Hey! I'm back! Again! I like this roll!

Squint couldn't sleep. At least, not well. The storm was bothering him; he was tossing and turning, shifting to try and get rid of the bad dreams, face riddled with pain. On a particular loud clap of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning creating false-daylight for a moment, he jerked awake, gasping.

Eyes wide, he slowly got up and slowly inched toward the door, hands held up to his chest nervously. He watched the rain fall for a few seconds… until another boom of thunder shook the cave. He stifled a terrified and jumped back. He hated storms. He'd been terrified of them ever since he was a tiny newborn, back when he never left her arms for more than a few minutes.

The fear was still strong, and even worse because his mother wasn't there to soothe him. Usually when it rained, he'd ask his parents to sleep with them. It may have seemed babyish or dumb, but it was the only thing that kept him calm; curled up against Julie's chest with her arms protectively wrapped around him.

Trembling, he quietly made his way back to the sleeping area. Sitting down, he leant against a small rock not much bigger than a full grown rabbit, sighing. He tried to remember what his mother would say about thunder; it was nothing that could hurt him. When he was with her, everything seemed that way. With his parents near, nothing could hurt him. They'd always been right there to protect him… until now…

His eyes became wet and he sniffled sadly, reaching up to rub the tears away. Instead, they slowly started to trickle down his cheeks. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them, laying his head down on top, beginning to sob nearly silently, not nearly enough to wake anyone up. Well… almost no one.

Lightning, who had been dozing on a nearby stone with his other little friends, lifted his head. What was that sound? The horribly devastated, heart wrenching sounds; the depressed sobs and desperate-for-comfort sniffles? He'd heard something similar before…

He lifted into the air with a beat of his tiny wings, looking around… he squeaked in alarm. His new young friend, Squint, rested nearby, but he wasn't sleeping. He was crying nearly silently. But just enough to alert him.

Flitting over, he landed on his shoulder rather hard, just enough to be noticed, and patted his shoulder, although he wasn't sure how much he could feel through his fur. The firefly was, after all, tiny with not much strength.

Squint must've noticed, because he shifted slightly, halting his sobs for a moment, glancing at the insect out of the corner of his eye before burying his face in his arms again. Lightning squeaked in question. What was wrong?

"I-I'm scared L-Lightning." He choked out, words strained from sobbing, hoarse with devastation and soaked with grief. "And… And I miss m' mommy…"

Lightning shook his head sympathetically and snuggled up against his cheek in an attempt to console the child. But it didn't help.

Without his mother there to comfort him, pull him into her lap and hug him and stroke his ears comfortingly, he couldn't be helped. His fear couldn't be soothed. He was just too upset, overwhelmed by fear, and the longing to see his mother. It felt like forever since she'd tucked him in, kissing his forehead goodnight and pulling the blanket up to his chin so he could stay warm.

He missed home. Plain and simple.

-Elsewhere-

Julie was instantly awakened by the thundering outside. While she herself wasn't bothered by it, she sat up impulsively. For a moment, she thought she was still at home, her eighty children tucked in bed and Nathan beside her. She reached out her arm out of pure habit, to grab her youngest child and hold him close. But no such thing tonight.

As the memories of their horrid predicament came flooding back, tears filled her crystalline eyes. She laid back down and turned on her side, away from her husband, curling into a miserable ball, water leaking from her big blue eyes. She missed her precious baby even more than expressed. What she wouldn't do to have him there in her arms, curled up and snuggling in her fur, a sleepy smile on his face like some nights…

Sniffling, she desperately tried to muffle her sobs. If Nathan woke up…

She still couldn't help but think of her baby. Her youngest. Her most treasured- no! That was wrong! She loved them all equally. Mothers didn't show favoritism! She was just worried about him, as any parent should.

Sighing, she buried her face in her arms. Her poor child… her precious baby boy… out there all alone, no doubt terrified of the storm. Stubborn and proud as he was, he'd never get comfort from his friends. He wouldn't let them; probably keep it as quiet as possible.

Where on earth was he…

-Elsewhere… again-

The child was still scared, although the storm had died down to nothing but a small drizzle. He looked outside, getting a little damp in the process, looking up at moon. It was directly overhead. Midnight. Yawning, he rubbed his heavy brown eyes and trudged back inside, shaking off his rain sprinkled fur, before walking over to the sleeping moss, Lightning tugging at his finger. He gladly laid down, curling up close to Raz, the only one who (probably) wouldn't get mad at him for being so close, and pulled the leaf blanket over his head. "…Mom…?"

He was beginning to regret going on this journey. He almost thought he'd have no Christmas at all than be away from his family. He missed his mother, and father, and- something her thought he'd never say- but he was starting to miss his mean big sisters too. Just a little, but still. He'd rather put up with their pranks, and constant teasing and taunting than be away from home on the holiday that was supposed to be the happiest.

He sighed as he finally drifted off into a fitful, anything but peaceful, sleep, knowing what he really wanted for Christmas. To go home. "Dad…"

So what'd you think? Decent, I hope?