Janner Wingfeather sighed as he looked outside the window in his room in Peet’s treehouse. He watched as sweefts and fazzle doves looped in and out of the forest, fighting one another over a grub.

This Christmas was going to be different. Too different. Living in a tree house was exciting and there were always new things to learn in Podo’s training. They had food and a warm place to sleep. But their whole lives were changing.

They were in hiding and if they made one mistake to get the Fang’s attention, that would be it. They would have to flee…again. And that meant no Christmas tree. The pine trees were very rare in Glipwood forest. They only grew in Glipwood on the cliffs that dropped into The Dark Sea Of Darkness. Every year Podo would take Janner to the cliffs where he would very carefully hack off a part of the pine tree. It was always small and flimsy, but at least it was something. The pine trees were hard to get; one mistake meant catapulting to the Sea’s depths, but now there was an even greater risk. Being found and Podo wouldn’t dare risk that for a part of a Christmas tree.

I guess I’m going to have to live without one, Janner thought, trying to shrug it off as he thumbed a page of his T.H.A.G.S workbook. But the want of a Christmas tree still gnawed at him.

Tink burst into the room and grabbed his bow and arrow that was hanging on a peg in the wall.

“What are you doing with that?” Janner eyed him suspiciously.

“Good morning to you too, Throne Warden,” Tink grinned as he strapped his quiver around his chest. “Me and Leeli are going to pretend that the fangs are coming and we’re going to ward them off with our deadly weapons!” He pretended to aim and shoot an arrow with his empty bow. “Wanna come?”

Janner rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t call that deadly. And no. I have more important things to do.” He turned to his T.H.A.G.S, nibbling on the end of his pencil as he forced himself to think.

“Why waste your time doing T.H.A.G.S when you could be playing with the great mighty King of Anneria?”

For some reason the way he said it made Janner even more annoyed. “Because T.H.A.G.S are important,” he said in his best big- brotherly-air. “Pretending to get killed by fangs, isn’t.”

“But we’d win.”

“Tink!”

Janner spun around in his chair, staring hotly into his brother’s eyes. Why didn’t he understand? He didn’t want to play with so much on his mind.

Tink backed up a step, confusion in his eyes. Instantly, Janner felt guilty for yelling at him so harshly. “Tink, I-”

Tink held up a hand and shook his head. “No, I will not be addressed in that manner. My name is Kalmar.”

Janner sighed, shaking his head. When would his brother take him seriously? “Ok, whatever.” He turned back to his work, propping his forehead with his hands. “Enjoy your game.”

There was a moment of silence and to Janner’s surprise, Tink didn’t leave. “Janner?” he said, shuffling closer. “Is something wrong?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“Uh, that’s a lie.”

Janner looked up at Tink with a frown cornering his lips. “How can you tell?”

Tink crossed his arms over his chest. “Please, you're my brother. You're hot tempered and you haven’t written a single sentence in the last hour.”

Janner could feel a smile threatening to creep up his lips, but he forced it down as he said, “Well…Christmas is going to be different this year. We won't have a tree.”

Tink’s face filled with realization as he said sadly, “Oh yeah, and Christmas won't be Christmas without a pine tree.”

Janner nodded solemnly. A moment of silence took hold of them as the two brothers realized how much their lives were changing. Trying to lighten the mood Janner snickered, “Remember that Christmas when Podo ate too many Blueberry Gooey Balls that he was popping his shirt buttons?”

Tink giggled. “He ate so much, his cheeks were as blue as blueberries for a whole week!”

“And when that thwap got into our cottage and Nugget chased it up the tree, knocking one of the candles off and almost starting a fire?”

Tink stared at him as if he was insane. “That one wasn’t funny.”

Janner felt embarrassment coat his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right. That one wasn’t funny.”

“What about the time when Podo snuck coal into our stockings? We awoke expecting plum yums, but all that was in our socks were finger staining fire rocks!”

Janner couldn’t help but snicker at the memory. “Your face! You look like you were about to cry!”

Tink huffed and turned away, his cheeks turning pink. “I did not.”

“Did too.”

“Did not!”

“Did too.” Leeli’s voice rang from behind them.

They both turned to see their little sister hobbling to Tink’s side. “What are we fighting about?”

“It was nothing.” Janner smiled.

Leeli glanced from Tink to Janner and shrugged, pulling at Tink’s arm. “Well if it’s nothing, let’s go play. I’ve been waiting to kick some Fang rear!”

Janner was about to turn back to his work when he felt Tink’s eyes on his back. He bit his lip. He really had to do at least some T.H.A.G.S today. But the nice wind in his hair from the window was calling him. He couldn’t refuse. Janner jumped off his stool running out of the room as he called behind him, “Last one outside is a quilldiggle!”

                                                                   ***

Christmas came all too soon for Janner. Peet’s windows were frost bitten and all of Glippwood forest was covered in flecks of glistening ice. Nia made tea as Janner, Leeli, Podo and Artham sat cozily by the fire; bringing up memories of yester-years. Artham just squatted on the floor and listened with intense curiosity.

Nia brought out a tray with mugs of steaming tea as she said quietly, “I’m sorry Christmas is going to be different this year”

“That’s okay, mama,” Leeli smiled, grabbing her cup of tea and sipping it gratefully.

“We’re all thankful to be alive,” Podo added, taking a long puff of his pipe.

Janner only wished he could be as thankful as they were.

“Where’s Kalmar?” Nia asked, looking about the room with a frown.

Podo shrugged. “He said he be needin’ to get somethin’. Not sure what though.”

At that moment the trap door to Peet’s tree house opened and in popped Tink’s head followed by his body hefting up a small tree. Podo set down his pipe and motioned for Janner to help him. “What do you got there, laddie?”

Janner grabbed the skinny trunk and hefted it up, shuffling as Tink pulled it to a corner. The sight of the tree made Janner wrinkle his nose. It was like any other tree in Glipwood forest, but sticking out of the leaves were quilldiggle spikes. When they pulled it upright, Tink said, “It’s a pine tree for Janner.”

Janner froze. Every face turned on him.

A pine tree? For him?

He fingered the quilldiggle spikes, looking up at the tree with a new light. “Where did you get the spikes?”

“Don’t ask.” Tink shook his head with gritted teeth.

Janner snickered. The thought of his brother doing this for him filled him with warmth, no matter how ugly it looked. He didn’t need a tree for Christmas. All he needed was his brother’s love. “Thank you.”

Tink’s cheeks turned crimson under the fire glow. Letting go of his pride, Janner brought his brother close, hugging him with all his strength.

“Merry Christmas, Janner.”

“Merry Christmas…Kal.”

Tink shrugged in his arms. “I’ll take it.”

“Aww that’s sweet, but can we eat now?” Leeli cooed, once they pulled away.

The two brothers grinned as they joined their family by the fire.

That Christmas Janner was content to know his brother loved him and would do the most obnoxious things to make him happy. Even if it meant killing a quilldiggle.

                                                The End