Jewels Of The Imagination

Crystal's Christmass

          The steady tick tick of the hallway clock was comforting to Cristal compared to the monster of the wind howling outside the lunchroom windows.   Snow was already piling along the window ledges, and frost decorated the outside into a must shrouded dream.   Cristal crouched then slang, easily landing on the windowsill.   Carefully she raised a paw, testing the strong look on the window pane.   Her paw left a damp mark on the glass,  and she shook of the damp cold fell that had touched it.
     Cristal wasn't an overly fastidious cat, but she did like to keep herself neat and clean as she could.   She would never disappoint her mistress by looking anything but her best,  or at least as best as she could given the situation.  Her mistress Jilly Divergent might not care,  but Cristal did.   Jilly was a good mistress, not given to ignoring her,  or holding her to tightly as some were given to.   But most of all Cristal wanted to make her mistress proud of her.
     Cristal normally nightly patrolled the house after her human family went to sleep.   Leaving her mistress side to join old Job,  her mistress father's ancient hound.   The two usually went together on her nightly rounds,  tonight she had been to keyed up to wait for his faltering steps to keep up with her.   She looked over her shoulder as Job slowly made his way into the room.   He hesitated a moment before noticing her waiting for him,  before he relaxed a bit.
     He turned sad, soulful eyes up to where she sat watching him.   "Man that dog had whipped pup down to an art, " she though in amusement.   Youth be told her mistress father spoiled the dog nearly as much as her mistress did her.   still the hurt, and puzzlement in his eyes that she hadn't waited for him touched her heart.  
"why hasn't she waited for him, " they said.  He knew he could't hope to keep up with her,  but she had never just left him behind as she had before? They asked her.
     Crystal leaped off the ledge and walked up to like his face a few times and rub against his heat starved legs.   Her actions half apology, still both were on edge.  Yet both felt their instincts warning them that something was wrong tonight.   Suddenly both animals froze as their scenes suddenly screamed danger was close.   With this the door was shaved inward,  and both animals sought shelter as the door was forced open.
     A dark clad form forced his way around the broken lock,  and into the room.   Danger and wrongness came off of him and had Crystals fur rising along her back,  making herself look bigger.  Crystal sank to the floor,  a soft hissing escaped her as she regarded the intruder.  Her tail started lashing as the man's scent filled the air.   Job had caught his scent and the old dog showed his anger in a deep low growl.  A growl of warning as the warning of danger was carried by his smell.
     Job had just started to slip out of Hiding when Mr. Sumerhen stumbled sleepily into the room.   Job slide back into hiding as both men, surprised by the others sudden appearance.  Everything slowed down as the two men stared at each other.   The with an angry snarl the intruder pulled something from his pocket,  and the scent of danger doubled.   Mr.  Sumerhen tensed as waves of fear begin to come of him.
     "who are you?" Mr.  Sumerhen stammered.  His voice had a strange shiver to it as he moved to block the stairs leading to the bedrooms. His eyes kept darting to the bed room  where Crystals mistress slept.  Crystal blinked realizing that somehow this stranger was a danger to her mistress.
     "Just shut up, and keep quite, " the intruder growled.  Hi voice held a strange note of to it,  it was as if he enjoyed causing fear or pain.   The longer the two me started at each other the grater Crystals instills screamed danger.  She began looking for a way to get higher, instinct telling here that she had to get higher to be able to fight.
     She hesitated a moment then began climbing the back of the chair she had been hiding behind.   She paused just below the top, her claws hooked and held her in place as Job slipped through the shadows,  both getting into place where their ability would be best.   Job moved throw the shadows,  he had to get as close as he could before he were seen.   Instictivly both knew they would get only one chance at this. Crystal could only agree with the old hound.   They dared not atract the stranger until they were ready to move. Job had to get closer before he was ready to move.   The old dog might be old but stength and raw power were the dogs part,  just as her were speed and flexibility. 
     When the moment was right, both acted as if they had been training together all their lives.   Even as the man turned to Jobs low growl,  she sprang claws fuller extended than she had ever let them before. Claws and teeth aimed at the strangers face.  
     Crystal towels her on war cry as thunder roared. Job yelped in pain as her claws roar into the strangers scalp. Another blast of sound and smoke filled her world as she takes her claws drawing blood.   The man's hands found her and flung her away,  but at a cost as her claws held a bit longer, then she was flung off into the cold.   She still sprang and tried to fight back as the thing in his hand roared again,  even as the cold began to sap her strength, and vision added. Jobs jaws were stained red as they locked on the intruders arm,  even as his eyes scared the snow filed yard ditching for his small friend.
     Blue and red light stringed as Crystal tried to fight her way out of the clinging stuff that gave way under her every movement.  Finely the cold won and she sleeps.
#*#
     The  tree had been set up against the door the burger had broken into.  The ells and view were filled with holiday cheer,  but the atmosphere was anything but joyful.  It had only been a week since the burglary and proved how protective the two genrel house pets had been. 
     Jobs movement's were slower as he grieved for his small friend seemed to have set the mood this year.   Only Uncle Cross sat at the table seemed upbeat and suspect in his grin,   he had arrived and found the half dead kitten taking her with him when he left.   It was almost as if he had a grate joke he was only waiting to spring on the family.
     The rest of the family were missing the brave little cat who had caught along side of old Job to protect them. With a groan the old dog pushed himself up and took two steps suddenly freezing in his tracks and coming to a point like he used to when young.   Suddenly an angry yowls cut the air and everyone but Uncle Cross rushed for the living room.
     Jilly's Christmas stocking was twisting and jiggling wildly as angry hisses came from inside. Then with a fine effort the kitten pulled her head out of the stockings mouth.   It had to but it was impossible,  but only Crystal had ever managed that expression of windows dignity and frustration.   With a hiss she got her paws over the cuffs and pushed herself farther out of the stocking, trying to wriggel free.
 

   Ice Cross laughed.   His eyes shinning at the splendid surprise he'd given his brothers family.   "I should have known, " he said shaking his head. "She's far to much a fighter to lay still for long, " he said with a knowing smirk.
Jilly rushed forward to scoop herissing pet free of her stocking. She danced around the room hugging her missing kitten to her.   For once Crystal didn't object to the rough treatment.  Even Job was darling and dancing around the two like he was ten years younger. 
     All this was a bit much for the confused Crystal,  she buried her head in her loved mistress neck,  purring her pleasure at being at home again.