Perhaps Skye's favorite part of Christmas is gift-giving. She loved giving gifts to her friends and watch them open them with pure excitement. She loved to watch their reactions, ranging from shrieking in excitement to crying in heartfelt joy.

Of course, she also loved to receive gifts. Sure, she mostly gets curlers and toys for Christmas, but she treasures them nonetheless. After all, it's the thought that counts.

However, that Christmas, it's different. She wasn't able to get her gifts for everyone since she's too sick to do so. She also couldn't ask Ryder to get her the presents because he's too busy to do so.

And so, she just watched glumly as the other pups happily opened their gifts, where none of them came from her.

Skye sighed as she shifted on her bed. She hated being sick on Christmas.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the Lookout doors. Her magenta eyes flicked over to where Ryder and the other pups came from opening their gifts under the tree. While the other pups stopped a few distance away from her (as per Ryder's orders), Marshall and her owner kept walking towards her.

"Guess what, Skye? We got you a present!" Marshall said excitedly as he urged Ryder to get the cockapoo's gift.

"B-but I never got you anything," Skye said hoarsely, coughing slightly at the end of her statement.

"It doesn't matter to us. As you keep saying, it's the thought that counts. And you did want to get us presents, right?" Ryder asked, to which she nodded.

"Then we don't mind you not getting anything for us. Just get better, alright? Or else you won't get to use your new jetpack anytime soon."

"I have a new jetpack?" Skye asked in awe as she watched Ryder unwrap her present.

"Yup! It's a Christmas present from all of us!" Marshall said happily.

If she wasn't bedridden, she would've flipped in joy. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

It was then that Skye decided that maybe that Christmas wasn't so bad at all.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dang, this is almost twice as long as the previous ones.