Frosty Writing Contest 2025: katethemarten's entry
Alix the Gryphon stared at her reflection in the mirror and frowned. She was wearing her usual Comfy Cozy sweater, with its bright and cheery snowflake and her two favourite colours of blue. Normally she would give a twirl, scarf sailing though the air, and march out the door with a smile. But not today… today something was missing.
Her final destination was a little get-together hosted by her friend Kikki; a cheese-and-crackers, mingle-and-jingle sort of thing. Before that, however, Alix had a few errands to run. Perhaps as she flitted about town an idea would come to her to spruce up her “fit”.
First stop was the bakery where she bumped shoulders with what seemed like half of Oceandome to snatch one of the last packs of Snickerdoodle Cookies from increasingly bare shelves. On a whim she also tossed a Cat Loaf in her basket to make French toast on the weekend. Not wanting to push her luck further, the Gryphon battled her way to the counter, only to come up fortuitously to the till manned by her good friend Cappie. Cappie was a wiz at cooking: the things that goat could do with a Vial of Pink would make a Pet Rock drool! After checking out, Cappie handed her a spring of Bashful Blossoms and wished Alix a Happy New Year.
The little Gryphon sneezed at the nip in the air as she emerged back out on the street from the warmth of the bakery. She trotted down the sidewalk, nodding and greeting those she passed. A tune caught her ear, and Alix paused to enjoy a jaunty melody from a magpie playing a flute. On closer inspection, the instrument was made from a drilled out Narwhal Horn. Neat! As she tossed a few Furcoins into the hat, the corvid paused his playing and offered thanks. He offered Alix a Mashy Button, which she gladly accepted and tucked in her bag.
The next stop was to the Clinic to pick up a few bottles of Feathering Lotion. You never know when a moult might go wrong, so it was always prudent to keep some on hand. Her pal Drew had been working overtime lately and, sure enough, he was on duty when she swept in the door, swirling snowflakes in her wake.
“It feels like I've been here all year!” He exclaimed, “I can't wait to celebrate tonight, see you later.”
As he handed her the bag of medicine, a flash of colour caught Alice's eye. A bright Bluebird Feather had fallen to the floor and been almost entirely swept under the shelving. The gryphon picked it up, used it to wave goodbye to Drew, and then nestled it among her other gains.
Last stop of the day was the Blacksmith, where her cousin Lisa had dropped off her Moonlight Sword to be cleaned earlier that day. Turns out constantly battling Gumdrops on the Northern Rim leaves a residue on the blade that is a pain to remove without industrial solvents. Alix loosened her scarf and took off her hat at the heat that came from the gleaming bellows in the corner. Enarork, the bear who ran the shop, was just finishing up the last round of polish on the sword and invited her to browse his wares while she waited. Alix had never been much for fighting, but a big tub of crystals caught her eye. She dug her hands deep into the stones and shivered with delight at how they clacked together and ran through her fingers. The ursine blacksmith called out, “Those are on special today, I'm trying to clear out some room. Help yourself!”
Alix swirled the tub around, held several up to the light, even licked a couple, before selecting three: a Super Happy Fun Ring Crystal, a Spectral Shield Crystal, and a Crystal Pickle. Enarork wrapped up the sword and Alix was on her way.
Back at her house, the gryphon ran a comb through her feathers and looked once more in the mirror. She still felt a pang of expectation, her outfit needed something a little more. Maybe a hat?
Then it came to her! She pulled out all the treasures that had come her way that day, items that embodied the kindness and happiness of the season. A little arranging and quick work with her Versatile Sewing Set and Alix had turned her sweater into a masterpiece. The feather and the blossoms, the crystals and the button, all colourful reminders of her favorite people and places. Satisfied, Alix spun in a whirl of feathers, smiled, and rushed out the door.
Category: Ugly Sweater
Her final destination was a little get-together hosted by her friend Kikki; a cheese-and-crackers, mingle-and-jingle sort of thing. Before that, however, Alix had a few errands to run. Perhaps as she flitted about town an idea would come to her to spruce up her “fit”.
First stop was the bakery where she bumped shoulders with what seemed like half of Oceandome to snatch one of the last packs of Snickerdoodle Cookies from increasingly bare shelves. On a whim she also tossed a Cat Loaf in her basket to make French toast on the weekend. Not wanting to push her luck further, the Gryphon battled her way to the counter, only to come up fortuitously to the till manned by her good friend Cappie. Cappie was a wiz at cooking: the things that goat could do with a Vial of Pink would make a Pet Rock drool! After checking out, Cappie handed her a spring of Bashful Blossoms and wished Alix a Happy New Year.
The little Gryphon sneezed at the nip in the air as she emerged back out on the street from the warmth of the bakery. She trotted down the sidewalk, nodding and greeting those she passed. A tune caught her ear, and Alix paused to enjoy a jaunty melody from a magpie playing a flute. On closer inspection, the instrument was made from a drilled out Narwhal Horn. Neat! As she tossed a few Furcoins into the hat, the corvid paused his playing and offered thanks. He offered Alix a Mashy Button, which she gladly accepted and tucked in her bag.
The next stop was to the Clinic to pick up a few bottles of Feathering Lotion. You never know when a moult might go wrong, so it was always prudent to keep some on hand. Her pal Drew had been working overtime lately and, sure enough, he was on duty when she swept in the door, swirling snowflakes in her wake.
“It feels like I've been here all year!” He exclaimed, “I can't wait to celebrate tonight, see you later.”
As he handed her the bag of medicine, a flash of colour caught Alice's eye. A bright Bluebird Feather had fallen to the floor and been almost entirely swept under the shelving. The gryphon picked it up, used it to wave goodbye to Drew, and then nestled it among her other gains.
Last stop of the day was the Blacksmith, where her cousin Lisa had dropped off her Moonlight Sword to be cleaned earlier that day. Turns out constantly battling Gumdrops on the Northern Rim leaves a residue on the blade that is a pain to remove without industrial solvents. Alix loosened her scarf and took off her hat at the heat that came from the gleaming bellows in the corner. Enarork, the bear who ran the shop, was just finishing up the last round of polish on the sword and invited her to browse his wares while she waited. Alix had never been much for fighting, but a big tub of crystals caught her eye. She dug her hands deep into the stones and shivered with delight at how they clacked together and ran through her fingers. The ursine blacksmith called out, “Those are on special today, I'm trying to clear out some room. Help yourself!”
Alix swirled the tub around, held several up to the light, even licked a couple, before selecting three: a Super Happy Fun Ring Crystal, a Spectral Shield Crystal, and a Crystal Pickle. Enarork wrapped up the sword and Alix was on her way.
Back at her house, the gryphon ran a comb through her feathers and looked once more in the mirror. She still felt a pang of expectation, her outfit needed something a little more. Maybe a hat?
Then it came to her! She pulled out all the treasures that had come her way that day, items that embodied the kindness and happiness of the season. A little arranging and quick work with her Versatile Sewing Set and Alix had turned her sweater into a masterpiece. The feather and the blossoms, the crystals and the button, all colourful reminders of her favorite people and places. Satisfied, Alix spun in a whirl of feathers, smiled, and rushed out the door.
Category: Ugly Sweater
