Author: This one is for EnderMoon who wanted to see the first time Jack meets his father's famous reindeer. I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own ROTG
Santa's Reindeer.
A large smile on his handsome face Nicolas St. North held the door to the stables open for his son. "You sure you do not need any help Moy mal'ch'ik?"
"No thanks daddy." The recently turned four child declined struggling to pull the red kart with the supplies they'd need to take care of the reindeer, behind him. "I got this." Jack said sounding as serious as he could muster with his limited vocabulary, and how can North say no to that adorable determined look on the little brunette's face.
Before Jack can get further inside the child suddenly got lifted up and put on his father's shoulders, normally the child would love getting a piggyback ride- not this time though.
"Dad...!"
"Not so fast my boy." North chuckled.
"But I wanna go see the reindeer. You promised!"
He had. For months Jack had begged to be allowed to see his father's famous reindeer. He'd already seen them of course, the child -like everyone- loves North's sleigh. But never had Jack been into the stables or has he seen the reindeer up close.
North has absolutely no qualms with introducing his boy to his marvelous pets, Tooth on the other hand... yeah it took begging and whining from both Jack and North to get her permission.
"I know eez very exciting Moy mal'ch'ik." North chides. "But reindeer are not used to anyone who isn't yeti or me, so stay close." The cossack waits for the child's nod before continuing. "Normally the reindeer have very strict training schedule, but today-"
"We're gonna have a little fun instead!"
Huh? Turning his head to look at his son, perched on shoulders, North shot the boy a questioning look. "How do you know that?"
Jack gave a non-committal shrug in response. Fun was in the air, didn't his dad feel it?
Deciding to ignore the matter for now North signaled the nine yeti to open the doors to the nine stalls, the large door out of the stables was already open for the reindeer. "Jack?"
Jack knew this part, the reindeer were too well-trained to go out unless they already knew they were supposed to, seeing they didn't they needed to be called out. "Come out now Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer, and Vixen!"
"On, Comet! On, Cupid!" North joined in, a laugh noticable in his booming voice.
"On Donner and Blitzen!" Father and son chorused together.
The reindeer did not need to be told twice and ran outside to run around in the snow.
It is then that Jack notices that are still a couple of reindeer in the stables. "Who are those daddy?"
"Female reindeer, all of them can come out a play outside to, except one." North opens the doors to their stalls and then continues his way to a different stall at the end of the hall, there's only one reindeer in this one.
"Why can't she come and play?" Jack asks already feeling sorry for th doe.
"This eez Venus, my boy." North introduces. "Venus needs to stay indoors, she's having a baby soon." He explains stroking the doe's muzzle.
Awed, Jack looks at the reindeer's swollen tummy. "Dad?"
"Hm?"
"How did the baby get in there?"
North stiffens, hands gripping the boy's knees.
Finally he has chuckle quietly. "No time for silly questions my boy! Time to go out in snow and play with the reindeer!" With a somewhat strangled laugh North started running through the stables and towards the door, Jack, still perched on his shoulders, shrieking with laughter all the way till they were outside.
Outside North breathes out a loud -relieved- sigh.
From his spot on his father's shoulders, Jack watches the reindeer run around in the snowbanks. The child has his elbows rested against his father's fury hat and his head leaning in his hands as he watched the majestic creatures have their version of fun.
He frowns when he saw Prancer- as his namesake tells- prancing around in the snow.
There is a word for what the buck is doing. Jack know it, heard it often enough... It's not showing of...Bunny uses it all the time when talking about his dad.
"Prancer is showpony." The toddler concludes smiling, proud of himself for remembering the word.
For five seconds North is completely still before bursting out in loud booming laughter. "He eez." Nicolas laughs. "Maybe we let you spend little too much time with Bunny, da?"
What an odd thing to say. Tilting his head Jack looks at his dad with wide blue eyes. "How come?" He asks with all the curiosity of a four-year-old.
"No reason, moy mal'ch'ik, no reason." North laugh, loving the child's sense of wonder. He easily scooped Jack up and put him back on the ground. "Lets get a little closer." he holds Jack's hand as they walk to one of the calmer reindeer which at the moment happens to be Vixen.
North helps Jack keep his hand steady as the child hold his hand up for the reindeer to sniff at.
After a few whiffs Jack had completely won over Vixen's trust, that became clear when instead of nuzzling the boy's hand like North expected him to, Vixen nuzzled Jack's cheek earning loud happy giggles from the child.
"Vixen nice!"
"Yes..." North slowly replied, normally his reindeer weren't cuddly, they were wild and fierce- loyal- but wild. "He eez."
By now the other eight reindeer had also come to see Jack, all acting just as cuddly as Vixen. Playfully nuzzling his cheeks and snorting as if trying to encourage him to climb on top of them and ride on them.
Jack apparently brought out the best side- the playfull- of the reindeer.
Like he did with everyone.
Author: Jack asks a lot, because children that age are like little curious monsters, or as North likes to call it 'full with wonder' XD
As you can tell, Jack was always meant to be the guardian of fun. It was always in him, that's also how he knew Emma liked to play hopscotch in chapter 4 of Little Prince.