DragonBonds

Christmas

After the situation that happened at Khloe's house, Cloud found it much easier to just keep his medicine at home. Timtam recommended as much too- it's not like he'd need it in the middle of the day for whatever reason, so there was no reason he couldn't leave it at home. Since then, he's started to finally get himself accustomed to the drained feeling, finally able to relax as his magic lulled silently in his bones. He'd started to realize that he can use general magic as he is, tapping into things like energy bolts or little palm-sized flames, but his magic derived from his Drake, the reality-warping, had all but ceased as he suppressed that side of him.

Cloud lived the rest of the weeks comfortably, taking walks and playing video games when he wasn't spending time with his friends or at school. He felt a sense of calm and normalcy he hadn't for a very long time, and even though some nightmares wormed their way in his head at night, he was doing much better than he used to.

And now, the most wonderful time of the year had come- Cloud woke up that morning, his hair floof wild and unkempt, a bright smile on his face. This was the first Christmas since his bond, and for once in the three and a half months he'd been changed, he was genuinely happy.

The calico ran outside his room, his tail trailing behind him as he made his way upstairs and into the living room past the kitchen, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the piled of presents stacked next to the glowing, multicolor tree that sat in the corner, next to the television. His nightgown flared as he spun around to face the hallway where his parents and siblings were sleeping. It didn't seem like anyone else was awake yet- it was Christmas, the bakery the family ran was closed today, Pebbles wasn't in school and Cloud had school off- so he decided to sit down and play on his phone while he waited patiently and excitedly, his tail quickly thumping against the couch.

A few moments had passed while Cloud was distracting himself, and down the hallway, he heard the sound of a door opening, and from the shadow of the hallway walked his brother, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with a paw and smiling down at Cloud.

"Merry Christmas, Cloudy," he mumbled, walking over to give his brother a ruffle of his floof. The calico let out a chuckle and let his eyes adjust to Pebbles.

Because winter had technically only started about a week and a half ago, a few stray brown and orange feathers remained on his body, but the majority of Pebbles' feathers were now a stark white and a crisp icy blue, which seemed to shimmer as Pebbles moved about, like freshly fallen snow. He had been there to watch the molting process several times, occasionally being on the receiving end of a snide remark or two from the gray and white cat- though he would apologize soon after. Cloud knew how rough molting was on Pebbles because his kin was irritated where the new feathers were coming in, and he would become drained and annoyed as his magic shifted and transitioned with the seasons as well. But, it seemed, Christmas was his solace finally, and Cloud's brother was happy today.

"Merry Christmas, Pebs," he hummed back, pulling his brother onto the couch with him.

"Are you excited to see whatcha got?" He chirped, his pupils wide and shiny. Pebbles took a deep breath, yawning on the exhale, and nodded.

"Yeah, I know you, Ma and Dad got some good ones. You guys know me well."

That answer satisfied Cloud and he nodded. After another few moments, the two of them heard the sound of Mittens' door opening, and she trotted out after dropping back onto all fours after opening her door. She let out a quiet mew as she hopped up onto her brothers' laps and started patting their legs with her paws. Cloud gave her a couple scritches by her ear, and then the final noises from down the hallway sounded. Heathcliff stepped out first, followed by Merlot, and the two of them looked at their kids, who looked equal parts tired and excited.