FSE

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December 24th, 10 years prior to "Crossroads"

The Briarwood mall was much more crowded than usual. This wasn't strange in the slightest, given the time of year. It was Christmas Eve, and people were milling in and about the aisles pushing heavy carts or carrying large boxes. Whether they were out buying last minute gifts or even taking advantage of the holiday sales taking place, it didn't matter for a certain jackal. He still hated this time of year. It just meant more shopping to be done.

The halls of the shopping center were decorated with sparkly lights and glittering tinsel, as was tradition during the holidays. The small restaurants and coffee shops scattered about the area sold drinks in festive cups in an effort to spread Christmas cheer to passersby. But Zack was having none of it. Even if he wanted to take part, he was stuck in a toy store bored out of his mind while his father shopped for the baby.

A certain item on the shelf caught his eye. "Hey Pa, look!" A seven-year-old Zack exclaimed, pointing his little finger at the shelf. "Can I have that?"

"What's that?" Geoff paused his browsing to follow his son's gaze. There on the shelf was a Nerf gun in a plastic case. It was a bit larger than most models, but otherwise looked ordinary. "Is this what you want?"

"Yes! One of my friends has one," Zack said excitedly. "You can play cool games with them now. And it lights up and everything!"

"Hmm," Geoff mused. He put the item back on the shelf. "Not today. Maybe next year or for your birthday if you're good."

"But that's so far away!" Zack complained. "It's like three months!"

"Zack, you need to understand that you can't just get everything you want," said Geoff. "You need to earn it."

"But -"

"Enough, Zack," Geoff snapped. "I said no, and that's final!"

Zack hmphed as he stuck his paws in his pockets. "I bet Tristan gets everything he wants," he grumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"No, you said something," Geoff insisted, giving the young jackal a stern glare. "What was it?"

"Well," Zack said cautiously. "I just said that Tristan gets everything he wants..."

"Tristan is six months old. He has greater needs and you know that, Zack. Stop being a spoiled brat." Geoff looked around. "Where is your brother?"

Zack glanced behind him and caught sight of a black tail whipping around the corner. "Come on, Seth! Keep up!" Another jackal came around the corner holding an electronic Rubik's cube in his paws. "And put that back!" Four-year-old Seth put the item back where he found it and ran up to catch up with the others.

Zack grumbled and went back to following his father. It baffled him how Seth didn't seem to mind these shopping trips at all. It was like this every year, and he hated it.

"How come we have to keep doing this anyway?" Zack griped. "I thought Santa gave everyone presents."

"Santa delivers some presents. But it's polite to buy presents for people as well," Geoff said absently as he examined the shelves. "Stop complaining, Zack."

"But how come Ma isn't here? Then we can get more shopping done quicker!" Zack suggested, already rather irritated out of boredom. They had been at this for hours and he was hungry.

"She has to stay home with the baby," Geoff explained. "And if I hear one more complaint from you, I'll tell Santa not to bring you any presents. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Zack sighed in defeat. As they moved further down the aisle, he lagged behind to walk beside his brother. Once out of earshot, he muttered, "This sucks, doesn't it, Seth?"

His brother apparently hadn't heard him, having spaced out already like he always does. The younger jackal only blinked at him. "Huh?"

Zack rolled his eyes, a bad habit he had picked up recently. "Never mind."

........................................

"Karen, we're home!" Geoff called out as he and the boys returned to the living room. He put the bags of shopping items on the couch just as Karen came back down the stairs.

"Shhh!" She hissed. "I've only just managed to get Tristan back to sleep. He woke up an hour ago and wouldn't calm down."

"What he hungry?" Geoff asked.

"Nope. Turned out he just wanted cuddles from his mama," Karen said with a smile. "That pup is too cute."

"Cute indeed," Geoff agreed. He reached into one of the bags and began sorting out its items. "I got those crafting tools you wanted."

"Oh good! Now we can get properly started on that photo album for Tristan," Karen replied excitedly. "I was hoping we could commemorate his first Christmas this year."

"Well, now we can," said Geoff, leaning in for a quick peck on his wife's lips. Zack, meanwhile, smoldered on the sidelines listening to them talk. Of course they were concerned about Tristan; it was the only thing they seemed to talk about anymore. Sure, he and Seth both had photo albums of their own, but still...

"Zack, could you please put these in the nursery?" Geoff held out a bag that had been half emptied. He could hear something made of hard plastic rattling inside as he took it from his father. "Just put it next to the crib and be very quiet. Don't wake Tristan!"

"Yes, Pa," Zack responded sullenly and went up the stairs with the bag. When would this obsession with Tristan end? He was just a baby, so what? Both he and Seth were still fairly young, so surely they were just as important? He only wished that Seth would agree with him. Seth didn't seem to care much for anything; he was always the happy sort, no matter what happened. How he did that, Zack would never understand.

Zack slowly pushed the door to the nursery open. Unlike his own door, it didn't creak, Zack noted pessimistically. The room was dark, but it was still clear that the walls had been painted a soft baby blue. Baby pictures sat on clean shelves and other furnishings were arranged neatly against the walls. The crib was against the far wall with the still sleeping form of an infant lying inside.

Zack gently set the bag down next to the crib and glanced at the pup. Grabbing the bars with both paws, he peered inside for a better look. There at the center of the mattress lay a small jackal pup, sound asleep and perfectly silent. To anyone else, the sight would have been cute, but Zack saw him a different way. He hated to admit it, but he was jealous of his new baby brother. Since he had come into the family, it was all about 'Tristan this' and 'Tristan that.' Zack no longer had the spotlight as the eldest sibling, and he hated it. At was all about the youngest sibling now. He couldn't quite come to believe that he might want Tristan out of the family, but -

"Zack? Are you finished up there? Come on down!" Geoff's voice rang from downstairs.

"Yes, Pa!" Zack shouted without thinking. He quickly realized his mistake as the pup next to him awoke and promptly started crying. Zack winced at the cacophony and glared at the pup. "Nice going, bro..."

Geoff suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Zack, if you're going to yell, leave the room first," he said sternly.

"I didn't -"

"Don't talk back to me. You knew you were supposed to be quiet." Geoff came in and picked up the wailing infant. "Shh, it's okay. Daddy's here."

The action only irritated Zack even more. So he was the bad guy now? "But I didn't mean to!"

"Quiet," Geoff snapped. "Your mother wants to see you anyway. You're going to the Christmas charity event with her tonight."

Zack's jaw dropped. "What? But why? What did I do wrong? I -"

"It's not a punishment, it's an opportunity," Geoff reasoned, gently patting the pup's back. Tristan was starting to calm down a little. "We figured you're old enough to go and it'll build good character. There will be other kids there, so you won't be lonely."

"But I don't want to," Zack protested.

"Remember what I said about Santa not bringing you presents?" Geoff warned. "Now go talk to your mother. Don't keep her waiting."

Now positively angry, Zack groaned and stormed out of the room. This day was just getting worse and worse.

........................................

"Hark, the herald angels sing,

_ Glory to the newborn King!_

_ Peace on earth, and mercy mild,_

_ God and sinners reconciled."_

_ I hate this song,_ Zack thought as he put his hundredth can of food into a box. The local church held a charity event every year for the holidays and this time, they were holding a food drive. Tonight, they were putting all that food into individual boxes so that they would be distributed over the next week. And apparently, everyone thought it would be a good idea to sing Christmas carols while they worked.

Normally, Zack wouldn't mind, but he was already in a bad mood. Geoff had technically been right; there were other kids there, but they were the kids of church members whom he didn't know. Between being forced to work with perfect strangers, having practically been lied to by his father, and having to listen to all the old ladies' strangely-good-but-still-annoying singing voices, Zack was bitter.

And to make things worse, they were working outside tonight. Oh, it's nice and cool out tonight, they'd said. It'll be nice to have some holiday breeze, they'd said. Zack had brought a jacket, but it was still uncomfortable.

"Hey Zack, could you go get us a few more cans?" Karen requested over the singing. "You know where they're kept, right?"

"Yeah," Zack mumbled, standing up from his table.

"Thank you, dear," said Karen. As her son walked by, she laid a paw on his shoulder. "Be pleasant and put a smile on your face," she hissed. Zack shrugged off her paw and continued on his way.

He sighed as he headed across the street to the building adjacent to the chapel. While he hated having to be here, Zack was grateful for the break. It gave him a chance to stretch his legs after sitting at that table for an hour straight. The sky had begun to darken by now, the setting sun casting shades of pink and purple across the clouds. It was pretty, he had to admit. Like a strange painting.

Zack retrieved a few cans and set off back toward his singing companions, but not before he heard a rustle around some nearby bushes. The jackal stopped and looked for the source of the noise. He saw nothing.

"Hello?" He called out. He still saw nothing, but he thought he saw something moving behind the bushes. He thought it could have been an animal, but it started to look more like a person the longer he looked. "It's okay, you can come out. I'm not gonna hurt you."

There was silence for a moment longer, and then a little head popped out from behind the cover. It was a feline head, one of a lynx, and quite young. It was just a little girl. Her clothes didn't quite fit her properly, as though they were designed for someone the next size up. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."

"It's okay. You just scared me, that's all." Zack looked around curiously. "What are you doing all the way out here? Are you with the church?"

The girl shook her head. "No. Not really. I just..." She trailed off, eyes flickering back to the group at the chapel. "I just watching, I promise."

His curiosity getting the best of him, Zack shifted the cans under one arm and held out a paw. "My name's Zack. What's yours?"

The lynx stared at his paw in surprise before grasping it gingerly. "Billie."

"That's a strange name for a girl," Zack said without thinking. Then seeing the dejected look on her face, he backpedaled. "I mean, I've never met a girl with that name before. It's a cool name!"

"It's okay. People say that a lot," Billie replied unconvincingly.

Now that he paid more attention, Zack thought she looked nervous, as if she wasn't sure she should be here. She kept looking past him to the volunteer group by the chapel and back behind her at the building he had just come from.

"Are your parents around?" Zack inquired.

"O-oh yes," she stammered. "My mom is...there's a Christmas service going on in the Hall. And I sort of...ran off."

Zack knew exactly the place she was talking about. There was a large room in this building that was commonly used for community events such as fellowship meetings, small services, and even the occasional party. There must have been a Christmas service going on in there tonight. But why would Billie have left?

"How come you left?"

Billie shuffled her feet sheepishly. "Honestly, I was bored...and I wanted to see...never mind. I just got bored, so I snuck out during one of the prayers."

"But won't your mom be looking for you?" Zack wondered. "She didn't see you leave?"

"She probably is, but..." Billie took a cautious step back. "You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

"No, of course not!" Zack replied defensively.

Billie visibly relaxed. "Good. It's not that I don't like my mom. I just don't want to go back to church. It's sooo boring," she said, elongating her syllables. "How about you? Do you think it's boring, too?"

Zack shrugged. "I don't go to church actually. I'm just helping out tonight."

"Lucky," Billie grumbled. "I have to go every Sunday. And on Christmas Eve."

"Is it really that bad?" Zack inquired.

"Not always," Billie answered. "But every week sucks."

Having never been to church, Zack wasn't sure he understood that, but kept quiet about it. Realizing the lynx looked to be about his age, he asked, "Hey, how old are you?"

Billie seemed surprised at the question. "Seven."

"So am I!" Zack chirped. "What grade are you in? Do you go to Briarwood?"

"No, I don't go to school. My mom teaches me," said Billie. "We don't have enough money for me to go to school."

"Oh." Zack felt guilty for possibly hitting a sore subject and tried to change it. "So are you excited for Christmas? Do you think you'll get something good?"

Billie looked crestfallen again, giving him the feeling he had said another thing wrong. "No. We can't afford much for Christmas, so...we'll probably have a special dinner, but that's it."

This made Zack even more confused. "Wait, you can't even afford presents? How?"

Billie shrugged, still looking rather sad.

"Not even one?"

Billie shook her head. "No. We need money for food and stuff, so we can't buy presents."

Zack was astonished. He knew that some people were poor and couldn't afford much, but he had never considered that their Christmas would be ruined because of it. Not being able to have presents on Christmas Day? That sounded horrible! As he thought, he glanced down at the cans in his paws and got an idea.

He held out one of the cans. "Here, have one."

Billie looked just as flustered as he. "Oh no, I can't. That's yours!"

"We've got more," Zack insisted. "I know it's not a lot, but maybe..." He shrugged and held the can closer to her.

Billie tentatively took the can and stared down at it in shock. When she looked back up at the jackal, her eyes were filled with warmth and gratitude. "Thank you, Zack."

For the first time that day, a smile crept onto Zack's muzzle that reflected that same joy.

"Zack? What are you doing over there?" Karen called from across the street, causing Zack to jump.

"I have to go," said Zack, backing away. "I - um...Merry Christmas, Billie!"

"Merry Christmas, Zack," Billie shouted after him, clutching the can to her chest.

Zack returned to his table with one less can than he had started with, but Karen was none the wiser.

"Who was that you were talking to, Zack?" Karen asked, taking the cans from him.

"Just a girl I met," Zack answered vaguely. Though to be fair, he didn't know much more about her than that.

"That's nice," said Karen. Then teasingly, she added, "Found a girlfriend already, have you?"

"Eww Ma, no."

"Just joking. We were just waiting for you to come back. Would you like to choose the next song we sing?"

Now in strangely high spirits, Zack smiled wide and replied, "Sure!"

.....................................

The first rays of the morning sun had only just reached his bedroom window when Zack opened his eyes. He blinked blearily in his bed as he let out a sleepy yawn. However, one glance at the calendar on his wall and he was suddenly wide awake.

"It's Christmas!" He exclaimed, whipping off his covers and racing out of his room in only his pajamas. He went across the hall and unceremoniously pushed open his brother's door.

"Wake up, Seth! It's Christmas!" He shouted. Seth startled awake in his own bed. Once he heard those words, though, his demeanor brightened as well and he followed after Zack with a jovial smile on his muzzle.

Zack thundered down the stairs and found that the Christmas tree in the living room now had a pile of multicolored presents underneath it. He was about to run over and pick one up when his father appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Settle down, boys," Geoff said sleepily, but with a warm smile. "Let's wait until everyone's down here before we open presents."

They didn't have to wait long. Zack's shouting had woken his mother as well, who soon came down in a gown and holding baby Tristan in her arms. The infant had miraculously managed to stay asleep despite Zack's excitement. Soon they were all sitting around the living room with all of their presents sorted between them.

"Let's start with Santa's presents," Karen suggested while she carefully cradled Tristan. "Youngest goes first. Go ahead, Seth."

Seth excitedly tore open a large box he had next to him. Wrapping paper flew everywhere before it was revealed to be a large box of Legos. Seth gasped at the surprise and happily hugged the box that was nearly as large as himself.

"That's a lot of Legos," Geoff observed jovially.

"I know!" Replied Seth with an impossibly wide grin on his muzzle. "I'm going to make so many things with these!"

"I'm sure you will," responded Karen. "Santa must have known you really like Legos."

"Your turn next, Zack," said Geoff.

Zack turned his gaze down to a rather small package in his lap. It was thin and rectangular and felt very light. Curiously, he peeled away the wrapping paper and found something akin to a coloring book inside, except the title suggested it was intended for painting. A small object that came with it confirmed this fact; it was a simple painting set. It had ten basic colors to choose from and was complete with a small paintbrush.

Despite the simplicity of the gift, Zack was ecstatic. "A book for painting?! How did Santa know I liked painting so much?"

"He must have pretty good intuition," Geoff smiled. When Zack looked confused, he rephrased. "He must know you pretty well to have given you such a good gift."

Zack smiled back and looked back down at the painting book, sharing his brother's excitement. He was going to be using this all day! Feeling this joy reminded him of the look on Billie's face when he gave her the can of food. He thought back to how he had acted at the toy store and felt his spirits deflate somewhat. Some people couldn't have any presents on Christmas and he had been all grumpy about not getting a stupid Nerf gun?

"Are you okay, Zack? You like it, don't you?"

Zack looked back up to see his parents watching him in concern, having noticed his sudden solemnness. "I'm fine. It's just...I was just thinking I probably would've liked the present no matter what it was."

Geoff blinked. "Oh? And why is that?"

Deciding against recounting everything that had just gone through his head, he chose a simpler answer. "Because I have you guys. A family that loves me very much. And Tristan," he added with a smile. The aforementioned infant was still fast asleep in his mother's arms, but Zack now saw him in a new light. A better light.

Geoff seemed surprised by his son's change of heart, but responded in kind. "I love you, too, Zack. We all do." He shared a loving smile with his wife and looked back to Zack. "Now how about we finish off this first round of presents and we can continue after a nice breakfast."

"What's for breakfast?" Seth asked.

"How does pancakes and bacon sound?"

"Great!"

Zack watched fondly as Karen proceeded to open her first present. Sitting here with his family, with the people he loved...this was what Christmas was all about.

Merry Christmas, everyone.