The Wolf and the Maiden One day, a wolf came bearing a gift of roses for his beloved maiden. The maiden was flattered by his thoughtfulness, but wary of the wolf's nature, and told him softly, "Your love for me is sincere, but you are a wolf, and it is your nature to run free and hunt. If you love me, you must wear this collar so that I can be certain that you will not wander away". The wolf looked down to see that the maiden had set upon the ground a circle of leather and metal, fastened to a chain that was bound to a heavy stake driven iunto the ground. The wolf cried to the moon goddess, "Doesn't she see? Can't she understand that I am hers, body, soul, and heart?" "Very well", the wolf said, and he walked to the maiden's side, lowering his head so that she could place the collar around his neck. As the maiden began to place the collar upon his neck, she noticed scars and patches of raw skin. "What are these marks?", the maiden asked. "Those are the scars of others whom I offered my love, who also thought to put a collar upon my neck", the wolf said. "What happened to them?" the maiden asked. "At first they would come and visit the small piece of land they had chained me to, stroking my fur, bringing me morsels to eat, and telling me how much they loved me. Later, they would come less and less, only stopping by to show their friends the beautiful wolf they had caught and tamed. Then finally, they came not at all, and I was forced to break away from my prioson just to survive." The maiden looked at the collar in her hands, and at the heavy chain it bore, and let it drop to the ground. The maiden sat upon the ground, and the wolf laid down beside her, resting his head in her lap. "Now I will never wander", the wolf said, "for now, I am home". Something from my early Poser work. This was a project originally inspired by the Meatloaf song of the same name, but grew into a very personal piece relating to things I was going through at the time. The figures are Posette wearing Uthena's dress and a Kozaburo hair, with the P4 wolf. The trees and grass came from 3D Cafe, and the background and terrain are from Terragen. This is a P4 render with lots of postwork, especially the wolf's fur, which was done with brush presets. ~ General Mayhem