Page 103 of Bride of Choice

Another noise, a soft crunch to my left, had my head then whipping in that direction.

My heart pounded, thrumming like a hummingbird’s as I narrowed my eyes, getting angry as I grew resentful, standing here like a frightened little kid, spooked at everything.

Straightening my shoulders, hiking my big girl panties up so far I had the mother of all mental, suck it up, buttercup, wedgies, I continued towards the village.

Well… I hoped this was the way to the village.

As dimming daylight bled into dark, I knew it would be stupid to try and blindly find my way. Kooky had talked about some of his more adventurous hunting trips with me before, about denning down and scouting for good hunting grounds.

Taking a cue from his ramblings about hiding in sticker bushes, digging a hole to hunker down in, I did just that. There was a very memorable anecdote about a large animal he called a keravu scenting him and trying to trample him, but its huge feet couldn’t get them as they hunkered down in their hidey hole.

Well, my impromptu hole to bunker down in was not keravu proof, but it was deep enough under a prickle filled bush I had more than a few prickle itches from plucking those mean suckers from my coat, hair, and exposed hands.

Curling up in a ball, I stared into the night. It grew pitch black before I could blink.

Realizing I kept sucking in a sharp breath every single time I heard any little sound, I closed my dirt smeared hand over my mouth, hunching down smaller as if that might help, and forced myself to squeeze my eyes shut tight.

Thinking of the dust of shame in my bag, I was slowly unzipping my bag when I heard that first soft, hiss of a growl.

Stilling instantly, my blood ran cold.

Oh my fucking god, they’ve found me! It’s them! The Krampus!

My heart pounded in my ears, a wild drumming that threatened to drown out all else, as I kept perfectly still whilst screaming my bloody head off on the inside.

Loud snuffling sounds filled the air. My fingers itched to grab for the powder but I didn’t dare.

The grumbling and snuffling was far enough away I hoped I stood a chance of finding some way to mask my scent.

Thinking of the mud surrounding me, I quietly slid my hand lower, grabbed up a handful, and carefully began dabbing it all over my face and hands. I felt like the guy in predator, but like a really inexperienced peep with icky, sticky gobs of dirt all over me.

If any of this was poo, I’d never live it down. It didn’t smell like it but it wasn’t exactly a clean mud sort of scent. My nose crinkled as I grabbed more and went for full coverage.

When the snuffling sniffing noises grew close enough I caught a whiff of a strange, weirdly sweet, almost cinnamony smell, I forced myself to breathe in and out slowly, ignoring the frantic beat of my heart.

A crunch sounded so close to my prickle bush I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut.

They spoke, whatever language a Krampus knew. The cinnamony smell passed by and a very gingerbread, cocoa and fresh mud musk followed shortly after.

Tears leaked from my eyes as I clenched my hands tight in a white knuckled grip.

Please pass by me. Please pass by me.

Cracking my eyes open a teeny, tiny sliver, I nearly pissed myself, spying those familiar, weird yellow and red mixed eyes crouched, so close, just on the other side of the fat prickle bush, eyeing it like he was looking for weak spots.

A set of red and green streaked eyeballs to my right were smaller, darting around as if to keep an eye for enemies, but no less menacing.

“JO!” a voice called out, followed by another.

The Krampus trying to figure out how to invade the prickle bush jerked and grumbled something softly to each other, to then shoot up.

Red and green eyes took off quickly, shooting past my hiding place with an ugly snarl, but yellow and red eyes lingered.

I felt his eyes on me as I dared a peek off towards the sound of my name being called.

I was tempted to call out in the hopes of scaring him off but Boog and Rek’s warnings had me holding my tongue.

“JO!”

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