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"Rudolph Rothafur!" An old goat called out from his position at the podium, turning to face the far end. Rudy licked his lips, feeling his stomach flutter with nervousness. Stepping up onto the stage, he walked across it. He tried to ignore the crowd that was watching. Smiling as best he could, he reached out to take the diploma and shake the principal's hand, shaking it. Holding it up, he posed so his parents, wherever they were, could take a picture of him graduating from high school.

Taking his seat, he already started to feel bored. The only thing he could do was sit and wait for the graduation ceremony to end. Shifting in his seat, he looked through the crowd, trying to catch sight of his family. With thousands of student graduating, it was no easy task.

After all the names were called and the final congratulatory speech was given, Rudy, as well as the rest of the former students, threw the cap in the air. He made sure he could keep an eye on it so he could retrieve it. Bending over to pick it up, he felt someone behind him. Turning around, powerful arms grabbed the reindeer and a kiss was placed on his mouth.

"See you tomorrow," the wolverine said, "maybe we can have some alone time for a proper goodbye, again." She gave a wide grin and winked before turning and walking off, leaving Rudy still a little caught off guard. He felt a throb of excitement and soreness at the comment and the memories of their alone time from last night.

Giving his head a shake, he brought himself back to the present. Moving with the crowd, he headed out to mix with the crowd and look for his family. There were a lot of other graduates and families surrounding him, and it was a large building.

"There you are," a voice said to his left. Grinning, the young male turned to face his grandfather leading the way with Rudy's parents and sister not far behind. Pushing through the crowd, the young reindeer gave his grandfather a hug. The others joined in, trapping Rudy in the middle of a group hug.

"Glad you made it grandpa," the young buck said as he pulled back from the hug.

"Of course," the grandfather responded, "You think my oldest grandchild, my namesake, would graduate and I would miss it?"

"Alright," the mother called out, "Let's get a picture of the three generations of Rothafur bucks together. Gar, you stand in the middle. Rudy, hold up your degree." All of the males got where they were told, smiling brightly as their picture was taken.

"If you don't mind," the older reindeer said, "I would like young Rudolph here to drive me back to your place. There's something special I want to talk to him about." Not getting any argument, the five of them started for the parking lot. Rudy's parent and sister went to their car, while he went to his grandfather's.

"Wait." Rudy stopped, turning to look at the older buck, "Did you say you wanted ME to drive you back?"

Grinning, Rudolph reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys. He took a hold of his grandson's wrist with one hand, setting the keys in the young buck's palm with the other. Saying nothing else, the older buck turned and started walking toward the passenger side.

"But," the young male blinked in confusion, "But this is a classic car. You said that you and Grandma got it the first Christmas after you were married. This thing is older than DAD and you want me to drive it?"

"You have your license," the older reindeer replied, "and it might be yours someday. Now hurry up and unlock the doors. I'm starting feel a little sore from standing here."

Still confused, Rudy unlocked the door and climbed in. Reaching across, he unlocked the passenger side door to let his grandfather in. The two were quiet as the car started up and began to pull out of the spot. The younger reindeer let out a sigh as it looked like they were going to be stuck in the parking lot for a while.

"You know the song 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer?'" the older reindeer asked.

"Don't remind me!" Young Rudy rolled his eyes, letting out a groan. "Between getting your nose and having the same name, a lot of cubs would sing that all year long to tease me about it." His grip tightened on the wheel as he remembered the taunting tone as classmates repeated the song over, and over, and over again.

"Well," the older reindeer took a deep breath, "the song is actually about me. I was actually the Rudolph who took the lead of Santa's sleigh on a cold night that was unusually cloudy and foggy." He stopped talking as he listened to the laughter.

"That's a good one. You are the same Rudolph as the one that pulled Santa's sleigh. That's hilarious. And why aren't you laughing?" He blinked at his grandfather and raised an eyebrow. "You can NOT be serious."

"I am very serious," Rudolph responded. Leaning back, he let out a sigh. His head faced forward, but the buck's eyes grew glassy as his mind started travelling back through his memories.

"When I was a fawn I was often teased for my red-nose, as the song said. Never really got to play with the others that lived around me. Fortunately there was a large forest for me to explore and run through. I was pretty quick and great at navigating the woods. It was not long before I could travel through there and get to any part of it faster than any other reindeer.

"I think when I was sixteen, it rained much more than usual and we didn't get much snow. We were actually getting fog, and lots of it. One afternoon I come home and find that we have company. I was introduced to Dasher and Dancer, talked to them and got to know them for a while. I talked to them about what all the time I spent in the woods, and how well I knew it. They even asked me about my nose. Not in a mean way mind you, but with sincere curiosity.

"Finally they told me why they were there, for me. It seems that Santa was expecting things to be very foggy and hard to navigate. However, there was supposed to be a reindeer with the special talents needed to get through it. So he sent them out to find, well, me."

The honk of a car horn caused Rudy to jump in his seat. The space in front of him was clear, allowing him to pull out and start driving down the road. He had been so caught up in listening to his grandfather's story that he had not paid attention to traffic. He watched the road, still thinking about what his grandfather just told him.

"If what you're saying is true," he finally said, "and I'm not saying it is, then that would mean you are over a hundred years old. Like what? One and a half? Two? Definitely not in your seventies."

"So long as you are one of Santa's reindeer you are as ageless as Santa Claus," the older buck replied. "If you agree to work for him, you get a small portion of the Christmas Magic that he has. As a result you are made immortal."

"So why did you quit?" Rudy asked, trying to look at his grandfather while keeping his eyes on the road at the same time. He watched as Rudolph gave a wistful smile.

"I met your grandmother. She was young and sweet and I fell in love with her almost instantly. After dating a while, we decided we want to spend the rest of our lives together and have children. So I let Santa and the others know it was my last run, did one last Christmas then resigned. That spring I married Cecilia and the following Christmas, got this car as a gift from the old wolf and the other reindeer." He gave the dashboard a gentle pat.

Rudy blinked at his glanced at his grandfather while continuing to drive. The young reindeer adjusted his grip on the wheel and chewed his lip. He tried to pay attention to what was going on around him, but a part of him kept thinking about what he had just been told.

"I haven't believed in Santa Claus in eight years," he finally said, "and now you're telling me that not only is he real, but you've actually worked for him. Why are you sharing all this with me? Why now?"

"I ran into Comet not too long ago, talked to him a while. We discussed how things have changed and how things currently were. He mentioned that they never found someone to replace me. I was thinking that since you were so much like me when I joined up that I thought it might be something you would like to do."

"Me?" Rudy asked in surprise, "Why would they want me? I may have the red nose, but it doesn't actually glow. Besides I've never pulled a sleigh or led anything. I would probably get everyone lost."

"The magic amplifies certain abilities reindeers already have," Rudolph responded, "My nose didn't actually glow until I agreed to it. You also are in great shape from years of being on the track team. As for getting lost let me ask something. Did you drive to the graduation?"

"No. Dad drove."

"Did you pay attention to where you were going?"

"No. I was mostly texting my friends about how I would be there soon and see them before we went to sit down."

"Have you ever been out there before?"

"No."

"So," Rudolph asked, "If you have never been out there and did not pay attention, how were you able to drive home without getting lost?" The older reindeer held up his hand, pointing out the windshield.

It took Rudy a moment to realize his grandfather was right. The young buck had been driving partially distracted, and was now on the street they actually lived on. Giving his head a shake, he pulled into the driveway and realized that he had gotten here before his parents. Putting it in park, he shut off the engine and sat there.

"You have months to decide on the matter," his grandfather said softly, "but I think it would be something you would actually enjoy." Reaching over, he took the keys. The older reindeer opened the door and stepped out, letting out a small groan.

"Grandpa?" Rudy asked, "If you liked it so much, why don't you do it again? With Grandma past and Dad grown up with me and Darla, why don't you get in touch with them and take start guiding the sleigh again?" He turned and looked at his grandfather curiously.

"I'm too old now." He gave a shake of his head. "The magic keeps you from aging, but it cannot make you younger. The age you are when you join is the age you are when you leave. If I join, I'll be this age with all the aches and pains."

"I need some time to take this in." Rudy stepped out of the car, locking and shutting the door. "When Mom and Dad come home, can you tell them that I went for a walk or something?"

"Of course," the older reindeer said with a nod, "Just be sure to be home in time for supper." Walking around the car, he gave his grandson a firm hug and pat on the back. Giving one more smile, Rudolph turned and headed for the porch.

After watching his grandfather go inside, Rudy turned away from the house and started for the sidewalk. His mind reeled and spun with all he had been told. It was such a strange story and seemed like a lot to take in. More so since it was on a day where he had reached a major milestone in growing up.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cellphone. Clicking the first number, he held it up to his ear and listened to it ring until someone picked up.

"Hey it's me," he said, "I know we were supposed to get together tomorrow, but do you think you can get away for a while? I really need someone to talk to about some stuff."