Chapter 01 Christmas at the Swamp

Quanktumspirit: "My re-write for my tale: A shocking Christmas surprise. Well, I didn't like several aspects of the tale. So it's getting now scrapped and re-written to its last core. The plot will be still the same though, oh and I'm removing all the Christmas songs in it. Enjoy."

It was a lovely cold December evening at the swamp. Fiona, Farkle, Fergus, Felicity, Donkey, Dragon, Debbie, Coco, Bananas, Peanut, Parfait, Eclair and Puss in Boots were helping Shrek clean his home up and setting the Christmas tree up.

At the back of the Oger Hut stood the Christmas tree, nicely decorated the way Shrek and Fiona wanted it. Donkey made sure the food was stacked up for the Christmas dinner tomorrow and the kids were playing with each other in the living room.

Puss smiled at the lovely family scene, he was happy that Shrek and Fiona have, sort of, adopted him into their home as their pet, the Oger children were now treating him with more dignity and not ripping his head or tail off any more and the Dronkey's weren't burning down the house any more.

Donkey was practically beaming over his entire face all evening, "Oh boy, our Christmas is going to be the best one yet."

"It sure is Donkey," Fiona smiled.

Shrek spotted something from his kitchen and quickly ran back into the living room.

"Oy, Felicity, what did we tell you?" Shrek snapped a bit and glared at his daughter.

Felicity wanted to sneak a peek at one of her presents, which Puss knew were secretly hidden behind the chimney.

Felicity sighed that she had been caught, and placed the present back behind the chimney.

"Christmas isn't until tomorrow." Felicity sighed, "After Church."

"Exactly, so leave those presents alone," Shrek said softly. "You don't want to ruin everyone's Christmas by opening them before the 25th of December, do you?"

"No father. I'm sorry." Felicity sighed.

Shrek nodded and returned into the kitchen to continue his preparations. Puss smiled at the young Oger girl and chuckled, so young and still as curious as a... cat. Well, he does recall curiosity kills the cat.

The Oger children suddenly gained and idea and all children walked up to Puss, circling him and then giving him the once over, before sitting next to him.

"Um,... what's wrong; children?" Puss asked looking at his friends curiously.

Fergus smiled at him, "Uncle Puss. Why don't you have a wife or children to celebrate Christmas with? You always travel to dad's swamp to spend it with us, why?"

Puss chuckled, "Oh nino, you don't have to worry about me. My true love is riding around the world to protect the people from the baddies, and my three adoptive children, the Diablos, are in a small Kingdome in Spain, protecting Queen Alexandra."

Well, he thinks they are there. The Diablos or Queen Alexandra haven't written to him in months. And the last letter he received from Kitty Softpaws was a few weeks ago, claiming she was now somewhere in Poland, doing something with a band of baddies, but always succeeding in her fighting ways. Puss smiles at those sweet words from his beloved Kitty.

Puss was pulled out of his thoughts, as one of the Oger kids spoke to him again.

"Then why don't you ride to them?" One of the Oger kids asked Puss.

"If I leave now children, I won't be here to celebrate your Christmas with you all. Plus it could take months if not even years until I can track any of them down again." Puss snickered. "Or even come back to you all. So don't worry, I'm happy where I am."

The three children smiled and embraced Puss, "We are glad. Merry Christmas Puss."

"You to kids." Puss chuckled.

He lay back on the couch and continued his observation, but his unhappiness, that the Diablos or Kitty weren't with him, was almost too much to bear.

As Puss was about to clean himself up however, someone knocked against Shrek's front door. Fiona blinked and left the kitchen with Shrek to open it up.

"Um, hello?" Shrek calls out.

The Oger triplets looked outside and saw a tall man, wearing a soldiers uniform and holding a letter in his hand.

"Is this the residence of the famous: Puss in Boots?" The man asked kindly. "I have a letter for him."

Puss blinked and walked to the front door, he received the scroll and saw Queen Alessandra's seal on the scroll.

"Thank you, sir," Puss said, breaking the seal.

Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and all the kids looked over to Puss confused as he reads out loud what was written to him.

"Dear Senior Puss in Boots. I write to you to wish you, Kitty Softpaws and the three Diablos a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Please be sure to return the Diablos back to my Kingdome come the following Spring. Have a great party. Queen Alessandra." Puss read out.

"The Diablos are visiting you Puss?" Fiona asked surprised, "What a lovely surprise."

Puss stared shocked at the letter and re-reads the words at least three times, before turning to the man.

"Thank you for telling me. Have a good trip home and a Merry Christmas to you too." Puss smiles kindly.

Quickly he closed the door to preserve the warmth in the house, then he raced to his boots to put them on, grabs his sword to hang around his waist, pulls his hat over his head and his black cape around his shoulders.

"I'm sorry my friends, but I have to see where Kitty and the Diablo's are at the moment. They have never visited me before, and I doubt they know the way to the Swamp." Puss said sounding worried.

Fiona nodded her head and grabbed a lantern from Shrek's cupboard, in it she placed a candle and lit the flame alight.

She handed it over to Puss and said, "Here Puss, to light you the way. And get them here as fast as possible."

Puss nodded his head, Shrek went into his shed and pulled one of the larger slays from the shed, he placed it on the ground and handed Puss the rope.

"Transport the kids on this Puss. If they can't walk anymore." Shrek advised Puss, "Plus it would help you over a few slopes."

Puss smiled and thanked Shrek as well, quickly, wrapping himself up warmly Puss entered the winters cold outside.

"I'll return as soon as I can," Puss promised and then vanished into the night.

Shrek and his family looked into the storm and watched as Puss left with the slay at high speed, hoping he will return as soon as possible. Shrek closed the door but made sure it was unlocked for Puss to enter once he returns.

"Will Puss come back?" Farkle asked scared.

Fiona sighed, "He will be back before you know it."

Shrek nodded his head, the family was getting tired and everyone retreated into their bedrooms, hoping Puss will be back as soon as possible.

With Puss in Boots.

Puss was pulling his slay up various hills around Shrek's swamp, thinking over the only place Puss could think that Kitty knows about was the Poisoned Apple, a few hundred miles from Shrek's home.

Sighing, but hoping it was still open, Puss aimed his slay in that direction and shot towards the pub as fast as possible. The snow made it almost impossible for him to see anything, but after a while, Puss saw the Poisoned Apple's lights glowing out. He was almost there, and hopefully so was Kitty and the Diablos.

As Puss stopped his slay, he parked it up at the side of the pub and knocked the snow off his coat and boots, before entering it.

Inside the Poisoned Apple, the chatter of all the rough Fairytale Characters stopped and turned to the door, they spotted Puss and everyone relaxed again.

"Puss in Boots." The Ugly Step-Sister: Mabel said sounding surprised. "Haven't seen you here in a few years. Merry Christmas to you."

"Why have you come?" Captain Hook asked, pulling at his beard smiling, "Wanting to get back into the Oger killing business?"

Puss chuckled, "Sorry for disturbing you all, Merry Christmas. No, I came because I received word that my love: Kitty Softpaws and the Diablos might have come this way. I was wondering if they were here or not."

Puss looked around the pub, but couldn't hear any cat meowing or purring. Or see any other cats in general.

Mabel blinked, "Kitty Softpaws? Black cat, white fur on her chest, white paws, wears boots, a black mask, sword, belt? And has a lot of money on her as well as some killer sword tricks?"

"Correct that's her alright." Puss chuckled, "So; has she been hear?"

"Mmmh... I can't remember." Mabel smirked a bit at Puss.

Puss rolled his eyes at her, he knew what she was after, Puss threw on the counter a bag of gold and smirked back at her.

"Well, maybe 100 gold coins can jog your memory?" Puss snickered.

Mabel smirked, "Sure does Puss. She was here to have some warm milk with the three younger kittens, then she left the pub, heading north towards Shrek's swamp, but going along a way of icy lakes. I advised her to stay on the path, but I don't know if she listened."

Puss nodded his head, "Thank you, how long ago was this?"

"No more than twenty minutes," Mabel said counting the gold already.

Puss nodded his head, he grabbed ahold of a burning stick from the fireplace, pulled his coat back over and left the Poisoned Apple.

The winter wind was picking up a bit, Puss left the Poisoned Apple behind him and faced upwards. If Kitty was there twenty minutes ago, then she couldn't have gone far in this weather. Puss noticed just then horse hoove prints by the Poisoned Apple.

"They can't have gotten far." Puss thought.

He kicked against his slay and followed the horse hoove prints. About ten minutes later he heard a horse close by, and... oh no.

"HELP!" Someone was screaming.

Puss felt even colder now, kicking hard and holding onto his slay as tightly as he could, Puss shot after the desperate help call. He recognised where he was, by a lake in the Fairy tale Woods. Arriving at the scene, Puss found the horse, slay and even the three Diablos in the slay, fast asleep, but held warm through the blanket.

Puss turned to the lake and saw someone paddling desperately in the lake, a hole was made somewhere in the centre of the ice rink and a small head was poking out of it.

"KITTY HOLD ON!" Puss shouted across the lake to his girlfriend.

Luckily, inside the slay Puss found a long rope with a hook on it. He tied it to Kitty's slay and crawled flat across the lake to his love. Kitty's head suddenly dived underwater, but luckily came back up again.

"Kitty, grab my paw," Puss said as he was close enough to touch her.

"P... p... Puss..." Kitty shivered and flared around, only just grabbing his paw.

Puss pulled Kitty as carefully as he could out of the ice hole, he spun on his stomach and had Kitty's body draped over his shoulders, before he pulled himself and Kitty on the rope, back up to the Diablos.

After a few minutes, Puss reached the slay and breathes heavily, Kitty was panting next to him and smiled at her lover.

"H... hello Puss. G... glad you found us." Kitty smiled.

Puss quickly got up and pulled from the slay a wollen blanket, he dried himself and Kitty and then wrapped her as tightly as he could in the fabric.

"Hold on Kitty, please just hold on," Puss begged.

He was thrilled to heave to have found them, but all four of them were getting too cold. Puss placed Kitty into her slay and, with having secured the Diablos down as well, his slay underneath the horses slay Puss lead the horse back to Shrek's home.

It took Puss less time to head from the lake back to Shrek's home then it did him trying to find Kitty and the Diablos. As Shrek's warm home came into view, Puss pulled on the rains to stop the tired horse.

He first unfastened the horse from the slay, made a second horse home in the shed nearby and parked Kitty's horse in there for the time being.

Then he picked up the Diablos, one by one and carried them into Shrek's warm home, lying them on the carpet, next came Kitty Softpaws, then their luggage in one corner of the home and their swords into Shrek's umbrella stand. Puss stored the slay away and then finally entered Shrek's home as well.

Tired and relieved that he found his family again, Puss licked and cleaned the Diablos up from the long and tiring journey. Before remembering the cold all five of them have just been in. Puss quickly started the fire back up again and threw more wood onto it.

"I hope they all will warm up soon." Puss sighed and licked over the Diablos heads once more.

That seems to help, as the Diablos all stirred and started waking up.

"YAWN... hu? Puss in Boots?" Pearla asked as she woke up.

Her two brothers also woke up, they blinked and looked first around the Christmas decorated room, then across to their father Puss in Boots.

"Evening Diablos." Puss smiled at his kids, "How are you all feeling?"

Puss measured the kittens for a temperature, but apart from being a bit cold, they seem to be alright. Timmy sniffed the air a bit and all six eyes drew towards the big pot on the fire stove that Puss was heating up. Puss chuckled as the Diablos looked back over to him.

"I'm heating up some Chicken soup for you four to eat. You must be starving." Puss explained smiling.

"A bit." The Diablos smiled, "We had a bit of lam soup back at the Poison Apple."

Puss nodded and watched as the three kittens, his children, were lavishing the meal up. Whiles the Diablos were eating their fill, Puss's eyes converted to Kitty.

After eating their fill, the Diablos faced Kitty as well.

"Is mummy ok dad?" Timmy asked looking at the sleeping cat.

Puss blinked and looked back to his kids, the three Diablos sat next to each other on their bed and faced Kitty and then Puss.

"She will be all right, Kitty just needs to warm up a bit." Puss smiled, "Don't worry, she isn't hurt."

Pearla looked around the room confused and noticed the odd-looking decorations hanging around the place, as well as the Christmas tree and various presents underneath it.

Timmy blinked, "Dad what's going on here? Tomorrow is the 25th of December, right? Why is this place decorated like this?"

Puss chuckled, "Well children. Tomorrow is Christmas morning. And Christmas is being celebrated by countless families around the area. Shrek, Fiona, their children, Dragon, Donkey and their children have picked together; the 25th December to celebrate Christmas. The boxes underneath the tree are the presents for them and their children. As far as I've learnt they celebrate it mainly to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. So that's the reason for the decorations."

The Diablos nodded their heads, then they yawned a bit more and snuggled up to sleep. Puss beamed over his face, his own beloved family was with him for Christmas.

Puss only slept for a few minutes, as he felt his body move again. Blinking, Puss woke up once more and saw Kitty waking up in his embrace.

"Hu? Where are we?" Kitty asked as she woke up.

Puss chuckled and Kitty quickly turned herself around, smiling as her blue eyes clasped with Puss's beautiful green ones.

"Evening Puss in Boots." Kitty smiled. "You found us."

"I sure did. Kitty, why didn't you write to me to tell me you were coming? I could have picked you up from the airport." Puss asked upset.

Kitty sighed, "Because I wanted it to be a surprise Puss. I followed one of your letters instructions in where you lived. Then we reached the Poisoned Apple and from there we continued trying to find Shrek's swamp home, were; according to the Evil Stepsister, you live. But because I haven't been having much sleep these last few day's, I've fallen asleep midway."

Suddenly Kitty's eyes were getting heavy all over again, she stretched and Puss smiled. He gave her a soft kiss and lay her down again.

"Sleep well, Kitty. I'll protect you through the night until tomorrow." Puss smiled, kissing Kitty's head.

Kitty chuckled and nodded her head, she stretches and closes her eyes shortly afterwards. Puss beamed over his face, his own cat family was with him for Christmas. Could his day get any better?

Quanktumspirit: "Much better. Comments please."