Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer : New Heights

Chapter 3: Jingle Jangle

A gentle snow fall trickled from the sky to lightly cover the forest below. It was a quiet night. A peaceful night.

A reindeer sniffed at a little bush that held red jewel like berries. They were ripe and smelled delicious. A feast, as food was a bit scarce in this area. But she did not eat. Lifting her head, she turned to  a small calf that was hopping around, waiting for her signal. Her little calf. In his excitement, his nose began to do the most peculiar thing.

It began to glow. 

Rapidly blinking a bright  shiny red, making the berries on the bush seem bland in comparison. The mother smiled and nodded to her calf. He could finally get something to eat. He trotted over to the bush with great purpose. The bush wasn't in over abundance, but it was enough to tie him over at least for a little while. He began to eat, when he stopped himself. Looking back to his mother, he waited for her to join him.

She shook her head and motioned for him to continue. He wanted to protest, but he knew it was no use. His mother would never eat before him. But she'd have to eat sometime right? He hadn't seen her eating in a while. He was starting to get worried. He turned to look at the bush to find something for her, opting to take at least one branch that had a few berries on it. He pulled it out with his teeth and held it up for her. She was surprised and began to refuse it, but he held it with such determination. She couldn't turn down her son. She nodded gratefully and delicately took it with her mouth.

The calf excitedly started dancing around in a circle before returning to his own meal. 

By the time the two had had their fill, it was time for them to go. The mother looked toward the sky. It would be night time soon. She glanced at her son and his blinking nose. They'd have to find some shelter quickly.

While walking, her son wasted no time with exploring their surrounding. Sniffing at little holes under fallen trees. Partially following animal tracks, before realizing he was going too far from his mother. Leaping at birds, only to wind up head first in a pile of snow. Throughout all of it, his mother was patiently waiting for him to get each out of his system before continuing their trek. She understood his excitement of course. He had lived his entire life so far in their original den. And now that they'd left, he'd want to explore the world around him. He was such a excitable little thing . She loved him so much.

But that nose of his. It always brought so much attention to the two of them. They'd left their original herd, because they were ostracized. They feared his nose. They said it'd bring misfortune, especially at night. As those... night creatures would be attracted to its glow. They were right. As long as they've traveled, the night was always dreaded. In the darkness of the woods, there'd always be eyes watching them. The wind would carry a chill that shook them both to their very core. But It wasn't from the cold. It was from fear. They'd always take shelter in abandoned dens and  caves to avoid attacks from those stalking them in the night. This was their nightly routine. 

And fortunately, on this night, there was another reprieve. A little den, that looked just big enough for the two of them to be able to crawl in and stretch their legs. After giving the area an inspection it had all the right signs. No recent tracks going in or out of the den. There were no other smells of any other animal around it either. This den was abandoned. Perfect.

Looking back to her son she found that he was once again deep in a snow pile. Probably searching for a little critter. She shook her head, and then snorted to catch his attention. His head popped up from the snow, causing her to giggle. After shaking the snow off of his body, he happily trotted over to his mother. Lovingly rubbing his head against her leg. She met him there and returned the affection by licking the top of his head. His little antler nubs were starting to poke through. Where had the months gone? He was growing so much, so fast.