#nkttask2

Ariadne didn’t do traditions. She’d never really had any and when she became a hunter, she had even less reason to have them. But here she was with Astra at the ice skating rink, joining her on her favourite winter activity. That almost made her nervous. Who was she kidding? It definitely made her nervous. Joining her girlfriend in something that she always did. That was pretty close to a tradition and she didn’t want to screw it up. Not that she showed any nerves, she never did.

“Ready?” Astra asked as they finished tying up their skates. Ari only nodded in response. She had never been skating before, which the other knew, but she also assumed that her enhanced agility would help her.

She wobbled her way over to the rink, glad for the grips that had been set up on the ground but still holding onto Astra’s hand nonetheless. She held onto the wall at first, almost scared not to and she could tell her girlfriend was stifling laughter. Anyone else and she might have sliced them with the skates but Astra was the exception.

It became clear that her abilities were not gonna help but she was trying anyway. After a few minutes, she was able to let go of the wall and skate slowly, gripping onto Astra’s hand as they went in circles around the rink. She picked up speed after a while but it was clear she wasn’t gonna be doing any tricks any time soon. She was able to stop worrying about concentrating and start talking to Astra and smile and laugh. Anyone looking on would have been shocked as she normally didn’t act like this.

“This was fun,” Ariadne admitted, as they got off the rink and sat to untie the skates, “I’m glad I came with you.”

the  cold  nipped  at  her  skin  as  she  laid  there  ,  on  the  grass  ,  staring  up  at  the  night  sky  .  she  couldn’t  look  away  from  the  moon  ,  the  view  was  mesmerising  .  alexis  was  aware  of  her  parents  talking  not  too  far  from  her  ...  as  well  as  her  two  younger  brothers  wrestling  a  little  further  away  from  their  little  camp  set  up  .

they  always  came  out  camping  for  the  last  full  moon  of  the  year  .  even  before  all  the  children  became  of  age  for  the  first  transformation  .  the  whole  family  would  go  and  anyone  who  didn’t  turn  yet  would  stay  at  the  camp  while  the  others  took  off  further  away  .  it  was  a  way  to  keep  the  king  pack  connection  stronger  .  not  that  the  family  needed  it  .  they  were  all  very  close  .

her  two  older  brothers  had  been  at  the  fire  ,  cooking  the  fish  they  caught  earlier  .  but  soon  made  their  way  to  sit  next  to  their  sister  .  “  here  .  ”  said  wesley  said  as  he  handed  her  a  plate  .  “  you  need  to  eat  .  ”  added  ryder  .  alexis  looked  at  her  older  brothers  before  laughing  and  sitting  up  to  take  the  plate  .  “  thanks  mum  .  ”  this  caused  the  boys  to  playfully  push  her  .  catching  the  attention  of  her  two  younger  brothers  who  quickly  made  their  way  over  to  get  in  on  the  action  .  the  plate  of  food  was  easily  forgotten  as  all  the  king  sibling  playfully  fought  against  each  other  .  

laughter  filled  the  air  as  they  all  ended  up  on  the  ground  ,  wrestling  whomever  they  could  get  their  hands  one  .  one  minute  she  had  her  youngest  brother  ,  jonathan  ,  in  a  head  lock  ,  the  next  she  was  being  trapped  by  wesley  .  “  enough  !  ”  was  heard  coming  from  the  deep  voice  of  her  father  .  causing  everyone  to  freeze  in  place  .  ryder  and  wesley  hold  jonathan  upside  down  while  alexis  had  cameron  pinned  to  the  floor  .  they  all  looked  toward  their  parents  ,  eyes  wide  ,  before  noticing  that  their  parents  were  smirking  .  “  get  ‘em  !  ”  he  mother  playfully  shouted  before  the  children  all  scattered  as  their  parents  charged  at  them  .

a  single  tear  fell  down  her  cheek  as  she  remembered  the  last  camping  trip  with  her  family  .  it  was  only  a  month  after  that  same  trip  that  alexis’  world  went  to  complete  hell  .  LITERALLY  ,  flames  and  all  .  those  camping  trips  had  always  been  her  favourite  part  of  the  winter  .  the  king  family  could  just  relax  completely  and  be  themselves  .  

"Erik, Erik!” Aida cried, jumping on top of her brother. He groaned as she kneed him in the stomach and grabbed her by the arms to stop her. It wasn’t even light out yet. He could hear one or two morning birds starting to sing. He chuckled through his groans, sitting up to properly stop her.

“Hush, you’ll wake father,” He said and she did stop. Neither of them wanted to do that. Not this early. Erik didn’t ask her what she was doing up. She always got up early on his birthday to give him his gift before anyone else could. Why? He didn’t really know but he never complained. He loved his sister too much for that, “Alright, I’m up. Come on,” He lifted up his fur and wrapped it around himself. He also got Aida’s because she’d forgotten it.

They left their family’s hut and found a quiet spot underneath a tree. It was cold but the perfect place to watch the sunrise as he opened his gift. She handed the small bundle of fabric to him, bouncing with excitement which made Erik laugh, “Open it, open it!” She exclaimed.

“Alright, alright,” He pulled at the string she had wrapped it up with and revealed the small word carving attached to a piece of rope, “Where did you get this?”

The young girl beamed, “I made it,” He raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded, “Yup, I swear I did. Mama taught me how. It’s a blackbird,” Aida took it and pushed it over his head so it was around his neck, “She said they’re a symbol for protection. This one is gonna protect you, okay?”

Erik smiled and looked down at the pendent, holding it between his fingers, “Thank you, Aida. I’ll wear it forever, I promise,” He said and pulled her into an embrace. Then they watched the sunrise, telling stories and laughing until it was time to go back to the hut. It was one of his best birthdays so far and he truly did wear the necklace forever.

Aiden used to love Christmas. When his father had been alive, it was great. One day a year where he felt like they were a proper family. Even his mother was on her best behaviour on Christmas. But those years were long gone and he had become resigned to the idea of Christmas just being another day. Even when he moved to Northknot, his attitude didn’t change. His new best friend had other ideas.

Barely awake when she came by, Aiden groaned and buried his face into his pillow as she jumped on his bed, “Aiden is not functioning right now, please come back later.”

“Afraid not, Carlisle, I have too much planned for the day,” Aiden lifted his head and turned on his back to look at her, brow furrowed as he propped himself up on his elbows, “Do you know what day it is?” She continued, looking at him.

“Uh... Thursda- Ow!” Aiden exclaimed, cutting himself off as the other pushed him and he fell back against the bed, “What was that for?”

“It’s Christmas, dumbass! And I’ve got plans for us. Decorating, ice skating, Christmas dinner, cookies, presents,” She listed all the activities and he sighed.

“I told you it’s not a big deal, Jule- Ah, will you stop pushing me!” Aiden replied, rubbing his shoulder but also chuckling at the same time, “I don’t celebrate Christmas. I just don’t have any traditions, I told you. I’m sure you’ve got other plans. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not worried but I’m your best friend and I am not having you not celebrate Christmas. So get up and get dressed,” Juliet replied, getting up off the bed, “You and I are gonna make some new Christmas traditions,” She left the room but he knew she hadn’t gone far.

After becoming a vampire and being free of her past, she decided she wanted to celebrate the holiday. Of course, her only source of knowledge for the holidays were those movies and specials she would sometimes see on television when her father was passed out or not home. That first attempt at the holiday wasn’t great. She had spent nearly every penny she had getting presents for people, even if she didn’t know them well. She tried throwing a party with lots of people, but that feeling of love and belonging seemed absent from the festivities.

It wasn’t until she had settled down in Northknot that she had the kind of Christmas she had been looking for. She had friends and people she cared about and who cared for her. She managed to get them thoughtful gifts that they seemed to really appreciate. They even got gifts for her. But most of all, she wasn’t alone. She was happy and surrounded by people that cared about her. She felt loved and a sense of belonging. That first happy Christmas had made her cry tears of joy, rare when she usually cried for bad reasons.