Hey everyone. Welcome back to another round of chapters. Glad everyone is enjoying the story so far. And now, it's time to dive back into Jack, Anna, Elsa, and Olaf aboard the Polar Express.

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects to this story.

Chapter 26

How to Clear a Caribou Herd

Jack looked ahead at the vast swarm of caribou as he followed the others to the very front of the train. The caribou herd seemed to stretch for miles. The tracks were completely blocked.

One thing that struck Jack was how jittery the caribou were. The closest ones kept glancing from side-to-side, as if expecting trouble to come creeping up on them. More and more caribou were running in from both sides, making the herd more and more clustered and nervous. This was not just one herd, but several, all running straight down to the tracks. Which begged the question, what caused them to run here?

"Alright. How do we propose clearing the tracks?" the Conductor asked, breaking Jack out of his thoughts.

"We could always try getting Steamer to make his sounds?" Smokey suggested.

Steamer backed away, hands on his beard. "Forget it, brother. My chin does not want to feel like a dinosaur pulled out of a tar pit after that caribou stunt a few years back. Let's try something else."

The Conductor turned to Smokey. "How successful would the train whistle be?"

Smokey shook his head. "That would be too loud to work with. If anything, it might cause the caribou to stampede, causing a safety risk and delaying things even more."

"Unless somebody has another idea, I don't see much of a choice," the Conductor replied.

A caribou then gave a small whinny. "Oh, you don't say," said a small voice.

Jack looked down. Elsa and Anna had finished putting Olaf's head back on his body. Olaf was nodding his head to the caribou's whinnies. "Very fascinating. I don't see anything like what you're describing, but I'll keep my eyes peeled."

"Wait, Olaf, you can understand caribou?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, why?" Olaf asked.

"Do you understand Sven in Arendelle?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"And you never thought to bring this up before?" Anna asked.

"You never asked. I thought everyone could. Kristoff understands Sven just fine," Olaf answered.

The Conductor kneeled down in front of Olaf. "On top of understanding those reindeer, can you talk to them?"

Olaf nodded. "Sure. I can speak the animal common tongue, or ACT. It's easier than talking to humans. Less hidden meanings and sarcasm."

Jack turned to the Conductor. "I guess we've got a solution."

The Conductor nodded. "Very well. Olaf, could you please ask the caribou if they could move off the tracks?"

Olaf nodded. He gave a quick yelp and a long moan. The caribou replied with two whines of its own. "Ok. So the caribou will consider moving if the horses of black sand are gone."

"What horses of black sand?" Anna asked.

"The ones that chased the herds here," Olaf replied calmly.

Jack looked over. "First black sand on the brakes, now black sand's led the caribou herds to block the tracks. This is no mere coincidence. Something's trying to stop us from reaching the North Pole."

The Conductor nodded. "I agree. The black sand is after the train, not the caribou. Once we leave, the black sand should leave the herd and come after us. If we get past the lake though, we should be good to go." He turned back to Olaf. "Could you tell them all that?"

Olaf looked up. "Ok. It might take a few minutes, as ACT is very precise." The whole explanation took five minutes as Olaf sounded two small yelps, then a yell that descended in tone, then a long moan, then a scream, then a whine that increased in pitch, and finally some barking noises.

The lead caribou turned to the others, and several whinnies were heard. The caribou turned back and grunted.

Olaf turned to the Conductor. "They want a guarantee that the black sand won't bother them."

The Conductor nodded. "Tell them I'll stay up front as we move along, keeping an eye out for any black sand. If there is any, we'll sound the whistle and shine a light on them. Also tell them we have ways to deal with the black sand should any come by." Jack didn't miss the Conductor's meaningful look at him as him as the Conductor said the last sentence. It was quite clear what the Conductor meant. Jack was committed to protecting Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and the rest of the kids on the train. If it meant he'd need to use his powers, or fully reveal himself, then so be it.

After several more minutes of Olaf continuing to speak ACT, which included horse neighing, cat meowing, dog barking, and several moans and whines, the caribou moaned appreciatively and turned to its compatriots. The message spread and the herd started moving off the tracks. One minute later, the tracks were completely cleared, with the caribou herd standing on both sides of it.

The Conductor nodded. "Problem solved. Now then, all ahead slow. I'm going to stay up front to keep my end of the bargain. Jack, Elsa, Anna, and Olaf, could you all wait in the engine room until I get there. We can all head back afterwards."

Anna looked up at the Conductor. "Mind if I stay here? I want to see the tracks ahead and where we're going."

Olaf nodded. "Me too. Besides, I haven't seen any other reindeer aside from Sven. I want to see if they are exactly the same, very similar, or completely different."

Elsa and Jack looked at each other, nodding. Jack turned back. "If they're staying, then so are Elsa and I. We'll keep an eye out for any trouble."

Smokey looked over. "I really don't think that…"

"But we'll listen to instructions and follow them exactly. Besides, you could use the extra sets of eyes. Please?" Anna asked.

The Conductor sighed. "Alright. So long as you all stay behind the safety bar at all times. We're on a very tight schedule and I want to make sure that everyone's safe on top of being on time."

Anna smiled. "Thank you, sir," she said, hugging the Conductor.

The Conductor looked down. Jack couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a small smile on the Conductor's face. Maybe there was more to the Conductor than his strict, punctual manner.

While the engineers went back to the engine, the rest of the group went to the safety bar. Jack saw that it was a large, metal guardrail built a few inches away from the engine itself. Several small metal chains with rope at the end were wrapped around the bar.

The Conductor started unwinding the metal chain. "Everyone tie the ropes and chains around your waists. We might need it for this next leg, regardless of our speed. The rope is sturdy and strong, so no chance of breaking it or anyone falling off."

Once everyone had tied themselves to the ropes and chains, the Conductor spoke into a metal pipe. "Whevever you're ready, all ahead slow."A few seconds later, two whistles sounded and the train started moving.

Jack watched as the train started to pick up speed. Caribou stood at the side, watching the train. Jack waved at a few, looking at the tracks ahead. They seemed to go straight on towards a large mountain range. Jack frowned. There was something about that mountain range that was very familiar. Also, Jack had a feeling that Pitch wasn't done. These accidents were leading to something, and Jack knew he must be ready for whatever would come.