Alder the Deer, tall and slender with unnaturally sharp antlers, stands among a herd of restless pigs. The pigs grunt nervously, their eyes darting toward the darkness at the edge of the clearing.
"Quiet, little ones. Tonight, you will serve a purpose greater than yourselves," whispers Alder the Deer, his breath misting in the chill air.
The pigs follow Alder the Deer obediently, their hooves clattering over root and stone. In the distance, a low growl rumbles, and the forest hushes. The pigs stop, trembling, as the scent of wolf grows stronger.
"Do not fear, my friends. The wolf is hungry, and you are the feast," says Alder the Deer, his voice both soothing and sinister.
Grimm the Wolf[/@ch_2], gaunt and wild-eyed, as he emerges, his fur bristling.]
Grimm the Wolf pounces on the pigs, devouring them one by one as Alder the Deer watches silently. Each night, Alder brings more pigs, and Grimm grows heavier, his eyes dulling with satisfaction and lethargy.
"Why do you feed me so well, Alder?" asks Grimm the Wolf, licking his bloodied lips.
"Your hunger serves my purpose, Grimm. Eat, and become strong," replies Alder the Deer, a cold smile flickering on his muzzle.
Grimm the Wolf now lumbers, his once lean frame bloated and clumsy. The moon is full, casting an eerie glow on Alder’s ritual preparations: a ring of stones, bundles of dry wood, and sharpened sticks.
"Tonight, the feast changes hands," murmurs Alder the Deer, his voice echoing in the haunted trees.
"Alder, I feel strange. What is this?" pleads Grimm the Wolf, his eyes wide with fear.
"You have eaten well, Grimm. Now, you shall nourish me," answers Alder the Deer, thrusting his antlers forward as the flames leap higher. The pigs’ bones are piled nearby, a grim reminder of the wolf’s fate.
Alder the Deer carves the wolf with precise, ritualistic movements, savoring each bite as the moon watches, cold and uncaring. The pigs are gone, the wolf is gone, and only the deer remains, victorious and monstrous.
"The cycle is complete. Hunger feeds hunger, and the forest remembers," intones Alder the Deer, his shadow stretching long across the blood-stained earth.
