In a cave with no name, once called home by bears, there is a man, at least what was once a man. This, thing, that was once a man bore none of his confidence, none of his stature, and none of his kindness or wisdom. All that remained was the creature that festered in his soul, only a creature fit for the Hells. It was both bloated and emaciated, pale yet red ran across its body, tall yet squat due to the hunch that overtook its back.

  Snap, crush, slurp

  The creature gorged on the marrow of a cub, as it did its parents. But its hunger was not sated, for it yearned for something soft yet hard, fluid yet solid, hot but cool to the touch. So, the creature dug further into the carcass, scraping away what it could to find what it sought.

  "You won't find what you're looking for, it departed this place when the beast died."

  A smooth voice that roused memory from the creature, familiar but not the same.

  "If you want what you seek, then you must take it while they live; only then could you find the ambrosia you seek."

  The creature growled in confusion and anger; it did not understand this voice's words, but it did understand the tone.

  "Let me guide you, as an act of goodwill to a new child such as yourself."

  The creature then knew how to get what it wanted, and looking down at the dead meat, it snarled, dropping the leg in its hand and picking up the sharp thing. Following the scent of more meat, the creature was led to a nearby hollow where it snatched a mighty hare from its home.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "A pitiful first, but we all start somewhere, I suppose, now, follow the steps as I have taught you."

  Nodding, the creature used the sharp thing to cut strange lines and shapes into the creature's belly, ignoring its cries, as well as the scratching of a smaller rabbit, challenging the thing with all its small might. But as they finished the carving, it began to glow an awful red and orange, such that the doe rabbit grew sick from its malefic energy.

  "Excellent, you're as quick a learner as my lady said you would be, now, complete the spell."

  The creature injected the hare with more magic, watching as the animal grew cold and shriveled, like a raisin left in the snow. A small white cloud left the body, flowing into the creature, invigorating it in a way no narcotic could replicate. For but a second, the creature felt higher than the tallest mountain and stronger than the most ancient of dragons, and for the briefest second, he remembered who he was. But as soon as it came, so too did it leave the creature, its mind returning to the bestial state it could no longer tolerate.

  "Delicious? Good, now you know what you must do to thrive as one of us."

  The high it got from the spell wasn't the only thing it gained, though; a small part of itself felt more, better than before. Because of that, it knew it wanted more, needed more of this stuff, and so, looking to the ground, it saw the now unconscious doe rabbit, and smiled. It could no longer stand to be as it was; it knew it had to be more, and keep being more so long as it lived.

  And so, it picked up the doe and began its carving again, already planning to find more meat to use.

  The question posed might no longer be if such a creature could be helped, but should they be? For such an egregious line to be crossed, even while forced into such a state of mind and body, would they deserve to become so great as they once were?