Page 14 of The Alien Reindeer's Bounty
He approached the thin growth of trees that separated his house from Odessa’s. Curiosity and excitement filled the air, generated by a calf out exploring in the cold. He remembered doing the same, marveling in the rich color and sounds of the mountain. The Earth was so vivid, so alive. Every creature, from humans down to the tiniest little bug, shouted its existence.
He chose this. Returning to Earth, being surrounded by the amplified emotions that humans generated so easily, embracing despairing loneliness inside him—it was better than an easy and comfortable life on cold, gray Reilen.
He remembered tromping through the forest when he was a calf. There was so much to see, so much to discover. Back then, he did not have mastery over his shift and his antler ached with growing pains. Wearing his antlers while in his two-legged form had been the only way to tolerate the constant throbbing and headache.
The calf stood at the edge of the lawn, holding a pinecone in one hand. She held it up to the fading light, frowning.
He watched her from the trees, studying the riot of red curls and the cavalier way her knit hat perched at the back of her head, ready to tumble to the snow.
She gasped, finally spotting him. For a moment, it was as if he fell back in time and young Odessa found Mads in the forest for the first time. This had to be Odessa’s calf. The resemblance was unmistakable, beyond the red curls.
He approached slowly, picking his steps carefully in the snow. His four-legged form resembled an Earth reindeer, albeit larger, close enough that a child would not suspect an alien shapeshifter.
“Do you work for Santa?” the calf asked, hazel eyes focused on the velvet bag dangling from his clenched teeth.
Well, that’s convenient.
He lowered the gift to the ground and retreated.
“Wait! Come back,” the calf called after him. She searched the trees but could not find him. She dropped the pinecone and picked up the bag and dusted off the snow.
Chapter 4
Odessa
Ruby thrust out her hand—no glove, that kid lost so many gloves—and proudly revealed a cut-glass star. A milky white iridescent color shimmered over the surface as it caught the light. A thin loop of glass attached at the top, designed to be threaded by the ribbon. The ornament was a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship.
“Where did you find that?” Odessa asked.
“The reindeer gave it to me.”
Mads
The fire pearlsat on the window ledge. The last of the afternoon light turned the lumpy rock translucent, revealing a warm golden heart. He found the rock while on a mission—he had picked up the habit of collecting stones some time ago—and polished it but never shaped it. The specimen was particularly fine with the mineral deposit located at the core of the stone. Veins of minerals usually ran through fire pearls, giving the stones a colorful striation. For one color to be localized was unusual and he waited for inspiration to whisper to him what the stone’s final form should be.
Until then, he let the fire pearl play in the light. Perhaps one day he’d see what the stone yearned to be. He hoped his skill at carving would be up to the task.
On the nightstand, a red light blinked on the communication unit, indicating that he had a waiting message.
No doubt his handler, wanting an update. It could wait.
Mads stepped into a shower, the hot water soothing his aching muscles. He hated to wash away the scent of the forest, but he needed to remove the dust and exhaust of the city.
A week ago, he arrived on Earth and had been deposited on the outskirts of a metropolitan region. He contacted his uncle, who made arrangements to rent a house and have it stocked with basic foodstuffs, then journeyed back to Shepherd’s Creek.
He heated a can of soup. With bowl and spoon in hand, he finally checked the message.
“Requesting a status update on the rogue scientist.” The message was from Svallin, his handler but also his friend. They served together in the Reilen military, having been randomly assigned to the same unit. They scrubbed floors together, learned hand-to-hand combat together, and did thousands of pushups together when Mads couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
Svallin had ambition and excelled at the ass-kissing aspect of military life. He climbed the ranks quickly with an eye on ultimately winning a seat on the Reilen Council, while Mads had been diverted for more specialized missions. For the last few years, Mads had been dispatched to high conflict zones for strategic resolutions.
He hunted troublemakers.
Reilen, while only one planet, laid claim to several planets and vast swaths of territory. Conflicts occurred at the borders but also within, on colonies poor in resources but rich in unrest. That the Reilen Council used its military against its own people disgusted Mads. He witnessed such casual cruelty on Reilen that it should not shock him anymore, but it did.
He had a gift for assessing combat situations and adapting quickly. While not the biggest or the best shot, he had the lack of respect necessary to ignore orders when the mission went sideways. He brought his targets in, without fail. The commanding officers claimed they wanted their ridiculous orders followed but really, they wanted to hit their goals. Did it matter how?
For now, the military and the Council tolerated Mads’ sloppy attitude. He knew that would change the moment he stopped beingusefuland became aproblem.
