Once upon a time, deep in the woods, there was a bear cub named Cooper who lived with his loving mother at the bottom of a great and mighty mountain. He had been born in the spring and was the apple of Mama Bear's eye. Cooper and Mama Bear played and caught fish all spring and summer long.  They never got lost or went hungry. This was because all the forest loved Cooper and Mama Bear dearly.  The birds would fly alongside Cooper if he wandered off and the deer and the squirrels would share their nuts and berries if Mama Bear was too tired to search for food any longer.

         There was only one who dwelled in the forest that did not love Cooper and his mother. In fact, he was angry and jealous of the woodland animals' love for the little bear family and the food and protection they were given. Nox was the most feared and powerful warrior in the mountains. All creatures cowered at his name and legends of his savagery were whispered through the trees of the forest. A dark shadow loomed over his domain at the edge of the great woods.
          On the other side of the mountain, outside of a tiny village, lived a woodcutter, his wife, and his small daughter. The family was good and kind, and known through the town for their generosity. They did not have much besides each other, but they were happy. Yet, there was still a sadness weighing on their hearts. Maggie, the woodcutter's little daughter, had waited all summer for her new baby brother. She was delighted when he finally arrived, but one night the wolf that terrorized the village attacked when the town's people were all fast asleep in their beds.  He snuck into the house and stole the child from his crib.
          Papa sat Maggie on his knee and told her the baby had to leave them. He had become a beautiful angel to watch over her in the sky. Maggie was happy to have an angel brother, but sad she had never gotten to know him. Sometimes though, she dreamed about the sweet song of a guardian angel and knew he was nearby. Mama used to sing too, but stopped after the baby had gone. 
         Maggie wondered if the trees and the sky were sad for him, too. It seemed like it when the cold set in and the red leaves abandoned the branches, leaving them gray and bare. Winter was creeping in to replace autumn, descending over the town. The woodcutter went to work earlier and earlier and arrived home later and later as the days got shorter. He worked hard to chop enough firewood for the village and keep watch for the wolf. The men set many snares and traps for the wicked animal, but he was to smart for them. While the men worked to catch the wolf, Maggie wished her angel brother would tell her mother to be happy again and her father to come home. She prayed at night for her family to be whole once more. The early winter wind swept through the woodcutter's little home and over the mountain.
          Mama Bear hustled through the crunchy, fallen leaves toward the small, warm den, anxious to be home before nightfall. She urged Cooper to hurry, looking over her shoulder at him struggling to keep up. The two lumbered on intently. The cold had never set in so soon and Mama Bear worried they would not find enough food to survive the winter. Secretly as Cooper had grown bigger and stronger, she had grown weak and sick, making it difficult to hunt.
          If she abandoned Cooper so young, he would surely die. She soldiered on, determined. Mama Bear would never let anything happen to him, for she loved him to the moon and back. When the two bears reached a narrow cliff leading across the ravine near the den, Mama Bear was dismayed to find it was covered with ice and snow, too treacherous to venture across. If they didn't hurry it would be too dark to make it home. There was one other way home;  a shortcut, but it was far more dangerous.
           Mama Bear turned and led the bear cub deeper into the forest. The farther they wandered, the darker and colder it became. The dark cliffs were wet and dripping and the gnarled, blackened trees swallowed all light. They travelled deeper until they came to the mouth of a giant, ominous cave.  It was the home of Nox. Cooper whimpered in fright, but Mama Bear led him onward, entering the cave. The mother and son padded silently through the musky, black darkness with only the occasional glimpse of white scattered bones picked clean. When they reached the end of the cave, the path leading home was blocked by the massive sleeping form of a great, black wolf.
           The bears tiptoed past Nox, not daring to breath. When Mama Bear reached the other side she sighed in relief.  Then, just when she thought they were safe, Cooper tripped over one of the many bones littering the cave ground and fell right into the sleeping wolf. An ear splitting growl shattered the silence.  Nox rose to his full height, hackles raised. His red eyes glared menacingly down at the bears and bared his teeth in a terrible grin. Bear cub was a favorite snack of his.
           The wolf licked his lips and lunged. Mama Bear roared and threw herself in front of Cooper while swiping at Nox desperately. She grunted at her cub to run, to leave her, but he was scared. She roared again for him to go at the same time the wicked wolf slashed a bleeding gash across her flank, knocking her to the ground. Cooper ran as fast as he could down the path towards the den away from the snarls and cries.
            The setting sun had gone down to be replaced with only the glowing moon to light the dark night. The bear cub ran far, but in his fear became horribly lost. It began to snow when a long clear howl rang out distantly behind him. He quickly hid behind a large tree trunk, shivering from the cold. An owl hooted above him and Cooper nestled deeper in between two bulky roots. The bear cub began to cry softly for his mother, not shutting his eyes once through the night. Little did he know, the moon and two stars twinkling in the sky looked down upon him, singing with love and worry.
            Some time later, Maggie, the woodcutter's daughter, quite unlike the bear cub, was in very high spirits. She was overjoyed with barely contained excitement. That day her Papa would come home early and bring with him a marvelous tree to decorate together, this being their tradition. Mama was humming in the kitchen while Maggie helped her make applesauce and cider. Stockings were strung across the hearth where spices were drying and the entire house was strewn with holly and tinsel.
           The woodcutter burst through the door, smiling at his loving family, hauling a bushy, snow covered tree. It took all three together to close the door from the bitter winds sweeping into the room. Maggie ooh'd and aww'd in wonder when Papa stood up the tall tree. It changed their simple home into a magic forest.
           Normally, this time of year, the family would gather at the town hall an enjoy a great feast with all of their friends and family, but this year they were to stay safe in their home. Although the happy season had brought about merriment, there was still strain and fear under the surface. Whispers and rumors of the wolf grew ever present in the town, and at night howling was heard from the deep woods, getting closer and closer.
         The woodcutter and his wife were quiet and anxious of late it was true. However, they loved each other and because of that, they would be alright. So the little family stayed in and locked their doors, putting candles in all the windows. They each made a wish and said a prayer before putting the star at the top of the tree. Then, they looked out the window at the snow one last time before turning in for Christmas Eve. Maggie dreamed of her wish to have her baby brother back and thought she heard an angel's lullaby as she drifted into sleep.
          All was not well for Cooper the bear cub. He wandered through the thick trees disoriented with hunger. Cooper had not eaten for a very long time now. With no other choice, he had to enter a part of the forest he had never known seeking any morsel of food he could find to eat. The frozen snow on his fur chilled him to the bone. The little bear cub longed for his mother, his only family, but he was all alone. Just when the little cub began to look for a place to hide for the night once more, he began to hear something peculiar up ahead, church bells and carols. Cooper had never heard such a sound before and wondered what sort of animal made that noise.
          At the end of the dark forest he saw small lights peeking through the night. There were Christmas lanterns lighting a little town. He looked up at the moon and with a troubled cry, fell to the ground in exhaustion before he could take another step. At the same time a great black wolf entered the forest from the town, licking his chops.
          The woodcutter's family woke with a fright when the carols ceased and the town crier sounded the alarm. The wolf had been sighted! The woodcutter shouted for his wife and daughter to stay in the house while he went to help. The door slammed shut before Mama could protest, and he was gone. Mama and Maggie huddled by the door, awaiting the woodcutter’s return. Maggie prayed he would be safe, and in response, heard the angel's song. Nearby, the bear cub dreamed of his mother.
           Mama Bear appeared before Cooper, white and spectral and then an angel's song surrounded them with a calm. Mama Bear growled, warding off Nox the wolf and he backed away from the bear cub, ears flat against his head. Mama bear stalked forward defending her young and her ghostly form flew at the wolf causing him to falter and retreat right into a hunter's trap. Nox whined in pain when his hind leg snapped and he collapsed, never to rise again.
        At once the bear cub was rising into the air, flying over the trees at the edge of the woods. He glided above a little town to a small house, separate from all the rest.
       Maggie heard the angel's song through the door.  She flung it open, and rushed outside just in time to see a small, brown mass transform into a beautiful, baby boy sleeping on the snowy ground. The wood cutter's daughter hurried forward and cradled the small bundle wrapped in a bear skin. The angel placed a kiss upon Maggie's head and left in peace, knowing his job was done. The winter wish had been granted. A new family was born.