There once was a great god of war and chaos and destruction who took the shape of a great black dog and rejoiced in the battles of men. Men would worship and offer many bloody sacrifices in honour of the great black dog. With time, as the ways of war changed, so did the gods of men, and the once great black dog was forgotten. With his power greatly diminished, it was left wandering the woods of the Great Mountain, starved.

  One day, the dog came upon a fox of silvery fur that had caught fresh prey and demanded: "Relinquish to me that flesh, for I am the Great Black Demon Dog of yore."

  The fox laughed in the dog's face and teased: "If you are such a fearsome god, why are you so starved and weak you cannot catch your own?"

  The dog's pride was wounded but he complained that men were now weak and no longer knew the old ways of worship. The fox pitied the old proud dog as it told its tale and, in the end, this the fox said: "How low you have fallen yet how tall is your pride. Heed these words of advice – humble yourself to smaller worship or offer more with your bargains, for there are plenty of the fool and desperate to play with."

  And so, the dog wandered in search of the fool and desperate until coming upon a destitute woman shivering in the bitter cold wind. The dog, in all his dignity, roared: "Bow before me for I am the Great Black Demon Dog of yore."

  The woman took in the sight of the flea ridden starving dog and she too laughed. "How could this mutt be a fearsome god of yore?"

  This time the dog mustered its remaining power to enlarge himself into a fearful size. "You will worship me, woman, or you will die right here and now!"

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  Unfazed, the woman remarked "No gods have answered my prayers when I most needed strength. What have you to offer?"

  The dog thought of the fox's words and reconsidered "I shall grant you a sliver of my power, so you may call upon the strength of the Great Black Demon Dog. Will you worship me then?"

  To this the woman agreed, and so the dog gave her a hair from his black coat of fur. Upon swallowing the hair, the woman was overtaken by a rush of power, for a sliver of divinity is tremendous power for a human.

  She felled many trees on her path to crush the men who had stolen her father's lands and titles. As she took back her place in society, all had come to fear the warrior woman with the strength of the Great Black Demon Dog.

  Though her revenge was completed, her hunger for power did not diminish, there was always an emptiness inside her heart. She married the most powerful warring lord in the land and birthed many strong children, yet her hunger remained.

  Since she craved more power, she sought out the black dog in the Great Mountain, for many days and many nights. When at last she found it, the black dog was even more diminished and weaker than before, for she had neglected her side of the bargain.

  "You lied to me, damned woman!"

  The woman kicked the creature with disgust and said: "How can anyone worship one as gullible as you. Be content knowing that if not for me, your name would be all but forgotten."

  With its last breath the once great god of war and chaos and destruction howled bitterly: "I curse you and that silver fox, for you both teased and toyed with my hunger, so shall it consume you and yours."

  The woman took the body of the dog and devoured it bit by bit. With every bite she felt the power in her grow, but she wouldn't be satisfied until she had consumed all of it.

  At last, when all strands of black hair were swallowed and all flesh chewed and the last of the bone marrow sucked, the woman realized her hunger had overtaken her and the only powerful being left to consume was herself.