Once there was a boy who liked to play in the forest. He wasn't old enough to hunt, so he made traps for rabbits out of wood. His traps were very clever, and he always brought home at least one rabbit every night. His parents were very proud of him.
One day, the boy found a wolf cub stuck in one of his rabbit traps. It was too small to make a worthwhile pelt, so the boy set it free. The wolf cub thanked him and asked why he was playing with dangerous wood out in the middle of the forest. The boy told the cub that he was setting traps for rabbits to bring home to his parents. The cub asked why the boy didn't hunt like the other people he saw, and the boy said that he was too small, and his traps caught rabbits every day anyway, so he didn't need to hunt. The cub asked the boy more questions, about his home, and his family, and his traps, and the boy shared some of his catch with the cub as he told him. Finally, at sunset, the boy told the wolf cub that he had to go back to his family, and left the wolf cub where he had found it.
The next day, a little boy appeared at the edge of the village. He looked just like the boy who laid traps in the woods, but he wore a mask over his face that looked like a wolf. He asked for directions to the boy who laid traps, and knocked on their door. The boy's parents took him in and invited him to share dinner. The boy's big sister asked him where he came from, and he said the woods. The boy's mother asked him where his parents were and he said they were dead. The boy's father asked if the wolf-masked boy would like to stay with them and he said yes. The boy who laid traps asked him why he was wearing a mask, and the wolf-masked boy said that he was not wearing a mask.
The wolf-masked boy followed the boy who laid traps around for many days, doing what he did. Only the boy seemed to notice that the other boy wore a mask, because nobody else ever asked about it. One night, the boy asked the other boy why nobody else could see his mask, and the other boy replied that he was not wearing a mask.
Three months after the wolf-masked boy arrived at the village, he stopped following the boy who laid traps. When the boy asked where the other boy had gone, people said that he had gone hunting with his father. The boy was very angry, but when they came home with twice as much game as the boy's father had ever gotten alone, the boy who laid traps had to hold his tongue.
One day, the boy who laid traps did not catch any rabbits, even though his traps were sprung. When the wolf-masked boy came home with his father, he had ten rabbits with him, and they all had one arrow wound through the eyes and what looked like a bite mark in their legs. The boy who laid traps tried to protest, but his mother slapped him and told him not to talk to his brother that way. The boy who laid traps was very angry, but he couldn't do anything, because he was afraid of being slapped again.
Ten days later, the boy who laid traps still hadn't caught any rabbits, and his family was very angry with him. That night at dinner, his big sister gave his seat to the wolf-masked boy, and told him that he could eat the leftovers she dropped on the floor. The wolf-masked boy looked over at the boy who laid traps, and the boy thought he saw the mask's teeth stretch into a grin. The boy screamed and ran at the wolf-masked boy, pushing him out into the village. They rolled on the ground, punching and kicking, perfectly matched. Eventually, the boy grabbed the other boy's mask and pulled it hard until it came off.
The boy dropped the mask in surprise when he saw that the wolf-masked boy was actually the wolf cub that he had rescued from his trap many weeks ago. The wolf cub dropped to all fours and leapt at the boy, but, before he could reach him, he faded into the evening mist, his spell broken.