Dressed in a crisp, clean pair of his favorite blue overalls, Hamton pulled a stocking hat down over his bald head and zipped on his new winter coat (the old one had become too small). Fully dressed and ready to go, he walked to the front door, pulled it open, and was greeted by a fresh, cold burst of morning air. Bearing the chill, he stood there in his doorway, amazed at the sight before him.

    Hamton was so drawn to the picturesque winter display that he didn't look away until the biting chill in both his exposed hands became too much for him to bear.

    Wincing at the pain, Hamton quickly stepped outside onto his snowy doormat, dug through his pockets for his house key, and locked the knob and deadbolt. He jiggled the door's ice-cold handle, which did not move, then immediately stuffed the key and his two bare hands into his coat pockets, then he turned and set off down his house's walkway to the sidewalk. He passed a snowplow pushing snow off the street and headed on towards the city, its buildings and skyscrapers standing tall in the white distance.

    Despite the fact that he wore no shoes, Hamton and his bare pig's feet had no complaints walking down the snow-covered sidewalk. Some may raise an eyebrow to this, but Hamton felt perfectly content.

    It wasn't that unusual, really; he was a Toon, after all.

    "Now if only my hands weren't as sensitive," Hamton muttered, tightening them in his coat pockets.

    Though it was quite cold, there was, at least, no icy wind. Hamton was thankful for it; it was tiring enough to walk so far to get to school, he didn't need a freezing gust nipping at his face.

    There were very few people out walking this morning. Most of the cartoon adults, who very few people ever see, had already left for work in their cars, as indicated by the tire tracks leading out from their drives and onto the imprinted snowy street. Every now and then Hamton saw a kid or teenager heading off to school like he was, but they normally kept at such a distance that they practically blended with the background.

    When Hamton reached the midpoint between his neighborhood and the central city borders, he crossed by the entrance of the Acme Forest and took the moment to stop and catch his breath. He took off his winter hat to wipe his brow of the little sweat he gained while walking when, at that moment, he spotted two teenagers his age walking out from the forest clearing. They were holding hands and were dressed in blue and pink winter coats that matched their fur. Their tall, long ears made them instantly recognizable as rabbits, one of whom had the tips of her ears tied with matching purple ribbons.

    "Morning, Hamton," the two called out.

    "Hey, Buster," Hamton greeted. "Hey, Babs."

    He pulled his hat back on as his friends approached. They, like Hamton, wore no shoes. Though, truthfully, no shoe probably would ever fit over their large rabbit feet.

    "Had a good Thanksgiving?" Buster asked.

    "Oh, yeah," said Hamton, giving his pig belly a pat. "My mom made quite the feast."

    "Same here," said Babs, giving her much slimmer belly a pat. "Don't let the look fool you, Hamton. I chowed down." She demonstrated this by taking a huge bite out of the cold air, nearly all her white teeth exposed.

    "She's not kidding," Buster said with a smirk. "I had to fight her away from that second pumpkin pie I made."

    Babs rolled her eyes at this, but also managed to crack a smile.

    "So," said Hamton, "ultimately, your guys' first Thanksgiving together was a success?"

    "Mostly," Buster answered, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. "See, Babs' dad was a little . . . uh, what's the word?" Buster paused and looked as though he were remembering something particularly unpleasant. He gave a slight shiver, and Hamton doubted it was due to the cold.

    "Ah, come on, Buster," said Babs encouragingly. "My dad liked you. He told me so before we left. I know he can look mean, but he's just a serious guy. He's always been like that."

    "Does he always glare when he meets new people, too?" asked Buster, an eyebrow raised.

    "Of course he doesn't. It's just when his little girl is around boys."

    "Figures. Anyway," Buster turned back to Hamton, "besides a few heavy glares, everything went pretty nice. Babs' dad sat watching football most of the time, so we didn't have to talk very much, except for a couple times at dinner. Other than that, I couldn't have asked for better carrot cobbler, or better company." He then leaned in on his girlfriend, his fuzzy white cheek nuzzling hers.

    Hamton grinned at the cute sight.

    "Buster?" said Babs affectionately.

    "Yeah, Babsy?" he asked tenderly, staring into her eyes.

    "We're going to be late for school if you don't get off me."

    The romantic music, if there had been any, warbled to a flat stop.

    Slightly put out by this blunt response, Buster removed his cheek from Babs', but she kept her hand interlocked with his.

    "Come on, boys," said Babs. "Let's get a move on." And with that, she led them across the border between the field and city, and over onto the first block.

    Snow-covered cars and the morning semi-trucks were driving here and there, the streets already clear of last night's snowfall. Most of the buildings had frost crawling up their walls and windows. The clock tower in the distance stood tall and clear, its pointed roof capped with white fluff and its round face reading 7:20. Other than the addition of snow, ice, and slippery spots on the sidewalk, however, nothing was particularly new in the city of Acme Acres.

    Buster and Babs were still holding each other's hands, one gloved and one pink. Neither were talking; both of them seemed content to observe the city in its new wintery clothes while savoring each other's grip.

    The sight of the young couple made Hamton feel warm. Buster and Babs' relationship had grown quite well since the Christmas Pageant a year ago. They had no problem making it clear to anyone that they were going steady, even though their feelings for each other had been obvious since 'The Looney Beginning.'

    At this thought, Hamton let out a deep breath that turned to vapor on the cold air. It was still hard to believe it had been over a year since Tiny Toon Adventures officially ended. . . .

    After crossing the first city block, Hamton, Buster, and Babs arrived outside a brick coffeehouse right as its frosted doors opened with a light bell jingle. Out stepped two more familiar faces, each with a bill for a mouth.

    "Ah, come on, Plucky," said Shirley, pulling her long blonde hair out from inside her coat. "Like, morning tea does wonders for your chakras. And a veggie cheese strudel never hurts, either," she added with a smirk. "Besides, you passed up on our morning yoga and you still won't give meditation a try. So, like, what else could we have done?"

    "Oh, I don't know," Plucky said, rolling his eyes. "How about stay in bed and wake up at a normal time, like normal people?"

    Babs let out a hard laugh. "And since when have you ever been normal?"

    Plucky and Shirley shot their heads in Babs' direction.

    "Oh, hey, guys, and gal," said Plucky, zipping up his coat. "You all had a good turkey day?"

    "Yep. Stuffed just like a turkey," said Buster. "And you two?"

    "Same here," Plucky replied. "Or, at least, I did. Shirley chose to chow down on turkey feed rather than actual turkey."

    Hamton, Babs, and Buster blinked incomprehensively.

    Shirley shot Plucky an annoyed glare. "I had a perfectly filling Thanksgiving, like, thank you very much, Plucky. I just didn't eat any turkey. I'm a lacto vegetarian. I've been, like, telling you since last month, and long before that, before you and I became, you know, a thing?" She emphasized this last bit by crossing her white index and middle finger together.

    Plucky blushed, practically glowing with all the surrounding snow.

    "So . . . speaking of your guys' relationship," said Babs, looking between the green duck and the white loon with equal interest and concern. "You two doing okay?"

    Shirley's annoyed look vanished at once. "Oh, yeah. Like, no probla-mo. Me and Plucky just got done savoring some morning tea."

    But again, Shirley's annoyance melted to a half-smile and she rolled her eyes, taking Plucky's hand in hers. "Come on, everyone. Like, school's not gonna wait up for us."

    "Wouldn't it be great if it would, though?" Plucky asked fondly as they turned and made their way down the sidewalk.

    Hamton, his cold hands still stuffed in his pockets, glanced quietly to his friends, who were chatting up about what they did over break.

    "So," said Plucky, now looking rather smug, "who's excited for the school talent show this afternoon?"

    "You, apparently," said Buster, noting Plucky's expression.

    "Yeah, why so smug?" asked Babs, an eyebrow raised.

    Sounding as though he had hoped someone would ask this question, Plucky replied, "I'm gonna blow away the competition with my natural born talent."

    I'll be sure to alert Dorothy and Todo, Hamton thought, not having the courage to say this joke aloud.

    The others merely rolled their eyes; Shirley did it with a kind smile in respect for her crush's feelings.

    "Oh, yeah, Plucky?" said Babs with a challenging tone. "How do you plan to wow the judges this year? Another dance routine, by any chance?"

    Plucky glared as his friends all repressed stifled laughter. "No," he said stiffly. "I'm smart enough not to try that three years in a row. This time, I'm going to win the show the same way every winner does it."

    "OOH!" Babs said in mock excitement. "Are you gonna get down on your hands and knees and beg?"

    Plucky's face hardened. "No."

    Shirley laughed at her gal pal's quick wit. "Like, totally rude, Babs!"

    Hamton, too, couldn't help cracking a guilty grin.

    "And will probably require a cast and eleven stitches," Babs muttered, to which she, Buster, Hamton, and Shirley laughed quietly.

    "What's so funny?" asked Plucky, an eyebrow raised.

    "Nothing!" said Babs innocently. And when Plucky eyed her suspiciously, she added. "Private joke."

    As Hamton and his friends traveled onward, they glimpsed several city workers decorating their frosted shop windows and doors with wreaths and silver garland. Though still many days away, the first signs of the Holidays were already starting to show.

    The five young Toons observed these sightings with quiet appreciation, then turned on the block where, directly in front, stood Acme Looniversity. The long brick outer walls wound around the large school, coming to a halt at the entrance that formed a tall stone arch. Through this large opening, a freshly shoveled walkway (courtesy of Pete Puma, the school janitor) led to the school's front doors. Towering over this walkway, were two large, stone statues of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, each dressed in graduation robes with mortar boards atop their heads. And, standing tall for all to see, was the iconic clock tower with the Warner Brothers logo stamped onto its front, right behind the clock's face.

    As though Hamton and his friends' arrival served as a cue, the clock face opened like the door to a coo-coo clock. And, very fittingly, out popped Gogo Dodo: green, a tiny pink umbrella sticking out from the crown of his head, and a pair of earmuffs over his nonexistent ears.

    "Coo-coo, coo-coo," Gogo cried. "If you don't know today's December 1st, you're coo-coo!" He ducked back into the tower, but not before stretching his head out the door, adding, "and should probably go buy yourself a calendar." With all said that needed to be said, he grabbed the clock face and slammed it closed.

    Back down on the ground level, students were bustling under the arch and towards the school entrance, all dressed in coats, hats, gloves, and boots, carrying textbooks under their arms. Amongst the many background characters were some familiar Toons. Mary Melody and Sneezer, the latter inhaling some nasal spray. Little Beeper was being chased by Calamity Coyote who, in turn, was being chased by Elmyra Duff, her white mittened hands reaching out.

    "Come back, cute fluffy, doggie-woggie and fast birdy-turdie," said the sappy-toned, animal hording girl. "I just want to love you and hug you both until your heads pop off! Don't worry, I can sew them back on!"

    At these words, the coyote and road runner ran pell-mell into the school, the manic girl just inches from their tails.

    The crowd of students began to thin, and at the end of the group, all alone and without a coat on, came Furrball, carrying his notebooks under his thin, blue-furred arms.

    The clock tower now read 7:50.

    "You think Fifi's already here?" asked Hamton, who had been glancing for the sixth member of their group ever since they passed the Acme City Dump.

    From out of nowhere, a solid gold, mile-long limousine shot beside Hamton and his friends. The snow on the street flew up into the air like powdered sugar. Babs was nearly knocked off her pink rabbit feet, but was, thankfully, caught by Buster. Hamton and Plucky, however, spun around dizzily and fell to the ground, coated in cold white. Shirley, meanwhile, was hovering in midair with her legs crossed and was free of snow.

    "What?" she asked to her friends' confused looks. "I, like, sensed that would happen. You know, clairvoyant and all that mumbo-jumbo?" She touched back down onto the sidewalk and helped Plucky and Hamton get back onto their feet. "Anyway, I'm, like, totally sorry, but you guys would've been too heavy for me to carry."

    Out stepped Montana Max: the greediest, meanest, most buck-toothed kid in all of Acme Acres.

    "Move it or lose it, barn yard!" he snapped in his loud, obnoxious voice. "And don't even think of touching my new ride!"

    Buster, Babs, Hamton, and Shirley all gave Monty dirty looks. Plucky's sight, however, fell fixedly on the gold limo. His eyes shot into his head and came out as neon dollar signs. He was drooling with desire.

    Monty, who noticed Plucky's avarice gaze, growled, "Don't get any bright ideas, swamp rat! This vehicle's worth more than your life!"

    "Oh, sure, very nice ride, Monty," sneered Babs, her arms crossed and her face filled with loathing. "What'd you do to get it? Sell a hundred orphans to factories?"

    "Nope," Monty replied, smirking. "Unlike you losers, I can afford the best. You see this coat here?" He tugged on the collar of the large, expensive-looking fur coat he was wearing. "Authentic endangered snow leopard stitched together with solid gold thread. More than you peasants can ever hope to have. Grovely!" he shouted to the air.

    Out from the limo's open door stepped a tall, tuxedoed butler. His face was quite complacent, as though he had grown used to obeying stressful and outrageous demands.

    "Yes, Master Monty?" he asked in a drawling tone.

    "Take my new ride home and fill it with money bags!" ordered Monty. "I want to go flaunt my wealth to the Acme Homeless Shelter after school."

    "Yes, sir," the butler replied simply, though with somewhat of a sigh. He ducked back in and closed the door, which alone was worth half a billion dollars (as indicted by the price tag still on it). A few seconds later, the limo backed up at an incredible speed and disappeared around the snowy block in one bright, golden glimmer.

    "Out of the way, fatty!" shouted Monty, shoving Hamton aside as he walked past him. "First Class coming through!"

    Hamton nearly stumbled over backwards, but was caught by Shirley who helped steady him.

    "Like, totally rude, Monty!" she shouted at the trailing fur coat.

    "Who asked you, you Miss Cleo rip-off?" he retorted, then continued on, strutting towards the school, his head held high.

    "Hmph!" Babs snorted. "First Class? Him? What are we then? The Grand Rulers of the Universe? Just look at that buck-toothed snob!"

    "No thanks," said Plucky dreamily, his eyes still goggling in the direction where the golden limo drove away. "I'm busy. Leave a message after the beep."

    Growling, Babs slammed her fist down atop Plucky's head, from which a loud BEEP was heard. He collapsed onto the sidewalk, little gold stars circling around his cranium.

    "Babs!" Shirley exclaimed in alarm, who, with Hamton, helped Plucky up. "Like, control!"

    "Sorry, Shirley," said Babs, looking suddenly guilty.

    After his eyes stopped spinning in their sockets, Plucky regained control of his senses and griped, "Babs! What's your deal? Can't a guy stop and admire something gorgeous!"

    Shirley shot Plucky an annoyed glare. "Maybe I should let Babs smack you more often."

    "Oh, come on, Shirls," whined Plucky. "You know that limo's nowhere as beautiful as you."

    "Like, please don't flirt, Plucky," Shirley sighed, shaking her head.

    Hamton looked in the direction of the school. Miraculously, nobody had been flattened by the limo, nor had the archway been in any way damaged. All that remained was the hot, black skid marks burnt into the snow, stretching all the way to the bottom step of the school doors.

    Hamton was just about to make his way through the arch when, under his hat, his flabby pig ears twitched. He and his friends all heard something from behind.

    It was humming. Very beautiful humming.

    They turned around, and Hamton's heart seemed to croon inside his chest. There, walking down the sidewalk with her eyes closed was the sixth member of their group: Fifi La Fume.

    The purple and white skunk looked absolutely tranquil: her soft fur, her pink bow at the side of her periwinkle hair, her huge fluffy tail bouncing as she walked, and her hands folded gently around the ends of her white scarf as she hummed, all without seeing where she was going.

    "Wow," said Buster, impressed. "Fifi's really gotten good at trusting her sense of direction."

    "Nah," said Shirley. "She's just letting the music lead her. You don't need eyes for that. I mean, I get around with my eyes closed all the time."

    "Still," Babs said, "it's impressive."

    "Very impressive," said Hamton, mesmerized as Fifi passed by.

    The five young Toons followed Fifi under the school arch, the skid marks from Monty's limo still dark and warm. Still with her eyes closed and having no idea that her friends were walking behind her, Fifi's humming grew more profound as the song entered what sounded like a crescendo. And just as she was about to take her first step up the stone stairs, she made a kind of pirouette, like a ballerina, and began walking, instead, to the eastern side of the school, right towards a large snow bank.

    Babs raised her hand and was about to shout Fifi a warning, but Hamton, acting purely on instinct, ran up to Fifi, took his hands out from his pockets and, unable to breathe, he placed his hands on Fifi's soft shoulders and turned her around, back in the direction of the walkway. She had not opened her eyes nor stopped humming, apparently too lost in a fabulous daydream to notice anything.

    Being so close to her, Hamton felt a weird chilling tickle run up his spine that had nothing to do with the weather. At the same time, however, his whole body seemed to grow warm as he walked beside Fifi, taking in every feature of her beautiful face.

    Hamton didn't even care that his hands were freezing, but after giving Fifi another ninety degree turn which put her back on track for the school stairs, he winced at the profound numbness now afflicting his fingers. He stuffed them back into his coat pockets and watched Fifi walk up to the front doors.

    Disregarding the dull sting in both his hands, Hamton gave a quiet, delightful sigh. He had rarely ever been that close to Fifi.

    A white gloved hand landed on Hamton's shoulder, making him jump.

    "Nice job, Hamton," Buster complimented.

    "Yeah," said Babs kindly. "Very gentlemanly."

    "Like, totally good karma," said Shirley.

    Plucky, however, gave a light snort. "I don't know. It might've been good to see her wake abruptly."

    Scowling, Shirley elbowed him in the side. Plucky's eyes screwed up with pain and he fought to keep himself from shouting, the way his bill clambered shut and his cheeks bulged. Hamton was thankful for Shirley's action, because something like an angry dog seemed to growl from inside his brain at Plucky's remark.

    "Ow. . ." Plucky muttered, rubbing the side of his arm. "What?" he retorted irritably. "I didn't say I wanted Fifi to get hurt! I just thought it'd be a fitting way for her to learn not to walk with her eyes closed!" He looked back at the school doors that had just closed shut. "What's she doing, anyway?"

    "She's, like, practicing for the school talent show," Shirley answered. "She's been singing that tune for weeks now and I can sense her aura is almost committed to it. That song really speaks a lot to her."

    "But couldn't she practice it with her eyes open?" asked Plucky.

    "It's like Shirley said," Buster reminded, "you don't need to see to let music guide you. You just need faith and skill."

    "And Hamton to put you back on track," Plucky added dryly.

    They moved on up the stairs and walked into the warm school entryway. The faint smell of cleaning fluid still lingered on the air from Thanksgiving break. Students were gathered up and down the halls at their open lockers, chatting with friends, stowing away coats and grabbing school books. Most, however, had stopped whatever they were doing and looked up in the direction of the front doors, where Fifi continued to hum and dance on the spot, her eyes still closed.

    Nobody was speaking, which didn't matter because Hamton wasn't listening. He was totally engrossed by the breathtaking movements of grace and elegance before him. His brain became suddenly weightless and the entire school and its students seemed to vanish, all except for Fifi who turned slowly, blind to everything except her song and the effect it had upon her. It was hard to say who was more hypnotized.

    Fifi hummed two final, quick notes, and at that moment Hamton snapped out of his self-induced daydream. The effect was abrupt but delightful, for Fifi finally opened her violet eyes and beamed at the sight of her friends.

    "Ah! Bonjour, everyone!" she said happily in her iconic French accent.

    "Nice tune, Fifi," Babs complimented. "Plan on breaking it down at the talent show?"

    "Oh, maybe just a heart or two," Fifi replied, smirking sweetly. "Zhough I do hope to give a good performance none ze less."

    The six of them moved together down the hall towards their lockers. As they did, Fifi let out a heartfelt sigh. "Ahh. . . Ze first snowfall of ze season was beautiful, no? Clean, comfortable, carefree in its decent upon our homes. A gentle powder, gracing Acme Acres with ze first of Winter's blessing."

    Hamton didn't know whether these words were rehearsed, on the spot, or even original, but to him, and in Fifi's voice, it was sheer poetry.

    Apparently Hamton wasn't the only one who had an opinion of this, because Plucky said, "Wow. Did you learn that in Dr. Cheesy's Book of Cheesy Similes and Metaphors?"

    "OW!"

    "Like, rude, Plucky," Shirley said with annoyance.

    "Seriously!" retorted Babs. "You'd think after being punched two times this morning, some sense would've got knocked into your head!"

    "Kind of hard, seeing as my head is what keeps getting knocked!" Plucky said irritably, rubbing his green-feathered temple. "You're all lucky I'm a Toon or I swear I'd have brain damage by now!"

    The six friends reached their lockers and deposited their winter coats and other accessories. They were all wearing their usual attire: Buster with his long-sleeved red shirt; Babs with her pale yellow sweater and smooth pink skirt; Plucky with his white tank top; Shirley with her pink hooded sweatshirt, her large pink bow in her blonde hair; and lastly Fifi, who, beside her pink bow, didn't wear anything.

    There was nothing unusual about this, Hamton and everyone else knew. Fifi was a Toon and was hardly the first to be donned with only a fur coat. For anyone who disagrees, just look at Bugs Bunny, or Foghorn Leghorn, or Pepe Le Pew.

    The crowds of students in the hall started to thin, but Hamton barely noticed. At the moment, as he sorted through his locker, he lost himself in the memory of how he guided Fifi towards the school, remembering how soft her shoulders were against his bare hands. . . .

    In the time Hamton thought this, he could no longer hear his friends standing beside him, meaning that they must've already walked off to the first class of the day. Hurrying, Hamton grabbed his notebook with a pen in between the spiral rings and closed his locker shut.

    He was only partly right in thinking his friends had left; most of them had, but Fifi was still there, hanging up her scarf and grabbing a notebook which she placed to rest on her hip. Closing her locker, she started to hum her little song again.

    Hamton's feet seemed to carry him automatically so that he was at Fifi's side as they started down the hall. His throat feeling very tight at being this close to her, Hamton cleared it and forced himself to say, "Uh . . . very nice song, Fifi."

    Fifi stopped humming and opened her eyes. Something like a warm wave coursed through Hamton's chest and clashed with the cold nervousness he felt.

    "Ah, merci," said Fifi, smiling. "I do hope you and ze others will enjoy ze full version at ze talent show. I have been practicing for two months now. Mind you, zhough, ze song will be sung entirely in French."

    "That's bound to make it even more beautiful," said Hamton. "I mean . . . if it's you singing, who wouldn't like it?"

    Fifi smiled at Hamton's kind comment, then resumed humming as she made her way to class with her eyes closed, all with little to no effort and completely unaware that Hamton's cheeks had gone red.