It's a Sweater

...

When Emily looked back to Leo, he was holding a box in his hands. It was fairly flat, much like a picture frame, with a metallic, purple color to it accompanied by a bow. Emily was shocked. She hadn't received a present like this since she was a little girl.

"Here," Leo said, quietly. "I got you this."

Emily slowly reached out and took it from Leo. It was much lighter than she thought it would be. She couldn't help but bring it up to her nose and give it an instinctive sniff.

"I wasn't sure what to get you," Leo suddenly blurted out, afraid that Emily's nose had already revealed it's contents. "But I know that it has been getting really cold lately. Your fur is almost always on-end when you go out."

Emily's curiosity was peaked by Leo and she removed the bow and snapped the tape holding the box shut. Inside, she found a layer of knit, pink cloth. Her paw rested on it, feeling it's soft threads.

"It's... it's a sweater," Leo added.

Emily looked to Leo and then back to the box, pulling the rest of the garment out. Sure enough, the cloth seemed to take the form of a torso and arms. It held an almost nostalgic feel, distantly remembering the days when she wore clothing. It must have been at least five years. Emily noticed Leo watching her and realized he was waiting for her to try it on. Lifting it above her head, she felt the silky folds drape down over her head and across her fur. When her head finally poked out of the top, she saw Leo smiling eagerly. Emily looked down at herself and saw that it did fit, and remarkably well. She tugged at the bottom of the shirt, looking at it stretch and feeling it tighten around her back. It all felt incredibly... wrong; like a wild tiger wearing a bow-tie. Leo could tell something wasn't right.

"You don't like it, don't you?"

Emily looked back up to Leo and smiled warmly. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly with a tear in her eye.

"Leo, it's the nicest thing anyone's ever given me."

And she meant it.