It looked as if they'd emptied the box when Ruby said, "Where's the wolf?"
"Must be in here somewhere," Felicia said, and rummaged around until she found one last wad of newspaper. "You do it, Jake."
The three of them were looking at him like it was a big deal, so he took it and peeled off the newspaper to reveal another figure.
He looked at it, and then at their expectant faces. "It's a dog."
"It's not a dog!" Ruby said. "It's a wolf."
"It looks like a dog," Jake said. "Kind of mangy, if you ask me."
"Jake doesn't know the story," Ruby said. "Tell him, Daddy!"
Brian cleared his throat. "In those days, Caesar Augustus sent word that all the world was to be taxed, and each - "
"Dude, I've seen A Charlie Brown Christmas three times this week. I know how it goes."
Felicia frowned, but relented when Ruby giggled.
Brian said, "Then you know that an angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem, who were keeping watch over their flocks. And of course, shepherds always had dogs with them."
"Then it is a dog."
"Not exactly. Even now, there isn't that much difference between a dog and a wolf - "
"Yeah? So why doesn't anybody in the pack turn into a Chihuahua and party with Paris Hilton?"
"Just listen!" Felicia said sharply.
"Whatever."
Brian went on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Back then, the differences between types of canine were even less. So it turned out that these shepherds had a wolf to guard their sheep."
Jake wanted to ask why the wolf didn't just chow down on mutton one night, with shepherd's pie for dessert, but from the look in Felicia's eye, he figured he better not go there.
"When the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see the Christ child, the wolf went with them, and when they were struck with the glory of the Lord, so was the wolf. Being a wolf, he wanted to give praise the best way he knew how. So he howled."
Jake blinked. He was pretty sure Linus hadn't said anything to Charlie Brown about a howling wolf.
"Naturally, the other animals were afraid," Brian continued, "and the shepherds were going to chase off the wolf. But the baby smiled at him, and waved His hand, and suddenly a man was standing there. And he bowed down with the others to praise the child. It was Jesus' first miracle."
"Turning a wolf into a naked guy?"
Felicia frowned again, but Ruby giggled and said, "Jake! They gave him something to wear."
Brian nodded. "When the shepherds went back to their flocks, the wolf went with them, still in human form, and they welcomed him. He married one of their daughters, and was a man in every respect. Except that he was stronger and his senses were those of a wolf."
"Like us," Ruby put in. She was too young to change, but she had the other werewolf gifts.
"That's right," Brian said. "Since the werewolf had those superior senses, he was able to recognize the danger when Herod's men came to Bethlehem to kill Jesus. It was the night of the first full moon after He was born."
"Like tonight!" Ruby said. As if Jake needed to be reminded about the full moon.
"The wolf warned Mary and Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt, and he went along to keep Herod's men from catching them. Once they were safe, an angel appeared to the wolf and offered him a reward. The wolf told him that while he was happy to be human, he still missed his old life. So the angel told him that every month, when the moon was full, he'd be able to return to his wolf form, and all his children would have the same gift."
Brian took the figure from Jake and placed it into the Nativity scene. "This was the first werewolf."
Jake stared at the statue, then at Brian, waiting for the punch line. Nada. But before he could say anything, the phone rang in the kitchen.
"I bet it's Aunt Ronnie!" Ruby said, and skedaddled away, with Felicia following, laughing.
Brian looked at the Nativity scene again, and said, "You're kidding, right? No offense, but Spider-Man has a way cooler origin story."
"Offense taken," Brian said, and just like that, the nice guy was gone and the alpha wolf was in charge. "I know you're new to the pack, Jake, but this is our tradition, and I expect you to show respect."
"Do the other packs believe this stuff about angels making us werewolves?"
"Each pack has its own myths," Brian admitted, "but they've all got some story. How do you think we became werewolves?"
Jake shrugged. "I don't know. Some kind of evolution thing, maybe."
"You think this is purely survival of the fittest?"
"Yeah, man. I mean, look at us. Stronger, better senses, like you said. We're wolves!"
"Wolves are endangered, and have been for years. That doesn't sound like a good evolutionary strategy to me."
Before Jake could argue the point further, Felicia called from the kitchen. "Brian!"
The pack leader patted him on the shoulder before heading into the kitchen.
Jake picked up the mangy sheepdog figurine again. He couldn't believe it. His first Christmas with the pack, and they were telling Bible stories. It was more like Christmas with Hannah Montana or some other lame Disney show than with a freaking wolf pack!
He realized the voices in the kitchen were sounding a lot more serious than they should have for a phone call from Brian's sister, so he drifted that way. Brian was listening and scribbling notes onto a pad while Felicia gathered junk from the cabinets.
"What's up?" he asked Ruby, who was watching it all with wide eyes.
"Mom's going tracking," she said.
Brian hung up the phone. "Dave will be here to pick you up in fifteen minutes," he said. "Have you got everything?"
She looked at the pile on the kitchen table. "Leash, harness, flashlight, cell phone, emergency kit. Yeah. I'll go change." She trotted up the stairs.
"What's going on?" Jake asked Brian.
"A little girl in town is missing. Felicia and David are going to join the searchers."
"Why not you?"
"Felicia is a better tracker, and the people in town are used to Dave handling her. I'll stay here with you and Ruby."
It only took a second for the implication of that to sink in. "What about the full moon?" The plan had been for Felicia to stay with Ruby, while he and Brian went for a good long run in the woods.
"I'm afraid we're not going to be able to go out tonight. We can't leave Ruby alone. The moon will still be full tomorrow night."