Stella had just created an unusual alliance with the creature named Lien.

The human girl watched closely her new companion running through the forest in almost a zig-zag motion. The anthropomorphic wolf seemed interested in every rock, broken branch, and twig lying on the ground. Stella found this behavior kinda cute but disorientating to watch.

So, she decided to bask in the beauty of the Sayama Forest. The white, skinny trees gave way to bigger and thicker pine trees. The air felt cleaner and more effortless to breathe than in Namadi, the city she came from, so the girl took full advantage of that and took deep breaths throughout the journey. An added bonus was the satisfying crunch when her boot pressed against a random twig.

She kicked a pine cone really far, and surprisingly, Lien went to fetch it without any prompt from the girl. Stella flashed a devious smile as she conjured an idea.

"Hey, Lien!" She shouted at the creature, who quickly turned her attention to her.

She picked another cone. "Catch!" And threw it toward the wolf with all of her might! Stella didn't have much to play with, so she had to get creative. The girl adopted the habit of throwing rocks, balls, and other objects that could fit the bill. These abilities were not always used for peaceful purposes, as those creepy men were aware.

To her surprise, Lien caught the pine cone with her mouth. Stella was dumbfounded but immediately shrugged that off as dumb luck.

"Beginner's luck!" The human girl caught more pines. "How about this!"

Stella threw the projectile to the wolf's left side. She caught it.

"And this!"

Now Stella aimed to her right. But that one was special. It was her curveball. There was no way that wolf would catch such a tricky-

Lien caught it again.

The wolf howled. "That all you got?! Gimme more!"

Stella felt like a pile of trash at that moment. The thing she was most proud of, easily foiled by that athletic creature that seemingly defied all logic.

Before she could throw on the towel, she noticed something. Two trees were parallel to each other on Lien's sides. This was perfect.

It was time... for her trickshot.

"Last one, Lien! This one is my special technique!" She put on a confident smirk.

Stella rotated her arm and gathered all of the momentum she had to throw the damn cone on the tree on the left. Lien tried to catch it, but it hit the tree and ricocheted towards the one on the right. Then it bounced back upwards so much that even the pitcher was surprised.

Lien seemed genuinely surprised by Stella's trickshot, but her sights were on the pine cone in the air. She wound her hind legs and prepared for the jump.

Stella's mind was blown as the furry creature jumped higher than she ever thought was possible for any being on Earth. It was inhuman! It was... magnificent, even!

Lien caught the pine cone with her mouth in the most dramatic way possible. She went to Stella and gave her the cone. The girl didn't even bother with the wolf saliva the tree organ was coated in because she was astonished by the creature's feat. Her eyes and jaw were so opened wide that the latter almost threatened to hit the ground.

Lien rested her paws on her hips. "That was fun! I thought you were kind of a weakling, to be honest! But hey! You're cool!"

"T-Thank you...?" Stella's mind couldn't take another mind-blowing experience. She was suffering too much of them, one after another.

Lien took a deep breath and spun on her heel. "Alright, that was a fun distraction! Time to go!" She started walking close to Stella on her hind legs.

Stella silently followed behind the wolf, reflecting on the madness she found herself in. Her new super fast, super strong companion, those weird men.

Right! Those men! What the hell was the deal with them?!

Well, Lien might have an answer...

So Stella cleared her throat and asked. "So, what's the deal with those Lads?"

That caught Lien's attention, and her ears rotated to the Human's direction. "Well, they're this bunch of Ogre brothers that come around here to hunt and make pranks on trespassers. Like us!" She spoke in her unwavering cheerful tone.

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Stella's eyes widened, and she started to absorb this batch of information. So, they were Ogres, who Stella had just landed a punch on one's chest and knocked out the other with a rock. What the hell did her life become? She considered the possibility that she was put into a lucid dream or something like that.

Lien continued her explanation. "They're a bunch of pushovers! It's their parents that are the problem."

Right, the stubby one did mention his mom and dad. If they are not elderly, did that mean Stella just knocked down a little kid? How more monstrous was an adult Ogre? Her stomach grew cold as she dreaded the implications.

"Do you think they're nearby?" The girl tried to hide any semblance of fear in her voice. She hoped that it was successful.

Lien snorted. "I'm sure of it. They can't stand being too far from them. Scaredy cats."

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Stúfur:

Stúfur ran until his tiny legs almost gave out.

He had fled from those two freaks, who sent him and his brother packing not too long ago. Damn, those girls! That meddling mutt and... actually, what was that other Monoke? She had similar features to Ogres, so maybe that was what she was? The Ogre was too distant from her to pay attention to those details.

Well, Ogre or not, she had no business interrupting their fun! They would all be sorry once he told his parents about this crime! No one messed with the Yule Lads!

Unfortunately, his motivating thoughts could only carry him so far. Eventually, his body suffered from his sedentarism, his heart threatened to explode, and the amount of sweat he was excreting could fill a bucket.

Now slowly walking and heavily breathing, Stúfur managed to enter an open, clear field in the forest. No tree dared to bury its roots close to the magnificent rock formation amidst the clearing. Stúfur's destination.

The Ogre always felt small when he stood in front of the cave carved from this colossal mineral by his father and mother. This feeling became stronger when he had to go up the seemingly infinite stairs to reach the entrance.

If he felt smaller by just being near his home, Stúfur felt microscopic when he put his feet at home. The cave was illuminated by glowing crystals that varied with many different colors. At the entrance, there were cerulean crystals. When he went a bit further, they changed to viridian. Every time his feet scraped the ground, it resulted in a weak echo.

Thankfully, these weren't enough to wake up the one who was slumbering amidst it all.

When Stúfur finally reached the center, he saw the colossal canopy of pewter-colored crystals on the ceiling, far beyond what he could dream of reaching until he would finally grow to his full size. This was the natural state of the sparkly minerals that covered the Ogres' home, and the coloration was only possible by his mother's magic.

At that moment, they were deactivated, making this part of their lair almost covered in darkness, with very few shapes that could be seen. This was made to not bother the colossal figure, slumbering on an equally gigantic couch, mostly hidden in shadows. The father of Stúfur, Ketkrókur, and of other eleven Ogres, Leppalúði.

The difference in size between an adult Ogre and one who did not enter their gigantification stage was staggering. Stúfur was as small to his own father as a rat was small to him.

Thankfully, Ogres had an enhanced sense of hearing compared to other Monoke, so he could scream at the top of his lungs in this overwhelming distance, and his father would hear him.

Stúfur filled his lungs with air at their max capacity and shouted.

"FATHER! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!"

A grunt came out of the giant Ogre that was so powerful that small tremors could be felt throughout the cave. Stúfur could hear the crystals clinking because of it.

Other creatures would find this situation terrifying, but it was only routine for him and his brothers.

"What is it now?!" His loud, booming voice reverberated throughout the rocky walls.

He picked from behind the couch a peculiar lamp-like object carved out of rock, large enough so Leppalúði could grab it with his hands with no problem. The "lamp" had countless crystals encrusted on it that shone in vermillion.

The giant put the crystal lamp on a table, which is as big as almost every piece of furniture in this cave. He could finally see which of his children was disturbing, and Stúfur could see his father's face more clearly.

Leppalúði was, of course, similar to his vastly small children, only more advanced. His skin is even wrinklier and full of warts, and his nose has lost the red color a long time ago, adopting a pinkish tone. His beard was gone, and only a few strands of hair remained on his scalp. His clothing was identical to the little Ogres, minus the lack of a hat and shoes.

The giant sighed at the sight of Stúfur. "What happened to ya?"

The small one stumbled on his own words. The presence of his father was very intimidating. The thing he was most afraid of was making his dad angry. Well, maybe making his mother angry was scarier, actually.

After shaking and pondering about his words, Stúfur decided to unleash his high-pitched voice again. "We were attacked by that annoying pup again! Along with some... weird creature! The creature hit me with a rock! And that Wolf knocked down my brother!"

"Alright, alright." The giant scratched his forehead, visibly annoyed, maybe at his son, his voice, or both. Probably both. "Where's the rest of the Lads?"

His eyes searched the area for his other sons, but there was no sign of them. The lack of noise was a dead giveaway. Like Stúfur and Ketkrókur, they were all tasked with hunting food for their family.

The giant sighed, again. "Alright, you can take the Cat."

He put two fingers in his mouth in a U-shape and whistled. Stúfur noticed something moving in the shadows close to Leppalúði's couch. The dim light of the red crystals wasn't enough to see who it was.

However, Stúfur already knew the identity of this creature. He could feel him sniffing his neck. It kinda tickled.

"JÓLA! GO HELP HIM!" Leppalúði commanded, gesturing toward the tiny Ogre. The floor and the walls shook in response to his booming voice.

A loud, spine-chilling meow answered the giant. Stúfur got goosebumps when he heard it, not from fear but excitement. The stubby Ogre couldn't help but chuckle at the prospect of tormenting those petulant girls and making them regret ever crossing paths with him. They will beg for forgiveness when he's done with them!

Stúfur's chuckle became a full-blown supervillain laughter. "Thank you, father! Those girls will-"

Leppalúði plugged his ears with his hands, very angry. "SHUT UP AND LET ME SLEEP!"