Olive the Other Reindeer by Bruce Kilby

Author:Bruce Kilby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christmas, Young Adult, reindeer, Santa Claus, owl, fanatsy, North Pole
Publisher: Bruce Kilby
Published: 2018-11-26T00:00:00+00:00

Fort Yukon

Olive ducked to dodge the bullets whizzing by her head and slammed on her brakes as hard as she could. Rusty and Dusty dug their paws into the snow to avoid skidding into the three men pointing their rifles right at them.

“Whoooooaaaaa,” she yelled, swerving hard left and toppling the sled that now skidded on its side and came to an abrupt halt at the front steps of a rustic log cabin. The momentum sent Olive and the dogs sliding across the front porch and slamming them up against the front door. Dazed and confused, Olive, Rusty, Dusty, and Chloe lay piled on top of one another. A Christmas wreath had fallen from its place on the door and now circled Chloe’s neck.

The three men rushed at them, rifles still pointed directly at Olive and Chloe. Olive squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the worst.

Suddenly, the front door opened and the whole pile of them fell backward into the house. Chloe shrieked and flapped up to perch on a wood beam in the rafters, the wreath still around her neck.

“There’ll be no killing on my front porch!” bellowed a voice.

Olive, fighting her natural urge to flee, looked up and saw standing over them an elderly lady wearing glasses just like Grandpapa Nick. The lady had a stern face, but calm like her Grandmama Claus’. The woman had long, white hair like Grandpapa’s and she wore a dress printed with tiny flowers and a leather vest made from Porcupine caribou, which was intricately decorated with coloured beads along its edges. She stepped out on the porch, putting herself between the men outside, and Olive and Chloe inside.

“But mother, we didn’t know if the reindeer was taking Akliak’s sled with Rusty and Dusty,” one of the men answered.

Olive peered through the woman’s legs. “She was coming toward you,” the woman answered. “If she was taking the sled do you not think she would go the other way?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“I believe this reindeer was saving Akliak from the wolves. You did see the wolves.”

“Yes, Grandmother,” said the lead man.

Olive felt comforted by the woman’s presence but couldn’t put a hoof on why. Then she realized that Christmas music was playing somewhere in the house. The tune was Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Somehow it calmed her and against all the warnings of Grandmama Claus and Alabaster, she didn’t run.

“Mother,” said one of the men respectfully, “we will not harm the reindeer.” He peered at Olive. “It is not often we see a Woodland reindeer in Porcupine caribou country,” he said, lowering his weapon.

“There is something special about this reindeer,” the lady said looking into Olive’s frightened eyes. “I sense an old soul from our ancestors. I don’t know why but somehow I feel connected to this animal.”

“I guess she was trying to save Akliak and our missing dogs from the wolf pack we scared away,” said the man.

The old woman could see the harness still around Olive’s neck and with a gentle hand the lady rubbed her snout as she unfastened the harness.

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