Beauty or the Beast?

He lived alone, for the most part. He had been outcasted a long time ago for a reason he couldn’t remember. Now he lived alone, in the dark, in a dingy cave. Well, mostly alone. He had his pets, his trophies, the other reckless, stupid creatures who thought they could brave the wildwood. But they seldom made him feel loved. Not that he deserved love, with his wild grown antlers and boney protrusions. Not when he craved the taste of flesh and the feel of blood on his teeth. It didn’t matter though, Erebus didn't need to be loved. He just needed to be feared. Or so he thought. 

It was a late summer's eve, Erebus was wandering the wildwoods looking for anything to hunt or collect. When he came across a rotting tree stump. He had seen this stump many times before, it was a normal sight when walking through what he deemed his territory. But something was different. It smelled like his favorite prey, a faunid, but there was no one around. It was a lone tree stump. Faunids coming so close to his home cave was not a new thing, but it was rare. By this time almost everyone had heard tales of the beast in the wildwoods, not that he was the only one, but he was dangerous enough to be known. After inspecting the stump thoroughly and finding no other evidence of a nearby faunid, he left claw marks on it. It was Erebus’ way of claiming what belonged to him. Letting others know he was there. 

Days passed and again, on his daily rounds the stump stood out to him. It smelled like a faunid, but this time. There was a note. Now Erebus had forgotten how to be civil a long time ago, but one of the few things he barely remembered was how to read. 

“To the creature in the shadow, do you like flowers?” the note read. What a strange question to ask a monster. Erebus couldn’t recall if he liked flowers, he wasn’t sure if he even knew what a flower was anymore. So he left a response in the only way he knew how. A message of blood. Where the blood came from is hard to say, Erebus had periods of blacking out and forgetting short term things, a symptom he believed of his corruption. His response was clear, at least to him it was. The message wasn't made with words, or letters, or even numbers. It was just a splash of blood on top of the note. But to someone like Erebus, it made perfect sense. It said “whats a flower” and “no” at the same time, while also saying “get out” and “this belongs to me”. So he left. 

Once more, days passed before he came upon the stump again. When he saw what was waiting for him, he felt confused, conflicted even. It was a bouquet of plants wrapped together in a pretty ribbon. The ribbon itself smelled heavily of whatever faun had left it there, a foolish error on their behalf, Erebus believed. A scent this heavy would allow him to track them down, to find them, to hunt them. He picked up the plants and examined them, they looked nice. He guessed at least, he determined that they must've been the flowers the faunid had previously asked him about, and Erebus felt conflicted. It had a wide variety of flowers, and even some mushrooms. Black Bat, with its dark coloration, long tendrils, and large petals it looked almost exactly like his fur. It stood out high amongst the others, carefully placed so as to not get damaged. Flame Lily, its petals shaped like his unique and often frightening markings, bright orange, yellow and a bit of red making the bundle pop with vibrant color. Green Hellebore, dotted with glimpses of green and faint yellow, looked remarkably like his eyes. Piercing and potentially dangerous. Last in the bouquet of plants wasn't a flower at all, but a fungus. Bleeding Tooth Fungus. Erebus had seen it many times and found it amusing; it was the only plant he truly recognized as it grew in his neck of the woods. It was white like bone and had red bulbous pustules. Nestled between all the plants and the fungus was another note.

“To the beautiful creature in the woods. These reminded me of you. -Love, your secret admirer.” It was the last note they would send, Erebus determined then and there. 

Who the secret admirer was, I dare not tell you. What Erebus found is his own secret, and he isn't willing to share. Not with anyone.