By Allen Walker
“Oh, there you are, Elliot. I have been looking all over for you,” Mama Possum panted as she scurried to catch up with the big black and grey cat. Six of her young passel clung to her back and tail. They squeaked with delight as snow drifted down through the pine trees and caught in their whiskers and wiry fur. Whispers and hushed excitement floated around them as old friends and friends yet to be stepped out of the forest’s purple shadows onto the trial headed towards the Winter’s Eve Celebration.
“Hush, all of you. Remember your manners.” 
She waddled alongside Elliot working hard to keep pace with the cat’s long strides, but the little possums kept playing around and knocking each other off. She snatched one of the babies and tossed him up on her back.
“Please,” she huffed, “I need your help. Petal has wandered off. I stopped a few minutes ago to count the kids, and she’s not here. I can’t go back because the path is too crowed and there are so many of us that if we stop, I won’t be able to keep them together and there will be a huge traffic jam and I will be so embarrassed that I might faint, and then we will never get to the pond. And they are so excited. This is their first Winter’s Eve. I’ve been telling them all about it, and, if they don’t get there it will be such a shame, and if we stop. . . ” A big silvery tear rolled down Mama Possum’s long snout and hung off the tip like a melting icicle.
Elliot’s smile wrapped around her. “You go on and get the family to the Pond and I’ll find Petal. I’m sure she hasn’t gone far. We’ll meet you there.” Elliot licked the top of Mama Possum’s head and she shook the tear off the end of her nose. It landed on the new snow with a light splat.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, Elliot! I knew I could count on you. Petal just doesn’t understand. I tried to explain but she respects you. She will listen to you when she won’t listen to anyone else.” She tossed two more on her back and shooed the rest of her little herd in front of her. “We will see you there. Let’s go, all of you. Move along, move along.”
Elliot turned around and headed back up the narrow, twisted path. He snaked in between tall trees and thick underbrush disappearing into the dark forest away from the trekkers. Their voices faded behind him into the sunset.
The night brushed down and settled into the shadows. He hopped over the gnarled roots of a tree that looked like it was made out of oldness. On the other side, he picked up the pale blue scent of the missing possum’s tiny footprints.
Suddenly, in the sky right over his head, he heard the familiar jingle of bells. He ducked just as a huge shadow roared past. He fell to the ground and rolled head over tail into a snow bank. The shadow circled high over the trees, hovered for a moment, then rocketed straight towards the path.
The ground trembled, the trees rained down ice and needles and the creature crashed down onto the path. The beast struggled to its feet. Breath streamed from its nostrils like a steam engine. The huge animal pawed the ground then charged down the path towards Elliot.
“Kind of a rough landing, Don,” Elliot laughed, shaking globs of snow off his head.
The reindeer sneezed as he skidded to a stop in front of his friend. He tossed his head and the sleigh bells jingled on his harness. “Hey, Elliot. Saw you right at the last minute, buddy. Had to divert my course a little bit to keep from running over you. It’s hard to see you down here, man. You should be wearing a red sweater vest or some blinking lights or something. I almost landed right on you. How’ve you been?”
Elliot wiped a paw across his dripping whiskers. “Doing well, Don. How about you? Are you taking off work this year to come to the Celebration?”
“No way! The big night is almost here, you know. We’ve got a test run tonight,” he winked. “I’ve got to be there. We’re a team, you know. The boss said I could go to the Pond for a little while as long as I got back in time for takeoff. I may have to leave before it’s over, but I can make it if I fly.” He jerked his head in the direction of path behind them. “Aren’t you going the wrong way?”
Elliot twitched one ear and glanced at the blue paw prints. “I’m trying to help Mama Possum find her youngest daughter, Petal. I she’s around here somewhere,” he said a little too loudly. She’s a little nervous about tonight,”
“Ooooh,” the reindeer nodded. “Her first Winter’s Eve? I was scared myself the first time. It’s a tough crowd. I’ll tell you what, you get her there and I’ll have the Old Man do a flyby just for her. Wish I could stay to help you, buddy, but I’ve got to get moving if I am going to spend any time down there. Good to see you, man.” He nudged the big cat with his wet nose.
“Good to see you too, Donner.” The enormous reindeer turned, took a running start and leapt into the widening night. “And thanks. Give the boss my best. We’ll be watching for you guys.”
As Elliot watched his friend circle up into the night, the light snow clouds moved on and tiny stars poked through the sky. He turned back to the blue trail that ended in a nearby holly bush. A murky yellow mist sprinkled with purple specks seeped out between the pointed leaves; fear dotted with courage. Petal.
He started to call out to her when the fur on the back of his neck bristled. The air grew tense and grey. Something, or someone, lurked nearby. He whispered toward the bush, “Petal, if you are in there, stay put and be very, very quiet.” He growled low in the back of his throat and spun around staring hard into the thick shadows beside the trail. Two cold green eyes glared back at him.
“You’re crossing my path, Cat.” Fangs glistened as a huge wolf sprang out of the undergrowth and into the air. Elliot hissed and jumped sideways. The wolf landed on all four paws right on the spot where Elliot had been standing. They faced each other, nose to nose. Elliot could feel the animal’s hot breath on his face.
“You’re getting slow in your old age, Lonnie,” Elliot said. The wolf eased back on his haunches and sat down. “It’s good to see you. How are you?”
The wolf grinned sheepishly, his eyes intense in the dim light. “Good enough. Looks like you are doing well, El Gato, at least for now,” he laughed, his tail sweeping the ground.
Elliot flicked his ears at the old nickname and looked behind the wolf. “Where is your mate? You two always travel together.”
Lonnie’s eyes darkened. “It has been a rough year, Elliot.” His words dropped to the ground like rocks. “She didn’t make it.” He looked up at the thin moon and gave off a long, sad howl.
“I’m sorry. I know how much she meant to you. What about the pups?”
The wolf eased toward Elliot. “The boys are getting big. They are hunting on their own now. They’ll be at Winter’s Eve tonight.”
A holly bush shivered. The wolf sniffed the ground around the footprints and licked his lips.
Elliot eyed him. “Maybe you should go on now, Lonnie. You don’t want to be late. I’ll see you there. Right?”
One corner of Lonnie’s lip turned up in an almost grin. “Sure. You got it. It’s Winter’s Eve, after all.” Then he jumped over Elliot disappeared down the trail.
Elliot took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The snow had stopped falling, and the last of the clouds were racing off. The night was in a hurry and they were running out of time. Fresh moonlight sparkled on the snow as he followed the trail of prints over to the bush.
“Petal? Petal, come on out,” Elliot pawed the bush. “I know you’re in there. I can hear your whiskers twitching.”
A tiny pink snout stuck out between the prickly leaves and clusters of red berries, and darted back in.
“I don’t want to go, Mr. Elliot,” the little voice trembled as a face appeared in the bush.
“Are you afraid?”
Thorns of stubbornness stuck out around Petal’s head. “Maybe.”
“What did your mother tell you about tonight?”
“That something special is going to happen. She said it was magic. I think it sounds weird.”
“Weird?”
Her voice scratched the air. “Yeah, like, all the animals are going to be at the Pond, together, in the same place. It’s all she’s been talking about forever. There’s some kind of celebration and the animals are all going to get along and stuff. She’s always telling us to be careful, to hide from owls and wolves, but tonight, they are all going to be there and now she says it’s okay. It doesn’t make any sense. First she’s worried and now she’s not. I don’t get it.”
“Tonight is Winter’s Eve. Things are different on Winter’s Eve.”
Petal crawled part way out of the bush. “That’s what she said but,” She curled her lips over her sharp little teeth.
Elliot licked the young possum’s ear. “Maybe we ought to just go see. I know you’re scared, but you know your mom and dad would never put you in danger. And I’ll be there, too. If you can be a brave you’ll understand how special tonight is. And you will also have to believe.”
“Believe what?” Petal frowned up at him. But before he could answer, a darkness stole up behind him. Pointed ears and a long wet nose hovered over Elliot’s head.
Two huge bright eyes bore into her as moonlight flashed off razor sharp teeth. She opened her mouth to scream . . . and fainted.
“Snatch up that little scrappling and let’s get out of here,” Lonnie growled. “We’re going to be late. You may be able to jump out of my way, but I can still outrun you, you old cat. Climb on.” Elliot grabbed Petal by the scruff of her neck, leaped onto Lonnie’s back and they raced off toward the Pond, snow dust flying up behind them.
Mama Possum, her tail curled high up over her head, paced back and forth at the edge of a clearing. Petal opened her eyes as Elliot dropped her onto her mother’s back. She buried her face in her mother’s fur as the wolf leaned down, his sharp teeth so close that she could have touched one if she had dared.
Mama Possum stretched up on her back legs to nuzzle the big wolf’s ear. “Thank you, Lonnie. I heard about your mate. I’m so sorry. I’ll look for her star tonight.”
“I appreciate that. It helps knowing others remember her.” He glanced around and saw his pups trying to play hopscotch with some rabbits. He nodded toward the tangle of little possums near the pond. “You’ve got a fine passel there. Is it alright if I go over and introduce myself?”
“Of course. Their dad is trying to keep them together. I’m sure he can use some help.” Then she turned to Elliot. “Thank you, Elliot. If Petal had missed her first Winter’s Eve, it would never have been the same.”
“Look, Petal,” Elliot purred.
Petal opened her eyes and peered over the top of her mother’s head.
“Oh,” she caught her breath. “It’s beautiful!”
Snow glittered like fallen stars around a pond in the center of the clearing. The moon hung over the tops of the whitened pine trees. Its reflection made the quiet water shimmer with a light of its own. The heavens were sprayed with twinkling stars, more stars than Petal had ever seen.
She stared around the clearing as animals wandered out of the trees and gathered around the Pond, greeting each other with sniffs, tail twitches, and nose rubs. A raccoon was weaving holly into Donner’s antlers. A tarantula told stories to three crows perched on Lonnie’s back. A small yellow dog coaxed a bobcat into conversation with a hawk. When the hawk spotted her from the other side of the clearing and cawed ‘hello’ to her, she hunkered down into her mother’s pouch.
A calico cat chatting with a snowy owl saw Elliot and trotted over to him. “The star is rising,” Chloe said. “It’s time.”
The two cats found a spot near the edge of the Pond where Lonnie and his pups lay next to a doe and her fawn. Nearby, the raccoon wrapped a snake around her neck to keep him warm, and snuggled down next to Donner. The mouse scampered up onto the old owl’s head so he could see the whole sky.
As the star climbed higher in the heavens, a soft hum began to vibrate around the pond. Curious, Petal climbed out of her mother’s pouch and dropped silently to the ground.
Elliot felt a tug on his tail as the wide-eyed little possum crept up beside him.
“What’s happening, Mr. Elliot?” Petal stammered. “What are they doing?”
“Listen, Petal. They’re singing. It’s Winter’s Eve,” he explained. “Winter’s Eve is a night of joy and thankfulness. The darkest part of winter is over, and the star holds the promise of Spring and new beginnings. The animals come together and sing to celebrate peace and hope for the new year.”
Elliot raised his chin and let out a long, low, mew. Chloe picked up his melody with her sweet high tone. Each animal added their own special voice to the song. Cats and rabbits and possums carried the tune; birds trilled their brightest notes; dogs and wolves and foxes crooned. Bees and crickets hummed, and even the mouse’s little voice rang out clear and strong. All side by side in perfect harmony. The tall pine trees swayed with the rhythm of the magical night while the sweet smell of wonder filled the air. Petal watched, breathlessly, as the voices swelled into a brilliant shimmering cloud that floated around the clearing.
Excited, she opened her mouth to sing. Nothing but a dry, hissing sound came out.
She clamped her jaw shut, embarrassed for anyone to hear her. “I can’t do it,” she whimpered.
Elliot leaned over to her. “You have to believe, Petal.”
“In what?” she cried.
“In miracles.” He stared at the sliver of moon and the star that dangled off its tip. In the corner of his eye, he saw her frown.
“Tonight is a night of miracles, Petal. If you believe in love and hope and peace for all animals, you will it. There.” He pointed to her chest. “Deep inside you. When you realize what can be, you will find your song.” His words hung in the cold air like diamonds.
While the Star drifted across the sky, Petal wandered around the Pond. She listened as the animals shared their voices, their songs, and their stories. She watched them drink together at the water’s edge, walk and chat with old friends, and make new friends. No one ran away. No one was afraid. How can this happen?
A small shooting star dashed across the sky. Her ears tingled. We look different, sound different, act different, but tonight, we are all the same. We could all live in peace if we just believe in one another. Suddenly, a shower of understanding sprinkled her like stardust. Her heart began to warm. Her fear melted away. A quiver trembled deep in her throat. She tossed her head back, her voice trilled with excitement.
“Mr. Elliot! I found it! I found my song!” She giggled at the sweet new sound of her own voice.
Petal danced and sang all night. She talked to the owl. She road on Lonnie’s back. She played tag with some fox pups and chatted with the hawk. Now and then, she paused, stood up on her back legs and listened to the other animals deep in the woods, in homes where candles were being lit one by one, in stables and trees and in far way waters joining in the song.
When dawn began to push away the night, her throat was dry and her eyes were heavy. As the animals said goodbye to each other and wandered off to their homes to sleep, she found Elliot and curled up next to him.
“I wish it could be like this all the time,” she yawned.
Elliot gazed around the empty clearing. When they woke up, the magic would be gone. But next year, they would come back to celebrate this special night when for a short time, there is peace and joy all the animals sing together in harmony.
He smiled down at Petal’s hope-filled face and hugged her close. Then, making an ancient cat noise in the back of his throat, he blew her wish toward the fading Star.
©2014 Elliot’s Tales LLC. All rights reserved.
Elliot's Tales 