Chapter 16

16

O come all ye faithful, who freed Santa’s Village,

Oh come, ye, oh come ye, to save Christmas Day.

As Dancer entered the barn, elves with woebegone expressions exited. She heard them murmuring and lamenting among each other. “Can’t believe we have to cancel Christmas.” “All that work for nothing.” “The poor children.”

Surely they exaggerated. Then again, maybe not. Anjij had shown a callous disregard for everyone, even her own kids.

Santa stood by his giant sled, the exterior sleek and a bright shiny red, its runners a glittery silver. A glance showed the top of the magical sack peeking from the back.

“Is there a problem with Big Red?” she asked, noticing Santa’s rounded shoulders and defeated expression.

“Sled’s fine.”

“Is it the presents?”

Santa shook his head. “The bag of toys is surprisingly intact. Anjij didn’t bother dumping it and had only just started loading barrels into it. The elves removed them already.” He waved to the barrels stacked against the wall.

“What’s the problem, then? The elves are saying Christmas is cancelled.”

“Can’t deliver toys if there’s no one to pull the sleigh.”

“I’m ready and able,” she corrected.

“But you can’t drag it alone.” Santa ran his hand over the smooth surface of the sled.

“The rest…”

“Are apparently in no condition to fly.”

Dancer had to wonder about that. She’d been present when they’d been unyoked and tended by Dr. Longnose and her assistant, Nurse Redbottom. Their prognosis? A bit of rest and the reindeer would be fine. The problem being, today was the one day they needed to suck it up and push past their discomfort. However, reindeer could be prima donnas about their work conditions. They considered themselves in a different class from the elves and other workers in the village.

“Excuse me a second,” she said to Santa, marching away from him and out the back to the cabins assigned to the team.

No need to knock on doors. The reindeer hung around a cozy fire, wrapped in blankets, drinking spirits.

“What are you doing?” Dancer snapped. “Now is not the time to get drunk. We have a job to do.”

“How can I work?” lamented Rudolph. “Have you seen my nose?” He waved to the crooked appendage.

“You don’t need your nose to fly. The forecast is calling for clear skies.”

“I’m too tired,” whined Comet.

“Have you seen my leg?” Vixen had it propped on a stool, a small Band-Aid affixed to her calf.

Dancer’s mouth opened and shut soundlessly before she burst. “Are you cotton candy kidding me? Santa needs us. The children of the world are counting on us.”

“You heard the doc. We need rest.” Rudolph slurred. “And liquid medicine.” He sloshed his bottle of spiked eggnog.

“There will be 364 days to rest, starting tomorrow. We have a job to do.”

“Can’t.”

“Sorry.”

“Maybe next week.”

The various excuses had Dancer seeing red. She whirled around and headed for the barn, almost slamming into Nanook in her ire.

“I take it your chat with your teammates didn’t go well,” Nanook stated.

“They’re refusing to do the Christmas run. So what if they’re a little tired and bruised? I am too. But I can power through it for one night.”

“That’s because you’re made of tougher stuff than them,” he remarked.

“Apparently. However, I can’t pull the sled alone,” she grumbled.

“Who says you’d have to? I have an idea.” He whispered in her ear, and Dancer’s eyes widened.

“Well?” he said.

“That might just work. Give me a second to run it by the boss.” While Nanook headed around to the front, she trotted back into the barn, where Santa still eyed his sleigh with the saddest expression.

“Sir, it’s getting late, You should be getting dressed,” she advised.

“What’s the point? Despite everything we’ve accomplished, Christmas is cancelled.” Santa sighed. “Those poor children who’ve been good. I hate disappointing them.

Dancer cleared her throat. “Excuse me, sir, but I wouldn’t be so hasty about pulling the plug quite yet.”

“Did you convince the team to give it a go?” His expression turned hopeful.

“No. Even if I could have, they’re much too sloshed. However, technically, we just need a replacement team to pull the sleigh.”

Santa shook his head. “With who? We don’t have enough reindeer, and while I’ve attempted in the past to do practise runs with the elves, they lack the size and strength to pull.”

“There is another option. Come with me.” She led Santa outside the barn and inclined her head to where Nanook stood chatting with Rook and Weaver. As she watched, the group was joined by Charlie, Kira, and Arnie. She pointed. “What if we harnessed five polar bears and a caribou?”

“They’d certainly be strong enough to make up for the lack of a full team,” Santa mused aloud. “We could even adjust the harness to fit, and the flying dust will work on anyone. However, none of them know the route.” Which was when he stared at her and said, “Dancer, with your mind so bright, would you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Dancer just about burst. “Hopping hollyberries! It would be an honor, sir.”

A suddenly revived Santa beamed. “In that case, let’s get this sleigh in the sky.”

Things moved quickly after that. The elves, realizing they had a chance to save Christmas, pitched in to adjust the harness meant for reindeer to fit the bigger polar bears. They drew quite the crowd of watchers as they tethered the new team to the sleigh.

Before departing, Sesi and Siku hugged their father and only whined a little when they realized they, too, couldn’t fly. However, they were soon distracted by the gingerbread that emerged fresh from the oven, running. A special Christmas treat, the shaped cookies liked to chirp at the kids, “Too slow. If you want to eat me, you’ll have to catch me.” The children hooted as they chased the cookies.

As the elves hooked Dancer to the front—first lead!—she did her best to not preen too much. Not easy, since this was a dream come true. She only hoped she didn’t mess up the route or the other reindeer would laugh and call her rude names.

Once ready, they stood at the end of the runway while Santa stood in the sleigh to give his yearly speech. “Dear friends, these past few days have been hard. Loved ones lost. Cherished things and homes destroyed. However, I am proud to be able to stand here and say we survived. Survived because of your indomitable spirit. Christmas is going to happen, and while I have to thank you all for your incredibly hard work, I think we owe an extra cheer for the group that came to our rescue and especially the reindeer who courageously set out to find that help. Let’s hear it for the Polar Crew.” The name he’d given the replacement team.

She liked it better than Rudy’s Does.

“Hip, hip, hooray!” yelled the crowd.

Someone even sang, “Dancer, the sexy reindeer, had a very lovely rump. And when Nanook first saw it, he almost gave it a—” Someone stifled the singer.

Santa cleared his throat. “Thank you for that, Limerick. Now, if you don’t mind, it’s time we got going. Ready, Dancer?”

She bobbed her head, but before she could get going, a sloppy-drunk Rudolph came stumbling onto the runway, weaving and bobbing. “I’m here, Shhh-anta,” he slurred. “Dunna worry. I gunna guide da sleigh.”

“You’re wasted,” Santa dryly replied. “Go home and sleep it off.”

“But it’s Krisss-mas. You need me,” Rudolph stated as he started removing his clothes.

“What I need are people I can rely on, and they’re already here, fit and ready for duty.”

“She’s in my spot.” Rudolph fixed Dancer with a glare.

“Actually, she’s earned first lead for her heroism in saving the Village and Christmas. Now, out of the way. I’ve got a present run to start.”

A mulish expression on his face, Rudolph crossed his arms.

“I don’t have time for this,” Santa muttered.

“I got this, Santa,” Gertie called out before stalking over to the red-nosed drunk. She grabbed Rudolph and heaved his complaining body over her shoulder before stalking off. Once more, the crowd cheered.

Santa cleared his throat. “It’s time, team. Shall we?”

Heads bobbed, and a few bears sneezed as Santa flung the flying dust over them. Dancer inhaled deep, feeling the magic tingling as it entered her system.

“Polar Crew, move out,” Santa ordered.

Bells jingled as they took their first step, everyone getting used to the harness and the fact they had to work together. They’d not had a chance to practice, so Dancer could only hope it would go well. The sled lurched. It took a few paces before the team found a rhythm and began to pick up speed.

Santa began to yell. “On Nanook, and Charlie, Arnie and Kira. On Weaver and Rook, and of course my lead, Dancer. To the end of the runway, then leap very tall. Now dash away, dash away. Dash away all.”

There must have been something in Santa’s terrible rhyme for they found a cadence and gathered momentum. Cool wind rushed past Dancer’s muzzle and through her antlers.

Faster. She strained on her harness, a signal to the team to move their paws. When the world began to blur, she did a tiny leap and floated. They were ready. She let her hooves hit the ground and uttered a bleating cry before coiling her hind legs and pushing into the air.

For a second, those behind in the tethers almost yanked her down. But not for long, as everyone jumped, not gracefully or at the same time, but once they were in the air, it didn’t matter.

They were flying, no friction, no obstacle, just how fast they could run.

As she led them, she heard the chuffs and huffs and even grunts of the excited bears at her back. Only Charlie remained sedate. After all, flying was in every reindeer’s—and caribou’s—blood.

“Take us to the South Pacific, Dancer,” Santa hollered. “Let’s deliver some presents.”

For a team only formed that very same day, they did pretty cotton candy good. Sure, they didn’t land neatly on all the roofs. However, the street worked just as good, especially since Leroy came along. He handled the chimneys they couldn’t reach, gripping presents with his claws and slipping down into homes to drop them.

It took them all night to deliver everything—with a short delay at a home where some kits and cubs had stayed awake for a glimpse but were wrangled by their perky bunny mom—and dawn had started to lighten the sky as they dropped the last gift. They’d finished a little later than usual, but Christmas was saved.

However, their adrenaline and elation over that fact only lasted until they landed back in the North Pole. The dust Santa had used on them to give them stamina, speed, and more wore off and left them exhausted. More so than usual, given the days of stress Dancer had experienced. She fell asleep on her hooves as the elves removed the harness.

No surprise, she woke in her cabin with no idea how she got there, but she was quite happy to find Nanook lying under her.

Even happier when he rolled her under him and said, “Morning, Dani.”

“Merry Christmas, Nookie,” she replied.

“Is that a hint for your gift?”

Before she could lament she’d forgotten to get him anything, his lips touched hers, and she already knew it would be the best present ever.