I'd like to send a big thank you to Denvana! You're two reviews really made my day :) It's nice to know someone is enjoying these oneshots. And don't feel bad if you did not have the time to review. This is a busy time of year and everyone has lots on their plates, I'm sure (I, myself, have church choir practices every day :S). So, no pressure or anything, just enjoy!
I don't have much else to say, other than to encourage everyone to vote on my poll. It's a 4-way tie right now, so it's not much of a help in my chosing which fic to wrtie next!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks, nor "Wintersong" by Sarach McLachlan.
"And this is how I see you:
In the snow on Christmas morning,
Love and happiness surround you
As you throw your arms up to the sky.
I keep this moment by and by."
"Mom!" Sky screeched over her brothers' laughter.
Their mother enter the kitchen with a defeated sigh, this being the fourth time she'd been called in to resolve an argument this morning. "What is it this ti—oh my."
There was no other explanation: a blizzard must have ripped through the kitchen. Everything was covered in a layer of white. The children's bright red hair was dulled by the powder, making them look like snowmen topped with Turkish delights. Radarr had faired no better, his matted fur making him appear to have icicles growing from his back.
A closer look, and one noticed the bowels, spoons and measuring tools littering the kitchen counter—now also bleached white—and the large, open bag of flour that lay on the tiled floor, obviously having fallen from its place among the other cookie ingredients.
The sky monkey and children merely stared back at their mother as she took in each one of them: Sky's checks flushed red with rage, Claus' triumphant smirk, Aerrow's sheepish grin and Radarr's wide eyes, his ears standing straight in shock. The woman's face was stone as she turned and left without another word. Four pairs of eyes meet each other's worried gazes before they were all blinded by a flash.
"Alright, smile this time!" their mother laughed from behind her camera lens. "You're father is going to love this."
"Mom, do we have to?" Claus whined.
"Yes."
They all knew there was no arguing with their mother when she had the camera out, so all four culprits smiled in hopes that their pain would be short-lived. Five more flashes later, the camera was put away and the quintet was lined up in front of the counter.
"I guess I made a mistake, thinking you were all old enough to mix the cookie dough while I set up the tree," their mother sighed, seeming more disappointed than mad.
"We would have been fine if Claus had just not helped in the first place," Sky stated, pointing an accusing finger at her brother.
"I'm too old to be doing stupid things like make Christmas cookies." Claus grumbled.
"Not too old to eat them, though, are you?" his mother asked, an eyebrow raised to emphasize her sarcasm.
"Well, Sky's was being bossy again!" Claus defended.
"Me and Radarr kinda dropped the flour," Aerrow offered.
"I guess you all have some fault then," their mother concluded. "Fine, we'll all clean up and make some more cookies together, okay? And everyone helps, no one bosses and Aerrow doesn't touch the flour."
"Okay," the children chorused, Radarr adding in a chirp for good measure.
"Now, do we have everything out?" their mother asked.
It was two hours later. The kitchen and its occupants were no longer white, all having received a good scrubbing. Bowls, spoons and ingredients were once again spread across the counter and the five cookie makers sitting on stools along its length—Aerrow strategically placed as far away from the newly bought bag of flour as possible.
"Yup!" Aerrow answered excitedly, standing up on his stool for a better look.
"Calm down now, sweetheart." His mother picked him up and sat him back down. "Claus and Sky are going to make the dough and you, me and Radarr are going to flatten it with the rolling pin and cut out shapes, okay? So be patient."
Aerrow sighed, laying his arms and head on the counter in a bored fashion. His mother merely chuckled, ruffling his hair before turning to his two siblings. "Claus, you crack the eggs, and Sky can measure out the flour and water."
They soon had a well-oiled production line. The two older children mixing the dough, their mother rolling it out, and Radarr and Aerrow using cookie cutters to make different holiday shapes before placing the cookies on a pan. They were on their third tray when the oven chimed the completion of the first batch. The children eyed the cookies hungrily as their mother placed the hot pan on the stove top to cool.
"They're too hot right now, you'll have to wait," she warned.
"We make a good team, don't we?" Sky asked.
"Yeah." Claus admitted, albeit, a little reluctantly.
"I bet we can make thousands of cookies!" Aerrow exclaimed.
"And I'm sure you'd eat them all too," their mother laughed.
Suddenly, Radarr jumped up and down excitedly on the counter top, pointing outside as he chirped happily. The children gasped and rushed to the window as large, fluffy flakes fell lazily to the bare ground.
"The first snowfall!" Sky cheered, clapping her hands happily.
"Yes! Snowball fights!" Claus joined in.
"And tobogganing!" Aerrow chimed, jumping along with Radarr.
But the merriment was short-lived, as the children turned back to look at their unfinished cookies. Their mother laughed at their longing looks.
"Go on," she said. "I'll put the next batch in the oven. Just dress warm, alright?"
"Yes!" her four helpers cheered as they rushed to grab their snow gear and be the first outside.
I'm guessing some of you may be interested in the ages of some of these characters:
Well, the first oneshot about Finn wasn't long before "Shattered" started, so I'd say he was around 8 years old (give of take 2). Stork's oneshot was when he was fixing the Condor, so he's not much younger than he is in the show itself. This third oneshot is working of an idea from the Christmas fanfic I wrote last year: "A Winter's Night." One of the pictures Aerrow finds in the hidden box is of he and his siblings baking cookies. In that same fanfic, I said that the pictures were from the last Christmas before the Cyclonian attack and that Sky and Claus were 12 and 13 when they were killed in the attack. So, I'd say in this oneshot, Claus is about 12, Sky 11, and Aerrow between 6-8. In the next two oneshots, I picture Piper and Junko to be around the same age as Finn and Aerrow.
None of these ages are cut in stone of anything. The ages are always in a range for me when I write, not an exact, certain year. So, if you think they seem older or younger, then maybe they are! I leave definite age decisions to my readers. Make them as old or as young as you wish. These were just my assumptions when I was writing.
As always, feel free to review and thanks for reading!