Fox's golden eyes narrowed as he stepped through the grove, the unnatural energy here prickling against his fur. The grove, once vibrant and brimming with life, had been twisted into something grotesque. Plants hung limp, their leaves an unnatural gray, and the faint echoes of suffering came from a crude structure at the grove's center.
Fox: (softly) "Whoever did this doesn't respect life… or death."
He slipped inside the laboratory, his movements silent and deliberate. The room was a chaotic mess of vials, scribbled notes, and unnatural creations—mockeries of life that twitched and writhed as though in pain.
In the center of the room, a man hunched over a glowing apparatus, muttering feverishly.
Scientist: (muttering) "So close… I just need more time. A few adjustments, and they'll never find me… They'll never take me."
Fox leaned casually against the wall, his tail flicking.
Fox: "Never take you? Sounds like someone's been making enemies."
The scientist jerked upright, spinning to face Fox. His wide eyes flickered with confusion and irritation as he took in the spirit's casual demeanor.
Scientist: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Fox strolled forward, examining the grotesque experiments littering the tables.
Fox: (nonchalantly) "Oh, just a curious little traveler. Call me Fox. And you? What's your story, friend? You've been busy, I see."
The scientist straightened, his fear replaced by a defensive pride.
Scientist: "I'm a visionary! A master of life itself! I've uncovered the secrets no mortal dares to touch!"
Fox smirked, glancing at a misshapen creature that twitched feebly on one of the tables.
Fox: "Life, huh? Looks more like a nightmare to me."
The scientist bristled, his hands trembling as he gestured toward his creations.
Scientist: "You wouldn't understand! You're just a wandering spirit. What do you know of the struggle to defeat death? To create something eternal?"
Fox's grin widened, but his eyes darkened.
Fox: "Oh, I know plenty about life. Enough to recognize when someone's crossed the line."
The scientist ignored him, his mind racing.
Scientist: (to himself) "No matter. You're nothing compared to them. You're not like the Kindred…"
Fox raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.
Fox: "Kindred, you say? Sounds like you've been expecting some company."
The scientist froze, his face paling.
Scientist: "They're a myth. Just a story to frighten fools. They're not real…"
Before Fox could respond, a cold breeze swept through the laboratory, snuffing out the green light. The room grew deathly silent as Lamb and Wolf emerged from the shadows, their presence commanding and undeniable.
The scientist stumbled backward, his voice trembling.
Scientist: (whispering) "No… it can't be. You're not real. You can't be real!"
Wolf's laugh echoed through the room, low and menacing.
Wolf: "We are real enough, human. And we've come for you."
Lamb raised her bow, her glowing arrow aimed directly at the scientist.
Lamb: (calmly) "You have upset the balance. It is time to face the end you sought to avoid."
The scientist fell to his knees, his hands clawing at the ground.
Scientist: "No! I was so close! I just wanted to live… to create!"
He turned to Fox, desperation etched across his face.
Scientist: "You! Spirit! Surely you understand! Tell them I deserve more time!"
Fox crouched down, his golden eyes locking onto the scientist's.
Fox: (softly) "Time isn't something you take, friend. It's something you're given. And you've already had enough."
The scientist's expression twisted with disbelief.
Scientist: "You don't understand! I was creating something beautiful—something eternal!"
Fox stood, his voice cutting like a blade.
Fox: (sharply) "You call this beautiful? Twisting life into agony? You've turned something sacred into a mockery."
Wolf growled, his teeth bared in a feral grin.
Wolf: "Let me end this, Lamb. He reeks of fear and lies."
Lamb's gaze softened briefly as she looked at Fox.
Lamb: "Life, do you have any words for him before we bring the end?"
The scientist's head snapped up, confusion mingling with fear.
Scientist: "Life? What… what are you?"
Fox's cheerful demeanor vanished, his playful smirk fading into something colder, heavier. The light in his golden eyes dimmed, replaced by an intensity that pinned the scientist in place.
Fox: (quietly) "I am the beginning. The spark that sets the world alight. The first breath and the beating heart. I am Life."
The scientist froze, his body trembling as the weight of Fox's words sank in.
Scientist: (stammering) "No… no, that's not possible. You're— you're just a spirit—"
Fox stepped closer, his presence radiating a quiet power that filled the room.
Fox: (interrupting) "I gave you this world, this chance to create, to grow. And you turned it into this." (gestures at the grotesque creations) "You spat on what was sacred, thinking you could outsmart death. Thinking you could outsmart me."
The scientist's breathing grew ragged, his defiance crumbling under the weight of Fox's true identity.
Scientist: (desperate) "I didn't mean to— I just wanted to—"
Fox's voice grew sharp, cutting off the man's excuses.
Fox: (sternly) "You wanted to steal what wasn't yours. You wanted control without understanding the cost. And now you beg, as if that will change what you've done."
Lamb and Wolf watched silently, their usual roles reversed as they allowed Fox to pass judgment.
Wolf: (low growl) "The spark has teeth, I see."
Lamb: (softly) "Even Life has its limits."
The scientist fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
Scientist: "Please… I didn't know. I didn't know it was you!"
Fox stepped forward, each movement deliberate, his presence suffocating the air around them.
Fox: (darkly) "You thought you could play god, that you could defy the balance. But the balance isn't yours to break. It's ours to keep."
The scientist fell to his knees, his hands trembling.
Scientist: (desperate) "I just wanted to live… to create… to keep going. I wasn't ready to die!"
Fox tilted his head, his expression unreadable.
Fox: (calmly) "No one is ever truly ready. But you've stolen time, twisted life, and brought suffering into the world. Your time is over."
The scientist's frantic eyes darted to Lamb, then Wolf. He pointed a shaking finger at the hulking predator.
Scientist: (panicking) "Not him! Please, not him!"
Wolf emerged from the shadows, his growl low and menacing. His sharp fangs glinted as he advanced.
Wolf: "Why not me? You think you deserve something softer? Something gentle?"
The scientist scrambled backward, his voice breaking.
Scientist: "I— I can fix it! I can undo this! Just give me time!"
Wolf barked a cruel laugh, circling the man like prey.
Wolf: "Time? You had time, mortal. You wasted it. Now I will feast on your fear, as you feasted on the lives you defiled."
Lamb's soft voice cut through the tension.
Lamb: "Fox, do you object to this end?"
Fox glanced at the trembling scientist, his expression heavy with something between pity and disdain.
Fox: (quietly) "No, Lamb. He chose this path. Let him meet his end as he lived— grasping for what he could never truly hold."
The scientist's trembling gaze shifted to Lamb
Scientist: (frantically) "What about you!? You're the quiet one! You don't have to let him do this!
Lamb tilted her head, her glowing eyes steady.
Lamb: "I am the end that comes gently, the final sigh. But he—" (gestures to Wolf) "—is the end you have earned."
Wolf's growl grew louder as he lunged forward, slamming his claws into the ground just inches from the scientist's feet.
Wolf: (growling) "Run. Let's see if you can make it interesting."
The scientist scrambled to his feet, sprinting into the forest. Wolf's laughter echoed behind him, cruel and eager.
Wolf: "Oh, I love when they try to run!"
Wolf howled, a feral grin spreading across his maw as he leaped after the fleeing man.
Wolf: "Run faster, little worm! It won't save you!"
---
The chase did not last long. The scientist was not built for running, and his uneven steps faltered quickly in the dense forest. Wolf caught up with his easily, his massive shadow engulfing the man as he covered against a tree.
Scientist: (screaming) "No! Stay back! Please!"
Wolf bared his fangs, his glowing eyes narrowing as he circled his prey.
Wolf: Do you hear that? The sound of your heartbeat, the rush of your blood? That's the song of prey, human. And it ends here.
The scientist tried to scramble away, but Wolf was on him in a flash, his claws raking across the man's chest. Blood sprayed across the forest floor as the scientist screamed in agony.
Scientist: (coughs blood) "Stop—please! I can—"
Wolf silenced him with a swipe of his massive paw, breaking his jaw with a sickening crunch.
Wolf: "Begging won't save you. You're mine now.
With a guttural snarl, Wolf sank his fangs into the scientist's shoulder, shaking him like a ragdoll. Bones snapped, flesh tore, and the man's screams turned into gurgling gasp.
Fox and Lamb arrived just as the scientist's body crumbled to the ground, lifeless and mangled. Wolf stood over his corpse, blood dripping from his jaw, his chest heaving with exhilaration.
Wolf: (grinning savagely) " that was satisfying. Mortals always taste better when they're scared."
Fox turned away, his golden eyes dim with sorrow.
Fox: (softly) "Even in death, there should be dignity. But he earned none."
Lamb stepped forward, her gaze lingering on the ruined body.
Lamb: "His arrogance led him here, but even this is part of the balance. Violent ends for violent acts.
Wolf snorted, licking the blood from his fangs.
Wolf: "He wanted to escape me. No one escapes death.
Fox shook his head, stepping past the scene of carnage.
Fox: (quietly) "Life is cruel, but it is also fair. He chose his end when he tried to defy the natural order."
The three spirits turned away, leaving behind the ruined remains of the scientist as the forest seemed to sigh in relief