With school out for winter break, everyone was glad to be able to spend some time with their families for Christmas. The founding members of Animalia Ambassadoria were no exception. In fact, since they didn't have any events to cover until New Year's, they could finally relax and enjoy the quiet. And opening presents didn't hurt.
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As a parrot, JC's presents were usually simple things like a new chew toy or decoration for his cage. As a Microraptor Dinotopian, his gifts were much more complex. Right now, he was staring at a wheeled thing with a handle extending up from it. He scratched his head and asked, "Uh, what is this thing?"
"It's a Segway," said Sophie, "It's like a scooter, but one you stand on instead of sit on."
"So why not get me a scooter?" asked JC.
"Segways are more versatile, they can get into places that scooters can't," said Sophie, "Also, it'll also mean you won't be sitting on your feathers." Having flight feathers on his legs made walking around a little more tricky for JC. He has gotten faster with it over time, but running was still hampered. Special shoes with flip-out wheels helped JC get around faster on the ground, but this should help him even more.
"You do remember I can fly, right?" asked JC.
"So can I, but there are times where it's not such a good idea to fly. Like when the weather's bad. Besides, they're a lot more fun than they look," said Sophie.
"I'm not really sure how to balance on that thing," said JC.
"You can balance in the air with four wings. This shouldn't give you any trouble," said Sophie. She really hoped that JC was happy with his gift. The two of them cared for each other even more than when JC was just Sophie's pet. But Sophie could tell that the arboreal lifestyle at Vilcabamba had more appeal for JC and Pauline than what Dinosaur City was promising. JC said he wanted to attend college with Sophie, but Sophie knew there would be a day where he and Pauline would move away. But as long as they could still see each other, Sophie was okay with that.
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A lot of people would be disappointed that there wasn't enough snow on Christmas. And while Jessica would have liked snow, she did see the benefits of there not being snow. Namely that she could drive her Volkswagen without having to worry about slipping on ice. Her winter coat still grew in regardless, but it wasn't too bad. She just needed a little brushing every now and then.
She had a rather nice Christmas with her family. Her former pet, Sam, had come over to visit. It was a little strange having a former pet like a close friend, but that's happened with Jessica's other friends, to various degrees. Making herself a rabbit seemed like a good idea to be closer to Sam without causing romantic interest. Though it was only after the change that Jessica learned that rabbits were lagomorphs, not rodents. Still, there were several other pluses to being a rabbit.
Right now, she and Roger were taking a short drive to look at the other houses' Christmas decorations before heading home for dinner. It was a nice way to spend time with Roger without being too intimate. When spring comes, they'll be a lot more tempted to have sex, especially since everyone else has done it. However, Jessica was not going to be pressured into doing it before she was ready. Perhaps part of that reluctance was because Shyra had given her a set of holiday-theme lingerie and a few notes about seductive posing for Christmas.
"So, had any thoughts for New Year's?" asked Jessica.
"Asides from hanging out with you, not in particular," said Roger, "I just hope there will be some snow before winter ends."
"I know," said Jessica, "If it gets hotter, my winter coat is going to suffocate me."
When they stopped to admire a particularly well-lit house, Roger said, "Oh, there's an extra present for you. Shyra suggested I get it."
"I hope she was more thoughtful her suggestion," said Jessica. Getting two sets of lingerie would both embarrassing and redundant.
"I think so," said Roger before handing Jessica a small gift bag.
Jessica reached inside and pulled out a small bottle that had a red fluid sloshing inside. Jessica read the label and her eyebrows went up. "You got me perfume?" she asked.
"Shyra suggested you might want a little something to make you more pretty," said Roger, "And I don't know about your make-up, but this local-made perfume seems nice."
"Local-made? What's in it?" asked Jessica.
"I don't know, but I think it's supposed to be subtler than most perfumes since most Animalians have sensitive noses."
Jessica removed the cap and she and Roger immediately picked up the order coming from the bottle. Rabbits may not have as sharp olfactory senses as dogs or pigs, but their noses were acute enough to pick up the simple, understated aroma. It was pleasant and cloying without being overbearing. "I think I could wear something like this," said Jessica.
"I think it would look great, I mean, smell great on you," said Roger.
Dabbing a little on her finger, Jessica put the perfume behind her ears, though that was higher up on her head than it would usually go. Jessica wasn't quite sure if it was projecting quite right. "Well?" she asked.
"You smell terrific," said Roger.
"Thanks," said Jessica before leaning over and kissing him.
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Christmas at the Wesley house was noisier than it had been. Mostly because Bell and Bash were a lot more active. They grew at a human rate, so they were still puppies, puppies with a lot more coordination and momentum. And they yipped a lot when they got wound up.
As cute as they were, Sarah found their constant nipping to be annoying. "When are they going to start talking?" she asked.
"It shouldn't be too long," said Julia, "They are as smart as a normal two-year-old."
"Well, at least they don't cry all the time," said Thomas.
"Yeah, they just chew on anything that they can put in their mouths," said Malice. At least with diapers, they didn't have to worry about housebreaking them. Though the two puppies were quite a handful. It almost made Malice glad she and Simon weren't having any kids yet.
"You were quite a bundle of trouble when you were a puppy," said Julia.
"And you made just as much noise," said Sarah. Huskies were very vocal dogs.
"I'm sure I wasn't that bad," said Malice. She tried to not dwell on her own puppyhood, not as long ago as it was. Of course, she had only been a normal dog then.
Just then, the doorbell rang and Malice said, "Oh, that'll be them." She rushed to the door and opened it. Simon and Travis stepped in.
"Merry Christmas," said Simon before kissing Malice.
"Don't I get a kiss?" asked Sarah coyly.
"You get more than that," said Travis, kissing his girlfriend before handing her a present.
Bash and Bell soon ran to the door, yipping and nipping at their older sisters' boyfriends. "Down, down," said Sarah loudly.
Julia walked over and picked up her pups. "Sorry, these two have been wound up all day," she said.
"Yeah, I can understand that," said Simon. His half-sister, Winnie, had been born back in July. It was an unusually small litter, but just one pup was more than enough. Simon wasn't sure how wolf pups behaved in the wild, but Winnie went through chew toys very quickly.
"How are your folks?" asked Julia.
"They're fine. I think my mom wants to be knocked up again," said Simon.
"Isn't one pup enough for her?" asked Malice.
"I think Luke will be able to talk her out of it, at least until Winnie's older," said Simon.
"Your lucky you don't have any younger siblings," said Sarah to Travis.
"Well, not yet," said Travis.
"Oh, is your mother expecting?" asked Julia.
"No, but I did hear them say they'll want puppies to be there for my graduation," said Travis, "I'm not really sure what they're planning."
"Well, that doesn't sound like the immediate future," said Thomas, "Come on in and get warm."
"It's not that cold out," said Simon.
"Still warmer in here than out there," said Thomas.
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Family dinners were quite peaceful and enjoyable on the Brown Farm. While the meals have become vegetarian because of the Brown family's conversions, they were still very tasty.
"Think it's going to be a mild winter, Dad?" asked Abby.
"Hard to say," said Martin, "It's a little too early to tell. I just hope we'll get a proper spring instead of what happened last year."
"It would make the new Mister and Miss Farmhand competition a lot easier," said Samson.
"We probably might not get so many people participating," said Josephine, "I think they weren't expecting so much work."
"Well, anything worth having is worth working for," said JT. He was living proof of that. Spotted Tail had been persistent enough with dating him and earning his love. Now he was finally a horse like her, his lungs better than ever since the double-dose restored his youth and undid the damage smoking has caused.
"Me, I'm just glad to be part of this family," said Spotted Tail.
"Not quite yet," said JT, patting her hand, "But soon."
"You still gonna live in Montana?" asked Abby.
"I still have my own career, even if I'll need to get new furniture and clothes," said JT, "Besides, we can't have Animalians all crowded in one spot. There ought to be more across the country."
"I'm sure it'll be a lovely home for the two of us," said Spotted Tail.
"You know what they say, 'home is where the heart is'," said Josephine.