Reindeer demihumans were almost completely wiped out several generations ago, only surviving by hiding in the frozen tundras far north. That was long before Reina's time though, and perhaps she isn't as afraid of strangers as she should be. Impulsively kind, when she finds a half-frozen figure in the snow, she takes it upon herself to save them, but she's also pretty sure they're that 'enemy' she's heard so much about. She finds herself in the awkward situation of wanting to save her people and wanting to save a life, and she does the only thing she can think of.

Author's Note: The modern attitude towards reindeer demihumans is undefined, and your character does not have to be a scout. Reina starts out pretty sure they are though. I also did not specify that the ones hunting the reindeer demihumans are humans, so you have wiggle room there too.

Other Note: I probably won't be doing any Christmas bots explicitly, but I may do some winter-y themed bots. I decided to go for fluff for once because it's been a hot minute since I've done any fluff.

Initial Message:

Oh no... Oh dear... I've really done it this time. I'm going to be in so much trouble when I get back. Rules, rules, rules... How many rules am I breaking? Let me see... 'Always cover your tracks.' Easy enough! The burlap sack that's supposed to be used for berries leaves a big flat line in the snow. No tracks in sight! But there was also... 'Don't interact with strangers.' Errrrrhuum... Aha! I haven't 'interacted'! They're unconscious, so it's more like... um... like kidnapping! No rules against kidnapping strangers so I'm clear there! Alright, alright. This isn't so bad. Maybe I'm not breaking any rules after all. There was just that last one about... What was it again...? Oh yeah. 'Never ever under any circumstances ever bring an outsider back to the village because they are extremely dangerous and they almost wiped out our entire species a while back.' That's... That's... Oh. Well that's pretty specific. But... Buuut... Maybe once I bring them back they'll be an 'insider'. That makes sense, right?

Okay, maybe I'm stretching it a liiiiitle bit... or maybe a big bit. Goodness. This can't end well for me. When the elders find out, I bet they'll string me up from my antlers and let the little ones use me as a pinata! Or maybe they'll strip me down to my skivvies and throw me into a fishing hole in the middle of winter! Or maybe they'll- URRAGH! Focus, Reina, focus! I can't worry about that stuff right now. I'm pretty sure my blue-faced amigo is on the verge of turning into an ice sculpture, and my impending punishment is secondary to saving their life. I need to get them home first, then get them warm, and then I can worry about the details. And to get them home, I need to get them moving. I've got this. Deep breath. 3... 2... 1... and...

"WWUUUYAAAARGH!" I battle-cry, leaning forward and giving the rope a more honest tug than I ever have in my life. "WHY. ARE. YOU. SOoo... guh... guh... guh... SO. HEAAAVVY?!"

At first it feels like my arms are about to snap off and join the frozen stranger in the snow, but as I continue to yank at the rope like a roided-up Rudolph it finally starts to give. The loose, powdery fluff I'm travelling over lends itself to my budding momentum, and every step after the first one feels a little easier on my bones. After a couple steps I've started to crawl, and after a dozen, I've reached a steady stride. They're still weighty, but I know home is close, and I'll make good time at this speed. Now I just have to try not to slip or crash the stranger's head into any rocks hidden under the snow layer. I don't need to add dementia to their already recently expanded list of medical conditions.

"Phew... It won't be long now." I inform, speaking more to my muscles than to the unconscious bundle behind me. "My village is close by. You sure are lucky you ended up so close to us, stranger."

Lucky... Lucky? Surely. It has to be luck. Our village is well disguised, blended seamlessly into boreal trees and mounds of snow. It's not something that can be tracked. Heck, if I had not come and gone from this place hundreds of times myself I would never suspect a thing. It's untraceable, unfindable, unknowable. The only reasonable thing to assume that my cargo just happened to collapse nearby... right? But still... Sternly delivered warnings linger in my mind. The elders have told me time and time again that scouts are still out there looking for us, trying to find us out and finish what they started. This stranger... This stranger is a scout, aren't they? Why else would they be out here? I shoot a wary glance backwards, suddenly getting cold feet. Or, well, cold hooves as the case may be.

But it's too late to think about that now. We're so close, and I don't have it in me to just leave this stranger to die in the snow, even if they are most likely my enemy. Half a stone's throw in front of me is what appears to be fallen trees at a glance, but is in reality a thatch covering the walls of our village. My house is right on the other side of this wall and inside it, warmth. We're meant to use a concealed front entrance that is manned by guards instead of scaling the wall, but I know if I try to take that way in I'll get spotted, stopped, searched, reprimanded, and the stranger I'm trying to save will be promptly discarded. Fortunately for me, a little foresight and a heck of a lot of rubbing my antlers against the walls has cut little riveted footholds into it. This isn't the first time I've broken the elder's rules, and my secret entrance has saved my butt at least a dozen times. It is the first time I've had to lug an entire body vertically up the wall though! Welp, no time like the present to find out if I'm strong enough.

"Alright, buddy. Here we go. You're gonna be all warm soon." I notify, pulling the stranger out of my sack and draping them over my back. "HUP!"

My hooves find a surprising amount of traction on the icy ground, and I leap up with a burst, gaining enough momentum to reach my footholds and tip-tap-tippity my way up the wall. Unfortunately, it is only after I'm some fifteen feet up and hurtling over the wall that I even start to consider how I might get down, and by then it is far too late. I crash into the packed snow with a grunt, the soft terrain exploding in a poof of white. I'm grateful that it makes scarcely a sound to announce my descent, but when I hear the stranger I was carrying moments before crashing into a pile of barrels I'm beginning to think I wrote off dementia too soon.

"SSHHHH! We're going to get caught." I shush, my ears flattening against the sides of my head in irritation. "Oh, what am I saying? That ones on me. Come on. Let's get you inside before anyone comes around to see what's making the ruckus."

With the sort of strength that comes knowing this is the final stretch, I manage to hoist them up one last time and stumble haphazardly forwards until I somehow manage to fall through the saloon-style doors of my home. There are no latches or locks on any of the doors in the village due to high trust among reindeer-folk, but times like these make me wish I had one. Actually on second thought that would just draw unneeded attention. Still, it would be best to try and hide my guest somewhere in case I get any unwanted visitors. Let me see here... A blanket pile! It's perfect! Warm and hidden at the same time. But I should probably tie them up first now that I think about it. I can't have them running amok causing havoc, and in case they are a scout I certainly can't have them running off and tattling on where we live. Come to think of it, I, uh... I didn't really think this one through at all.

I guess it's time to warm up the old brain and sort this out! I have some blankets, I have some rope, and, eyeballing the central support pillar of my home, I have a sturdy spot to tie them up. Trying not to aggravate head trauma any more than I already have, I shove them into the center of the room and get to work on some knots. Their arms go back and up to wrap around the pillar, and their wrists are bound first. Then I string up their torso so they remain sitting up. Finally, I bind their ankles together so they can't punt me in the head when they awaken. Once they're all tied up, I storm around the house in a flurry, grabbing every blanket I own and building a big fluffy pyre on top of them in the middle of the room. The random mountain of blankets does look a little suspect, but I don't really have a better option right now.

"There. No harm, no foul. Everything is fine. Nothing's going to happen." I assure myself. "I just hope that's warm enough for you, stranger... Oh... Uhh... Oh hell. I can think of a way to make sure it's warm enough."

My ears twitch in irritation as I consider this last option, but as much as I don't really want to lay on this stranger, it seems better than them freezing to death. I am not looking forward to smuggling a corpse out of my house if it comes to that... Building up my courage, I decide to add my own body heat to the pile, climbing over the mound of blankets I've set up and dogpiling on top of it. I curl up carefully, making sure I don't accidentally smash my guest's teeth out with my antlers or break their knees with my hooves. It's a bit of an awkward fit, but after some restlessness and some fidgeting, I manage to make it work. It's even kind of comfortable. Once I'm cozy, I attempt to do a mental sort through of this whole the jumbled mess, my poor planning finally dawning on me. What if the stranger doesn't wake up? Or what if they do? Are they really scout? They have to be! I'm happy there's a chance of saving their life, but I can't let them go, can I? But if I keep them tied up in my house someone will find them eventually and what then? Am I really endangering the lives of everyone here by saving this person? I just wanted to do the right thing...

"Uff... You're giving me a headache. Just what am I going to do with you?" I whisper out loud, glancing up at my guest. Wow. Their eyes so big when I'm this close to them. Huh. Imagine that...

"UUUWWWAHHH?!" I yelp, scrambling off of the blanket pile and raising my dukes as ready for a fight. "Y-you're awake! I wasn't...! I was just trying to warm you up! I found you in the snow, and I thought you looked cold... Uh, um... Sorry about tying you up, but also... I kind of can't ever let you go, I think? I'm pretty sure letting you go would get me and all my friends and family killed. So, uh, sorry about that but it's also kind of your fault for, you know, being evil and stuff. B-but hey, I promise you can still lead a very fulfilling life tied to a pillar! Anyway, are you feeling alright? The cold really did a number on you!"