Once upon a time, when mankind was young and hope was still a novel concept, there lived in the deepest part of the woods a Great Wolf, wiser, mightier, and more terrible than all the rest. Larger than ten horses and stronger than a cohort of soldiers, none had ever bested the beast in battle, and only a handful in living memory had survived such encounters. Lurking in the deepest of shadows, it made prey of the strongest of men and fools of the craftiest Huntsmen.
But none of that dissuaded the Four Sisters who approached the edge of his woods. The learned and the wise men of the village nearby had tried to warn them, but the Four would not listen. They had journeyed too far to turn back now. They ventured in, bold, cautious, intrepid, and curious all at once.
Not long after the Wolf fell upon them. He struck with the speed of a storm and the stealth of a whisper. One minute the Sisters were walking together, the next the beast was in their midst. But the Sisters were skilled in the ways of Aura and Semblance, and moreover, ferocious in their defense of each other. The battle was long and their enemy vicious, but together they were triumphant, and the Wolf, for the first time in his long existence, fled the field of battle.
But the Wolf was as patient and clever and he was swift and strong. As the Four Sisters continued onward, joyous in their celebration of victory, He followed.
They journeyed for many hours, eventually coming to rest at the crest of a large hill. The night was warm and the sky was clear. The stars shone down like the eyes of a thousand observer. As three of the sisters slept, the Eldest kept watch. And as the Eldest kept watch the Wolf approached.
You are the bravest of your family. But you have failed to destroy me. Your weakness puts all your sisters in danger.
Come to me, child. Come to me and prove your strength.
She tried her best to ignore the Beast's words, but her pride would not allow it. She grasped her weapons and approached the woods. The Wolf quickly vanquished her.
When the sisters awoke and found the Eldest missing, they searched frantically for her. All they discovered however, were claw marks on the bark of trees and a single scrap of golden hair. And as they grieved, the Wolf listened, his hunger lessened but his belly craving for more. With no other choice before them, the three ventured on.
They journeyed for many days, eventually coming to rest at the mouth of a deep cave. The night was colder now, a slight breeze turning the sky into an ever-shifting mosaic of stars and clouds. As two of the sisters slept, the Second Eldest kept watch. And as the Second Eldest kept watch, the Wolf spoke.
You are the cleverest of your family. But you could not protect your Eldest. Your failure betrays your true allegiance.
Come to me, child. Come to me and prove your loyalty.
She thought to herself that the Wolf was a liar, but the hidden truth of his words pierced her logic. She grasped her weapon and silently approached the woods. Promptly, the Wolf slew her.
When the sisters awoke and found the Second Eldest missing, they searched desperately for their sibling. But all they found was a scrap of black ribbon, caught on a tree branch and waving in the breeze like a flag of surrender. Their howl of despair caught the Wolf's ear, causing him to howl in reply.
They journeyed for many weeks before they finally stopped to rest under the branches of a great oak tree. Whiteness, soft and cold, blanketed the ground, the same way the impenetrable clouds blanketed the sky. As one Sister slept, the Second Youngest kept watch. And as the Second Youngest kept watch, the Wolf, once again, spoke.
You are the most cautious of your family. But you could not prepare them against me. Your sloth has cost you your loved ones.
Come, my child. Come and prove your worthiness.
She resisted his words as best she could, her knuckles turning pale on the hilt of her weapon. But his taunting continued and, though she knew it to be the end, she could not bear the thought of life without her Sisters. Removing her white jacket and placing it on her final sibling, she ventured out into the forest. She stood no chance.
Alone, the Youngest Sister ran, lost in the depths of the woods. She stumbled and tripped, practically falling through the thick undergrowth and thorny briars. She wandered for hours, days, weeks, months, perhaps even years. She lost count of the time, indeed she lost count of everything. The steps she had taken, the wounds she endured, the voices she heard, some real, some not. The only count she was sure of was the number of Sisters she had lost to her dreadful pursuer.
Finally, she came to a large clearing in the forest, which opened up to a vast meadow of crimson roses. The moon hung low in the sky, and in her delirium she felt like she could touch it if she could just reach out far enough. Halfway hallucinating, she ran toward the center of the field, hand outstretched as if to grasp that elusive orb above. She was so exhausted from the ordeal that she could not feel the thorns as they cut her feet and legs to ribbons, felt nothing as she lost her footing and collapsed.
She breathed in the sweet scent of roses and the iron odor of her own blood. She did not know how long she lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness amongst the flowers. When she turned around her tiredness was gone, and she was not surprised at all to find the Great Wolf towering above her.
"I am the Last of my family, as you are the Last of yours. You could have ended me, reuniting me with my Sisters long ago, but you elected to extend my torment. I now know what you truly desire." The Last Sister removed her red cloak, laying herself bare before the Beast.
"Return my sisters, and I will be yours until the end of days."
Mere moments later, the Great Wolf approached the village from which the Sisters had begun their journey so long ago. Frantically, the people hurried, unsure of who would flee the imminent carnage, and who would stand and fight. The Wolf ignored the humans, approached the village center, and spat from his mouth, like the cores of rotten fruit, the still-breathing forms of the Eldest, Second Eldest, and Second Youngest Sister. With his end of the deal done, He returned to his forest, claiming his new She-Wolf as his prize.
It is said that on that night, the earth bled and the sky wept for the fate of this brave and selfless child. For, on that night, a new race of beings was conceived between Monster and Huntress. A race of hate and anger, grief and loneliness. A race of dark creatures who, generations after three of the Four Sisters would be swallowed by the eons of time, would become the greatest scourge of mankind. For, the terms of their unholy union was that she would be his, "until the end of days."
What better way to ensure the Grimm end of days, than to cause it yourself?