The eldest pig, broad-shouldered and scarred, shifts quietly, his gaze fixed on the cellar door. The middle brother, lean and jittery, clutches a splintered bone as a makeshift blade. The youngest, smaller and trembling, flinches with every thud of heavy paws above.
"He's coming back,"
"Not for long,"
A deep, guttural growl reverberates through the stone, the shadow of a wolf snout slipping beneath the doorframe before retreating. The brothers exchange a look—a pact sealed in silence and shared dread.
The eldest pig drags the blade down his cheek, jaw set.
"He made us watch last time,"
"Keep steady. We do this right."
The middle brother arranges bunches of wild herbs—sage, thyme, pungent garlic—crushing them in his rough hooves and rubbing the paste over their hands and arms. The youngest arranges carrots and parsnips in neat rows along a battered wooden table, the sound of roots knocking together oddly ceremonial.
The eldest nods once, and all three hoist the wolf, bound and dazed, toward the massive iron oven. The wolf's eyes flicker open, a flash of panic, but the pigs do not speak. Only the low, rhythmic thump of their hearts fills the silence.
"On three,"
With synchronized force, the oven door screeches open. Metal groans. The wolf is thrust inside. The door SLAMS shut, reverberating through the stone walls like a final verdict.
The pigs sit on overturned crates, hands clasped, eyes far away. Time passes in silence, only the crackle of flame and the occasional, distant howl breaking the stillness. They do not speak—their faces say everything: fear transmuted into resolve, horror into grim anticipation.
The eldest carves the first piece, passing it to his brothers. They eat in silence, savoring each bite, their movements slow and deliberate. The youngest lets out a ragged sigh, shuddering with release.
"Never again,"
The brothers raise their cups—a silent toast to survival, to vengeance, to the end of fear. A dark smile flickers on the eldest's lips as the fire crackles, and outside, the forest settles into quiet.
