Eric didn't know what to make of yesterday's revelations. Being a fan of fantasy made him want to just accept the resort's magic at face value, but part of him kept insisting it must be some elaborate trick. However, trick or not, it was pretty spectacular. Having graduated high school before the summer, he had decided to take a year off from studying and find himself. His parents worried he was on a path to being a slacker, his older brother had gotten him tickets and a reservation at this resort. He wondered just what his older brother knew, too.
Still, Eric had come to a conclusion last night. Go with the flow. There was no need to freak out over were animals and strange spells and the like, hell, it would just spice up life if it was true. So the next morning found him leaning on the resort's front counter, going through various excursions offered by the resort. He pushed his tick lensed glasses back up his nose as he looked over the brochure for Santa's Village.
"Is this real?" Eric asked, looking at Lars behind the counter, still trying to decide if that white-furred fox was his real body, a costume, or some super sophisticated animatronic.
"Of course. Real as anything else." The young fox answered with a smile, leaning on the other side of the counter.
The mouth moved right for talking, and looked like teeth and a real tongue. "But, like, Santa? Really Santa?"
"If you don't believe me you can go see for yourself." Lars shrugged, picking up another copy of the brochure. "There's lots of different things you can do up there, too. Workshop tour, a shopping trip in the village, there's even classes you can take like gift wrapping, toy making, or reindeer flying."
"Reindeer flying?" Eric said before he could stop himself, looking to that part of the brochure. "Take to the skies and learn how Santa's reindeer fly first hand."
"Perfect. You're signed up for an eleven o'clock class." Lars said, tapping something into the computer then producing a ticket he proffers to Eric with a smile. "Train leaves in thirty. When you disembark you'll see a sign for the flying grounds, just head that way."
"No.. I, uh, I, um.." Then with a small sigh he took the ticket from Lars, it was as good a place to start as any.
"Have fun!" Lars chimed brightly as he went to serve another of the resort's customers. Eric looked at the ticket in his hand and shook his head. Flying wouldn't be his first choice, but he might as well dive in with both feet, and it would show him just how real this was anyway. He made his way to the small trains that went between the resort and Santa's Village, boarding the one marked to be leaving first and taking a seat. Seems not many wanted to do this trip on the first day, so he was fairly alone on the train.
Eventually it started moving, riding along the frozen white landscape, the night sky twinkling overhead. He caught his own reflection in the window though, making him frown a little. Coke bottle glasses over brown eyes, with messy mouse brown hair, he would be best described as scrawny. Frankly, he was kind of a stereotypical nerd.
When the village came into sight he gasped. Building covered in twinkling lights dotted the landscape, towering trees festooned in ornaments and garlands of all types. The buildings were lit up brightly and seemed to radiate warmth and a welcoming air despite the frozen terrain. It was out of a storybook, or cheesy Christmas movie, but real. The train pulled into the largest building, its wooden sides painted in brilliant reds and greens.
As the train rolled to a stop he stood and got off. He almost jumped out of his skin as a man only up to his waist went walking by, carrying a box brimming over with fabric and ribbons. "Coming through!" The short man was dressed in a way that screamed Christmas elf, even to the pointed ears and peaked hat.
Eric waited for him to pass, staring for just a moment before he caught the sight of the sign he was looking for. The path to the flight grounds took him down a hallway then out into the cold arctic air. Though it wasn't as cold as he felt it should be, brisk, and just cold enough to keep the snow frozen. It was an open field with a ramp, hidden from the rest of the village by tall evergreens. He looked about then actually did jump in the air as a gruff voice behind him said, "Ticket?"
Eric whipped around and came face to face with a reindeer staring him down. Broad nose, furry muzzle, big brown eyes, and an impressive set of antlers. "Ticket?" The reindeer asked again, looking amused. He had the same accent as Lars and Fiia. Eric whipped the ticked from his pocket, and the reindeer plucked it from his hands with his own two-fingered hands.
It was with that, that Eric noticed the reindeer wasn't completely a reindeer. Like the werefoxes at the resort there was something almost human about his features, and his body was human in shape, though he stood on a pair of hooves. His fit body was covered in shaggy brown fur with cream under his chin and down his chest. He wore a pair of green shorts, and a red vest with the word staff in glittering gold letters across the breast. He held up the ticket as if looking for a watermark then nodded. "Well, might as well get started." The anthropomorphic reindeer slid the ticket into a vest pocket and grinned. "I'm Clyde. I'll be your instructor today."
"Clyde? Not like.. Comet or Blitzen?" Eric asked, looking about. It was just the two of them.
Clyde snorted and gave him a wry look. "Everyone asks about them. They were a few generations back. Comet is actually my great grandfather. I've got his old pace on the team." He beamed proudly as he said that, puffing out his chest a little.
"Wait. I thought Santa used like, actual reindeer not.." Eric tried to find the word as he looked at Clyde's two-legged form.
"Oh. That. Yeah, we can turn into normal looking reindeer and even look human. But normal reindeer? Nope, wouldn't work. You need magic reindeer to fly." Clyde patted Eric on the shoulder and went over to a wooden shed that was up against the building. "But enough about me, we're here for your flying lesson."
Eric eyed Clyde, he had imagined riding a reindeer. That mental image was taking a decidedly weird turn in his head as he looked at the reindeer rifling through some gear. "This is my first time teaching, too, so please be patient with me." He turned around suddenly, holding a pair of green shorts and a red vest like what he wore, except this one had 'Trainee' written on it rather than staff. Also hanging in his hands was what looked like a red leather collar with a single jingle bell attached to the front. "Well, get dressed." He jerked his thumb to a door in the side of the building with the words, 'Changing Room' on it.
"This?" Eric held up the shorts and then stared at Clyde. "This is the arctic! I'll freeze."
"Don't be a baby, you'll be fine." Clyde ushered Eric towards the changing room. "I wear that all the time and I'm fine, and its more than those foxes down in the resort wear."
Eric let himself be pushed into the room, and thankfully past the door it was blessedly warm, despite looking like a cross between a locker room and a log cabin. He found an empty locker and began to strip down to his underwear. He wasn't overly pleased with how much this outfit was going to show off his scrawny body but he began by pulling on the shorts. Clyde must have a good idea for sizes as they fit just right, as did the vest. Maybe a little loose. He looked at his boots. Surely he would need those back on, but then he looked at the collar.
"When in Rome." He muttered as he picked it up, buckling it around his neck so the bell was at the front. It began to ring on its own and Eric doubled over. It wasn't pain exactly, but he felt strange. His feet cramped and he had to lean up against the locker as his toes fused together into a hooves, shaggy reddish-brown fur shooting up his legs as the muscles reshaped to support his new feet. His hands cramped up, four fingers melding into two, his nails on those and his thumbs turning black. More reddish-brown fur burst out along his arms.
Creamier colored fur exploded from his chest. He gritted his teeth as he felt his face pushing out into a muzzle, his nose fusing with his mouth, nostrils reshaping. His ears slid up his head, becoming pointed as fur spread across his newly animalized face. The fur growing over his body met up, leaving him covered in a surprisingly warm pelt.
A pain in his skull made him reach up, he felt two knobs which were quickly elongating, then branching. He could feel the weight of his antlers increasing as they grew, though it ended fairly soon, hardly an impressive set. What was he thinking? He had antlers! He was a reindeer!
Eric spun around, looking for any reflective surface. The builders of this place must have anticipated the need because there was a large one right by the door. He gasped as he caught sight of himself. He had actually filled out a little, but compared to Clyde he was still pretty skinny, and his fur had a reddish tone rather than the deep brown he had seen on the reindeer, the other reindeer. He tapped his antlers, feeling along the three branches. Not impressive but why did he feel weirdly proud of them?
"Almost done?!" Called Clyde from outside.
"Yeah, just a sec!" Eric rushed over and shoved his stuff into his locker before making for the door out. As he passed through the door he felt one of this antlers catch on the frame and yank his head back. He pulled himself free and gave Clyde an ashamed smile.
"Yeah, antlers and doorframes take getting used to." Clyde crossed his arms and looked Eric up and down. "You're not a bad looking buck. How's it feel."
"Weird." Eric admitted, "But weirdly.. good? So I guess reindeer flying means..?"
"Yup, we're gonna make you fly." Clyde turned and headed towards the ramp, motioning for Eric to follow.