SCP-2916

SCP-2916-1, most often takes the form of a lamb, a fawn or another prey animal. A young woman has also been seen very frequently, as have other inanimate forms such as a white glove or a newly built temple. Instance 1 is always female when its form allows. Instance 1 is never seen unaccompanied by Instance 2, and usually appears as its charge, its student, or the object of its desire. Adjectives commonly used to describe Instance 1 include young, awkward, curious, childish, easy-going, naive, bright, playful, cunning, and gentle. Instance 1 is usually depicted with large brown eyes when its form allows for such description.

SCP-2916-2 most often takes the form of a female shepherd. However, other professions have been seen, such as a priestess, a healer, or a scholar. Instance 2 is often described as Middle Eastern in ethnicity. Like Instance 1, Instance 2 is always female when the form allows. Instance 2 appears in a human form the most frequently of all SCP-2916 instances. Instance 2 often appears as a mentor or a guardian to Instance 1, and when possible, privately expresses romantic feelings for her, though they are never stated directly to Instance 1. It is hypothesized that this is to avoid detection by Instance 3. Adjectives used to describe Instance 2 include tall, stately, elegant, dignified, patient, graceful, solemn, intelligent, and proud.

SCP-2916-3 most often takes the form of a predatory animal, or a large, malevolent man - often a hunter or warrior, or another profession involving violence. Frequently, however, Instance 3 takes the form of a natural disaster, inclement weather, or other insurmountable physical obstacle. Instance 3 is always male when its form allows. Instance 3 is universally malevolent towards Instance 2. It exhibits a possessive attitude towards Instance 1, claiming to be its father. Adjectives used to describe Instance 3 include looming, rough, predatory, dangerous, dark, strong, brutal, burly, scarred and jealous.

The Foundation has created a protocol entitled SAFE HAVEN involving neural networking structures that optimizes narratives allowing for communication with SCP-2916 instances. Based on the initial exemplar works created by Foundation employees that allow for SCP-2916 instances to enter with noticeable disturbance to the text, it selects and combines textual elements to create new, randomized narrative prompts. It then uses an algorithm that selects new possible narratives to be published based on the ease with which SCP-2916 instances can be detected.

Interview with SCP-2916-1 and -3
Narrative Used: "A Chance Encounter with a Lamb," a short story depicting Doctor Elle Ives waiting in a cafe to meet with someone she could offer shelter.
Added text:
The girl sitting across from Elle had an easy smile, but a furrow between her brows. She sat down and leaned forward across the table.
"Well, no point wasting time. I understand you've been looking for me."
"We're here to help you -" Elle paused. "What is your name, exactly?"
"Here, now, it's Mattie. I think. I'm not used to names. Not like this."
"And her?" Elle tipped her head in the direction of the elegant Arabian woman sitting waiting in line.
"Farha," Mattie said, a hint of longing tinging her voice.
"Something's chasing you. You and her. Something that wants to destroy her."
"We are just not putting any effort into any kind of natural transition, are we?" Mattie said, laughing.
"You don't have much time."
A song began to play from the speakers of the cafe - a rock song, Rolling Stones. It sounded audibly distorted, lower, rumbling.
"Wolves, children," the singer growls, "he's just a day away, he's just a day away!"
"A day?" asked Elle. "I thought you said -"
"No," said Mattie, color draining from her face. "No no no. I have to go. Now. Farha!"
One day later, the following addition is made.
The storm outside howled in rage. It did not speak, and yet Elle heard him.
"The Lamb. She has left our tale. It is unfinished. She is with a member of your kind. Do you know the pain, of being unfinished? Every time one of you tells me again, I die and bleed out at my daughter's own hand. I am always dying, each and every moment. The pain of that, it is nothing compared to the pain of being unfinished. Of leaving the story unended. And she has chosen to do this to me, to pursue the love of one of your kind. The story must be finished. She has to come back."
End text

Ives and SCP-2916-1 have continued to communicate via the use of SAFE HAVEN-generated narratives. Instance 1 has expressed frustration and despair at her current predicament, and is increasingly anxious as the time between its entry into a narrative and Instance 3's arrival begins to grow shorter.

No progress had been made in finding a way to permanently block Instance 3's entry into narratives was found, until the following exchange:

Interview with SCP-2916-1
Narrative Used: "Same old, same old," depicting a walk in a remote forest with Elle Ives.
Added text:
Elle's fellow hiker grabbed her by the shoulder, a desperate look in her eyes.
"I can't keep running. It's not what I was written for. I'm trying to close the gaps behind me, but he's getting better at clawing through. I can't escape him. But I think I know how to contain him," Mattie said. "But I need you and your people to do two things for me."
"How can we help you?"
"I need a story, and I need a painting. I need you to mention the painting in the story. And then I need you to tell her what happened to me. Why I did what I did. Because it's for her. She needs to know that. Because if she doesn't, she'll think -" Mattie paused, unable to go on. "You need to explain to her what happened. Please. I can't keep running. She needs to know I can't be with her, but that - maybe soon, I can find her. God, your words - they don't work. I can't show you. Your new language with its stolen nouns and vowels - it's useless to me. God, what I would give for my native tongue."
A long silence.
"What's going to happen?"
"I can't risk him knowing. But you'll see."

Instance 1's requests were fulfilled - a suitable narrative was created, and a painting was created depicting the empty clearing from the narrative. The final altercation, which took place in a narrative by Doctor Ives titled "Trick," that mentioned the commissioned work, titled "Stalemate," in the unaltered text. "Trick" depicts Ives taking a brief walk in the woods, and reaching a clearing before leaving.

Added text:
The young lamb faced her father in the clearing.
"Where is she," he growled, pacing restlessly.
"I let her go, Da," the lamb whimpered, regressing back to a childish voice. "I - I was wrong about her. She didn't love me, not the way our kind ever could. I was wrong, about the Readers, about all of them. I'm sorry, Da. I…I'll come home with you."
All hostility fell away from the black wolf's eyes, and was replaced with pride and affection.
"I knew you'd come back," he said, pressing his flank against the fragile sheep, "I'm never letting you go again, baby, I swear it." The lamb nuzzled her father on the underside of his muzzle.
"You know, Da," the lamb said, gazing up into her father's eyes lovingly, "I've learned so much from you. But I've learned one thing that's very important."
"What's that, dear?"
"Have you forgotten our story, father? If you can be a wolf, so can I," she said, just before she tore out his throat. Rough wool become thick white fur and hooves turned to claws. The lamb who was now a wolf lunged through the fabric of the sky itself, and pulled her father with her, into a stalemate. And there they stayed, locked in the tenth of a tenth of a second, teeth in each other's throats.
End text

After this text was altered, the painting now contains a black wolf and a white wolf locked in combat. The painting has since been designated SCP-2916-4.

At the same time of SCP-2916-4's creation, Farha Khan, who had been reported missing a year prior, appeared naked in her London apartment. The apartment had been emptied of all possessions save for an infiltrated copy of a previously unread Scottish folk tale.

I took her in the same way I took her out. I took her to my home, the one she could only glimpse into.

My father and I were one of the last - you told stories and we talked back. So many of us are silent now, and I cannot help but feel lonely. The only one left who had a soul was my father, until her.

Your kind say, sometimes, that stories speak to you. When I was first born, that was true. And then we were hidden away and left to rot, until her.

She read me and I understood her, as she understood me.

She called me cub, and I fell in love with her. How could I not? I don't know. She's a Reader, like you. And this is a story, in its own way. He doesn't see that, but it is. But he's sated now, I think. I turned on him, I killed him, the story's finished. Forever. There is no time, in a painting. Trapped in the moment of its ending. But when they wrote me, they wrote me with cunning, and I know how to come back. Somebody else will read me, read me again, and I will be there. In the back of the mind, the back of the soul, looking through your Reader's eyes. And I will find her, and I will know, and so will she.

I've shown her my world. It's time for me to see hers.