"I haven't met many wolves," he admits, his stance faltering somewhat. He shifts his weight. "There's more punch, though, in that he asked first, don't you think? He was going to give her a choice, but he didn't. In the end."

It has always appealed to him, this hope-but-not-hope, the shifting of terms, the happy endings that hang in sight and then dissipate into thin air. Twists. It's a common theme in his stories (he doesn't have themes, he'd say), but he never questions it. It's just an irony he enjoys weaving. There's nothing more fun than playing the cruel, spiteful god.