Clyde walked alongside Eric as they trudged towards the amphitheater which was practically glowing with lanterns and candles. More reindeer than Eric had thought were filling the benches. Maybe two hundred, though supposedly some had come from outer settlements to see the human join them. "Okay, one last thing. Sorry it's so late in coming, but we can't talk about it until the ceremony has started." Clyde looked off to where the Neuvosto had gathered. "Joining the tribe is one thing, but a family has to adopt you, someone needs to claim you as a son or brother and promise to make sure you learn our ways."
"So.. you?" Eric asked, halting and looking at Clyde.
"I'm the one sponsoring you, and often the sponsor is the one but." Clyde shook his head. "If we did the tribe would see us as brothers, if dad did, some problem. It would make the mating ceremony super awkward. It's happened, but it's not ideal."
Eric chewed his lip, and Clyde touched him on the shoulder. "Clara said she'd do it. So we're covered there. You're also supposed to have someone from your tribe to give you to us, but you don't have that."
"Tom.."
"Is a fox now, won't count. It'll be fine, just say you have none of your tribe to vouch for you but promise to prove yourself." Clyde patted him on the shoulder. "Helppo." They continued forward, Eric's heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. They proceeded down to the floor, past log benches filled with reindeer, all looking on in curiosity, some with approval, none looked upset which might be a good sign. Nine elders, male and female, sat in a line on the dais, all with greyed muzzle and weighty gazes. Rudy and Clyde's father dat just left of center next to an older stag. Despite their age, none of them looked frail. Eric had never seen a frail reindeer among them, and even the eldest looked to be in good shape despite the hands resting on a cane propped in front of him.
There was a cushion on the ground in the empty space before the dais, and Eric stepped forward to kneel on it. "Who comes before the Neuvosto?" The elder spoke in a deep, clear voice.
"Clyde Rudolphinpoika." Clyde said from where he stood beside.
"And why do you come before the Neuvosto?" The elder continued, maintaining his formal air.
"To sponsor this human, Eric Laine, for membership in our tribe." Clyde replied, placing a hand on Eric's shoulder. It seemed off to call Eric a human with how he looked, but he guessed in the tribe's eyes he still was. Eric could here soft murmurs and whispers coming from the benches behind him, he thought he caught a flicked of something on some of the elder's faces, but he stayed where he was, determined to do this right.
"Do you wish to join our tribe, Eric Laine? Fully knowing you leave your old tribe behind once and for all?" The eldest leaned forward to watch him.
"I do." Eric said, loud and clear as he could. The murmuring from the benches was growing closer.
The eldest continued on as if nothing was happening. "Does this one have a member of his tribe to vouch for him?" He intoned.
Eric took a breath, preparing to speak the words Clyde had told him when a deep, rich voice spoke up, a hand landing on his other shoulder. "As a member of the human tribe, I, Joulupukki," The voice was deep and jovial, and familiar, "vouch for this young man's character. He is good and earnest, you would be well served to have him among you." Eric looked at the hand, coming from a cuff of a brown leather coat trimmed with white fur. He looked over to the sold man standing there, the fur-lined coat down to his ankles, and up around his neck where it blended with his wild white hair and full beard. Santa.
"This is accepted." The elder spoke as if this was just any person speaking up for Eric, but the whispering from the benches told him otherwise. Santa smiled down at him and he returned it tentatively.
"I told you I'd vouch for you." Santa could probably get away with speaking out of turn at these ceremonies, but the eldest still let out a polite cough.
"Is there one among us who will adopt this one into their family, claim his as son or brother. To ensure he learns our ways and always as a hearth to return to?" The elder looked out among the crowd. It was deathly silent for a long moment. Eric kept expecting to hear Clara's singsong voice to speak up claiming him as a brother. Finally he heard stirring and hooves coming closer, but the stride was wrong. On the dais, Clyde's father arched a brow but said nothing.
Clyde stepped aside, his eyes a bit wide as he saw who was approaching. A three fingered hand landed on his shoulder opposite the one Santa held. A strong, firm grip. The voice that spoke up was deep and gruff "I, Bix Ollinpoikka, will accept this one as my son, if it pleases the Neuvosto." Bix?! Eric thought in his head. BIX?!
He looked over and up at the stern buck, who looked at him with a much kinder if not softer gaze than before and gave him a nod. Eric didn't really know his real father. He knew him but he didn't know him. It was always like being in the room with a stranger when they were together. But he felt a solid warmth in that look from Bix he didn't remember feeling before and he grinned a little.
The eldest looked up and down the line of elders. "Do any of the Neuvosto object?" Not a member stirred, a few smiled. "Then it is done. Eric Bixinpoikka, you are accepted into our tribe." Santa clapped him on the shoulder one last time and turned to walk off as a few cheers broke out among the stands. Others began to file out, apparently him having been either the only, or the last business of this meeting.
Eric stood and was suddenly pulled into a tight hug by Bix. It took him an unsure moment to return it. "Why?" He finally asked.
"You did right by Tag when you offered up your spot for him. And, well, I think I see a bit of me in you. You're stubborn, lapsi, and you didn't let an old cuss like me push you around. I like that. We'll get together later, talk things out. You're family now."
"Thank you, B.." Eric stopped, wracking his brain for a moment."Isä." Bix nodded his head in approval.
"Family hug!" Came a shout and Tag was suddenly on them both, crushing all three of them together. "I've always wanted a brother! Best Christmas ever!"
Bix finally pried both himself and Tag loose, an actual smile on his muzzle. "C'mon, Tag, I think Eric and Clyde want some time, now. We'll steal him for family time later." Tag let himself be lead off, but couldn't help but give Eric a double thumbs up as he did.
"Did not expect that." Clyde said, stepping closer and pulling Eric into a more gentle hug. Eric just bobbed his head in agreement. "I bet he just wanted to brag he has two sons on the lead team, just like dad." Eric shot him a look, grinned, and nudged him in the ribs with an elbow.
"Let's get back home, I'm starving. I was so nervous I could barely eat all day." The linked arms and started the walk back.
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Tom stood outside of Clyde's house, chewing his claws a bit in a frantic tizzy. He watched reindeer after reindeer walk by, until finally the pair he had been looking for finally showed up. "Eric, I messed up." He said, holding up his hands to forestall any comments. "Mom is on her way up. I tried to video call and Lars and I lost a little control on our shapes on the call, well, more me, but I cut off before she could see too much, claiming a bad connection and a stupid video filter, but now she's worried and on her way to check in on us."
Eric moaned a little and looked over to Clyde. "How quickly can you teach me to turn human?"
Clyde groaned, then looked at Tom. "At least we can put Santa's present to use."
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Eric stood in the bathroom, staring into the mirror. trying to will himself into being human like he did going to four legs, but that was so much easier than this. The smells of cooking were wafting up from downstairs, as well as Tom grumbling that not much of it looked edible.
Eric pushed against some barrier that seemed to be in he way. He felt a tingle in his hands as his fingers began to separate, and then they snapped back together with a painful twitch. "Ahg! Damn it!"
"You okay up there?!" Clyde called from downstairs.
"No." Eric said back, knowing he sounded pouty. He looked back in the mirror and glared.
"You're trying to hard." Clyde's voice came from behind him. You need to ease it, you can't force it. Just picture being human and let it happen.
"I'm trying, it's like there's a wall there." Eric muttered, gripping the rim of the sink and tapping his antlers against the bathroom wall.
"What are you doing? Walk me through it." Clyde leaned against the doorframe and Eric peered at his reindeer's reflection in the mirror.
"I'm picturing my human self, I start to shift, just like when I go to four legs. Then I hit something and can't push past."
"Your old self?" Clyde said softly.
"Yeah, of course." Eric replied, what else.
"That's why it's not working. I told you, our animal selves bleed into our human forms. Foxes are lithe and usually short, your brother is just a freak, there. Wolves are athletic. And reindeer, we're solid, strong but quick. Try not picturing your old self, instead just think of human as a concept, like with your four leg self. You didn't have an idea of what you'd be exactly, so your thought was more broad. You're trying to force yourself into a particular shape and we can't do that. Your brother was lucky that his human self didn't change much, I think you're different." Clyde placed a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Just relax, and ease.. there you go."
Eric closed his eyes, picturing more the essence of being human than a particular human look. He could feel his body start to shift about and he opened his eyes and looked in the mirror as his muzzle pulled back into his face, his antlers retreating into his skull. He lost quite a bit of bulk but not all, as with the fur, most of it pulled back into his skin.
He saw his face in the mirror again, his human face. Almost. It was squarer, with a slightly wider nose. It still looked like him, just a slightly different version of him. His hair had gone from mousy brown, to the auburn of his fur, and sat a bit less flat on his head. He also had enough stubble on his jaw to almost count as a short beard, pretty decent for an eighteen year old if not impressive. He could barely grow chin scruff a month ago.
Gone was his scrawny, short frame. He was at least four inches taller and forty pounds heavier, pretty much all in muscle. His chest and stomach were covered in a light dusting of reddish-brown hair. Even what was between his legs was bigger than he was used to. He heaved a sigh of relief and snapped the bracelet he had waiting on the counter on his wrist, locking himself in this shape.
"Aww, I miss my scrawny little human, but you look damn sexy like this." Clyde said as he wrapped furry arms around Eric, nibbling teasingly at one of his shoulders.
"This is terrible!" Eric said as he leaned in to get a better look at himself. This was Eric the jock, not Eric the scrawny nerd.
"It's hardly terrible." Clyde replied.
"It's been less than a month since I've seen my mother last. No one changes this much in a month. My dad I might convince since he barely sees me, but mom." He winces, "She'll never believe this is me."
"Hey, Bix is your isä now." Clyde teased. "And your mom will have an easier time with this than a reindeer."
"This is going to be a disaster." Eric sighed.