Clouded Vision

A Sort of Human Xmas-clouded vision extra story

This Christmas story takes place after Vince meets Eve, but before Vince joins the pack. Enjoy

Every year, winter was absolutely stunning in the little town. Snow flaked the roofs of houses and spread along the street. It weighed down the trees with its enormous load, threatening to dump on passerby that walked too close, and covered the ground as clouds covered the sky. Frost flushed the face of each person in the street, but felt refreshing against the skin. It was times like these, however, that Vincent wished to be in his fur. Even though the cold or snow bothered him less than any human-for his blood was that of a beast- it was horrid to sleep in. The warmest position Vincent had managed to find was to sleep in little cradles of snow with only his jacket for protection. But even then, when he awoke he would often discover himself soaked to the bone. "How do humans live like this, without fur?" he wondered, shivering slightly. It was no question to him now why they scrambled around their little heating devices, rushing home as fast as they could to escape the frigid cold.

To make himself forget the miserable dampness of snow inside his jacket and for something to do, Vince crawled to the edge of the ally way, and made himself comfortable, sitting on the putrid ground. He lay against the firm brick wall and for amusement watched the people milling about like a colony of ants but for no apparent reason. One family, a father with two little girls was hauling a giant tree across the street. The tree was clearly once grand, standing high in the forest above all else. Now it sagged as the hunter carried a kill it could not eat. The father's breath was extremely heavy-as if he had to run down his kill to capture it-turning to frost once out of his mouth, while the girls ran around their father chattering excitedly. "What are they doing?" Vince wondered with confusion clear in his thoughts, peering closer. The ways of humans were so incredibly strange that Vincent sometimes couldn't fathom why the thought occurred to them in the first place. "That was such a beautiful tree. Why did they have to kill it?" It was such a great loss to a grand forest. The man should at least have the dignity to look ashamed. He pressed his lips over his teeth, suppressing a growl. "Maybe I should show him to be a little more ashamed." He thought with disdain.

"What are you staring at?"A voice behind him asked. Her voice tinkled like bells. Vincent didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Right on time." greeted Vince. She was always so precise in when she came. Every day, at eleven she was there right there with him. Her presence brought him instant ease.

"So? What are you up to? Picking your next victim?"

"Ha ha; very funny. I'm just...watching."

Eve was silent for a moment, watching him as he watched the family. Finally she said, "The girls don't look very tasty; you're probably better off with the dad."

Vincent growled in frustration. "What are they doing?" he asked.

Eve scrutinized them, and laughed as she realized what he was really looking at. "Oh, the tree. Well, I suppose it's that time of year again. Christmas." She said the word with a strange tone, not happy nor nervous, just curious.

"Christmas?"

Eve nodded. "Perhaps I can convince Adair to let me decorate the house this year. He's just so against human tradition. I don't understand why."

"What is Christmas?"

"A day most humans celebrate. They believe that their savior was born on that day."

"And they celebrate by killing trees?"

"No, they decorate the trees and make them beautiful. I'm not sure they really think about the trees that much, not when everything else they have to worry about.'