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Before I begin, I wish to apologize for the long delay between stories, and to thank all those who have written me with encouragement.

THE POST-CHRISTMAS PARTY

Part Five of Reindeer Games

By Gideon Kalve Jarvis

Jenny the elf girl gave a timid knock, then pushed the door to Dancer's room open once more. It'd been a little more than an hour since she and Vixen had last checked on Dasher, Dancer, and Rudolph, and Vixen was a little too occupied making some last-minute fixings to the decorations to bother waking them herself, leaving the job to Jenny instead. Jenny, being an elf, had all the longsuffering expected of an immortal. She didn't mind being taken for granted, and certainly not by someone as young (relatively speaking) as Vixen. The tiny reindeer had a lot to learn yet, but Jenny didn't doubt that Vixen would learn it all at her own pace, and in her own way. After all, if Vixen was going to remain an oversexed and somewhat selfish slut for the rest of forever, then she wouldn't have been given the job as a part of Santa's team. The same sort of thing could be said for all the Santa's sleigh team, for not a one of them was without some flaws. But over time and with some help from the magic that permeated the North Pole, even the most deeply-seated character flaw could be overcome. Each of the reindeer would have to go through some hard times, but in the end it would all work out.

"All of them except for him," mused Jenny out loud as she stepped into Dancer's bedroom, her eyes giving the three lightly dozing tiny reindeer a quick once over. "I don't think Rudolph needs to change at all. The trick will be keeping him the way he is."

Dancer's eyes flicked open at the sound of Jenny's voice. The doe glanced over at the elf with a smile, giving a wince of pleasure as she felt Rudolph's penis still inside her, just as Dasher's cock was still inside of the red-nosed reindeer's tight backside.

"Hello, Jenny," said Dancer in a slightly groggy voice, gradually coming back to full consciousness. "How are you?"

"Um, fine, Miss Dancer . . ." Jenny said, blushing heavily as she got a good look at the position of the three tiny reindeer, which hadn't been completely clear to her in the dim light of the room. "Uh, I just came to tell you that the guests were going to be arriving in about a half hour."

"And it's my turn to greet the female guests," said Dancer with a nod, carefully easing Rudolph's long and pleasantly-thick penis out of her body with many soft liquid noises. "Of course. Thank you, Jenny. I'll be right as soon as I get myself dressed in something decent. I shouldn't be long."

"You're welcome, Miss Dancer," said the elf, retreating from the room quickly. "I'll see you soon, as soon as you're . . . decent again."

Dancer glanced down at herself, then giggled, but before she could make any smart remarks, Jenny had closed the door behind her.

As Dancer stood up, Rudolph reached out to where she'd been with a few mumbled protests, then opened his eyes and looked up at her. His wide blue eyes soon found Dancer, and traced her body from head to toe in obvious admiration.

"I must have died in my sleep and gone to heaven," said the red-nosed reindeer, still a little dazed from sleeping in a new position in a new bed. "I just never figured angels would go around naked."

Dancer laughed and batted Rudolph on his softly-glowing red nose, making him snort and then come to full wakefulness, pushing Dasher off of him in the process. This caused a gush of reindeer cum to spill out onto the sheets, as Dasher had cum many times during the night while embedded deep inside Rudolph, just as Rudolph had done while inside Dancer. Dasher gave a long stretch and yawn before he looked around with a contented smile.

"It's time for the party I take it?" he said as he got out of bed and worked the kinks out of his lower back. "Good, good. We've got quite a nice bunch of guests due to arrive soon, and I want to look my best."

"You always look your best," said Dancer with another light laugh as she pushed open the door to her bathroom. "You explain the drill about the party to Rudolph, while I start freshening up. Since you're a guy, it takes you less time to get ready, after all. If it wasn't for the magic around here that makes it so easy to get and stay clean, I'd never make it with less than an hour's worth of preparation."

Dasher and Rudolph watched in open admiration as Dancer left the room, before the younger reindeer turned to the older one, and both shared a sigh of appreciation. A moment later they both broke out in a fit of giggles, which lasted for some minutes. Finally, when they were both back under control, Dasher began to talk.

"The deal about this party is pretty simple," he began. "But I'll need to explain a little bit about tiny reindeer before you know how we invite people to come to the party. There aren't that many tiny reindeer in the world, and they all live next to the North Pole. Actually, all the tiny reindeer in the world belong to the herd you came from, and which each of us also came from back when we were each picked out for the job. We're what the humans will call a 'mutation' in a couple of decades: a subspecies that's branched off from its ancestors. In this case, our ancestors are normal reindeer, with their broad nostrils, wide faces and large size.

"Out of every couple billion or so normal reindeer that are born, one will be a tiny reindeer, and Santa picks them up and moves them up to the North Pole just as soon as they're weaned. That's how the herd up here got started. Aside from our smaller size and our black padded noses, we're also a lot smarter than normal reindeer. Actually, we're about as smart as humans, except a little less prone to starting world wars and stuff like that. Donder and Blitzen were the first tiny reindeer to come to the North Pole, and soon after became the first members of Santa's team. I hear that Blitzen actually used to be Santa's personal puller on his little one-man sleigh when he was a mortal, while Donder was the son of a wild reindeer that happened to be nearby when Santa got picked up by the elves and made immortal. The way I hear the story, Donder was actually courting Blitzen behind Santa's back, though every time I ask them about it Blitzen will just smile and Donder will just laugh.

"Over the centuries a few more tiny reindeer have showed up. Comet and I are first generation tiny reindeer, or reindeer that came straight out of the wild, just like Donder and Blitzen, though we came along a lot later than them. Dancer, Prancer and Vixen are second generation tiny reindeer, some of the few children actually born to tiny reindeer, thanks to our low fertility rate, and Cupid is one of the very small number of third generation tiny reindeer out there. You're a fourth generation tiny reindeer, and I think that's the reason why your nose is so shiny: your people have been up here so long that the Christmas magic got infused into your genetics . . . uh, I mean into your bloodline." Dasher grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I try not to talk anachronistically, but it's hard when you get to know about the future."

"You get to see the future?" asked Rudolph with sincere interest. "What's it like?"

"Colder," said Dasher, frowning sadly. "And I don't mean in temperature. You'll get to see it for yourself soon enough, if the Christmas magic takes to you later on. And judging from what I've seen of you so far, I haven't got any reason to think that it won't." He reached out and ruffled Rudolph's headfur affectionately. "Now that you know where tiny reindeer come from . . ."

"The stork, got it," said Rudolph, laughing at his own joke, and making Dasher scowl a little before he also laughed.

"Anyway, now that you know about us," continued Dasher, forcing himself to keep a straight face, "you'll know why there won't be many people at the party tonight, even though we've sent invitations to every tiny reindeer via elfmail. Most of the tiny reindeer are either too old, or don't enjoy acting in a human manner. Mostly we'll have the younger second generation tiny reindeer in here, with a few of the older third generation ones thrown in. You're the oldest fourth generation tiny reindeer in the North Pole, and we don't invite minors to the party, so you won't run into any of them. This means that you'll be with the same people you grew up with, the ones just into their early adulthood, so I guess this is your chance to make up with them for what happened in the past. We've gotten back a little over two dozen affirmative answers to our invitations, so the place shouldn't be too crowded, while being just full enough to let people slip off by themselves if they want. To flesh out the group we're invited as many elves as were willing to come and mingle with mortals for a while, and even a few surprise guests from the local area."

"Surprise guests?" said Rudolph, tilting his head to one side with a slightly confused look, an expression which, unknown to him, made him look even more adorable than was normal even for him. "What do you mean?"

Dasher grinned.

"Let's just say that reindeer aren't the only species that responds to the Christmas magic of Santa's Workshop," said the lead reindeer cryptically, after which he wouldn't say anything else on that matter. "So, what are you planning on wearing? Dancer keeps a few spare pairs of pants around here, for those times when I end up staying the night."

Together the two males managed to get themselves into respectable clothing without too much hanky-panky, although there were a few times when they got pretty close to forgetting what they were about. Fortunately for them both, Dancer soon emerged from the shower, looking positively radiant, and managed to hustle them both into their clothes without further ado, after which Dasher helped Dancer into her clothes, with Rudolph looking on appreciatively. When all was said and done, Dasher was dressed in blue slacks and a green-and-blue striped sweater, Dancer was wearing a modest blue skirt that went to her knees and a pleasant white blouse, and Rudolph had been stuffed into a pair of loose khaki cutoffs and a green preppie polo shirt that obviously belonged to Dasher. He was still a little uncertain about the idea of wearing human clothes, and certainly didn't have much fashion sense on his own, but the two older tiny reindeer assured him that he looked fine, and they soon left the room, Rudolph a little behind Dasher and Dancer as the stag and doe held hands like young lovers.

Rudolph was quite stunned when he saw the setup in the main room. Though he'd helped to make some of it happen with his decorating efforts of earlier, he hadn't really taken a good look at it until now. The room was gorgeous, with sparkling light everywhere, and ribbons of more colors than he knew existed covering the ceiling and the pillars. The fireplace crackled merrily, and over against the wall opposite the fire were several long, sturdy tables covered with food of all sorts, more food than Rudolph thought was possible, and more than a herd of reindeer could eat in a lifetime, even with the help of children and grandchildren.

"Wow," said the wide-eyed buck, his mouth as wide as his eyes. "This whole place is . . . wow."

"We aim to please," said Jenny, smiling sweetly up at Rudolph. Rudolph jumped a little, since the quiet elf had seemed to appear almost from nowhere, but quickly regained his composure.

"Thanks, Jenny," said Rudolph with a big, happy smile. "I've never seen so much food and decorations and . . . and presents?" He blinked upon seeing the Christmas tree set up near the window, its numerous lights and single radiant star sending out a welcoming beacon to all who were in range of Santa's Workshop. "Wow, we get presents too?"

"Only here, and only at this party," said Jenny, still smiling at Rudolph. "Santa had us elves make things especially for every guest who's on their way, and some of the things he made up and wrapped himself, because nobody else could do it. He's the master of making the desires of the heart, after all. Though we do our best, only Santa can truly capture a dream and make it into something more."

Rudolph was at a loss for words. Not knowing what to say, he bent down and gave the elf-girl a hug. Jenny was startled by this at first, but soon relaxed as the handsome young reindeer embraced her, her rosy cheeks turning a little rosier as she enjoyed the moment. Rudolph eventually let Jenny go, and then his nose began to throb a little as he also blushed, realizing what he'd done.

"Uh, sorry Jenny," he apologized sheepishly, but Jenny just grinned, then stood on tip-toes to give the handsome buck a peck on the cheek.

"I've got to go and help dish out the food," said Jenny quietly, still blushing as she hurried off toward the tables, where three other elves were already gathering, leaving Rudolph standing at the junction of the main room and the corridor to the living quarters. He was at a loss for a moment, but soon felt a soft hand on his arm, guiding him forward. Rudolph looked to see who it was, and blinked several times as he saw Vixen, smiling at him as she walked, her svelte body looking drop-dead gorgeous in a sheer red dress that went down to only a little more than mid-thigh, her face alluring in a very human manner in eye shadow, long curled lashes, and ruby-red lipstick that somehow seemed to suit the sexy doe.

"Don't worry about Jenny," said Vixen with a knowing wink. "I intend to give her a proper display of gratitude later on this evening. But for now, come on: we've got guests to greet."

Donder and Blitzen were standing by the door as the four other tiny reindeer showed up, both of them wearing blue jeans and white t-shirts. Rudolph had to admit that the two powerfully-built tiny reindeer filled their shirts out nicely, though of course Blitzen did so in a very different manner than Donder. The red-nosed reindeer's nose started to pulse a little before he realized that he was staring, and promptly lifted his eyes back to face level. Of course, this just made his nose start to glow even brighter when he saw that both Donder and Blitzen were smirking at him, obviously having watched his entire reaction to their attire.

"Don't sweat it, hon," said Blitzen, giving Rudolph a pat on the cheek. "We're just glad to know that we look okay."

"Besides," rumbled Donder's deep voice. "I still owe you that backrub, so it's just as well that you like what we've got available, because you're probably going to see a lot more of it before we're finished with you."

Rudolph opened his mouth to say something, anything, to cover his increasingly embarrassed reaction, but all that came out was a startled cry as he felt a hand grab his butt through his shorts and give him a squeeze. Spinning, his nose blazing with embarrassment, Rudolph came face to face with the slender form of Prancer, wearing tight red shorts and a white undershirt that barely managed to cover his ribcage, and not much else. Prancer grinned and then bent in to lick the tip of Rudolph's red nose, much to the young reindeer's consternation, before slipping behind Comet as the buff buck approached, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, both of them a faded black and perfectly highlighting the contours of his sculpted body.

"We all here?" asked Comet, completely ignoring Prancer, even when the effeminate buck started to openly grope him.

"Yes," said Cupid, smiling a little as he leaned against the doorframe, looking out at the cold of the winter's dark night, dressed in a camel's hair sport coat and gray slacks. Rudolph hadn't seen him before that moment, and couldn't help but wonder how the compact tiny reindeer did that. "I can see the guests arriving now. We'd better be ready for them."

Dasher swung into action then, and with a few quick instructions everyone was in their places. Donder and Blitzen positioned themselves by the door to the outside, as the first in the line of greeters, and also as aides for getting the guests dressed in human clothes when they arrived. Cupid stood in the dressing room, quietly waiting to assist as well with the dressing. The dark-eyed buck had explained to Rudolph before entering the changing room that most of the guests made arrangements in advance for the clothes they would like to be available, so that they'd look just right for the party after they went through the same Change that Rudolph had just underwent a short while ago. Cupid's calm and pleasant manner was perfect for helping others through what could sometimes be a stressful process.

Just inside the door leading from the changing room stood Prancer and Vixen, their best festive smiles in place as they awaited the guests, while Comet stood a little back, his eyes watching carefully to pick out the guests he'd be spending time with that night. Dasher and Dancer stood arm-in-arm just a short distance away from the front door, awaiting their guests like royalty receiving visitors, while Rudolph stood nearby, looking more than a little embarrassed at his prominent position, and trying to keep himself as much behind the two lead tiny reindeer as was possible, to take attention away from himself. But though Rudolph was doing his level best to not be noticed, his nose seemed to know full well just how nervous the young buck was, and kept up a constant, mid-level glow that ruined any attempt at concealment. Then the guests started to arrive, and there was no further point in being shy.

The first to arrive, naturally enough, were a small gaggle of eager young bucks and does, excited and chattering quietly among themselves as they entered the inner chambers of the Reindeer House, the excitement of being in this special place for the first time more than obvious. Rudolph counted maybe seven or eight tiny reindeer, dressed in styles ranging from the suit-and-hat popular among many American and English areas at the time, to the loose-fitting, comfortable clothing of a later age, and watched quietly from the background as Vixen and Prancer greeted them at the door. Prancer eagerly wrapped one arm around the shoulders of a tall, handsome buck at the head of the group dressed in a maroon jersey and slacks, a wide patch of snowy white fur showing at his neckline before disappearing into his jersey, and led the group over to the fireplace. There they could better look around with awe-inspired wide eyes at the beautiful decorations and wonderful human food. Prancer, meanwhile, was rubbing the upper back of the tall, muscular tiny reindeer with one hand, all the while gesturing animatedly around the room, explaining the workings of the place to the small group to pass the time while the other guests arrived.

"That twink," said Vixen quietly, laughing as she noticed how Prancer's hand was ever-so-slowly sliding down the handsome buck's back. "He'll have that buck wrapped around his fingers . . . and just about everything else before the party even gets into full swing."

"That's Blaze," said Rudolph, blinking in surprised recognition at the reindeer Prancer had set his sights upon.

"You know him?" asked Dancer in a hushed voice. Rudolph looked at his feet.

"He . . . was one of the ones who picked on me most," said Rudolph quietly. "He was always showing off to the does, and I guess it made him look better if he made me look worse."

Vixen chuckled upon hearing this and walked over to rub Rudolph's chest.

"I wouldn't worry about it," said the sultry female, her long-lashed eyelids halfway closed before him. "Though Prancer looks all swish, and he loves taking it under the tail, he can be a pretty dominating top when he wants to be, verging on the predatory." She winked as she turned and walked back to her place next to the door, her swaying hips drawing the eyes of every buck in room as she spoke over her shoulder to Rudolph. "And right now it looks like buck-boy over there is going to be predated in the worst way."

Rudolph blinked as he realized what Vixen meant, taking a little while to understand what she meant by some of her language, and suddenly he covered his nose as it started to glow more brightly than the shy buck really wanted, a very clear mental image of what Prancer was likely to do to Blaze making him blush heavily.

At that moment the door to the changing room opened once more, and Rudolph blinked in surprise from behind his hands as he saw the second group of eight enter. A little over half of this group, all of them tiny reindeer, hadn't altered their forms in the slightest, and were still trotting on all fours into the room. One of these, an older but still very pretty non-anthropomorphic albino doe led the group, seemingly quite unashamed of only wearing a pink scarf around her neck and a pair of specially-made horn-rimmed glasses in a group of fully-clothed anthropomorphic reindeer.

"Hello, Vixen," said the doe, bowing slightly to the well-endowed doe at the door. "How is everyone these days? I don't get to see you nearly as often as I did."

Vixen smiled and bent down to give the doe a kiss on her pure white forehead.

"Nothing's changed with us, Snowdrop," said Vixen with a slightly sad smile. "You know it never does."

"Never, eh?" said the older doe with a slight laugh. "Then who's that over there? A firefly?"

Rudolph's eyes widened as the eyes of the second group of eight fell on him, and no amount of covering his nose could hide the blazing red light pouring out from around his fingers. Snowdrop gave Vixen a lick on the cheek, then walked up to the red-nosed reindeer, her head about level with the base of his ribcage, and looked up at him.

"You're Rudolph," said the albino reindeer with a smile. "You were that cute young buck who everybody picked on while I was trying to teach you how to read."

"Um, yes, Miss Snowdrop, that's me," said Rudolph, lowering his eyes as the pretty doe scrutinized him in a friendly manner. "I've, uh, found some friends. And you've got new glasses. They, uh, look nice."

"It's not polite to cover your face when you talk to people, Rudolph," said Snowdrop with a smile, turning her head to one side to let Rudolph look at the glasses better. "It will make them think you're ashamed to look them in the eye. And thank you. Santa got them for me for Christmas. A Christmas that wouldn't have happened, I might add, without your intervention."

Rudolph reluctantly lowered his hands at the tiny reindeer schoolmarm's request, the light from his nose suddenly filling the room, and forced himself to stand bravely as all eyes suddenly turned and rested on him.

There was a long moment of silence as Rudolph stood there, looking around the room with an embarrassed smile as he clasped his hands behind his back. Then, just when Rudolph thought he couldn't take the silence any longer, Cupid stepped out of the changing room, took a single look at the situation, and walked over next to Rudolph.

"Does and gentlebucks," said the dark-eyed buck, giving a little flourish as he bowed. "Please allow me to present: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

As if on cue, Comet (who had stayed quietly brooding nearby up until this moment) started clapping, his large hands making a great din in the quiet room. The other tiny reindeer on Santa's team soon joined in, and in moments the entire group of tiny reindeer were applauding Rudolph loudly, the young buck standing in the midst of the adoration seeming pleased beyond anything he'd ever felt before, his nose blazing brightly.

"I say, good chaps," said a pleasant, English-accented voice from the doorway, "have we missed something?"

The voice came from a slender, stately-looking arctic fox todd, dressed in the full formal, proper evening dress of an English gentleman, complete with top hat and monocle. Next to him was a stunningly beautiful vixen in a white evening gown with a necklace of pearls around her pretty neck. The applause slowly died down, and then turned to brief laughter at the situation before most of the tiny reindeer spread out into the room, most of them heading over to the food tables. Vixen managed to lead Snowdrop off, the two of them engaged in an animated conversation, and thus saved Rudolph any further embarrassment from the reindeer charged with educating the agile minds of the tiny reindeer youth around the North Pole. As everyone went about the business of having fun, Dasher stepped forward and took the vixen's hand, kissing it briefly, before standing up and clapping the todd on the shoulder with a friendly grin, which the fox returned.

"I'm so glad you made it," said Dasher sincerely before turning to Rudolph. "Rudolph, this is Lord and Lady Norwick. Sir, Madame, this is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

"Ah, the one who saved Christmas this year," said the vixen brightly, stepping up to give Rudolph a polite curtsy, which Rudolph answered with a self-conscious bow. "You can call me Muffy, dear; everyone else does."

"Everyone we want as friends, that is," said the todd, stepping up and giving Rudolph a firm handshake. "You can call me Reggie, Rudolph. I hope to see a lot more of you in the future. I expect you've got quite a life ahead of you, being an immortal and all."

"Uh, I haven't been made immortal yet, sir," said Rudolph, feeling a little intimidated by the well-dressed foxes, even though he was head and shoulders taller than Reggie, who was almost a head taller than his mate. "They say it'll happen later tonight, if it happens at all."

"I don't doubt that it will," said Reggie with a friendly smile, before he used his grip on Rudolph hand to pull the tiny reindeer closer, lifting his head to speak into Rudolph's ear. "And even if it doesn't, Muffy and I would dearly like to make your more . . . intimate acquaintance, preferably sometime soon."

Muffy smiled as she reached up and rested her lily-white hand on Rudolph's upper arm, stroking it gently through his shirt.

"Yes, we would," said the vixen softly. "Cupid, dear that he is, hinted to us while we were getting dressed that your glowing parts have a number of very interesting uses outside of merely giving light. Oh please," she held up her hand as Rudolph started to say something, "please don't be upset with him. He hasn't told anyone else, and merely mentioned it to us because he knows how we adore getting to know people in our area."

"Lord and Lady Norwick are the British Crown's representatives at the North Pole," said Dasher, stepping up next to Rudolph and giving the two foxes a polite nod, which they returned before making their way over to the small knots of bucks and does that were forming as they chatted and ate. "They were a human family originally, but one of their line fell in love with one of the intelligent foxes that live up here, and the rest of the line hasn't been the same since. I think that their homeland has forgotten about them, actually, and so they mostly keep to themselves and just enjoy life as it comes, sustained mostly by the magic around Santa's Workshop as much as anything else. Reggie and Muffy are the current holders of the title of Far Norwick, but they have a number of other family members who have intermarried with the locals, and even with a few Russian and Canadian outposts on the other side of the Pole."

As though on cue, the door swung open then, and a vast, hairy white shape shambled into the room, towering above anyone or anything Rudolph had ever seen in his life. Rudolph was more than startled as the huge shape moved swiftly, and suddenly engulfed Comet in its massive arms.

"Ah, Comet, my old comrade!" exclaimed the deep, Russian-accented voice of the massive creature before it lifted the well-muscled reindeer to its mouth and gave him a kiss on each cheek. "So good to see you again!"

"Mmph," said Comet, unable to say much else from his place in the midst of the hulking figure's thick fur until he was lifted up for his double kiss. "Good to see you too, Peter."

Setting down Comet, the being known as Peter turned then to Rudolph, who was staring up at it with wide eyes, and grinned, showing a set of massive jaws that looked more than capable of eating him in two-and-a-half bites. Before Rudolph could think to move out of the way, he felt himself wrapped in a rib-popping hug that lifted him off of the floor.

"And you are Rudolph, the one who saved Christmas this year!" exclaimed the unstoppable brute, nearly squeezing the life out of Rudolph before giving him a kiss on each cheek and then setting the much-ruffled red-nosed reindeer back on the floor. "It is so good to make your acquaintance!"

Rudolph just smiled and nodded, still working on getting breath back into his recently compacted lungs. Cupid stepped up and rested a hand on Rudolph's shoulder, helping to steady the younger tiny reindeer until he recovered from the energetic greeting.

"Peter is very friendly," said the shorter reindeer in his gentle voice. "Perhaps too friendly for his own good. He did the same to me in the changing room, when he arrived with the Norwicks. He's one of the Russian relations of the family: a sentient polar bear." He winked then, and added conspiratorially: "Comet's the only one who's ever matched Peter drink for drink in a vodka-gulping match. It turns out that our immortality makes us pretty resistant to booze, and Peter's been Comet's best friend ever since."

As Rudolph got his breath back, he noticed that Peter was only wearing a pair of red, flower-printed swimming trunks, the rest of his body incredibly well-muscled even through his thick fur and the layer of warmth-giving fat beneath.

"C'mon, Peter," said Comet, grabbing the bear's huge arm and tugging him over to the buffet line. "I'll introduce you to some great chicks I know; twins; really cute pair of tails."

"Ah, but you are always trying to give me a good time, Comet!" exclaimed the bear with great enthusiasm as he allowed himself to be led away. "Always helping me make new friends. That is why I like you so much!"

Rudolph shook his head in astonishment at the massive polar bear, then turned as he noticed the door to the changing room opening for what would be the last time that night. Donder and Blitzen walked through the door, looking larger-than-life, as was normal for them. Blitzen had a small, delicate hand in hers, and was gently drawing the person that this hand was attached to into the room while Donder held the door open for them. When Rudolph saw who it was, he blinked in utter astonishment. Then the young tiny reindeer doe looked in his direction and smiled.

"Hello, Rudolph."

The petite tiny reindeer doe had wide, startlingly-beautiful blue eyes in which it was very easy to lose oneself. She was dressed in a simple white dress that went down to just below her knees, the sleeves ending just above her elbows, showing off her very light tan fur. Rudolph knew from when they'd both been normal, quadrupedal tiny reindeer, that her fur was the same shade all over her body, except for her underbelly, which was a soft, snowy white. His nose began to shine brilliantly as he looked at Clarice, and Rudolph had to swallow nervously before he was able to speak.

"I'm not too late, am I?" asked the young doe shyly, her cheeks flushing a little as she spoke to the red-nosed reindeer.

"H-hi, Clarice," said Rudolph, his voice small and shy. "No, you're right on time."

Blitzen led the young reindeer doe over to Rudolph and placed her hand in the young buck's.

"You two take care of each other," said the tall, handsome doe with a motherly smile before she turned and took Donder's hand, and walked toward the little knots of bucks and does that were forming. The Norwicks noticed that Rudolph's attention was no longer centered on them, and smiled knowingly to each other as they departed for the buffet line, and soon engaged a pair of elves and a handsome buck in conversation. Dasher, Dancer, and Cupid soon also left the door, closing it tight, and the party began to get into full swing.

A male elf dressed in dark glasses and a black fedora sat in a corner with the surprisingly high-tech sound system, working the many strange and anachronistic sound devices and announcing the songs as they came up. Some Rudolph knew as old folk songs, while others he'd never heard before in his life, just as most people wouldn't hear them for many years, because they hadn't been written yet. All of them were well-timed and kept at a proper sound level, so that the partygoers could hear each other, while still being able to listen to the background music. A few of the braver souls even started to dance in the middle of the room, and as the lights were dimmed more joined this small group.

Rudolph, standing over in a corner with Clarice, looked up as the lights dimmed, and then back at the beautiful young doe. She'd been the only person who'd ever had kind words for him while he'd been growing up. For some reason Clarice was willing to be friends with the freak of the group, the only reindeer who just couldn't fit in with all the others. Because of this, she often ended up not joining in with the reindeer games that everyone else took part in, because she was busy with Rudolph, making their own private reindeer games. But that had been when they were both young and innocent, fawns with a lifetime ahead of them and nothing to lose. Now things had changed. Now they were both young adults, their bodies matured and their hearts open, and Rudolph couldn't help but admit, and admit freely, that Clarice was lovely in his eyes. So lovely that she defied words. As the music swept over them both, Rudolph took Clarice's pretty hand, and led her out onto the dance floor.

"You've done this before," said Rudolph after a short while, noting how Clarice was able to guide his untrained feet. "Where'd you learn to dance, Clarice?"

"Cupid taught us," answered the young doe. "Vixen sometimes showed up as well. It was one of those things the Eight did to keep relations with Santa's Workshop friendly." She looked down for a moment. "That was when you were healing up from the beating Blaze gave you. That's why you never got to go."

Rudolph winced a little, remembering that time. The incident had come in their last year of Miss Snowdrop's school, the human equivalent of being a senior in high school. Rudolph had grown tall and quite handsome, and he'd finally had enough of the hazing that constantly surrounded him. He tried out for the sled pulling team, and to the amazement of all, he finished first in his class, even ahead of Blaze, who'd always been the champ up until that point. Blaze was furious at this, and he'd accosted Rudolph on his way back to the little grove of trees where his parents lived, to teach Rudolph 'a lesson he wouldn't forget.' It hadn't just been Blaze, of course. Rudolph might have been an outsider because of his strange nose, but he was no weakling. In a fair fight, he might actually have beaten Blaze. Blaze knew this, though, and he'd brought several friends with him. After that, Rudolph had spent several weeks in Santa's Workshop, confined to the infirmary provided for injured and sick tiny reindeer, healing up a broken leg which might have been fatal in the harsh cold of the North Pole if he hadn't been kept indoors.

"I'm really sorry you didn't get to be on the sled team," said Clarice, rubbing Rudolph's chest sympathetically. But Rudolph just smiled at her, making her blink in surprise. Up until that point, Rudolph had always been shy and introverted, though he had moments of bursting courage and spirit that were what made her care about him throughout all of the time she'd known him. Now the look he was giving her, looking into her eyes as they swayed slowly in time to the music, was calm. Those were the eyes of someone who was at peace with themselves, having found their grand purpose.

"It's okay, Clarice," said Rudolph as he held the young doe in his arms close. "If I hadn't had a broken leg, I wouldn't have just been getting my leg back in shape at the Workshop's reindeer runway when that big fog rolled in. And if that hadn't happened, then Santa and his reindeer would never have noticed how bright my nose was." He gently tilted her chin up with his hand as he smiled down at her. "In this place, the spirit of Christmas always wins out, even if it sometimes takes a long time before it happens. And somehow I think that if I hadn't gone through everything I did, I probably wouldn't be ready for the job I've been given here. I like myself, Clarice. For the longest time I wished that I could have been anybody but what I am. But now I'm where I belong. I'm not quite a part of the team for keeps yet, but I'm hoping that I will be, because this is the first time in my life that I've ever really felt that I'm home."

At that moment, Clarice stood on the tips of her hooves and gave Rudolph a peck on his muzzle, then looked back up at him expectantly, waiting to see what he would do now. At first Rudolph was surprised, and his nose flared to sudden brightness (though, like always, the light only improved visibility rather than impaired it). Then, gathering up his courage inside of him, Rudolph swept Clarice into his arms and kissed her, his practice with Cupid, Dasher, and Dancer giving him the confidence he needed. Clarice felt herself starting to swoon in the strong arms of the handsome buck, his nose brushing against her muzzle with electric intensity, sending shockwaves through her that quickly awakened her body to the strange new feelings of being an adult.

As the kiss ended, for a moment Clarice and Rudolph looked at each other, both of them speechless. Then, finally, Clarice smiled up at Rudolph, her eyes wide and excited with the new feelings within her.

"You've done that before," she accused gently, a teasing smile on her face. "What else have you learned while you've been a part of the team?"

Rudolph grinned, taking Clarice by the hand as they left the dance floor.

"Let me show you."

"That Vixen," said Snowdrop with some mild irritation as she stood by a low table set aside for her, so that she could nibble on the treats she'd pilfered from the buffet table without difficulty. "The moment we start to have a decent conversation, and before I know it she's talking to this upstart elf girl, and I'm standing with nobody to carry my plate. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along, Cupid. You're a dear boy, and I'm very glad you've always been there for when I needed you to help educate these youngsters."

"All part of the job, Miss Snowdrop," said Cupid, who had an inscrutable smile on his face as he regarded the albino doe with his dark eyes. "How has your class been, by the way?"

"A very energetic group, to say the least," said Snowdrop, shaking her head. "It's been the most I can do to keep them from going into rut in the middle of my class. For all our advanced brains compared to other reindeer, it's a wonder how we ever managed to form anything like a civilized society. Those natural instincts just keep popping up left and right. Why, did you know, I was almost mounted right after a class?"

"Really?" prompted Cupid, raising an eyebrow, his smile unchanging. "Who was it? Anyone nice?"

"Really. And no, it wasn't anyone nice. It was that lout, Plodder, the big one who always hangs out with Blaze. Everyone had just left the schoolhouse, and I was putting my things away as best as I could without the use of hands, when the next thing I know, I feel somebody snuffling at my tail. I look over my shoulder, and Plodder is right there, giving me a big grin before he ducks his muzzle under my tail and starts to nibble. That little fiend. I didn't even mean for my tail to pop up like it did, but he took it as an invitation. Where he learned to do naughty things like he did with that tongue of his, I'll never know. He seemed too dumb to have thought of them on his own, let me tell you."

"A refill on your drink, Miss Snowdrop?" asked Cupid, as he noticed that the wide-lipped cup in front of the spectacle-wearing doe was empty.

"Well, I've had a few already, but I suppose another eggnog couldn't hurt," said Snowdrop after a moment of false indecision. Cupid quickly got the refill and placed it in front of the middle-aged doe, who dipped her muzzle in and daintily licked up the thick off-white liquid inside.

"That eggnog really hits the spot," said Snowdrop as she looked up at Cupid once more, the flush of her face easily visible through her pure white fur. "What's in it, besides eggs, that is?"

"Just a little Christmas cheer," said Cupid with a genuine smile, before his face returned to its normal inscrutable expression. "The nice thing about it is, it doesn't give you a hangover, and it doesn't hurt your body like normal alcohol does, though it does make you feel nice while you're drinking it. But you were telling me about Plodder."

"It does feel nice," agreed Snowdrop. "Oh, yes, Plodder. He did some truly sinful things, Cupid, things no proper reindeer ought to do. It's not my fault how wet I got. I was simply caught by surprise, and wasn't sure how to react, so I just stood there for a while, and he just took it as my enjoyment. He claims I moaned while he was licking me, but I can assure you that that's just not true. Well," she grinned, a blush mixing with the flush on her face, "maybe only mostly not true. But still, he had no right trying to mount me like he did. If I hadn't given his back legs a good kick, he would have put his big . . . thing inside of me. Not that it did much good in the long run: I caught him later that day out in some woods near Skyclimber's home. That bad little doe was letting him clamber all over her back while he hunched his hips forward and back. The worst of it was, Skyclimber was hunching back at him just as hard as he was hunching forward. I tell you, Cupid, the sin and degradation of these youngsters will be the death of me yet."

"It sounds quite dreadful," said Cupid, walking around to Snowdrop's side of the table and rubbing her back sympathetically. "You must have a very stressful job, trying to raise those youngsters right."

"You have no idea, Cupid," Snowdrop agreed emphatically. "Why, some days it feels like I never get any time for myself."

"Well, Miss Snowdrop," said Cupid softly, bending down next to the tiny reindeer doe and gently nuzzling her ears. "It sounds like you have quite a problem on your hooves." Then his hand on her back slid down, until it began to tease the base of the white-furred doe's tail. Almost without thinking, Snowdrop's tail lifted, and Cupid nibbled one of her large ears, then slid his tongue inside in a decidedly naughty fashion as his fingers gently probed the soft pink treasures beneath Snowdrop's tail, making the tiny reindeer schoolmarm gasp.

"Looks like you have a lot of tensions you need to relieve, Miss Snowdrop," said Cupid idly as he lifted his hand to his lips and licked off the moisture that he'd collected. "What if I took you aside and gave you some personal attention, to help relieve some of that stress you've been going through? Unless," and a naughty smile played across his face, "unless, of course, you'd rather I help you relieve those tensions of yours right here and right now. I'd be perfectly fine with that, if that would help you relax more."

Snowdrop's legs were trembling at this point from the tensions that Cupid's light touch brought rising upward inside of her. The eggnog had lowered her normal near-puritanical inhibitions, and Cupid's strangely persuasive powers making it hard for her to say no to him. Unlike with normal alcohol, however, Snowdrop knew exactly what was going on, and knew that she could stop it at any time. But as she looked into Cupid's beautiful face, and into those dark, mesmerizing eyes of his, that she didn't want to stop. As she gazed into Cupid's dark eyes, Snowdrop suddenly had a vision of Cupid letting his slacks down to his ankles as he stood behind her, then taking a firm grip on her rump before plowing into her tight, seldom-touched sex, rutting her like a brute beast while everyone watched their conservative, retiring schoolmarm get nailed more thoroughly that even her most slatternly students could have imagined. She was broken from this delightfully sinful vision only by the feeling of Cupid's hands stroking her hind legs while he crouched by her side, and she realized with a furious blush that the dark-eyed buck was actually using a cloth napkin to wipe up the sudden flow of her juices that had begun making their way down her legs.

"I'd like to clean your legs in a more pleasurable manner," said Cupid offhandedly, "but I wanted your permission first."

"I, um, uh," stammered Snowdrop, as giddy as one of the schoolgirls she taught. "Can we, um, please go to a room? I'm not sure it would be . . . proper out here."

"Just follow me," said Cupid, smiling sweetly as he began to lead Snowdrop to his room, the white doe's long scarf trailing behind her.

"You mean that Rudolph did that to Dancer with just a touch of his nose?" exclaimed Muffy Norwick, with wide eyes. She was standing next to her husband, Reggie, while talking with Donder and Blitzen. The arctic foxes had been very insistent on working out as much information about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from the two larger-than-life tiny reindeer. She turned and shook her head as she looked at her husband. "Reggie, I simply must have this young buck stuffed and mounted before the night is out."

Donder nudged Blitzen and gave her a wink, which Blitzen returned before adding, "And that's nothing compared to what he did to Cupid."

"Really?" said Reggie, his eyebrows raising. "Do tell."

Blitzen did, and before she'd finished, both foxes had their tongues lolling out, drooling in a most unbecoming fashion, and their tails wagging behind them as they considered the possibilities.

"Muffy," said Reggie, licking his chops, "I will personally see to it that he is stuffed, if you will make certain that he is mounted properly."

"Agreed," said Muffy, and both snowy-furred foxes began to make their way to where Rudolph was quietly leading Clarice into the gym, away from the crowds and the groups of twos and threes that were already starting to pair off in quiet corners of the large main room, using the numerous decorations and pillars to conceal their activities, even if everyone else wasn't already engaged in their own version of naughtiness. But before they could go too far, Donder stepped in front of them, while Blitzen took up a stance behind them.

"'Fraid I'm gonna have to nix that," said Donder in his strong, deep voice. "That's Rudolph's sweetheart we're talking about, and I'm not letting anybody interfere with him and her getting together."

"It just wouldn't be right," said Blitzen coaxingly from behind the two foxes, whose tails and ears were now drooping in disappointment. "Maybe you can have some fun with him later, but right now is a special time for him to be alone with Clarice."

"But, we've come so far to be at this party," said Muffy, looking up at Donder with pleading, puppy-dog eyes. "Surely we can have a little fun while we're here?"

Donder appeared to think for a moment, and then a sly grin came over his face. He looked at Blitzen and cocked his head questioningly, and Blitzen appeared puzzled for a moment, then gave him an answering grin and nod. Donder, his answer received, looked down at the two foxes and chuckled.

"Well, if you want some fun, how about a roll in the hay with Blitzen and me? We don't mind having some change in bed partners every so often. I'll bet that you two really know how to work your tongues, and I know that Blitzen and me'd love to have some nice, soft fox fur to cuddle. So whadaya say? Like the idea?"

Muffy and Reggie exchanged wide-eyed looks before looking up at the two larger-than-life tiny reindeer, their tails wagging and their ears erect and attentive.

"It's a deal!"

Author's Note: This chapter was for setup. The next chapter will be composed almost entirely of sex as each scene set up here unfolds.