The cut was more jagged than she would have liked, but the little bastards were always squirming while she decapitated them. Still, the look of terror in its wide, lifeless eyes was one of the best she'd seen yet.

She headed back to the cottage; she'd have to dip the head in tar and put it on top of a stake along with the rest on the perimeter of her garden. So far, the warning had done little to deter the pests from stealing her fruit and vegetables - food that she and her little brother needed to live comfortably through the winter. However, she'd done some research on the chilling effect and was confident that the fauns were intelligent enough that they would start losing their boldness soon.

Too bad they couldn't eat the body, she mused as she left it behind in the woods to rot. The meat was just too stringy.