The Reluctant Reindeer

Will A. Sanborn

12/28 - 12/30/98

"How did I manage to get myself into this situation?" Jeff wondered aloud, as the deer morph regarded himself in the mirror. Yes, he had agreed to do this, and it was a nice thing to do for the kids, but there was a world of difference between thinking of doing something and actually going through with it. For one thing, his shyness was kicking in again, not to mention how ridiculous he felt, as he looked down at the little jar of stage makeup Kathy had given him. Did she really expect him to wear that?

Sighing, he realized he'd have to, if he was going to look the part. He still couldn't believe he'd let her talk him into this though. Love did make you do some pretty strange things sometimes. She'd mentioned the idea a couple of weeks ago, thinking he'd make a wonderful addition to the Christmas party she was helping to throw at the youth center. She'd been a little disappointed when he didn't want to do it, but she'd understood. It was only the day before, when the plans for the party had hit a snag, that she'd asked him again. She'd been a little more persuasive that time, and had finally gotten him to agree.

Yes, it was something nice to do for the children, and he knew that they could use a little joy in their lives, but he wasn't all that excited at the prospect of playing Rudolph for their little party. He did like kids, but still felt a little awkward around them, not knowing exactly what to do at times. Kathy on the other hand, really enjoyed the time she spent with them, and was quite at home helping out at the center. Sighing, he opened the makeup container and started his preparations. He figured he could do this to help her out and make the kids happy.

As he dabbed the bright red makeup on his nose, he thought back to his own childhood. Animal morphs were still a minority in the population, but when he'd been growing up they'd been even more scarce. Most of the kids he'd gone to school with had been good to him, but there were always the bullies who'd teased him. When he was in middle school, a couple of kids had even made mean jokes about how he'd better stay out of the woods during hunting season, and other things of that nature. Before that, the first time he got to play Rudolph in the school play he'd been quite excited about it. However, after doing that role a few years in a row, the luster wore off, especially as he grew older, and some of the kids started teasing him about it.

Sighing again, he blinked his eyes to keep them from watering up from the memories, and forced his mind back to the present. That was long ago, and he hadn't had to face anything like that in quite awhile. He'd grown up to find himself a handsome buck. He had a successful career, and he'd found a beautiful woman who loved him for who he was, just as he'd learned to love himself.

Looking in the mirror he examined his handiwork and felt his face warm up. He twitched his ears back slightly at the red-nosed deer peering back at him; as he stood there observing himself, his lips pursed into an embarrassed little smile. At least nobody would be making fun of him here today. He hoped that Kathy wasn't going to be taking any pictures of him though. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Are you almost ready?" Kathy's voice called in. "Yes, I'm ready" he answered back a little gruffly. "That's good" she replied as she opened the door. When she saw him she added "oh Jeff, you look wonderful," her voice singing with delight.

"Thanks hon, but I feel kind of silly doing this... I'm nervous too."

"Oh, you'll be fine. Come on, the kids are waiting. Oh wait, you need this," she added as she wrapped a red and green scarf around his neck. "There, now you look perfect."

If she saw the quick flash of a frowning snarl cross his muzzle, she didn't acknowledge it, instead she led him down the hall to where the children were waiting expectantly for their surprise visitor.

When they first saw him, their voices hushed and their eyes grew wide. Jeff had to admit they were a cute group of kids, all sitting there looking up at him with delighted amazement shown on every face. The charming scene was lost on him though, as he looked out at the group of children, mostly humans, but with a few morph cubs mixed in there as well. Even if this was supposed to be an informal performance, his stage fright was still present. He also noticed the children's parents sitting with them, which added to his self-consciousness.

"Um, hello kids" he managed to speak out, as he down sat in the chair before them, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

Kathy tried to cover for him by making his introduction. "Now we know you were expecting Santa to visit you this afternoon" she said, "but you know how busy he is this close to Christmas. Everyone was so extra good this year that there are more toys to get ready than usual. That's why he asked good old Rudolph here if he could come and see you instead." She paused, then added "now this is his first time at a big party, and he's a little nervous, so why don't we all give him a big welcome, okay?"

"Hello Rudolph" the children all replied in unison, their voices coming together in a chorus of marked excitement. He cracked a smile at the sparkles dancing in their eyes as they greeted him. "Thanks guys," he spoke, his voice sounding a little less tense, "now as this is my first party, I'm a little unsure of what goes on, so what would you all like to do?" "Let's sing some songs" one child called back, to be followed by several other voices happily endorsing that suggestion. "Alright, what should we sing then?" "How about your song?" one little girl, a ferret cub, asked. He swallowed nervously once more, but tried to maintain his composure. "Um... okay, my dear, but you'll have to start it." She eagerly accepted his proposal, and started singing without any hesitation. "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose..." The other children were quick to join in with her. He twitched his ears self-consciously, but looking over at Kathy, he saw her silently urging him on. Waiting for the chorus to come around again, he took the plunge and started singing as well, though not as loud as the children were. Looking back at Kathy, and seeing her smile, he flashed her a little one of his own; by the end of the song, his singing had grown a little louder. They continued singing Christmas carols, and as they worked through "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls" and started in on "Frosty the Snowman" he was surprised to find himself feeling more at ease. As long as he didn't think of what he was doing too much, it wasn't that bad. It was also fun singing the holiday songs again, as he remembered enjoying them when he was a kid. The rest of the afternoon was quite busy, with crafts, games, snacks and all sorts of activities for the kids. When they took a break for juice and cookies, Ashley, the little ferret girl, brought him his food and introduced herself properly to him. She then talked to him for several minutes while they enjoyed their snack. He'd made a few other fast friends there as well, as several of the children vied for his attentions. He did his best to not play favorites and try and give them all equal attention, but Ashley was quite charming to him. Perhaps it was the fact that she was a morph herself, so he felt some special kinship there. She was just so adorable as well, very energetic and happy, but also very polite too. Most of the kids were well-behaved in fact. They were a good crowd, and it was nice seeing them having a fun time. He managed to enjoy himself as well. The games were silly, but fun. Even when it was time for him to hand out presents to the kids, he didn't really mind them sitting on his lap. Kathy had brought her camera out too, and had surprised him with a few candid shots, but he just shrugged it off. He smiled back at her, then even started mugging for the photos a bit. The time past quicker than he'd thought it would, and soon it was time for the kids to leave. He stood by the door and gave the children all candy canes as they were leaving, getting hugs from several of them. As they left, their parents all thanked him, telling him what a wonderful job he'd done. He couldn't help but smile enthusiastically, wishing everyone a merry Christmas.

After everyone had gone, he retired to one of the back rooms to sit down and rest, while Kathy and the other volunteers cleaned up. He hadn't realized it, but the excitement of the afternoon had tired him out a bit.

Kathy found him awhile later, nudging him gently awake from his light nap. "Wake-up sleepy-head" she chuckled. "They wore you out didn't they?"

"A little," he replied with a nod, then smiled at her. "They can be a handful, but it did go pretty well."

"Yes, you were great. The kids loved you."

"I could tell. I'm glad they enjoyed it."

"Thanks for stepping in for Santa when he got the flu. I know you didn't really want to do it, but you saved the day for us."

"Yeah, but it wasn't as bad as I'd thought it'd be. It was kind of fun really" he said, his smile growing slightly.

"You did seem to be enjoying yourself, once you loosened up."

He nodded, "well, the kids are pretty cute."

"Uh-huh, that's why I like it here. Glad to see you had fun with it... Rudolph," she said, as she touched a finger to his nose affectionately. "Come on, let's go home."

"I don't know," he said, as he licked at her finger, and winked at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Would Santa want me going home with someone I just met at a party. Have you been a good girl this year?"

"Oh, I've been very good, Rudolph, and I'll be good to you too" she chuckled.

"Okay," he answered as he took her hand and got up. Stepping closer, he reached around to give her a hug. "Love you, hon" he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, and thank you" she whispered back.

Slowly breaking from the hug, they grabbed their coats and, then walking hand in hand, they headed outside. As they were walking towards to the car, he realized he was still wearing the makeup on his nose, but he simply smiled at that, thinking of how he must look. He was feeling too good to worry about it just then.


Copyright 1998, Will A. Sanborn - was1@shore.net