Mother Goat stands frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide with horror as she surveys the chaos inside her home. On the floor, sprawled belly-up, lies the Wolf, his fur matted, his immense stomach grotesquely distended. The room is thick with the scent of hay and fear, the silence broken only by the wolf's heavy breathing.
Mother Goat[/@ch_1] tiptoes closer, clutching a pair of sturdy sewing scissors. The wolf’s mouth hangs open, his snores echoing against the low ceiling.]
Mother Goat kneels beside the wolf, determination burning in her eyes. With careful precision, she snips open the seams of his swollen belly, the coarse fur parting to reveal her frightened children. One by one, she pulls her seven kids free, each trembling but alive, blinking at the sudden daylight.
"Stay behind me, my darlings. Mama will make sure you’re safe now."
Mother Goat[/@ch_1] stuffs the wolf’s belly with dry straw and old rags. The children huddle in a corner, wide-eyed, as their mother works.]
Without hesitation, Mother Goat gathers handfuls of stuffing, packing it tightly into the wolf’s empty belly. She smooths his fur closed and, with a practiced hand, seals the seam. Her movements are calm but unyielding, her gaze never leaving the slumbering beast.
Mother Goat unscrews the cap of a special creme, spreading it liberally over the wolf’s thick hide. Slowly, his fur dissolves away, revealing pink skin beneath. She lifts his heavy form and sets him into the roasting pan, tying his limbs snugly with coarse twine. As the Wolf stirs, confusion clouds his eyes.
"What—what’s happening? Why am I tied up?!"
"You will not hurt my children again," she replies, her voice cold as she wedges a polished apple between his jaws.
Mother Goat[/@ch_1] sprinkles generous handfuls over the wolf. The oven door yawns open, radiating waves of heat into the kitchen.]
She brushes a thick glaze across the wolf’s skin, her hands steady and precise. The children watch, silent and pale, as their mother slides the roasting pan into the oven. The door closes with a final, echoing clang, and the cottage fills with the hiss and crackle of roasting meat.
Mother Goat turns from the oven, her stern face softening as she gathers her seven kids close. She scolds them gently for trusting strangers, her voice trembling with love and fear. The children cling to her, tears shining in their eyes, and she envelopes them all in a fierce, forgiving hug.
The goat children gaze at the feast with wide, bewildered eyes, then at their mother for permission. Mother Goat nods solemnly. Together, the family sits and shares their hard-won meal, the taste of vengeance mingling with the relief of reunion beneath the safe, flickering candlelight.
