Foxxy_Jones Winning Entry

"And stay out!"

With a hefty kick to her rear, a little Kohal stumbled out of her mistress' palace and into the cold with the other rejected minions. Shaking herself, she glanced behind her at the walls looming behind her and the door now slammed shut. She felt an immense sadness welling up inside her. The palace was no real home, that much she was certain of, but it was her home and where else did she have to go?

Lost, the little Kohal followed the rest of her brethren across the bitterly cold landscape. They walked and walked, seeking shelter and food where they could find it. The little Kohal was thankful she did not have to eat much because no one was willing to share what little they could find with her. After all, they were traveling together out of convenience, not out of love.

It was not until they came across a friendly Inarbu that they were taken in and shown to Blizzard's Realm, the only safe haven in the icy wasteland. They were given temporary living arrangements and were promised care and comfort until someone came to adopt them.

Adopt.

The little Kohal thought this such a strange concept. Surely, no one really wanted her species. Maybe there was labor that needed to be done elsewhere. Something she could pull or push or carry? Surely there was something that someone needed done.

She did not expect such a huge ruckus when people started to arrive in Blizzard's Realm. The pets of Blizzard's Realm made a big to-do about each and every person that came into their caves and King Blithe stepped out of his Alchemy lab to greet each and every one of them- if only briefly.

All these... strange people. The little Kohal had never seen a human before and certainly did not expect them to be so oddly colored. Not one of them had the deep blue color of her mistress. They were dark like Mistmas chocolates, creamy white like warm marshmallows, the deep tan of toasted chestnuts and every color in between... but no blue.

The little Kohal waited patiently for one of these strange people to come and take her services. She sat near the front each time a new person came and tried to make herself look as useful as possible, but every time she was overlooked for a different Kohal. She did not understand. Some of these Kohals were very lazy and did not want to work. Why were they chosen before her, when she obviously was eager to serve?

Then, she noticed it.

All the other Kohals had ribbons around their necks. Red ones, green ones, speckled and striped ones. One even had bright purple splotches and acid green polka dots. That must have been the reason she was being skipped over. She did not stand out enough! She had to get a ribbon of her own, so she could go to work as well!

The little Kohal searched Blizzard's Realm for a ribbon to wear. She looked in every store, asked all the pets she could find and looked and looked until her feet grew sore. The only ribbons she could find decorated the trees of lucky pets hoping that Mericlaus would visit and leave presents. She dared not ask for one, as they must have worked hard to get so many ribbons and it was not fair to ask for a free one.

So the little Kohal was forced to go without a ribbon, trying to impress the people that came to adopt with her eagerness and endurance instead. She pushed rocks and pulled sleds and shoveled large amounts of snow, but nothing caught the eyes of the potential owners and their numbers were beginning to dwindle. As fewer and fewer Kohals were left in Blizzard's Realm, so fewer and fewer people visited.

The little Kohal realized that she was simply not going to be chosen and would have to rely on the charity of the pets of Blizzard's Realm for the rest of her life. If these strange people did not want her to work for them, surely it was a flaw in her. Perhaps they saw something she did not and that was why she could not find a ribbon. Maybe the ribbons were given out only to the special Kohals and maybe she just was not special enough.

The little Kohal crawled out of the warm caves of Blizzard's Realm and out into the cold for a breath of frigid air. She could not watch the remaining Kohals find homes without her, even though she must have made them look excellent in comparison. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, her warm breath misting in the cold. This must have been why her mistress kicked her out, too...

The little Kohal felt a soft scratching on her leg and she opened her eyes quickly. Big, blue eyes the same inky blue as her mistress' skin stared up at her.

She tilted her head. What a strange creature! It was fluffy and vulpine, yet its midnight blue fur sparkled like the night sky, shifting and turning within its outline. Before she even spoke, the little creature bent down and picked up a folded package in its tiny jaws. It held it up to her. She tried to refuse the unearned gift, but the little creature insisted.

She took it carefully and- at the creature's nod- opened it gingerly. Her eyes grew wide and began to tear as she pulled the blue and white ribbon from the package like it was made of glass. It was a beautiful ribbon, colored like the waters of a river and shimmering like the sun. Surely, it was the most beautiful ribbon she had ever seen!

The little Kohal turned quickly to thank the strange creature, only to find it was gone. She looked around, but did not see even the paw prints of the small creature. Confused, but curious, she took a slow glance upward and thought for a moment she saw the creature darting into a pair of elegant white paws, but when she blinked, the image was gone.

As if it were magic.