Queen of Krampus

Prologue

It was December 23rd, the time when the snow started to fall, stores decorating and stocking up on the latest toys, and kids playing in the snow with their friends and family. In the park, a family of 4 were walking home from returning from the movies. The couple, Tom and Sarah Engel watched their daughters with a smile as they danced around. The eldest, Eira sang Christmas songs to her soon-to-be sibling in her mother's belly while her sister, Beth kept dancing. As they were near home, little Eira felt eyes watching her. Not from her family. She turned to her head to the right where the woods are, finding nothing but dead trees. But she knew someone or something was out there. She shook it off and went inside before her parents and grandmother, Omi could realize she was missing.

Later that afternoon she was helping her family decorating the tree with Christmas bubbles, tinsel, candy canes, and old ornaments that her mother and Aunt Linda had since they were kids. Eira tried her best to focus but her attention was out the window where the woods was. Her father noticed this and was a bit concerned. "Hey you're alright honey?" he crouched down to the girl's level. The latter swiftly turned to his father, making a smile on a cute little face and nodded her head. Tom raised a brow causing her to put her head down. "Baby-" "Thomas." Omi interrupts him, walking in with a bag of treats in hand. "Ich denke, ein Spaziergang für die Kleine kann ihren Geist klären. (I think a walk for the little one can clear her mind..)" She spoke to Eira with an encouraging smile and wink. The girl smiled and took the bag gladly then raced (respectfully) to the door to retrieve her coat and mittens. Tom was shocked at how fast his daughter went and shut the door. When reality hit him, he raced his way to go and find her before she was far away, but his mother's hand grabbed his arm to stop him. "Lasst sie los! (Let her go!)" She spoke with a firm voice. Tom knew Eira would be fine, but every time she is away from him a million different scenarios play in his head. Thinking of the worse. "Lasst sie los," Omi spoke again but softer caused him to stop in defeat.

In the woods, Eira raced through the snow that touched her ankles, stopping at an open space just breathing.

Not mind anything as she went and every noise was tuned out. Until she heard screams. Screams that came from boys that were a few years older than her. She ran through the trees, trying to find the source of the screaming. She didn't notice until a fallen branch hit her ankle making a tip and roll down a hill. A pair of bare brushes caught her before she could roll any steeper hills and injure herself.

She groaned and got up slowly. Walking toward her bag that was a few feet away from her. As she bent down to pick it up she saw prints in the snow. Hoofprints. From the knowledge she gained from animal books and nature guides, she could tell that the tracks came from either an elk or a goat. 'Can a goat walk on two feet?' She thought to herself.

Her train of thought was interrupted by bleating and stomping from a further distance. She looked up from the tracks and slowly walked in the direction where the commotion was. She was hiding behind a pine tree, taking a breath and rubbed off any snow that was on her coat. She peeked over the tree to see what was behind it.

What she saw not only confused her but frightened her. She knew by heart that her neighbors didn't have a sleigh let alone the livestock to pull it. So why is she seeing six huge sheep with skull masks chained to a sleigh?!

Being the little girl that she is, she went out to greet them. The goats weren't aware of Eira's presence, so she approached gently. Since the day she was born Eira has this connection with animals, she always knew what to do. She stopped a few feet from the second row. Both hands holding the bag. Took a breath before she spoke. "Hello, what's your name?"

All of the Yule Goats stopped their lollygagging and turned to see a little girl with sapphire eyes and honey golden hair smiling at them. Never before they encountered a child like her, not one who asks what their names were. Creepy. Innocence was pure as crystal. They didn't know what to do, just stand still, and watch the child. Eira took baby steps closer, but the goats moved a few inches away; they were frightened cats. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." She said as she pulled out an apple that was red as blood with her free hand. The goats looked at the fruit than at the child. 'What is that thing? Isn't she afraid? Is that a treat for us? Is it poisonous? Did the master lose one of his victims? Hmm, she seems nice.' The Yule Goats thought to themselves, trying to process this suggestion. The goat from the first row on the left side went to her. He sniffed the apple before taking a bite out of it. After the apple was devoured she stroked the wool as she read the writing that was engraved on the harness, which Eira assumed was a name tag. "Sie heißen Bjørn? (Your name is Bjørn?)" she questioned in German. Unexpectedly he nodded in response. After a few seconds, she fed the others and learned their names. She gave an orange to Njal, a couple of candy canes to Sten, sugar cookies to Ulf, and slipped a carrot to Rune and Sune. Without knowing the shadow of Nicholas himself witnessed everything from up the trees.

After returning from a little hunt, he heard something rolling down a hill. He jumped up the trees silently and watched. He knew the girl was unique out of all the children, but he didn't know what. "My name is Eira." She spoke to her newly made friends. As she spoke and laughed with the Yule Goats, Krampus finally knew what it was. Pure innocence and a golden heart, very rare qualities for humans to have. He knew others would come for her to do terrible things to her. Something he can not allow. He jumped down making a soft landing behind the girl, causing the goats to stiffen. Eira felt an ice-cold presence behind her, as she slowly turned her eyes third in size. The only thing was blood-red goat eyes and a clawed hand waved in front of her caused the world to go dark.