There were only two images that were of actual living creatures. One was a set of cards with a cute little puppy on it. While Jill knew she could probably take on the shape, she somehow didn't think she'd be able to shrink in size to be the creature. Besides, it was cute and cuddly and pretty much defenseless against someone like John.
Her gaze slid to the second image and she stared at the card featuring a real reindeer wearing a glowing red Rudolph nose. Despite the pressure of the moment, Jill couldn't help but wonder how on earth the photographer had got the reindeer to stand still long enough to put the nose on, let alone wear it long enough for pictures to be taken.
"Watch it, mister," the woman's voice made her glance anxiously up the aisle. She had no doubt the woman was speaking to John. He was probably barreling up the store's center aisle like a bull as he'd done on the street, pushing people out of the way as he went. And he wasn't far away. He'd be here any moment.
Panic a high-pitched whistle shrieking in her head, Jill turned in a circle. What to do? What to do? John would be here any moment and she was trapped. What to do?
Her gaze slid desperately back to the image of the reindeer. He'd know it was her, of course. He'd hardly imagine a reindeer got loose from the parade and wandered in to pick out Christmas cards. On the other hand, she'd have a lovely pair of antlers to hold him off with, which was more than she had at the moment.
Could she?
"Hey!"
Jill winced and glanced around again. That shout had been much closer than the last. Frighteningly close. Turning determinedly back to the cards, Jill stared at the image of the red-nosed reindeer and closed her eyes. In that moment she really wanted to be the reindeer. It was big, would be fast, and had large antlers to hold John off.
A gasp brought her eyes open and she peered to the end of the aisle where John stood, a stunned look on his face. The red bulb glowing at the end of her now very elongated nose was her first clue that the shift had worked. Glancing down she found herself staring at two hoofs sticking out of Nick's coat sleeves.
"Well you clever little minx," John breathed suddenly. "I never would have imagined you could do this."
He was moving toward her, easing his way as if she was a vicious animal… which she supposed she could be now. By rolling her eyes upward, Jill could just see the tips of the long, pointy antlers now crowning her head. They looked deadly and she briefly fantasized about charging at the man and goring him as payback for all the trouble he'd caused her… but it just wasn't something she could bring herself to do when she had other options. And she did. Taking advantage of one of those options now, Jill turned to hurry up the aisle away from him. Unfortunately, her brain was trying to run like a human with two legs and she was now on all fours. The new body shape was odd and awkward and left her floundering clumsily for the first few steps. The coat didn't help matters much either, her clumsy hooves kept catching on it as she tried to move.
A sudden jerk on the back of the coat told her John had grabbed it. Fortunately, in all their rushing about, Jill hadn't had time to do it up. Now she struggled to free herself, her feet—hooves—coming free and allowing the long coat to slide off her back.
"Get back here!" John yelled, but she was away. Reaching the end of the aisle, Jill turned sharply to the right, intending to head for the front of the store, but she hadn't taken her new body into account. Her front hooves turned abruptly on command but her back legs were slower to react and slid out from under her so that her hind end slid along the floor to the side. Jill cursed under her breath as she saw John rushing up the aisle toward her. He'd be on her in a minute. Forcing herself to concentrate on her new body's movement, she managed to regain her feet and immediately charged for the front of the store.
Jill didn't consider the problem the door could be until she was nearly to it. She was just starting to realize that she wouldn't be able to work the door knob when the bells jangled as it was pushed inward by someone entering. It was an older woman who was smiling on first pushing the door open, but who blanched in horror and threw herself to the side, slamming the door against the wall and pinning it there with her body when she saw what appeared to be a huge reindeer charging toward her.
Jill put on a burst of speed and exploded out onto the sidewalk.
Screams and shouts erupted around her and Jill soon rued that she'd changed at all. The antlers were deadly and she wasn't used to them; she could hurt someone very badly if she weren't careful. Fortunately, she wasn't the only one to realize the peril her new shape could cause and everyone was scrambling to get out of her way. Turning in the direction of the parking lot, she broke into a run as the bells on the door behind her chimed. She didn't have to glance around to know it must be John.
"Jill! Get back here!" he roared and she grimaced at the fury in his voice. Did he really expect she'd just docilely allow him to lock her away for his experiments? The man was mad, she thought as he called her name again. "Jill!"
"That's Rudolph!" a child's voice corrected him scornfully, then added, "Run, run Rudolph! The bad man's coming."
Jill was already running, but put on a burst of speed at the cry. The more accustomed she became to this new shape, the more swiftly she was able to move and everyone was very accommodating in making way for her. They were spreading before her and then closing quickly behind her to stare after her with amazement which had the added benefit of slowing John down. She quickly left him behind.
Unfortunately, all this attention had its disadvantages and when she heard someone shouting out to call the police or animal control, she knew she had to get herself somewhere out of sight and change again quickly. The problem would be what to change into. If she changed back to herself, she'd be left naked and that was hardly helpful.
A rush of relief ran through her as she broke out of the last of the crowds and found herself on the edge of the parking lot. It was full of people milling about still in their costumes. The parade was over and its members were now laughing and chatting in groups with the relief and excitement that follows a successful venture. Fortunately, they were mostly congregated around the tents and no one seemed to notice her appearance at the edge of the lot.
"Don't let it get away."
"Does anyone have a rope? We can lasso it and hold it until the police get here."
Jill glanced around at that comment, startled to see that some of the people from the crowds had decided to give chase. She should have realized that would be the case, that some civic minded men would decide to catch the wild reindeer running loose in the streets before it harmed someone, but the possibility hadn't occurred to her.
Cursing, she turned sharply and charged for the end of the parking lot where the parade members had parked. When they reached the cars, she began to weave through them, aware that the men had begun to spread out, trying to surround her.
Pausing between two vans, Jill tried to decide which way to go, but glanced to the side when a muffled bark caught her ear. She blinked in surprise as she found herself face to face with a beautiful husky. The dog had climbed right up onto a box on the seat of the van he was in. He stood framed in the window, peering at her with what seemed more to be curiosity than anything else.
"Do you see it?"
Jill glanced behind her, but while the voice sounded close, there was no one there.
"I think it went around that van," someone answered as Jill turned back to peer at the dog again. Knowing she didn't have much time, she concentrated on the animal, wanting desperately to look like it. No one would bother her as a husky. They'd hardly notice her with their attention on finding the reindeer.