'Tis The Season: A Wattpad Christmas Countdown

A Reindeer

Day 17
{written by the lively kura_skymning }

A sudden noise made her head rise, she looked around, wary. She had already been in those forests alone, and no matter how many years had passed, she had no intention of forgetting the things she had heard from her father.

"Remember, Uta, to always listen to the forest around you."

And she had done it. She had escaped bears, wolves and pumas, managing to save herself in any situation.

But now she was wounded.

She could no longer move her left ankle, and even if she had tried to escape, it would have been impossible. Besides, she had no weapon with her, and the fire had extinguished because of the strong wind that the snowstorm was raising. So she couldn't even rely on the fear of fire of wild animals.

The noises were getting closer and closer, the sticks were broken under the paws of the beast, and a sound unknown to her spread in the night now and then, making her tremble. Hopeless, she couldn't help but wait.

At least, she thought to herself, I will be food for a needy animal. Animals have mercy. I will not feel pain.

She closed his eyes, the frost became even more intense around her thin shoulders; her ankle throbbed, as did her heart, shaken by the terror she tried to repress in the depths of her soul. It made no sense to be afraid. If she had to face Death, she would have done it with her head held high.

She heard the bushes next to her move, and she opened her eyes suddenly, to place them on the alleged beast ready to devour her.

It was a strange creature, with a hairy body of sweet brownish shades, with a thick fur around its neck, to the point of making it look like a necklace; it had large, snow-covered hooves, barely concealed by a few tufts of fur; then it had large, bone-horns on which moss was spun and on which small light birds had settled. Its eyes were big and black, and they watched in silence the miserable vision she was, almost pitiful in realizing her situation.

The animal approached slowly, bowed in front of her, and then lay down beside her calmly. It looked at her carefully, its black eyes suddenly wary. It looked at her wounded ankle, bent its head slightly towards it, with a horn it tried to brush it, but Uta withdrew it, startled. The beast rubbed its nose on her shoulder, as if to encourage her to trust it. The girl remained motionless.
The horn of the animal touched her ankle, and as soon as its bone was against her skin, the young girl's limb lit up with a magical golden light. In less than an instant, the wound healed.

Uta could not believe it.

She moved her foot in circular motions, and when no pain punished her for her gesture, she wanted to scream with joy. She turned to the animal, surprised; she then bowed her head deeply, smiling and bringing her hands to his chest.

"Thank you."

The animal grunted in response, bending its head in turn. So, it lifted up on its powerful hoes and, with a rapid movement, began to run, rising from the ground and taking flight, as guided by the strong wind, and left behind itself a trail of golden light that suddenly burst into an undying fire.

And it was then that Uta realized that animal was.

A reindeer.