It was a quiet winter day in Radiator Springs. Wind whipped through the town, the icy tendrils of air were cold enough to freeze oil. Snow was falling steadily and was sticking to the roads. Nobody was going anywhere in below freezing weather.
Mater stared out the front window at Sheriff's house, his tires pressed against the glass. Curiosity and wonder filled his face. Of course, any seven-year-old car would find the winter wonderland outside intriguing. One thing was for certain, Mater wanted out. That snow wouldn't hurt a tire. A sigh escaped him, he wanted so badly to go outside and stretch his tires in the freshly fallen snow, maybe tip a tractor…he'd wanted to try that out. It sounded like so much fun.
If only Sheriff wouldn't come home, long enough for Mater to slip out of the house. Just for a little while. "It'll be real easy… when he's busy I'll just drive around the back… Farmer Jenkin's field ain't far away." The young tow truck thought to himself, a sly grin creeping across his face. He'd be back before Sheriff even noticed his absence. Quietly the little blue tow truck snuck around the house, peaking into each room only a little, hiding everything but his eyes. The coast was clear.
Ever so carefully he drove to the back door of the house and revved his engine softly. Time to make a break for it… He checked his rearview mirrors to see if Sheriff was behind him. He grinned recalling that they'd been a birthday present from Sheriff last year. Seeing that his guardian wasn't behind him…and he was still all alone, Mater zipped out the back door and into the winter wonderland.
Tiny tires sped along the road that was covered in magical snow. Mater let out a whoop of glee and revved his tiny engine. "Whooopie!" A huge grin found its way onto his face. The little truck shivered, whether from excitement or the cold it's hard to tell. He sped along the road as fast as his little wheels would take him, leaving tiny tracks through the snow.
"This here is the life!" Mater shouted at the falling snow as if it was an old friend. Further and further he drove until he was near Radiator Springs' town limit, but he was too excited to notice at first. Huffing and puffing from excitement, Mater's exhaust gave off puffs of smoke in the cold air. "I love snow." He grinned as he plopped his tires in the snow and tried to make a car-angel. The excitement of a young truck made electricity spark to where it could almost be seen. There was nothing like the joy of a young car…Except maybe the worry of an old car.
"Mater, I brought some of that fresh oil from Flo and Ramone that you like." Sheriff called out as he rolled into the living room of his house. Silence met him; he frowned and rolled to a stop. Where was that child of his? Sheriff let out an exasperated huff, that little blue tow truck would be the death of him. "Mater?" He called again; his frown deepening as there still wasn't a response. Something didn't feel right. Call it a fluke, a tug in his gasket or a boiling of his oil; somehow he knew something was off.
Hurriedly he drove through the house and found it empty. Sheriff felt his engine stutter and stop under his hood. "I'm an awful parent." He muttered. "Where did he drive off to now?"
Sheriff retraced his tracks through the house, till he felt a draft. He braked hard, and glanced towards the back door with an unhappy frown. His engine shuddered again as he realized that Mater had went out in the freezing weather. "First I'm going to find him… and then I'm going to scold him. After I talk some sense into that little hood of his." Sheriff muttered as he reveled in the warmth of his house before slipping outside into the snow.
He might not admit it, but he was extremely worried over his tiny charge. His two closest friends had left their child in his care before he was even a year old, and he was mighty protective of Mater. Sure he was strict on the little blue truck, but it was because he cared…he cared a lot, and at the moment he wanted to wring that little blue truck by the tire and drag him home.
The older car sighed to himself again; Mater should have been safe at home, snuggled down with a cup of hot oil and one of his stories. Sheriff smiled slightly to himself. He remembered reading to Mater had always been …interesting to say the least. He glanced at the snow, looking for the tracks that would match his charge.
Vague imprints remained on the road, the falling snow quickly covering the signs that a young truck had ever passed that way. Sheriff sped up, his own tires shivering from the icy wind sweeping through the town, his engine rumbling in worry as he realized the little truck's oil might freeze in the cold.
~Meanwhile~
Mater was cold, but he was having the time of his life, racing back to town as fast as he could while chasing snowflakes. The snow was picking up and soon it would be a blizzard, the road would be hard to travel on and he could get stuck, but he kept on playing. His teeth were chattering in the cold and unbeknownst to him his oil was trying to freeze up.
"Come back here!" He shouted at a huge snowflake, racing ahead of him. His tires spun in the snow and he fishtailed on the road, his eyes widened as it startled him. Drifting to the side he plowed into a pile of snow. Spitting and sputtering he managed to pull free of the snow with a hearty laugh. Sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes, Mater finally caught the big snowflake. The tiny blue truck let out a whoop of excitement, "YIPPEE! I CAUGHT ME A SNOWFLAKE!" He revved his engine and tried to do a donut, just like he'd seen Ramone do. "Ah, shoot!" Mater exclaimed as he only managed to get out of the snow pile, but failed to make a doughnut. "Ooh snowflake!" His green eyes danced with excitement and wonder and his tires shook in glee. With a rev from his young engine he was off and racing towards his new adventure.
Sheriff was plugging along in the snow, his eyes peeled for any sign of his little blue trouble making charge. Every mile that he didn't see sign of Mater only caused his worry to grow. Mater was in trouble, not only from the cold, but from the overly anxious Sheriff.
"When I get my tires on him, he won't be going anywhere by himself for three months." Sheriff grumbled worriedly to himself as he drove further. He braked suddenly and listened. Was that the sound of Mater's engine?… He listened again. It was an excitable roar from an engine that was most definitely Mater; he'd know that sound anywhere after six years of caring for him.
With a burst of speed, Sheriff plowed through the snow and closer to the familiar sound of a tiny blue troublemaker. His lights were on bright to cut through the snow as it picked up with every inch that his tires rolled.
"MATER!" Sheriff called above the wind. No response. "MATER! So help me!" Worry crept into his voice as he yelled at the wind again.
Mater was racing forward after another big snowflake, eyes focused firmly on one specific flake. He was so focused on his new snowy conquest that he didn't even hear Sheriff calling him. His tires crunched in the snow as he drove along until bright lights flashed across his hood and he scrunched his eyes nearly shut.
"IT'S THE GHOST LIGHTS!" Mater yelled as fear filled his gas tank and caused him to freeze, staring straight into the lights. Finally he gathered his courage and he shot forward trying to escape the monster of his mind, fear confusing him as to what direction he was going.
Someone was yelling, Sheriff felt worry nearly flood his engine as he heard the yell. It was Mater. Once more he sped up hurrying towards the fearful yells of Mater.
"AH NO! THE LIGHTS! They're gonna get me!" Mater screamed driving faster and faster, finally skidding to a stop in the snow as the 'ghost lights' nearly blinded him. Tires spinning, brakes screeching and with a loud scream Mater hit something…something hard. He kept screaming, shutting his eyes as tight as he could, expecting the ghosts from Farmer Jenkin's stories to swallow him up and only spit out his tires. He'd be only a memory!
"GOOOOOOODDDDDDDD BYEEEEEE SHERIFFFF!" The young tow truck screamed thinking that Sheriff would only have chewed up tires to remember him by.
"What in tarnation are you car-terwalling about?" Sheriff scolded, his voice full of annoyance as well as worry.
" SHERIFF! I'm alive? The ghost lights didn't get me! I'm alive!" Mater hollered, rolling forward and burrowing against Sherriff's right side excitedly. "FIRST I WAS CHASIN' that snowflake! And then I caught it! It was HUGE! And then I saw another, and I drove after it! AND GHOST LIGHTS, they were gonna EAT me!" The blue truck shuddered and shivered, partially from fear, but mostly from the cold. He took a deep breath to ramble on, but Sherriff cut him off.
"What were you thinking, Boy? You're in a heap of trouble. If I don't warp your bumper. I declare, you're gonna be the death of me!" Sheriff exclaimed exasperated and a bit angry that Mater had worried him so much.
"I-I.. I'm sorry," Matter stuttered from the cold. Sherriff frowned as he felt the chill rolling off of Mater.
"This isn't over. We're gonna have a long talk. But right now, we need to get you back. Flo's is close by. We'll stop in there. You need something warm to clear the chill off your engine," his tone gained a gruffness, but there was a definite fondness as he drew the little tow truck close to his side and began leading him back to town.
"I like the snow. And snowflakes!"
"I know…but don't be going out in it without an older car. You're not experienced with driving in it." He held back a smile as he caught Mater driving in his bigger tire treads. "Stay close Mater, can't be losing you now, else Flo, Ramone and the rest will have my tail-lights on a platter."
"Why'd they want your tail-lights? The left one has a short and the right one needs a shine." Mater sounded confused and Sheriff grumbled something in response that was too low for Mater to catch.
"No reason." They drove along with both of them shivering too much to hold any further conversation.
The gleaming light of Flo's Café was a welcoming beacon of warmth as the father and son pair reentered the town. Sheriff heaved a sigh of relief. Finally he could warm Mater up, and then get Ramone to check him over. He and Guido to help him make sure Mater was alright. They really needed a new doctor. Shaking himself from his thoughts, Sheriff ushered his shivering charge towards Flo's. He was basically pushing Mater along and he berated himself for not taking his young charge with him earlier. "Could have avoided this whole heap of mess, if it weren't for my stubbornness." He thought to himself.
"Why!? Why must-a you a snow in the desert! SNOW…SNOW IN THE DESERT! BAH!" Luigi's voice echoed nearby and Sheriff shook his head as he saw Guido and Luigi drive by. The yellow car had a hat that was rather fluffy tied on his head, it looked like a dead raccoon crossed with a beaver.
"Cold Luigi?" Sheriff smirked as he recalled snows he'd weathered long before.
"BAH! COLD. Where is the sun? It's supposed to be warm? No?" Luigi scowled, his tires rolling forward with a very grumpy Guido rolling behind. Sheriff nearly snickered at the indecipherable Italian coming from the forklift. Someone was not happy with the weather.
"Stupido flakes! Tires not belong-a in the snow!" Luigi kept ranting at the falling snow as he and Guido hurried towards Flo's.
"Come on, Mater. Let's get you inside." Sheriff spoke gruffly, nudging a shaking Mater with a tire.
"It's pretty out here…" Mater complained.
"It won't be pretty if you don't get those tires a rolling. Come on. I'm sure Flo's gonna give you some warm oil." Sheriff tried bribery; he'd learned the hard way that bribery was the way to deal with children.
"Alright…Alright," the tow truck grumbled not wanting to get in more trouble…plus Flo always gave him yummy oil.
A cozy, burst of warm air hit the two cars in the hood as they drove inside to the warmth of Flo's Café. Sheriff heaved a sigh of relief as he practically shoved little Mater into the waiting tires of Flo.
"SHERIFFFFF SAVE ME!" Mater yelled as he was assaulted by kisses from Flo. Sheriff chuckled; it was always so amusing to see Flo turning into a mothering car.
"Oh, Honey, you're all covered in snow and ice. Let Flo get you all warmed up with a nice cup of warm oil and some cookies." Flo beamed at the little blue truck and brought Mater further into the café and near a heater.
"Man, what've you been doing? It's like zero degrees outside," Fillmore's laid back tone sounded from behind Sheriff.
"The little troublemaker decided to drive out in the storm." He grumbled and rolled further into the café, reveling in the warmth of the building.
"He's sowing his wild oil man."
"Wild Oil, and I'll be a tractor's uncle. He's not getting out of trouble that easy." Sheriff frowned at Filmore.
"I'm just saying. Kids will be kids."
"Sheriff. What did you let Mater run into!?" Flo's voice came from further in the café, and it held a disgruntled tinge.
"I didn't do a thing. I just found him wandering in the snow, after I told him NOT to leave the house." Sheriff shot the little truck a stern look.
"Well. Snow doesn't cause dents." Flo narrowed her eyes at him sharply before turning back to her favorite little truck. "Don't worry, baby we'll fix that dent right up." She brushed a tire along a dent on his right door, just under the handle.
"Aww…Miss Flo. Ain't nothing. I just was tryin' to get away from the ghost lights, and I bumped into Sheriff!" Mater's green eyes widened dramatically causing the older car to chuckle slightly.
"Sheriff you ought to know better than to have children crashing into you and damaging themselves." She had a fiercely protective look in her eyes as she shot Sheriff a look that could peel paint. "Well we can't have you driving around with a dent in your door. Ramone!"
"We can get you flames …maybe gold flames!" Ramone rolled over with a smooth smile.
"FLAMES?" Mater's voice sparked with excitement and he drove towards Ramone.
"No flames. Mater doesn't need any flames." Sheriff's voice cut in, stopping Mater in his tracks.
"Butttttt Sherifff! Flames would look so COOOLLL!"
"No, Mater. We'll get your dent fixed though."
"I don't want it fixed." Mater glanced down at his tires a little shy.
"Why not?" Sheriff was truly puzzled at the response. His brow furrowed and he rolled forward and lowered himself a little to look Mater in the eyes.
"It's special."
At his words, everyone in Flo's Café stopped. Their attention was drawn to the little blue tow truck that had captured their hearts. A dent was…special? Everyone listened carefully to hear the child's explanation.
"Special, son?" Sheriff raised an eyebrow. His tone held it's normal gruffness but with a more gentle tone than usual.
"Yeh! I got it in my first real snow storm! And I was driving away from the ghost lights! And YOU SAVED ME!" Mater's voice became extremely animated and he wildly gestured with his front tires before nearly falling on his side.
Sheriff caught the little truck and tugged him against his side to steady him. His voice choked up at the hero worship in Mater's voice. He might never say it, but he loved the little truck. He didn't have it in his heart to tell the kid that it was his lights he'd seen. Suddenly most of his anger from earlier melted away and he was just glad Mater was safe.
"Well… You're worth saving. Even if you are a little troublemaker." He tapped the truck lightly on his side.
"But you're a Sheriff…Sheriff…that's what Sheriff's do, right? They take care of trouble…and Save people?...SO should we call you Sheriff Sherriff?" Mater grinned up at Sheriff and kept rattling off questions. Laughter filled the café.
"He's one of a kind. Our Mater." Flo beamed, sending Sheriff a wink as she passed out more cups of warm oil. A tiny snore interrupted Sheriff before he could reply and something…or rather someone nuzzled his side. He glanced down to find Mater leaning against him, his eyes shut tight.
"That's a first. Falling asleep on you, man. Still say he should get flames." Ramone commented with a smile.
"No flames…and I guess he's tired. Should head home…"
"Not in this storm you don't. And not with my baby." Flo scolded. "Everyone is staying in here. The temperature dropped again. I have plenty of blankets in the back room. Y'all settle down for the night."
Sheriff just smiled to himself as he gently pushed Mater further to the side and settled beside him, not complaining about the sleeping truck using him as a pillow. It was nice to know he was needed, even though it was taxing his poor engine, and making him replace spark plugs left and right. At the end of the day…Mater was worth it. He was worth it all… And he wouldn't give him up for anything in the world.