It was evening in a town not to far from here. The moon and stars couldn’t shine for the dark, beige clouds covering them  wouldn’t allow it. But the snow that fell from those clouds did let off a lighter tone. Christmas lights blinking from roof edges twinkled along with it, letting off a perfect Christmas eve Mood for kids setting out cookies for Santa, or couples snuggling by a fire. Yet one soul wasn’t exactly in the Christmas mood...
     Ruso narrowed her violet eyes. She watched the kids in a snowball war from the roof top where she was perched. She hated when other people had fun, especially humans, when she wasn’t. Not to mention it was the time of good cheer, and she didn’t exactly enjoy the seasons greetings. She watched the little ones run aimlessly to and fro, chucking snowballs every which way, and if they were lucky they would actually hit someone.
     Ruso sighed and laid back on the roof. She watched the beige clouds in the sky and the snowflakes falling from them, some lightly landing on her cheeks. She admitted to herself that it was kinda pretty, but added that she should get some food before all the stores closed. She sat up, then hunched foward, so that her arrow pointed, violet tail was in the air, and pounced from the rooftop.
     Ruso decided not to take any chances, and morphed into a cat mid-fall. She landed on all 4 paws in the soft snow. She morphed back to her half-imp self, and stood up. The kids had been called in by there parents, and all was left was 2 snow walls, a couple of discarded snowballs, and footprints every which way. Ruso pushed back a strand of light blue hair to her black hair behind her ears, and started her way to the marketplace.
     After a little while of walking and ducking under fences and tree branches, Ruso  noticed it had gotten colder. She felt herself shiver, and wrapped her arms around herself. The wind suddenly picked up, and snow whipped at her face and sent her black hair sprawling everywhere. She covered her eyes with her arm and forced herself to keep on walking.
     In a few moments tho, The wind suddenly died down, and the snow fell gently once more. Ruso looked up from her arm and was surprised to find herself in front of the post office. She gazed around, flattening her hair against her shoulders, but she couldn’t remember coming this way. She shrugged it off and was about to turn and go back, when she saw a small package sitting on the doorstep.
     Ruso stopped and turned to the small delivery. She gazed around again, half expecting someone to walk foward her, remembering the small present they apparently left behind. But the only thing moving was the blinking lights alined on the roof and the falling snow. Now Ruso was confused, but being the greedy imp she is, she bent down and picked the box up.
     The gift was obviously small, smaller than the palm of Ruso’s hand. It was wrapped tightly in shiny green wrapping paper and was tied with red ribbon, and formed a simple bow on top. She noticed a small card tucked under the ribbon, and pulled it out. It read:
   
“To Ruso”

     Ruso dropped the card and it floated silently on the snowy pavement. She stared down at the package, really not believing any of this. She lifted up her left hand and smacked herself straight across the cheek. She nearly cried out from pain and surprise that she wasn’t dreaming.  She rubbed her now red cheek and stared at the gift in her right hand. She had never gotten anything from anyone before, let alone a Christmas gift. But her small flame of happiness soon faded like it usually does, and she scanned the terra with her narrowed eyes.
     ‘It’s a trick’ Ruso thought, biting her bottom lip. But she still gazed at the small box in her hand, after seeing no one around. She expected some trouble makers were hiding behind the walls of the post office, and decided to pay her back for doing one thing or another to them. Ruso let out a defeated sigh.
     ‘I guess I deserve this’ Ruso thought as she took one end of the ribbon and pulled. The red fabric unraveled and fell lifeless into her palm around the now fully green gift. She took the ribbon and let go of it over the ground, and it fell to the snowy pavement.
     ‘Don’t expect anything’ Ruso  reminded herself as she slid her claw over the wrapping, leaving a tear. She ripped the rest off from there, and tossed it to the ground with the ribbon. She then just stared at the white box deserted on her palm. She scowled, showing her white fangs.
     “Forget it,” Ruso said, and was about top toss it along with its coverings, when the wind picked up again. Snow whipped at her eyes and she felt frostbite forming. “Or I can just open the damn thing!” Ruso yelled, trying to be heard by whatever force over the howling wind. The wind almost stopped instantly. She opened her eyes and gazed around, trying to convince herself the weather had nothing to do with her opening this stupid box. But she gazed back down at the bleak box and sighed.
      With one movement she opened the box cover and threw it to the ground. She gazed into the inside and saw..

Nothing.

     Nothing that could be seen anyway. There was just a void space in the square cardboard, yet Ruso didn’t move. She didn’t scowl and throw the box across the street. She didn’t yell in frustration and curse the ground she walked on. And she obviously didn’t cry. Instead, Ruso did the unthinkable.

She smiled.

     It wasn’t a huge smile, like taking pictures at Disneyland. It wasn’t a sad smile, like getting something you really didn’t for a gift. It wasn’t Ruso’s usual mischievous smile ether- It was just a smile, a calm, warm smile. If anyone had caught her on that Christmas eve night, they might have thought she had lost it. But she hadn’t- It was just the unthinkable... Magic. Christmas magic.
     But we all know that Christmas magic doesn’t last long. The next moment that smile faded and Ruso narrowed her eyes. She threw the box to the ground and spread out her Purple and black wings, And got a running start. She flew off into the air, over the post office and mixed in with the falling snow.
     ‘I guess I’ll have to steal someone’s Dinner’ Ruso thought as she swooped down alley ways to find a place to sleep. But not even Ruso could deny what she heard next. It could be heard only by the most accurate hearing, or ether you had to truly believe in magic. But Ruso heard it as clear as day:
     The soft jingle of bells from a large, red sleigh; The thumping of reindeer hooves hitting each other occasionally as they fly threw the air; And the laughter of a large, Red-suited man, sounding of the traditional ‘Ho ho ho.’
     Ruso stopped flying, and hovered in the air. “I haven’t eaten for awhile.. That’s it, I’m going delusional, that’s all” Ruso said to herself, letting herself land on the ground next to an abandoned mattress. She laid down on it and closed her eyes. She suspected she might need a blanket.. But she didn’t feel all that cold now.