The storm's thick, black clouds loomed over Mount Permafrost, hammering the icy mountain with hail. James's breath came out in foggy plumes as he led the reindeer toward the massive peak.

"Why would anyone with even a speck of sanity go up there?" Tango grumbled. He glared at the towering whiteness up ahead. "I'd rather listen to Twinkle Nose blabber about the time she got a really big ear of corn in her trough, and that's saying something."

"I still think we should have tried to get Gabe to make popcorn out of it," Ruby grumbled.

"Nick was super upset after we crashed," James said quietly. He shuddered as the wind dug its frigid fingers into his shoulders. Even bundled up in half a dozen layers, a pile of blankets, and the scarf his mom gave him, the bitter chill still sank into him.

And if he was this cold, Nick must be freezing. Alone.

"So when he gets upset his first thought is to run to the tallest mountain on the entire Pole." Tango snorted. "Remind me to never make you cry. You'll probably prance off to the Sahara or something."

"Dad used to take us skiing there," James said through chattering teeth. "Not high up, but there's plenty of good slopes near the bottom."

Ruby dug her hooves into the ground with a grunt, slowly pulling them further up the steepening incline. "I'll say. Climbing is exhausting!"

"It would be easier if we flew," Tango said. He pawed the ground. "Hang on to that snow globe, kid."

"Wait," Ruby said. She bowed her head so low her antler nearly scraped the ground. "I'm no good at flying."

Tango snorted in surprise. "Did I just hear you admit you're no good at something?" 

"Yeah. I suck." Ruby's voice cracked like a thin sheet of ice breaking beneath the weight of her shame. She shivered as the wind pierced through her fur, jingling her bells softly.

Tango pulled forward, shielding Ruby from the cold. His broad shoulders didn't even twitch as they bore the brunt of the storm. "That can't be right," he said. "Mambo definitely thinks you're pretty cool."

Ruby's nose brightened. "Really?"

"And you may be as irritating as a tick in the ear sometimes, but I think you're alright, too." Tango stared at a line of sharp rocks up ahead. "Now, are we gonna have to go around these, or are you ready to go over them."

"Ready."

James tightened his grip on the reins, the old leather digging into his fingers. The reindeer sprinted forward before leaping into the sky, kicking up a flurry of snow. The sleigh lurched sideways as Ruby struggled to stay in the air next to the buck, only to level itself out as she found her rhythm. Stone screeched across the bottom of the sleigh as they scraped over the jagged points.

"Dad's gonna freak when he sees that," James muttered as chips of crimson paint rained onto the snow.

"Bah," Tango said, "if he's so worried about the paint job, he can kiss my hooves. Better for the sleigh to get banged up than my feet."

"Did you mean what you said," Ruby asked, "or did you just not want to walk?"

Tango shrugged. "When you're older, you'll understand exactly how annoying things can get. One pebble out of place, and my hooves'll start throbbing like I've been dancing on cobblestones. As for whether I think you're any good in the air—" he tossed his head as if he was dismissing a fly "—I guess we'll see. I bet I can fly faster than you."

"You're on!"

The sleigh zoomed through the air as the reindeer picked up speed. Tango's muscles rippled beneath his fur, flowing from one stride to the next as smoothly as a seal diving through water. Ruby puffed alongside him, panting as she tried to match her partner's pace.

The slopes of Mount Permafrost passed below them as a sea of white, broken less and less often by the occasional rock or patch of scraggly lichen. No matter how hard James squinted through the wind, he couldn't catch even the tiniest hint that Nick was nearby.

The sleigh swerved as a massive gust of wind slammed into it. James's knuckles turned whiter than the slope below as he tightened his grip on the reins. He pushed the FAST's lever down.

"Good call," Tango said as he and Ruby guided them to the ground. They thudded over rocks hidden beneath the snow as hail pummeled the sleigh. "Walking may be slower, but it beats a nasty fall any day."

"I'll say." Ruby tossed her head. "The last thing I need is to go home looking like a fawn."

The wind roared, urging them to turn back as they struggled through deeper and deeper snow. "Are you guys holding up okay?" James said as he tightened his scarf. His shivering knocked his knees against each other, but his legs were too numb to register the pain.

"I'm okay," Ruby said. Yet, she grunted with each step, fighting against all the fury December had to offer.

"You sure about that, Twinkle Nose?" Tango shook a layer of snow off his antlers. A thin layer of frost glittered against his rack in a solid crust. "It won't do us any good if we collapse before we find the kid."

James bit his lip. Tango had a point, but could Nick even wait that long? "How about we rest for a little bit? I'll radio Clarice and see if they've had any luck."

"Sounds good to me." Tango barely waited until they finished dragging the sleigh onto a small plateau before lying down. "I swear Santa had better give me sugarcane after this," he grumbled.

Ruby curled into a shivering heap. James climbed out of the sleigh and draped a blanket over her before bundling himself in one and huddling against her. They trembled together as the cold sank its teeth into their bones.

The cold diminished as a mass of thick fur curled up beside them. "It's impossible to rest when your teeth are chattering so loudly," Tango muttered.

"Aw, I always knew you'd warm up to me sooner or later," Ruby said. Her nose glowed softly as she chuckled at her own pun.

While Tango let out a groan to hide an amused snort, James pulled out his radio. It crackled to life as he said, "Clarice? You there?"

Barely a second passed before she responded, her voice muddled with static. "Yup. You find him?"

"Not yet," he said, "and Ruby's getting tired. You guys have any luck?"

"None." When she paused, James could hear the faint murmuring of their mother's voice and someone sobbing. "Dad's not doing so hot, and the elves are too freaked out by the storm to get much done. If you don't come back soon, I'm not sure if you'll be able to until the weather lets up."

The reindeers' ears twitched as they listened to the conversation. "Back when I was with the elite forces," Tango said, "we got stranded in the Alps. It won't be easy, but we should be alright if we have to stay put and forage for ourselves for a while."

"Yeah," Clarice said, "but what about James? Look, I don't know how long your supplies will last, but the elves think this might keep going through Christmas." Her voice went quiet. "I don't think Dad will be able to handle it if both you and Nick are out there that long."

James glanced at the reindeer. Ruby's face contorted into a grimace as she tried to get more comfortable, legs trembling with exhaustion after pulling the sleigh for hours. Tango held his head high against the wind, but even the older reindeer's breathing had begun growing labored.

Despite their tiredness, both reindeer's eyes burned with determination.

"We'll be careful," James said, "but there's no way we're going back without Nick."

"Why did I know you'd say that?" Clarice said with a half-hearted chuckle. "Just please let us know you're okay. One radio call every day, that's all I need. And I swear if I don't hear from you, I'll pull a sleigh out there myself to drag you home."

"Okay. See you soon."

James ended the call, leaving the storm to swallow all other sound.