"First, we need to get him blood." Otso waved to a cart of medical supplies some elves were wheeling in from their emergency stock they kept on hand in case Otso had to make a house call. Something he insisted on after an unfortunate instance with an elf in the workshop. "I need a blood transfusion line set up, you can do that?"
Tess nodded and rand over to the medical supplies She quickly sanitized her hands, pulled on some gloves and got to work.
"Now I just need blood." Otso said with a growl.
"He's A positive, I 'm a match." Tess said calmly, she was just focusing on her work now. The reindeer not looking like Eric was helping to keep her calm, it wasn't her son on the table, just another patient.
"We was A positive." The doctor muttered. "When he had human blood. The change isn't just cosmetic, it goes right down to the genet.." Otso whipped his head up and pointed right at Bix. "You. You're the one taking him in, aren't you?" Bix nodded, his usually stoic façade more than a little cracked. "Have you done the Blood Bonding yet?"
"No. The Neuvosto was still discussing his situa.." Otso interrupted him with a snap of his fingers.
"I don't need the long explanation. We're doing it now." The wolf summoned over one of the elves. "I need you to get a few ingredients. Clean water, reindeer moss, some...." The doctor stopped talking as Bix held out a cloth pouch.
"As I was saying, we were going to do it when he got back. Here's what you need." Otso took the pouch with a sigh.
"I hope you won't be too offended doing it here rather than the traditional spot." It was more a rhetorical question from the doctor than a serious one, but Bix still shook his head. "Is the line ready? Good." He handed Tess the pouch. "Heat water, place this in it to steep for at least two minutes."
She worked as she spoke, Otso examining other damage. "What is this?"
"Reindeer tradition." Bix answered while the doctor was busy. "When someone joins the tribe they have to join a family. There's a blood bonding ritual that we do as part of the adoption."
"And how is some tea and an adoption supposed to help." Tess snapped, but she kept most of the heat out of her voice.
"Three broken ribs, all on the same side, doesn't seem to be a lung puncture though, that's good." Otso was muttering. He looked up at Tess. "Because it's part of the transformation, the final part and unique to the reindeer tribe. He took care of most of the change on his own, but this he still needs help with. I don't know his blood type, and I don't have time to run tests. So my best hope is a family member I know is probably compatible. We don't have one, so we're making one."
"I studied the blood bond a bit when that fox joined your tribe five years ago." Otso said to Bix. "It's a subtler change, but as far as I can tell, it does work down on the genetics to make the recipient a member of the adopting family. Some minor physical changes occur, nothing spectacular, but quite a bit happens below the surface. The second bonus is it gives him a jolt of the transformation magic, which likes to try to fix things when its around, so might patch up some of the worst problems." Tess handed over a steaming cup of tea. Ah.. perfect. Bix, I need a finger."
Bix held out his hand over the tea cup, knowing what was next. A prick of the finger and a drop of blood into the mixture. It began to glow softly with a blue-green light. "Bix, hold his head up. Tess pour this down his throat slowly, we want his swallow reflex, not his gag reflex."
As they did, so, Otso went on with the examination. "Legs are in tact, bruised but fine. More good news, arms seem fine, as well. He may not like the lopsided antlers but shedding season is in a couple months if I recall?" Bix nodded. "Seems like it's just the ribs and some lacerations, the worst part is the blood loss from the time it took to get him here.
On the table, Eric began to glow with the same light as the tea, and Otso nodded. He grabbed the transfusion line and hooked Bix up, before doing the same with Eric. Blood flowed up and out of Bix into the hanging bag, then down into Eric. "Start suturing, if you will, Ms. Laine. There should be a razor, needle, and thread in the small black case."
"I thought you said it would heal him, too?" Bix asked from his seat.
"It is. It starts with the worst damage, see, he's finishing clotting, and.." Otso felt along his side. "Yes, the ribs are knitting as well. The skin damage is superficial, he might have some interesting scar patterns in his fur, but I think that adds character."
"This is amazing." Tess said, watching even some of the nastier tears begin to pull together as she worked. "You could use this to heal so many people."
Otso let out a gruff snort. "If only. Transformation magic isn't some healing pill you can just dole out. Especially to an unconscious person. They have to want it. If they're not willing to accept it spiritually, their body fights it physically and you'll stress their body in a time where that's the last thing it wants."
"But. He is unconscious." Bix pointed out as he looked down at Eric, the glow subsiding.
"Yes, but he can most likely still smell you and hear you. So on some subconscious level he knew it was fine and allowed it. Or the transformation felt familiar. Magic is a strange thing that doesn't like science trying to explain it. Let's just say, this is one of those times of serendipity where need and want align and leave it at that."
Tess snipped the thread and looked for another wound that might need her attention, even rolling Eric onto his side to check his back, and found only two more the magic didn't get, but were bad enough to need sewing. Bix sat in silence, but Tess saw him stroking the fur between Eric's antlers as he sat there.
Otso excused himself to wash the blood out of his fur, and Tess dampened a cloth to do the same for Eric. "You care about him." Tess said softly.
"He's my son." Bix answered simply. He looked at Eric, and noticed there were some subtle changes. The line of his mouth, the shape of his muzzle, a bit of black fur on his forehead he didn't have before, identical to a small patch both Bix and Tag had. Yet, he still looked like himself if you didn't look too closely, just a little more like his new family, if you did.
"Where does that leave us? Michael and me?" Tess asked with a frown.
"In the old days, no where. Nowadays.." Bix shook his head. "We see it more as having two families, same as if you remarried and brought in a new parent and siblings. He just has more family now."
"So. You're one of Santa's reindeer, then?" Tess asked, watching Bix. "Pulled the train into the resort."
Bix nodded, then nodded at the table. "So is he. First former human to make the team. So's his boyfriend, and my other son."
"Isä?" Came a low gruff rumble from the table, Eric's eyes fluttering open brown with the winter blue starting to come in.
"Right here." Bix said, resting his hand on top of Eric's head.
"Clyde?" Another croaked word.
"He's fine, you saved him from anything worse than a few scratches from a rough landing." Bix looked up to Tess, seeing if she was coming over but she had snapped the gloves off and was heading out of the workshop. She looked upset, and like a woman who needed time to think. Still hooked up to Eric, Bix couldn't move from his spot so just let her go.
"Not how I imagined the bonding going." Bix said a bit gruffly. In response Eric pressed his head against Bix's hand as if by reflex and drifted off again. This time sleep instead of unconsciousness.