Saving Santa

Chapter One

Click.

The hard metal crunched into the rough shingles of the roof. I had just passed the five elementary tenets of reindeer training. This was it. This was the moment for me to shine and pull my weight along with the others. If I failed here I'd be off the team!

Don't let the big man down. You know it's not easy being in front. Come on bro, show him what you've got. Time to pull out all the stops here!

"Whoa there, fellas!" came a deep and jolly voice, "Let's not wake the family!"

I felt a slight jerk on the reins.

Just stand here and don't move. Yeah yeah! I can do that! Wait...oh no...I...shouldn't have had that second helping of hot chocolate before we left...oh...I think I'm gonna...Oh...Wait. It's going away now. Yeah, that's the ticket!

"The key is to remember that we all have to pull together," chimed Blitzen. "If one of us ain't pullin' our weight it throws it off for the rest!"

"Yeah I get that. It's just keepin' up wit' you guys is wearing me out. I'm no slouch of course, but doing this? All night long?"

I heard a little snort and a good-natured chuckle from six to eight feet behind, the straps on top of my nose tugging at my face a little as some weight shifted at my back.

"T'aaa. Don't get yer bells in a jingle. You'll get used to it."

"Well I certainly hope so because I don't want to slow you guys down any!"

Blitzen gave a snort and adjusted his hooves, giving me a sideways smirk and smile. "You'll catch on. This is just the first stop."

"Yeah, where are we, anyway?"

"England of course! Dint'cha see the clock tower when we came flyin' in? It was a-chimin' even!"

"Oh, that...oh what is it...Starts with a B..."

"Big Ben?"

"Yeah that's the one!"

"You guys blabbin' again?" came a gruff voice from my left ear. I felt it flick involuntarily as a snowflake settled upon it, "We just left the North Pole an hour ago! We've got a big night ahead of us."

"Yeah," I chortled, "Thanks for reminding me."

"Hehehehe. Figured you knew," he said, leaning into my side gently. Then he crouched down a bit so his face was in line with mine, "Don't'cha worry, Kensington. I wouldn't have picked ya to run the route if I didn't think ya could handle it."

Suddenly warm feelings of contentment and relief welled up from my four-part stomach, "W-Wow. T-Thanks Santa."

"Yeah don't worry about it!" chimed Cupid behind me. "You're so prim and "proppa", haha! Most of this is just OJT!"

"Ya got that right." Santa agreed.

I furrowed a brow and pawed at the ground. The right side of the harness began to snag on my fur as I looked right and left in confusion. But I didn't give up trying hide it. After all, the front reindeer were expected to already know what they were doing. It was just like Blitzen said. What if I made a wrong turn? The whole team would be out of whack! I suppose it was my inescapable bewilderment that prompted me to ask the next question.

"What's "OJT"?

"On-The-Job_-Training_," Blurted Donner almost before I could finish.

"Oh. ...Right."

Dasher and Donner and Blitzen all erupted into a laugh, which the big man himself began to take part in, patting my head and tugging my antlers with a playful smile. Then he walked back to the red and gold sleigh behind the rest of us, hoisting a big scarlet bag over his shoulder just out of the corner of my left eye. It was bigger than normal this year, bulging with objects of all sorts of random shapes and sizes. He tightened the golden cord at the top with a chuckle as he plodded toward the nearby brick chimney.

"Did someone ask for a canoe again?" I offered through a laugh.

He whipped his head back at me, his great white beard catching the falling snowflakes and sparkling radiantly in the moonlight. "Naw. Probably just another ten-piece bar. Some people love their egg-nog."

I laughed again, "Probably."

He sucked in his pot-bellied stomach and gave me a grin, "Think I'll just stick with my milk and cookies."

"Good plan!" Comet offered.

"And then that good ol' Susie wants a baking set. She's been on the nice list all year!"

"Really? That's great! Glad she straightened out!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, can't say the same for her brother, though."

Suddenly every one of us looked at each other. Comet gave me a look words could only hope to describe, and Prancer, well...let's just say he was panicked more than a pilot who lost both engines over an active volcano.

"What!? But what about last year? He's been on the nice list ever since--

"2004. Yes. I know," Santa said with a big sigh, "But, we all change as time goes on."

Prancer's eyes went as wide as sugar plums. "But...But you're not gonna give him a bucket of coal are you!?"

Santa took in a deep breath. "Well...I haven't quite decided yet."

"Oh but SANTA, you CAN'T!" we all brayed.

"Quiet down you! Hold your horses and quit stampin' your hooves! You'll wake the folks! Remember the rules! We only come when they're asleep!!!"

We looked at each other again. "Sorry Santa."

He smiled and hoisted the bag up onto his shoulder again, tightening the wide jet-black belt around his waist. "No harm done dears."

And just like that an incredibly exciting group discussion was vanquished. Santa gave a hearty chuckle and checked his wrist, pressing something there and looking back at us.

"Best not forget this," he said, taking out a round Christmas green disc from his fluffy red coat. On the top was a conical red Christmas light attached to a golden rope-like string. He placed the round disc with the light upon the side of the chimney and dropped the golden string down the chute. Then, he stepped up onto the chimney and stuck his foot inside, and the next thing we all knew, he was gone! Of course, this was all just plain normal to us reindeer. Meanwhile we all smiled and shook the snow off our fur, chorusing together as quietly as possible.

"See you soon, Santa!"

© 2017 Labatryth Lyndynhyra