I really do like shortened school days. I'd absolutely adore them if the snow, slush, and ice I had to drive through this morning cancelled said shortened day… but ah well! All the same, it's given me some time to do some much needed writing.

My excuse this time? You try working for over a week straight plus school and homework in there, ;P Anyway though, enjoy this update! I actually ended up writing in third person again. Do any of you have a preference between first and third person when it comes to my writing? Let me know which one you like best!

The chocolate for December the tenth was a sled with presents on top of it. That's why I split it into two points, it's like having two objects in one! Congratulations go to WhispertheWolf and Amethyst Sparrow for guessing the sled/ toboggan right, and for WhsipertheWolf getting a bonus for guessing presents as the other half of the chocolate.

I do not own the Storm Hawks, they are the property of Nerd Corps.

December 11th

Secrets of a Childhood Past

Snipe was the powerhouse of the Cyclonian commanders, or at least that's what he thought. He may not have been the smartest or most precise compared to the Dark Ace or his sister Ravess, but what he lacked in his mind he made up for in brute strength. He would often concede to their orders if they were working on a mission together for Master Cyclonis, but he still fought with his sister at times. After all, what grown siblings don't argue?

Most of the time Ravess would end up tricking her brother in order to win the argument or get the better half of an unsavoury assignment, yet there was one argument he would never let Ravess win. He would never let her convince him to throw out his old and raggedy teddy bear. Sure, it had seen much better days and could use some TLC, but Snipe wasn't the handiest with a needle and thread – he had tried multiple times and had ended up making excuses in the infirmary for the small cuts and pricks on his hands.

No matter what the cost though, Snipe would never part with his bear that was as old as he was.

Snipe and Ravess hadn't always lived on Cyclonia or even been aligned with its morals and plans for ruling the Atmos. However, a lot can change in someone's life over the course of a war. They had lived on a small terra with a few other families, but the Cyclonians had attacked them in the middle of the night and took no prisoners except for the children. They had been taken from their beds, frightened and afraid of what their future held, and none of them arrived on Cyclonia with a single personal possession except for those who had refused to let go of whatever they had been sleeping with.

Snipe had been brought to Cyclonia with an iron grip on his teddy bear. Even though he was scared and had no idea what was happening or where his sister was, the bear reminded him of his home. He wasn't going to let anyone take that final memory away from him, especially with only two weeks to Christmas. Snipe often wondered to himself if that was where his need for strength had come from – to protect what was dear to him.

Yet, that noble drive for strength had been mutilated by the Cyclonians as he was put through rigorous training as a Talon. Any morality Snipe had been taught as a child had long since been thrown into the wastelands even before he became a Cyclonian Commander. However, he would dig his teddy bear out of its hiding place in his closet each December and secretly wish for the days of his long forgotten childhood.

He was a Cyclonian. He was a brute and hard headed. But when it came to Christmas, he always took a secret moment to enjoy the familiarity and sense of home and family that his old bear brought.

Snipe would never allow Ravess to take his dear old friend away from him. His sister may have looked after him during the first rough days of adjusting to Cyclonian life, but it was his bear that had attempted to save his humanity.

Although unsuccessful, his bear would wait patiently to be brought out once a year to act as a ray of hope and an object of remembrance of a different Atmos that hadn't been torn and broken because of war.

Alright, here are the current results! Remember that there is a prize for whoever guesses the most chocolates correctly! Also, something special will happen if someone cracks fifteen by the end of the 24 days. And I've been thinking, if someone guesses ten or more correctly, perhaps I can work out a small prize of some sort for them as well, as that takes a lot of time and commitment to keep guesing, and I really appreciate it!

Strawberry Kaydee 4.5

kezzywezzy25 4.5

Amethyst Sparrow 6.5 (You're getting pretty close to ten, keep it up!)

WhispertheWolf 8.5 (You're getting really close!)

Mitoki-hime 1

Arendos 1.5

Crimson Fox4

P.S. The next chapter is typed already, I just have to edit it, so expect to see it in a couple of days. I'm hoping since December is just a day or two away that I can keep up the pace.. this is only the 11th one!