Chapter 5

5

Away from Santa’s Village,

Without a single thread,

The brave reindeer Dancer,

Wanted to bang her sweet head…

The folks on the island

Made fun of her dread,

Yet, without their cooperation,

Santa could soon be dead.

Dancer didn’t expect laughter when she announced the emergency in Santa’s Village.

Kira couldn’t stop chortling, and Dancer finally offered a stiff, “I’m not sure why it’s so funny.”

“Because Santa’s Village is much too well defended to have been taken over by surprise. I mean the QUEEFS are pros at repelling attempts at penetration. Then you have the many elves who can be quite tricky to trap. Plus, there’s the big man himself. He’s killer with a sword.”

“I don’t know how, but Krampus somehow managed to overcome those defenses.”

“Krampus?” Kira suddenly sobered. “He doesn’t exist.”

“Tell that to the person using that name. This Krampus got an army of wolverines and walrus to mount the coup.” And who knew what else at their command.

“To do what?” Kira asked.

“Take over the village.”

“Again, to do what?”

Dancer paused. “I don’t know. I didn’t stick around to ask.”

“I mean, when you think about it, what could this Krampus possibly want with a remote village that makes toys?”

“Does the motivation really matter? We have to rescue them, or there won’t be a Christmas.”

“I’m not sure what we can do. We don’t have any boats sturdy enough to handle the Arctic Sea this time of year,” Kira murmured.

Transportation did pose an issue. “Honestly, we need an army, which is why my plan was to report what’s happened to FUC HQ. They can dispatch whatever force is needed.”

“We can try to call. However, the radios have been nothing but static the past few days. Arnie, my husband, says our dish isn’t receiving or sending signals. Even the satellite phones aren’t working.”

Nanook rumbled. “What’s causing the issue?”

“Geomagnetic storms. We’ve been clobbered by them recently. While inconvenient to our electronics, the resulting Aurora Borealis have been spectacular.”

“This is bad,” Dancer muttered. Her entire plan had hinged on contacting the proper authorities to handle the situation. Now she had nothing.

“Don’t lose hope yet. There must be something we can do.” Kira addressed her brother. “You’re the ex-military guy. Any suggestions?”

“Military? I thought you were a FUC agent?” Dancer questioned.

“Technically both. I served in a Special Forces Polar Unit for a few years but retired when I met the twins’ mother on a visit back home.”

Kira’s face darkened, and her lips pursed. “That two-timing wh?—”

“She is the mother of the twins, so be careful what you say,” he grunted, interrupting his sister.

Did Nanook still have feelings for her? Dancer had thought from what he’d explained earlier that he hated his ex, but now he defended her honor.

Kira sniffed. “I’m allowed to not like Anjij and what she did. Getting you to quit your career to work as a hunter for Santa’s Village, only to decide that’s not what she wanted, was selfish.”

“I didn’t mind settling down. I’m glad I did, or I would have missed out on the twins’ milestones.”

A man who put his children before his career. Nice. But even better, his past military experience might prove useful.

“Since you’re the polar military expert, what do you suggest we do next?” Dancer asked.

“There is no we. I’ve done my part. Got you to FARTZ. Now the rest is up to you.”

“But I don’t know what to do,” she huffed. “If I were in Greenland, I would have been able to dump this on the FUC garrison stationed there. They would have had the tools to launch a counterattack. Instead, I’m on Ellesmere Island, with no way of contacting anyone.” Her lower lip jutted.

Nanook’s mouth tightened. “A counterattack would get people needlessly killed.”

“Then what? Just let Krampus keep the hostages, the village, and have Christmas ruined?” she huffed. “If I’d known no one would help, I would have stayed and seen if I could rescue them myself.”

“You would have been captured,” his blunt reply. “This is a job for professionals. A situation like this, what you want is a small task force that can go in and eliminate the main threat. Krampus’ death would most likely throw the entire operation into chaos. Militant groups tend to disperse when they lose their leader.”

He suggested the impossible. “Great idea, now I just need a team of assassins. Know where to find some?” her sarcastic rejoinder.

“I know of a sniper that might agree if you can get him sober for that long.”

She perked up. “Really?”

Kira cleared her throat. “Actually, Benedict’s been clean for more than three months now.”

“Good for him,” Nanook stated and glanced at Dancer. “Before you ask, I’ll take you to see him after I get the sled unloaded.”

“I’ll help.”

“No, you won’t. That’s man’s work,” Nanook snapped as he headed outside.

Her brows raised. “Is he always that sexist?”

Kira grinned. “On some things, yes. It’s kind of cute. When he’s around, I never have to carry a thing. Wish Arnie were the same way. He’s too progressive though. Says anything he can do, I can probably do better. I think that’s just his way of avoiding taking out the trash.”

“Is your husband as grumpy as your brother?”

“No, thank bearness. Nook didn’t used to be so grouchy, but the breakup with the twins’ mother really affected him.”

“Yeah, we heard about it in the village. Rough thing to have happen.”

“It's why he hates Christmas so much. Meanwhile, it’s not the holiday that’s to blame,” Kira pointed out.

“At least his daughters adore him.”

“Because he dotes on them. Not in a spoil-them-rotten kind of way but in how he listens to them, pays attention, spends time with them.”

“He’s a hunter, though. Doesn’t that mean he leaves them alone quite often?”

Kira shook her head. “He never hunts far or long. He’s quite efficient at it. When they were younger, he used to bring them with him and keep them tucked in the sled. But now they’re of an age where they can spend a few hours entertaining themselves.”

Unlike humans, shifters understood their young needed to learn independence at a tender age. In the wild, they never knew when a predator or threat might take them out, so it was important a young cub, pup, fawn etcetera knew how to cope.

“Who’s this Benedict you were mentioning?”

“Old friend of Nanook’s. They served together in the military. Nanook retired for his family, and a few years later, Benedict got a medical discharge. Injured wing meant he couldn’t fly anymore. Hit him pretty hard. He’d spent the last two years constantly drunk, although I do have to commend him for brewing his own noxious alcohol to do so.”

“And you think he can help?” A former alcoholic didn’t seem like the best choice in such a dire situation.

“Benedict’s a crack shot. His snow-owl roots mean he’s got excellent eyesight. Add in natural skill, and he can shoot the whisker off a seal in motion.”

Impressive if true. Could it be as simple as shooting this Krampus to free the village?

If there was anything left to free. The snowman screaming as he melted haunted her. How many had died in the invasion? Did Santa even still live, or had Krampus eliminated his greatest threat? And then there was the question of, even if this Benedict agreed, how would they get there? She could only hope Nanook had a solution for that. Even better, that he’d change his mind and would join them, too. A polar bear on their side would even the odds.

It didn’t take Nanook long to unload the sled, his sister making a list of the package contents and then writing down what he wanted in exchange. A place like this didn’t deal in currency but in trade, kind of like Santa’s Village.

Nanook went to speak to his girls for a moment before turning to Dancer. “Ready to go meet Benedict?”

She nodded. Kira proved kind enough to outfit her in something other than socks, loaning her some boots that were slightly too large but warm. She kept the wolf fur cloak; however, she did swap his massive garments for something from Kira’s closet. Still loose but at least she didn’t have to roll the cuffs a half-dozen times.

They emerged from the pod into light, the encampment having installed sources of illumination. Mostly fluorescents bolted to the roofs of homes or rising from columns planted in the ground, but many folks also had twinkling Christmas lights, their bright colors pleasing to the eye. A certain grumpy someone didn’t view them the same way.

“Waste of electricity,” he grumbled.

“Where do they get their power from?” she asked, not hearing the loud roar of generators. Santa’s Village used a compact nuclear reactor, built by the elves and buried under the ice.

“Water turbines. There’s plenty of fjords around, so someone built a mini hydroelectric facility.

“That can’t have been cheap,” she observed.

“It wasn’t. However, given the military outpost in Alert, they managed to get some of it funded by the government and the rest from FARTZ backers.”

“What exactly is this place? Why would someone give them money?” she queried.

“FARTZ is a research camp. At least on paper. In truth, while they do have a few scientists who study the arctic and the life around it, its primary purpose is food supplier to shifters. The amount of meat consumed by our kind would appear suspicious if bought from regular sources. Not to mention, whale and seal meat is outlawed in some areas, which is difficult for those of us originally from the north, as it forms an important part of our diet.”

“Everyone in the camp is shifter?”

“Mostly. A few inter-marriages mean we have a couple residents who are fully human but aware of our secret. It’s a safe place,” he added. “You won’t have to hide your horns here.”

“I never realized there was a shifter-friendly town so close by, which sounds terrible, I’m sure, since we drop presents off each year.” While she currently wore a woolly hat that covered her head and the horny nubs, it intrigued to know there was a place other than Santa’s Village that might be accepting of her difference.

“It being a shifter-safe zone is why the girls will be going to school here.” He pointed as they passed a mobile trailer. “There’s only about twenty kids and two teachers, but they’re good ones. Or so Kira says. Those who want a diploma that’s recognized by colleges and universities simply have to write an exam to showcase their knowledge.”

“Did you grow up here?”

He shook his head. “Originally from Alaska but I was posted for a while in Alert while in the military.”

“So how did you end up at Santa’s Village?” She knew because of Kira but wanted to hear it from him.

He sighed. “Are you ever going to stop asking questions?”

“Probably not.”

She thought he wouldn’t reply, but after a pause, he rumbled, “I met my wife while serving in Alert. When they would have sent me overseas without her, I chose to resign my commission. My sergeant at the time, an arctic fox from the area, was the one to suggest Santa’s Village. They needed someone to hunt for fresh meat. Given Anjij was pregnant, it seemed like a great place to raise our kids.”

“But she wanted something more,” she guessed.

“Yeah. Not that she ever told me. I never expected a polar bear, who thrives in snow and ice, to have such a deep hankering for the tropics.”

“She could have travelled for a visit.”

“That would have made the most sense, but instead, she decided me and the girls were holding her back from having her best life.”

“If you ask me, she chose wrong. Those daughters of yours are an absolute delight.”

He glanced at her with clear surprise. “You like kids?”

“You do remember where I work, right?” her dry reply.

“You pull a sleigh. Doesn’t mean you like ankle-biters.”

“I do, though. Hoping one day to have some of my own, but that would require meeting someone who isn’t repulsed by my horns.” Rejection hurt, especially for something she couldn’t change.

“Why would they be repulsed?” He sounded genuinely surprised.

“I’m considered defective among the herd. No one wants to mate with someone who might give them less-than-perfect kids.” Her lips turned down. “Only Santa saw past my appearance and gave me a job.”

“You like it? The whole flying him around for Christmas?”

“The flying part yes, but the man is a task master. The training is quite rigorous.”

“I don’t know how you do it. Never did like heights,” he admitted.

“And for me, I’m not big on swimming. Too many things that want to bite my legs.” She shuddered. She’d had an uncle emerge three-legged from a polar dip.

“Ain’t much trying to chew on me,” he drawled.

She almost said something wildly inappropriate because he seemed very edible to her. “I don’t imagine there are many things that would mess with an ice bear.”

“Only the dumb ones. We’re here,” he suddenly stated, their stroll having brought them to a strange abode. Set upon concrete stilts perched a house. A ladder led up to it.

“This is where he lives?” she asked, craning to look upward.

“Yeah. He likes having a bird’s-eye view.” Nanook tilted his head and bellowed, “Benny. You up there?”

It took only a moment before a head popped out of a hatch in the floor of the house. “Nanook? I’m surprised to see you here this close to Christmas.”

“Extenuating circumstances,” he groused. “Can we speak for a moment?”

The man’s gaze strayed to Dancer, and his brows rose. “By all means. Come on up.”

Nanook gestured at her to go first. She gripped the ladder and climbed, about twenty feet or so she figured. The hatch remained open, and she slipped into a cozy place. She looked around as Nanook clambered up next.

The place appeared made of some plastic-like substance, obviously insulating since the small stove managed to keep it warm. There wasn’t much in the way of furnishing. A single bed tucked against a wall. Two chairs, a plain wooden one and a fabric-covered one. A table. A shelving unit holding books, as well as cans and boxes of food. A counter with a sink had dishes underneath. No bathroom. Must make for chilly bathing and other urgent business.

The man who owned the house appeared just as sparse. Lean compared to Nanook, his sandy-blond hair shaggy. His eyes hazel, leaning toward golden yellow. He wore a woollen knit sweater and jeans.

Nanook squeezed through the slim hatch, grumbling, “Damned thing keeps shrinking.”

“Must be, because you certainly haven’t put on any winter pounds,” was Benedict’s dry reply.

The comment earned him a glare then a smile, which transformed Nanook’s face. “The hunting’s been good thus far this season.”

“It has been. That last batch of seal meat you brought was delicious. Have a seat,” Benedict offered. “Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea?”

“Aren’t you going to ask who the woman is?” Nanook countered.

“I figured you’d tell me when you were good and ready.” Benedict filled a kettle and put it on his heating stove.

“Name’s Dancer. She’s from Santa’s Village.”

“Far from home,” Benedict remarked, sitting himself in the worn recliner covered in a blanket.

“Not by choice,” she mentioned. “The village was attacked. Santa and the elves captured.”

Benedict’s brows rose. “Attacked by who? Did the humans finally pierce the protective veil hiding it?”

No one knew how it worked exactly. Santa never revealed his secrets. However, one could only assume super advanced technology, given those flying overhead couldn’t see it, satellites never spotted it, and regular folk never stumbled across the village.

“Not humans. Krampus and an army of walrus and wolverines.”

Benedict stared at her. She had remained standing, and Nanook took the only other chair, making it groan ominously.

“Say that again?” Benedict finally said.

“Krampus took over Santa’s Village and imprisoned everyone.”

“Krampus isn’t real.”

She rolled her eyes. “So everyone keeps saying. And yet, someone using that name attacked.”

“You saw this Krampus?”

“No, but I did spot the army as it swept through the village. They exploded the paint factory, did something to the candy one as well. Possibly more damage was done after my departure.”

“How unfortunate for the kids,” Benedict murmured.

“Exactly, which is why we’re here. We need your help.”

Once more he stared at her before saying slowly, “Help how?”

“By taking out the leader of the invasion,” she stated.

“And you came to me for help?” Benedict sounded incredulous.

“Nanook says you’re a sharpshooter.”

“Was. I haven’t fired a gun since I retired from the military.”

“Oh.” She bit her lower lip. “Isn’t it like riding a bicycle?” A skill once learned never forgotten.

“I don’t know.”

“Will you help?” she asked.

“Is she serious?” Benedict addressed Nanook.

“Very.”

Benedict frowned at the polar bear. “It was your idea to bring her here? You know I don’t do those kinds of missions anymore since my accident.”

“It’s for a good cause,” Nanook pointed out.

“So, you’re going on this mission?”

Nanook didn’t reply, and Benedict snorted. “Didn’t think you were. So, who all is going?”

“Me,” Dancer replied.

“And?”

“You?” She added a questioning note.

“Not likely. Sounds like a suicide mission.”

Her stomach sank. “Something must be done.”

“Agreed. But you need more than a has-been. You should be mustering some FUC agents at the very least or, if you could get in touch with the right people, a special strike force.”

“I would love to do that,” she exclaimed, flinging her hands. “But none of the gingersnapping phones are working.”

“Yeah, the magnetic storms have been fierce this past week. They’ll come back online eventually.”

“By then it will be too late. Christmas will be over. Children will be disappointed. Santa and his elves could even be dead!”

She was on the verge of tears and uttered a squeak as Nanook yanked her hard enough she fell into his lap, and then he wrapped his arms around her.

“Hush now,” he rumbled. “You’re getting overwrought.”

His words countered the pleasure she got from being cuddled. “I’m upset because my home has been taken over and no one seems to care.”

“We care. We just aren’t the right people to fix it.”

“But you’re all I have,” she whispered.

“Even if I wanted to help,” Benedict stated, “I have no way of getting there. I can’t fly anymore.” He pointed to his bum arm.

Her lips turned down. “Neither can I. I ran out of Santa’s dust.”

“Meaning you’d need a boat or a plane to cross the sea. Both things we don’t currently have. Although, Alert might have something.”

“I see. Sorry to have disturbed you.” She shoved out of Nanook’s warm lap and headed for the ladder.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To find some people who aren’t so caught up in their own self-misery that they can’t see or act past it,” she snapped, finally losing her peppermint-loving temper.

The men glared at her.

She didn’t care.

“Enjoy marinating in your pity,” she huffed.

With that, she left. And by left, she meant she hit the ground and started walking. Walked away from the FARTZ that left her with a sour taste. Away from the bear who hated Christmas. Into the cold unknown, in the direction of the next outpost.

If no one would help her save Santa’s Village, then she’d just have to do it herself.