ArtGirl
Moki
(Meaning: "Deer")
Male
Life always looked down on Moki as a poor kid Epecially at Christmas.
Becoming critically I'll when Moki was only a few years old his father became bedridden and passed away shortly after Moki's brother hatched. Being a single Mom his Mother tried hard to support him and his younger brother but working long hours just to get a few meals on the table she was almost never home.
Living in a small two room home passed down from their great Grandmother it was in desperate need of care they couldn't afford. Moki for most of his childhood lived in that broken down home caring for his brother until his Mother cam home from work.
Like usual being the poor kid at school he often was the bullie magnet but he still excelled in his studies trying to change their situation. Moki believed that if he worked hard they could live like normal kids.
Often after school he would bring his brother home and head to the park. When all of the rich kids in the town would be paying in the snow or having fun with family Moki would be found in the park with his sleigh.
Being given a Christmas reindeer harnis set when he was just a boy Moki would head out with his broken down kids sleigh whenever there was even a dusting of snow. Often waiting for hours he would offer kids sleigh rides to save up for some coal to keep the house warm during those harsh winters. Just able to save up enough to get a sack each time often the coal that he brought home was the only warmth they had.
As the years went by he traded his sleigh, hard work and a little luck for a suit and a job at the biggest brokerage in the city. Gradually he also became director of the company but sadly along the was he also lost his joy turning him into a very bitter viscet. Though their lives were changed in the end so was Moki but not for the better.
Sitting at his desk, he grumbled about the problems of the Christmas season. His office was like a gateway into a gloomy world compared to the rest of the building booming with Christmas cheer.
Moki hated this time of year. It's not Christmas itself, but the greed and hate others show. All you hear is all about the "Christmas Spirit" and the "spirit of giving" but Moki knows the truth. All Christmas was for him as a poor child was a time for the rich kids in the area to run to a fat guy to get even more stuff they don't deserve leaving the poor kids in the dust just hoping for the warmth of coal.
Lighting up the large office his secretary cracked open one of the large oak doors and slipped inside with a tiny gold and red gift box in her paws.
"Excuse me, sir..." she said nervously, her paw slightly quivering.
Moki hardly even looked up to see her but he did catch a glimpse of the gift,"Why didn't you knock and what are you doing with that?!"
"I'm sorry sir but this just got delivered. It's for you. Do you want me to discard it for you?"
Moki rose up, but stared at the beautiful design on the box and second guessed himself.
"Ohhh... Alright, bring it here."
Stumbling inside the younger viscet brought it over and set it on his desk without making a sound. Quickly she turned to leave the room, but froze gripping the door.
"Um, sir?" She said almost whispering.
"Yes?" ,he questioned in a harsh tone.
"....... Merry Christmas". She smiled and slipped through the door before he had time to say a word.
Sitting down and pulling the box over to him the gold accents glittered in the little lighting. A small rattle came from inside when he moved it and when open he discovered just a small sleigh bell inside wrapped in some red tissue paper.
Moki smiled, remembering his days in the park, then picked it up, cradling it in his paws like a fragile crystal.
Leaning back in his office chair, he stared into the bells reflective coating. Though it had a bit of a foggy coating after a good polishing with his paws it shone like new again in the evening light.
Feeling a bit sleepy Moki reached for his coffee, but lifting it, it slipped through his paws and spilt down his desk. Falling back into his chair, he sensed something was wrong. He tried to reach for his intercom to call for help but he couldn't lift his arms and everyone had already headed home. Opening his mouth, he tried to call, but nothing came besides the sound of his breath. He tried stumbling to his feet, but his legs were weak and with the room spinning around him, he fell limp and plummeted to the floor. Paralyzed, he watched as everything grew dark around him and slip away......
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The piercing sound of a wolf cry slowly brought him back from the dead of sleep. Tossing to his side and curling up, he was totally unaware of his surroundings. Feeling a tickling on his nose, he reached up to scratch it, but instead got a fist full of icy snow. Sitting up to brush away the snow he finally opened his eye to the new reality around him. Feeling as if in a dream he looked around to find he wasn't in his office anymore.
Beautiful snow-covered landscapes surrounded him laced with large fir trees and glorious mountains dimmed in the failing daylight. A tiny spot of clear skies from in the storm clouds gave way to a showering of glittering stars like he had ever seen. He had never seen anything like this and while this would normally be an aw worthy sight Moki was troubled still not fully aware of the danger he was in.
Stumbling to his feet, he found himself dressed in a spitting image of the sleigh bells he wore as a child. Less than amused all that made sense was that everything was just a bad joke.
Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a golden glitter he had seen not that long ago. Looking to his right, he spied a black and gold box so similar to the one he received in his office. Everything inside him said not to touch it, but considering things couldn't get much worse than it was he did.
This time instead of a bell there was a little paper rolled up and fastened with a black bow. Pulling off the bow and unrolling it, he found out it was a note that read...
ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ᴍᴏᴋɪ,
ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀꜱʜ ᴍᴏᴜɴᴛᴀɪɴ.
ꜱᴏʀʀʏ ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴀʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴇᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ Qᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴘᴇɴɴʏ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇɴᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ. ɪ ɢᴜᴇꜱꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ...
ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴏᴜꜱᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴍɪʟᴇꜱ ʙᴇꜱɪᴅᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ᴄʀɪᴛᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴀɴᴅᴀ ʙᴜᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ꜱᴏᴏɴ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ.
ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇʟʟꜱ. ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴡᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ꜰᴜɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ꜱᴏᴜʟ ʜᴀꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ɪᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ ᴏʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʟɪᴠᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ.
ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴛᴀʏ...
ʀᴏᴡᴛᴀɢ
Quivering Moki dropped the letter into the snow and stood numb. Moki questioned why as his heart sank. Thinking back through his life like a story book he wondered who it was that hated him so much but he came up with nothing.
Not because everyone loved him, but because everyone hated him. The way he treated those around him was disgusting. Even his brother can't stand to be around him. The only time he even had the twinkling of a friend in his like was when he was a kit.
Now comparing himself to his past, his eyes were opened. Like pulling the cover from his eyes the reality of his hardness hit him like a bullet train. He didn't think his heart could sink any lower, but he was proven wrong. It was too late now. Looking up at the frosted tree tops he wished he could change everything but nothing could be done. Even if he had enough luck to be a first to make it out of this mess the mess he created at home was just too much for him to repair. Surely no one would even believe he's changed and are probably hoping right now that he's dead.
Looking down at the note dusted with snow he was lost in every way. There was no sense in looking for help because what was the point in being rescued? Reexamining his surroundings, he decided that standing here also wasn't the way to go and freezing to dead didn't sound very pleasant considering he didn't know how cold it could get here. Picking up his shattered pride he gathered himself and headed off into the trees with the black and gold box filled with the note.
Trekking through the deepening snow he didn't care about anything besides finding shelter for the night. Throughout the thick woods all you could hear was gusting of wind and Moki's harness bells as he walked into the unknown...
