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Description
The wolf stares into her pond, seeing without seeing the fish darting just below the surface. Her attention is on a dark spot, a black abyss, steadily growing larger a foot off shore. The wolf's head tilts to the side and an ear flickers back. Apprehension. When the abyss is as large as she, she rises to her paws and fear ripples down her spine. A whine rises in her throat and stops there, yet she cannot look away. The abyss begins to swirl and red clouds meld in from the edges. No, not clouds, fire... The wolf's own paws hiss, burning in response and still she can not move. White figures emerge, swirling and wraith like - small pups playing together. And then another form, shrouded in rippling flames. Evil. Recognition dawns and wolf's eyes widen in fear and reproach. The infernal form devours one of the playing pups into a ball of shrieks and yelps. The pup succumbs to the flames, only to rise again with fire licking his sides. Agony.
There is nothing the wolf can do but watch this newly burning pup wander. Lost. His playmates gone. Finally, the pup stumbles upon a new friend only to find his flames glow brighter and hot tongues singe the soft, unburnt fur. The pup flees. Abhorrence. Further recognition dawns on the wolf and she knows this is a story painfully told and half buried. But here in this abyss it has awoken anew. Heat rises from her smoking fur and she crouches, eyes half-lidded in pain and sorrow. In the water the pup has dug a small, incinerated den and concealed himself in black and pain. He turns on himself – burning, bleeding, biting. Cries of anguish. Each strike the pup lands on himself sends a shiver of pain through the dark she wolf. Her head is thrown back in a desperate, silent howl but there is no escape. She breaks. Torment.
In a sudden burst of fury, the wolf leaps and plunges headlong into the black water. Her jaws are snapping, tearing apart an enemy that is no longer there. She continues biting the empty water, chasing away the quickly retreating flames. The abyss melts away. The wolf emerges with dripping fur and, somehow, a fish clutched between her fangs. Blood fills her great maw, flowing over her tongue and dripping from her chin to hit the dirt with a soft pat, pat, pat... The jungle is silent, the pond calm and without a threatening vision. The wolf stares a moment longer, daring the abyss to return. It does not.
Scales and flesh shred on razor sharp fangs as the wolf relaxes her jaw, allowing the fish to fall to the ground. It gives a halfhearted flop, sucking desperately at the air, before it's eyes cloud over in death and it lies still. Sodden black paws step gingerly over death, still dripping tail almost kissing the grave, and the wolf retreats to the safety of her den. Creeping vines with blooming flowers close in around the den's opening, extinguishing the light behind her. Exhausted, the wolf falls to the cold, packed dirt of ground and stares blankly ahead. Sleep takes her quickly and in her dreams the pup is now full grown. The flames are abolished and the spirit is revitalized. The she wolf smiles. Reprieve.

Description
The wolf stares into her pond, seeing without seeing the fish darting just below the surface. Her attention is on a dark spot, a black abyss, steadily growing larger a foot off shore. The wolf's head tilts to the side and an ear flickers back. Apprehension. When the abyss is as large as she, she rises to her paws and fear ripples down her spine. A whine rises in her throat and stops there, yet she cannot look away. The abyss begins to swirl and red clouds meld in from the edges. No, not clouds, fire... The wolf's own paws hiss, burning in response and still she can not move. White figures emerge, swirling and wraith like - small pups playing together. And then another form, shrouded in rippling flames. Evil. Recognition dawns and wolf's eyes widen in fear and reproach. The infernal form devours one of the playing pups into a ball of shrieks and yelps. The pup succumbs to the flames, only to rise again with fire licking his sides. Agony.
There is nothing the wolf can do but watch this newly burning pup wander. Lost. His playmates gone. Finally, the pup stumbles upon a new friend only to find his flames glow brighter and hot tongues singe the soft, unburnt fur. The pup flees. Abhorrence. Further recognition dawns on the wolf and she knows this is a story painfully told and half buried. But here in this abyss it has awoken anew. Heat rises from her smoking fur and she crouches, eyes half-lidded in pain and sorrow. In the water the pup has dug a small, incinerated den and concealed himself in black and pain. He turns on himself – burning, bleeding, biting. Cries of anguish. Each strike the pup lands on himself sends a shiver of pain through the dark she wolf. Her head is thrown back in a desperate, silent howl but there is no escape. She breaks. Torment.
In a sudden burst of fury, the wolf leaps and plunges headlong into the black water. Her jaws are snapping, tearing apart an enemy that is no longer there. She continues biting the empty water, chasing away the quickly retreating flames. The abyss melts away. The wolf emerges with dripping fur and, somehow, a fish clutched between her fangs. Blood fills her great maw, flowing over her tongue and dripping from her chin to hit the dirt with a soft pat, pat, pat... The jungle is silent, the pond calm and without a threatening vision. The wolf stares a moment longer, daring the abyss to return. It does not.
Scales and flesh shred on razor sharp fangs as the wolf relaxes her jaw, allowing the fish to fall to the ground. It gives a halfhearted flop, sucking desperately at the air, before it's eyes cloud over in death and it lies still. Sodden black paws step gingerly over death, still dripping tail almost kissing the grave, and the wolf retreats to the safety of her den. Creeping vines with blooming flowers close in around the den's opening, extinguishing the light behind her. Exhausted, the wolf falls to the cold, packed dirt of ground and stares blankly ahead. Sleep takes her quickly and in her dreams the pup is now full grown. The flames are abolished and the spirit is revitalized. The she wolf smiles. Reprieve.