x
Author’s Note: For this prompt, ‘Jewel’, I felt inspired to write a little red riding hood retelling. The ‘Jewel’ being a subtle reference to who the main character is to her family. I took some of the details of the original story and made it my own with a unique twist. 343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MCPaPUQp1
Synopsis: Scarlett has lost everything dear to her but still she fights for her survival. While out on a hunt she comes face to face with an adversary that challenges the skilled hunter. But will she make it home and alive or will the creature in the darkness consume her first?343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKpUuUGcuU
The sun grew low on the horizon, orange hues peeked out from amongst the trees, their shadows stretched as far as the eye could see. A doe wandered into the silent domain, her herd nowhere to be found. She shuffled through the fallen leaves, grazing on what little foliage remained. An arrow whistled on the twilight breeze, flying true to its target, tore through her flesh. The doe bawled and collapsed in the leaves, her breath shallow.
Scarlett stepped out behind the tree, a crimson cloak draped over her shoulders, and a bow in her hand. She'd spent the day roaming the woodland domain for supplies but despite the hours she'd foraged her satchel remained empty.
As the seasons shifted, Autumn claimed the only resources in the domain, the drop in temperature rendered them useless for the pending winter. Not a single nut, berry or mushroom hid amongst the leaves. Soon little would be left in the woodland, the resources scarce, the water reserves almost dry and little plantation bloomed.
Scarlett was lucky to have found the wandering deer, a rare treat that whet her appetite. She drew back her crimson hood, a gift from her mother, releasing her fiery curls from their prison. She slung the bow across her shoulder, resting it upon her hunter's quiver. A gift handcrafted by her father.
Scarlett never knew her mother, she was but a babe-in-arms when she passed. Her father brought her up alone, passing on his hunting knowledge before he too met his untimely end, seven years ago.
'Jewels for their jewel,' her father said when bestowing the gifts, but the happiness from that time expired in a blink of an eye. The only reminders of her family were clutched to her person, her prized possessions.
The chill of night beckoning her home, but refused to leave her precious kill behind. Scarlett knelt beside the doe, smoothing her fur as she offered the creature a silent prayer, as her life expired. She eyed the horizon, the darkness threatening to fall reminded her of her father's pleas.
'Never venture far from home, and never in the darkness. Foul beasts lurk these woodlands at night,' he'd said after every bedtime story.
A purple hue descended upon the woodlands, heavy footsteps trudged through the woodland. Crow caws began to sound. A lone wolf strayed far from his pack, the scent of the fallen doe drove him to the clearing. Scarlett finished carving a chunk of the doe's hide when a low growl vibrated through her, a chill spider-climbed down her back. She hurried herself, dumping the loot into her satchel before turning around. Frozen to the spot, she noticed the wolf a few feet away. His fangs hungered for her flesh.
Scarlett scrambled to her feet, her eyes flitting behind the wolf and her kill. She'd only one choice, leave the doe behind before she became the beast's next meal. She fled, not giving the alternative option a single thought.
'I should've heeded my father's cautions.' she thought, storming through the woodland. This was no longer her domain.
The wolf lunged after his adversary. Scarlett turned back to estimate the distance between them, a mistake she shouldn't have made. She tipped over a fallen log, her father's quiver plummeted out of reach as she collided with the ground. She dug her nails into the dirt, hauling her body up. Broken bark and leaves littered her curls.
'I won't die like this,' she coached herself to continue on.
Scarlett stood, her leg injured from her fall. She withdrew the branch from her thigh and tore a sample of cloth from her tunic to bandage the wound. It wasn't perfect but it would hold.
A short distance behind her, the wolf relocated his prey. His golden eyes focused on his target, within seconds he'd closed the gap between them. His giant paws swiped at her legs, knocking her to the ground. The wolf drove his claws into her shoulder, tearing through her flesh like ribbons.
Scarlett struggled against the weight pinning her in the dirt. Her fingers inched towards her boot, searching for her emergency dagger. She clasped the hilt and drove it into the wolf's neck. Crimson tears sprayed across her face, he writhed in agony, granting Scarlett the freedom she desired.
Scarlett pulled up her hood and darted through the woodland, as fast as her injury would allow. She pushed head, forcing distance between her and her adversary but the adrenaline was short-lived. The wolf hauled himself up, his snarl ferocious, the deep bloodied gash a mere scratch as he trudged after his prey. Scarlett was inches from her cabin yet the wolf snapped close to her heels. She scurried through the doorway, bolted the door behind her and scouting odd pieces of furniture to use as a barricade.
The wolf slammed against the woodwork, the barricade barely holding. His deep snarls startled Scarlett, tears streamed down her cheeks.
'Let this nightmare be over,' she prayed silently, just as the growling faded. The heavy thuds weaken against the door into nothing more than a faint male whimper.
Scarlett scowled at the eerie silence and removed the barricades before opening the door. There in the fallen leaves a man bleeding out in the fallen leaves greeted her, not the wolf who'd hunted her. A memory flashed in the forefront of her mind, all she could see was her father. A reminder of how he'd died. Scarlett wouldn't fail this stranger, she refused to have another soul on her conscience. She dragged the man inside her home, settling him by the fire.
Scarlett tended to the man's wounds, and comforted him with her own furs. The fire dwindled down to almost ash as he awoke, she'd finished dressing his wound.
'Are you the one who saved me?' he asked, reaching up to touch her cheek.
'I am,' Scarlett said.
'How can I repay you for breaking my curse?' he asked.
'The debt has already been paid.'
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uKOg5ofti
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Rlhbavmtv
