For Prompt Wars: Prompt Two - Santa Claus is coming to town. You are oath-sworn to stop him. | 787 words

The fire warms my exposed belly. The warmth of food in my stomach mixes with the warmth of the fire against it. I sigh in satisfaction. I can hear soft music coming from the gramophone in the next room, though I can't understand a word the people are saying. The combined effort of the warmth and song lull me into a tired state. I close my eyes, feeling sleep start to overtake me.

My comfort is interrupted by barking from the neighbors' dogs. It's been happening all night. One house after another erupts into the angry shouting of those mutts. I don't know what they're saying, but I think it's a warning. Whatever the case, there better not be any strangers coming here.

The barking ceases. I sigh through my nose, hoping to fall asleep before any dogs get riled up again. I focus on the music and the fire, suddenly feeling very cold. I shift my position, but that doesn't do the trick. I get up and pace around, thinking maybe I'm just a bit restless. As soon as I get comfortable enough, I hear another sound. I look up.

There's a slight banging sound from above me. Another bang, then the sound of stomping. There's jingling bells in the air. The long sigh of some creature catches my attention. I tilt my head, still staring up at the ceiling.

Soot suddenly falls down into the fireplace, making me jump up in the air. I land on my feet, taking a menacing position. There was definitely something there. More soot falls, with grunts coming from the chimney. I stare at the fireplace, waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly a man falls into the fireplace, making me flinch. He's rather dirty from his trek down the chimney. His cheeks are about as red as his clothes. He has a big belly and wears some sort of big pouch on his back. He has a big white beard and mustache that looks as fluffy as the fur on his boots. I immediately feel threatened at the sight of the fur. Crawling out of the chimney and straightening up, he looks at me and gives a big smile.

"Go away, intruder," I growl.

The man looks scared, and says something to me that ends with "Fido."

"My name is not Fido!" I bark. "Can't you see my collar? My name is clearly Chloe! And I'm a good girl who won't let any intruder hurt her master! I swear it!"

The man backs up, still trying to talk to me and still calling me "doggy" and "Fido." What an idiot! How do these humans not understand a word I say? I growl more, advancing on him. He says another thing and grabs his pouch to present it to me. I lunge forward and bite onto his pant leg, trying to rip the fur from it so he learns not to use my friends' pelts as clothes. He yelps and staggers backward. I bite down harder, using all of my strength to convince this intruder to get out.

"Chloe!" a voice calls. At the sound of my owner, I let go of the intruder. I look back and see my lovely caretaker standing there, looking both amused and shocked. He exchanges words with the intruder. For some reason, my master looks apologetic, while the stranger in red seems happy. I stare between them quizzically. The stranger reaches into his pouch and pulls out a ball.

"I'm not falling for your games, dog-wearing stranger," I growl.

He presses the ball and it squeaks. My ear instinctively twitches. My owner addresses me in a calm voice, trying to persuade me to get the ball. I'm not having any of it.

However, the stranger then pulls out a bone tied with a lovely blue ribbon. My eyes widen at the sight and my tail thumps on the ground. He shakes the bone around, then places it on the ground. I can't help myself and immediately start gnawing on it. The stranger and my owner laugh. They keep talking, but I don't care. All I care about is finishing the rest of this bone.

Once the stranger leaves, my owner picks me up and carries me to his room. He tucks himself into bed, then places me on the other side of his bed. I circle around and curl up into a ball. My owner keeps talking to me, most likely saying things about the stranger, but I don't understand what he says and I really don't care about what he's saying.

I just care about whether that stranger has been giving all the bones to my neighbors instead of giving them to me.