Yellowed eyes watched them from the darkness. A wolf licked his lips and listened to the splat of his drool as it landed in the undergrowth. Like most other things in the forest, he hadn't eaten in days. He'd come across a trail of little stones, laid on a trail, and found them curious. Upon closer inspection, he found that the faint scent of humans lingered on them.

"Human meat is tasty," he mumbled to himself, taking up the trail. "One would be good, but TWO little humans would keep me for a month."

And when he came upon the sounds of a girl crying, he dashed into the woods, so as not to be seen. They were walking along the trail but had seemingly lost the path of stones. The wolf knew that the magpie had a proclivity for shiny stones,

and had no doubt swooped down and picked some up. It was a stroke of luck for the wolf anyway, alone and paralysed by fear, the children would be an easy target. Now then, how to get both without having to chase one. That was the question. Perhaps he could distract them, or perhaps he could simply leap out, and they'd be so paralysed by fear that he wouldn't even need to hurry.

He pricked up his ears and detected the faintest echo of a calling on the wind. A man's voice reached his ears. It was too quiet for the children but it was coming closer, and would soon be audible to them too.

The wolf knew the voice, it was that of the woodcutter - looking for his children. The wolf smiled as a very sinister idea kindled in his head.