Lydia sighed, watching the breath escape her lips in a puff of smoke. Her hands closed over her arms, still cold despite her thick winter coat and gloves. She had been away for so long she almost forgot how cold her hometown was, her childhood memories of white Christmases and frozen over lakes seemed to be covered in a thick fog. But they were all coming back, now that she was home for the holidays, back in her grandmothers house with her cousins and aunts and uncles.

But there was also her father. He'd shown up earlier in the day, which was never a pleasant reunion, but at least her mother was in the alps this Christmas. That awkward conversation was definitely something Lydia was glad to be without.

She was even more thankful Scott had come home with her this year, too. He wasn't her date, but he was enough to keep her father's attention away from her and how she's been 'wasting her time' since last Christmas. And since Scott wasn't technically part of the family, her dad wouldn't dare say anything too brash in front of the guest,

It was especially nice that her cousin Malia, Scott, and her could finally be together again. They hadn't all been together since the summer after senior year, their infamous trip to rocky point where Scott challenged the whole bar to a fight while Malia was busy trying to take her shirt off up on the counter. That was an interesting trip.

Lydia chuckled to herself, her dried lips cracking painfully at the sudden smile. That was her going away trip, their last time together before she hightailed it out of town and away from her bigoted father. Scott had come with her, of course, but he wasn't the one running away.

She just couldn't stand it anymore, but she had left the rest of her family- the ones she loved- behind. And she'd left her grandmother's house, that big beautiful house on the lake surrounded by forest that sprawled for miles.

The forest that she was finding solace in now, because her father was here and he seemed to suck any Christmas cheer she had whenever he came within 7 feet. She kind of felt bad for making Scott deal with her crazy family alone- but not really, because he loves her crazy family. (random fires, drunken dancing and all)

She just wanted to see her tree, the big and proud black oak in a sea of redwoods. It was just at the bottom of the hill out the back of the house, nestled in a bed of snow. Lydia gently grabbed one of the snow covered leaves, brushing everything away until she could see the faint glow that laced though the leaves. It was an odd thing, something she'd never seen in other trees, but it was there, Golden and faint. When she was little, she asked her grandma what it meant. Lorraine would just laugh and call it magic, winking at little Lydia before telling her to come in for dinner.

She brushed her hand up and down the bark, feeling it thrum beneath her dinners, like the plates of the earth were shifting beneath its very roots. Her lips quirked in a smile, sigh escaping her as she felt that familiar wave of calm pass over. Her tree was a glorified spa treatment, and it felt as if her father's sneer and snide remarks were just a distant memory. She let her forehead rest on the trunk, breathing in the woodsy perfume it let off.

Her calm was quickly broken as something snapped behind her. She almost dismissed it as just a wild deer, until a low, predatory growl followed it. Her heart stopped in her chest, hands freezing as it gripped the trunk of the tree. Her eyes widened, and her breath stuttered out of her as she slowly turned around.

Three wolves were perched in a circle around her, teeth bared with malice and hunched in attack position. She flattened herself against the tree, trying to focus her panicking mind into a way out of this. She glanced right and left, and left was definitely closer to the house, but it was a steep hike up the hill to the back porch and the wolves would definitely catch up to her. To the right was a labyrinth of redwood pines, easy to lose track of the predators but even easier to get lost in. She took one more glance at the circle, slowly closing in on her, before steeling her mind and body and sprinting into the woods.

The wolves seemed as if they were right on her heels, nipping and running as fast as she. Her blood was pumping in her veins, adrenaline and fear thrumming through her body. Her snow boots crunched on the fresh snow as she weaved between the trunks of trees, dodging iced bushes and fallen logs when she could. Her mind taunted her, daring her to look back and see how close the predators were. But she forced herself against it, knowing if she did it would waste precious time that she was already running low on.

Lydia felt her legs cramping, but pushed them harder. She's been on this damn planet for twenty years, she's not about to lose to a couple of wolves.

But then she tumbled, her foot catching on a fat tree root covered by snow. Her ankle twisted with a discomforting click and she was rolling on the ground, snow covering her hair and face. She panicked, trying to stand up again but something- someone - pushed her down gently and stood over her. She peeled her face off the snow to look up at whoever it was- either a savior or a creepy guy with ill-intentions in the woods. The person's physique was masculine, but tall and lanky, a threatening looking blade glinting in his left hand. Ok, definitely a creepy guy in the woods.

"Vrátit se, strom je chráněn!" He yelled, grip flexing on the sword as he brandished a tentative hand in front of himself. She squinted at a tattoo that swirled up his fingers and forearm, emerald green vines that twisted and grew across his skin. They glowed with that same gold as her tree.

Something snarled in response to his voice, and she looked past his booted feet to see the snow covered paws of the wolves. They hovered, no longer seeming to attack, but refused to leave. The man crouched, and lay his tattooed hand on the forehead of the wolf in the center. Lydia gasped, expecting him to loose a finger, but the wolf quieted, staring obediently.

"Ona znači ne štetiti." He spoke softer now, standing from the wolves and watching as they slunk away and back into the woods.

Lydia shuddered, finally feeling the effects of the cold on her soaked coat and pajama pants. She blinked in bewilderment up at the strange man, sitting up and scooching herself back a couple feet. The man standing above her heard the crunching of the snow, turning around quickly and staring at her with a level of intensity she didn't even know existed.

She gasped again, breath stopping as she finally saw the man's face. His cheekbones were high and sculpted, nose gently upturned in a slope. There were moles dotting his face, but they looked like stars covering his tanned skin. A dark mess of hair sat atop his head, and his heart shaped mouth was Curved in a surprised 'o'. But his eyes were the showstoppers, a winter blue that looked like icicles had found a home in his irises. They were absolutely startling, and there was a glow there that rivaled the moon. He was absolutely beautiful.

Her awe was quickly wiped away, however, when her eyes found his ears. They were mostly average, but the ends sloped into even points on each side of his head.

"Szar," His tone changed from commanding to exasperated, and his tattooed hand shot up to rake a nervous hand through his hair. "You were not supposed to see me."

He spoke with a heavy accent, but she couldn't place it, nor could she place anything he's been saying this whole time. She chuckled dryly, wincing as a pain shot through her leg and ankle.

Lydia finally locked eyes with him and he bit his lip, worrying on it. She sighed, raising her hands and then plopping them onto her jeans with a smack.

"Well, buddy." She said, smiling awkwardly at the man. "You're a little far south of Santa's workshop, aren't ya?"

Translations:

"Vrátit se, strom je chráněn.": get back, the tree is protected. (Czech)

"Ona znači ne štetiti.": she means no harm. (Croatian)

"Szar.": shit. (Hungarian)

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Merry Christmas, everyone!

I hope you enjoy the first part of my Holiday one shot. I liked the whole elf idea, and I thought it would be a little more humorous for the Christmas time.

Big big shoutout to typicalbish (gabbi) for helping me with this one ❤️

The second part of this will (hopefully) be up for New Years.

Just for fun, comment down below your favorite thing about the winter. Mine is the snow and cold weather.
(even though I don't live somewhere that snows.)