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  The hair on his head denoted age, but his face was youthful and unlined, the sparkling blue eyes showed a wisdom that she was unused to seeing in those who walked on two legs.

  His head turned to look at her, and he smiled. “Am I in the presence of the famous wolf who guards these woods?”

  Being addressed directly in a language that she could understand was definitely unusual. She crept forward cautiously, and her intruder went down on one knee with peculiar grace.

  She stepped forward until she was ten feet from him.

  “Forest spirit, I have a boon to ask of you. I would speak to you in a form more conducive to communication.”

  She sat and cocked her head.

  “A form similar to my own would suffice.”

  Sighing, she shifted from her comfortable and four-footed wolf shape into something he could speak with. Her human shape, kneeling in the snow.

  His wise eyes looked surprised. “You are so young!”

  She held up her hands and looked at the naked and pink skin that she was wearing. “I do not age as humans age.”

  He removed his cloak and wrapped it around her.

  She smiled at him. “I also do not get cold. Now, who are you, and why are you in my forest?”

  “Well, Rudolph, I am in dire need of help.”

  She cocked her head. “Who are you?”

  “Have you heard of the gods of the Norse folk?”

  She shook her head. “I cannot say that any have crossed my path.”

  He looked perplexed, but he continued. “I am Odin. The gods have left this world, but I retain their power. I do not wish to drift off into the ether. I wish to make a place for myself in this world.”

  She blinked and nodded. “Congratulations. Why have you come here?”

  “I have heard of the wolf who walks these woods, the wolf who helps guide travellers home. No matter the weather, you always guide them home. I need you to help me to find a place where the last power of the fading gods has taken refuge.”

  She rose to her feet. “Is it nearby?”

  He cocked his head. “Not really. It is through the sky and nestled between the aurora borealis and the stars.”

  “I cannot walk there in this form. Certainly, not carry you there. I have another shape for the purpose of carrying those who need help, but I cannot speak to you while in that form.”

  He smiled slightly. “So, you can take me there? You can sense it?”

  “You have described it, and the world is not so full of wonders that such power can hide. I can see it.” She looked up toward the distant horizon.

  “Will you take me there? I cannot get there alone.”

  He was standing close to her, and she found his presence calming. “Is it your home?”

  “I would like it to be. There are elves here who need a home away from the humans and other species who need to be brought to safety. The first step is to find it.”

  She nodded. “Why did you call me Rudolph?”

  “It means famous wolf. As you have not ventured a name, I had to give you one.”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  He chuckled. “It is a human thing. You will get used to them.”

  She shrugged. “I doubt it.”

  She took off the cloak and handed it to him, taking the shape of the best runner she knew that could also carry a rider.

  The reindeer she wore stamped its feet, and he didn’t hesitate. He put his cloak across her back, and with a tremendous leap, he landed on her back.

  She took a few steps and noted that his footprints appeared without any other lead in. Whatever he was, he had not needed her for transport.

  She took a few steps and launched herself skyward. The energy he had described was hidden in the moment between night and dawn, so she ran across the arc of the sky, seeking that moment.

  Her rider held tight to her horns, and when she finally got to that moment and plunged through, he shouted in surprise.

  The light of the aurora wrapped around them and clung to them as they passed from the human world into something that had never seen it.

  She landed in a world of snow and light. Her hooves stamped on the ground made of magic and ancient power.

  Her rider didn’t dismount. He was squirming on her back, and to her shock, he wrapped something around her neck.

  She bucked and tried to throw him off. The wrapping around her neck tightened, and the red glow was unmistakably what had been on his belt.

  With a tremendous heave, she dislodged her rider and turned on him, her antlers lowered.

  She tried to change into her wolf form, and she couldn’t. She was trapped. She ran at him, and he moved out of the way. It was the beginning of a very long fight.

  Odin sat with his head bloody, and she was lying exhausted on the ground.

  “I am sorry, Rudolph. I needed you. I have been looking for someone like you for centuries, over a thousand years, actually.”

  She huffed, blowing hard against the ground.

  He stroked her head and scratched between her ears. “It is a new era, Rudolph. The gods of old are fading and gone, the new ones are full of hope and good will. The humans still need us, but we have to take a new form, reshape us for the new age.”

  He stroked her muzzle before putting his cloak over her. “You can shift to human now, but your wolf is out of your reach.”

  She sighed but shifted to her human form. “Why do you need me? I was content in my forest.”

  “The elves need a place to live. We need to bring them here, and while they have steeds that can lead them here, no one can find the place without you.”

  She cocked her head. “Elves left the human world centuries ago.”

  He grinned. “In your time. This place is out of time. We will come and go as we please until we have things the way we want them. Then, we will nest ourselves into the human mythos, watching for those who have been naughty and rewarding those who are nice.”

  She blinked. “You want to watch the humans that closely?”

  Odin shrugged. “I feel it when I look at them. I was not only king of the gods, but the all-seeing. I am willing to share that power with elves as humanity expands.”

  She touched the heavy collar around her neck. “And so, you bound me to help you?”

  “This is an exciting venture, Rudolph. I needed power, guidance and a partner. You fill those requirements. I am sorry for the deception, and I swear to never try and trick you again.”

  She looked at him and extended her hand. “If you swear it, I will help you. This is completely insane, but I will do it. I am not sure if Rudolph is a proper name for me.”

  He grinned. “I swear to honour you for your efforts and never take you for granted.”

  They clasped hands, and a partnership was struck.

  * * * *

  “What the hell? How long have you been standing there with the window open, Ru?” Santa came in and shut the window, turning her and bustling toward the table and chairs.

  “I don’t feel the cold.” She brushed the snow off her tunic, and she shrugged.

  Santa grabbed a quilt off her bed and wrapped her in it. “Humour me. Can you summon some tea?”

  She waved her hand and shaped a tea service out of the magic of the dimensional bubble. She picked up a cup, filled it and sipped the hot peppermint tea.

  Ru sat in the bundle of quilt with her breath still frosting the air.

  “What had you so lost in thought?” Santa took her hand.

  She looked at him with a small smile. “The day we met. I was remembering your promise not to trick me and to never take me for granted.”

  He blushed. “Ah, I suppose that I broke that promise.”

  “You did, but she was wonderful.”

  “She was. Humans are born to flit through life, but this time of year always reminds me of the night you brought her home.”

  Ru smiled and sip
ped at her tea, remembering a Christmas long past when folks regularly died in the cold and having family meant surviving.

  * * * *

  “What are you doing, Rudolph?” Odin held the reins of the small sleigh that she was pulling.

  Ru lifted her head and sensed the fading life in the forest. She pulled the sleigh through the trees, and she paused next to the form huddled against the thick trunk of an oak. The young woman was shivering wildly, and her life was fading.

  “It is a human, Rudolph. Humans die.”

  Ru continued to the woman and touched her with her muzzle, pawing at her clothing.

  Odin sighed and grumbled, leaving the sleigh to pick up the woman that Ru was insisting on rescuing.

  When they were both in the sleigh, she lifted off and flew them back to the workshop. The elves made clothing and essentials to give to the humans to help them through the winter, and Odin had delivered them. The sleigh was much lighter, even with their rescued woman as ballast.

  She cruised through the sky and pulled them all home.

  Ru kept her windows closed and a fire going. The woman was in her bed, and she slowly stirred. “Where am I?”

  Ru smiled. “My home. I am Ru. What is your name?”

  “Kresida. I thought I was going to die.” She trembled and tears formed in her eyes.

  Ru sat next to her, taking her hand. “You are alive and well. You will have food and clothing and be safe for the rest of your life.”

  Kresida sobbed and clung to Ru’s hand. It took her nearly an hour to share her story of being cast out of her home when her parents died and the lord of the manor decided to take over their property. He had cast her out in the cold, and her death had been the expected result.

  Ru got Kresida a gown to wear, and the woman had cried again at the rich fabric with the elaborate embroidery. Ru summoned a meal for her and watched while she ate.

  “When you are feeling up to it, I will show you around your new home.”

  “I think I need some more rest.” Kresida smiled and pushed aside her empty plate. “I appear to have died and you are my angel.”

  Ru blinked. “What is an angel?”

  Odin’s voice sounded from the doorway. “An emissary of god. She thinks she has died and this is the afterlife.”

  Kresida looked at Odin wearing his tight leather tunic and trousers, and a blush formed on her cheeks.

  Ru looked between them and frowned. There was a chemistry in the air that she usually sensed when beasts were ready to mate. She was still too young for that sort of thing. She wouldn’t be physically mature for four hundred years.

  “Odin, this is Kresida. Kresida, this is Odin.” Ru made the introductions.

  “My dear saint. Thank you for my rescue.”

  Odin came forward and kissed Kresida’s hand. “It was not me who rescued you, but Rudolph in all her glory. She led me to you and insisted that I bring you here.”

  Kresida smiled. “But it was you who lifted me from the snow. I remember that much.”

  Ru snorted. They were lost in each other’s eyes. This is what her instinct had tried to show her. Kresida belonged to Odin.

  * * * *

  Ru sipped at her tea. “You were her saint.”

  “Yes, though you saved her. I can never thank you enough for that. The time we shared taught me so much about humanity and how it changed. They were more than simple energy sources for us. They needed to believe as much as we needed them to believe it.” Santa smiled and sipped at his own tea.

  She nodded. “It seems like only yesterday. I wish that time didn’t speed by. It feels like she was just with us, but I know it was a long time ago.”

  “I am not sorry that I moved you through time. It was necessary to get us to this point where the world needs us the most. If I had not come to you then, we would not be here now.”

  She nodded. “I understand the logic. So, do you have any questions for me?”

  He sighed. “Yes, why now?”

  She smiled. “Because they are all adults, and a life alone, even an eternal one, is a gloomy prospect. They were not made reindeer by their choice but by mine. The least I could assure them was a mate that would live as long as they did.”

  “So, this wasn’t just about sex?” He smirked.

  “Nope. This was about companionship, about finding partners for them. I didn’t have one, and I know how much that hurts, so I wanted to make sure that they all had someone they could depend on.”

  Santa froze. “You are breaking my heart.”

  She sipped at her tea. “You already broke mine; I just didn’t know it at the time.”

  He sighed. “You brought her into my life.”

  Ru shook her head and chuckled. “Not Kresida. After she passed on. You treated me like a beast, a means to an end. We were no longer partners. I was your creature, and since I am bound to you, there was not much I could do.”

  “I never... I didn’t mean... I just had to deal with losing someone again.” He ran his hand over his face.

  “I know that you had just worked through losing the other gods when we first met. You made a plan, and you took action. You were alone, and you found a companion. That was the man I was waiting to see when Kres died. Instead, she faded and you went with her, remaining in limbo while the world turned around you. Yes, you attended to the humans, but you left me behind.”

  He got to his feet and left her alone. She sighed and rubbed her forehead before drinking more tea.

  When she had gotten her despair under control, she walked to the window and let the winter in once again.

  Below her, she could see the elf village, the goblin towers, the dwarf warrens glowing under the snow. They had rescued as many as they could from the encroachment of the humans. The ones who lived close by had committed to helping Santa in his rounds.

  Kresida had acted as advisor to the elves and had helped select the presents that they were to give to those who deserved and needed.

  * * * *

  “Ru, you need to get out. You need to find a man and enjoy life.” Kresida grinned, her dark hair already silver at the temples.

  “That isn’t really in the cards for me. I suppose I am destined to work.” Ru smiled and looked over the detailed map of human habitation.

  “Well, then, you need some more reindeer. I don’t know where you came from, but I am pretty sure that there are more like you somewhere.” Kres chuckled.

  Ru blinked and looked at the map. The human species was only going to keep increasing. A few more bodies pulling the sleigh wouldn’t hurt.

  “I need to speak about that with Odin—uh, Santa.” She smiled and used the new name that Kres had saddled her husband with.

  Of course, there were no others like her, not yet. She hadn’t come into being yet. Time travel was tricky.

  Ru paced while Santa sat behind his desk. “Kres has a point. It is tiring getting you everywhere you need to go. I need some backup. I have an idea, but it will require the use of some of that Christmas magic you have been hoarding.”

  He frowned. “I haven’t been hoarding it.”

  “You have, but I need it. I need eight snowflakes and your power to throw them across time. I have very specific folks in mind, but I can’t open the gateway on my own.” She tapped the ruby collar she still wore.

  He nodded. “When did you want to do this?”

  “I already know where the girls are. We can do it now and collect them in a few years.”

  He sighed and went to the wall, pulling out the box that had melded into wood. “If you and Kres think it is a good idea.”

  Ru smiled, and together, they went to the top of her tower to throw the power of Christmas through time and space to create her team.

  Eight baby girls were chosen, each one on the brink of death. A snowflake touched their skin, and each began to thrive and grow.

  Ru knew where each and every one of her team were growing u
p and maturing. She would have to build a home for them before they were brought to the workshop.

  * * * *

  Ru walked to the top of the tower and stared at the sky and the portals that opened to thousands of points in time. Somewhere, she was waking and walking for the first time two hundred years in the past. She remembered the woods greeting her and the creatures within it coming to pay her homage. She was a tiny bit of the spirit of the earth itself, and now, she was helping to keep that spirit flourishing in other beings.

  “I thought I would find you up here.” Santa’s voice sounded behind her.

  “I thought you had run away to try and ignore me again.” She turned and stopped still. He was holding an armload of roses that had a familiar gleam.

  “I have brought you a peace offering. These are flowers crafted by the dwarves. They can withstand any temperature as they are made of ruby and emerald.” He offered them to her.

  She chuckled and took them. They even smelled like roses somehow. “Thank you. I suppose I don’t have to put them in water.”

  He nodded. “You are correct. So, would you care to adjourn to your rooms where I can be more comfortable?”

  She laughed. He was resistant to the cold as well. “Fine. I need to change clothing anyway.”

  “It was a bad habit that she got you in to.”

  Ru grinned. “It is the only fun one.”

  She led the way down the stairs, cradling her precious flowers.

  In her quarters, she summoned a vase and set the flowers in it.

  “I still don’t know how you do that.”

  “Well, I don’t do it around my team. It would freak them out, but since I am bonded to this pocket dimension, it does what I ask.”

  Santa asked softly, “Is that why she was alive so long?”

  Ru glanced at him. “I asked it to give her what it could. Three hundred years was all that could be managed.”

  “I am thankful for every moment. I now have a question for you.”