The gremlin’s prey headed straight for his trap. Over a month’s worth of effort, just minutes from paying off. Most hunters chose easy targets such as elk, but not Jasper. He was not a conventional hunter. His eyes were set on something far more profitable – a caravan.

“I hate the cold,” Jasper muttered. He sniffled and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, taking care to keep his pointed nails at a safe distance.

“Don’t freeze to death,” a jovial voice said.

Jasper glanced over his shoulder. A tall man stood behind him, his dark skin a sharp contrast to the snow surrounding them. A bored expression was plastered across the man’s handsome features, but a twinkle in his brown eyes gave his excitement away. The gremlin stood just below the man’s chest, but that didn’t stop him from craning his neck back and glaring daggers at him.

“Ethan. What are you doing here? Don’t tell me something went wrong,” Jasper said.

“Calm down, everything is fine. The caravan is going to be in range soon,” Ethan replied, jerking his thumb toward the snowy path below them.

Jasper drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. A maniacal grin spread across his face. The gremlin clapped his hands together in excitement as he hopped from foot to foot.

“Great! I can tell that this will be my favorite part. You’d best get back in position.”

“Really? I was thinking I’d go bird watching instead,” Ethan said with a smirk. “I’ve heard they love the cold.”

Ethan didn’t wait for a response. He strode back the way he had come. Jasper offered a series of finger gestures to Ethan’s back. The gremlin didn’t remember their exact meaning, but it had something to do with the man’s mother and a farm animal.

Jasper approached the edge of the snowy plateau. It ended with a sheer cliff that transformed into a sloping hill dotted with rocks. The path was at the bottom – almost two stories down, more than enough to cause serious injury to anyone who fell down it. The gremlin leapt forward with a howl of glee.

Jasper landed feet first on the snow. He kept his balance as he slid downwards for several seconds, which was several more than he’d expected. As he shot downwards, his foot caught on a protruding rock. The gremlin lost his balance and went down in a tumble of green skin, curses, and snow.

A few painful seconds later, Jasper created a hole in the thick snowfall at the bottom of the cliff. The glowering gremlin climbed out of the ground, caked in snow and dirt. He fruitlessly brushed himself off and rubbed his ears to warm them as the canter of horses grew closer.

He took a deep breath as the air around his hands started to hiss. Motes of purple light swam into being around him, buzzing like a hive of furious bees. Then they vanished. A bright purple flash lit the mountain pass as a clap of thunder ripped through the air. Horses neighed in terror and reared up, sending their hapless riders tumbling to the ground.

The caravan descended into chaos within seconds. The guards’ screams joined those of their horses as the wagon train skidded to a halt a short distance from the gremlin. Jasper clapped his hands in delight. He swaggered up to the caravan and watched the guards desperately attempt to calm their rides, but quickly got bored with the spectacle.

“Ahoy, guards! I have arrived to announce that this is a robbery. Hand over your shiny bits and only a few of you will get hurt!”

Jasper paused for effect. The guards drew their weapons and scanned the area for whoever had spoken. Unfortunately, the snow covering the gremlin’s already small stature had made for an effective, if unintentional, camouflage.

“Down here, morons!” Jasper yelled, drumming his fingers against his thigh impatiently. “Where do they find these people? A sloth would think faster than these muscle heads.”

The guards finally looked down and spotted Jasper cursing in the snow. They exchanged confused glances but didn’t move to act.

“Where did this little kid come from?” One of the guards asked.

“Must have been camping and gotten spooked by that thunderclap,” another suggested.

“Camping? Alone and in the middle of a mountain pass?” The first asked incredulously.

Jasper’s eye twitched slightly. He waved his hand in the air until the guards caught notice of it. Then he flipped them off.

“Gremlin. I’m a gremlin, not a child! And I’m here to rob your caravan.”

“Hmm. I’ve never heard a gremlin talk before. What do you think, Jason?”

“I suppose the voice is pretty gruff for a kid. Follow procedure, I guess.”

The first guard shrugged and pulled a small horn from his belt. He lifted it to his mouth and blew until his cheeks puffed out and his face turned purple from effort. The horn remained silent. The guard tried again, then lowered the horn as he gasped for air.

“Thing’s broke. What now?” He asked breathlessly.

Jasper let out a slew of curses and stomped toward the guards. It took him a little longer than he would have preferred due to the snowfall that rose above his knees. When he reached them, he snatched the horn out of the man’s hands.

“The cap’s still on it,” the gremlin barked.

He popped the leather cover off and placed the horn on his mouth. A thin note emerged from the instrument. Jasper pulled it from his mouth with a grimace. A small needlelike tooth was stuck in the mouthpiece.