Merry Christmas guys! This one is a little shorter, and I'm a day late, but I hope you enjoy it!


"Seth! Where are you?" Kendra called, peering around a snow-covered bush, her breath creating a cloud of white in the frigid winter air. It was Christmas Eve and it had just snowed the night before, covering Fablehaven in a blanket of white. Kendra and Seth had ventured out into the woods on Grandpa Sorenson's order to check on the nipsies, making sure their villages weren't completely swallowed by the snow. On their way back, just as the afternoon was beginning to fade into evening, Kendra had lost track of her brother.

"Gotcha!" Seth yelled from behind Kendra, a cold clump of snow striking her in the side of her head a second later. Kendra whirled around to face her brother who was smiling triumphantly, his gloves covered in the white powder.

"Seth!" Kendra hissed, wiping the snow off the side of her with her glove, feeling some snow drip past her collar and onto her scarf. She looked up at her brother, who now was laughing hysterically.

"Run." That was all Kendra had to say for Seth's eyes to widen, and for him to turn and sprint away, Kendra right on his heels. As she went, she scooped up a handful of snow, ready to smash it in Seth's face. They raced through the woods of Fablehaven together, laughing and yelling at one another playfully, every once in a while, a curious animal coming out to see what all the noise was.

"Come here, Seth!" Kendra shouted as she began to gain on her brother. Seth was faster than Kendra, but she was more nimble and able to navigate the snow-covered woods much easier than Seth. So, when Seth reached a small stream that was mostly frozen, the foot that landed on the thin ice crashed right through, sending him toppling over, arms pinwheeling. Kendra was able to catch Seth before he fell into the cold and muddy stream, but did smash the snow she held right in Seth's face.

"Ugh." Seth grunted, wiping his face with his glove. "I guess I deserved that, but now my feet are wet."

"Maybe you shouldn't have jumped into the stream then." Kendra teased lightly, letting go of her brother as he took careful steps out of the stream. Carefully, Kendra jumped from one rock to another, joining Seth on that side of the stream.

"I had no choice. I was being chased by a demon!" Kendra scoffed, hitting Seth on the arm in response.

"Come on, I'm cold, let's go home." Kendra led the way back to what she hoped was the path that would take them home.

"Wait." Seth grabbed Kendra's arm, pulling her around.

"What?"

"Look. Right there." Seth pointed, his voice hushed. As Kendra found what Seth was looking at, she fell silent too. Through the thick woods, she could see a reindeer standing in a clearing, staring at them. Despite the fact that Kendra was decently sure that reindeer didn't live in Connecticut, this particular animal was even stranger. The coat of the reindeer was finely brushed, the fur clean and precise, but even stranger, the animal wore an intricate harness, red and gold patterns complete with golden bells.

"What?" Kendra exhaled, trying to be as quiet as possible, but as she spoke, the reindeer took a step towards them, its dark eyes keen and strangely intelligent.

Seth shook his head, seeming as confused as her. "I saw it when you were chasing me, but I just thought it was some other random animal." He whispered back, even as the reindeer began to walk towards them, the bells on the harness jingling cheerfully. As the animal neared them, both Kendra and Seth took a few steps back, neither wanting to be on the receiving end of a crazed wild animal.

The reindeer stopped a few feet from them, tilting its head and examining them closely. Seth took a step forward, beginning to reach out a hand, probably to pet it. Kendra grabbed him, yanking his arm down.

"Are you crazy?" She hissed. "That thing could have rabies!"

Seth looked at her incredulously. "You've literally fought the King of Demons, and you're afraid of a reindeer?"

"Yes!" Kendra insisted. "This isn't Rudolph-" As soon as Kendra said the name of the fictional reindeer, the animal in front of them turned and bolted back the way it came, the bells jingling vigorously.

Seth immediately made to follow the animal before Kendra pulled him back once more. "Again, are you crazy?"

"Kendra, come on! It's a reindeer in the middle of the woods wearing a harness and bells, aren't you curious?"

"More concerned." Kendra replied, crossing her arms. "Reindeers don't live here. It's probably some reindeer from a petting zoo."

"Even more reason we should follow it! That poor animal can't survive in Fablehaven alone! What if a giant attacks it, or it gets into the dark marsh?" Seth insisted, tugging at Kendra's arm.

Kendra sighed, not wanting to admit that Seth was swaying her opinion. She didn't want the poor animal to get hurt, no matter how it got into Fablehaven. "I don't know."

Seth smirked, "I think if we can prevent the end of the world, we can handle a reindeer."

Kendra rolled her eyes, sighing again. "Fine. But when it starts to get dark, we have to turn back."

"Deal." Seth led the way towards the direction the reindeer ran off towards, Kendra following behind. As they went, Kendra listened intently for the sound of jingle bells. A few minutes later, as they reached the top of a large hill, she heard the familiar sound of bells. They stopped, staring down at the bottom of the hill where the reindeer was standing, seeming to wait almost expectantly for their arrival. As soon as they came into view, the reindeer turned, darting further down the hill., before turning back, as if to check if they were still following.

"Okay… so I'm going to bet this isn't a normal reindeer." Kendra murmured.

"Come on!" Seth encouraged, following the animal that continued to dart away from them. Every so often, the reindeer would wait if they strayed too far behind, the cheerful chiming of the bells on its harness letting them locate the animal.

Just as the sun was beginning to set, and the night air was getting colder, and more windy, the reindeer disappeared behind a tree, leaving Kendra and Seth standing in a small clearing of trees. A pond in the middle of the clearing was mostly frozen, reeds and frost covered plants lining the banks of the pond.

"Where are we?" Seth asked, his breath fogging up in the cold air. The wind carried away the white cloud, seeming to pick up a little more.

Kendra looked around, settling her eyes on the horizon. "I'm not sure." She frowned, not recognizing the surrounding territory.

"Why did the reindeer lead us here?" Seth wondered out loud. "I mean, there's nothing here."

"I don't know." Kendra breathed out, walking over to the pond. "I guess that-" Suddenly, Kendra could hear the bells of the harness jingling again. Slowly, she turned, looking across the pond to the opposite bank.

"Seth!" Kendra grabbed her brother, pulling him over to look. On the opposite bank, the reindeer stood calm and proud, the approaching dusk creating shadows on the trees behind it. From here, it almost seemed translucent, its coloring fading to silver and gray, its coat appearing to sparkle unnaturally. The animal raised its head, and then, in a flurry of motion, it was running, sprinting across the bank. Though, instead of it crashing into the water with a splash, its legs barely touched the water, as the animal ran in midair. As it gained speed, the reindeer rose higher and higher in the sky, and soon, it was flying.

Her heart stuttering in her chest, Kendra clutched her brother's arm in shock. "That reindeer… is flying?"

Seth looked at her with unimaginable, childlike joy in his eyes. "It's flying! It's a magical, flying reindeer!"

"But… that's… impossible!" Kendra shouted, despite the excitement that was rising in her stomach.

Seth began to run after the reindeer, even as it was rising in the sky. Kendra followed her brother, sprinting through the snowy woods. The reindeer flew just above the treeline, so that it remained in their sightline. What Kendra and Seth were running for, she didn't know, or if at this point, they knew what they were chasing, but something so childlike and joyful made her and her brother run after a flying reindeer.

A few minutes later, suddenly they were back at the main house, crashing through the treeline into the yard.

"We were just about to send out a search party! Where have you been?" From the deck, Warren called out to them teasingly.

"Warren! Look!" Kendra called, pointing at the reindeer that was flying up towards the approaching moonlight.

Their cousin raised his eyebrow, as if he was ready to laugh at them, and when he saw the reindeer, and his face went slack with shock. "Stan!" Warren yelled, his voice booming. "Come out here! Hurry!"

After a minute or two, Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson hurried out onto the deck. Grandpa's eyes settled on the reindeer that was slowly becoming a dot in the darkening sky. A smile began to form on Grandpa's face as he exchanged looks with Grandma.

"Of course, of course. I should have known." Grandpa murmured, as Kendra and Seth neared the deck.

"Grandpa?" Seth asked with uncertainty. "What's going on?"

Grandpa turned to them, a growing smile on his face, a fond, nostalgic look in his eyes. "You saw the reindeer in the woods, didn't you?"

"How… how did you know that?" Kendra stuttered. This all seemed a little too convenient.

Grandma Sorenson chuckled a little, "Come on inside, and we'll explain."

Grandpa led the way into his study, as Kendra and Seth pulled off their coats and boots. Grandma left for the kitchen to make them hot cocoa. Warren, Kendra and Seth sat down in the cushy chairs as Grandpa settled behind his desk.

"This is a story that has been passed down through many generations of caretakers that have been responsible for Fablehaven. I've never experienced it myself, but I've heard enough stories about it that I'm fairly confident I know what this is."

Warren shifted in his seat. "So it was really a flying reindeer?"

Grandpa gave a sheepish smile. "It appears to be."

"Alright, so tell us!" Seth encouraged. "What's the story?"

Grandpa chuckled as Grandma entered the study with the hot cocoa, giving out the mugs and taking a seat. "The story goes that in the early days of Fablehaven's existence, one of the caretakers was out in the woods on Christmas Eve and it was getting dark. Back then, the woods were even more dangerous and Fablehaven was a rather rowdy preserve and the caretaker was lost in the darkness. On his way home, the caretaker came across an injured animal, a reindeer, wearing a harness with bells. And even though the caretaker was in danger, he saved that reindeer, and carried it all the way back to the main house to take care of it. On the way back, the bells on the reindeer's harness scared away the creatures in the woods, just long enough for the caretaker to return to the house. But even though he tried his best, he couldn't save the reindeer. So, on Christmas Day, the caretaker buried the reindeer, with a set of bells as a reminder of what allowed the caretaker to get home safely. It was always said that from that point on, whenever any of the following caretakers, workers, or their families were lost in the woods, especially in the wintertime, the spirit of the reindeer appeared to lead them home, the jingling of its bells scaring away anything that may be lurking in the woods."

"We ran off the path." Kendra remembered, turning to Seth. "When I was chasing you with the snowball. We ran off the path and that's when we saw the reindeer."

Understanding dawned on Seth's face. "And it led us back home."

Grandpa smiled, taking a sip of his hot cocoa. "Indeed."

Warren shook his head. "How come I've never heard this story?"

Grandma laughed a little. "Would you have believed us?"

Warren tilted his head. "Most likely not."

Grandpa nodded. "And that is the key to it all. Belief. That's what makes Fablehaven real to all of us, and what allowed the reindeer to lead Kendra and Seth home. They believed, and they found their way home."

Later that night, as Kendra and Seth slept, waiting for Christmas Day to come, suddenly, the jingling of familiar bells from outside the window of the attic awoke Kendra from her slumber.

"What is that?" Seth grumbled angrily, rolling out of bed.

"I'm not sure." Kendra stumbled over to the window, pulling open the curtains. "Wait… is that…?"

Seth came up behind her. "It is! It's the reindeer!"

And indeed, the reindeer from the woods was there, wearing the harness with bells on it. It stood on the roof outside the window, regarding them calmly. For a moment, the animal examined them, and then, with no warning, it jumped, leaping off the roof and into the sky. And as soon as it had been there, the reindeer was gone, returning to the sky and stars from where it had come, ready to lead other lost souls home when needed.


Despite everything that's happened this year, I hope you guys have managed to find some joy in it! Thank you so much for all the joy you guys have brought me this year!

Thank you to Katie, JaylaLovesReading, Yakall, NaoSa (thank you for your super sweet note, it meant so much to me!), and more!

Have a great holiday guys and a great rest of the year! I'll be back in a few weeks, as my school doesn't start for a little while!