Here's a one-shot I promised on Christmas, but it didn't work out so well. Anyways, here's Millie's Christmas. There is a bit that is a bit insulting to some Hanuka celebrators, but as you can guess by the title, it's supposed to center around Christmas. This took place before Sunrise, because when I wrote this, I was waiting for it to come out. Here you go, Millie's Christmas! I leave this up here utill Februray, and then I'm going to take it off, and wait till next year. So R&R now, or you won't get a chance in a long time...
Millie's Christmas
It was just another cold leaf-bare. Millie was staring at the sky, thinking of her old life. Every year, her Twolegs gave her presents and treats on the day they called Christmas. It was a holiday they celebrated every leaf- bare.
Why don't the clans have holidays? she thought to herself. Then an idea sprang to her head. If Twolegs celebrate holidays, why can't we? I will bring Christmas to the clans!
Mille was waiting for Graystripe to come and get ready for patrol.
"I loved Leafbare back when I was a kittypet," Mille announced, and rolled in the falling snow.
Brambleclaw and Graystripe stared at her blankly as Millie stuck out her tongue and tried to catch snow flakes.
"Snowflake catching is for kits," Brambleclaw muttered.
"Don't be so grumpy," Graystripe smiled, and poked Brambleclaw playfully with his tail, "Brakenfur will tell you that I was never that stern as a warrior."
"Well, what's special about Leafbare?" Brambleclaw grumbled.
"Christmas of course!" Millie exclaimed as if she had never heard such a stupid question, "My Twolegs celebrate it every year! Graystripe's Twolegs celebrated... um, something beginning with ham... Hanukah, that's it! I don't know much about it except that they set a giant fork on fire!"
Graystripe looked as if the Twolegs that had captured him were actually Darkforest warriors in disguise.
"At Christmas time, my Twolegs bring in a pine tree and decorate it with balls and toys," Mille explained, "They once decorated it with Deathberries. Wait... they were called crayonberries! And they decorated it with stale puffs of white stuff that were salty!"
Millie went on and on to the two warriors about how she was a Christmas present, and then finally came up with, what seemed to Brambleclaw as, the worst idea ever.
"Firestar will know about Christmas!" Mille suddenly exclaimed, "I'll go tell him!"
Before Graystripe could stop her, Millie charged back to camp while she shouted "Firestar, Firestar!"
"Yes?" asked Firestar.
"Do you remember Christmas?" Millie asked in a sweet voice.
At first, Firestar's memory was foggy, and then it came back to him. He was a little kit wandering carelessly around a big pine tree (or at least it was big back then) and stumbling through big boxes of colorful presents. He remembered huge golden balls that were hanging on the tree that he could bat at.
"I want the one that's orange, the one playing with the ornament!" a twoleg shouted.
Firestar's first, and last, Christmas was the day he was taken to his home that led him to the forest.
"Yes," Firestar nodded.
Suddenly, Graystripe and Brambleclaw stumbled in to Firestar's den.
"Well, what do you think?" Firestar asked Brambleclaw, "Should we have a Christmas?"
Brambleclaw looked uncomfortably at Millie, and then at Graystripe. He looked as if he was begging Brambleclaw to say yes.
"Oh, fine," Brambleclaw sighed, "But it wasn't my idea."
"Very well," nodded Firestar nodded, and walked out, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey come beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting."
Cats padded out of their den, slowly.
"I heard something about kittypets," Dustpelt grumbled, "Once a kittypet, always a kittypet."
But he wasn't talking about Firestar, he was talking about Millie.
"My father was a kittypet, if you forgot," hissed Squirrelflight.
"I wouldn't," Dustpelt shrugged his shoulders at his former apprentice.
"Millie has brought up a fact that we do not have holidays," Firestar announced, "Where she is from there is a holiday called Christmas that is sure to bring happiness to this Leafbare. Millie, you may continue."
"Although we can't decorate a tree like a traditional Christmas," Millie smiled, "We can get each other presents."
"For every one?" Whitewing asked, worried.
"No," Millie shook her head, "I think that each cat should give two presents to two other cats that affected their lives, and apprentices must get a present for their mentor, and likewise with mentors. AND WE'LL GO CAROLING!!!"
There was a long silence.
"Okay, not the caroling idea," Millie meowed, "But we'll get each other presents. We'll give the presents the night after the Gathering, the moon will still be full."
There were numerous meows of agreement.
"The present can be anything except freshkill," Millie added, "Unless you plan on sharing it with that cat."
More meows of agreement.
"This meeting is over," Firestar announced.
Millie knew that she would get Graystripe some freshkill, the fattest vole she could find, and she would get Firestar something to remind him of his old life. Maybe she could steal something from the twoleg Greenleaf house. There was a wooden boat in the house. That's what she'll get Firestar! They could get to Gatherings inside the boat!
The boat, though, was attached by a rope to the wall. So each day when Millie could spare some time from Bumblekit, Briarkit, and Blossomkit, she would work on chewing the rope. The day before the Gathering, Millie finally got it free. Then, she went hunting.
At the Gathering, Millie shared the idea of Christmas to some other cats. Soon, word got around to every one, even the leaders! They didn't seem to say anything, just whisper about it.
The next day...
"Thanks Millie!" lots of cats shouted to her the next day as they looked at their presents.
"Merry Christmas Firestar," Millie grunted through clenched teeth.
"A boat!" Firestar exclaimed.
"We'll never cross that bridge again!" Graystripe said happily.
"Or we could use it to make a deputy den?" Brambleclaw suggested.
"Well, I did forget to get you a Christmas present," Firestar smiled, "So merry Christmas!"
Then a rustling came from the bushes. Every cat stopped except Firestar. Then all the leaders came out from the bushes and cried, "Merry Christmas everyone!" Even Blackstar was there!
They all continued Christmas on the island, all together.
That night, When Millie was asleep, a beautiful tabby came to her in a dream.
"Hello" she said.
"You must be Millie. I am Silverstream. Thank you for bringing Christmas to the clans."
"Mmyy ppleasure" said Mille. She had never seen a StarClan cat before!
"You see, the truth is, the four clans formed on Christmas. You have a reason to celebrate!"
Millie was delighted. Christmas for the clans did have a purpose!
"I have one more surprise. Merry Christmas, Millie!"
When Millie woke up, The fresh-kill pile was full of plump mice, and no one had gone hunting! It was a true miracle.
And that is the story of Christmas in the clans :-)