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Cold winds swirled around Valaranyx. The young black dragon tightened his blue-edged wings around himself. Sleet stung the sensitive membranes. There was something warm and familiar about the bracing cold. It was cold the last time he'd been to this place, too. Cold and snowing and yet he could scarcely recall a time of greater happiness. He tilted his head back to peer up at the sky. It was white, cold, framed by the skeletal fingers of barren trees and yet somehow strangely inviting.

Sleet and ice pellets stung the dragon's nose. He scrunched his blue-marked muzzle, narrowed his silver-flecked golden eyes to protect them. He flicked his wings a few times to clear the ice accumulation from the blue-rippling around their edges, then licked his nose in a vain attempt to warm it. Valar half-expected ice to form around his tongue as soon as he slipped it form his muzzle. The dragon gazed around him. He stood in some manner of small forest. Ice glazed everything. The whole forest seemed frozen in some sorrowful yet beautiful state. Boughs drooped towards the forest floor, but the breeze could not longer stir dying leaves caked in ice. Valar saw a few sets of dragon footprints amidst the quickly piling sleet.

It seemed his family arrived here first.

Strange. There was something familiar about this whole scenario he just couldn't quite put his paw upon. Here he was, the last to arrive in another land, amidst a forest cloaked in winter. Valar considered it as he followed the foot prints. Paws decorated with different amounts of blue crunched through layers of sleet, slipping here and there. The dragon unsheathed his claws for traction. Thankfully the sleet had not yet hardened into icy layers even more treacherous. He flared a wing out to protect his face from the stinging precipitation as he padded towards a clearing.

By the time a house loomed nearby through the heavy sleet, Valar realized that the clearing in front of him which actually a road. Though, given the layer of ice and sleet atop it, it took him a moment to recognize it. The dragon glanced up and down the road. There were no sign of any tracks. Valar doubted anyone was foolish enough to venture out into an ice storm. Well, anyone not related to Valyrym, anyway.

Valyrym! Of course.

That was why this seemed so damn familiar. Because his father had undertaken this exact trip only...wait, how long ago was that? Why, it seemed like only a year ago he'd been whisked away to this wonderful place and reunited at last with his beloved father. And yet...so many years had passed since then, and his beloved father was now just some old bastard rotting in a cell.

Yet that same bastard had taken this exact journey the year before. He'd found himself in the same forest, near the same street, in the same winter storm. The only difference of course was that back then, it was snow that coated the land, not ice. That, and the fact that Valar's father was a grumpy jerk and Valar himself was cheerful and pleasant. Especially when you asked him.

"I see what you're doing." Valar chuckled to himself. "It's all a damn callback, isn't it! Put me in my fathers situation, remind the readers how it all began last year at this time."

Valar looked around, expecting an answer. He scrunched his blue-marked muzzle, then snorted. "I suppose even The Coyote isn't foolish enough to Venture out into this stuff. Though I see he's got no qualms at all with sending me out into it."

The young black dragon gazed around, still trying to figure out how this was all possible. Sleet began to accumulate on his wings, obscuring their blue-swirled edges with white. He shook them out before spotting the footprints he'd been following. They were dragon footprints, an adult and a hatchling. Already the falling sleet was starting to fill them in. Still, the sight of them made him smile. It did not matter how they came to be here, or how much time had passed. All that mattered was that they were going to love this place.

Valar picked up his pace, walking down the sidewalk. As memory served him, his father got yelled at for nearly being run over by a car. And then he got splashed with ice water. Valar didn't really want to have any of those things happen, he moved away from the side walk, and instead began to walk through people's yards. The route proved a little more treacherous thanks to bushes and decorations all lined with ice and sleet.

Yet Valar had scarcely seen anything so beautiful. The Coyote claimed this world had no magic, and yet the land seemed full of it. Every house was covered in curtains of bright, multi-hued lights that flicked and shined. The ice that armored everything shone with the scintillating sparkle of so many tiny, vibrant lights. The whole world looked glazed in equal mixture of white lace and shimmering rainbow.

It was wondrous. So wondrous that Valar was too busy staring at the lights to notice the morbidly-obese, white-bearded man draped in layers of red just in front of him. Not even the slow movement of a waving arm caught the dragon's attention before it was too late. Valar walked right into the old man, knocking him over. Valar yelped in surprise and as the oddly-dressed person toppled over, he scrambled to avoid crushing him. After a moment of comical scrabbling the dragon slipped and flopped onto the earth with a grunt.

Something pressed itself firmly between the dragon's hind legs. Valar yelped in shock, scraping at the ice with his claws in a struggle for purchase. Muffled words rumbled beneath the scales of his belly. That red-coated old man was grabbing at his balls. What manner of pervert was this?

"Unhand me, you hairy pervert!"

Valar struggled back to his feet. He felt something grasp at his hind paw, and he bolted forward, jerking his feet out of reach. There was a loud, popping, crackling sound from behind him, and an eruption of sparks ignited the evening air. All the beautiful glowing lights around the dragon went dark. Valar froze. What happened just happened? Something was still clinging to his feet. The dragon lifted it, glancing under himself to see some kind of green cord wrapped around his hind paw.

Below him, a broken animatronics Santa lay upon the ground, one hand thrust into the air in mid-wave. The Santa's face was scattered in bits of pinkish plastic littering the ground where the dragon landed atop it. Recognition dawned on Valar. It was just a decoration of that strange, unhealthy looking old man the humans here seemed to obsess over. A prowler, if Valar recalled correctly. The humans claimed he broke into their houses at night to steal their biscuits and dairy products. No wonder he was so fat. Yet they celebrated him. Some sort of magic animated the thing until Valar wrenched it from its moorings. It had only been waving while trapped beneath him, not groping him.

"Those eggs are not for your nog, Old Man," Valar said, laughing to himself. He shook his hind paw, trying to clear away the broken cord. The green cord studded with tiny lights clung to his paw. He shook his paw again, but the damn thing wouldn't release him. "Release me at once, Sparkling Tendril!"

"Hey! Who's out there!"

Valar jerked his head up. His spined tail lashed in alarm, shattering the broken Santa's up thrust arm. Uh oh. Valar didn't think the people in this world were supposed to be able to see him, but surely they'd notice when their collection of glittering baubles suddenly exploded into fiery sparks and then went dead.

"You cutting' my damn lights again? You better hope the police get you before I do!" Orange light spilled across the icy ground when the front door cracked up. "Melinda! Get my gun! ...No, the other gun! No! The other gun!"

Guns? This didn't happen last year. Then again, last year he was just a hatchling. Well, what would little hatchling Valar had done? Run away giggling, that's what. Big adult Valar decided to do the same thing. Unable to contain the laughter that suddenly welled up from his chest and bubbled over his jaws, Valar bolted forward. Black claws caught purchase in the thick ice, and the dragon sprinted forward. The dragon bound from one yard to another, leaping iced-over bushes, upending wooden reindeer, and laughing all the way.

The drunken cleverness of that Christmas pun was utterly lost on the dragon.

What wasn't lost on the dragon was how good it felt to always be in this world. The air might not smell as a fresh, but the ice that filled it covered any industrial aromas. And all Valar's old wounds and scars never seemed to ache the same way here they did back home. Not even when he was running full tilt across the ice.

Valar kept running, using his claws for traction. Some silly fool even had an inflatable shark with a red hat set up in his front yard. Rather than jump it, Valar simply charged right through the damn thing, shredding it with teeth and claw before finally skidding across the ice of The Coyote's driveway. Valar glanced back at the shredded shark, and the house-gone-dark further down the street.

"Take that, fourth wall," the dragon said, grinning to himself.

Valar padded up to The Coyote's front door, ice crunching beneath his paws. Warm light poured from the window set into the door. A green wreath draped in red, green, orange and blue lights hung just above the window. Valar lowered his head to peer through the door. The house still looked familiar, but the cast of characters had greatly increased. A smile slowly spread over Valar's muzzle. He saw the blue and purple scales of his beloved mate in the far room. A flash of black feathers told him his dear friend Krek was here as well. When he saw a streak of tiny black, blue and purple scales shoot across the floor after the gryphon, he knew his lovely daughter was up to her old tricks.

From another room, a black tail lined with curved spines and tipped in gray protruded through the door. Valar's heart trembled. That tail. The dragon lifted a shaking paw, and rapped upon the window with a single claw. From another room, The Coyote himself emerged. The Coyote was dressed a little bit differently this year. Gone were his usual black, extreme-metal band shirt and jeans. Instead he wore a dark blue shirt, with a cartoon black dragon in a cage upon it. It read "DitD". He glanced through the window, smiled at Valar, and then turned away. On the back of his shirt, it read "Free Valyrym!" Valar smirked. Didn't that just figure. The Coyote walked towards the gray-tipped tail. He tugged a spine, and then pointed towards the door.

As The Coyote moved aside, the tail vanished as its owner turned around. Soon, a large male dragon emerged, looking far to large to possibly fit through any of the doorways in the house. Yet he did so without any difficulty. The old dragon was mostly covered in black scales just like Valar, but where Valar had blue, the older dragon had gray. Both of them bore plenty of scars, though the older dragon's marks were far more faded. The old dragon even limped a little, a pink scar marking his hind limb.

That...Valar didn't remember that.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," the old dragon muttered even though Valar hadn't knocked again. "Don't get your stones in a twist."

The old dragon reached forward and opened the door with the same sort of mysterious ease he'd squeezed through it. The scents of vanilla Christmas candles and holiday cookies wafted through the warm air pouring through the door. Valyrym sucked in a breath when he saw his son, grown and strong, and standing before him. His golden eyes went wide, sparkling in the Christmas lights. Valyrym stumbled back a little. Witnessing his father's reaction to him set Valar's heart to pounding so hard it could have shaken all the ice off of his body.

"Valar...Oh, Gods..." Valyrym swallowed, frozen in place, staring at his son. "Valar, my...my son..."

Valar stared back at his father. Uncertainly welled up in him, seizing his heart and squeezing the breath from his lungs. There were so many things he'd wanted to say to his father over the years. All the anger that had built up towards the old bastard, all the pain he'd caused. The heartache and suffering he'd left in his wake. Valar could see fear twisting a claw in the old dragon's heart, his spines flattened out. He must be terrified that his son had come here only to proclaim his hatred.

Yet through it all, Valar never stopped loving his father. Later, there would be time for anger. For now, it was Christmas. Valar's anger began to melt away in that instant. Now was a time for love, and Joy. In his heart, Valar had always loved his father.

Before the old bastard could say anything else, Valar flung himself through the doorway. How he fit he did not know, nor did he care. All that mattered was his father. He threw himself against Valyrym, wrapped the old dragon in his forelegs and his wings, and squeezed him as tightly as he could. He pressed his muzzle to his fathers chest, nuzzled him, then pulled back to smile at the old bastard.

"Hello, Father. Merry Christmas."

For long moments, the two dragons simply held each other. Valar's throat tightened, his heart hammered in anxious delightful. Valar felt his father's body trembling, Valyrym's wings began to shake as the old dragon struggled to hold back his sobs. The struggle against emotion made Valar smile. How he had missed his father. So many years, yet some things still seemed so fresh.

"Valar..." Valyrym's voice was a hoarse, trembling whisper nearly as shattered as his soul. "I am...so..."

"I know, Father," Valar said, nuzzling at his neck. "You don't have to say it."

"Alright, alright," The Coyote said, tapping them both on the foreleg. "Quit stealing my thunder."

"Your thunder?" Valar pulled his head back, glaring down at The Coyote for a moment. Then his silver-flecked eyes widened and he sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. "You mean...he and I..." He glanced at his father who had gone just as wide-eyed, then back to The Coyote. "We really are going see..."

"Eh!" The Coyote put a finger to his muzzle. "Shoosh!"

"Just tell me if I'll get to."

"Errgjaababa!" The Coyote made some indecipherable noises to cover up Valar's words, waving his hands at the dragon. "Shush-shush-shush!"

"But I need to know if we'll..."

"Blrruefbbglerrl!" He tapped the dragon's blue-marked nostrils. "No spoilers! The fans have waited long enough without you blurting it out, or stealing the scene's thunder with an early reunion emoting!." The Coyote waggled his finger. "If there's a reunion. I admit to nothing!"

Valyrym slowly eased away from his son's embrace, glaring down at The Coyote. He flared his spines up, hissing. "But you let me be reunited with him last year! To say nothing of Amaleen!"

"That's because that was all said and done, and nothing was going to change that now." The Coyote waved his hand between the two dragons, his bushy gray and tan tail flicking. "But you two? Valyrym and Adult Valar together? Well, now, that's an unknown. I want you two to cherish this time together..." A smirk spread over The Coyote's tan-striped muzzle. "But I don't want you undercutting my scene."

"So there will be..."

"IF there's a scene to undercut!" He smiled at them, then patted Valar's shoulder. "Now. Come get some eggnog. I'll introduce you to the others."

Valar snorted, then perked his ears. "The others? Who all is here this time, anyway?"

The Coyote took a few steps towards the kitchen, then paused and turned around. "Everyone! This year...this year I invited everyone."

---

A tiny black dragon stuck her head through the doorway, peering about. Her blue-masked snout scrunched at the assault of so many unfamiliar scents. She lifted her royal purple forepaw and rubbed at her nose. How dare this world confuse Ayly, Queen of All Things She Wanted To Be Queen Of with so many new smells. At least the smells were all pleasant! So many tasty things to eat and drink and steal and eat and drink again. But before she got to do any of that, she had to catch herself a giffid. A soggy giffid. A soggy Lellumgurb giffid.

Ayly focused on the black-feathered creature strutting down the halls. He shook himself, trying to clear the last of the stubborn and slowly melting ice clinging to his feathers. Ayly pressed a paw to her muzzle to try and stifle her giggles as the giffid fluffed himself up. He looked like a big soggy peacock trying to show off all his pretty colors only he didn't have any pretty colors cause he was a big black Lellumgurb giffid. The giffid muttered and grumbled, but the giffid was always muttering and grumbling.

Ayly took a few steps forward, first with her purple forepaw then her blue one. Then she crouched down, waggling her silver-spotted haunches. Ayly tensed up, and then bolted after the gryphon, bounding as fast as little hatchling legs would carry her. For a few moments she streaked across the floor as her paws found excellent purchase in soft carpet. When she hit the tile her paws skidded and slipped a little, so she unsheathed her tiny claws and dug in, leaving a trail of scratch marks in her wake. She skidded across the tile around a corner and bumped up against the wall. Determined to capture herself a bird, she refocused herself when she spotted her prey once more. Her little black, purple and blue legs all churned at the floor tiles for a few moments before she shot forward like a well-snapped rubber band.

Ayly sprang into the air as she came up behind the black feathered creature. Her momentum helped her achieve a high, arching jump, and she slammed into the side of the gryphons haunch. Ayly sunk all four sets of claws into him, clinging to his hind leg. Krek yowled and shook his hind leg. Ayly only clung tighter, then began to use her claws to ascend the gryphon's hind leg towards his back.

"Climbin', climbin', climbin' up the mountain!" Ayly sang to herself, giggling as she scales the black-furred cliff. "Climbin' up Mount Giffid again!"

Krek twisted his head around to glare at her over his silver-edged wings, green eyes narrowed. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ayly just giggled, slinking up between the gryphon's wings. "Hi Lellumgurb!"

Krek heaved a sigh, flexing his wings. He clacked his sharp beak, pinned back his ears, and glared at her through slitted emerald eyes. Uh oh. That was the giffid's angry face. Lucky for him Ayly was here to make him feel better. Ayly just grinned at him. He must not have her heard say hi. So she waved her purple paw while clinging to his feathers with the others.

"Hi Lellumgurb!" Ayly chirped at him, offering her biggest, widest, toothiest, cheering-upiest grin.

Just as Ayly expected, Lellumgurb's grumpy-bird face melted away into a smile. He lifted his ears and chuckled to himself, then rubbed at her with his feathery wings. "Hello, My Dear."

"I'm notta deer," Ayly said, giggling at the tickly feathers. She squirmed a little on his back. "I told you!"

"You certainly did," Krek said, smiling. "And I told you not to climb me like a tree. I'm going to have a back covered in tiny scars."

Ayly beamed, flaring her tiny spines. "Yay! Just like Momma's neck from Father's love bites!"

Krek squawked, flaring up his feathers. Then he burst out laughing, rubbing his beak with a forepaw. "Not exactly like that, no." Krek swiveled his ears. There was a knock at the front door. He turned his head, grinning, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Speaking of your father, I think that's him now."

"Father's late." Ayly scowled. That was Father for you, always out doing things and being late. She lowered her voice to match Kreks. "Why are you whispering?"

"Because, your father's arrival is a surprise for your grandfather. We don't want to spoil it."

"Oh." Ayly shifted around upon Krek's back to watch the old black and gray dragon shuffle down the hall towards the door. She giggled, watching him. So far she liked her Grandfather. He was nice and he gave her presents and hugs and licks and cuddles. But he sure was...well..."Grandfather's old!"

Krek warbled in laughter, his wings shaking around Ayly, tickling her own tiny wings. He lifted his voice again. "Yes, Ayly, you're right. Your grandfather is very old indeed."

Valyrym shot Krek a glare. "You're lucky you're carrying an adorable hatchling, or I'd flash you my Christmas decorations."

"Just because they droop from your bough does not make them a Christmas decoration. More like lumps of coal."

"Shush Bird!" Valyrym snapped his jaws. "Or I'll have Alia give your coals a couple of lumps with her boot! The fans would love it."

"Grandfather talks funny," Ayly said, burying her face in the back of Krek's neck in a vain attempt to hide her giggles.

"That's because he's senile, my dear." Krek smirked at Valyrym. The dragon lashed his tail, and Krek clacked his back. "Careful now, you old Lizard. Wouldn't want to put another hole in The Coyote's wall like last year."

Valyrym stalked off towards the door, grumbling about having to answer the door in someone elses house.

Krek brushed Ayly with a wing, then folded them tighter against his sides. "Come along, Ayly. Let's give your grandfather a moment. He's going to need it. Now. What are we to do?"

"Play Conqueror!" Ayly giggled, plopping herself onto her haunches atop Krek's back. Her favorite game. She'd conquered the gryphon, and now she got to boss him around. She lifted her paw, pointing towards the countertop, table, and center island in the kitchen and breakfast nook. Each was covered with an array of treats, snacks, and drinks. "To steal the fishies!"

"I'm not sure they have fishies..." Krek padded forward, tilting his head around, sniffing the air.

"Uh huh, Coyote said so!" Ayly swatted Krek's neck. "And Edd Nodd!"

"Egg nog, I believe you mean." Krek clicked his beak a few times. "I could use a bit of that myself."

Ayly stretched her little neck to whisper into Krek's ear. "But we has to steal it!"

"What?" Krek blinked, rustled his black-feathered wings, and then chirped his amusement. "Ah, yes. I forgot your father has taken it upon himself to teach you its alright to steal from humans." As Krek padded into the kitchen, he glanced back at his passenger. "I suppose saying they leave it out for you would be like telling a child of this world Santa's not real."

"What's a santa?" Ayly scrunched her muzzle.

"Some funny fatman who brings treats and presents."

Ayly clapped her paws. "Like the fish man!"

"Yes, I suppose the fishmonger back in your village is a funny fat man, too." Krek squeezed his way past a green dragon with a strange, ebony collar around his neck, and bowed his head politely to the red-haired woman standing with him. "Coyote's brought everyone I see."

"Hi!" Ayly chirped at the green dragon and the red-headed human. "I'm the conqueror!"

The red-headed woman was in process of offering the dragon up a handful of red and green cookies with white icing. She laughed and smiled at the hatchling and gryphon. "Yes, it seems you are!"

The green dragon with the odd black collar snapped up the cookies with his jaws, save one. He plucked up the last one with his claws and offered it to Ayly. "Seems even you get to inspire more fear than I do. Here you are, then. Tribute for the Conquering Hatchling."

Ayly giggled and took the cookie. She snapped her paws playfully at the green dragon before Krek moved on. She tapped Krek a few times with her free paw. "Lellumgurb! Lellumgurb! Lellumgurb! Lellumgurb!"

"What, Ayly!" The gryphon finally explained.

"I gotta cookie." Ayly held the cookie out, and the chomped it in half. Green crumbs fell from her muzzle and embedded themselves in Krek's feathers.

"Try and keep at least half out of it out of my feathers, will you?"

Krek came to a stop alongside one of the counters laden with all manner of meats. Alyly could identify very few of them, but they all looked and smelled delicious. Krek tried to point a few things out to her. "There's salami, there. That's pork with wine and such, apparently. It's damn delicious. There's some roast beef, some ham, that's summer sausage...those tins over there have smoked oysters and clams..."

"Fishies!" Ayly swatted Krek's back with her half eaten cookie. It broke apart into small chunks that settled in the gryphon's feathers. "Oops."

Krek took a deep breath, and let it out in a long sigh. "One of these days, I'm going to have a serious talk with your father about..."

"Fishies!" Ayly giggled.

Krek clicked his beak, flaring his crown feathers. "Yes, Ayly. I'm going to talk with him about fishies." Krek scanned the counter. "Now, let's see here. Ah! Here we are. This tin has smoked kippers, that jar has pickled herring, and that plate is covered in smoked salmon." Ayly gave the gryphon a black look, and Krek pointed to each of them. "Those are all fishies!"

"Yay!" Ayly giggled to herself, rising to all four paws. "Fishies!"

Krek felt her tense up. Uh oh. "No, Ayly, don't..."

Too late. Ayly leapt off Krek's back and onto the counter. One hind paw landed atop a plate of sliced meats and cheeses while a forepaw landed directly in a tin filled with smoked oysters in light oil. Ayly tried to scrabble away, only to send the entire platter and in flying off the counter in the process. They crashed to the floor, meat, oysters, and oil flew everywhere. Krek yelped in alarm, backing away. Ayly's tiny silver, golden-flecked eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock. She snatched up the tin of smoked fish in her jaws, and leapt off the counter and onto Krek's back. In the process she also knocked over a plastic jar of pickled herring, which rolled across the floor spilling its contents all the way until it came to a stop against the fridge.

"Ayly!" Krek hissed at her. "You're getting oil all over my feathers." Nevermind the mess she made on The Coyote's floor.

"What the hell was that?" The Coyote called out from the other room.

"Run, Lellumgurb!" Ayly squealed, hunkering down against her giffid transport with her fishy treasure clutched in her forelegs.

Krek took Ayly's advice, and ran out of the kitchen with the hatchling clinging to him. He skidded towards the back door, carefully opened it, and then stepped out onto the patio. The weather was still icy, but a few of the dragons were playing in the sleet anyway. The glanced back at Ayly with a grin. She was already muzzle deep in the tin of smoked fish.

"If anyone asks, we'll blame someone from another story."

---

"Everyone?" Valar cocked his head, lifting one frilled ear. "I thought I saw Krek, earlier, and I know my lovely mate and beautiful daughter are already here..."

"Beautiful is an understatement," Valyrym said, smiling at his son. "You've done very well for yourself, my son. You've a wonderful family."

"Thank you, Father." Valar smiled back at the old bastard. Pride swelled his heart till it nearly began to loosen his chest plates. Then he glanced back at The Coyote. "But when you say everyone..."

"I do mean, everyone." The Coyote laughed, fetching a tulip glass of dark reddish beer from the table he'd left it on. "Your family, your father, Alia, Amaleen, Krek, the Queen..."

"Kathlyn is here?" Valyrym and Valar spoke the same words at the same time.

Valar gazed at his father in surprise, his tail twitching. "How do you know Kathlyn?"

"Her Majesty came to visit me." Valyrym arched his neck, a smug grin on his muzzle. "We snuggled."

"You did not." Valar scoffed, flaring his spines. His father always was a braggart. He lashed his tail.

"We did so," Valyrym said. Then he gestured with a paw at his son's tail. "Mind your tail-spines, son. I put a hole in the wall that way last year."

"Yes, I recall." Valar's laughter rumbled from his chest. "I helped to patch it up! With a pawful of fudge."

The Coyote cringed, sipping his beer. "It was hell getting that out of there, by the way. So please try not to put any more holes in..." A loud crash erupted from the next room, followed by another, and another. The Coyote jumped, his fur fluffing. Then he pinned his tan furred ears back against his head. "What the hell was that?"

"You can't blame me this time." Valar laughed to himself, then let his tongue hang out at The Coyote.

"Don't be so sure," The Coyote said, muttering something about unruly hatchlings under his breath. "Might as well go see what's gotten spilled now. Maybe if I ask nicely, Kirra will clean it up for me."

"Who the hell is Kirra?" Valar padded after The Coyote, with his father trailing just behind him.

"I told you," The Coyote called back. "I invited everyone."

"She's from one of his other stories," Valyrym explained, grumbling to his son. "She's a nice girl, finds dragons fascinating. But I miss the days when he was only writing about us!"

The Coyote flicked his ears, scowling as he entered the kitchen. "And when I started writing about you, I stopped writing about others. There's an entire novel about another old dragon that isn't finished just because I put it on Hiatus to start writing about you and your dungeon."

"I know," Valyrym said, snorting. "I met that cranky old lizard already. He won't shut up about how I'm ripping him off, and how your writing my story has left him stuck in limbo."

"You see?" The Coyote laughed to himself. "So you haven't got any room to complain about how long your story takes to tell." He glanced back at the dragon with a wry grin parting his muzzle. "Besides, if all you dragons and your friends would just shut the hell up for a while and stop demanding I tell your tales, maybe I'd get some sleep for once."

"Or maybe you'd sleep better if you exercised more often and drank less beer!" Valyrym snapped his jaws at The Coyote.

Valar nudged his father. "Shush, Father. Don't give him reasons to write anything unpleasant into your life."

"What, you mean again?"

"Anything_else_," Valar said.

Valar came to a stop in the kitchen as a hundred delightful aromas teased his nose. Many of them were vaguely familiar from his last Christmas Celebration here, when he was a hatchling. Platters of cookies and fudge, candies and small cakes stretched across one counter. Another counter bore platters of meats and plates of cheeses, deviled eggs, assortments of crackers, dips, and spreads. There were tins of various smoked seafood, sausages small and large, vegetable medleys and a few conspicuously empty places where things had been knocked on the floor. The table nearby was covered in plenty of drinks for adults and hatchlings alike, from brandy and rum, to bottles of craft beer, eggnog suitable for the young and more eggnog only for the adults.

There were also plenty of faces familiar and new in the kitchen, the breakfast nook, and the living room beyond. Valar saw Krek just beyond the glass door that lead into the back yard, along with his daughter, and just past them his beloved mate. Queen Kathlyn herself lounged upon a sofa along with Amaleen, and women he had not yet met. Sitting near them were other dragons had not seen in ages. A male green dragon sat leaning up against a black female with golden stripes. They were all chatting with Amaleen and Kathlyn.

"There's Korvarak and aunt Nary!" Valar laughed, warmth blossoming inside him at the sight of so many old friends. Oh, he couldn't wait to go and talk to them all again. "And Amaleen!"

"Yes," Valyrym said, wistfulness settling upon his voice. "Amaleen is here."

"Go say hi to her," Valar said, nudging his father.

"Oh, you need not worry, my son." Valyrym laughed, and nipped at his son's ear. "This year The Coyote invited me out early. I've been catching up with Amaleen and the others for nearly a week now." He lifted a paw and poked his son on his blue-marked snout. "You, on the other hand, definitely need to say hello. After that, you really ought to just wander around and see everyone. It's quite an experience."

"Hey, don't eat that off the floor!" The Coyote crouched down, vanishing behind the center island counter. "Get away from that, I'll get you some fresh treats."

A little green female hatchling with golden bound around the center island, a large slab of salami hanging from her muzzle. She ran head-first into Valar's forepaw, stumbled back from him and flopped onto her haunches. She tilted her head back, staring up at the bigger blue-pawed dragon with wide eyes. Her muzzle dropped open, the salami fell to the floor once again.

"A year later, and they still remember the sound the platters of food make when they hit the floor." The Coyote laughed to himself behind the counter. "Be nice if we could have a Christmas visit without you dragons breaking everything."

"Hello, Ary!" Valar beamed down at the hatchling, then laughed in disbelief. "How'd she get so young again? The last time I saw her, she'd moved out on her own!" Valar picked up the slice of salami with a paw, grinning.

Ary gasped, her eyes getting even wider. Then she growled at him. "Ats Ine!"

"Awww," Valar cooed, grinning. "I forgot how adorable you were when you tried to copy me!" He lowered his head, nuzzling at the little hatchling. "It's yours? You want the salami back-OWW!"

Valar yelped in startled pain when Arynyra clamped her tiny hatchling teeth onto his sensitive nose. Valyrym and The Coyote both burst out laughing. Valar dropped the meaty treat as he lifted his head. For a few moments Ayly hung from his nose by her teeth. Valar whimpered till Ayly finally let go and dropped onto her paws. The gold-striped hatchling snapped up the salami in her jaws once more, and then trotted off, victorious.

"Forgot about that, too," Valar said, rubbing his nose with his paw. His eyes watered while his nostrils throbbed. Through his bleary vision, he saw another hatchling dart through the kitchen and vanish behind the center island. This one was black with blue markings. "How many hatchlings have you got here?"

"Plenty," The Coyote said, laughing. "Hey, stop that! Just because it's on the floor doesn't mean its yours!"

"But it's miiiiiiine!"

Valar jerked his head up. No way. No. Way.

"That isn't..."

Valyrym started laughing. He walked up alongside his son, and bumped himself against the younger dragon. "Guess who gets to deal with him now."

"Actually, that's not a good idea," The Coyote said, straightening up.

In his arms, The Coyote held a wriggling bundle of scales. The hatchling was larger than Arynyra, and bore scales of mostly black. Deep blue marked the end of his nose, the edges of his wings, and stained each paw indigo in different measure. One paw simply had blue toes while a hind paw was blue all the way up to his thigh. Three puffy pink scars marked one side of his body, including one in his hind leg.

For a moment, Valar started at Valar. Silver-flecked golden eyes met Silver-flecked golden eyes. The little hatchling quit wriggling at his stared at himself, his eyes slowly getting wider and wider, even as his jaw dropped lower and lower. Slowly, Little Valar lifted a paw, and pointed at Big Valar.

Big Valar knew what was coming.

Big Valar was wrong. "You're ugly!" Little Valar burst into giggles.

"What?" Big Valar pulled his head back. He glanced at his father, then at The Coyote, and then at...himself. "I'm not ugly! And if I am, you're ugly too!"

Little Valar gasped. He immediately turned towards Valar, whining. "Father, he called me ugly!"

"No I didn't," Valar protested. "You called me ugly! You called you ugly!"

Little Valar stared at his older self. His tiny frilled ears pinned back in confusion. "You're dumb."

"I am not!' Valar growled, and stomped a forepaw on the floor. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation."

Little Valar looked up at The Coyote, then pointed to Big Valar. "That's mine."

"No," Big Valar said, shaking his head. His voice was increasingly strained with exasperation. "I am not yours!"

Valyrym began to laugh as he walked away. "Now you know what I dealt with all those years. I love you with all I have son, but my Gods you could be a brat at times."

Valar stammered, watching his father stride off. "Get back here and deal with your son!"

"He's your responsibility in this story!" Valyrym tossed his head. He paused to drop his snout straight into the bowl of eggnog laden with rum and brandy. He lapped at it a while, ignoring his son's complaints. Then he lifted his head and made a show of belching before licking the eggnog off his snout. "I came here to get away from stress!"

"Just...where do you think you're going!" Valar huffed, shaking his head.

Valyrym pushed open the back door. A blast of icy air poured through it. "To go mount your mother. Someone's got to give this crappy story a sex scene!"

Valar glared at his father. "Oh, very funny." He glanced at The Coyote a moment. "He got a sex scene last year! Shouldn't I get one? I haven't gotten any sex scenes at all yet!"

"You got to stroke off while Melira watched."

"I mean a real sex scene." Valar muttered under his breath. He unsheathed a single claw, speared an entire stack of sliced meats, and popped them into his muzzle.

"I'll send your bird friend in then, shall I?" Valyrym laughed to himself as he slipped outside, the door closing behind him.

Valar glared a moment longer, then turned his attention to The Coyote. "You know that Old Bastard already mounted mother in last year's story." He picked up a platter laden with squares of fudge. He plucked a square from the plate, murmuring in delight as he chewed it up. "He does realize my mother is with Voskalar, doesn't he?"

"Perhaps they'll share." The Coyote grunted as Little Valar wriggled and squirmed in his arms.

"That sounds profoundly unlike my father."

"That's mine!" Little Valar pointed with his paw to the fudge.

Big Valar grinned. "Flattered as I am to be popular enough to warrant two appearances in the same slapped-together Christmas tale, do you really think it was wise to put us in the same scene?"

"What's an insane DitD Christmas Story with an adorable, Hatchling Valar cameo?" The Coyote grunted as Little Valar twisted and writhed in his arms. Then he yelped as the small dragon braced blue-socked hind paws against his chest, and leapt out of The Coyote's arms and onto the center island. "Hey!"

Little Valar trod upon plats of cookies and crackers, stepped in a vat of dip, and walked up to the edge of the counter to stare up at himself. He lifted his paw, licked the cream cheese dip off of it, and then pointed at the fudge platter. "That's miiiine!"

"Oh, alright." Valar plucked a single square of fudge from the plate, held it between a few claws, and offered it to the hatchling. "I could never deny my own claims."

"Wait!" The Coyote cried out, reaching for Little Valar. "Don't touch-"

When Big Valar's blue fingers brushed Hatchling Valar's blue-marked snout, a strange, electric crackle filled the air. Valar jerked his paw back when he felt the shock, but by then it was too late. The Coyote's house began to shake. Trays rattled upon counters and The Coyote scrambled to keep them from falling to the floor. A mote of blindingly white light appeared between the two Valars, flickering and growing.

Little Valar pointed at it. "That's mine."

A few chocolate droplets flew from one of the trays towards the growing sphere of white light. In the center of the white star, every color imagination began to swirl together in a whirl of terrible beauty. The chocolate droplets vanished into the ever-growing, pulsing mass of light. A horrific tearing sound came from the writhing ball of light, as though the air itself were being shorn apart.

Valar took a step back from the anomaly, glancing at The Coyote. He pinned his ears back to try and block out that terrible noise. "What that hell is that thing?!"

"That would be the Space-Time Continuum," The Coyote said, snorting in exasperation. "Congratulations, you've broken it."

"Well, fix it!" Valar backed away a little further, then hissed at his younger self. "Get away from there, you want to wipe us both out of existence?"

"I wanna play with the pretty light thing!" Little Valar reached for it, and The Coyote snatched him up.

"No you don't, Little Guy. You don't want to go anywhere near that." The Coyote smiled at Little Valar, only to yelp when the hatchling whapped him right on the nose with a paw. "OW! Don't hit, Valar. Say, isn't that Arynyra in the other room laying claim to your pile of Santa hats?"

Little Valar's silver-flecked eyes went wide, and his muzzle dropped. How dare his cousin try and claim HIS Santa Hats! He wriggled and squirmed until The Coyote set him down. Then he dashed off into the other room, squealing at the top of his little dragon lungs. "ARY! THAT'S MINE!"

"There." The Coyote snatched a tray off the center island before it could slide into the anomaly. Then when all the food flew off of it and into the hole space-time, he scowled. He turned the tray sideways and wedged it up against the rupture in reality. The tray stuck, though there was an obnoxious sucking sound coming from all around it. "Good enough."

"Surely you wish to fix it better than that."

"And surely you dragons could visit me without punching holes in my walls and the fabric of existence." The Coyote walked to the kitchen table, and fetched the bowl of eggnog Valyrym had been gulping from. "I'll go settle in at the computer and write a fix in later. Now, help me replace this eggnog your father slobbered in with a fresh batch.

---

"Lellumgurb!" Ayly clung to the back of Krek's neck, blue and purple paws clutching black and silver feathers. "Lellumgurb! Lellumgurb! Lellumgurb!"

"What, Ayly!"

"You're soggy."

"That's because you made me run out into the ice, just when my feathers were getting dry."

"Lellumgurb! Lellumgurb!" The Hatchling's voice picked up its urgency. "Grandfather's drinking all the eggnog!"

"So I see." Krek shook out his wings, standing just beyond the back door. Off in the distance, some of the other dragons were playing in the ice and sleet. Valar's siblings were taking turns running and sliding across the ice. They were even trying to talk Valar's mother into joining them.

A moment later, Valyrym emerged through the back door. He grinned at the gryphon, flaring his spines a little. "Hello Bird. You seem to be doing a fine job babysitting my lovely grand daughter."

Krek shook himself, ruffling up his icy feathers. "Someone of my magnificence deserves a far larger role in this tale than babysitter and comic relief!"

"Take it up with The Coyote, then."

"That's an excellent idea." The gryphon tossed his head, flaring his crown feathers. "If you've come out here looking for your former mate, be prepared to share. You'll find her over there, sliding about on her belly on the ice."

"You lie." Valyrym glared at the gryphon, then craned his neck past Krek to peer at the other dragons running around in the ice. "She is! ...And she's with..." The old dragon hung his head, snorting. "I probably shouldn't bother them, then."

Krek pushed his way towards the door, slugging Valyrym on the haunch. "Oh, shut your snout. As The Coyote would say, it's Christmas! Go say hello to your daughter. Just don't steal all his thunder."

Valyrym lifted his head again, grinning. "So you're saying I'm going to get to meet-"

Krek punched the dragon on the hind leg again, this time hard enough to make Valyrym yelp. "Now you're just trying to get this sexy bird in trouble. Keep it up, and the next smack gets you in the balls."

Ayly giggled and bounced atop Krek's back. "Lellumgurb said balls! I'm teeelllling."

"You shall do no such thing." Krek rubbed at Ayly with his wings. "We're partners, remember? Stealing, claiming, not telling on each other. Now, let's go get some..."

Then there was a terrible ripping sound, as though The Coyote's house itself was being torn from the earth. Krek hissed, pinning his ears back. Ayly clapped her paws over her ears and flopped down against Krek's back. Bright light shone from inside, illuminating all the sleet falling in heavy waves beyond the glass windows in the back door. When the noise finally stopped, Krek glanced back at Ayly.

"What was that, Soggy Bird?" She slowly pulled her paws back from her head.

"I've no idea, but I'd wager your father was involved."

"Lellumgurb!" Ayly thrust her paw towards the back window to where The Coyote was collecting one of the large bowls filled with eggnog. "Look! Yote's stealing all the eggnog!"

"Well we can't let him do that, can we?" Krek grinned, flicking his tufted tail.

"Let's get em!"

Krek opened the back door and strode inside just as The Coyote was busy refreshing the eggnog. "Unhand that eggnog at once, you filthy mongrel!"

The Coyote jerked his head up. He swiveled a tan furred ear, and glared at the gryphon. "Filthy mongrel? Last year it's Valyrym making jokes about me scrounging my food in trash heaps, now I'm a damn mongrel? You could all stand to be a little nicer to the guy who created you, yanno. I'm just gonna stop inviting you all here."

"Enough of your sniveling!" Krek thrust a paw at The Coyote, grinning. "Her Majesty, Queen Ayly demands eggnog at once!" The gryphon glanced back at Ayly, green eyes gleaming. "Isn't that right, Queen Ayly."

Aylynaryn gave a very slow, somber nod. "I'm Queen eggnog."

"Well I wouldn't wanna piss off the Queen." The Coyote chuckled, filled a mug with fresh eggnog and then handed it up to Ayly. "There you go."

Krek glanced back at his passenger, grinning. "What do you say, Ayly?"

Ayly was already muzzle-deep in the mug. She lifted her head, perked her ears, and then licked eggnog from her snout. "Eggnog is good!"

The Coyote laughed and shook his head. "You're supposed to say thank you, Ayly."

Ayly purred to herself as she lapped at the eggnog. Soon she'd emptied the whole mug, and held it out towards the coyote in her little purple paw. "More!"

Krek ruffled up his feathers when the coyote glared at him. "Well don't look at me, you created her."

The Coyote gave an exaggerated sigh. He took the mug and walked back to the eggnog bowl. it up. "Starting to wish I hadn't created any of you."

"You're a terrible liar." Then Krek spotted something odd. He stared at it a moment, cocking his head back and forth as he tried to figure out just what it was. "Why is there a platter floating in midair, with light shining around it?"

The Coyote handed Ayly her eggnog. "It's plugging a hole in the Space-Time Continuum that Valar created when he touched Valar-"

"Nevermind." Krek glanced back at Ayly, smiling. "How's the eggnog?"

"It's good!" Ayly giggled to herself. "Now cookies!"

"Hmm?" Krek cocked his head.

"Cookies, Lellumgurb!" Ayly thrust her paw towards the cookies. In her exuberance she forgot she was holding a mug full of eggnog, and ended up spilling it all over the back of Krek's neck. "Oops!"

Krek squawked in alarm, shivering as the cold liquid sunk down through his pinfeathers and onto his skin. "Ayly! As if I wasn't cold enough!"

Ayly started giggling. She pushed her blue-masked face against the back of Krek's neck, licking at his feathers. "You taste good, Soggy Bird!"

"I'm going to smell like eggnog for ages, now." Krek grumbled, shaking himself. "Where's Valyrym's tub when I need it."

Laughing, The Coyote plucked Ayly from Krek's back. He set her down on the floor, and then set another mug filled with egg in front of her along with a plate of red and green Christmas cookies. "There you go, Ayly." Then as the little dragon devoured the cookies, The Coyote got a paper towel and began rubbing down the back of Krek's neck. "And there you go, Soggy Bird."

"Oh, don't you start calling me that." Krek eased, but pushed his neck into the coyote's hand. "I think I'm going to need more than your absorbent paper to get cleaned up."

"One thing at a time, Bird." The Coyote went to throw away the paper towels, grinning. "Maybe I'll write you up your own little hot tub or something. But first, why don't you show Valar around?"

Krek huffed, shook his wings, and then glanced over to where Valar had plopped himself upon his haunches, and was quickly working his way through as many tins and platters of smoked fish and other assorted smoky treats as he could. "Looks to me he's already found all he's interested in."

"Mrrff?" Valar looked up at the gryphon, his silver-flecked eyes wide. A few bits of oily, smoked fish clung to his muzzle.

"The Coyote wants me to give you the tour."

"I've been here before." Valar licked the bits of fish from his muzzle. Then he picked up a tin of smoked oysters, dumping the whole thing into his muzzle. "I don't know what these are, but they're delightful."

"They're oysters," The Coyote said, picking up the empty tins and tossing them into the trash. A moment later, he was restocking the counters with fresh delights. "Now go on! Say hi to aunt, and the ladies."

"Oh, very well." Valar pushed himself up to all fours, grinning. "But there had better be more smoked fish here when I return."

Valar helped himself a couple of cookies with chocolate kisses in the middle, then walked up alongside Krek. He nuzzled his old friend's furred and feathered neck, then lowered his voice to a hissing whisper. "What the hell's an oyster?"

Krek shrugged his wings. "Hell if I know."

"Well, they sure taste good." He grinned a moment, then lifted his head, flaring his spines. "Oh! Eggnog."

"What about it?" Krek flicked his tufted tail against Valar's hind leg.

"I've not had any yet. Let me get some." Valar padded to the table where all the drinks were. In addition to the other drinking vessels, there were bowls set out for the dragons to fill with eggnog and drink from. Valar picked a large white bowl, dunked it in the eggnog, then licked the sides of the bowl clean before hobbling along on three legs to join Krek. Each time he hopped on his front paw, a little more eggnog dribbled over the side of the bowl. "Alright, ready."

"And making a fine mess of The Coyote's floor. So!" Krek swept his paw towards some of Valar's old friends and relatives. There was a green scaled male dragon, cuddled up against a black female with golden stripes. "Obviously you know Korvarak and your aunt. You can say hello to them in a little bit."

Valar gestured with his bowl of eggnog towards the other dragon. They both smiled at him, Korvarak waved a paw, and Narymiryn gestured back with a house made out of pastry. Which she then promptly bit in half. Nary bore a red santa hat sitting atop one of her horns. Both older dragons had several empty bowls sitting around them, they'd been well into the eggnog for quite a long time.

"Then of course, we have your former dear friend Amaleen." Krek flared a silver-edged wing, pointing it in turn to several women. "Your father's lover Alia, and my own love, Queen Kathlyn the Second."

Valar grinned at the three of them. Alia youngest of the three and the most slender, sharing dark hair with the slightly plumper Amaleen. Valar glanced at Amaleen and Alia "Shouldn't you two be outside teaching Kathlyn how to throw snowballs at a dragon's nuts?"

Queen Kathlyn burst out laughing, running a hand back through her slightly wavy, gray-streaked reddish hair. "My dear Valar, I assure I know how to throw a snowball at a creature's testicles. Just ask Krek!"

Krek snapped his beak. "Moving right along." He turned away from Valar, and while Kathlyn was still watching, made a point to flick his tail aside and flash her his black-furred testicles. "This way, Valar."

"My, but look at those." Amaleen laughed, nudging Alia. "Remember last year?"

"Of course!" Alia twisted on the sofa to grin at Valar. "Come back in a little while, and we'll have you boys compare."

"Compare?" Valar blinked in confusion. Then when he caught on, he shook his head. "Oh, no. I refuse to be a part of your callback to last year's special!" Then he grunted when Krek swatted him on the snout with his tail. He snapped at the gryphon's tail. "Say, Krek, where's my mate gone?"

"I think she's outside with your siblings." Krek glanced back at the dragon as he padded out of the family room. "She doesn't get much time to spend with your family. Last I saw, she and Kylyra had just talked your mother into sliding on her belly along the ice, while your brother and his father just watched and laughed."

"Ah, I suppose they're the smart ones." Valar beamed, warmth filling his heart. Even if it was only for a little while, it was lovely to know that deep in their hearts, his family still loved one another. With all the terrible things that were happening in their world lately, they could all use some time just to be happy together.

"Smart?" Krek clicked his beak, ruffling himself up. "Don't know if I'd go that far. I should think even your brother would know that belly-sliding on the ice might be a terrible idea for a male dragon."

Valar winced, tucking his tail in sympathy. "Good point." He looked down a hallway, gesturing with a paw. "What's down there?"

"That leads to the garage." Krek grinned. "I checked in there earlier, you wouldn't believe what I saw! There was a young blue dragon in there, being sucked off by a young black dragon!"

"Ah, those two. Kaythos and Garnoth."

Krek laughed. "Should have known you'd know them." Krek flourished his paw in the air. "Some of his older characters were out in the driveway when I checked, playing on the ice. Including that other old black dragon and his human friend. You know, the one who always teases your father about being a ripoff of him."

"Ah, yes." Valar smirked. "I like him. I hear the coyote may post some of his tale soon. That'd be fun. It would drive my father mad." Then he paused, blue-marked nostrils flaring as he picked up some unfamiliar scents. "Is that a Ko'raagi I smell?"

"Not exactly." Krek gestured with a paw into another room. "Some of the coyote's other characters, from other stories, actually."

"Oh! Check it out, it's Valar!" A skinny looking fox with glasses jumped up from the sofa. The fox wore a black t-shirt with stylized green hills with spires of grey stone dotting them. Beneath it, fancy script read "Sigil Stones." He ran towards the dragon and gryphon, skidding to a stop just in front of Valar. "Oh, cool, it's really you! Man, I was so happy when you showed up again! I jumped out of my seat! I was like, Oh my God it's Valar and he's got a daughter now and he can fly!"

Valar pinned his spines back against his head, confused. He stared at the little fox for a moment. "Ummm...alright?"

Krek warbled a laugh. He set a heavy paw on the fox's shoulder, trying to avoid buckling his legs. "This is....what was your name again?"

"Adam," the fox said, beaming wider than Valar would ever guessed a fox could smile.

"You look like a Pez dispenser when you grin like that, Adam."

Valar flicked his eyes towards the voice of another fox, this one much smaller, and with white fur with silvery gray.

"Shut up, Samuel," Adam said, laughing sheepish.

"These," Krek said, releasing Adam's shoulder. "Are our fans. From some of The Coyote's other stories."

"Now he has his own characters reading his stories?" Valar perked his ears, lifting his spines a little.

Krek nodded, dragging unsheathed claws against the tile floor in amusement. "Seems that way, yes."

"What an egotist."

"I think he's just neurotic."

Adam straightened his shirt out. "I like to think he's just got a good sense of humor. Do you like my shirt?"

"I do, actually." Valar grinned at it. "Reminds me of my hatchling home."

"Cool!" Adam bounced on the balls of his feet, his bushy tail swishing. "That's what I was hoping for. Did you know I have another DItD shirt? I think The Coyote is wearing it."

"I gotta DitD shirt too!" The little white fox named trotted over, showing off his own shirt. The arctic fox named Samuel's shirt was a sky blue color, and bore a stylized silouette of a gryphon in black. Beneath it, a line of text read "Who Is The Black Bird?"

"Oh, I like that," Krek said, purring to himself.

"You would." Valar snapped his teeth, grinning.

"Uh huh, and look!" Samuel turned around to show off the back of the shirt, which featured a smirking gryphon's head. "It even captured your unbelievable smugness!"

"Unbelievable smugness?" Krek flared up all his silver crown feathers, growling.

Valar laughed, and bumped his scaly body up against his friend. "Now I see why you like that shirt, Krek!"

Krek snorted, turning away from the foxes. "Let's go. I've had my good name slandered enough."

Krek began to pad off, but Valar remained, asking, "So what stories are you from?"

"Oh, nothing as great as your tales," Adam said, laughing. "My friend James, that's the husky over there, gets trapped in a sleeping bag. Mostly just some silly, cute little..."

"Adam gets hit in the nuts a lot!" Samuel said, bursting into giggles.

"Shut up!" Adam shoved Samuel, laughing as well. "I also get to spend a night with my friend Sarah..."

"Hit in the nuts a lot? Sounds familiar." Valar peered over their heads. There was also a lioness and a vixen, a chubby female coyote, and a few others including a husky trying to stay warm by huddling in a sleeping bag. They all smiled and waved, and Valar waved back at them with a wing. "Ah, his little occasional furry stories."

Samuel folded his arms. "I'm not actually in anything yet. Well I am, but its not done, and who knows when he'll actually get it finished. Let alone when he'll get it posted!"

The dragon laughed, nodding in sympathy. "Tell me about it. Well, a pleasure to meet you. I'd better catch up with Feather Nuts, though."

The vixen and lioness giggled. "Hey, let us know if you need your gryphon kicked in the nuts."

"He's not my gryphon, but if I do need that, I'll be sure to keep you in mind."

Laughing, Valar turned away to re-join Krek. "Well they seem fun." Krek grumbled, and Valar nosed at his neck. "Don't sulk. No one likes a sulky bird."

"I'm hardly sulking." Krek tossed his head, clicking his beak a few times. "Just looking for a place where my magnificence is more appreciated."

"The Coyote's let you come here for a whole week!" Valar shoved his friend's furry shoulder, grinning. "I think your magnificence is well appreciated."

"Yes, well," Krek turned his head away, pinning his ears back to hide the red blush darkening their inner edges. "The Coyote appreciates all of us. Perhaps some more than others." Then he smirked at Valar. "I think you're his favorite, though."

"Hardly," Valar said, chuckling. He padded down the hallway, claw tips clicking against tile. "That softie loves us all."

"Not a bad thing, is it?" Krek brushed his friend's wing with one of his own, feathers tickling sensitive membranes. "To be loved."

"Not at all, old friend." He licked Krek's furred cheek a moment, then spotted an older woman up ahead. was on her hands and knees on the tile floor with a roll of paper towels, sopping up puddles left by melting ice tracked inside. Frizzy gray hair framed her face. "Um, excuse me?"

The woman glanced up. Her eyes sparkled in the light like polished hazel stones, and she gave the dragon a warm smile. "Hello there." She sat back on her heels, wiping her forehead. "What can I do for you?"

Valar chuckled, looking her over. She wore some sort of greater sweeter with golden bells upon it, and an image of that red fat man everyone seemed to love. Must have gotten it from The Coyote. "I was just wondering why The Coyote is making you clean his house."

"Making me..." The woman blinked in confusion. Then she peered at the wet paper towels in her hand, and the roll of unused ones sitting nearby. She burst out laughing. The woman shook her head, and waved a bony finger at Valar. "Nonsense, Dragon! He's not making me do anything. On the contrary, he doesn't even know I'm doing this. The Coyote's got enough on his mind trying to keep this place from falling to pieces with all these dragons running about as it is. I figured the least I could do was dry his floor for him before someone slips and busts their ass. Or their jaw." She smirked at the two of them. "Or their stones."

Krek and Valar both winced. Krek gestured with a black furred paw towards the woman. "Valar, Nylah. Nylah, Valar."

"Yes, I know who he is, Bird." The woman set her used paper towels aside, and fetched a few dry ones. "His father's been waxing sentimental about him all week."

A grin spread over Valars face, matching the warmth that spread through his heart. "He has?"

"Indeed he has." Nylah moved a short distance, and began to dry another puddle of melted sleet. "Lovely to meet you, by the way. Do say hello to my Alv, will you?"

"Alv?" Valar glanced over his wings back the way he'd come. He spotted the unfamiliar green dragon, now being ridden by the red-haired woman, making their way back to the kitchen. "Is he the one with the..." Valar trailed off, not sure how best to broach the subject. He unsheathed a single claw and ran it back and forth across his neck a few times. "The thing on his..."

"The collar, yes." Nylah smirked up at Valar. "You can say it, I assure you he knows it's there. Say hi if you get the chance, he's a lovely creature. We don't have many dragons where we come from, he's been very happy this last week just to get a chance to see other dragons again. He won't admit it in public, but it's made his...well, his entire year, I think."

Valar's smile widened. He nodded a few times, lifting his frilled black ears. "I'd be happy to say hi to him again, then."

"Good!" Nylah pushed herself to her feet, carrying the wet paper towels. "I'd better toss these out, and go make sure Alv hasn't downed all the wine by himself yet. Nice meeting you."

Valar gave her a little wave with his wing, then smiled a Krek. "She seems nice enough."

Krek flexed his wings in a shrug. "The woman's a slave master."

"I think you're being a little harsh, Krek."

"How? The woman is literally a slave master!" The gryphon flared out his silver crown feathers, pinning back his ears. "The dragon is literally her slave!"

"Oh, he is not." Valar tossed his head. "Have you even read the story?"

"Well...not exactly." Krek's feathers sagged back against his head. "But neither have you."

"Like I have time to read stories." Valar flicked his tail at his friend. "I'm trying to avert a war, in case you forgot."

"I do seem to recall something about that." Krek lifted his wing, glancing along his body. "Didn't I have scars the last time you and I..."

"You know how it works here." Valar nipped at his friend's feathers. "We all get a respite. Last time I was here, my uncle hadn't even been wounded that long and yet his scars were almost gone. And I swear I was just here last year!" Valar lifted a paw, flexing it as if trying to grab some unseen mystery from the air itself. "And yet, it's been almost a century and a half..."

"Best not trying to figure out how it works." Krek flexed his wings in a shrug. "It's a waste of time, and it distracts from the simple joy of the whole thing."

"I suppose you're right." Valar licked his nose, baring a few fangs in a grin. "Besides, the coyote's right. Why bother nitpicking when there's so much more to enjoy? Just sit back and enjoy the tale, revel in the emotions we feel, and don't concern yourself with the tiny details that simply don't matter in the grand scheme."

Krek narrowed his eyes, snorting. "Yes, that sounds exactly like something he'd say. Suspiciously so! We should check his computer, I think he's putting words in your mouth."

"Oh, I don't think that's necessary." Valar walked towards the dining room, talking about. "Perhaps he's just wary of people that feel the need to pick at a few tiny little spelling errors in story of over a hundred thousand words that he's written and posted in a couple of months, that they get for free, and which are the same sort of errors he himself has seen in best-selling published works, when they could just be sitting back, reading and enjoying all. Rather than picking nits."

There was no answer from Krek. Valar paused, then looked around. Krek was vanished. "Krek? ...Did you just get written out of the story?"

Krek slunk up the stairs. Thanks to the carpeting, the gryphon's footfalls were nearly silent. Not that he expected the coyote to hear him coming. After all, he knew well enough that The Coyote nearly always wrote with his headphones on, listening to music. Usually, the furry bastard was listening to something loud, obnoxious, and admittedly amazing on a technical level. How they could keep such intricate, impossible-to-play compositions straight the gryphon would never know.

Krek hissed. Now the damn coyote was putting words in his mind to go with the words in Valar's mouth. The gryphon stalked down the hall, ignoring the laughter from another room. When he reached the door to The Coyote's bedroom, he did not hesitate to throw it up. In fact, he throw it open a little too hard. The doorknob embedded itself in the wall with a loud crack.

"GAH!" The Coyote jumped out of his seat, yanking the headphone cord out of his computer. His bushy gray and tan fur fluffed out in all directions as he slumped back into his black, leather office chair, panting. "What the fuck, Krek!"

"My, such language." Krek smirked at him. "What will your fans think?"

"The same as me, that you startled the shit out me." The coyote fought to catch his breath, his tan-furred ears pinned back. "What do you want?"

"Stop putting words in Valar's mouth and in my head." The gryphon glared at the coyote, emerald eyes burning holes in the coyote like...

The coyote paused to think of a fitting analogy.

"Stop that!" Krek walked over and slapped the coyote on the back of the head.

"Ow!" The coyote grabbed his head, whimpering. "I'm gonna kick you in the balls, Krek!"

"No you aren't." Krek snorted, lashing his tail. "We all know you'd never actually do that to anyone without their explicit permission. But what you are going to do, is march your furry ass down those stairs and go back to having fun."

"But I-"

"Now."

"Who's going to finish..."

"It will work itself out." Krek gave a little sigh, then ruffled the coyote's fur between his ears with his oversized paw. "You're supposed to relax during this Christmas holiday of yours, right? So. Go downstairs, and get yourself one of those overpriced yet admittedly delicious craft beers you're always ranting about, and just relax."

"Oh, very well." The Coyote rose to his feet, his tail drooping as he padded for the door.

"And stop playing host! Let someone else handle that."

The Coyote chuckled to himself. "Alright, alright." He paused as he walked past Krek. "One more thing, though."

"What's that?"

The Coyote smacked Krek across the silver crown feathers of his head. Krek yelped and the coyote laughed. "Now we're even. Now go take a shower and wash the cookie crumbs and eggnog out of your damn fur."

---

"Oh, hello, Coyote." Valar grinned at his creature, cockling his head. "Have you seen Krek? He was here a mooment ago."

"Told him to take shower."

"A shower?" Valar peeled his head back, scrunching his blue-marked muzzle. "What the hell is that?"

"It's like a bath, only you stand up, and the water falls from the faucet and sprays you."

"Like the rain?"

The coyote laughed laughingly. "I guess so. Only it's hot. And you have soap and things."

"That sounds hideous." Valar chuckled growlingly. "So where are you off too, then?"

"Too get a beer." The Coyote waved him forward quickly. "Come have a drink with me, then I'll finish the tour."

"Don't you have heartrending scenes to write?" Valar grinned smugly as he padded along after the coyote.

"Heartrending? At Christmas time? I damn sure hope not." He flicked his tail! then shrugged. "I do have a few uplifting or heart tugging scenes left, but Krek told me to take a break."

"Krek told you to take a break?" Valar came to a stop.. staring at the coyote fearfully! "Don't you realize what that ruggedly handsome gryphon is up to?"

The Coyote shrugged nonchalantly; "I can only assume that magnificent sexy bird has a plan befitting his unspeakable brilliance."

"Don't forget his monumentally huge testicles," Valar said, padding slowly into the kitchen.

"Who can forget those?" The Coyote smiled hopefully, stars dancing in his eyes as he thought of Krek "We can only hope he'll show them off tonight, because we all love to see Krek's sexy body at every opportunity."

"Especially me," Valar sighed dreamily. "We all know how much I love the sexiest bird in sexytown Krek."

"Have you noticed we both suddenly really like Krek?"

"Yes. I also notice you're story is suddenly full of speeling and grammar errors, way to many crappy adverbs and you're punctuation has come to a screeching halt

"Krek!" The grouchy Coyote yelled grumpily up the steers. "Get off my damn computer!"

"I've no idea what you're on about, you mangy, flea infested..." The sexy bird smiled sexily as he type with wit and sparkling brilliant.

"Alia, Amaleen, Kathlyn," calls out Coyote to his army of women. "Go take turns kicking Krek in his sexy bird balls."

Krek quickly decided quickly that it was time to leave coyote's computer and go to shower.

---

"So what beer are you drinking tonight?" Valar cocked his head, considering his words. He was glad to see he didn't appear to be singing Krek's dubious praises every time he opened his muzzle anymore.

"Tonight it's Southern Tier Choklat." The Coyote set a large bottle on the counter, and popped the top off with a metal opener. "Southern Tier is the brewery, Choklat is the name of the beer. And as you might expect, it tastes like chocolate."

"Really?" Valar stretched his neck, blue-marked nostrils twitching as he sniffed the beer. "Beer that tastes like chocolate? Smells lovely, anyway."

"Yes, beer that tastes like chocolate." He fetched himself a tulip-shaped glass with a gargoyle on it, then poured himself some of the beer. Then he poured the rest of it into one of the drinking bowls he'd set aside for the dragons. "Here, have some."

"Thank you." Valar carefully dragged the bowl across the counter, peering at the coyote's glass. "Is that a monster on there?"

"A gargoyle, actually." The Coyote sipped his beer, then sighed. "Wearing a fur hat with a star open it. First fan to tell me the brewery, and the beer the glass represents wins...well, a cookie or something."

"If those are the same cookies you gave out last year after my father fixed your profile in the first Christmas special, I fear they've gone stale." Valar grinned, then lapped at the beer. He gave a growl of delight. "Oh, that really does taste chocolaty. I like it. It's like...dark chocolate and booze."

"Great, isn't it?" The Coyote smiled, sipping his beer. He licked a droplet from his nose.

Valar lapped up a little more. "So is this what you're drinking while you write this story?"

"Of course! At least, right this moment it is. The last couple days, I haven't had anything to drink but water and gatoraide. Got really sick when I was out Christmas shopping." The coyote pinned his ears back, sighing.

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"It's alright. Was more irritable about it screwing up traditions." The coyote began to walk through his house, talking as Valar padded after him. "I'm one of the few few people who actually likes Christmas shopping, and who really cherishes that whole run up to the holiday season." The coyote scowled, flicking an ear. "Didn't really get to do that this year, though. Thanks to Thanksgiving being a week later than usual, extended family coming to visit, limited transport shared with family, a big-ass ice storm shutting down the city for nearly a week, and so on..." The Coyote shrugged, sipping his beer. "Have had to cram all my Christmas shopping into just about a single day. Have a tradition of going out shopping once with my father as well, usually right before Christmas, doing the last of our shopping together, then going somewhere nice for dinner or lunch. Was going to be a really good Texas-style BBQ place this time. But thanks to me getting sick, I had to cut that little trip off as soon as it got started." The Coyote took a deep breath, and let out a slow sigh. "But, such is life. The important thing is, I got what I needed and I think my family will love their gifts. And really, giving to others and making them happy is what it's all about, right?"

"Mm." Valar watched the coyote a moment, his spines raised just a little. "I hope you're happy as well."

"Oh, I am, but thank you." The Coyote smiled at the dragon.

"Good." Valar waited till The Coyote set his beer down, then swatted him sharply on his furry ass.

"OW!" The Coyote jumped into the air, grabbing his butt with a hand. "That hurt!"

"You like it." Valar snorted.

"I'd like it more if it was a female, and they didn't hit me as hard as a damn dragon!"

"No one likes a sulky coyote." Valar laughed to himself, then playfully rested his muzzle between the coyote's ears. "But seriously, Coyote. I'm sorry your plans didn't work out this year. Try and take some time for yourself, though. Everyone needs time to do things they enjoy." The dragon snorted. "Especially those as easily stressed as you."

"I know," The Coyote murmured. He reached up and rubbed the dragon's nose. "Thank you. Luckily for you and your father, and everyone else, writing is one of the things I enjoy most."

"Good! Keep it up, then." Valar lifted his head, lapped at his own beer, then grinned. "Now, is there anyone else I've yet to meet, or should I go see my extended family?"

"Oh...well..." A smug grin slowly slide across The Coyote's muzzle. "There was one other group of people I wanted to introduce you to. They're over here."

"More characters of yours?"

"Not exactly." The Coyote lead Valar into the dining room, then waved his hand for Valar to go in front of him.

The dining room, like every other room in the house, was decked out in Christmas decorations. Snowmen of all types lined the shelves. Some were ceramic, others were glass or crystal and glowed with the light of hidden candles. The Christmas candles scented the air with the smell of cookies and spice. In the center of the room was a large oval shaped table covered in a white tablecloth and. The table bore a centerpiece of familiar plushies. From the black form and curled horns of Val Jr, to the blue velvet of Little Ky, to the green stuffiness of Cuddly Korvarak and all the rest, they were all sitting upon the table.

Sitting around that table were a variety of people. From the sounds of things, they were having a good natured debate though Valar couldn't tell what it was about. A banner above the table read "DitD-Con Planning Committee." Valar realized these must be some of the Coyote's fans from his SoFurry DitD chat room. Usually he kept them locked in the chat room the way they once tried to keep him locked in the closet to make him write. Seemed they'd gotten an invite to the party as well.

Valar looked them over while he waited to be noticed. Most of them were dragons though he'd never met any of them before. There were a few blue dragons, a few red dragons, a couple gold dragons. There was a white dragon with a big frill holding a poster of Voskalar. One of the blue dragons was fast asleep, curled in a blanket. Another blue bore sparkling silver marks, while one of the red dragons bore an elegant top hat and monocle. Another red dragon was busy writing piano music, while yet another red dragon had once written Valar's father a lovely tribute song.

Floating about above the table, seemingly at the whim of the breeze, was a tiny little female eastern dragon covered in white floof. Now and then someone tossed a shrimp in the air and she swooped down to catch it. She flipped in the air, acrobatically snatching shrimp out of the air. Eventually she settled upon the coyote's shoulder, draping herself around his neck like a beautiful floofy white scarf. The Coyote picked up a platter and plucked a few shrimp from it, feeding them to her one by one.

"What, first my tail is your scarf, now you're my Scarf?" The Coyote laughed to himself.

"Yus!" The Floof Dragon giggled, nodded, and then pointed at the shrimp plate. Then she opened her mouth, and pointed inside it.

"Yes?"

"Shrimp!" She pointed at her mouth again. "Aaaaah."

The Coyote began to feed shrimp into her mouth, one by one. Valar was amazed by just how many of them she could gulp down as he gazed around at the other occupants. Another tiny dragon, this one with feather wings, flitted about the room as well, casually magicking things in the room and insisting he was not cute, whether people claimed he was or not.

There was a silver dragon who seemed partly mechanical and spoke with a number of voices. There was a little black and red hatchling, a purple dragon, a black and purple dragon, a green dragon. There was a female silver dragon snuggled up against one of the golden dragons, stroking his foreleg with her own. Another dragon bore an unusual, stony look, shades of gray fading to white along his belly and wings.

There were others besides just the dragons, though they seemed to be in the highest number. A female tiger cuddled up under one of the blue dragon's wings. She held a picture of Valyrym in her free paw. There was a raccoon, though Valar noticed even he was smoking a pipe shaped like a dragon. A second tigress cuddled him. There was a jaguar and a lynx, a lizard, and a shapeshifter who couldn't decide what form to settle upon. A husky was there, as well, a unicorn-phoenix with flaming hooves, a stallion. There was even a gecko who seemed to have made it his life's mission to sticky-paws his way all over everyone else in the room.

Here and there were a few meek humans who looked as though they'd rather be something else, but couldn't quite decide. Mixed in among them were a couple female creatures that Valar was convinced were foxes, but The Coyote insisted were in fact, Kitsunes. There was a wolf who was sometimes a saber tooth, who loved to cuddle.

There was a furry dragon with oddly canine features, the coyote claimed him to be a Drusky but Valar had no idea what that meant. Another creature was clearly a hybrid of dragon, and gryphon. The dragon/gryphon sat next to a human man with a bucket of paint brushes on his shirt. The man with the infamous paintbrush shirt was busy making beautiful art on a computer, and when Valar and The Coyote looked his way, the half-gryphon quickly stood in the way so they could not see the image.

There were even a few computer monitors set up, a few more of The Coyote's friends upon them, a otter/dragon/golden retriever shape shifter and a calico kitty, appearing "via Twitter."

Valar's head was already spinning even before any of them noticed him.

"Hi!" The white dragon with the big frill was the first to notice Valar's arrive.

Valar smiled at him. "Hello there! I...take it you're a fan?"

"Of course!" The frilled white dragon beamed at Valar, then held up his poster of Voskalar. "Have you seen Vos? Do you think he'd autograph this for me?"

"...Oh." Valar hung his head a little, then laughed. "He's outside, with my mother."

"Thanks!" The white dragon flared up his frill in excitement, took the poster in his jaws and bound for the door.

"I see how I rate." Valar chuckled.

"I blame wilds." The red dragon with the top hatted muttered under his breath.

The coyote snapped his jaws. "Who let you out of your closet?" Then he grinned at Valar. "Don't mind that white dragon though. He's Voskalar's biggest fan. He's even planning an event called Why Voskalar Is Best Dragon." The Coyote shrugged. "His phrase, not mine."

"Look!" The tigress with the picture of Valyrym stood up from under the blue dragon's wing. She set that picture aside, and picked up a picture of Valar as a hatchling instead. Then she paired it with a picture of Valar as an adult. "It really is Valar!"

"Why yes, yes it is," Valar said, grinning at her. "Hello there, pleasure to meet you."

As the grinning tigress made her way towards Valar, the other fans began to rise from their seats as well. Soon, they were starting to crowd around Valar, all talking at once. Valar tried to back away but before long an entire chat room's worth of The Coyote's friends were bum rushing the young dragon to try and meet him. Someone even dragged the blanket-wrapped sleeping dragon closer so he could participate as well. The red dragon with the top hat tried to act as though he wasn't going to join the jubilant throng surrounding Valar, but when no one was looking he slipped his way in.

Meanwhile, The Coyote was slipping away with his beer. "See you later, Valar."

"Wait!" Valar lifted his head above the crowd. "You can't leave me here with...Hey!" The black dragon snapped his jaws at the silver male speaking with two voices. "Let go of those!" Then he glared at the retreating coyote. "Where are you going?"

"To make sure Krek, the world's most magnificently sexy gryphon, isn't ruining my story."

---

Krek slipped out of the coyote's shower, water dripping from his soaked feathers onto the bathroom tile. How he fit in that shower, let alone how he got it turned on and off without breaking the handle he'd never know. The gryphon shook himself, water sprayed in all directions from his ebony pelt and plumage, splattering against every wall and even the ceiling. He opened the bathroom room, padding into the adjoining room which he happened to be the Coyote's.

"Hello, Dirty Bird." A beautiful female dragon sprawled atop the Coyote's bed.

"Well hello, Trouble." Krek grinned at Valar's mate, shaking his wings. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"You can blame the Coyote." Aylyryn laughed a little, flicking her tail against the gray blanket atop the Coyote's bed. "After he had to chase you away from his computer again, he told me to come guard it for him."

Krek stretched his neck out till his muzzle nearly brushed Aylyryn's purple-marked snout. "Now why would you want to help him do that, hmm?"

"Because." Aly licked Krek's beak, smirking. "He says if you try and alter his story again, I get to spend the rest of the tale squeezing your furry balls."

"Oh." Krek gulped, tucking his tufted tail. "I won't be writing myself into any sex scenes then."

"Perhaps you won't need too." Aylyryn laughed at Krek, nuzzling his cheek, then purring into his ear.

"Oh?" Krek's eyes widened and he nuzzled her back a little. "Does that mean..."

"Don't you think Valyrym and the Coyote had enough fun last year?" Aly pulled back from the edge of the bed, smirking at the gryphon. "You and Valar and I haven't gotten to do anything, yet."

"I suppose that's true." Krek grinned at her, and set a single paw on the bed, his sheath tingling.

Aylyryn put her paw atop Krek's, stroking his damp black fur. "You're soaked. I should help you dry off." She patted the coyote's blankets, grinning. "I think these will help."

Aylyryn grinned at the gryphon, pulling back to the other side of the coyote's bed. Krek wasn't any more certain how she had so much room atop the bed than he was how he'd had so much room in the shower. He looked her over, grinning to himself. She certainly was a beautiful female, with a combination of colors the gryphon had never seen on another dragon. Layers of indigo and midnight blue along her back bled into royal purple down her sides, and eventually a lilac tone across her belly. Silver speckles marked her rump and tail, with silvery stripes on her foreleg scutes. Her wings bore the same shifting hues, midnight blue at her wing joints fading to lilac at their tips.

As if in invitation, Aylyryn turned away from Krek, presenting him with her silver-speckled haunches. She hoisted her tail a little, showing off the slightly puffy pinkness of her sex, nestled between her hind legs. She waggled her rump at the gryphon, smirking over her wings.

Krek clambered up onto the bed, nuzzling at the scales of her hind legs. She purred to herself, lowering her tail to coil it around his neck and chest. Krek stroked her tail with a paw, and she pushed at him with it until he settled upon his haunches behind her. Then the gryphon set his paw upon the warm, pebbly scales of her inner thigh, stroking her hind leg.

Ayl gave a soft moan before she pulled away from the gryphon and twisted around to face Krek once more. She settled onto her haunches before him, a smirk smeared across her muzzle. She glanced down Krek's underbelly, his red tip was already peeking from his thick black sheath. Aylyryn nuzzled at Krek's throat, he tilted his head back for her. She put a paw upon the damp fur of his chest, gently rubbing him.

"Someone's getting excited." Aylyryn purred against Krek's throat.

"Is it someone magnificent?" Krek smirked at her, starting to slide free of his sheath.

"No, but its someone who thinks he's magnificent."

"I think that's up for debate." Krek grinned at her, then murmured when he felt Ayl's tongue sliding against his chest.

Aylyrn slipped her paw down between Krek's hind legs. She brushed his thick, black furred sheath with a few pads, ruffling up the fur. The dragoness smiled as she watched the gryphon's tapered red flesh easing forth. Then she lowered her paw a little further, and grasped the gryphon's plump, black-furred testicles.

Aylyryn lifted her eyes till they met Krek's. She smirked, squeezing the gryphon's balls just enough to make him tense up. "You were saying?"

"Perhaps...not quite as magnificent as he'd like to believe."

"Perhaps not." Aylyryn's smirk grew. Then she nuzzled the side of Krek's face, flicking her tongue against his ear. "But he might get oral pleasure for being honest."

"Oh?" Krek lifted an ear, his green eyes widening. That definitely had his tool sliding out faster.

"Mhm," Ayly licked his ear, then dragged her tongue down over his throat. "Until he shoots in my snout. If he'd like that?"

"Oh, Gods, yes!" Krek reached out to stroke the scales of the female dragon's neck. "Please, Trouble."

"I seem to recall you have a thing for dragon muzzles and tongues." Aylyryn laughed as she nuzzled Krek's chest. She still held the gryphon's balls in her hand, but her grip was gentle now. She rolled the plump organs around, watching the slightly rounded fleshy orbs shift about inside the black furred sack. "Is that still true?"

"Of course," Krek said, groaning. The gryphon's tool was now nearly fully erect. It stood nearly upright against his belly with a hint of an arch. It was tapered, and crimson like a dragon's maleness though it had no ridges. "Because they're amazing."

Aylyryn laughed to herself. "Look at you. Hard before I've even reached your member. Such an eager bird. Has it been that long?"

"Since I've been in someone's mouth?" Krek pinned his crown feathers back against his neck. "Yes."

"Poor old bird." Ayl cooed to him, nuzzling the tip of his spear with her purple hued snout. She glanced up at him, smirking. "You're not going to spurt across my snout are you?"

Krek shivered in pleasure, his tool lightly throbbing. His feathers fluffed up. "Not unless you want me too. I'm not _that_desperate for release. At least, not yet. But when the time comes I'll spurt wherever you aim me."

"Dirty bird," Ayl murmured.

Aylyryn nosed Krek's tool all the way down its length, making the gryphon moan and shiver again. Then she released his balls for a moment, letting them hang naturally between his hind legs. The ebony fur on the gryphon's scrotum was still damp, slicked down just enough to show the fat forms of the gryphon's testicles. The left jewel hung a hint lower than the right, and Ayl delicately nosed it a few times before slipping her tongue beneath it. She lifted the gryphon's ball with her tongue, then let it drop back into place. Then she did the same with the other egg before swirling her tongue all around Krek's sac a few times.

The gryphon tilted his head back, warbling in delight. His emerald eyes rolled back as Aylyryn wrapped her paw around his rigid red spear, squeezing it as she lapped at his furry balls. The dragoness gave the gryphon a few slow strokes, her pawpads were nearly as soft as her tongue, gliding across his most sensitive flesh. Krek's held lolled a few times, his wings sagged in relaxed delight.

"Oh, Gods Trouble." He took a slow breath, groaning again. "That's so nice."

"Enjoying yourself with my mate, Bird?" Anger brought fire to Valar's voice as he pushed his way into the Coyote's bedroom.

Krek glanced at the male dragon through slitted green eyes. "Shut up, Lizard."

Valar laughed when the gryphon wasn't fooled for a moment. He padded over to the bed, nipping at his mate's tail. "I thought you were going to wait for me!"

"If I'd waited for you to drag yourself away from all your fans, Krek would have already ruined The Coyote's story." Ayly shifted herself so that she was laying upon her belly. She ran her tongue over the gryphon's erection, smiled at his trembling warble, and pulled her tail aside to flash her mate the increasingly damp pink lips of her sex. "I figured I may as well keep him distracted by helping him find his way into a sex scene."

Valar stepped up to the edge of the bed, grinning. "I approve of this idea."

Valar stretched his neck, nibbling at the scales of his mate's hind legs. When she shivered, parting her hind legs further, he gradually worked his muzzle towards her pinkness. Then when pebbly scales brushed soft flesh, the dragon slipped his tongue out, tasting her heat and sweetness. The warm pleasure of his tongue against her cleft made her moan, and her moan vibrated through Krek's maleness in turn. Aylyryn waggled her haunches against his muzzle and Valar pressed his tongue deeper. He swirled it inside her for a few moments, dragging his claw tips against the scales of her thighs.

"Valar," Krek murmured, grinning at his friend. He ran a paw down Ayl's neck, then gasped when the velvet heat of her tongue swirled around his tip. "Come up here and sit by your mate a moment."

"Why?" Valar pulled his head back to smile at Krek around his mate.

"So I can play with your balls." Krek smirked at him, and held out his paw. "And then see you at your all."

Valar scrunched up his muzzle. "Ugh, you've just stolen the coyote's penchant for callbacks, and ruined that line."

"You know you want to have your balls played with by a sexy gryphon before you climb atop your mate." Krek waggled his fingers, flexing his pads.

Ayly glanced back at him, smirking. "Go on then. You know half your fans want to see you two doing something together. The other half will be just as happy when you mount me in a moment."

"Well, if the fans demand it..." Valar began to climb up onto the bed.

Ayly twisted her head to whisper into Valar's ear. "The fans also demand Krek gets kicked in the sack."

Krek blinked, cocking his head and flaring his silver crown feathers in alarm. "What was that?"

"Nothing, Krek." Ayly parted her muzzle around his tapered tip to distract him. She wrapped her tongue around the end of him, sucking. Krek groaned and shivered, and Ayly groaned back to him to send vibrations along his shaft. With her paw, she grasped the gryphon's balls again, delicately rolling the furry jewels around against her paw pads.

Valar settled down on his haunches atop the coyote's bed. With his hind legs parted, his blue-socked forepaws practically framed his sheath and balls. Valar's own member was partly exposed already as well, red flesh stood out against black belly scales. Beneath it hung the dragon's testicles, already a bit snug against his body thanks to his growing excitement and the chill in the air.

Krek reached right out and slipped his paw under Valar's testicles. "I always did like playing with your balls, Valar."

Valar gave a little murmur of pleasure as the gryphon began to play with the tender eggs, watching each of them shift and bulge against the black sac. "Yes, I know. I noticed that when you wouldn't stop trying to grab them when we used to wrestle in our youth."

"You were bigger than me! How else was I supposed to win?" Krek gave them a little squeeze, smirking. "Besides, you like it when they get abused. Just like the damn coyote."

Aylyryn laughed around Krek's member, her wings shaking. She pulled her muzzle back, licking the slitted tip. "He prefers it when it's a female doing the squeezing. Or the smacking."

"The Coyote?" Krek cocked his head. "Or Valar?"

"Both." Aylyryn pushed her maw back around Krek's tip.

The gryphon trembled in pleasure, his grip tightening up on Valar's balls. Valar gave a whimper, but did not try and pull away. Krek soon relaxed his grip, rolling the plump dragon eggs around against his soft black pads. He purred to himself, he liked the way the dragon's balls looked resting in his paw. He also liked watching Valar's spear sliding free, firming up as it displayed itself. Little ridges slipped out from the sheath as the dragon's scarlet soldier reached full attention. Krek slipped his thumb up, brushing over a ridge with his pad.

Valar whined as the gryphon stimulated his highly sensitive ridge. He grinned down at his friend, setting a paw upon Krek's foreleg. He ruffled the silken fur a little as Krek toyed with the dragon's balls. Then the gryphon worked his paw upwards, wrapping it around Valar's spear to slowly stroke him. Valar groaned, rolling his hips against Krek's paw, thrusting into his friend's grasp. He lowered his head to nuzzle at Krek, licking his ears even as his mate slowly bobbed her muzzle on the top half of the gryphon's cock.

Ayl pulled her muzzle back from Krek's weapon, a line of saliva connecting them for a moment before she glanced at Valar. "If this gryphon shoots in my snout before you're on my back, I'm going to hit you both in the balls."

"You'd better mount her Valar," Krek said, laughing. He pulled his paw back from his friend's arousal, and returned it to stroking Ayl's neck. "It's been a while for me, I might not able to hold back for long."

Valar grinned as he rose back up to his feet. He made a point to stretch out on the bed, rolling his hips forward to thrust his ridged dragon-spear into the air. Krek's eyes flicked to it a moment, and Ayl's did the same. His mate and friend both stared at his erection a moment before the dragon twisted away from them. He flicked his tail up, showing off the hanging black forms of his dragon testicles before he shifted once more to move up behind Ayl.

Aylyryn lifted her haunches for him as Valar moved up behind her, draping her wings at the side of her body to give him room to mount. Valar wasted no more time, climbing right up onto his mate's back, his warm belly scales sliding against her. The dragon's lightly-arched erection bobbled beneath his belly as moved into position. Valar nuzzled and licked the back of Ayl's neck a few times as she pulled her tail to the side. As Ayl felt Valar's tip brushing the pebbly scales of her hind legs, she swirled her tongue around the end of the gryphon's cock. Krek trembled, closing his eyes as she parted her jaws and began to press her muzzle down around him.

Aylyryn gasped when she finally felt Valar enter her. Valyrym rolled his hips forward, gliding all the way inside her in a single smooth motion, till his ebony balls pressed against her lilac flesh. Then pulled back, ridges bumping over her clit, sending waves of warm pleasure through both their bodies. Valar's thrusts came slow and smooth at first, his tapered spear pushing deep inside her, lightly dragging her lips back and forth. Valar pressed his teeth against the back of her neck, though he did not bite too hard. He didn't want to break the through scales into flesh while she had Krek's mating tool in her maw.

As Valar continued his thrusting, Aylyryn began to work her muzzle in time with her mate's movements. She swirled her tongue around the gryphon's most sensitive flesh each time she pulled her snout back, then she rolled it against his furry balls every time her belly scaled chin brushed them. She worked Krek's entire cock with her muzzle, the gryphon's balls held and reverently rolled around in her paw.

Valar coiled his tail around his mate's as he began to thrust harder. He growled against her neck. With a paw, he stroked her wing, dragging claw tips over scales and membranes. She pressed herself back against him, giving little gasps of pleasure each time he buried himself in her once more. Droplets of her juices ran down his shaft, dripping off his ridges and his balls.

Krek began to lift his hips as well. Each time Ayly pushed her muzzle down his shaft, the groan warbled his delight. Beads of pre-cum dripped from his tip, Aylynaryn purred around him, vibrations sent rolling waves of bliss through the gryphon's maleness. Krek closed his eyes, his head lolling. Soon his paws were balled up into fists as his pleasure grew, his wings half unfurled and shaking.

Aylyryn bobbed her nsout faster around the gryphon's length. With her tongue, she kept his sensitive flesh enclosed in warmth, sheltered from her teeth. She pressed his tip to the roof of her mouth, letting the ridges there stimulate him further. She began to knead his balls with more urgency as Krek tensed up, the gryphon's breath coming in sharper pants as his pleasure grew and grew.

"I'm! I'm going..." Krek gasped again, body trembling. "I'm going to cum!"

Valar growled against his mate's neck, urging the gryphon to do just that. He pulled his teeth back from his mates neck, and replaced them with his paw. Valar stroked Ayl's neck, silently encouraging her to suck the gryphon even harder, to bob her muzzle faster. Valar wanted to watch the gryphon cum in his mate's snout.

Krek gave a few high pitched chirps of delight as Ayl's muzzle worked in a blur up and down his length. The gryphon's pleasure rose in sharp, cascading waves beyond anything he could hold back from, even if he wished too. Instead, he urgently pumped his hips against the dragon's bobbling muzzle, announcing his release in a warble of pure male gryphon delight.

"I'm Cummminng!" Krek cried out, his silver grown feathers all flared around his head, adding visuals to his birdsong of bliss.

Krek's furry balls tightened against his body as he came, outlining their plump forms against the snug black furred sack. His tapered red gryphon cock began to jump in Aly's mouth, shooting thick spurts of hot, white gryphon seed into the dragon's maw. Krek fought the urge to writhe as he came, settling for beating his wings and lashing his tail as the crashing waves of pleasure shook him to his core.

The gryphons spurts filled Aylyryn's muzzle. She gulped some of it down, more of it dribbled from her mouth to splatter The Coyote's gray blankets with off-white blotches. As Valar watched Krek shoot in his mate's snout, it drove him to thrust harder, faster, and more violently into her. Driven by a near-instinctual need to share that same pleasure with his own mate. Ayl moaned around Krek's member, her eyes rolling and wings trembling as Valar's thrusts began to rock her entire body against the bed.

When Krek was all finished save his last dribbles, Ayl pulled her snout away from him. A weak spurt dripped from his jutting red tool and further splattered the coyote's bedclothes. Ayl then pushed Krek over onto his back. The startled gryphon gave a squawk of alarm but was too happy and satisfied to argue about being used as Ayl's pillow. She rested herself against him, laying her head against his furry shoulder as Valar took that as encouragement, and sank his teeth into her neck.

Valar pined Aly's head down alongside Krek's as she lay against him, his muzzle a twisted mask of blissful snarl and smug sneer as his best friend was reduced to the pillow beneath their mating session. Not that Krek ever minded. Valar thrust harder, tasting a hint of blood from Ayl's scales. The tiny spark of pain made her moan, made her thrust her hips back against his own. The dragoness' own pleasure was nearly peeking with his, their hearts pounding, breath coming in heaving pants. As Valar's thrusts grew more and more feral, pushing his mate against the gryphon, his balls nearly bumped Krek's a few times. The gryphon flicked his tail up between both dragon's legs, teasing the erogenous scales of their inner thighs with his tail tuft.

Finally Valar was thrusting into Aylyryn like a furious animal as he felt his sudden, blissful spike of his own impending release. Though snug from arousal, the dragon's balls thumped against his mate's body at the end of every short, swift thrust. The male dragon's ridges ground constantly against her clit and her outer lips. Valar wildly pistoned himself into his mate, surrounded by her slick velvet heat.

Valar threw his head back and roared as he exploded inside Aly. The Coyote's window and computer monitor both shook. His balls tightened further while the dragon's spear pulsed and blasted hot jets of dragon cream deep inside Aylyryn's sex, warm bliss rippling through the dragon at the same time. The liquid heat filling Ayl, combined with the constant pumping of the dragon's ridges over her clit sent Ayl over the edge as well. Luckily for Krek's ears, she bite down on one of the Coyote's blankets, muffling her own roar as her inner walls clenched and milked her mate's throbbing draconic cock.

Dragon seed and juices mingled and dribbled from the female's sex as Valar made his last few erratic thrusts after his roar died down. Finally he simply collapsed against his mate, who collapsed against Krek in turn, nearly squashing the poor gryphon. As he struggled to catch his breath, his mind still whirling with primal ecstasy, Valar licked at Ayl's neck where he'd bitten her. He cleaned her wounds for a moment before she turned her head towards his. Their muzzles met and parted, and they kissed for long moments while lounging atop the half-crushed black gryphon.

They only broke their kiss when they were both out of breath. Krek squirmed and wriggled beneath Ayly, then squawked at her. He tapped her chest plates with a paw. "That was...delightful," the gryphon wheezed. "But...would you mind kissing him...on the other side of the bed, so I can breathe again?"

As the dragons and gryphon struggled to extricate themselves from one another, the door flew open. "Hey!" The Coyote growled, baring a few fangs and pining back his ears. "What the hell do you scaly perverts think you're doing on my bed!"

"I am not scaly," Krek said, huffing as he sat up.

"Now I gotta wash my damn blankets." The Coyote waved his hands at them. "Get off my bed already."

"At least I kept your story safe," Aylyryn said, laughing as she crawled off the bed. "Come on. Let's go use his shower again. You males are dirty."

---

Valyrym stood in the blowing waves of sleet. The ice stung his wings and his nose. He squinted through it, watching his family from a distance. He scowled to himself, pinning his spines back against his head. They were hardly his family now. A former mate who had long since moved on to a better life, and a daughter who refused to acknowledge his existence. Still, at least they seemed happy. Valyrym was glad for that.

"Wheeeeee!"

The young, blue scaled female dragon with the mismatched ebony socks upon her paws skidded upon her belly across the increasingly solid surface of ice that coated the coyote's back yard. She flailed her limbs and laughed as she slid, unable to find any purchase. Finally she unsheathed her claws and dug them into the ice to bring herself to a halt before she crashed into the wooden fence nearby. As she rose, she glanced at her father, snorted, and then trekked back to her mother on the other side of the yard.

Valyrym sighed, shaking ice from his wings before he curled them around himself. She'd grown up as beautiful as her mother. An anchor borne of guilt weighed heavily on Valyrym's heart. For all the years of his daughter's life, he had been locked away, imprisoned for making the greatest mistake he could ever conceive. He had given her life and left her behind without ever even knowing it. She'd grown up watching his own son torn apart over his absent father. All she knew of him was anger and pain. Why would she ever want anything to do with...

The back door opened, and a white blur rushed at Valyrym. An alabaster dragon without wings, and with an immense frill charged at him. With the frill flared, he looked quite threatening and Valyrym scrambled aside, unsure who or what was threatening him. Though no sooner had Valyrym stepped aside than the white dragon simply ran right past him, seemingly at home upon the ice. Valyrym noticed whoever it was, he was carrying something in his jaws. Looked like a picture of a brown and bronze...

Oh. It was one of Voskalar's fans.

Valyrym snorted, settling down onto his haunches. The ice was cold but by now he was used to it. Seemed like Voskalar and Valar had all the fans these days. No one ever wanted to come and see old Valyrym. It wasn't like the story was about him or anything! Why, even in this Christmas tale his son was getting top billing. Valyrym grumbled under his breath. The old dragon liked it better when the story focused on him. His poor ego was feeling quite underfed lately.

"You're still my favorite!"

Valyrym lifted his head at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. He twisted his neck around and see a white tigress beaming at him. She clutched a picture as well, but this one was quite clearly of Valyrym. She also wore the "Free Valyrym!" T-shirt he'd spotted on the Coyote early. Damn mongrel must have boxes of those things.

"Well, hello." He smiled at the tigress, lifting his spines. "I'm your favorite?"

"Yes!" She gave a shy giggle, stepping forward with her picture and a marker. "Would you sign this? Can I hug you?"

"Yes, and yes." Valyrym laughed, feeling a little better already. He took the marker and delicately signed the picture, using old runic draconic script. Then he lowered his head and she wrapped her arms around his neck, practically squealing in glee. He rubbed her back a moment until she pulled away. "There you are. Thank you."

"Thank_you!_" The tigress bounced upon the pads of her feet, then pointed towards the dragon's family in the distance. "Now go talk to them while you have the chance. You'll regret it if you don't."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." The dragon dipped his head in a nod, and rose back to all fours.

Valyrym took a deep breath, and began to trek across the ice towards his family. His paws slipped now and then. He paced himself, muttering his breath. How could the coyote's yard be so large? Or were they just all so tiny in this world? His paws slipped a few more times. It seemed for every step he took forward he slide three paces back. Growing frustrated, the dragon tried to surge forward, only for all four paws to slip out in different directions, dropping him onto his belly on the hard ice.

"AWWWHH!" Valyrym cried out as he banged his balls on the icy ground, his eyes rolling back. "Awwww! Damn...you...Coyote!" Couldn't let him get through a Christmas special without a ball shot, could you.

Laughter rang out from Valyrym's extended family. His former mate and friend were laughing at him, as were their children. He started to sit up, grabbing his aching eggs with a paw. His golden eyes crossed a little, and he hissed in pain. When he tried to regain his footing and his paws slipped away, his hiss turned to that of frustration.

"Use your claws," Kylaryn called out from across the yard. "It's the only way."

Valyrym took her advice. He unsheathed his black claws and sunk them into the ice one paw at a time. Then he dragged himself forward and stuck another set of claws into the hard ice. As he began to make some progress, his daughter slid past him again with another squeal of glee. This time she let her tongue hang out as she passed him, half spinning across the ice. "Mind your balls, father!"

"Yes, thank you," Valyrym said with a bittersweet chuckle. At least she was talking to him.

After plenty of effort, Valyrym finally reached the other dragons. For a moment he was unsure how welcome he'd be, but Kylaryn soon held a wing open in invitation. She was older than Valyrym remembered her, but she only looked all the more regal for it. Her pale blues had darkened to royal and indigo, her silver eyes shone with power and carefully controlled fury. At least for now, they also shone with happiness. Valyrym slunk sat down next to her, and she closed her wing across his back to shield him from the ice and cold. She nosed at his neck and give him a little lick, her tongue warm and loving.

"Hello, Valyrym. It's been a long time."

"Hello, Kylaryn." Valyrym nuzzled her in return, smiling. "Too long. I'm...I'm sorry I never..."

"Shush." Kylaryn nipped his nose. "We went over that last year." She stared into his eyes a moment, her own silver gaze filled with equal mixture of loving warmth and trembling uncertainty. "This is not a place to discuss our pains and fears, Valyrym. We come here for a few days of peace and happiness. If the Queen and I can get along and share eggnog by a fire while we're here, you and I can damn sure enjoy each other's company."

"Why would you and the Queen..."

Kylaryn's laughter cut him off. "You'll find out soon enough." Then she slipped a paw between his hind legs, cupping his balls with an ice-chilled paw pad. "How're these feeling?"

"Gah!" Valyrym yelped at her cold touch, laughing and squirm. "Sore now, but what else is new?"

"They'll be fine." Kylaryn patted them and set her paw back down. "If it makes you feel any better, Voskalar banged his the same way, and so did Voskyr."

"Voskyr did it twice!" Kylyra announced as she reached the group again, and turned for another run down the ice.

"Only because you made me fall on them the second time!" Voskyr growled at her from his father's side, but then laughed. "It was still funnier when I ice-washed your sex!"

"You just wanted to touch it, you pervert!" Kylyra grinned at him, then bound forward using her claws for leverage before launching herself onto her belly to slide down the ice again. 'Wheeeeeee!"

Voskry unsheathed his claws, charging across the ice after his sister. As soon as she came to a stop, he tackled her. They rumbled across the ice, laughing.

Valyrym laughed, watching his daughter playfully battle with her half-brother. He sighed, his breath hung in the air in a cloud of steam, pellets of ice falling through it. "She's beautiful."

"Yes, she is," Kylaryn said, grinning at Valyrym. "Because she takes after me. All she got from you are some black socks."

"I'd like to think she also got my sparkling personality and shining wit."

"A lump of coal has more sparkle and shine than anything you've got to offer, Valyrym." Kylaryn smirked at him.

"I'll give you a few lumps of coal." Valyrym muttered, glancing away.

"Is that the best you've got? I think all those years in a dungeon have ground the edge right off your saber."

"I'll grind my saber on you..."

Kylaryn burst out laughing, shaking her head. "Oh, Valyrym, I have missed you." She pressed her muzzle to his neck, licking his scales a few times. She sighed against him, then pulled her head back. She pulled her wing away as well, reminding Valyrym of just how cold it really was outside when the sleet once again began to fall against him. "Now. I'm going to slide on the ice and act like a little hatchling. I'd invite you to join me, but you've already cracked your coals once tonight."

Kylaryn did not give him time to reply before she bound forward, sprinting across the ice. She flicked her tail, flashing Valyrym the pinkness of her slit between her dark blue hind legs before she launched herself onto her belly. As she slide across the ice, Kylaryn squealed in simple, pure glee the same way her daughter had done only moments before. "Wheeeeeeeee!"

"She's such a tease," Voskalar muttered, grinning.

Valyrym rose up and padded over to his old friend, then settled down against him once more. Just as Kylaryn had changed over the long years they'd been apart, so too hard Voskalar. His colors had deepened, burnished bronze now covered much of his body, with rich earth-toned stripes and markings highlighting his limbs and sides, along with the edges of his wings.

"She always has been," Valyrym said, laughing. "You've done quite well for yourself, Voskalar."

"Yes, I have," Voskalar said with a certainly and confidence Valyrym had never seen from his once-shy friend before. Voskalar smirked at Valyrym. "Unlike you, I knew just how to treat her and how to keep her by my side."

Valyrym pinned his spines back, snorting. "It certainly seems that way."

"Well, Voskalar is best dragon." The white-frilled dragon poked his head out from beneath Voskalar's other wing where he'd been hidden away.

"You're still here?" Valyrym cocked his head.

"I have my own fan club now, you see."

"Consisting of who?" Valyrym tossed his head.

"Well..." Voskalar nudged the white dragon with his muzzle. "This dragon right here, and the stony gray and white dragon who so thoughtfully shocked the coyote with a word-processing Christmas gift."

"A what?"

"A program, for that...box he writes on. Assuming he can get it installed, it should be of great help. Means he'll be better able to edit our tales."

"Oh...well. That was very kind of your other fan. If he reads this, thank you, stony gray dragon!" Valyrym grinned a moment, then smirked back at Voskalar. "So, two fans, hmm?"

"I'll have a lot more once they all hear the presentation on why I'm secretly the main character in DitD." Voskalar arched his neck, flared his bronze spines with a grin.

"You?" Valyrym growled playfully. "The main character? I think not."

"He's the wisest," said the blue dragon, crawling out from beneath Vos's wing. "The most level headed. The kindest, the sweetest, the most loyal..."

"Yes, yes, we all get it." Valyrym chuckled. "Why don't you go get Voskalar shaped Christmas cookies? Give us a moment."

The white dragon's eyes went wide. "Christmas cookies of Vos?!" He bound away in an instant, carrying his autographed Voskalar portrait in his jaws.

When they were alone, Valyrym leaned up against Voskalar. "You really have done well for yourself, Voskalar." Valyrym licked his neck a moment, then closed his eyes, resting against his old friend. "All these years later, and I think you really were the wisest of all of us. You've a wonderful family now, and a beautiful son. I know he's going to grow up strong, and wise just like his father."

"Thank you," Voskalar said. He smiled, nuzzling his old friend.

"Just...remember what happened to me. Don't throw that way." Valyrym was murmuring to himself as much as anyone.

Voskalar sighed a little, and gave Valyrym's ear a lick. "All we can do, Valyrym, is what we believe is right. We cannot know how our actions will turn out, but if we truly follow our hearts, in our own way, we are always doing the right thing. In the end..." He sat his paw upon Valyrym's, gently squeezing it. "I will do what I believe is right, because that is all I can do. Kylaryn will do what she believes is right, and when the time comes, so will you."

Valyrym's smile returned as he leaned his head against Voskalar's warmth. For some reason, that made him feel a little better. "I think your fan is right. You really are the wisest among us."

"Of course I am." Voskalar laughed, lifting his head. "And as the wisest among us, I strongly suggest you go give your daughter a hug."

"I don't think she'll..."

"She will, Valyrym. I have known her for her entire life, and love her as my own daughter. And I promise you if you offer right now, she will accept." Voskalar gave Valyrym a little shove, laughing. "So go!"

Valyrym pushed himself to his feet, nodding. "Alright." He took a few steps across the ice, his paws slipping.

"Claws, Valyrym! Unless you want to bang your balls again."

"Claws." Valyrym unsheathed his claws, digging them into the ice. "Right, right."

Valyrym made his way towards his daughter. By the time he was halfway there, she'd spotted him and risen back to her paws. She nudged Voskyr and he moved away to join their mother and give Kylyra some space. The blue female with the black markings settled upon her haunches, watching her father struggle across the ice. Every step he took towards her sent Valyrym's heart racing even faster. He would not blame her one bit if she simply rejected him. In fact he prepared himself for it, trying to wrap his heart in the same ice that he continually shook from his wings. Yet for every inch nearer her drew, his heart felt that much more exposed. Tears boiled in his golden eyes, and he struggled to keep them from falling. He blinked a few a way, wet trails ran down his pebbly scaled cheeks, nearly turning to ice. His throat seemed so tight he could scarcely breath in the frigid air.

Valyrym simply hoped she would not reject him now.

"Hello, Father." Kylyra's voice was flat when Valyrym reached her.

"H-hello...Daughter." Valyrym's voice was just the opposite, it rose and fell in fearful waves with the pounding of his heart. It cracked like the ice beneath his weight. "I should...well...if it's alright...perhaps..."

"If you should like to hug me, Father," Kylyra said, a hint of warmth creeping into her voice. "Now is certainly the day I should let you do so."

Valyrym hesitated for a moment. Even his breath seemed frozen in his lungs. Kylyra watched him, waiting to see if he would actually follow through or not. Without warning Valyrym flung himself against his daughter, wrapping her in an immense hug with both wings and forelegs. Kylyra squeaked in alarm, trying to hug him back as they both toppled over onto the ground. Emotion poured from Valyrym like blood from a deep wound, warm and real and clinging to her.

"Oh, Gods! Kylyra! I'm so sorry! I wish I'd know, I wish I'd been there!" Unable to stop himself, Valyrym broke down into sobs against the daughter he'd never known.

Kylyra rubbed his back, anger and sorrow mixing in her heart. He was sorry? It was his fault. All he had to do was stay with her mother and...and...

None of that mattered. Not today.

So Kylyra let the old bastard cry. She hugged him back, she nuzzled her father's neck, she wrapped her wings around him to shield the old dragon from the cold, and the ice. When she spoke, she was surprised to find her own voice had grown hoarse. "It's...it's alright, Father. You don't have to apologize. You only did what you thought you had to do. I have been angry with you for all of my days but...but today?" Kylyra pulled her head back, and gave Valyrym's nose a sheepish lick. "Today is a day of joy, and peace. Today of all days, I can say I forgive you."

That only made Valyrym cry harder. He buried his muzzle against her chest plates, sobbing to the daughter he'd never known. She stroked his neck with a paw, her own tears soon wetting and chilling his scales in a few places. "Thank you..."

"It's alright, Father," Kylyra said, laying her head against his neck. "It's alright. When we meet again..." She sighed, trailing off.

Valyrym slowly lifted his head, sniffling. "I know. You will not remember this, and to me...it will be some long forgotten dream, drifting in the back of my mind..."

"I will be angry with you, then..." Kylyra sighed, nuzzling her father's throat. "I may not forgive you, then. But dream or not..." She placed her paw upon Valyrym's chest, feeling the powerful beating of his frightened heart beneath it. "But know in your heart, that I have forgiven you."

Valyrym smiled, laying his head against her.

"Know as well, Father," Kylyra said. She brushed her paw over his nose to draw his attention, then pointed to the back window of the Coyote's house. Silhouetted by the lights glowing within was Valar, smiling as he watched his father and sister share comfort in one another. "Know that love for you far outweighs anger in your son's heart. Know that you have long had his forgiveness, as well."

Valyrym could think of no greater Christmas gift in all the world.

---

Valar, clean and dry, padded into the living room. He glanced into the kitchen, where the ladies from his story were busy sitting at the table along with Vatch. The little chocolate-furred Urd'thin with horns and big ears was busy stuffing his face with Christmas cookies. Crumbs clung to his muzzle. The woman all had a mug of egg nog, and a half empty bottle of expensive rum sat amidst their mugs.

Alia prodded his shoulder, laughing. "You're getting cookies all over your muzzle!"

Vatch stared at her a moment, grinning. He perked his oversized ears, and then quite solemnly said, "Vatch like cookies."

Valar laughed to himself and shook his head. He waved a wing at everyone, then made his way to join Narymiryn and Korvarak in the living room. Nary sat near the fire, the orange danced across her black scales and caused her golden stripes to glow. Korvarak sat on the other side of her, wrapping her in one of his dark green wings. The other wing hung a little awkwardly at his side, but at least in this world he still seemed to retain control of it. They both looked up at him, and smiled, Korvarak waved a paw for Valar to join them.

Valar settled down near Korvarak, smiling at both of them. He flared his wings a little in greeting, then stretched his neck and nuzzled both their throats, taking in their scents. "Hello you two! It's lovely to see you again. It's been ages."

"Yes, it's been far too long." Nary laughed and tossed her head. "We've been waiting for you to come visit with us tonight, but we know you're busy romping about with your own mate and devouring every bit of smoked seafood you can get your paws on."

"Someone's got to all that smoked fish," Valar said, laughing. "Have either of you seen my lovely daughter running around lately?"

"Last I saw her, she and Ary and Little You were busy staking competing claims to the presents under the tree." Korvarak grinned, licking his nose. "Hope none of them had anything fragile in them."

"As do I!" Valar flicked his ears back, then simply smiled at his aunt and uncle a while. They looked good. Better than he would have expected, actually. "I've missed you too, you know."

"I know," Korvarak said, licking Valar's neck a moment.

"We've missed you too," Nary added, stretching her neck to smile over Korvarak at the younger male.

"Where have you been, anyway?" Valar grinned.

Korvarak laughed and shook his head. "I really shouldn't say."

"Oh come on. You can tell me!" Valar looked around, then lowered his voice. "The Coyote's not here, he'll never even know. I promise not to tell the fans."

"Well..." Korvarak considered it a moment. "You see, we're actually - URK!"

Korvarak yelped in surprise when Nary lashed out with her paw and snatched up the dragon's forest green testicles in her grasp. She gave them a sharp squeeze, and Korvarak went cross-eyed, his muzzle flushing purple. He doubled over, whimpering as Nary glared at him, holding his balls tightly.

"Now, Korvarak," she said, grinning. "We talked about this. I promised the coyote not to let you tell anyone about us."

Valar winced, laughing and shaking his head. "So it's like that, is it?"

Nary grinned. "Korvarak was just about to start blabbing it to everyone the other day, you see. Coyote didn't want that, so I promised him if he so much as opened his mouth on the subject, he'd find his balls in a vice."

Valar grinned right back at her. "Or at least your paw." He lookd back at Korvarak. The green dragon's wings were shaking as he whimpered and groaned. "You two aren't...well, you're not...I mean...I hope you're still..."

Korvarak gave a high pitched cry as Nary's grip got tighter, discouraging any response whatsoever. "Please!" He squeaked. "No more...questions...about our status!"

"Oh, alright, alright. You can let him go, Nary."

Nary released Korvarak's nuts, grinning at him. "Poor male. Always getting squeezed."

"And who's fault is that?" Korvarak whimpered, holding his eggs in his paw.

"Yours, obviously." Nary arched her neck, flaring her wings a little. "At least you get plenty of pleasure to balance it out."

"Will we ever see you again? Can I know that, at least?" Valar peered at Nary, his silver-flecked golden eyes narrowed with worry.

Narymiryn let out a long sigh, her own wings drooping. "I wish I had an answer for you. In truth, I don't know, Valar. I suspect even the coyote doesn't know that yet. After all, when you and your father aren't busy spinning him your tales yourselves, he discovers so much more of our stories as he writes them."

"I suppose so." Valar rubbed his muzzle with a paw, huffing. "Well, whatever the case, at least I get to see you every Christmas. You'll be back next year, right?"

"Of course! We'd never miss it. And Coyote says we can all stay through New Years, this time."

"Excellent." That bought some cheer back into Valar. He lifted his head, smiling. "I hope to see you in our world again, too."

"So do we, Valar." Nary grinned at him, nudging Korvarak with her muzzle. "So do we."

Valar nudged Korvarak, grinning. "You okay there, Uncle?"

"More or less," Korvarak said, a bit of squeak still in his voice.

Valar laughed, thumping his tail against the floor. The spines tore up a bit of the Coyote's carpeting. "My mate does that too. And so does Mother. Must run in the family."

The three of them laughed. Valar saw movement outside, then spotted his father approaching his sister. By the time Valyrym had wrapped up Kylyra in the biggest hug he'd ever seen, Valar could not stop smiling. He went to the window to watch their joyous meeting. He glanced back at Korvarak and Nary, smiled as they leaned against one another, licking each other's necks. Then he pressed his blue marked muzzle to the snow, and watched Valyrym cry against his daughter.

"Merry Christmas, Father."

---

Carrying a glass of beer the color and near consistency of motor oil, the Coyote trudged out into the living room where the Christmas tree was. His steps were not heavy from sorrow, far from it in it fact. But fatigue was weighing heavily down upon the canine, and he was ready to sit down and relax for a while. The coyote found an empty spot on the big, comfortable couch with the soft, earth-toned cushions and flopped down onto it, careful not to spill his beer. He took a sip, and sighed in satisfaction.

The family Christmas tree provided the only illumination in the living room. It reached nearly to the ceiling, and was layered in hundreds of different Christmas ornaments. Each one was totally unique from every other ornament, a tradition his mother started many years ago. Layers of multi-hued lights left the tree glowing as if lit by the warmth of the holiday season itself. Some evenings in December The Coyote just liked to sit on the coach in the dark, and stare at the lights on the tree. It seemed so peaceful, so joyous.

That night the living room was already packed. The presents and packages that had been placed beneath the tree were scattered thanks to the hatchlings playing amidst them. Little Valar and Arynyra were both fast asleep among a collection of brightly wrapped boxes. They each had their teeth locked on part of the same Santa hat after falling asleep together playing tug-of-war over it. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either of them, Ayly had slipped under the tree and laid claim to the entire pile of santa hats the other two hatchlings had stealthily collected. She was curled atop them, snoring lightly.

Many of the coyotes other guests were in that room as well. A blue dragon with glittery silver sparkles and the red dragon with the top hat and monocle were arguing about who's colors would make for a superior Christmas tree ornament.

"You know there is a dragon ornament on there." The coyote smirked at them when they glanced his way. "It's green. Clearly the best colored dragon."

Both Red and Blue insisted otherwise, and the Coyote let them return to their friendly argument. Soon, his real cat hopped up onto the sofa, and crawled into his lap for attention. He pet the old black and white cat for a while, perking his ears at the sound of the faint purr. Before long, the tiny eastern dragon covered in white fluff floated her way into the room. She wobbled about in the air, slumping and rising, and occasionally doing unsteady cartwheels.

The Coyote laughed. "Been drinking the alcoholic eggnog, I see!"

"Hic!" Was all The Floof seemed able to answer.

She floated about until she reached the couch where she dived down onto the cushion. Then she crawled across the sofa onto the other side of the coyote's lap, and snuggled up against both the Coyote and The Coyote's cat. The Coyote pet her as well, and she purred louder than the cat did. Soon, she opened her mouth and pointed at it.

Lacking Shrimp, the coyote instead fed her a few English chocolates from a box sitting on a table nearby. She ended up with chocolate on her muzzle, so he gave her a teeny, tiny wet nap. Then he laughed and hugged her. He leaned his head back against the cushion and closed his eyes for a little while.

"Hello, Coyote."

The Coyote opened his eyes again when Valyrym's voice rumbled nearby. He smiled at the dragon, gave him a little wave. "Hello, Valyrym." Then he glanced around. It seemed everyone else had dozed off all around him. The tree still glowed "Have you had a good Christmas?"

"I have," Valyrym said, smiling down at the smaller creature. "And I have you to thank for that. I did not know if I would ever get to see my son again, let alone my daughter. When I return home, I may not get another chance to..."

The Coyote held up his hand. "No spoilers, now."

"Ah." Valyrym settled down on his haunches. "Right." Valyrym gave a little sigh, staring at the tree. The Coyote could see the sparkling lights dancing in the old dragon's golden eyes. "I did want to ask you something else."

"What is it?"

"It's about my ending."

"Ah." The Coyote shifted himself against the cushions a little, smiling. "We talked about this last year, Valyrym. I cannot promise you a happy ending."

"Why not?" The dragon sighed to himself, glancing back at the coyote.

The Coyote spent a moment fighting for words. "Because...Because I don't know how it will end, Valyrym. I want to give your story a happy ending, but I cannot promise what I do not yet know." The Coyote glanced away, letting out a slow breath. He sniffed a moment. "I can no more truthfully promise you a happy ending than I can promise myself one. I hope all the time that my life will end well, and happy, but I have no way to know it will. None of us do. That is part of life though, isn't it? We cannot proper appreciate our happiness until we have sorrow enough to measure it by."

"Suppose you have a point," Valyrym said, shifting a little.

The coyote reached out and laid his hand upon Valyrym's foreleg. "We all deserve a happy ending, Valyrym, even you. But when sit back and watch our own lives pass by through a window, we have no way of knowing where that life will lead. I cannot promise you a happy ending, but I can promise you your ending will be honest. And I hold onto hope with all my heart that your ending will be happy."

A smile slowly came to the dragon's muzzle. He lowered his head and rested his snout between the Coyote's ears. "I know you do, Coyote."

"You do?" The coyote chuckled, lifting a hand to rub his friend's muzzle.

"I know you so very well, and you don't even realize it." Valyrym's voice grew soft, his breath warm on the coyote's fur. "I know that you are filled with more love than you feel you can ever share. I know you care about us more than you will ever admit it, and I know when Amaleen died, you felt every moment of my sorrow as though it was your own."

The Coyote glanced away, blinking hard a few times. He sniffled, rubbing his muzzle. "Alright, Val, that's enough."

"I don't think it is, Coyote." The dragon's voice grew softer still, a whisper that was gentle yet filled with urgency. "I know that you can be an intensely private person, fearful of embarrassment and so often unwilling to let your real thoughts and fears shine through in your words. I know you spend far too many days as a frizzed up ball of stress, a trembling bundle of fear or a coiled fist of aimless rage. I know you blame yourself for a life you feel has gone nowhere, and I know when you sit at your computer and your write our stories, all of that goes away. I know your emotions are as powerful and unpredictable as those of a dragon, and pour it into us, to make our stories real."

The Coyote tried to pull away, but Valyrym snatched at his hand, refusing to let his Creator slink away from this. The coyote blinked away tears, rubbing at his eyes with the back of a tan-furred hand. He murmured something incomprehensive, and turned his face away even as Valyrym kept hold of his arm.

"I know that everything scares you, Coyote, even your own life and where it's lead you." The dragon pulled him closer, hissing his words in a way that was somehow both angry and loving like parent speaking to a child. "I know that you wait all year for that one special day, that day when everything you feel is joy and peace and you simply exist as warmth and happiness. You call that day Christmas, and it is your favorite day of the year. I know that this year, is hasn't gone the way you wanted it too, and I know you will love that day just the same."

By now the Coyote was in tears, though the canine scarcely knew why. The dragon's words cut him to his heart in a way that somehow wrenched and warmed his heart at the same time. He tried to get ahold of himself, though his throat squeezed so tightly shut he could hardly even draw breath. He wiped the tears from his fur, again, looking away. He pinned his ears back. The Coyote wanted to tell Valyrym to stop, but he could not find the words.

"I know that you keep to yourself, and you have trouble telling any how you really feel. You rarely even tell your own family how frightened things make you, how difficult things can be, or how much joy you find in a simple holiday like Christmas. You keep it all bottled up inside your patchwork heart until the time you pour it out onto the pages and your stories come to life because they hold every part of you inside them." Valyrym gently squeezed the coyote's hand, flattening back his spines. "Or, in that one day a year, where you open up your home to all your characters, you bring us here to share your joy, and in the process, you open up your heart to a few special friends and readers who share your crazy world with you."

Valyrym took a deep breath, and pulled the suddenly sobbing coyote against his chest plates. "Yes, I know you, Coyote. You know your heart as well as you know mine. And I know that sometimes, some days...all you really want, is for someone to hug you, someone to hold you a while, and tell you that everything is going to be alright. Well, Coyote." Valyrym sniffled, the old beast had damn brought himself to tears as well. He hugged the coyote against his chest plates, rubbing the fur of his back with a single paw.

Valyrym lowered his head to nuzzle the coyote's ears, smiling. "Everything is going to be alright."

The Coyote sniffled, crying against Valyrym's chest. "Thank you, Valyrym."

The Coyote tried to keep his sobbing quiet. He was not sad, quiet the contrary in fact. Valyrym's revelations had somehow warmed him, and so had the dragon's care. He sniffled, glancing up at the dragon a moment. He tried to smirk. "I've got to go delete all that from my story now."

"Don't," Valyrym said, licking one of The Coyote's ears.

"They don't need to read that..."

"Let a moment of honesty shine through, for once. They're you're friends, after all. And you know they'll appreciate it."

The Coyote sniffled again, lifting his head. "Alright, then."

"I've heard what they say, you know." Valyrym pulled his head back, smiling. "That you've touched their hearts. You've brought them together. That you've helped them find friends where they once had so few. These are not small things you've accomplished, Coyote and I know you're prouder than you could put to words." Valyrym took a deep breath, and smiled down at the Coyote. "I also know that while you have trouble saying it, their words and their deeds, and their kind comfort in your times of need have touched your heart deeper than you could ever tell them, Coyote. So you put it in a story, where they least expect it, in the hopes that they too will know how much their support, friendship, and even love has meant to you these last few years."

The Coyote simply nodded, burying his face against his old friend as he started crying all over again. "It has. It means...a lot. That's...not enough saying enough. My fans...the friends I've made through my writing...I want these friendships to last a lifetime. They touch my heart more than they'll ever know, and I...I could never find the words...But...thank you."

The Coyote looked up, and found that all his characters had joined in the room. With them were all the fans and the wonderful friends he'd made, all come to support him. All come to wish him a Merry Christmas on his favorite say of the year. One by one they came and hugged him and every time it made him even happier.

The night was cold, and their friendship made him warm.

In the end, The Coyote sat up against Valyrym, laying his head against the old dragon's scales. "I didn't...expect it to end like this."

"Nor did I, Coyote." Valyrym laughed. "But sometimes things just pour out of you, don't they."

The Coyote nodded. He smiled, and stretched his arms to tie a red and gold ribbon with bells around Valyrym's horn. Valyrym scowled a moment, then shook his head, laughing. He lay his ribbon-clad head down against the coyote, closing his eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Coyote."

"Merry Christmas, Valyrym. Merry Christmas DitD-Verse." The Coyote slowly stroked Valyrym's neck. The old dragon began to purr, and The Coyote leaned his head back against the cushion. He smiled to himself as the night wore on. Silence and peace descended upon his home. Strains of Christmas music played in the distance. The Coyote began to hum along.

"Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all in the greater DitD-Community. May whatever Holidays you celebrate or not be filled with as much happiness, peace, and joy as this day always brings me. May you all be filled with as much happiness as your friendship has brought me."

The Coyote smiled, his last line of dialogue for the tale spoke. He sipped his beer, stroked the old dragon's neck. He stared at the Christmas lights for a while, and finally closed his eyes.

The Coyote was happy.