Toon It Up: Boxing Seasonal Warmth (Preview) (Patreon)

Samantha narrowed her eyes and dug through the mess. Her hand brushed against something rather quickly. It was papery and thin. Pulling it out, she saw that it was a green envelope.

This is… weird. Samantha hadn't been a subscriber for this particular “loot box”,  as it was, for long. She never was around for past December boxes. However, she assumed it would be something seasonal in theme at least, like a foam antlers headband or Santa hat.

Then again, toons were toons. Weird and unexpected was something they did very well.

As such, she opened the envelope and gave it a peek inside. There was a small card with a cute generic toon dog on it. He was in a Santa outfit, waving from a sled and with a speech bubble above him that said, “Happy Holidays!”

Samantha opened the card and found a message. It read, “Thank you, loyal subscriber! From all of us at Toony Up, we want to send you a special, warm greeting this season for spreading the toony love around the world with us. For these cold times, allow us to help you get through this winter month in style while looking your fluffy, silly best!”

“Sincerely, Pawser Meowkins, owner of Toony Up…” Samantha read out loud at the end. She checked the envelope and then the box with one hand, the other holding the letter.

There appeared to be nothing else beside the letter. “Well, that's disappointing…” Sure, it was nice to get a thank you for your loyalty and continued patronage. However, given that she usually got a really nice gift every month, receiving just a simple card was underwhelming.

Samantha reread the message again. ““Help you get through this winter month…” what does that even… huh?”

At that moment, she noticed and felt something odd. What she noticed is that the lettering looked a lot shinier than it did before. What she felt was that it was wet.

It seemed as if the ink for the text was still wet. Yet, on the other side of the open card, it was unstained. Not a single smudge at all was seen anywhere.

Only she could feel the wetness of the ink and that made something in her mind click. Looking at her hand, the black ink was all over her fingerprints.

Yet, it wasn't really normal ink, was it? The ink had bubbled and condened on her fingers’s undersides and even on her palms, somehow sliding down there. The areas were thick but soft. They were much like the pads of an animal.