Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 100: (Xmas Special) Operation: Decorate the Daycare
Day two of the Blizzard.
The blizzard had paused just long enough for the roads to be cleared by the Imperial Magicians (who were probably tired of Rurik yelling at the clouds).
This meant that Operation: Ultimate Solstice was officially a go.
And by go, I mean the daycare currently looked like a glitter factory had exploded inside a zoo.
"Report!" I shouted, standing on a chair with a clipboard. I was wearing a reindeer antler headband that Finn had found.
General Rajah snapped to attention, holding a box of fragile glass ornaments like they were grenades.
"Perimeter secured, Primrose!" Rajah barked. "The tinsel has been deployed. However, we have sustained casualties. Three glass baubles were crushed by Lord Rurik’s grip strength."
"I held them gently!" Rurik roared from the corner, where he was trying to untangle a string of lights by pulling them apart with brute force. "They were weak baubles! They lacked structural integrity!"
"We need a tree," I announced. "A Solstice Pine. Who wants to—"
"I SHALL PROVIDE THE TIMBER!" Rurik bellowed.
He opened the front door, marched out into the snow, and disappeared.
Three minutes later.
CRASH.
The door frame splintered. Rurik returned. He wasn’t dragging a Christmas tree. He was dragging an entire, ancient oak tree, roots and all. It was thirty feet tall.
"I found it in the park!" Rurik grinned, shaking snow off his fur like a giant wet dog. "It is thick! It is strong!"
"Rurik!" I gasped. "That is... that is public property! And it doesn’t fit!"
"We will make it fit!" Vali cheered, jumping on the branches.
"No," Archduke Cassian stepped forward, adjusting his monocle. "This is inefficient. Return the lumber, Wolf. I have synthesized a tree."
Cassian snapped his fingers. Golden mana swirled in the center of the room. A perfect, symmetrical, magical illusion of a pine tree appeared.
"It is logical," Cassian explained. "It drops no needles. It requires no water. And it is perfectly mathematically balanced."
"It’s fake!" Arjun complained. "I can’t scratch it!"
"I can’t smell it!" Vali whined.
"It lacks... soul," Caspian critiqued, crossing his arms. "A Solstice Tree must be real. It represents life in the winter."
Caspian looked at me. "I will retrieve a proper one."
He didn’t smash the door. He walked out elegantly. Ten minutes later, he returned with a modest, six-foot pine that smelled of fresh sap and cold air.
"This," Caspian said, placing it in the stand. "Is a tree."
"Acceptable," Cassian conceded, dispelling his hologram.
With the tree secured, the chaos of decoration began.
Cassian and Jasper were in charge of the garland. They were using a measuring tape and a protractor.
"The drape must be at a 45-degree angle," Jasper calculated, pushing up his glasses. "If the swag is uneven, the aesthetic harmony is compromised."
"Correct," Cassian nodded. "Move the tinsel three millimeters to the left. Precision is key."
Rurik and Vali were in charge of the ornaments.
"Look!" Vali shouted, holding up a raw ham bone tied with a red ribbon. "It is beautiful!"
"It is meat," I sighed. "Vali, we don’t hang meat on the tree."
"Why not?" Rurik asked, genuinely confused. "Solstice is about feasting. The tree should provide snacks."
"No meat on the tree!" I ruled.
Vali pouted and hung the ham bone on the doorknob instead.
Jax and Finn were supposed to be hanging silver bells. Instead, they were hoarding them.
I looked under the sofa. Finn had created a dragon’s hoard of shiny ornaments, tinsel, and three spoons.
"Finn," I said.
"It wasn’t me," Finn lied, wearing a garland as a scarf. "It was the Nifflers."
"We don’t have Nifflers. Put them back on the tree."
Duke Lucien and Silas were decorating the mantle. They weren’t using red or green. They were using black velvet bows and dark purple dried flowers.
"It is... moody," I commented.
"It is elegant," Lucien whispered, placing a black candle on the shelf. "The winter is a time of shadows."
"It looks like a vampire wedding," Jax snorted.
"Silence, Fox," Silas hissed from the shadows.
Jax chuckled awkwardly and looked away.
Caspian and Orion were standing by the tree, looking confused.
"Father," Orion stated, holding a glass bubble. "If I release this, gravity will destroy it. Why are the ornaments not buoyant?"
"Because we are in the air, Orion," Caspian explained patiently. "The physics are different here. We must use... hooks."
Caspian tried to hang a delicate glass snowflake. His large, warrior hands—used to wielding tridents—fumbled. The hook snapped.
"Damn it," Caspian muttered.
"Do you need help?" I asked, walking over.
"No," Caspian frowned, determined. "I conquer cities. I can conquer a pine branch."
He focused. He used a tiny bit of mana to freeze the ornament onto the branch.
"Improvise. Adapt. Overcome," Caspian smirked. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Luna and Clover were the only ones actually decorating normally. They were hanging popcorn strings and little wooden carrots.
"It looks pretty!" Clover beamed, hopping around the tree.
Finally, the tree was full. It was a mess.
There were mathematically perfect garlands at the bottom (Snakes), black velvet bows in the middle (Panthers), ham bones near the back (Wolves), and a distinct lack of shiny things on the left side (Foxes).
"It is... eclectic," Rajah noted, tilting his head.
"It is a disaster," Cassian corrected.
"It is perfect," I smiled. "Now. The topper."
I held up a shimmering golden star.
"Who puts it on?" Arjun asked. "Me! I can jump the highest!"
"No, me!" Vali barked. "I can climb!"
"I can calculate the trajectory of a throw," Jasper offered.
"The King should do it," Rurik boomed unexpectedly.
Everyone looked at the Wolf Warlord.
"Why?" Rajah asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Because," Rurik grunted, crossing his massive arms. "He bought the tree. And he looks sad. He needs a win."
Caspian blinked, surprised by the Wolf’s blunt empathy.
"I..." Caspian started. "I am not sad. I am merely... reflective."
"Go on, Neighbor," I nudged him, handing him the star. "Do the honors."
Caspian took the star. He looked at the top of the tree. It was tall.
He looked at me. A mischievous glint entered his eyes.
"I cannot reach it alone," Caspian said. "The angle is awkward."
"You are six foot four," I deadpanned.
"I need assistance," he insisted.
Before I could react, Caspian grabbed me by the waist.
"Whoa!"
He lifted me up effortlessly, hoisting me until I was level with the top of the tree.
"Put the star on, Primrose," Caspian said, looking up at me. His face was right near my stomach, his hands strong and warm.
The room went deadly silent.
The temperature dropped ten degrees, and it wasn’t because of the blizzard.
General Rajah’s tail lashed violently against the floor. He took a step forward, a low, rumbling growl vibrating in his chest.
"You are taking liberties, Leviathan," Rajah warned, his hand twitching toward his sword hilt.
"I could have lifted her!" Rurik complained loudly, looking offended. "I am stronger! I could have thrown her onto the roof! Why does the Fish get to hold Primrose?"
Archduke Cassian adjusted his monocle, his eyes icy. "Inefficient. A stepladder would have sufficed. And it would have involved significantly less... groping."
Duke Lucien said nothing, but the shadows around him flared up, darkening the corner of the room.
My face flushed red. I hurriedly placed the star on the highest branch.
"There!" I squeaked. "Done! Put me down!"
Caspian didn’t rush. He lowered me slowly, letting me slide down until my feet touched the floor. He didn’t let go immediately. He held his ground, looking over my shoulder at the fuming Warlords with a smug, kingly smirk.
"Happy Solstice," he whispered to me, loud enough for them to hear.
"Happy Solstice," I breathed back, stepping away quickly before a turf war started in my living room.
"GROSS!" Finn yelled, throwing a piece of tinsel at us. "Stop looking at each other with googly eyes! I want cocoa!"
"Cocoa!" Vali howled.
The romantic moment shattered. The chaos returned.
Ten minutes later, we were all sitting on the rug, mugs of hot cocoa in hand.
The tree twinkled in the corner. It was lopsided. It smelled like pine and ham. It had black bows and mathematical garlands.
But as the fire crackled and the Warlords argued about who had the best decorating technique, and the cubs curled up in a pile of blankets...
I looked at Caspian. He was blowing on his cocoa, listening to Orion explain the thermal dynamics of marshmallows.
He looked happy.
The memories of Earth might be fading from his mind, but tonight, we were building something new.
And it was better than perfect.
