"Cho, stop it!"

The younger stag gave one more try at ramming into Hungry before backing away and turning his head. His mother was behind him. Hungry, seemingly unphased by the fight at all, gave a small hop of what looked like excitement.

"Oh, Mint, it's you! How have you been, I haven't seen you in quite a while." He paused. "This is your mother, Cho?"

"Don't call me by my name, you piece of--"

"Well now, no need for that. You're boy here is quite strong for an adolescent, but I'm afraid not strong enough."

Mint took an angry but desperate tone. "I'm going to find a way into your home. You know I will."

"Do you even know where you came out?"

"Yes, it was under the bridge. Don't try to fool me."

Hungry grimaced. "Check again, dear."

Mint turned and trotted a small distance over to the bridge. Her eyes searched everywhere, but she could find no opening. None at all. Only mud and moss. In a panic, she ran over and tried striking the ground with her hooves to see if there would be any give in the earth. But there was none. The ground was solid here.

"Ahaha, you see? You were wrong. There was never any exit under the bridge."

"Then... why...?"

"Come come, my dear, you're probably just frazzled." Hungry tried walking towards her.

Cho immediately knocked him over. "Stay the hell away from her!"

Hungry got up and let out some kind of mix between a growl and a hiss. Before he could retaliate, however, something jumped out from the tall grass by the Idol and ran up to Hungry. It was Sin. He nuzzled up to his father's leg in protection and fear.

"Sin, what are you...? Did you find a way out? Clever boy!"

Cho looked at him in disgust. "What the hell is that?"

"This is my son, Sin. And I'd appreciate it if you kept the language toned down around him."

Mint came back over and stood beside her son. She stared down at the familiar fawn, which was more repulsive in the sunlight, and saw that he had grown quite a bit without her realizing. She desperately wanted to bolt, but she needed to make sure Cho was safe.

Cho remained indignant. "How could anything mate with you?"

"Oh no, he's not my real son. He crawled out of a meal while I wasn't looking." He licked his lips. "No other doe will be as sweet as cinnamon."

Mint felt her heart sink and her blood run cold. She remembered her sister telling her that Hungry's curse would not be kept to himself if he decided to come out of hiding. His curse was like a disease. It spread over everyone who came in contact with him and lived. It's why she knew she should have just let him kill her. She could have saved her whole family. Tears rolled down her cheeks after realizing this. She was a fool in the end.

"You ate Cin. But you didn't eat her baby." Mint let out a destitute sigh.

Hungry laughed. "I wonder what his father looked like if Sin looks like this."

Mint laid her ears flat. "How can you not remember?! Why did you eat Cin when you promised not to?!"

"An old man's memory is never what it used to be. I don't remember ever seeing Cin, much less promising her anything."

"How can you forget your mate?!" Mint, by now, was sobbing very loudly. Cho had sidled up to her to let her lean a bit.

Hungry, slightly taken aback by that question, tilted his head. "I had a mate?"

Cho decided to speak after seeing that his mother was in no shape to explain. "Cin was your mate before you were cursed. You were going to have a baby. In the end, you decided to seal yourself away so Cin and her baby could keep living in peace. But you fucked it all up!"

"Aha... That explains why it all seems so familiar."

"I'm going to kill you for what you've done to this family." Cho lowered his head and scraped the ground.

"Try me." Hungry didn't change his stance.

Cho charged at Hungry, but instead of hitting him straight in the chest, he knocked Sin away with his antlers. Sin flew a few feet with a squeal and landed, quivering and twitching. Several cuts poured with blood, and he eventually curled up into a ball.

Even Hungry didn't expect his own reaction. He set upon Cho, knocking him down and then beating him with his hooves. He could hear bones breaking and feel skin giving way. Fury led to endless strength. Only did a sudden lapse of insanity stop his rampage. He knew exactly what to do with this boy. Hungry went over to Sin, gently picked him up, and set him on his back. Then he grabbed Cho by the back of his neck and dragged him over to one of the entrances. He didn't hear anyone trying to stop him. Mint either ran away or simply froze.

Cho was dragged all the way to the room underneath the Great Oak, where the statue was. He finally let go and looked up, panting.

"You must be some kind of god. Statues don't talk, and they certainly don't know everything. If you are, then you must be able to heal my son!"

Prove your wrath to me.

Hungry very slowly set Sin down far away from the statue to keep him safe. He knew if he did nothing, his wounds would bleed too much. He never understood before why he was so protective of the fawn, but now he knew. Even curses couldn't remove paternal instincts.

Hungry perceived an altar before him, which wasn't there before. He didn't bother to ask. He heaved the beaten stag onto the altar and thought of what to do.

Your curse is now his.

Hungry thought of this for a moment. Then he laughed. It wasn't his normal, casual laugh. It was a horrid, evil cackle, as if a lightning bolt had struck the Oak above them. He knew what to do now. Cho had finally regained consciousness and wearily looked around. He tried getting up, but his legs were in so much pain from being fractured and broken. He panted heavily in fear, finally registering Hungry's presence next to him.

"See how it feels, boy. And when you feel it, you'll know why I'm mad."

Hungry sunk his teeth into Cho's face. That perfect angle. He began tearing the skin away, leaving exposed, bleeding flesh. He continued this for several long minutes, basking in Cho's screams, until the entire half of his body had been skinned. Cho shivered in shock. He thought it would lessen, but then Hungry mercilessly grabbed him and flipped him over. The pain of landing on his skinless side was unbearable. Hungry began skinning the other side.

When he had finished, he stepped over to where Cho's face was and made him stare at his own. "Now do you understand? The pain of starving, of your body eating away at itself, with no possible way out? You will never faint from the pain, you will never die. Any sleep you can manage to fall into will not relieve you. As long as you stay on this altar, you will know my pain. Now wouldn't you want revenge if you had to be like this forever?"

Cho didn't answer. The only noises he made were strained sobs and weak cries of pain and fear.

Hungry heard a metallic grating sound. He sniffed about the altar to find that metal bars, that seemed to be in the shape of fangs, were all around the altar and had curled up to trap Cho inside. Hungry backed away and looked up again.

"You have your sacrifice. Heal him. Please..."

I need another body.

"He's running out of time!" Hungry looked over at Sin, but found that his wounds had at least stopped bleeding. He realized that that wouldn't have happened on it's own and he nodded to take his last exclamation back.

When he turned around, someone was in the entrance. By the scent, he knew it was Mint. His smile, which had seemed to disappear in his rage, now returned. "My dear. Could you go get your mate for me? What was his name again?"

"Cor..." Mint's voice was dull and quiet, in a stupor. She had finally snapped from everything that had happened to her. The sight of her skinned son moaning behind Hungry didn't even phase her.

"Yes, Cor. I need to speak with him. Please fetch him for me, would you? Bring him right here. That's a good girl."

Mint turned silently and went out the way she came. During her absence, Hungry stood beside Sin and licked his wounds, hoping it would help a little. He could tell that the little fawn had fainted, possibly from blood loss. He was still alive, but hanging by a thread. Mint finally returned with her mate. Cor was a very strong stag, and very large. He had to stoop his head to walk around in the tunnels. He followed his mate with great confusion.

"Here he is."

Hungry looked up. "My dear brother, I believe I need you for something."

Cor took a step back. "Gods-- Silver?"

"What? Oh yes, whatever. I am The Hungry now, if you don't mind. If you look over there I believe you'll see a statue."

Cor looked at the statue, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the altar in front of it. The sight brought him even closer to panic. That heaving, bleeding body with wide eyes darting around in every direction.

Hungry approached Cor. "Don't recognize him? It's your son Cho. I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away. But I had to do it, you see."

Cor had no idea what to do, and it entertained Hungry greatly to hear such a strong stag whimper like a fawn. Hungry pushed him closer to the statue and struck him to make him kneel down. He looked up to listen to his next instructions. After a moment, Hungry nodded and struck Cor again and again until he was unconscious.

"He is yours."

The statue started to crumble, and with a final, dark thunder, it fell to pieces. Cor rose again, his appearance changing. His fur turned pitch black, his antlers became slender and thorned, and he bore a red skull with long, splintered teeth for a mask. The statue made more odd sounds, like rocks tumbling over each other. It was reforming, and it then looked like Cor.

Mint finally seemed to come to her senses for a moment, looking at the statue of her mate and her son lying limply on the altar. She fell to the ground and started wailing. The dark stag stepped over to Sin and gently touched him with the nose of the skull. His wounds disappeared, and though Sin was still asleep, he gave a contented sigh, as if dreaming.

Hungry stood there, trying to make out the scent of this new stag. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you." This was not Cor's voice. It was not quite so deep, and had a very calm but intelligent tone.

"What now?"

"Your son is healed. The stag Cor is now where I once was. Cho? You can either kill him or leave him here to suffer. It's your choice. And the doe is also yours to have."

"And what about me?"

"I won't bind you to anything. You may carry on as you wish."

"Are you the one who cursed me?"

"No."

"Then you can count me as a follower."

"Are you sure? I know you haven't slept in quite a while."

"I'm as clear-minded as ever now. You helped me. I'll help you. Whoever you are."

Hungry, for a brief moment, could see the stag in front of him. Red skull, spiked antlers, and black pelt. But the one thing that fixed his gaze were the two, piercing yellow eyes staring straight through him.

"I am the god of darkness and evil. I bring chaos where the Twin Gods have brought order. I am their opposer and usurper. And now, I have no bounds. No one to overthrow me. I will remain. For every light there is a shadow, one cannot exist without the other."

Thunder crashed over the Oak above them. Hungry could hear the heavy branches creaking and whistling in the gusts.

Nero, the Devil, has returned.