Zephnos, The First Cinder

The Dark Forest is home to many creatures, each from there own story. Depending on the night, you could be accosted by the spiders of Mirkwood or a tree toppling Colossus. But even the denizens of the dark fear Zephnos, for he was the first to find the fire, and the first to consume it.
The story begins when the Forest first emerged from the mists of dream. Even then, the salamander burned with a radiant intensity, pushing back the darkness. But the salamander was young then, and hadn't yet learned that not everything that shared his fire was a friend. In comes Zephnos, a satyr who had long watched the campfire. Entranced by the fire, he yearned to capture a part of it. But, as a creature of the Forest, couldn't enter it's glow.
One night, he came across a human, lost in the wood, under attack by one of the many spiders that dwelled in the Forest. They barely managed to kill the creature, but succumbed to the spiders venom shortly after. Zephnos took the human to his den and began to treat him. While he did this, the horned horror began to form a plan.
Once the human woke up, Zephnos told them what had happened. He also told them he wasn't able to completely cure the poison, but knew how he could. The human, foolish and desperate, agreed to help Zephnos get what he needed.
Zephnos took the human into the woods and wandered until he saw the purple salamander flame in the distance. He told the human, "Get me that fire, and I can cure you. But be careful. Do not believe the creature within, for it is the source of this wicked forest. I will give you a rope. If you tie it around yourself, I can pull you away before he does you any harm." The human, grateful to Zephnos, believed him without a thought. They tied the rope around their waist and Zephnos held tight to the other end. Carefully, he entered the ring of fire in the clearing.
The salamander was so happy to see the human that if didn't notice the rope trailing behind them. The flames flared and it began to talk. As it spoke, plants grew around the human, frightening them so badly they tripped into the fire. The fire raced up the rope to Zephnos, who caught it in a piece of wood he had tied to the other end. As the human screamed and burned, Zephnos raced deeper into the Dark Forest, cackling all the way.
Zephnos used the wood to cook his food, and as he ate, he grew even hungrier. He went hunting, and began to kill and eat everything he could find. Every creature in the forest became a meal for Zephnos. Every creature he ate changed Zephnos. With every creature, Zephnos grew. He eventually towered above the trees, until, for the first time, he saw the moon.
Zephnos saw the glow of the moon and enraged by its light, leaped into the air. He reached for it, and plucked the moon from the sky. Consuming the orb whole, he plunged the Forest into darkness. All except for one very lonely salamander, and the campfire he sat in.
The black satyr faded into the mists of the forest after that night. Some still have the misfortune to meet him, and few that do have a chance to escape. Those that survived tell stories of a massive horned figure shrouded in black flames, cackling as he chases them across the Forest floor. But that is a story for another time.