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Tale of the Silver Fox
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It is said that by the light of the very first moon of every Malin's Welcome, a silver fox makes its run through the heart of the Darkwood Forest. It is also said that the hunter who captures this fox and spills his blood will have eternal life. :: There once was a poor huntsman who lived with his ailing son. They lived a happy, humble life, until one day, in early Malin's Welcome, when the young son's health took a turn for the worse. :: The village healer told the father that his son did not have long to live.  So in desperation, the huntsman set out for the forest with his trusty hunting dog. As the silver light of the first moon filled the forest, the huntsman caught sight of a streak of silver, faster than the arc of a gleaming sword, shoot through the underbrush. :: It was the fox, and the hunter and dog followed after it. And just as the fox dove for its burrow under the old ash tree, the dog caught onto the tip of its tail and bashed it against a tree. :: The hunter seized it by its throat and held it aloft. :: "I have caught you, Beast, and now you shall grant my son eternal life," he declared, and the fox blinked its wide black eyes back at him. :: "So he shall," the fox spoke in a calm, wise tone, "but eternal life comes at a price. For each day he lives by my blood, so much another's be spilled by his hand." :: The hunter heard this, and brought the fox home. As the boy slept, for he was a very deep sleeper, the father placed his hunting knife in his hand. He gripped the boy's hand in his own around the blade, and opened the fox's throat, spilling three silver drops of blood onto the floor. :: The boy was out of bed the very next day, as if he'd never ailed. :: His father supplied victims by night as the boy slept. This way, the boy never knew the terrible sacrifice that prolonged his life. :: The father supplied most of the necessary victims by dragging away passed out drunkards from the local drinking spots . The tavern was quickly emptied of its unruly regulars.  They were only ruffians, he figured, and no one would miss the rabble. :: The boy grew to be handsome and kind, and soon won the heart of a lass with eyes as fine as the mind she possessed. They became wed before the boy reached his twenty-first birthday. :: And one night, the boy's father brought home another victim. The boy's new bride slept lightly, and was awakened by the sounds. :: Horrified, the wife leapt out of bed, accusing the father of murder and declaring she'd turn him int o the authorities to be hanged. The huntsman, desperate, tried to explain the situation to her. :: The wife would not hear him. She insisted her husband never approve of such sacrifice on his part. She was determined to tell him at once. :: So the huntsman, not knowing what else to do, silenced her, and then hurried away in a fright just as day broke. :: When the boy awoke to find his bride dead beside him, he was heartbroken. He wept, and cursed the skies as he held her broken body. :: And then he spotted her hand, closed around his father's blade still buried in her heart. And with closed eyes, he wrapped his fist around the cold hand of his wife, held the knife aloft, and cut his own throat, spilling three silver drops onto the floor.