Spite-Biter
The spite-biter is a Fable creature that is believed to have originated from alk culture, though it has become a common myth in most cultures now; especially those that live in tribal or village communities.
It is described as a fox with glowing eyes that lurks at the edges of small towns and settlements. It is said the more populated the area, the less likely a spite-biter is to appear.
The spite-biter watches over it’s chosen settlement, listening into the homes of small children. If a child is abused by a member of their family the spite-biter will wait until the child is outside of the view of adults and approach them. At first, the spite-biter will play with the child and gain their trust. If the child has any physical injuries, the spite-biter will lick the wounds and bruises; healing them with magic.
From then on, every time the child plays at or past the edge of their home, out of view of adults, the spite-biter will approach and play with them. Eventually it will begin to support them in other ways; bringing them food and toys that they may miss out on due to their abusive situation. As the abuse the child suffers worsens the support they receive from the spite-biter will increase.
If the abuse gets bad enough that the child attempts to run away, the spite-biter will run with them. This can go one of two ways:
• If the child is not pursued by their abuser, the spite-biter will lead them far away from their home and raise the child; who will slowly begin to transform into another spite-biter. After fully transforming into a spite-biter, the child will leave its saviour and seek out a child of its own.
• If the abuser follows the child, the creature will transform into a giant wolf-beast, and swallow the abuser whole. It will then turn back into its fox form, and return the child home if it is safe to do so.
If the child never runs away from their family, the spite-biter will continue to watch over them into their adult life. If the victim’s abuse continues until their death, the spite-biter will grow enraged and hunt down every person who ever did them wrong; viciously tearing them apart and leaving their bodies scattered across the land.
There is also another version of the spite-biter, though it is much rarer to hear stories about this version outside of alk communities. This spite-biter is said to take the form of a red-furred wolf and approach those who are victims of spousal abuse. It is said that when the victim runs from their abuser, the wolf will bite the victim and turn them into a white wolf. After transforming the victim the spite-biter will lead them back to their home; where the spite-biter will encourage them to hunt, kill, and consume their abusive spouse. The fur of the new wolf will be stained blood-red and they will flee into the night as a newborn spite-biter.