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The cyclone of snow circled above the wooden sleigh, cold and savage. One by one, elves and toys returned shivering and exhausted, not able to find the lost girl. Stekkjarstaur clutched his coat tightly as the wind blew upon his back following behind was his troop unassembled to light up more torches to keep the others warm.

But he knew it wouldn't be enough. Not for this.

He caught Der Klown slithering to his side as they approached the sleigh, where their master awaits. They felt the rage fuming from him and his sharp talons clawing out the remaining paint of the sleigh as if they were on their skin. The blood-red eyes speared through their souls when eye contact was made. Stekk managed to swallow his tension and bowed his head which made Klown follow his lead. "We have searched the entire area of the neighborhood and the woods," "W-We've checked on-once, t-twice, even thrice," Klown stuttered, "But still our search has remained fruitless."

After hearing this response, Krampus released a vicious growl deep within his chest; his hand scratched harshly on the sleigh leaving only claw marks. "All these years of hunting lost children and damned souls," he whispered to the two commanders clenching his hand into a fist causing a few of his knuckles to crack. "All those years and " The spirit roared in rage, his eyes glowed like embers of lava from a volcano, and lightning flashed upon the gray cyclone as he towered over the elf and toy. Klown clutched his hat pulling it down to hide his face from the terror in front of him while Stekkjarstaur stood there frozen beholding this living nightmare.

The other elves and toys either hid inside the sack on the sleigh or within the soft, raggy wool of the Yule Goats, who coward and whimpered like dogs. For the first time, they were truly afraid of their master, witnessing his wrath once thought to be a legend. She used both the highest point of the sleigh and her wide amber eyes to search for the last scouting troop to arrive while cradling Baby Chrissy who stirred in her white, fur blanket. Gluggagægir knew for a fact that the group would be the first ones to arrive due to Ketkrókur's bloodhound nose. 'They should've been back by now.'

"They haven't returned yet." Her bold statement caught the attention of every soul until all eyes were on her. She dismissed the others as she made eye contact with the Christmas Devil. It took all of her to strengthen not to show or feel fear for the sake of herself and the baby in her arms. "The group that Ketkrókur volunteered to lead, sir. For the search." The fire in Krampus' eyes began to dull for a moment until the death of the cyclone left snowfall but the sky was still gray and the lightning still stoked. Noticing this, Stekk's confidence began to renew, granting him the right words to support his sister's statement.

"Aye it true, every Yule Lad here knows that Ketkrókur is never last and when he does, betcha that nose of his is hunting 'em like a dog. He'll find Ms. Eira in no time." The yuletide spirit hummed in thought but was not fully convinced. Yes, the elf was the best tracker but he tends to be rebellious and not to mention reckless over the centuries. Causing Krampus to doubt the dark elf's capacity to locate the maiden. "Although Ketk may be an idiot and does questionable actions-" Stekk hesitated. "But he won't do something that stupid." Glug said with confidence. Before the conversation could progress, a pair of children's screams and struggles were heard, resulting in the attention ahead to find the rest of the scouts returning with the two children, Max and Stevie, in their grasp.

But no Ketkrókur.

"We've found these brats in the neck of the woods trying to find the lady themselves." an elf, who held Max by the scruff of his coat, informed. "Ketkrókur separated from us to find her when he caught her scent but-" another, who held Stevie by the back neck, hesitated causing his master's patience to worsen. "" The elf shuddered at the outburst but refused to speak out loud until he told a shaky breath. "Er nahm den Geruch von Blut wahr und befürchtete, dass sie schwer verletzt werden könnte. (He caught the scent of blood and fears that she might be severely injured.)"

The response caused a wave of the dark elves and toys to gasp and whisper among themselves and made both of the children's blood run cold in their veins. There Krampus stood in silence with many thoughts in his head: his hands shakily clenched into fists with a crack. He tried to find her with what was left of the bond he shared with his love but there was nothing but emptiness. The constant emptiness was making tears through his heart; he clutched his skinned mask to hide escaping tears. He couldn't believe this nightmare was happening, that he'll lose the love of his life again. The guilt was consuming like a parasite until it devolved his psych and strategy, blaming himself for not going to her aid sooner and cursing the stupid rules that restrict him from finding her himself.

Once a spirit starts a crusade or prosecution of the mortals on their Sabbath they finish it without any interruptions. But can take any mortal they wish as long the spirit finishes their task. The limited amount of logic he had was desperately ordering him to not commit to the darkest option his temptation had offered.

"" Stevie struggled against the elves' restraint when she spotted her baby sister in the arms of the she-elf. Gluggagægir hissed at the children in response, inching away from their sight like a feral cat. Max tried to get his cousin to calm down but his words fell onto deaf ears as she shoved him off and swatted the elves away to get to the sleigh. Before she could get any closer a large hand grabbed the scruff of her hoodie she turned to see Krampus' wrinkly-skinned masked face with his eyes filled with red rage piercing through her soul. "" Max shouted when he watched Krampus snatch his cousin and hold her above the ground. He shoved his elven captor into the snow and approached the horned beast. "" he yelled, whacking the Christmas Devil's backside with a thin switch. However, this action only caused the spirit to become angrier and was soon snatched up away from the snowy ground.

Both children kicked mid-air trying to break loose but his grip was too strong. They stopped when they heard rumbling coming from the Earth. They witnessed the ground starting to crack and vent out some steam through the ember glowing exhales. The cracks connected until they broke into the fire pit that led to the underworld; the edges of the trench lifted as the hole grew bigger. Excess earth, snow, & abandoned Christmas decorations fell into the endless void of the inferno.

The horned spirit kneeled slightly before leaping high into the cold air and landing dangerously close to the fiery pit. Max clutched his captor's wrist for dear life he glanced down the blazing heat where he heard people screaming faintly from above. He lifted his head to his horned captor, who listened to his cousin's constant begging and said. "I'm sorry," both the girl and beast met his gaze. "I just wanted Christmas like it used to be. I wanted to make Eira happy." He witnessed the red blaze soften through the skin mask when the said girl's name was spoken. So he continued, "You care for her, don't you?" Before he could answer, a new force swept the children out of his hands and forcibly shoved him off the edge causing him to slide away. He got up with a deep groan placing a hand on his chest but instead of pain, there was warmth, protectiveness, & a hint of gentleness within this "attack" that shook the Shadow of St. Nicholas to the core. 'Can this be?'

All that Max could do was seal his eyes and scream knowing that both he and Stevie would fall to the fiery death and never get the chance to see his sister again, however, his body collided with something soft and cozy. He opened his eyes, finding Stevie right next to him just as shocked as he was, both of them felt a pair of arms wrapped around their shoulders protectively. They looked up to discover Eira standing tall and proud towards their foe still in the white fur coat however the scab on her temple was very noticeable from afar and had a strand of dried blood streamed aside her left cheek. Stevie noticed ribbons of red magic circling them as a second shield however Max didn't know nor did he care for it the only thing that mattered was being with his sister. "" Squeezing her side and had the biggest grin he had all night. The latter shifted her gaze upon Max revealing the glimpse of crimson in her eyes and her warming smile.

His helpers stood there astonished at the girl's surprising entrance even he too was astonished. The amount of strength and power in her was enough to make any greed and sometimes mad king quiver before. But he was neither mad nor greedy, however, her aura did cause him to be aroused quite a bit. He noticed a few of his elves sneaking away to try to snag his queen and the last members of her family from behind. Their actions ceased when the sound of Krampus' infamous growl was heard. "Looking for this?" The haunting voice of the girl announced using her left hand to display a familiar pair. Both Ketkrókur and Trommel were tied up together with vine-like branches constricting them and muzzling their cries for help. Not a few moments later, every soul heard something emerging from the snowy layers of the Earth from behind the trio and the hostages. There revealed the Snow Beast snaking its head around the hostages and beside the trio, where Eira stroked its snout. "Guter Junge. (Good boy.)" She coaxed scratching underneath the beast's chin causing it to purr in delight.

While the toys and elves were internally panicking, Krampus could only watch his pet getting all of his queen's attention and was given a smug that said 'I stole your girl!' He grumbled softly, not wanting to frighten his queen nor her family any further. 'I've never been so jealous of a damn dragon.'

"I have a proposal for you, O Shadow of St. Nicholas." Eira declared, removing her hand from the Snow Beast's chin and placing it on Stevie's shoulder to comfort her. The said spirit lifts a brow that was unseen and tilts his head slightly to the side. "" The low deep almost threatening volume of Eira's voice caused a sinful fanged smirk to crack on his lips.

"As you wish, mein Herz." An audible snap of a finger was heard upon the wind. The ground shook once again however the crater began to shrink down to ground level and broken parts of Earth rose from the flaming inferno and pieced together like a puzzle until every ember crack disappeared leaving the whole area in darkness and cold. Suddenly a torch lit up in an elf's hand, who almost dropped it into the snow in fright, then another lit up next by the sleigh causing Baby Chrissy to 'oh' and 'awe'. Every torch lit up one by one causing the grayness to go away out of excitement Bjúgnakrækir yanked the nearest torch and lit the other end before twirling around in his hand. The elves and toys started cheering, the Yule Goats reared up or bashed each other's horns, and even Ketkrókur and Trommel let out their own muffled cheers. After the sudden turn of events both Max and Stevie clutched Eira's coat out of fear of the helpers' action. "Eira, what do we do?" Max stuttered. The response Eira gave was a squeeze of his shoulder in reassuring him, that even though she was frightening herself she had to be brave for her family. She noticed Krampus was nowhere near the sleight nor anywhere insight which caused some anxiety to tense her up.

'Where did he go?' Before it could get into thought, a towering figure crashed his hooves down in front of Eira, which almost caused her to jump. As if were an enchantment the world once again fell silent allowing the unusual couple to gaze upon each other's eyes. That was no fighting, no dark wishes, no fear of punishment, just two souls silently bounding with one another. The presence of the yuletide spirit made Eira feel safe and well respected along with the urge to hold him in her arms while hers caused him to feel cared for and protected. All he wanted to do was kiss her like there was no tomorrow. But before that could happen both must return to the cold reality they now face, business must be done.

"What is this 'proposal' you speak of?" He rumbled from his chest which made her heart quicken. "Return my family and I'll return your comrades and pet." He hummed in thought he won't make it that easy for her but he will not ignore her either. "Gluggagægir!" This bellow caused the she-elf to straighten up and marched toward her master with baby in hand until she stood right next to him. "Return the babe to her sister." He pointed at young Stevie, who bit her lip and prayed to take her only living family member away from these monsters. Glug knew that the child must return but didn't expect for it to be so soon. There were so many things they haven't done like tea parties, lullabies, even teaching her some magic that will punish any future bullies that will bother her, however, the way Chrissy smiled and made grabbing motions towards Stevie she couldn't disappoint little Chrissy. So she gently placed Baby Chrissy into Stevie's arms and watched the two siblings reunite with one another. In response, Stevie glanced over to the elf and said with a small tear dripping down, "Thank you." The sudden praise surprised her for a moment. She bowed her head in acknowledgment before retreating the sleigh. "Now my helpers?" With shock, Max stuttered. "W-what about t-the rest of our family?" "" Stekkjarstaur snarled as he approached the trio along with Der Klown. "Now Stekk we don't want to excite them about their parents' punishment, I'm pretty sure , I believe, " He smirked towards Stevie. Stevie reached for the jester but was held back by Eira's gentle hand on her arm; however, it did not help the toy's snickering and the elf's chuckling. "Aye, but not as much as the other girl," He rubbed underneath his wooden chiseled chin of his mask and glanced at Max with mischief in his golden cat eyes determined to taunt the boy. "" He purred, seeing the fire in Max's eyes as rushed towards the elf. But the boy was held back by Eira, who wrapped an arm around her brother. "Maxie stop please!" she moved her head to his ear and whispered. "Fighting them will not free the others, relax." She straightens up as Max calms down. "As for you," both the jester and elf transferred their vigilance towards the young woman. "I will say this as politely as possible, if you wish to return home with your companions " Both were taken back by her demand and stepped away from Eira and waited behind Krampus.

"When will you bring back my family?" "When you return me my helpers," Krampus spoke plainly. "Liar." "How so?" "You want more than that." "What do you-" "" She clenched her fists which her red aura glowed with power and Snow Beast growled at the horned spirit, to whom he was taken back by his pet's actions. 'Make it quick you old fool!' His logic screamed at him for he had no desire of angering his beloved any farther nor waste more of the limited time of night he had left. So he cleared his throat and said, "For that requires a major price." Eira tilted her head and unclutched her fists causing the magic to disappear. "What kind of price?" She swallowed and caused him to chuckle heartfeltly. He offered his right hand to Eira which caused the children to shuffle back behind her and the Snow Beast to purr. "A hand in marriage, willingly." The word 'marriage' caused her to cease her breath and to tense up, she knew that she would have to sacrifice herself to free her family from eternal torment. She would have to sacrifice her life, her free will, and perhaps even her soul. For the fear that if she refused that the horned spirit be angry to harm her family she may have magic but she knew how unexpired she was and that violence was not an answer. However, her brother and cousin did not like this arrangement not at all. "" Max rushed over to the horned spirit ready to strike him but unfortunately for him the dark elf was quick with advancements and twisted both his arms behind his back. "This isn't your choice, boy!" Stekkjarstaur snarled into his ear. "Only the lady herself does."

"Enough!" Krampus waved his hand, causing both child and elf to separate by anonymous force. "I will not-" "I accept!" "What?" "What?!" Eira approached Krampus and his mightiness and confusion both children and helpers witnessed with deadly silence. "I willingly accept your hand in marriage." She fidgeted her fingers and bit her lip, she was nervous and he felt through their bond which grew stronger and stronger by the passing minute. And tonight was the night that the bonding ritual would finally be complete.

He lifted his hands towards his face, out of curiosity she tilted her head towards him to see what he was doing but he blocked her view. Stekkjarstaur, Gluggagægir, and Der Klown together knew what was happening and couldn't believe their eyes they're about to witness Krampus' revealing his true form to the outside world. He ripped away his skin mask and lifted his red hood uncovering his gray ears which Eira realized were the same exact ones from her vision. She could tell that he too was nervous by his unsteady breath as removed his hand from his face. His face was a mixture of a handsome man and a buck goat; he had gray fur covered his face however not his eyes, which were red as gemstones by the name of Rubies, and a smirk that could mistake him as the Devil himself.

()

There she stood, Eira Engel, astounded by the sight of Krampus' true form. Her blues widened, her mouth gaped open, and her mind was staggered and mismatched. All she could do was clear her throat and place her hands together and onto her lips along with the light blush In her cheeks. She was debated which caused tension in the air and everyone was a bit on edge until Max realized what Eira was doing and huffed.

""