Harrowing Holidy

Mistletoe padded down the snowy trail of the forest, her husband shivering at her side. She snuggled her nose deeper in her scarf and narrowed her eyes into the dark of the forest. Bramble sighed next to her and flicked his ear.

"Its possible we won't find her tonight, darling..." 

Mistletoe growled and fluffed her fur against the falling snow.

"We probably dont want to find her tonight... but I dont even know if her wicked form can survive this blizzard.... it should have the sense to at least come home to stay warm." She argued, trudging forward through the snow further. 

Cera, a glacial twiwa that had taken a liking to her sister, fluttered over her head as they walked, worriedly looking between the branches for her friend. Mistletoe looked up at her and sighed. 

"For the way you treat her when shes around, you sure seem to miss her a lot!" She called out as the cat-owl flew forward down the path further away from them.

Mistletoe had lived in what remained of Yosemite National Park with her husband, Bramble, and her sister, Holly, for some time now. They had tried other repopulated areas in the apocalypse, but Holly's wicked form was classified as a disturbance to the peace when she was unable to control it, so they came here and had begun homesteading on their own years ago. 

For the most part, Holly was a perfect housemate. But sometimes... she disappeared like this, usually at night and it became more likely the longer it didn't happen. The longer she was quiet...

Each time, Mistletoe would go out in search for her, and each time, she would come home tired, cold and empty handed. Holly came back when she was ready... but she had never disappeared when it was forecasted to be this cold, and Mistletoe was determined this time. 

Seeing he wasn't going to talk her out of it anytime soon, Bramble silently trudged after her, keeping his eyes peeled for any flash of red in the white snow. 

A moment later, a small gasp hissed from Mistletoe, and she rushed forward to sniff a scarf discarded in the snow. Holly's.

Finally with a clue, the Lyo stalked forward with her nose burried in the snow, shuffling out any scents of her sister and blowing out snow every now and then before continuing on. 

Bramble loyaly followed behind her, concern written on his face. As she came to a stop, he looked down at her, tilting his head. 

"What happened?"

"I lost the trail... it just dissappears." She grumbled, snuffling around the snow in the clearing.

Cera soon fluttered down to a nearby branch and fluffed her feathers up against the cold snow, as if shed found something nearby, though shed never tell.

Disappointed, Bramble took a couple sniffs himself before looking around the small clearing they ended up in. Scanning the treeline, before his eyes trailed up into the branches of the trees and to the stars.

Quickly though, he blinked and refocused on the branches of the trees, feeling his fur prickle as he noticed the deep red hue hanging there.

"Mistletoe... I think shes fine-" he whispered. 

Mistletoe growled loudly back, flicking her ear annoyedly. 

"I told you, Bramble, I dont know if she can survive this-" she trailed off as she followed her husband's gaze into the trees, her voice quieting as she finished. "Weather..."

Holly was silent, sleeping it looked like, and Mistletoe smiled and stepped forward, shouting to her sister before Bramble could stop her. 

"Holly! Why dont we head home and grab some hot chocolate?"

At first there was no answer. To the point even Bramble became concerned that Holly was unconscious in the cold. 

But suddenly, yellow eyes shot open, not only on her face, but 8 on her hood and one in the center of her throat, glowing with anger. Her voice sounded nearly like a conglomeration of herself as a child, a woman and an old lady as she spoke. 

"Leave me alone!"

Mistletoe took a step back, her ears pinned. 

"I-I am worried youre not gonna survive the night without shelter or warmth, Holly. Please come home." 

The wicked Crowned Dire growled, her hoof digging into the branch below her as she tetered her weight on the creaking wood, before she lept down, the snow exploding around her weight. As she straighted up, a low roar filled her chest. 

"Leave. Me. ALONE!" 

With the last word, a spark caught in her throat and erupted into massive flames that licked at the tops of their heads. The owl cat screeched in fear and immediately swooped away back towards the cabin.

Mistletoe and Bramble both shielded each other from the flames, before quickly turning to run back home.

Holly narrowed her eyes as they fled, laying back down across her throne of branches and growling to herself, before slowly settling back in to sleep the cold night away. She didnt like it... but she didnt want anything to do with her sister right now either. Not like this...