Deviation Actions
Literature Text
“Jack!”
Sara had followed the Wildsoms through a portal, and to an unusual place. Sara glanced about her, unsure of their exact location. They now stood in front of a small cottage, located in the middle of nowhere. A vast tundra, cold and broad, stretched forth on all sides of them. It was decked with some shrubbery, but very little trees. It was a miracle that they had found a patch of woods to set up a portal in.
“I don’t understand,” Sara questioned as Snow banged ferociously upon the door of the cottage, “Why do we need his help? Can’t we just use a portal to get to the North Pole? Even one in the sky is manageable.”
“The North Pole is protected by incredible magicks,” Nessah explained, “If they don’t want someone to find them, that someone will never find them. We’ll need a local to get past their spells.”
“No offense to you, Snow, but I don’t trust Jack,” Sara hesitated, “Native or no, I feel as though he would love a chance to double-cross us. I mean, his son tried to-“
“I know what his son tried to do,” Snow replied, “But all we need is transportation. Once he’s got us there, he can leave again. We’ll find another way back. Jack!” Snow rapped on the door insistently, “Oh, I hope he’s home.”
“Go away!” a voice echoed. Nessah, Snow, and Sara all looked up. A window above the door was open, and a man had stuck his head out. The man’s hair was an odd shade of light blue. It stood straight up in the air, glistening with ice. His chin was adorned with a goatee of the same style. He wore a dark blue outfit. The man scowled down at them.
“Jack!” Snow shouted up at him, “We need your help!”
“No!” Jack shouted back, both hands gripping the wooden window frame with much intensity, “I don’t care if you’re my sister, get lost!”
“Jack,” Nessah said severely, “We just need you to get us to the North Pole. Then you may leave again, and we’ll be out of your icy hair.”
“Hah! The North Pole,” Jack leaned on the frame, sneering, “Why don’t you ask that stupid grinning boy if he’ll take you there?”
“Are you saying you won’t, or you can’t?” Sara folded her arms.
“I’m saying I won’t, sorceress,” Jack jabbed his index finger at her, “And there’s nothing you can do to change my mind! You know my powers stop yours dead. There will be no forcing me! Not even Mr. Bodybuilder can get me to change my mind, because he can’t reach me!”
“Jack!” Snow scolded, “You owe me a favor! Don’t you remember the rampaging saber tooth? If it hadn’t been for me, you would’ve been killed!”
Jack hesitated at this. Nessah smirked. Snow waited patiently for his response. Finally, Jack scowled deeply.
“Fine!” Jack shouted, slamming the window shut. It closed with a clatter, making everyone below jump. Silence fell abruptly, during which Snow casually dusted her hands.
“He’ll be out in a moment,” Snow remarked. She looked at Nessah, “He’ll still be reluctant, though. You know what to do, Nessah?”
Nessah nodded with a wolfish smile. He shifted his position, so that when the door opened, he would be behind it. Sara raised a questioning eyebrow. All three of them could hear Jack crashing around within his home.
The door flew open. There stood Jack, in the flesh. The rest of his outfit was revealed now. He wore the thick robe of a mage. The robe flowed down around him, hiding his feet. Jack’s powerful aura threatened to knock them all flat. He glowered at them with icy blue eyes.
“I hope you realize what you have unleashed,” Jack hissed, “I am Jack Frost, the son of Old Man Winter, the immortal, the-“
Nessah leapt from behind the door, pouncing upon Jack abruptly. Nessah hooked his elbow around Jack’s neck and his left arm, seizing his wrist with the opposite hand. In a moment, Nessah had grabbed Jack in a half-nelson. Jack let out a strangled shout, the rest of his speech instantly ceased.
“I hate it when you do that!” Jack shouted. Nessah chuckled.
“Wuss,” Nessah grinned. Jack deadpanned.
The North Pole...
“These are the stables,” Santa explained, leading Rayon through a doorway. Santa had decided to give Rayon a tour of the place, so that he would be able to operate more efficiently. Rayon glanced around him as he stepped into the stable. The place was an impressive size, and housed many reindeer. Bare rafters above their heads stored hay, accessible by ladder. As for the reindeer, Rayon noticed that they were mostly does and fawns.
“Is your main crew in here?” Rayon asked.
“Why, yes, but I don’t know if you’d like to meet them at the moment,” Santa hesitated, “They always get sort of rowdy directly before the big day.”
“I don’t mind,” Rayon said, shoving his hands in his pockets, “I mean, heck, I’m rowdier year-round.”
“Oh, I know,” Santa chuckled. He stepped around a corner, “Come on, this way.”
Rayon squinted, and then followed a moment later. Santa unlatched a stall door, and he and Rayon stepped through. Opening up before them was a fancier part of the stable. A red carpet was stretched across the walkway, and bore many hoof prints. Stalls lined either side of the passageway, but were, for some reason, empty. Rayon squinted with confusion. The stalls still had hay, and all of the water and food the reindeer would require. Some even had ribbons, obviously from reindeer competitions of some kind.
“Where are the reindeer?” Rayon questioned.
A large wad of spit splattered into Rayon’s hair. Rayon leapt back, letting out a shout of surprise. He looked around wildly, and then finally glanced up. Santa stopped at this, deadpanning.
“Comet!” Santa scolded sharply, wagging his index finger at the ceiling above them, “You naughty reindeer, don’t do that!”
Rayon’s eyes widened. Above his head were close to eight male reindeer. They were in the air, and flying about every which way. The reindeer were all chortling hysterically upon Comet’s success. Rayon squinted at them.
“Bulls-eye, Comet!” one of the reindeer guffawed, “You hit him right in the head!”
“I try,” replied another, grinning proudly.
“They can talk?” Rayon asked, looking at Santa with amazement, “I mean, I knew a lot of animals could talk, but never deer.”
“We’re magical deer, pinhead,” piped up another reindeer, “Why do you think we’re flying?”
Rayon stared at him, dumbfounded. The reindeer leaned over to another, whispering something. All the reindeer instantly burst into laughing again. Rayon stiffened a little at this. Santa stepped forwards.
“That’s enough, that’s enough!” Santa exclaimed, “All of you, back to your stalls. That’s enough fun for now.”
Slowly, but obediently, each reindeer drifted down from the ceiling. They went to their own stalls, moving almost in formation. Rayon looked each of them over, and then seemed confused. He looked at Santa once more.
“None of them have red noses,” Rayon posed, “Where’s Rudolph? Is he just a myth, or...?”
“Oh, Rudolph,” Santa shook his head slowly, “He was always anti-social. He’s probably still in his stall. Go look,” Santa gestured to a stall at the very end of the row, “I’m sure he won’t mind if you said hello.”
Rayon moved down the rows of stalls. As he walked, he spied a name-plate above each stall. They were golden plaques, each with the name of the reindeer calligraphied on them. Rayon squinted at each as he went past: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. Some of the reindeer squinted shiftily at Rayon. Another grinned like a dork. The rest seemed not to care.
Rayon made it down to the end of the stable. He looked at the golden plaque above. It bore the name ‘Rudolph’, in the same style as the others. Rayon looked within, resting his hands on the frame of the stall.
“Hello?” Rayon called out.
Within the stall, Rayon saw a lone reindeer. He was male, and maybe a little younger than the others, but still fully grown into his antlers. The reindeer was lying on the floor, his backside facing the door. He looked up uncaringly upon hearing an unfamiliar voice. This reindeer’s nose was a bulbous, rounded thing. It was literally bright red, and the brightest red Rayon had seen in quite a while. There was a powerful glow about it. The reindeer squinted at him.
“Who are you, and why are you bothering me?” Rudolph snapped.
“I’m sorry,” Rayon said, “I’m just visiting. So, um, hello, I guess.”
“Go away.”
Rudolf lifted from his stall, flying steadily up into the air. Rayon watched him go, feeling a little miffed inwardly. Rudolf disappeared into the rafters. Rayon glanced to his right as another reindeer tapped him on the shoulder.
“Don’t mind Rudolph,” said the reindeer. He seemed one of the oldest of the group. The name-plate above his stall said ‘Dasher’. The reindeer continued, “He never really recovered from some of the teasing when we were young.”
“Hey flashlight face!” Vixen shouted, “Enjoying the view from the rafters?”
“And apparently,” Dasher frowned, “Some of us are still young.”
Elsewhere...
“So, Jack,” Snow said conversationally, “What have you been up to?”
“Not much,” Jack grumbled, “I was hoping to enjoy the holiday season without any rubbish relatives showing up.”
“Bah humbug to you,” Nessah remarked.
“There,” Jack said finally, ignoring Nessah, “I’ve prepared a spell that will let us teleport right outside Santa’s workshop. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Sara nodded.
Jack activated the spell. With a rush of magic, he, Nessah, Snow, and Sara had been plucked off the tundra. Away they went, disappearing into the unknown. Jack grumbled all the way.
Don’t worry, Rayon, Sara thought, We’re coming.
Santa’s Workshop...
Rayon had been given a bunk in the elf’s housing. It was the largest bunk they could find. It was a little cramped, but Rayon had curled up and fit in just fine. Night was falling at the North Pole, and after a long tour, Rayon was ready to sleep. He glanced over the edge of the bunk. Each row of bunks was stacked up, twenty tall. Rayon was at the very top.
Rayon closed his eyes, beginning to settle in. Before he could fall asleep, however, his ears picked up on something else. He suspected that the wall he was up against was the only barrier between him, and the control center in the main workshop. If he focused, he could hear everything going on.
“We have intruders!” a voice rang out from the opposite side of the wall. It was a little faint, but Rayon could still hear it, “Four humanoids! Two females and two males!”
What?
“One of them is Jack Frost, sir! What do we do about him?”
Santa’s reply came, but it was too soft for Rayon to hear. Then, the elf began to speak again.
“Right away, sir! Quick, to the stables! We’ll get the reindeer harnessed up.”
“What!” shouted another elf, “They’ve gotten in! Sound the alarms!”
A piercing noise shook the entire workshop, the sleeping quarters included. Rayon jumped clear out of his socks, and then firmly bashed his elbow off the wall. Luckily for Rayon, the elbow in question was the one that belonged to his metal arm.
Rayon leapt from the bunk. He seized either side of the ladder. Without bothering to grab any foot holds, Rayon slid down the ladder. With a rush, he had reached the bottom. His boots were resting at the foot of the ladder- with many other elfin ones- but he didn’t bother stopping to grab them.
The Workshop...
Rayon sprinted into the workshop, barefoot. He was alarmed at what he saw. There, in the middle of the room, were Nessah, Snow, and Sara. They were surrounded on all sides by elves with tasers. Nessah bared his teeth at them, growling nastily. Sara prepared to cast a shield. Snow, meanwhile, was squinting out the door they had come in. Jack Frost was nowhere in sight.
“Guys!” Rayon shouted. All three of them looked up.
“Rayon!” Sara cried, “There you are! I’ve been worried sick! What happened?”
The elves stepped to the side. Rayon raced to Sara, and the two embraced. Nessah’s shouldered lowered at the sight of the happy reunion. He clapped Rayon on the back, making both Rayon and Sara stumble.
“Nice to have you with us again, Rayon,” Nessah said.
“Where did Jack go?” Snow questioned, “He was here a moment previous, but now-“
“Santa’s been kidnapped!” a voice rang out, and an elf ran in from the stables, “Someone snatched him away in the chaos of the intruder’s entrance!”
“What?!” Rayon exclaimed. He released Sara, spinning to face the elf, “Right from the stables?!”
Rayon sped for the scene of the crime. In a moment, his companions had followed him. Into the stable they charged. They instantly saw the hole in the roof, which was almost directly above the stalls of the lead team. The reindeer were in hysterics. Despite this, though, one still managed to spit at the newcomers.
Rayon ducked when he saw the spit coming. Nessah, however, did not. A wad of spit hit Nessah directly between the eyes. Nessah reeled, growling with great disgust. He squinted at the offender. Comet grinned blatantly.
“Got ‘im!” Comet cackled. The other reindeer chorused praise.
Nessah jabbed his index finger at Comet, “I kill your kind on a regular basis, and then I eat them.”
“Now is not the time, Nessah,” Snow refuted. She facepalmed steadily, “I’ve been a fool. It was Jack! We lead him right to Santa.”
“It couldn’t have been Jack,” chorused a voice.
Into the stable strolled Jack. Everyone stared at him. Jack waved, “Jack is still here.”
“What?” Sara squinted, “If it wasn’t you, then-“
“One of the reindeer is missing!” an elf exclaimed, “It’s-“
“Rudolph!” Rayon shouted.
Nessah stared at him, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer kidnapped Santa Claus? I’ll be darned.”
“We have to go after them,” Sara said, pointing out the hole in the roof.
“Minor problem here,” Rayon spread his arms, “You guys have magic spells to fly, but I don’t. I can only fall with style.”
“Maybe you can’t fly,” Snow nodded to the reindeer, “But they can.”
Outside...
“Rudolph, what are you doing?” Santa cried. He was being lead away through the air, upon Rudolph’s back. Rudolph cast a scornful eye upon him.
“Getting my revenge,” Rudolph snapped, “Everyone always made fun of me because of my nose. They only stopped when they realized they could use it to their advantage! Even then, the reindeer still pick on me.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Rudolph,” Santa patted him on the head, “But don’t you think it would be better if we just talked about this?”
“Forget it! If I kidnap you, there will be no Christmas!”
Santa frowned severely, “You know my work is only a small fraction of what Christmas truly stands for.”
“Whatever. What is that?!” Rudolph whirled in mid-air. Santa seized him by the antlers, to keep from being flung off.
There, flying at a steady pace towards them, was Rayon. He was upon Dasher’s back. Dasher was gaining on Rudolf rapidly, moving at a steadily increasing clip. Rayon grinned cockily upon making eye contact with Rudolph. Rudolph squinted.
“No you don’t!” Rudolph shouted, and charged into a dive.
“Follow that reindeer!” Rayon exclaimed.
“With pleasure,” Dasher chuckled.
Rudolf leveled out, inches above the ice of the North Pole below. Dasher shot after him, going just as fast. Rayon held on tightly. The cool arctic air whistled through his clothing and hair, making him shiver. Nonetheless, man and deer continued their flight.
“That’s it,” Rayon muttered, “Dasher, keep him near the ground. My friends will be along soon.”
“What’s the plan?”
“See,” Rayon explained, “Mr. Frost can teleport quite efficiently. I think he’s even better than Frg.”
“That’s nice, but what does it have to do with-“
Rudolph let out an odd noise as a teleportation spell was activated. Jack Frost, Nessah, Snow, and Sara suddenly appeared in front of him. Sara cast a shield, which Rudolph saw a moment too late. Only able to slow down a little, Rudolph’s head collided with it, resulting in a firm crack. The shield flickered, but held.
Nessah swooped in, seizing Santa from the back of the deer. Rudolf staggered away from the shield, stunned. Snow seized the reindeer by his bridal, holding him fast. Sara smiled, pleased that they had caught him.
Dasher slowed to a stop, and landed with grace. He went from flight to a swift trot. Dasher approached the scene, Rayon atop his back. Even before Dasher had made it all the way to his comrades, Rayon had leapt off. He galloped up to them.
“Nice work, guys!” Rayon said, “We caught the rogue reindeer.”
“Thank you for all your help,” Santa said, “Even you, Jack. I’m surprised at your helpfulness.”
“Eh, put a stocking in it,” Jack scoffed.
“I suppose I’ll have to talk to Rudolph about this whole matter when he recovers,” Santa patted Rudolph gently, “I’ll be able to shape him up eventually, I suppose. But in the meantime... how can I thank you for helping?”
“We saved Santa Claus. That, by itself, is enough,” Nessah smiled, “Right, guys?” There was a chorus of nods and murmured agreement.
“Pfft,” Jack folded his arms crankily, “I was gonna ask for a Ferrari.”
Heroicits...
“You’re back laaaaate,” Sandra said, an accusing tone in her voice, “Even later than when I usually go to bed, which is really late. I love being a night owl.”
Rayon and Sara had returned home. They went up the stairs together at a steady rate, Sandra lecturing them all the while. Sara only smiled upon hearing Sandra’s accusations.
“We were held up by some business in the north,” Sara replied, “Personally, I’m looking forwards to a good night’s sleep.”
Sara drifted down the hall, leaving Rayon and Sandra standing together. Sandra poked Rayon, “So are you done squashing my childhood yet?”
“Nope!” Rayon grinned, “In fact, I’m thinking up more verses for that song you like,” he lifted his tenor voice, “Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer! He got kinda cranky in his old age, wound up kidnapping Santa-“ Rayon hesitated, and then added swiftly, “And there were elves with tasers!”
“What.”
Rayon ran after Sara heroically, “And to all a good night!”
The end.
