Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters

When she was just a small child, Wendy had found a peculiar book in her local library. Someone had been looking over it and simply left it on a table when they were finished. It was heavy, thick, and had far fewer pictures than most of the ones she'd been used to reading. Out of innocent curiosity she'd decided to see what was contained within the covers of a grown-up's story book.

It had been boring at first. They were a collection of short stories whose complicated plots she couldn't follow. Each chapter used a lot of big words that she didn't understand yet, interspersed with references and themes that her young mind wasn't familiar with. For the most part she'd simply started flipping through the pages until she found a chapter that caught her eye.

One in particular had stuck with her for a long time afterwards.

In her rapid leafing of the pages she'd come to a sudden halt as a dreadful gaze fell upon her. Glaring up from the paper under her fingers was the face of a monster she'd not soon forget. It was shaped in black ink, the art style feeling very old. The creature was massive, muscular, and had a disturbingly large mouth that was filled with crooked, jagged teeth. Wendy didn't notice any of this. All she saw was that eye.

Dominating the center of the beast's head was a single, enormous eye that pierced straight through the book and into her mind. There was no thought or intelligence in it. No real awareness of its own existence. All that was held in that eye was anger. Deep, primal, vicious anger. A need to destroy and maim that not even the monster itself could understand.

It was the Cyclops. Though her repertoire of monsters had grown significantly since then, Wendy had never forgotten that one. It was the first creature that had ever made her feel genuine fear.

And now, years after having left that library and its literary bestiary, she was staring up at the real thing.

A massive hairy body balanced atop legs as thick as tree trunks scraped against the sky, filling her view. Pale white fur covered its abdomen and two gigantic antlers extended from the deer-like head, heightening its already daunting stature. Even though it looked so vastly different from the picture, there was no mistaking its identity.

The eye left no room for doubt.

Just as the Cyclops had been defined by the single rage-filled orb, so to was this creature. She could see the thin, dully colored iris that was stretched around the oversized pupil. She could see the unthinking desire for visiting destruction on those who had the misfortune of crossing its path. She could see the way its eye remained fixed on their position as it raised one of its arms upwards…

Wendy's survival instincts kicked back in as she realized the peril of remaining in her current position. Without stopping to think, she dove to the side. The colossal fist slammed down into the ground where she'd been standing, causing a deafening rumble and sending a wave of freshly pulverized snow and ice flying in all directions.

"Get back! Everyone get back!" Willow yelled, stumbling as the impact of the creature's attack nearly knocked her off her feet. She steadied herself by ramming her staff into the ground and leaning heavily on it.

"You're gonna regret that!" She shouted, glaring daggers up at the monster. "I hope you didn't have any plans for the rest of the day, because you're about to go up in flames!"

Bringing the staff up like a spear, she pointed the gem towards the titanic bulk of muscle and flesh standing above them. The jewel glowed brightly for a second before launching a bolt of molten flame directly at the beast's chest. A streak of light lit up the night for a brief moment before it made impact, exploding dead center and igniting a patch of the monster's fur.

It didn't even seem to notice.

It wasn't until the fire started to spread across its body that it looked down and took note. With a gesture that seemed more annoyed than panicked, it brought a gigantic hand sweeping over its chest and extinguished the fire as easily as one would a tiny match.

"Ah crap…"

The monster's hand shot out again, shoving the others aside as it closed around Willow. The fire starter barely had time to even start stumbling backwards when the clawed fingers wrapped around her. Her staff was crushed uselessly to her side as it lifted her high into the air.

"Willow!" Wilson shouted, jumping back to his feet. "Let her go!"

The giant took no notice of his protests, leaving him to shout helplessly as it raised her up to its face. The oversized eye in the middle of its forehead glowered balefully at the young woman in its grasp. Willow let out a strangled scream as its fist began to tighten around her.

In an attempt to save her, Abigail threw herself at its body. She lashed out in every way she could, sapping the life from every patch of flesh she came into contact with. It wasn't enough. The Cyclops chose to ignore her pitiful attacks while its grip continued to get tighter and Willow's pained shouts became weaker.

"LET FIRE LADY GO!"

Wolfgang's cry drowned out the beast's growling as he rocketed forwards. Despite not being at his peak strength, he still charged like a living engine of destruction. Howling furiously, he swung his massive club with all his might at the creature's ankle. The weapon struck with a mighty clang, nearly throwing its wielder off his feet as the force of the blow rebounded up his arms.

The monster paused its unnecessarily slow murder attempt. Blinking once, it looked down to see the man who was attacking its feet.

"Take this!" Wolfgang shouted, slamming his club down on one of its toes. "And this! And this! And that! And thi-"

Its free hand lashed out at lighting speed, slamming into his side and sending him hurtling into the air. The strong man flew like a ragdoll, smashing into the side of a tree before falling to the ground and laying still.

Wendy looked on in silent horror as it resumed its prolonged assault on Willow's torso. Wilson was shouting frantically, though she paid little attention to his words. She could only watch as her sister failed to catch the creature's attention and Wolfgang remained motionless in the snow at the edge of the camp.

She could only watch as it began to kill Willow.

Without stopping to think about what she was doing, the girl lurched towards the campfire and her pack. She ran as quickly as she could, darting dangerously close to the giant's legs as she did so. Thankfully it paid her no more attention than it did Abigail or the scientist.

Wendy tore her pack open in her haste, throwing the contents out in a disheveled heap on the ground. It only took a moment to find the thing she was looking for. Snatching the book she'd gotten from their last world out of the heap, she turned to face the gargantuan hairy beast once more.

Wendy didn't know what she was doing. She didn't have to know. Just like the first time she'd called Abigail back from the dead, she stopped thinking entirely and let instinct take over.

The pages seemed to fly open by themselves, responding to her desire and whipping across the book until it found the section she needed. She didn't pause to consider the consequences of her actions. All she knew was that she couldn't sit back and watch her friends die. Gazing down at the mysterious words inscribed into the book in her hands, Wendy began to read.

Once she started, it became impossible to stop. Words that were painful just to hear began pouring out of her mouth. The world shuddered as twisted syllables and haunting sentences took shape. As the last phrase formed and wrenched itself free from her throat, the sky convulsed like an animal in pain, hurling a bolt of lightning down on the head of the giant.

The creature's expression went from one of mindless anger to shocked agony as the blinding light struck it directly on the crown of its skull. It reflexively let go of Willow with a terrible howl, letting her fall into the snow as it raised its arms up to the damaged portion of its head.

Turning its massive bulk, it directed its murderous gaze down at Wendy. If looks could kill, she knew for certain that her entire body would have been atomized by that glare. Its singular eye was filled with a raw, unrelenting hatred that extended into the endless murky depths of its pupil.

Her mouth went dry. Her blood turned cold, and her entire body shook as though suffering in the midst of a windstorm. The creature drew itself up to its full height, looming like some horrific mountain of dark intent. Somehow it knew that she was the one that had caused its pain, and it had no intention of letting her get away with that.

Though her heart pounded against her chest so loudly she could hardly hear herself think, Wendy knew what she had to do.

"Abigail!" She screamed, turning in place and sprinting for her life. "I need you here now!"

The girl hurtled into the inky darkness that surrounded the camp, feeling the oppressive weight of the almost pitch black wall close around her form. She didn't dare stop or even slow down as a horrible sense of danger pricked at her sense. Just as the feeling of impending doom was about to reach its peak, the shadows suddenly drew back as Abigail's glowing form drew close to her.

Behind them, a roar like that of a mountain splitting apart shook the night air and threatened to tear the stars themselves from their skyline pedestals.

"Stay close to me!" Wendy ordered breathlessly. Her legs were burning already, but there was no room for weakness right now. Each step caused her to sink into the soft ground just enough to hinder her progress, and each patch of ice threatened to doom her with a short trip to the ground.

Another soul-rending howl tore through the air as the earth started to shake beneath her feet. It was giving chase. The thought of the gargantuan nightmare pursuing her caused her fatigue to evaporate instantly as a fresh wave of adrenaline stormed through her system.

Wendy felt like she was flying now. Her steps hardly seemed to touch the ground as she raced forwards at breakneck speed. She could feel the earth shake with each colossal footfall from the monster behind her, and each vibration urged her to even greater lengths. It had a much longer stride than she could ever hope to match. If she so much as hesitated, it would be upon her in an instant.

A long branch, previously hidden in the darkness, suddenly came into Wendy's field of view. She didn't have time to even consider avoiding the woody appendage, only managing to close her eyes and brace for impact as her momentum hurtled her directly through it. The branch shattered in a shower of splinters, cutting at her skin and ripping away her grass-cloak as she ran. The girl hardly even registered her makeshift blanket's absence, not slowing enough to feel the cold bite of the winter wind upon her newly exposed flesh.

As she stumbled from the impact of the tree limb, her foot came down to balance herself only to step into open air. Wendy let out a surprised shriek as she toppled forwards and fell headlong down the side of the hill she hadn't seen in her path. In a way, having her path obstructed had been a blessing. Had she been going at full speed, her tumble may very well have broken her neck on the way down.

As it was, she landed heavily in a snowbank at the bottom of the hill, all the breath being forced from her lungs in a loud expulsion of air. The book nearly went flying from her hands, but her fingers unconsciously latched onto it in a death-grip and held it firmly in place. Wendy had only a brief moment to regain her senses before a hairy comet soared overhead, blotting out the light of the stars and moon before slamming down onto the earth. Having landed flat on its feet, the creature merely had to do a half turn before it was able to resume the chase.

Wendy was up and running again in an instant, her mind no longer taking time to consciously consider her actions. Seeming to sense her desperate plight, the heartless sky opened up and snow began drifting down on her head. The seemingly harmless white powder showed its true nature when it obscured her vision and made the already dangerous run that much more treacherous.

Her throat was raw from the burning cold gasps that she greedily inhaled. Every step was getting harder to make than the last. It was closing in on her, she knew that much. The only advantage she had was that the monster's size prevented it from accelerating quickly. Even so, that only applied until it managed to get going.

Abigail darted in front of her without warning, the ghost's urgent noises tearing through the haze of panic that had been clouding Wendy's mind. The girl dug her feet into the snow, letting out a cry as she ground to a halt on the slippery surface. It took only a moment for her to see what her sister had been blocking off.

No more than an arm's length in front of her was a sheer cliff. It appeared that even here they lived on an isolated island.

The steep rocky outcropping descended straight down into a violent ocean, jagged boulders decorating the base. Had she kept going for even a moment longer she'd have run right off the edge.

A roar from behind her signaled that the enormous beast was still giving chase. Somehow it had managed to fall behind at some point along the way.

Wendy stared out into the darkened snow flurries that obscured her vision beyond a couple of yards. A choked sob threatened to break free from her chest as she realized that she had nowhere else to go. She was trapped between a ravenous monster and a fatal fall.

It was in that moment that she understood something she'd long ago assumed she's stopped caring about. Standing here, facing down some unspeakable horror from a world that broke down all the natural laws, Wendy was absolutely certain of one thing.

She didn't want to die.

It was with the frantic energy of a cornered animal that she pulled the book open once more. Her hands, now almost numb with the cold, tore through the pages until it came to the one she needed once more. For the second time that night, the words of power written down by one who'd come before took shape in her voice.

The sky began to rumble as the giant came into view. Driven by its need to crush the one who'd caused it pain, it lunged forwards towards her. Just as it began to raise its massive arm for a bone crushing swipe, she finished the spell.

A second streak of lightning tore through the air as though fired by the hand of Zeus himself. The bolt of electricity struck the monster directly in its single, enormous eye, sending a gooey shower of vile substance outwards. A sickening howl of anguish filled the air as the creature's momentum carried it forwards. It swung wildly and without thought, lashing out as it struggled to find her in its now blinded state. Two more steps brought it over her position, narrowly missing crushing her beneath its feet. One more brought it over the edge.

A startled wail sounded from its malformed mouth as its feet stepped out into open air. The giant twisted its body in an attempt to regain its footing on the cliff, but only succeeded in overbalancing itself. It toppled headfirst into empty air, a drawn out cry of pain and anger trailing its descent until that was cut off by a loud splash.

Wendy stared openmouthed at the spot where her pursuer had gone over. It took several moments for the full weight of what had just happened to sink in. When it did, she collapsed as sheer relief flooded her system.

"I'm still alive!"

She had never felt this light before. The understanding that she wasn't about to meet a gruesome end was like an intoxicating drug that made everything seem bright and joyous.

"I'm…"

As she turned to look back at the path she'd taken, the feeling of euphoric hope evaporated in an instant. The snowfall, soft, unassuming, and subtle, was filling in her footprints. Even the massive indentations made by the Cyclops creature were being steadily erased as though they'd never existed in the first place.

"…lost…"

Wendy hardly registered Abigail's concerned presence as the cold nature of her situation hit her. She was being hunted by a monster of a different kind, and there would be no running from this one.

She wrapped her arms around her around herself as she started to shiver. The predator was closing in.

"What's going on!?" Wilson demanded, halting his ragged march with no small amount of reluctance. "Why did you stop? We need to keep moving!"

"Don't you think I'm trying?" Willow snapped back. She was looking nothing short of haggard at this point. "In case you didn't know, it's really difficult to breathe with a bruised ribcage!"

After Wendy had fled into the night with their unwelcome intruder hot on her heels, the three of them had wasted no time in going after them. The thought of the girl being left to the mercy of such a terrible creature had left no hesitation in their purpose. Problems had quickly arisen almost as soon as they'd started heading out.

Wolfgang was in a bad way. The blow he'd taken had left him dazed and only partially aware of what was going on around him. He was likely concussed, and the crown he'd taken from the pig-king may very well have been the only thing that had kept his head in one piece when he'd been hit. At the moment, the strongman had one arm slung heavily over Wilson's shoulders and stumbled along as he guided them both.

Willow wasn't much better. Nearly being crushed was bad enough, but she was also the one keeping their path lit with her staff and was only just now learning the price of using such a tool for prolonged periods of time. The more the fire in the gem burned the more her skull felt like it was going to split open. Her vision had already started fraying at the edges.

"We can't keep going like this." She said, gripping the staff tightly just to stay standing. "I can't keep moving forward and keep this thing lit at the same time. It just won't work. If we keep going, the fire will go out and we'll all be stranded in the dark."

"Stranded in the dark?" Wilson questioned in disbelief. "Wendy's out there right now! She's stranded in the dark! Are you seriously saying that we should just leave her out there!?"

"That isn't what I meant and you know it!" The fire starter shouted, the strain of maintaining her concentration clear in her voice. "I want to help her just as badly as you do, but if we keep going like this we'll only end up dying out there."

"Find who now?' Wolfgang asked dazedly. "Where is small girl child? Could have sworn was one around somewhere. Is she look for ax?"

Wilson didn't want to admit it, but he knew she was right. They'd be no help to Wendy in their current state. If they kept pressing forwards like this…

"Stay here." The scientist said, gently dropping his half-conscious charge to the ground. "Give me your lighter and all the spare wood and grass cuttings we have."

"What are you doing?" Willow questioned. He didn't answer at first; instead focusing on taking stock of the supplies he had with him.

"I'm going after her." He said at last. "I don't have a torch so I need your lighter. You stay here and watch over Wolfgang until he recovers. When he does, I want the two of you to come find us. Understand?"

Despite the fact that he'd posed it as a question, there was no doubt as to what answer he'd accept. He was going, and Willow could see that clearly enough. She silently handed him the lighter and unslung her own pack.

"Be careful." She urged softly.

He merely nodded in response. Flicking open the tiny device, he brought the flame inside to life. It created a miniscule amount of light but it should be more than enough for the task he had in mind. With one more look over to Willow and Wolfgang, he continued after their lost companion.

Hang on Wendy. He thought silently to himself, bracing his body against the falling snow. I'm coming. Just hang on.