding out here,” she said, placing two pieces of bacon on each plate and setting them in front of the two already at the table.

Shiro licked his lips and dove right in. “What she’s hiding from? Last I heard, there weren’t any dangers around.”

She giggled. “Mana. I think he’s very dangerous.”

Shikyo shuddered. “I agree,” she said, eating her own breakfast.

Kadis joined them. “Well, Mana isn’t that bad…just give him a chance.”

~

Neko giggled as she threw snowballs at Akaru. One hit him in the face and he yelped, falling over. He wiped the snow from his eyes and saw a worried cat girl stood over him. “Are you okay, nya?” she asked him, holding out her mittened hand.

He smiled a little and accepted it. But instead of pulling himself up, he tugged her arm and she fell on top of him with a little squeal. “Payback,” he said with  grin.

“Hey, no fair!” She giggled and tossed a handful of snow at him.

“Well, well, looks like someone’s having fun…” The two looked up and blushed suddenly, seeing they’d been caught. Kaze and Nate stood there, smirking at them. “Hey there, kiddies.”

“H-hey, there, Kaze…” Akaru said, easily lifting Neko up and setting her back down beside her. He stood and brushed the snow off his coat before holding out his hand to help his mate up.

Nate sighed. “This is a pain. Why are we doing this for her again?”

Kaze slipped his arm around the redhead’s waist. “Because she’s my sister. And here, she’s in charge.” He turned back to the other two. “Shiro and Kaddy want everyone in the hall where we had dinner last night. Meaning you two as well.”

Nate squirmed out of  the older wolf’s grasp. “Paws off,” he muttered. “Basically we’ve come to get you. So c’mon.” He turned and headed towards the hall, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Nathaniel~ How mean~ Wait for me!” Kaze chased after him, nearly tackling the redhead when he caught up.

Neko giggled. “Nate really likes him, it seems. He just hates showing it.” She smiled and took Akaru’s hand. “We should go before Kaddy gets upset.”

~

In the dining hall, the entire pack was gathered. Most of them knew what was going on, but the new “honorary members” had no idea. Not even the alpha female had known what was going on until Shiro had told her. As the final four entered and took their seats, she began. “Shiro’s told me what you guys normally do for Christmas Eve so I wanted to explain it to the others who don’t know yet. So! I’m sure you all know the symbol of our little village here, the giant tree in the center. Today’s the day that the pack decorates that tree! So let’s all head outside and have fun! Dismissed!”

The others all left the hall to gather their various ornaments and decorations. Shiro placed his hand on his mate’s shoulders as she let out a big sigh. “You did good. I know you hate things like that.”

“I can’t stand ‘em,” she muttered. “Public speaking isn’t my strong point.” She glanced over at him and grinned. “Well now that it’s over, shall we go start decorating too?”

~

Every member of the pack gathered around the tree, placing various decorations and lights. Some of the wolves even climbed the tree to help place things higher up. Even the pups helped out, hanging their own hand made decorations at the very bottom of the tree.

“This is so much more fun than just hanging around the apartment alone,” Kadis said, adding a few decorations to the tree. “Everyone seems happy too.” She glanced around. Neko and Akaru were together, chatting about things while they decorated. Mana had managed to find Shikyo and she was, of course, beating the shit out of him. The twins, Kuroi, and Yami were all arguing over god knows what. The pups were chasing each other through the snow and giggling. And here she was with Shiro. Life couldn’t get any greater.

Shiro notice her smile and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Kad.”

She blushed and looked up at him. “Merry Christmas, Shiro.”