Christmas is, family time and togetherness. Its the one day of the year when all the world is at peace. Differences are set aside and fighting comes to a stop at least for this one peaceful holiday. On this one day of the year, speciesism doesn't exist. Its about giving and being selfless. About lovers meeting under mistletoe and families gathering around the tree. A warm fire in the fireplace and hot cocoa after a day of play in the snow. Its the time when every gift is precious whether it be bought with money or even just given from the heart from a mammal who doesn't have a lot.

That's where the legend of this flower comes in. According to legend there was a Christmas gathering about a hundred years ago or so. Back when the peace treaty between the predators and prey was still relatively young or was at the very least a bit shaky. To strengthen the alliance and gain trust among one another they held a celebration for this day.

There was one red fox by the name of Markel who didn't have much to give. He had no land in which he grew crops and so he couldn't offer any crops from fields. He had no cotton or silk or even a trade with other mammals and no profit. So Markel was crestfallen. He knew that if he had nothing to give he and by default the rest of his species would be looked down upon more than they already were. For in spite of the alliance, some assumptions just didn't vanish along with the end of war.

But he also knew he couldn't just not attend the celebration. His absence would cause an even deeper distrust than if he came empty pawed. And so he trekked the snow covered path toward the gathering with a heavy heart.

Worries and fears plagued his thoughts while on his journey. But just when he was about to give up and resign himself to his fate, red caught his eye. It was an even deeper shade than his own fur and gave him pause. Upon closer inspection, the hope that had been building came to a stop. What he had seen were plain weeds that grew in patches along the country side. All he really knew about them aside from them being pests to farmers was that they were eaten among some prey species.

His heart growing heavy once again, Markel clipped off the weeds and gathered them into his arms. At least, he thought, it was something. At least he wouldn't go without anything to give. He only hoped that it would be enough. He hoped it wouldn't earn the ire of the other mammals gathered. But the night was growing colder and darker and the path became harder to traverse. It had begun to snow and that snow turned into a storm with high wind and blinding flurries.

But Markel was determined that he would get to the gathering. That he would show them all that he was more than what they thought. So he braved the storm, fighting his way through it and using his nose to lead him where he needed to be. And finally after hours of slowing thanks to the cold, his sight hindered by the storm, and icy, treacherous path, he made it.

Markel had stopped paying attention to his numbing arms and legs by then that weren't covered as they would had his winter coat fully developed. He didn't glance at the judgmental mammals whose stares followed him. He didn't even shake the snow and ice from his fur from where he was pelted and fell on the path several times on his way. His determination and drive led him right to the makeshift altar where the other gifts had been placed. And unlike before he didn't compare what he had to what was already there. He simply set down his load then promptly collapsed in a sleep he would never wake from.

They say to this day that the weeds, Markel had brought blossomed into beautiful red flowers before everyone's eyes the moment he fell. They then dubbed them Poinsettias after the selfless red fox that gifted such a miracle. Markel Poinsett.

Judy wiped a tear from her eye as the tale came to a close. The story teller had been, Nick who had offered to tell her the legend after she told of the flower meaning. Hearing this legend, the flower language meant very little to her now. It only presented merriment and mirth. But what she was just told was both beautiful and sad. She would never look at the flowers the same way again.

Did she believe the legend to be true? Absolutely.

Christmas miracles were known to happen, rarely, but they did. Perhaps it was the Gods who had seen Markel's sheer determination that had turned ordinary roots into the flowers they had today. She knew from other legends that Nick told her that there was a vulpine Goddess or two. Karma being one of them. If she remembered what her partner had told her of the Goddess, Karma gave back what was given three times.

She didn't pretend to know the Goddess through anymore than what she was told. But from what she could gather; she imagined that Markel's self sacrifice, determination, and need to give was what made the flower bloom. She wished he hadn't had to die though and there was no mistake that, that had been his fate. One didn't get much clearer than "a sleep he would never wake from".

"He died to give what he could.." she whispered, more tears leaking from her eyes. "To prove himself to mammals who looked down on him."

Her breath caught in her throat when her mind led her unwillingly to imagine Nick in his place. But just as more tears slipped from her eyes, warm and strong arms wrapped around her. The embrace and his muzzle against her head was a welcome pressure. It erased the image from her mind, though the sadness for the other fox remained.

It seemed she wasn't the only one with wet eyes though. Her dad was outright sobbing from his recliner across the room. Even her mom was subtly wiping tears from her eyes as she tried to console her husband. As for her siblings, some of them were stone faced though she suspected that was to keep from crying themselves. Some of them had their heads turned and a paw raised, slowly wiping their eyes. And still others just sat with sad or awed expressions. The youngest of the kits had already gone to bed.

Judy only allowed herself to take in the room for a moment before she leaned back against her fox. Nick responded by wrapping his arms slightly tighter as he smiled warmly down at her. Then a paw rose and he gently wiped away the tears that were still coming from her eyes.

"Its just a legend, Sweetheart," he soothed.

But she knew better than that. He had went to the market today, walking through the snow for two miles just to buy those same red flowers. Poinsettias which he then gifted to her and her family. Four miles he'd walked even when the flurries started up, but thankfully hadn't turned into a storm.

It was more than a legend to him, it was symbolic. A meaning that wasn't lost on her.

I'd do anything for you.

~Fin

AC: This was done as a belated birthday/early Christmas present for TheWinterBunny on DeviantArt. I'm sorry its so short, but the story seemed done and I think it ended well. But let me know what you think~ I hope you all enjoyed it~

Author Note: That's all folks. It seems my writing mojo is back though so be looking for the next chapter of Crimson Dusk today~ ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia or any characters associated with the film. I do however own Markel Poinsett and while the actual legend isn't mine, the changes I made to fit the story, are.