Chapter 6

6

Joy to his world, the reindeer’s gone,

Now Nanook can enjoy his peace.

Let his life go back to normal,

Meaning ice and snow will sing.

And again, ice and snow will sing—off-key

Oh, yes, ice and snow will drive him to drink.

“Dancer is cute when she’s pissed,” Benedict observed.

Yeah, she was. “Hadn’t noticed.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not looking to date,” Nanook muttered.

“Maybe you should. Although you might need to apologize first. She’s peeved.” Benedict pointed out the obvious.

“Just a little.”

“She can’t have seriously expected us to go on a mission to save Santa. I mean you hate Christmas, and I’m a broken drunk.”

“I hear you’ve been sober for the past few months,” Nanook remarked.

“I have, but I still get the cravings to get shit-faced. Which is why I can’t do this. She deserves someone less messed up.”

“There is no one else,” Nanook replied. “At least not anyone close enough to make a difference.”

“Guess Christmas is screwed this year. Once FUC finds out, I’m sure they’ll give a hand.”

“Will they?” Nanook queried. “Santa isn’t a shifter. He simply employs some of our kind.”

“FUC will want to save them.”

“You know as well as me it will depend on the cost.” And he didn’t mean the monetary kind. Lose a few reindeer or lose some trained agents. Someone would have to make a hard choice.

“I’m sure they’ll have a solution that’s better than a crippled has-been.”

Hearing Benedict disparage himself had Nanook growling. “You’re not a has-been. Even if you can’t fly, you could have helped.”

“Said by the guy who also bailed and has been hiding in his cave these past few years.”

“My situation is different.”

“Yeah, it is, and you’re being an even bigger whiner than me. You’re not the first guy whose wife stepped out on him. But rather than deal with it, you’ve been sulking and pretending to hate everyone.”

“Not pretending,” Nanook interjected.

“You used to tolerate folks just fine before. I mean don’t get me wrong. You were never super outgoing, but you used to be the kind of guy you could call at the last minute and ask for a ride home or to move some furniture. Used to be somewhat social but now you’re the worst kind of recluse.”

“Not for long. I’m moving back to town in the spring.”

“Only because of the girls. I’ve seen you scouting the outskirts for a spot to set up. Looking to keep yourself apart.”

Nanook sighed because his old friend wasn’t wrong. “Guess we’ve both got our issues.”

“We do,” Benedict agreed.

And for some reason, he heard his sister’s voice in that moment. Kira yelling at him when the girls started crying because they were leaving the camp to go back to their home, where they had no one but each other to play with. Kira had said, “How long are you going to punish them because of something their mother did?”

“I’m not punishing them,” he’d retorted.

“You’re also not doing them any favors. They need people, Noonoo.” Her pet name for him. “Need to socialize and make friends. Not to mention, you deserve, make that need, to move on and find a way to be happy.”

“Who says I’m not?”

“Can you honestly say you enjoy life?”

He couldn’t, so rather than lie, he did what he’d been doing since Anjij left. He ran away.

Dancer was right. He was a coward, a harsh realization that stung more than a jellyfish touching his ball sac.

“Sorry I bothered you.” Nanook rose to leave.

“It’s not too late to make nice with your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Nanook muttered as he glanced out the window and saw her striding quickly up the snow-packed street between habitats.

“In that case, maybe I should reconsider her demand,” Benedict mused aloud. “Ain’t many options for dating around here, and if I did manage to help, she’d probably look upon me favorably.”

“What happened to you don’t shoot people anymore for a living?”

Benedict shrugged. “Only because there’s been no one that needed it.”

“You’re going to volunteer just to get her to like you?” For some reason, this bothered Nanook.

“Beats sitting in my tower moping. And I feel bad we both turned her down.”

“You know how I feel about Christmas.”

“Christmas, Santa, and even the other elves aren’t to blame for what happened,” Benedict pointed out. A fact Nanook understood. He just didn’t like it because it was easier to fault a holiday than to recognize the problems in his relationship.

If he were truthful with himself, he’d seen it coming. Anjij had shown signs of discontent not long after the birth. Unlike some females, she’d lacked a maternal instinct. She’d often lamented how having the twins had ruined her chance to do something with her life. Whereas Nanook became a father and immediately his whole world revolved around the mini versions of him.

“I think I liked you better drunk,” he growled.

“Ah yes, because slipping in my pile of puke the last time was so much fun.”

“Fine. I’m proud you’re sober. But I could do without the guilt-tripping and lectures.”

“You only hate it because it’s making you reflect. Being sober means I’ve had time to do that as well. I’m still struggling with the fact I’ll never fly again. Never feel the wind under my wings. But also starting to realize that I need to get past that and find other things that bring me joy.”

“And have you found anything?” Nanook asked.

“Not yet, but I’ve only just begun coming out of my misery.” Benedict paused. “You know what? Maybe this mission would be a good way of getting me back out there."

“Now you change your mind? You couldn’t do it while Dancer was here?”

“She took me by surprise, and old habits die hard. But now that it’s messing around in my head, I’m thinking this might be just the thing I need to remind myself I’m still useful.”

“All righty then, I’ll let her know.”

“Good. Guess I’d better clean my gun.” Benedict grinned, shedding years of misery. “I wonder how many chicks will throw themselves at me if I save Christmas.”

Benedict could have all of them... except for Dancer. For some reason, the idea of them together made Nanook want to roar.

He left Benedict’s, crunching the icy path back to his sister’s. He entered to find his girls watching cartoons with the boys, a treat since his cave didn’t have power.

“Hey, Kira. Where’s Dancer?”

His sister turned from the stove with a frown. “I thought she was with you.”

“I kind of made her mad, and she left Benedict’s. She didn’t come here?”

Kira shook her head. Arnie walked in at that moment, carrying an armful of clothes, which included the wolf cloak he’d given Dancer.

“Look what I found on my way home. Aren’t these your old boots?” Arnie asked, holding them up.

“Bloody narwhal. She took off,” Nanook grumbled. Not completely unexpected. After the rejection, she must have decided she wasted her time with FARTZ. But she couldn’t seriously be thinking of trotting all the way to Alert. It would take her a day at the very least, even if she could keep a steady gait all the way, which she couldn’t, not with the obstacles and perils on the way.

“She went alone?” Kira held her wooden spoon tight. “Oh dear.”

She eyed Nanook, and he knew what she wanted him to say. Knew he’d volunteer because he, too, couldn’t stand the thought of her alone in the cold.

“I’ll need a harness pack for some stuff and don’t hold dinner,” he stated.

“She can’t be that far. Or is this your way of saying you can’t run that fat ass as fast as you used to?”

“I run plenty fast,” he grumbled. Just not quite as quick as a peeved reindeer.

In short order, his sister had some survival gear, which included clothes, packed in the bag with the special straps that could be worn while in his bear shape. He didn’t take the sled because the noise, not to mention the fumes, would mask Dancer’s trail. He’d have to do this old school, using his nose and other polar senses that usually came in handy on a hunt.

His girls didn’t seem bothered one bit their Dada was leaving. They barely turned their faces from the screen to give him a kiss.

Soon he was on his way, heading first to the spot where Arnie claimed to have found the clothes and picking up Dancer’s tracks from there. He moved quickly, had to, because he could see she’d been using long strides to get away from FARTZ.

It took him over an hour to catch up to her and only because she’d paused to glance at the sky, which put on quite the glowing display of green lights. Always pretty, and it never got old.

Nanook chuffed as he neared, and she didn’t turn her head. What if he’d been a real polar bear? She’d have been eaten.

She kept ignoring him as she stared at the sky.

It bothered, so he shifted, uncaring of the cold, and he bellowed, “What are you thinking going off by yourself?”

No reply because she didn’t shift, and he had to wonder if she worried about frostbite. “I brought some clothes.” He opened the pack and pulled out the heavy fur cloak, draping it over her before throwing on his insulated socks and his jacket, which came down mid-thigh. It cut some of the cold, but he wouldn’t be able to stay in this shape for long without adding more layers.

Dancer shifted and hugged the cloak around her, its length enough she could stand on its hem to keep her feet from sticking to the ice.

“Now, care to explain yourself?” he huffed.

“Explain what? You made it pretty clear you wanted to be rid of me. I thought you’d be happy.”

“Well, I’m not,” he complained. “You can’t go trotting into the wild because you’re pissed.”

“You’re right. I should have found myself a nice cave to sulk in.”

Ouch. Deserved. But still ouch. “I’m not in my cave now.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because maybe, just maybe, I was hasty in refusing to help.”

“Help how? You said it yourself. There’s no boat or plane. No way to get back to the North Pole.”

“Not entirely true,” he muttered.

“Meaning what?”

“You seem to have forgotten I know where to find a helicopter.”

“I thought you said this Charlie fellow who owns it was expensive.”

“He is. But he’s also former search and rescue. Retired a few years back and bought the decommissioned chopper he used to pilot to ferry around tourists.”

“Aren’t those the big ones meant to withstand all kinds of weather?”

He nodded.

“Meaning I should have skipped the FARTZ and gone straight to him.” She glared at Nanook.

It might have been more effective if she weren’t so blubbering cute.

“He might not have answered. Charlie ain’t exactly the social type.”

“He must be related to you then.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“Where is this Charlie and his helicopter?”

“About halfway between FARTZ and Alert. He lives in an abandoned hunt camp close to the shoreline.”

“How do I get there?”

“By coming back with me to FARTZ so we can properly outfit ourselves and grab Benedict.”

“Benedict made it clear he wasn’t going to help.”

“He changed his mind after you left.”

She sighed. “Men.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re rabbit turds. So, what do you say, Dani? Do you still want our help?”

“Dani?”

“Dancer makes me think of a ballerina. Never liked that prancing-around-in-tights stuff.”

Her lips twitched. “Very well. I accept your offer, Nookie.”

His turn to stare. “Uh, no.”

“What’s wrong? I thought we’d reached the point where we were giving each other nicknames.”

“I want a better one. Like Ferocious. Or Icey.”

“It’s either Nookie or Wookie.”

“Do I look like a giant walking carpet?” he complained, knowing she’d just compared him to Chewbacca.

“Well, you do sound like him. All hooting and honking. And you’re pretty hairy.”

“Normal hairy,” he retorted.

“Says you.”

His lips pinched. “Why must you vex me?”

“Because it’s helping me deal with my stress.”

“Oh.” Still… “Can’t you find another method? I’m trying to be nice.”

“I think your idea of nice needs work.”

He snorted. “Only if I planned to keep using it once you were gone.”

“So, this is a special nice just for me?”

“Yes, so don’t go telling anyone how kind I am. I’d hate to disappoint them with my fists and insults.”

For some reason, her lips curved in amusement. “Your secret is safe with me, Nookie.”

“Should we head back? Kira’s got some stew on the stove.”

“Mmm. I am hungry. I kind of left with no supplies.”

“Let’s get this stuff back in the knapsack and head back.”

“How will you get it on if we’re shifted?” she asked.

“I put it on beforehand and pray it’s sitting right so it doesn’t bust when I polar out.”

“Or I could strap it on you before I shift.”

“I don’t want you freezing your delicate bits.”

She snorted. “I’m not as fragile as you think. I live in the North Pole.”

“And? You’re just a tiny little thing.”

She arched a brow. “Only you would think that. I am five foot ten, two hundred and ten pounds.”

“Like I said, tiny.”

“Spoken by the giant,” she muttered. “What are you, six foot six?”

“Six foot eight, actually, and a solid three fifty.” And fit, despite what his sister said about his ass.

“Okay, let’s get this done. I’m eager to try that stew.” As he stripped and stuffed his items in the pack, she cocked her head and glanced to the sky. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what…” He paused in his packing and listened. It took a moment for his brain to register the oddity and mutter, “Is that bells?”

“Reminds me of Santa’s sleigh,” she murmured, gaze trained overhead. “But Christmas isn’t for a few more days.”

An ominous feeling hit. “We need to get back, now.” He snagged her cloak and stuffed it in the pack, feeling a need to rush, even as he knew they were at least an hour away from the camp. But out here, no one abandoned useful things, especially not winter gear.

He shrugged on the pack, his body tightening in the cold. Dani hadn’t yet shifted. She stared at the sky and whispered, “Do you see what I see?”

A lift of his gaze to the sky had him blinking, but the image didn’t change. A sled coursed across the sky, illuminated by the Aurora Borealis lights. A massive sleigh like Santa used, only it wasn’t drawn by flying reindeer.

“Are those wolverines?” he asked with a tone of incredulity.

“Yes, and judging by their flight path, they’re heading for FARTZ.”

His eyes widened. “My girls.” His family. He didn’t say another word but shifted, his pack managing to stay on during the transition. He began running back to the camp, outpaced by the reindeer that bolted past him. What took an hour was shortened to forty-five minutes, but it was still too long.

By the time they arrived, the camp was quiet, too quiet. Probably because everyone was asleep.

Franko lay on the ground snoring, still clutching the fish he’d been bringing home.

Mrs. Tiddles sat slumped in her doorway, letting the cold air inside her pod.

He raced to his sister’s place and arrived after Dancer, who’d gone inside. As he entered, he found her looking pale and shaken.

A quick glance showed his sister and Arnie at the kitchen table, slumped over, sleeping. Of the girls or his nephews, he saw no sign.

He still called for them. “Sesi, Siku!”

“They’re gone,” Dani murmured.

“They can’t be gone.” He refused to entertain the thought. His precious babies probably visited someone or?—

She held up a single strand of hair. Wolverine fur to be exact.

And he didn’t need her saying, “Krampus took them,” to know his daughters were in trouble.