Eve held the knife close to Krampus' chin, muttering, "Whatever. You're not worth it." She sniffled before wiping snow off her face. After a few moments of silence she whispered, "What were her last words?"

"You heard them, didn't you?" Krampus crossed his arms, raising his eyebrows at her expectantly.

She slowly shook her head. "No, her real last words."

Krampus rummaged through his memories to find a suitable phrase. He scratched behind his head; her last words weren't very beneficial to him. Alas, he would tell them anyways. "Lilith said she'd do her best. That's all."

The pressure of the weapon disappeared, replaced by a sting from the palm of Eve's hand. "Well, did she? Is this what you wanted? What did her dying accomplish? Absolutely nothing!"

Eve's father pulled her into his embrace. He wiped her stray tears away and caressed her head. "It's okay, Eve. Nothing can be done now. She... she did what she wanted to."

"Let me tell you something good," Krampus started while patting their backs. "Lilith believed in me, no matter how naive she was. Because of that, I won't allow her death to be in vain."

His eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "Remember; I didn't kill her, King Santa did. He could've imprisoned her, but chose not to. I merely gave her the push she needed. Therefore, I don't plan on apologizing."

"You da―"

"However," the goat demon interrupted, "I'll be damned if I don't bring that old fool to his knees."

They were speechless, only responding in sniffles and coughs. He took that as a chance to change the topic. "Eve and Lilith, huh? Would your name happen to be Adam?"

The greying man shook his head with a smile. "Heavens no. I'm Godin. My late wife named them that because she wanted them to create a better world."

"Hm, I see. Well, don't you worry. I'll do it in Lilith's place."

Eve tugged harder onto her father's back. "Idiot," she whispered in between soft cries.

He looked from her to Godin, deciding it was time to give them space. "I'll be off, then."

Godin nodded, a smile etched onto his pale face as he rubbed his daughter's back. "Thank you."

"No problem." He looked up to find Simon. Once he did, he waved him down.

The deer silently lowered until he landed in the snow. He tilted his head at the sight of the mourning elves. "Is something amiss?"

Krampus only shook his head before draping his arm around Simon to distance themselves from the scene. "We're good," he mumbled with a frown, "but they just need some alone time. After all, they just lost their family."

"Indeed; it's unfortunate." He sighed at the bloody sight, then walked forward. "Alright, let us go, then."

"Go? To where, exactly?"

Simon glanced at the factory, then the castle and smirked. "Where else? The shed. We're going to follow your plan, right?"

"Right." Krampus patted his back before hopping on. "Let's get going, then."

Even as he spoke with feigned confidence, a part of him still had doubt after the outcome of his first plan. If it doesn't work... no, it's going to work. There's too much at risk for another failure. His fists tightened at his sides. There's too much to lose.

Simon obliged, taking off to their next destination. "Sorry about earlier," the humble deer whispered, "I sometimes forget my place when I'm with you."

A hand landed on his head. "It's not like that, Simon. I'm as irrated as you are. No one should be separated from their family by force. I bet they really miss you."

Simon nodded, then sighed. "I can't even watch Huo grow up, and when I think of the fact that he'll be in my place soon..."

"Don't worry. Soon it'll all be over." Krampus ruffled Simon's fur and smiled. "I'll make sure of it."

Simon chuckled at the demon. "Hm, I'd like to see that. In all seriousness, I will try to convince the others. When does your job start?"

"I'm off since Christmas is closing in."

It was silent for a moment as he stared at his rider with wide eyes. "He let you go on vacation?"

"...No, I just can't focus on work right now. So I went on break. Besides, Vanilla'd be pissed at me if she knew about this."

"You're certainly right. She has a knack for resembling a kettle whenever enraged. Although I haven't  seen her in awhile..." Simon looked down then sighed. "Deer are banned from visiting prisoners unless we want to go behind bars ourselves. Tell me, is she well?"

"She's splendid, I must say. Despite her predicament, she's still positive." And still believes in me. "It's kind of funny, really. Even if she's in jail, she always has a trick up her sleeve."

Simon nodded in agreement. "Remember when you were kids? She always used to scold you for being a crybaby. It was quite the sight."

"Ugh, don't remind me. I already have enough bothersome childhood memories." He grimaced at the thought of Marie, the mermaid who stole his innocence. "Anyways, tell me about your wife. She must be amazing to handle you."

There was silence for a moment before he chuckled. "She's a work of art. A little like Vanilla, but more cunning. On the outside she may seem cold, but she's really just a softie. I would love to see her and Huo again, to see how they've grown."

"Well your time will be coming soon; I think that's the shed, right?" Krampus squinted at a building not too far off from them. It was similar to the gingerbread house from centuries ago, although it held a more worn down appearance. Its wooden frames were practically a second away from collapsing, in contrast to the sturdy, rich architecture from the town's main attractions. The wide doors were agape as a slender deer peeked from its opening. "Is that Henry?" Krampus asked.

Before he could respond to the belated demon, he let out a baa and shook his head. Krampus took that as some sort of signal between deers. "Aye, it is. He's grown quite a bit since the last time you've seen him. Alas, he grows a longing for the warmth of his missing mother."

"What of his father?"

"Died from over exhaustion years ago. So we all did our best to care for him in their place. He's okay, but..." He lowered them down until they were near the shed and whispered, "he's having problems with the other fawn. I think he's jealous of them."

"Hm, that's unfortunate. He isn't bullying them, is he? That would be naughty." He let out a chuckle followed by a snort as they entered the shed. "Kids these days."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Krampus!" a deer yelled with a high pitched voice, much to their dismay. He was holding some rope in his mouth when he gasped, dropping the item. "Wait, Krampus?" At the realization of who he was speaking to, Henry turned around and galloped to him. "What're you doing here? I thought you died!"

Krampus stiffened at first, then warmed up to Henry's affection while the deer rubbed his head on him. He ruffled Henry's fur and snickered. "A little snow storm won't kill me off. Don't you worry. Have you been a good boy, Henry?"

Light tears were beginning to cling to his busy when Henry said, "Mhm! I sure have. I knew you were alive, but they wouldn't believe me." His white-speckled fur stood as he struggled to hold back sobs. "I missed you so much."

A fond smile appeared on Krampus' lips. His hand caressed Henry's head when he responded, "I'm glad to see you're doing well. You'll be getting your Christmas present early this year. In fact," he glanced up to see the other deer watching the scene with curiosity, "all of you will."

Henry's big brown eyes widened when he whipped his head up. "Is it your delicious hot cocoa?"

A few laughs escaped from Krampus before he patted his young friend's head once more and smiled. "No, it's something much better. Your family."