“Hey, Caleb,” he greeted his older brother. “What’s going on?”
“Dad said Faith and I needed to talk to you about Snowflake.”
Forest nodded quickly. Caleb was married to Faith, who was a veterinarian specializing in large animals. And as of their courtship last Christmas, that specializing went one step further and landed right on reindeer. She was enthralled with the herd and would hopefully help them breed more flying reindeer.
“Hi,” Faith chirped. “You’re on speakerphone in the truck.”
“Where are you guys headed?” Forest closed his eyes, picturing home.
“We’re going back to the house. Faith just had a checkup.”
His eyes popped open. He had no desire to picturethat. “How’d it go? Is Little Forest healthy?”
Faith laughed. “What makes you think we’re naming him after you?”
“I’m his favorite uncle, that’s what.” He started the truck and pulled out onto the main road, pointing his grill towards Mitzi’s place.
Caleb joined in the laughter. “You’re too much.”
Forest smiled. When he’d left home, he’d thought he’d be glad to be away from his brothers and their endless teasing and whatnot. Instead, he missed it something fierce. “Let me know when he gets here.”
“I think Caleb will shout it from the rooftops,” said Faith.
With flying reindeer, it was a real possibility that Caleb would get up there to tell the world his son was born. “Stay off the roof,” Forest warned.
“Don’t worry. I’m grounded for a while. There’s more than just me to think about these days.”
The sound of a soft kiss came over the line. Forest could see Caleb kissing Faith’s hand as he drove. It was a picture-perfect image with her other hand on her round belly. Part of him wanted that—wanted it bad. “Why did you call again?” he asked to change the subject and push away the yearning for home and hearth.
“Tell us what happened with Snowflake last year,” Faith prodded. “Then we can come up with some ideas on how to get her flying.”
Forest filled them in on the basics. He wasn’t even sure of all the details, but he knew enough to share.
“Sometimes when an animal goes through trauma, they shut off the behavior that led up to that experience,” Faith said.
“What do you mean?” Forest turned onto the pothole dirt road and gritted his teeth. The sling held his arm against his chest for stability, but it didn’t do much good if his whole body bounced around.
“Well, Snowflake took off on her own with a sleigh and ended up hurt. I’m assuming it was somehow her fault. So she’s scared to fly again,” Faith explained. “Flying may cause some PTSD.”
“Can that happen in a reindeer?” Caleb asked.
“It happens in a lot of animals. Dogs that come back from war will often have nightmares and become aggressive in situations that remind them of a dangerous or harmful experience.” She paused for a moment. “Are there predators in the area?”
“Wolves,” Forest ground out, his arm screaming at him.
“She may have been hurt and afraid for her life.”
“That explains why she’s so loyal to Billy. He found her and brought her to his house.” Forest slowed the truck and swung the wheel wide to avoid the nastiest of divots. “What do I do about it?”
“I’d suggest helping her feel safe with flying again,” said Faith.
“You could start with basic training—some of the stuff we did when she was young,” offered Caleb.
Forest chewed his lip. Whatever training exercises he did would have to be gentle. His arm couldn’t handle Snowflake on a lead rope. “I can do that.” He pulled up to the house and put the truck in park. “I’ve gotta go. I’m here now.”
“Good luck,” both Caleb and Faith called. “And Merry Christmas.”
He smiled at how in sync they were. “Merry Christmas.”
