Page 11 of The Krampus's First Christmas Gift

But he knew from personal experience that was not possible for krampuses. Maybe because he and his kind were monsters to the core. They fed off striking dread into the hearts of others. They delighted in it. Their purpose in life was to remind people to avoid the darkness. To behave and be good or face the krampuses that lurked in the shadows.

Kraghol despised all of it. Still, he didn’t have a choice. This was who he was. He was a krampus. That could not be changed.

He’d tried to enter Anorra though. When he was about sixteen, he’d wandered to the edge of the city, looking up at the buildings. He’d wanted a new life, away from the krampuses. He’d thought that if other monstrous beings could make lives for themselves in Anorra, then maybe he could too.

He’d hesitated before walking down a cobblestone lane. His whole body had trembled.

He thought if he came to Anorra nowhere near Krampus Night, they would not fear him. They might instead accept him or at the very least tolerate him. He didn’t know how he’d try to make a life in the city. But he just knew he was sick of the life of a krampus. He had to at least try to get away.

Then a lady spotted him. She pointed, eyes widening. Her scream echoed around the street, piercing Kraghol’s soul. He flinched. Several children spotted him. Crying out in fear, they ran away.

A man grabbed a rock and hurled it at Kraghol. It hit his shoulder. Kraghol groaned in pain.

“Leave us be, krampus!” the man yelled. He threw another rock.

Others followed suit, throwing bottles, rubbish, and more rocks at him. Others spat and shouted.

“We have enough of your kind on Krampus Night!” a dwarf bellowed.“Just fuck off!”

Kraghol had stumbled away, fleeing to the forest, back to his dank cave.

Now he only ever returned to Anorra on Krampus Night. He’d not considered leaving the krampuses since. After all, he had nowhere else to go. No one else would accept him.

Kraghol was a krampus. He would always be a krampus.

And even if he could, he would not bring anyone else into this wretched life he lived. So Kraghol would always remain in the dark. Alone. Never knowing a gentle touch. He would definitely never be known by his half-mate.

The sky started to darken. As usual, Jasper and Kali began to head back in the direction of the city. Jasper’s shoulders drooped with every step.

Kraghol’s chest ached with the need to go forward and try to soothe his almost mate. But he knew he could not. So he just watched them safely enter Anorra.

After several moments, Kraghol turned. He walked reluctantly deeper and deeper into the forest, further from the city. The snow continued to fall. Wind whisked through the branches.

After walking a while, he heard screams and cries in the distance. They grew louder and louder.

The muscles in his neck tensed. He walked slower. He wished he could return to his cave. That would be preferrable to where he was heading. But he had to be at this gathering tonight. His absence would not be tolerated.

The shrieks and screeches grew louder still. He saw the glowing light of a fire. With each step, it grew bigger and brighter. The jangle of bells echoed in the air.

The trees grew sparser. He approached a clearing with a towering bonfire in the middle. Orange-and-red flames licked at the night sky. The blazing heat from the fire cast the cold from his bones. Soon sweat would dampen his fur. Fire crackled.

And surrounding the golden fire, about a hundred krampuses danced. They threw back their heads, extending their long, lashing tongues. They bellowed. They howled.

Bonfire Night. Kraghol hated Bonfire Night.

Chapter

Seven

Kraghol paused at the edge of the clearing, watching the bonfire rage. It stood over three times his height. Smoke and ash choked the air. Around the clearing, broken branches and ripped-up trees lay scattered around. The fire would burn until dawn.

Bonfire Night. A night in early December when the krampuses came together. It marked the beginning of the celebrations leading up to Krampus Night.

Some krampuses lived scattered throughout the forest near Anorra. Others lived further away. But they all came together for Bonfire Night, stayed until Krampus Night, and remained around for the celebrations that lasted days afterwards.

Kraghol despised Bonfire Night. But truthfully, Kraghol despised all krampus gatherings.

“Brother!” Freya, his older sister, strode towards him. A wide smile stretched her lips. “We haven’t seen you in a while.”