Chapter 6: On Display 

“How are things coming along?”

The snow leopard turned her head to see the black shape of the customer standing near the counter. Victoria couldn’t help but smile at the man standing there.

“Pastor Lenard, so good to see you.” She said with a smile as she briefly made her way over to the counter and out of the way of the kitchen’s employees. “As usual, we are right on schedule for tonight’s event. How are preparations going at City Hall and the church?”

“As well as one can expect with all the volunteers this year.” The clergy man smiled. “You would think that they were practicing every day in preparation to decorate the town. And if the lord is willing, we might even see a little bit of a flurry in the air as the lights come on.”

“That would be so wonderful if the weather cooperates like that.” Victoria said with a smile. “Though I don’t know if it will.”

“One can only hope and have faith.” Victoria nodded in response as a soft humming was heard. Both felines looked over at the source to see Amber humming along to some song that neither of them could hear. “It seems that one of my flock is more cheerful than usual.”

“Yes.” Victoria agreed. “She’s been like that all morning .”

“If you ask me, it’s just annoying as hell!” Gina spat as she stomped by.

“Gina!” Victoria called out. “Watch your language! Especially at the store!”

“Well… It's true.” Gina huffed before making a hasty retreat.

“That girl…” Victoria sighed with a shake of her head. “I don’t know what has gotten into her recently.” She thought for a moment before adding. “Both of them actually.”

The pastor thought for a moment before he added his two cents. “Well I cannot be sure but I believe that something has changed recently, hasn’t it?” He then studied the kitchen area. “I don’t see Rory out here like she usually is. It’s not like the girl to be hiding when there’s work for an event coming up.”

Victoria sighed. “I’m afraid that we’re gonna have to do this event without her this year. Poor girl went and injured herself and she will be stuck in the hospital for at least a week.”

“Oh my…” The panther gasped. “What happened? Which hospital is she at?” Victoria quickly explained what she knew to the pastor, to which the panther could only shake his head at the explanation. “May the lord have mercy on her. I’m gonna have to make time so I can visit her.”

“You don’t have to Pastor. I’m sure you have your own busy schedule that you have to worry about. It must be difficult to try and visit everyone who ends up in the hospital. What would your own wife and children think about you putting the town’s people over your own family?”

“I am thankful that I have been blessed with an understanding family, they fully understand and, though reluctantly, accept my dedication to our faith. I do have to ask, what kind of shepherd would I be if I ignored the plight of one of my flock? While no one would blame me for not checking in on them, I however cannot in good conscience let one of my flock face such a situation alone.”

“Sometimes I wonder how your family can stand you at times.” Victoria sighed.

The panther grinned. “That is a mystery that only the lord knows.” He then nodded to Amber. “Remember to keep an eye out for your daughters. The last thing that any good parent wants to see is a wedge driven between their children. Especially if it's because of a boy.”

Victoria blinked and turned to look at the pastor. “Pastor Lenard, what are you asking?”

“I was young once.” He said with a knowing smile. “And I have seen more than a few females change a bit from meeting someone, though not all last as long as they liked.” He then nodded and walked off, leaving Victoria with some food for thought.

“To be young again.” Pastor Lenard said out loud to himself as he exited the building. He was brought out of his thoughts when he accidentally bumped into another person. “Excuse me.” He said politely but the moment he noticed who it was, his smile momentarily faltered. The person who he had bumped into was a stocky Jack Russell Terrier, barely standing five-six with as much muscle as he had flab.

“Indeed.” The terrier snorted in disdain. “You should pay more attention than let your head wander in the clouds, pastor.”

“And a good morning to you too, Mr Clarke.” Pastor Lenard said, trying to hide the irritation the brief interaction had caused. Mr Clarke just grunted and continued into the building, ignoring the looks that he was getting from those that happened to see the interaction. The panther made a silent prayer that Miss Victoria and her daughters had the strength and fortitude to deal with the coming storm that was Owen Clarke.

Owen Clarke made his way through the building like he owned it. Though in his own mind, he already did. The over-sized canine moved with a porpoise as he made his way to the deli/bakery counter of the building. Nearly shoving his way through anyone who was unlucky and unable to move out of the dog’s way.

“Miss Snowden!”

Victoria inwardly groaned as she recognized the sharp, arrogantly authoritative voice of one of the least welcomed townsfolk. As it was, she had to force a customer service smile as she turned to greet her currently biggest irritant in her life.

“Mr Clark…” Victoria said as she tried to keep the disdain out of her voice. “To what do we owe the pleasure of having you here?”

“You know why I am here.” Mr. Clark all but sneered. “You should be packing, not baking frivolous pastries. Hurry up and clear out!”

“Mr Clark!” Victoria snapped back. “Until I am told otherwise, I am still running a business. You are not the owner of this establishment, nor are you the property owner. You have No authority to tell me what to do!”

“Maybe not now,” Mr. Clarke smirked. “But next year this business and the majority of this town’s land will become mine.” He leaned over the counter with an evil grin and spoke in a low voice. “And there’s nothing that you or those like you can do to stop me. So you really should start packing your bags and get out of dodge.”

“Like that'll ever happen!” Amber spoke up before her mother could respond. “This town will never fall into greedy hands like yours.”

“Oh please…” Mr. Clark snorted. “There’s nothing that you or anyone else can do now. The contract I had with that mongrel Tavor is air tight and time is almost up for the lot of you rejects.”

“Not unless Ashton’s successor comes and takes over.” Victoria said before her daughter could say more. “Then you have to deal with them.”

“His successor?” The Jack Russel threw back his head and laughed. “And who would that be? Ashton Tavor was single and never had children, or are you referring to that lost wretch of a girl that he picked up on the side of the road like some discarded piece of trash.”

“Don’t you DARE to talk about Rory like that!” Victoria hissed in a confined rage.”

“Hit a sore spot, did I?” Mr. Clarke sneered. “I wouldn’t count on her, given the terms of my contract with Tavor.” Victoria let out a low growl as the canine continued. “What? She’s not his blood, nor did he ever adopt the urchin.” He said a bit too smugly, then he added in a low voice. “Not that it would matter with the terms of the contract.”

“You think you have it all in the bag don’t you!” Amber hissed, giving the dog a death glare. “There are some things that you can’t take into account and those things might just come along and bite you in the tail.”

“That’s right.” Victoria said, cutting off Amber with a bit of a glare from saying anything else. “Things aren't over until it is over. I’m certain that Mr. Maddox will be showing up any day with Ashton’s heir…”

“Oh please, knock it off with the grasping of straws.” Mr. Clarke said dismissively, before giving Victoria a glance that made the snow leopard shudder. “Although… I might be willing to rethink things if you agree to do what I ask of you.”

Victoria gritted her teeth. “What sort of thing would you ask of me?”

“Nothing much really. Just what all women have and typically want.”

“Excuse Me?!?”

“That’s right.” The terrier said more smug than he should have. “I might reconsider having your family move if you spread your legs like you did for…”

“IF You still want to keep your teeth in your mouth, I suggest that you don’t finish that sentence!” Victoria yelled with her teeth barred.

“Is that a threat!” Mr. Clarke growled.

“It's a promise,” Victoria hissed. “Plus I don’t think that your WIFE would care very much about what you’re saying right now.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” He said, taken aback.

“Try me. We see each other every Sunday morning during bible studies and let me tell you, she has no quarrel about setting you straight from the way she speaks.”

Mr. Clarke sputtered a few incoherent words as Victoria smirked. His face flushed a deep red before having to take a moment to put himself back together.

“Revel in your minor victory tonight.” He growled. “Ashton Tavor has no family. What little he had hasn’t been in contact with him for years and even then, I highly doubt any of them would want to uproot their lives to come here to this pitiful town. As it is, I would highly suggest that after the useless festivities are done tonight that you all get ready to shut down and move out! January Twelfth is going to come quickly and this town will be mine and nothing will get in my way of that!” Mr Clarke ignored the cold stares that everyone was giving him and waddled his way out of the building.

Later that night…

“Welcome everyone,” A graying buck announced from a raised platform, gaining the attention of everyone who was mingling about the town hall area. “To the Forty-eighth annual Illumination of the Evergreens.”

A round of cheers and applause rose up from the gathered assortment of townspeople and those from nearby areas that had gathered for the lightning ceremony. The town’s council members also added their own applause as they stood off to the side from the council president, each one smiling in the semi-dim light that was set up for the small festival.

“Before we continue, I’d like to say a few words.”

There were a few groans that rose from the crowd that knew the buck, mostly because of the fact that the council president was a known talker that would talk anyone’s ears off if given the chance. However, the president wasn’t phased by the audible groans from the crowd and hushed the crowd with a simple gesture of his hands.

“As we all know,” The buck continued once everyone quieted down again. “This town owes a lot to one of its residents. A resident that had passed away this year and those who knew him will sorely miss him and his presence. As many of you know, I’m referring to Ashton Tavor. His arrival to Delows Valley has changed this town’s direction from a slowly dying memory to a small, growing community of individuals that has become like an extended family.” The buck looked over the crowd with a smile. “Everyone I see I can’t help but to be thankful to have met and I wouldn’t change anything that had led me to this place. However, I can’t help but feel extremely grateful for Mister Tavor. Like many gathered here, it was through him that I was able to find a place where I can feel like I belong.”

There were a few murmurs among the crowd at the mention of the name. Many of them had met the older wolf and those who didn’t at least knew of him in passing.

“I think that we can all agree that Ashton Tavor had a large part of bringing us all together in one way or another. It was even his idea to make a tree farm’s tradition into one that the whole town would celebrate and enjoy. Now, I would like to dedicate tonight’s ceremony in his memory and offer up a toast.”

The council president held up a plastic cup as he waited for those gathered to grab their own cups and copied his gesture before he continued.

“A toast to us, may we all continue to live our lives happily. A toast to this community, as we all played a part in bringing life back into this small mountain town. And finally, a toast to Ashton Tavor. Without him, I highly doubt that any of us would be here among such folks.” For those who were close and paying attention to the buck, his eyes grew distant as he raised his cup higher in the air. “Thank you old friend. May you rest in peace…” His attention returned to the crowd below him. “Cheers.”

“Cheers!” Came the reply from most of the crowd as they brought their cups to take a sip.

“Hope he burns in Hell along with the rest of his family!”

The voice came from towards the back of those gathered and several of the people nearly choked or spit out their drinks. Several of the participants turned to look at the source of the voice and were not the least bit surprised to see one of the other least welcomed residents of Delows Valley. The short, older form of Kaimalie Crestone stood there with a defiant look despite the hard stares that she was being given by those around her. Despite the animosity that was around her, the graying otter remained defiant as she glared at the council members on stage.

“That’s right!” She loudly declared. “I said what no one else was willing to say!”

“Mother!” Another, younger otter hissed loudly through clenched teeth as she ran up to the elder, clearly embarrassed by what the older woman said. “What do you think you are doing!”

“Doing what no one else has the gall to do!” She spat as her daughter tried to usher her away from the crowd. “Everyone knows that he was only pretending to be a decent person! The truth is he was nothing but a liar and a cheat! His whole family is nothing but scum of the earth! If it wasn’t for him, we all could have been living the high life for years. But no! He had to come and screw this town over!”

“And what exactly did he do?” A voice spoke up from the crowd. Everyone turned to look at the source of the strange voice to find a wolf standing there. “What was so wrong that happened to you that you are publicly cursing his family?”

Kaimalie became flustered at the question this stranger had asked her. “Well…” She finally stammered out. “I…”

“Well what?” He was silent as Kaimalie tried to stammer out something but after being called out by the stranger, everything either felt like weak excuses or things that she didn’t want to say publicly.

“Well… Why should I have to explain myself!” Kaimalie said, trying to regain her earlier swagger.

“Uh-huh…” he grunted as he crossed his arms. “So it was okay for you to turn this celebration into a public bashing but you can’t explain to everyone why you are doing it to everyone?” The stranger countered. The otter’s face turned a deep shade of red under her fur. Whomever this person was, he was taking all the wind out of her sails. The most that Kaimalie could do was puff out her cheeks as she spit and sputtered, trying to form coherent words as the eyes of everyone around her stared at her. “Well… since you can’t answer that question, how about answering this one. Have you actually met any of his family?”

“Well…” The otter was finally able to say. “No. But…”

The wolf cut her off quickly. “So, you never met any of our family, yet you can call them all scum with no idea of who they are or anything. I can’t help but ask, what is wrong with you? Passing judgment on others with no explanation or anything. I’m sorry to say, but it sounds like a sad, sad existence.”

“You dare to Judge me!” She hissed as her daughter was attempting to hold her back.

“Judge not others, lest ye be judged thyself.”

“Ho ho ho.” A loud voice interrupted the two before any more could be said. “Truer words couldn’t have been said.”

Everyone turned to see a large buck dressed in a red outfit with white fur trim and a long white beard that  stretched over his broad chest. Upon seeing the new arrival, several of the younger kids began whispering “Santa!” as he came up to the wolf and Two otters. He gave the wolf a once over before turning his attention to the Crestones.

“Kaimalie Crestone…” He said as he looked at the elder otter. “You have been on my radar for quite some time. So many times have you earned a place on the naughty list but haven’t as I believe that  deep down you have a good heart. However, I have witnessed what you just did, and I’m seriously disappointed in you.” The Caribou Santa said as he chastised the otter. “With such a public display of animosity towards another, I cannot overlook this attitude of yours any longer. You have earned yourself a place on the Naughty List.” 

There was a choir of “Oooohhh” from the gathered children as he snapped his fingers and someone dressed in an elf outfit came with a rolled up parchment and a feather pen. “Santa” thanked the elf attendant as he took the parchment and made a display of unrolling it. Once he was done, he took the offered pen from the elf and scrolled through the list.

“Kaimalie Crestone… Naughty.” He said simply before rolling the list backup and handing it back to the elf. “Now Ms. Crestone,”he spoke again to the otter. “I suggest that you go back home and reflect on what you tried to do this season. Try anything else and I highly doubt that things will be any more pleasant than what they are now.”

Ms. Crestone made a blubbering noise as she puffed out her cheeks, clearly unable to respond to what had just happened. She then turned away and stormed off leaving everyone there to watch her leave. The youngest otter, Rosi Crestone, could only let out a deep sigh as her shoulders visibly slumped. She turned to the crowd and lowered her head in a bow. “I am sorry for what my mother had done. I hope that you can forgive us in time.”

“Ho ho ho.” The caribou Santa took a more friendly demeanor as he approached the younger otter. “Rosi Crestone, you have nothing to apologize for. As you have done nothing wrong, though I would say that you should escort your mother home and try to make the best of the rest of your evening.”

“Thank you sir…” Rosi said as she bowed down again and left the area to chase after her mother.

“Ho ho ho.” The Santa laughed before turning around. “Now for you young…. Man…?”

The wolf that had confronted Ms Crestone had disappeared from view and no one had realized it until they turned around to find him gone. Before the caribou could look around, he was suddenly swarmed by a dozen children of a variety of ages. Taking a deep breath, the buck slipped back into character and continued on to do what he was there to do. At the time, no one voiced their thoughts then but later some would mention to others that they found that this stranger looked somewhat familiar. However, no one could really place where they might have seen him before.

“Frost, are you okay?” Amber asked as she walked up to the wolf who had just distanced himself from the crowd.

“Yeah…” He sighed. ”As well as could be expected anyway.”

Amber’s mouth twitched, not really liking the response. “I know that we haven’t known each other for very long, but if you ever need to talk about anything, you are more than welcome to come to me.”

“Thanks Amber.” He said, giving her a genuine smile.

“You’re welcome.” She replied before adding. “I still can’t believe the nerve of her. To publicly do that? What was she even thinking?”

Frost shrugged before adding, “People are like roses. For every flower you have, look at all the thorns that there are.”

“That’s… An interesting quote, I don’t remember hearing it before. Where is it from and do you know what it actually means?”

“To be honest, it’s a ‘Frost’ original.” He said with a shrug. “It’s really up to a person’s interpretation. It could mean that one person’s friend is another person’s bully or that one person is a complete prick while another is a cheerful individual.”

“That’s rather thoughtful of you to come up with something like that.”

“Eh, sometimes I amaze myself.”

Several lights and other decorations came on around them and illuminated the area with a roar of cheers and applause from those gathered for the festivities. Soon, as if on cue, a light flurry of snow began to descend from the sky. The crowd continued to cheer as more snow dusted the area.

“So,” Frost started when the crowd’s enthusiasm began to fade. “What now?”

“Well, we could go and check out the Pine Labyrinth if you want.”

“What is the Pine Labyrinth?”

“It’s a maze through a pine tree field that the local tree farm has put up for everyone to enjoy.” Amber thought for a moment before continuing. “You know, they say that there’s a hidden clearing somewhere in the labyrinth that has something special for those who try and manage to find it.”

“Really?” Frost mused. ”I didn’t think that a labyrinth would have something like that hidden.”

“At least, that's what I’ve heard. I have never gone and looked for it on my own before.”

“Well… I suppose.” He said simply. “Not like we have anything planned.”

Amber smiled and led him by the paw off towards the side of the gathering while most of the crowd remained behind as the parents waited for their children to have their  turn with Santa. There was a small number who were also going in the same direction as the two, but Amber paid them no mind as she led Frost to the entrance of the maze. A few others were entering before them but there was no line to enter either, so the two followed the group in front of them a few steps behind them. Inside, each tree was decorated with lights and was joined with collapsible walls to truly define the maze. Different decorations, both tacky and tastefully done, littered the area and even acted as a kind of guide post to the next display destination.

About halfway through the labyrinth, Amber pointed out a kind of hidden path between a few decorations. They were the inflatable kind Of decorations that seemed strategically placed to let people in but also to guard the entrance of this path to the casual visitor. If someone wasn’t looking for this particular path, they would simply pass by without ever noticing it. Frost trailed behind the excited snow leopard as she bound past the Christmas decorations, obviously eager to explore this new area. Amber didn’t stop until she found a sign just inside the new path.

To those entering this maze,
You are leaving the Pine Labyrinth and entering the hidden Pine Maze. If you get lost or frustrated easily, it is advised that you turn back now and enjoy the rest of the Christmas Labyrinth. If you enter and do get stuck, please stay where you are so a staff member can come and escort you out of the maze. For those who do make it through our maze, we have left a token of gratitude at the end as a way of congratulating you. Please take one as proof of completing the maze and we hope that you enjoy your time here. 

Delow’s Pine Acres.

“Well , we seem to be in the right place.” Amber said with a smirk.

“Are you sure that you want to continue?” Frost asked as he glanced over the sign, reading what had been written.

“Yes,” She said confidently. ”I’ve always wanted to try and find that hidden clearing and find out what the token was.” Frost could only shrug as he was led deeper into the maze.

They were wandering the maze for around ten minutes, trying their luck at different branches and having to turn back around when they came to a dead end. Amber felt like a different person when she was walking down the various paths with Frost. For whatever reason, being with the wolf made her feel giddy like a teenager (though that wasn’t too long ago for her.) Being with Frost made her excited as she led the way through the maze, although the warning at the beginning of the maze was starting to make more sense as they came upon another dead end.

“God damn it!” She hissed to herself after coming to the seventh dead end. Amber could feel her frustration was nearing the surface and she couldn’t help but get agitated with each dead end that they came across.

“Easy…” Frost warned her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It won’t help if you let yourself get frustrated.”

“But… This is ridiculous. All we are doing is finding one dead end after another.” She huffed, obviously saddened that things weren’t going quite the way she planned.

“Take a breath.” Frost said calmly. “Relax and take a minute. When you calm down, we will try again.”

Amber nodded and did as Frost directed. Once he thought that they were ready, the two set off again. This time, the wolf took a more proactive role and was adding his own insight with Amber’s. Working together was helping alleviate the tension that was building up in her and being with Frost gave her a sense of comfort that she hadn’t felt in a while. It ended up taking the two of them another twenty minutes or so before they approached the center of the maze.

While the maze itself was illuminated by soft white strands of Christmas lights, in the center was a star-shaped clearing with a tree that easily stood eight feet tall and was decorated with all the classical garland, bulbs, and lights. Even the dusting of the snow coming down added to the beauty of the tree. there were what looked like wrapped presents at the bottom that touched off the scene before them. Amber couldn’t help but think that the scene before them should be in someone’s home instead of the middle of a maze. After taking in the scene, Frost moved to a sign that he spotted and read it out loud.

“Congratulations,”

“We hope that you have enjoyed your time in our Christmas Maze and as a congratulations, we would like to offer you a commemorative Christmas decoration that is over by the exit. Please only take one per person and if there are none left, let our staff know by calling this number and leaving your name and number so we can send you an ornament.”

“Thank you and have a Merry Christmas.”

Amber walked over to the sign that Frost had just read and found several wood carved ornaments that were hanging from the bottom of the sign. They were carved in the shape of a tree and painted like one, with garland and other decorations added to it with the name painted on it too. She picked one up in her paw and noticed that there was some kind of texture on the back. Turning the ornament around, she found that there were long grooves etched in the back in a pattern much like…

“Are you kidding me?” Amber blurted out in surprise as a realization hit her. “We could have used this at the beginning , not at the end.” Frost chuckled at her comment, which caused the snow leopard to shoot him a dirty look.

“While I can certainly understand your point.” He started as he reached out to collect one of his own. “But I have to ask, don’t you feel like you have earned this reward?” He asked as he gestured at the scene around them. The question made Amber stop and think for a moment, admittedly she could see the wolf’s point that he was trying to make.

“Yeah, I see what you mean.” She said, “But still, it would have been nice to have more of a guide at the start of the maze.”

“You’re not going to get any argument from me about that.”

After taking in the scene one more time, the two of them made their way down the exit path and found themselves back in the labyrinth a short distance from where the entrance was. They took their time as they finished touring the decorated labyrinth and made their way to the refreshment tent.

“There you are Miss Amber.”

Amber turned to see a familiar smiling face looking at the two of them. She returned the smile as she greeted him.

“Pastor Lenard, it’s good to see you again.”

“Indeed it is.” The panther said with his trademark smile. “I wanted to thank you for the wonderful refreshments that you and the other staff have provided us for tonight’s celebration.”

“Really I just helped move things to where they needed to go.”

“Still, I just wanted to say thank you for your contribution for today.” He then turned to the wolf. “And who might you be, good sir.” The pastor greeted warmly. “Might you be the one that Miss Amber here has been fawning over recently?”

“Uhh…” The wolf started to stammer a bit while Amber sheepishly looked away, both turning red under their fur. “The name’s Frost.” The wolf said as he stuck out his hand to the pastor. “I’m a recent arrival to the town, Mister…?.”

“Pastor Roy Lenard, at your service.” He said as he shook the offered arm firmly. “Being new to town, I hope that you’ve received a warm welcome.” Roy noticed that Frost’s face twisted slightly as what the panther suspected was an unpleasant memory.

“Suffice to say, things haven’t gone that… Smoothly since I’ve arrived.”

“I am surprised.” The pastor said with honest shock. “I would have expected those from the town to be more welcoming.”

“I believe that it’s best that it's considered water under the bridge now and any other misunderstandings caused by such things are forgotten for now and we all move on.”

“I see.” The pastor responded as he gave Frost a long, hard look, contemplating something before continuing. “I believe that you are a good man, Mister Frost. Especially since you have Miss Amber falling for you.”

“Pastor!” Amber exclaimed, her facial fur taking on a reddish color from embarrassment. Roy could only smile at the display.

“Well, I think that I have bothered the two of you for long enough. I hope that the both of you have a pleasant rest of your evening and I hope that I will see you both in church on Sunday. Our doors are always open for anyone who wants to come.”

The panther nodded and walked away from the two with a knowing smile as the two could only stand there and watch the pastor leave.