MERRY CHRISTMAS, FURBALL!
By Redtop95
It was Christmas in Acme Acres. Frost was forming on the windows of the snow-covered houses, giving them a sugary appearance as they twinkled in the sunshine. Toons had to be careful as they walked along in case they slipped on some ice that was hidden beneath the thick white blanket. While the weather was icy cold, the atmosphere was incredibly warm, as it usually was during December. The shopping mall was packed full of people who were frantically buying food and presents for Christmas day. It was also a great tradition for every shop had turn into a wrestling ring when there wasn't enough stock for the hundreds of customers.
For some toons, however, Christmas was a time where there was nothing but snow, sleet and icy wind, and Furball was one of them. There was nothing to celebrate for him. He had wandered all around the town trying to find some shelter, but he had had little to no success. He had often heard people say that Christmas was a time to be at home with a caring, loving family. The only problem was that he didn't have a home…or a family.
All he did every year was struggle to survive. He couldn't remember ever celebrating. The only thing that he could ever look forward to was trudging through the snow up to a fancy restaurant. Once he reached a particularly fancy one, he would drool through the window at the meals that the happy families and couples were tucking into. He used to enjoy ogling the food and drink before they closed the curtain with disgusted faces.
It was amazing, he thought, that Christmas was supposed to be a time for giving. For some reason, nobody seemed to give him anything, such as love and a home. It was true, he had friends, but they had their own families, and he didn't want to be a burden to them.
It was then he decided something. He would celebrate Christmas on his lonesome. All he had to do was buy himself some gifts and a meal and he'd be celebrating in style. The only flaw in the plan was that he was flat broke. You couldn't buy gifts or a meal if you were flat broke. Furball sat down on a snowy bank, pondering just what he should do. Try as he might, though, nothing came to mind.
Just then, his ears pricked up as he heard the dulcet tones of carol singers as they performed their renditions of traditional Christmas songs at the Carl Stalling Bandstand. He watched as a passer-by halted to drop a coin into their red bucket before moving on. Furball sighed as he watched the passer-by continue their journey without even looking at him. That guy had money. The one thing he needed in order to celebrate Christmas.
Then, something came to him: buskers got paid for singing or playing an instrument. And he could play an instrument: specifically, the violin!
His heart racing with excitement, Furball leapt to his feet and raced towards his trash can. Unfortunately, as he did so, he slipped on the ice, slid on his behind and crashed into a torn cardboard box. Shaking his head so that he would stop seeing Christmas trees dancing in front of his eyes, he picked himself up and rummaged around in his house. It felt like an eternity but he finally found what he was looking for.
He cheerfully pulled his trusty violin out of the garbage…and it snapped in two, with only the strings keeping it from completely falling apart. His ears flopping with disappointment, Furball was about to put his damaged instrument back in the trash can when he had an idea.
Since it was the festive season, nobody would mind if his musical instrument looked like he had used it as a scratching post. He could still play a tune on it! All he needed was some more strings. With that, he ripped out several of his whiskers and expertly tied them to his violin, carefully tuning each one so that it sounded just right. A majority of them snapped, leaving only three strings left.
Furball watched, dumbfounded, as his plan to fix his violin began to fail. He suddenly felt like throwing it back into the garbage can as it was useless.
No, he couldn't give up! He wouldn't be able to get a Christmas dinner if he just gave up! Besides, there just had to be a Christmas Carol that he could play with…three strings.
His heart swelling with renewed confidence, he rushed out of the alley towards the bandstand. The carol singers wouldn't mind if he provided them with some music for their songs. Perhaps they would give him a meal as a reward! Taking out his violin, he prepared to play.
As his bow scratched and scraped away on the slackening strings, the many golden voices began to stop midway through their performance of O Come All Ye Faithful. Furball grinned to himself as he continued his violin playing. Perhaps everybody was so impressed by his skill that they were allowing him to perform a solo! Well, who was he to refuse some adoring fans an encore and give them some Christmas spirit? He continued his music, proud that he was making so many people happy.
In fact, he was so cheerful that he didn't notice the lead singer pick him up by his tail and throw him into the air. It was when he plunged headfirst into a snowdrift that he realised he wasn't welcome.
As he pulled his head out of the snow and shook himself dry, he turned just in time to see the Carol Singers glare at him, before taking the bucket of money and walking away. Furball glowered indignantly. Whatever happened to THEIR Christmas spirit?
His impulses getting the better of him, he hastily made a snowball and hurled it at the group of singers. It missed…
…And hit Arnold the Pit Bull square on the nose, causing him to drop several shopping bags.
Furball couldn't hear what the furious canine was yelling over the sound of his heart pounding as he ran for his life. The only thing that he caught was "I vill put you in mein Christmas puddink!"
Suddenly, he ran over a puddle of ice, slipped and slid along on his bottom. The good news was that he slid so rapidly that he lost Arnold. The bad news was that he didn't know how he was going to stop himself.
He zoomed along on his behind, until the buildings eventually gave way to snowy fields. Furball seemed to notice that the already bone-chilling wind had gotten stronger, and the snowflakes were beginning to grow larger and larger.
WHAM!
Furball's slippery slide finally came to an end as he ran into a wooden pole. He fell back, dizzy from the impact, and passed out on a frigid blanket as the snow continued to fall.
"He's been out for three hours, now"
"Oh, ze poor kitty! Eet eez un bien job zat we found 'im when we did!"
"You're telling me. Especially in this snow storm!"
"Those voices sounded familiar" was Furball's first thought in a good while. But it couldn't be who he thought it was. The wintry weather must be playing tricks on his senses. He could smell something delicious! Something was cooking in a kitchen somewhere.
Furball finally knew what was going on. He had fallen asleep in the alleyway next to the Attitude restaurant again. He had better wake up and leave before one of the staff members caught him and chased him away.
For some odd reason, Furball felt too comfortable to move. He didn't feel like he was lying in the snow at all! Then, an awful thought struck him. What if he was dead? He must have frozen to death on that country lane!
"If I was dead," he thought to himself, "surely I'd know. I'd be cold, wouldn't I?" This was true, but he didn't feel cold. Far from it! In fact, he felt toasty warm.
It was about time he woke up and found out where he was. He had to be somewhere and it wasn't outside. Very slowly, he opened his eyes.
He could see the soft orange glow of a crackling fire and he could feel the warmth envelope him like a huge invisible blanket. As his eyes grew more accustomed to the faint light, he saw what appeared to be a Christmas tree standing proudly in the corner of somebody's living room.
Colourful tinsel adorned the walls, and hues of red and green sparkled around the room against the fire's glow.
Furball's eyes sluggishly slithered over to look at a window sill. There was an electric menorah on it, its outline standing out against the flurry of snowflakes outside.
The blue feline blinked and rubbed his eyes. The cold must be causing him to hallucinate. There was no way he could have travelled to such a wonderful room without being aware of what was going on.
"'E eez awake!" the velvety female voice with a strong French accent exclaimed. Furball jumped. He wasn't expecting such a loud noise amidst all this serenity.
"Thank goodness!" the nasally male voice sighed. Furball turned to see Fifi La Fume hurry over to him from the kitchen, followed closely by Hamton J Pig, who was wearing a flour-covered apron.
Before the blue cat could think of anything else, Fifi felt his forehead with the back of her hand, causing him to impulsively shut his eyes. "'E does not seem to 'ave un fever," she told Hamton, a strong sense of relief in her voice. "Per'aps zat eez because we got 'im out of ze neige trés rapidmont!"
As he felt the gentle pressure of the skunkette's hand leave his forehead, Furball opened his eyes. He saw the hazy, slightly blurred images of Fifi and Hamton looking down at him, their eyes filled with love and compassion.
"It sure is better bein' in here than out there, eh, Furball?" Hamton asked warmly. Furball sluggishly nodded his head. The fire's warmth was making him feel sleepy once more.
Fifi saw what was going to happen and gently hushed her husband as the feline's eyes slowly closed. Hamton took a cat-sized blanket out of his pocket and softly placed it over Furball without waking him up.
Furball began to purr for the first time in a good while.
"I've never seen Furball so happy," Hamton remarked as he and Fifi drank cocoa in the kitchen. "He always seems to spend Christmas on his own…" Fifi nodded sadly. "Nobody deserves zat during zis festive time," she agreed. "Ah think zat we…" she trailed off, suddenly reluctant to continue.
"Think that we what?" Hamton asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. Fifi took a sip of her cocoa and cleared her throat. "Hamtone," she stated, her tone oddly nervous. "Eet eez un long time before we become parents…"
"Yes, it…it's a long way off before it's time," the pig replied with a hint of confusion. "B-But what's your point?" Fifi took another sip of her cocoa. "A-Ah was thinking zat…until ze neige melts et Furball eez well enough to leave…tu et ah could…could…adopt 'im"
"A-Adopt him?" Hamton nearly choked on his warm beverage. "J-Just pour un petit while!" Fifi hastily continued. There was a long silence as her pig contemplated the idea.
"W-Well…" Hamton finally replied, tapping his snout as he thought. "Furball needs some looking after…we can't let him go out in the snow alone…"
"Et eet eez Noel," Fifi added. "Ah do not think zat 'e 'as ever had un joyeux one! We could give 'im ze best Noel 'e 'as ever had! Eet could be un trés bien practice pour us when we 'ave our own children!"
"Yeah…" Hamton liked the sound of the idea. "We…uh…we could take him on a sleigh ride! The horses need the exercise, after all!"
"Oui!" Fifi agreed, relief washing over her as she realised that her husband approved of the idea. "Et why stop zere? 'E could go to ze carol singing avec us, et 'e could learn about ze Hookah…"
"Hanukkah, dear" Hamton corrected with a chuckle. "Oui, oui! Et we could take him to your parent's dinner, too," the skunkette was growing increasingly excited. "We shall give Furball…"
"The Greatest Christmas of all?" Hamton grinned as he thought of all the activities they could do. "I'm game for that!"
The couple giggled as they finished their respective mugs.
Furball purred with content as he lay as snug as a bug underneath the thick duvet in the spare bedroom. This was a much better blanket than the snow. He was safe and warm.
A cat could get used to this! It was a shame that he would most likely have to leave first thing in the morning. He assumed that the pig and skunkette had taken him out of the snowstorm, and he would spend the night until the weather had calmed down.
Furball knew for a fact that he would never forget their kindness, but he would feel incredibly reluctant to return to his daily routine. Wandering through alleys in the biting wind and struggling through the frigid snow was not a very appealing lifestyle. And going back to it after sleeping in this bed was not a very appealing prospect either.
The blue cat yawned and fluffed his pillow. If he was going to have to leave, then he was going to make the most of sleeping in this lovely bed. He would make sure that the night would last as long as he liked.
All he had to do was stay awake and the hours would drag along. Unfortunately… That...was...easier said...than...done…
"Bon matin, Furball!" Fifi said cheerfully, jarring Furball awake for the second time.
Blearily, Furball's eyes opened to see Fifi and Hamton entering the spare bedroom, fully dressed. The blue cat's eyes darted to the window. The sun, while rather low in the sky, was shining brightly. Furball was dejected. It was morning, which meant that he would have to leave.
"You missed breakfast," Hamton stated as he laid a tray of food in front of the cat, "So I…" He got no further. Furball had seized the tray as soon as he had placed it down, and was ravenously devouring what was on it. Fifi giggled as she watched crumbs fly everywhere. Hamton wasted no time in taking out an Acme Dustbuster and erratically cleaning up the mess.
"Vous must…" Fifi began. Furball belched as he patted his belly. "Vous must be trés hungry!" Fifi tried again. "Eet was un bien job zat we made all of zis pour vous!"
"That's not the only thing we brought you, though," Hamton added, and fishing in his pocket, he took out a large box which was wrapped with bright blue wrapping paper out of his pocket.
Furball was puzzled. It wasn't Christmas Day, yet! Nevertheless, he took the present from Hamton. He wondered what it could be, but he would just have to wait until the 25th to find out.
"Go on," Hamton urged, "open it!" The blue cat was even more confused, now! As Fifi and Hamton waited with mounting excitement, Furball extended his claws and tore the wrapping paper to shreds. Admittedly, this was quite fun, pop but he was careful not to ruin what was inside.
As the pig frantically cleaned up the tiny scraps of colourful paper, Furball's eyes widened as he saw a cat-sized winter coat. It was bright green, and the hood was laced with white fluff.
Furball couldn't believe his eyes. He turned to Fifi and pointed at himself with wide eyes.
"Oui!" Fifi simply replied.
Ecstatic, Furball put it on. His fur couldn't always protect him from the cold, so this coat was perfect!
"It's a bit late for you," Hamton smiled, "but since you've been going through some hard times, it doesn't matter!"
Furball must have looked confused, because he continued to talk. "You see, me and my family are Jewish," Hamton went on, "and we don't really celebrate Christmas. We celebrate Hanukkah! One of the traditions is that you receive a present every day!"
"Mais ah do not celebrate eet," Fifi said, wrapping an arm around Hamton. "So when Hammy eez avec moi, 'e celebrates Noel!"
Furball understood what they were talking about, but he suddenly realised why they had given him a coat as a present.
They were expecting him to leave.
Furball sighed. At least the snowstorm was gone and it was a sunny day. At least he'd be warm as he went back to ogling food in the restaurants. At least he'd…
"Furball?" Fifi asked, snapping the cat out of his reverie. "Hamtone et moi were thinking...Would vous like to...to celebrate Noel avec us?"
Furball's ears pricked up. Did she just say what he thought she said?
"You don't have to," Hamton nervously added. "We just thought that you'd like to be with friends instead of alone"
They were! They were inviting him to spend Christmas with them! He was going to get some love...and a meal...and gifts! This had never happened to him before! There was no way he was going to pass up this opportunity!
Fifi's and Hamton's hearts both swelled with delight as Furball grinned and nodded excitedly. They were so happy, that they both embraced him in a warm hug.
Furball was surprised. He didn't realise he was this popular! If he'd known before, he would've come sooner! He had never been hugged before. Well, he had been trapped in Elmyra's death-grips whilst at Acme Looniversity, but that was nowhere near as nice as how Hamton and Fifi did it.
He began to purr, and the pig and skunkette smiled at each other as they heard it.
"We bought vous zat coat pour un reason, Furball," Fifi said as they relinquished their embrace. "We are going out dans ze neige!"
The cold morning air was punctuated by the crunching sounds of three pairs of feet walking through the deep snow.
Furball strode along, proudly wearing his new coat as Hamton and Fifi led him through their tundra of a garden. Like the blue cat, they were wearing stylish winter coats. Fifi wore a bright red coat and hood and Hamton wore a blue parka with a tartan scarf.
"We're going to my parent's house," Hamton told Furball. "We just have to get our transport"
The blue cat was puzzled. How would they get transport in a garden? Were they going to walk through the snow? Although his new coat kept him nice and warm, trudging through the deep snow was extremely tiring.
"'Ere we are!" Fifi grinned as they reached a snow-covered building which reminded Furball vividly of an igloo.
It was only when they got closer to the building when Furball realised that the building was a stable. The smell was an enormous clue, and he was walking with a skunk.
"Chevalle and Silver will be glad to have a run," Hamton remarked as he opened the stable doors, "they haven't been out for ages!"
He walked inside, and Furball was about to follow him when Fifi stopped him. "Vous will 'ave to wait 'ere, Furball," she told him. "Zey might be afraid of vous. Zey are not trés bien avec new people"
Who were Chevalle and Silver? That was the question on Furball's mind as Fifi entered the stable after Hamton.
His question was almost immediately answered by the gentle thudding sound of hoof beats.
Furball's eyes widened as a white pony and a black mare suddenly emerged from the stable, led by the pig and skunkette. The blue cat backed away slightly, a little unnerved by the two equines.
"Do not worry," assured Fifi, "Chevalle et Silver are un petit timide, mais eef vous are trés careful, zey shall be fine"
"Fifi and I like to ride together during the summer. Chevalle and Silver only go out at special occasions in the winter" Hamton added, as he and Fifi walker back into the stable to collect something else. Furball looked up at the horses and waved nervously.
It wasn't long before Fifi and Hamton returned. Soon, they returned a large red and yellow sleigh, and harnessed the two horses up to it. The blue cat was impressed to see it! A nagging part of him wondered why the pig and skunkette had a sleigh in the first place!
"Wondering why we have a sleigh?" Hamton chuckled as he flicked some hay off the seats. "Fifi bought it at an auction. At first, it was an antique, but after we bought the horses, we found it has its uses!"
"Et we are going to travel dans, how-you-say, style!" Fifi stated as she clambered aboard and gestured to Furball to get in with her.
The blue cat eagerly scrambled aboard as Hamton sat next to Fifi and took the reins. "Are we ready?" He asked as Furball leaned forward to look over the rim.
"'Ere we go!" Fifi cheered as the pig flicked the reins and Chevalle and Silver began to trot and the sleigh began to move.
They moved through the large garden gate, and gathered speed. Furball wriggled round so that he could see the house, but his view was obscured by a magnificent spray of snow as the horses reached their full speed.
They galloped across the white fields, Chevalle's and Silver's hooves plunging into the snow and bursting out with little effort.
Furball had never ridden in a horse-driven sleigh before. It was wonderful! He thought it was great to put his feet up and relax.
It was so comfortable between Fifi and Hamton that he thought he might fall asleep once more. But he couldn't. He wanted to see every moment of this dynamic sleigh ride!
"Hammy, look out!" Fifi cried abruptly as she pointed at something ahead of them. Furball tried to see what was going on, but Fifi's huge tail obscured his view! Chevalle and Silver both gave startled whinnies, and Furball saw a flash of grey and beige plunge into the snow beside them. The sleigh was still going, though, and the horses were showing no signs of slowing down or stopping.
"S-Sorry!" Hamton shouted over his shoulder, but they were now too far away for Furball to see who the pig was talking to. Who did they nearly run over? This question lay heavily on Furball's mind, and he didn't pay much attention to the sleigh ride. Whoever it was, it couldn't have been anyone important for Hamton and Fifi to stop the horses, but still…
The blue cat had racked his brain so much that he didn't notice that he was in Wade and Winnie Pig's living room until Pappy and Bubbie came in to see him.
"Oy, I don't understand it," Pappy grumbled. "How can a pig an' a skunk have a cat?"
"I think Mr Furball Cat is staying with Hamton and Fifi for the holidays," Bubbie had explained, "I think he's their adopted son!"
"Oy Gevalt! Does that mean…"
"We can't talk about that in a kid's story!"
Furball didn't really hear the old pigs argue amongst themselves. His mind was dead set on the two figures whom they had nearly run over in the sleigh.
He was temporarily distracted by all of the attention he got from Hamton's family, who wasted no time in stroking him, giving him a bath once they realised he had a family of fleas in his fur, and allowing him to join them in a kosher meal. Winnie even allowed him to light the next candle on their menorah, as well as giving him his very own kippah.
"So, what're you two gonna do now?" Wade had asked Fifi and Hamton as they ate their meal at the table.
"Hammy et moi are going to go to ze Carol Concert avec Furball," Fifi replied. "'E shall love eet!"
"Especially since there'll be a special singer this year," Hamton agreed. "Mary said it was a cat!"
Furball, who had been sleeping soundly by the fire after his hearty meal, woke with a start upon hearing this. Another cat? At the Carol Concert? Could it be a girl cat? Whoever it was, Furball couldn't wait to see another feline! As he went back to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder if the singer would be a stray like him. If they were, then he'd be glad to meet someone whom he could relate to.
It felt like he had been asleep for five minutes when Hamton gently woken him up to tell him that they were leaving. Furball didn't want to wake up, and remained asleep, forcing the pig to carry him out. It was only when they had walked outside that the blue cat woke up and darted back into the house to get his coat.
"We are going to ze Carol Concert at ze Cathedral, Furball," Fifi explained as they waved goodbye to the Pig Family. "Everyone shall be zere, et ah am sure zat zey will be trés hereux to see vous!" Furball grinned. A Carol Concert sounded lovely. Especially since he was going to see another cat there. Perhaps he could make friends! Besides, the Toons there might actually appreciate fine music...unlike those singers at the Carl Stalling bandstand.
"I seem to recall you liked music," Hamton stated, flicking the reins for the horses to get going. "You played the violin at one point. You'll love it at the Cathedral!"
They galloped through the deep snow in the direction of the Church, all three of them in good spirits.
Chevalle and Silver got them to the Cathedral in no time. With that said, it took a good while for them to find somewhere to park the sleigh. Furball looked around as Hamton and Fifi tended to the horses. Everybody he knew from Acme Looniversity was there. Buster and Babs, Plucky and Shirley...even Monty and Elmyra! Furball felt sure that the spoiled bully had been forced to go.
Suddenly, two figures caught his eye. One was a small cat with grey and white fur and appeared to be female, while the other was a large dopey-looking dog with a beige coat.
The grey cat appeared to be talking to the vicar about something, but their conversation was so hushed, Furball couldn't tell what it was they were talking about!
To say that this feline and canine duo looked familiar would be putting it mildly. Could they be the different coloured blurs that they saw in the sleigh ride? Furball knew he had to get a closer look at these two.
He was about to cross over to them when he was stopped by Buster and Babs.
"Hiya, Furball!" Babs greeted cheerfully. "Didn't expect you to be here!"
"Merry Christmas!" Buster called as he continued to walk with his beau.
Furball waved, faking a smile as he watched the cat and dog enter the church. Now he would never find out who they were. The place would be so crowded, he wouldn't be able to see them.
He tried not to look too chagrined as he saw Fifi and Hamton approach him, both beaming warmly. It was nearly time for the concert to begin.
The Cathedral was one of the most beautiful places that the cat had ever seen. An enormous Christmas tree stood tall in the left-hand corner of the building, its lights all aglow and twinkling.
Toons large and small were stood in pews, all talking warmly amongst themselves.
Hamton, Fifi and Furball found a pew behind Buster, Babs, Plucky and Shirley, and the six toons began conversing. Furball seized this opportunity to take a good look around for the cat and dog. To his consternation, they were nowhere to be seen.
His search had to be cut short rather abruptly when he noticed Arnold among the many toons, and ducked down in the nick of time as the bellicose canine suddenly looked in his general direction.
It wasn't long before the soft chatter began to die down as the huge church organ began to play and everybody stood up.
The building seemed to swell with voices as the congregation of Toons began to sing in perfect harmony.
Furball did his best to sing, but it sounded more like he was yowling. He was, but nobody seemed to mind. As the feline's eyes scanned the mass of carolers, he felt an overwhelming amount of warmth course through his body, pumped by his heart.
He had no idea what he had been missing all these years. To think that he would have missed out on this wonderful event if it hadn't been for the kindness of Fifi and Hamton.
Furball instantly felt another burst of love and happiness as he turned to look at the pig and skunkette, who were singing together, their arms wrapped round each other. If it hadn't been for them, he would have frozen to death in the snowstorm. If it hadn't been for them, he would have spent another Christmas alone, scrounging in trash cans for discarded turkey.
This couple had taken him in for the holiday, asking for nothing in return...only his company.
Try as he might, Furball couldn't help but shed a tear as he watched them sing.
Impulsively, he leapt into their arms, and they cuddled up to him, welcoming him with open arms.
It felt like the pig and skunkette had held him for an eternity, when the carols came to an end.
Through the haze of happy tears clouding his vision, Furball saw the grey cat step up to the microphone on the altar. He did a double take in shock. She was the singer that Fifi and Hamton had been talking about at the dinner!
Furball's ears pricked up, and he was not the only one who seemed to be anticipating hearing the cat sing.
"A ray of hope…flickers in the sky...A tiny star...lights up way up high...All across the land...dawns a brand new morn. This comes to pass...When a child is born…"
All it took for Furball was to hear that gorgeous voice as it echoed around the church. He felt like he would melt at any second. He felt as light as a feather...as giddy as a schoolboy. He was in love!
"A silent wish...sails the seven seas...The winds of change...whisper in the trees...And the walls of doubt...crumble tossed and torn. This comes to pass...When a child is born…"
The lights on the Christmas tree seemed to glimmer and sparkle even more as the cat continued her spellbinding ballad.
"A rosy hue...settles all around...You've got the feel...you're on solid ground...For a spell or two, no-one seems forlorn…This comes to pass...When a child is born…"
Love hearts began to fill the air as Furball slowly began to fall asleep due to the cat's calming lullaby. Hamton and Fifi looked at him...and then at each other. They smiled.
"It's all a dream...an illusion now...It must come true...sometime soon somehow...All across the land, dawns a brand new morn...This comes to pass...When a child is born…"
"What a beautiful service!" Hamton remarked on the sleigh ride back to the house. "The guest singer sure had a nice voice...not as nice as Fifi's, though!"
"Ah seemed to notice," Fifi teased, "zat Furball seemed to, how-you-say, take un shine to 'er, non?"
Furball didn't hear what either of them had said. He sighed wistfully, his mind back at the church. Part of him felt incredibly ecstatic…while the other part felt unbearably gloomy. He had missed his chance, and now he would never see the lady cat again.
As he looked up dejectedly, he did a double take. There were the grey cat and beige dog trudging through the snow! He had a second chance, and there was no way he was going to waste it!
Without thinking, he jumped out of the sleigh...while it was still moving. He heard the pig and skunkette both shout something as he did so, but he couldn't hear it as he landed in the snow. Unfortunately, the horses had been running up a hill whilst Furball had made his move, and they had been moving at top speed.
The blue cat found himself rolling head-over-heels down this particular hill, gathering both speed and snow as the world spun.
"O-kay," Rita remarked as she counted the dollar bills in her paw for the umpteenth time, "we got enough ta buy the both of us a turkey from that butcher, PROVIDED," she continued sternly to Runt, "somebody doesn't eat the money again like last year!"
"Duuuh, I was a victim of circumstance," Runt protested. "I thought they were mints!"
"Typical dog," Rita muttered to herself. Admittedly, she had enjoyed performing her solo at the Carol Concert, but she could have been paid more for her contribution!
Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as a huge snowball rolled out of nowhere and collided with them, bursting upon impact. Rita and Runt lay in a heap, a blue cat lying a few yards away from them.
"Duuuh, didja get the license plate of that...whatever it was?" the hound burbled groggily.
"Music critics," Rita remarked bitterly. There was always one. She picked herself up and dusted the snow out of her fur. Her eyes fell on her paws, which were now void of dollar bills. "We've been robbed!" she yowled, frantically looking around for the culprit. "Oh, who would do such a thing at Christmas…"
Her melodramatic wailing came to an abrupt halt as she spotted the blue feline lying face-down on the powdery ground, the dollar bills next to him.
"Duuuh, I found da thief!" Runt growled. "It's a mangy cat! C'mon, Rita, let's get 'um!" He was about to charge towards the cat when Rita stopped him. "That ain't a cat," she told him. "It's another dog like us! A rare breed!" She saw the cat's green coat. "He doesn't look too mangy, either!"
Roused by the voices, Furball began to stir. Wiping the snow out of his eyes, he groaned audibly, sitting up. Then he saw the grey cat and beige dog looking at him. A broad grin crossed his lips as he jumped to his paws and rushed up to the grey cat, who jumped back in shock.
"Easy there, tiger, we ain't gonna hurt ya," Rita pacified. Furball didn't seem to hear her. He was pointing excitedly at her, and then at himself. "Excited little fella, ain't he?" Rita remarked to Runt.
Furball couldn't believe his luck. He was face-to-face with the singer at the Carol Concert! The love of his life since half-an-hour ago! Rita was regarding him with deep concentration, as if she was trying to remember something.
"You look familiar…" she remarked as she twirled her whiskers. Furball's excitement grew upon hearing this. She possibly knew about him! Maybe she recognised him from the Carol Concert!
"Oh, yeah!" Rita exclaimed at last. "I remember you! You were at the Concert at the Cathedral!"
Furball's heart gave a leap. She did! She remembered him from the Concert! "You were gushing over me while I was singing!" Rita continued.
Furball grinned sheepishly, his fur turned red with embarrassment and he sank into the ground as steam rose into the air from the melting snow around him. Rita chuckled upon seeing this.
"Ah, don't trouble yourself, it's a common reaction!" She reassured. "I'm Rita, and this is Runt!" She gestured to the big dog, who was now sniffing inquisitively at Furball.
"Duuuh, it's nice ta meet a fellow dog on St. Patrick's Day!" he stated, patting Furball on the head.
"Play along…" Rita murmured as the blue cat looked at her with confusion.
"Runt an' I have been travellin' the Tooniverse for a new home. We had ta leave the last one when SOMEONE wouldn't let go of a lady's dress!" The grey cat explained, glaring at Runt.
"Duuuh, but it felt nice!" Runt protested, earning an exasperated sigh from his companion. "We came ta Acme Acres so we could earn a few bucks," Rita continued. "Now, we'll hafta go again. Hopefully, the money they gave us will buy us something ta eat before we make tracks!"
Furball's face fell. Rita would be leaving, and it was most likely that he'd never see her again. But he was so madly in love with her, he couldn't just allow her to leave without doing something for her. But what could he do? He couldn't give her any flowers as it was winter. What could he do?
"Furball?!"
"Furball, where are you?!"
Two familiar voices echoed across the snow-covered valley. The ears of all three animals pricked up as they heard it.
"Sounds like somebody's gone missing," Rita remarked. "What a shame, an' at this time of year, too!"
An uncomfortable twinge of guilt went through Furball's body. He recognised the concerned voices all too well. He knew he shouldn't have run away from Fifi and Hamton, but he wanted to see Rita!
"I'm gonna assume that this Furball that they're lookin' for is you," Rita said with a knowing smile. Furball nodded reluctantly. "Now, I've never really had a family," the grey cat told him, "but I reckon you oughta go back to 'em, seein' as they're worried sick about ya!"
Furball knew she was right, but he didn't want to leave his new friends.
"Duuuh, look, someone's comin'!" Runt pointed out. Furball and Rita turned to see Hamton and Fifi running up to them, their horses and sleigh in the distance.
"Furball, you're okay!" Hamton sighed with relief as they reached him, "ya had us worried!"
Furball blushed as Rita folded her arms.
"Don't vous ever run off like zat again!" Fifi almost sobbed, "Oh, ah am so glad zat vous are safe!"
"Ain't that sweet?" Rita commented to Runt, "A family who care. Something that we've been lookin' for…"
"Duuuh, yeah…" Runt muttered sadly, watching the pig and skunkette embrace the blue cat. Rita sighed in defeat. "Our work here is done, big guy," she told him, leaping onto his back. "Let's get goin' before we get frostbite!"
Runt took one last look at the happy trio, before trudging away.
"H-Hey!" Hamton called. "E-Excuse me!"
Rita and Runt stopped and turned to face Fifi and Hamton, who were smiling at them. "Merci beaucoup pour finding 'im," Fifi told them.
"Ah, think nothing of it!" Rita smirked. "We've gotten used ta helpin' others!"
"Hey," Hamton was surprised as he got a closer look at the cat and dog. "I-I recognise you! You're the singer at the Carol Concert!"
"Duuuh, we're famous!" Runt exclaimed cheerfully.
"Vous were trés grand!" Fifi complimented. "Furball loved ze way vous sang!"
"Yeah, I noticed," Rita giggled. "Well, we gotta go find another home! Goodbye, an' Merry Christmas!"
To everyone's surprise, Furball shook his head at this statement.
"Duuuh, I don't think he wants us ta go," Runt stated, which prompted Furball to nod vigorously. Rita sighed. "Look, Furball, you're a sweet guy, but I doubt there'll be room for us at your place…" she stated.
Furball looked crestfallen.
"Actually, Furball's only staying with us for Christmas," Hamton told them. "He was struggling in the snow before we found him!"
"If vous want," Fifi ventured. "Vous both can stay avec us pour ze rest of ze vacance. Our maison eez quite big!"
Furball nodded happily, silently pleading Rita and Runt to agree to the offer.
"Spendin' Christmas at a house for once?" Rita mused. "Y'know what? That sounds like a great idea!"
Furball felt his excitement overtake him upon hearing this. In fact, he was so overwhelmed, he jumped into the air, pounced on Rita and gave her a huge, lip-locking kiss which seemed to go on forever!
"Whoa!" Rita laughed once he had ended the powerful smooch, "I don't see any mistletoe around here, but I liked it anyway!"
So, it was arranged. The five Toons made their way back to the horses, and soon they were riding through the valley.
"Duuuh, I like the horsies!" Runt grinned stupidly. "Especially when we're riding a sleigh instead of nearly bein' hit by it!"
Fifi, Hamton and Furball did a double take. "Y'mean that was YOU we nearly ran over this morning?" Hamton asked, completely dumbfounded.
"Ehhh," Rita shrugged, "could be!" Fifi and Hamton shared a look, before chuckling nervously.
"It's ready, everyone!" Hamton called, emerging from the kitchen, carrying a huge roast turkey on a plate.
Fifi, Furball, Rita and Runt all applauded the meal as he set it on the dining room table.
The pig and skunkette were lucky they were able to cut some of it for themselves as the three strays ravenously devoured the bird as soon as it was put before them.
"What a bunch of gluttons!" Hamton remarked with a chuckle. "I hope our kids won't be like that!" Fifi smiled and winked. "Tu forget," she giggled, "some of zem will be pigs!" They both chuckled and held each other close.
"Duuuh, I haven't eaten a turkey since...I've never eaten a turkey!" Runt declared as he gnawed on a bone.
"These guys have a swell place," Rita agreed. "I'll be sorry ta leave come New Years!"
Furball, who had been enjoying everybody's company, sighed. Christmas had been absolutely wonderful for him this year, and it had been amazing for him to spend it with friends old and new.
Unfortunately, it was coming to an end, and he, Rita and Runt would have to leave and go their separate ways. Since the pair were looking for a new home, he would be lucky if he ever saw them again.
"Say, Furball," Rita proposed. "It won't be long before Runt an' I hit the road once more when the snow melts. Now, I've kinda...started ta like you. I-If you're up to it...you're welcome ta come find a home with us"
Furball grinned and took her paws, shaking them wildly. "I'll take that as a maybe," Rita joked, winking at him.
"Duuuh, it'll be great, yep, it sure will!" Runt agreed. "Rita sings a lot so we'll have a soundtrack!"
"Oh!" Fifi exclaimed, "Sacré bleu! We almost forgot about your last present, Furball!"
"That's right, we won't be long!" Hamton called to the houseguests. He and Fifi rushed into the living room, leaving the three strays bemused and confused.
The couple almost immediately returned with a box covered in brightly coloured wrapping paper. There was a label which read:
To Furball
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
Love
Fifi and Hamton
"Go on, open it!" Hamton said with mounting excitement as Fifi handed the present to the cat.
Furball extended his claws and tore the wrapping paper to shreds to reveal…
...A cat-sized violin, made of the finest wood, and all of the strings perfectly in tune. The blue cat's eyes widened and began to well up with tears as he was overwhelmed by the infinite kindness that his friends had shown him.
"Say, you play the violin?" Rita was impressed! "It'd be perfect if we had a musician travelling with us!"
"We 'ad zat in mind when we got eet pour Furball," Fifi smiled. "We thought 'e would like eet, since 'e eez un lover of ze musique, just like us!"
"Uh, th-that wasn't the only reason," Hamton added shyly. "We were wondering if you could sing a Christmas song for us before you guys went off ta see the world. Furball could play his violin for you!"
Furball loved this idea, and was ecstatic as Rita said "Sure thing! You two have been so kind, ya deserve ta be a private audience!"
She climbed up on top of the table and held her tail as if it was a microphone. Furball took his bow and began to play a jaunty tune which resonated beautifully from the strings. The grey cat began to sing.
"Rockin' around the Christmas tree, at the Christmas party hop. Mistletoe hung where you can see, every couple tries to stop! Rockin' around the Christmas tree, let the Christmas spirit ring! Later we'll have some pumpkin pie, and we'll do some carolling!"
Hamton and Fifi held hands and smiled as Furball played expertly for the lovely feline. In fact, the tune was so catchy, they couldn't help but join in!
"You will get a sentimental feeling, when you hear...voices singing: let's be jolly, deck the halls with boughs of holly! Rockin' around the Christmas tree, have a happy holiday. Everyone dancing merrily in the new old fashioned way!"
Furball watched Fifi and Hamton sing along with Rita and tried not to laugh as Runt began to dance joyfully around them all.
To think that he was originally going to spend a lonely and miserable Christmas searching for food from trash cans. He couldn't believe his luck that his two best friends would take him in and treat him like their own little son.
And now he was going to travel alongside his newfound love!
Furball grinned to himself. Not only had he had a spectacular Christmas, but he felt sure that he would have an adventurous and exciting new year!
The End
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
From Redtop95