Once upon a time, in a little village on the outskirts of a large forest, there lived a little girl. Everyone adored and loved her, the mother spoiling her and her grandmother even more so. The funny thing was, no one ever recalled seeing this little girl’s face, as she always seemed to have on a deep red hood. One that hid her face, casting a shadow over her eyes and mouth. Because of this, everyone called this girl Little Red Riding Hood.
However, for simplicity's sake, we shall just call her Little Red.
Once, on a bright and sunny day, with not a single cloud to be seen in the sky, Little Red's mother approached her, saying,
"Little Red, you know your grandmother has fallen very ill. Take the basket I packed for you. It has some cake and wine, along with a loaf of bread for her. Please do take them to her. Remember to stay on the path, okay Little Red?"
Giving her mother a small smile, a slight slip of the lip, really, and a nod, she grabbed the basket and set out the forest, holding the basket close to herself.
And, of course, as these tales go, Little Red Riding Hood soon found herself distracted. For, just off the path, was a field of wildflowers. Full in bloom and in different colors, she couldn't help but go over and pick a few.
"Oh, how grandma will love these," she told herself as she picked flower after flower, her fingers dancing gracefully across the fragile petals. "It’s the least I can do, after everything she's done for me."
Now, as she was picking these flowers, a wolf came up to her. The wolf in question was pretty hungry, seeing as he hadn't had a good meal in quite some time. The wolf wasn't as sly as his cousin, the fox, no. But he still had quite the silver tongue.
"My, my, what’s a little girl like you doing all alone out in these woods?" the wolf asked as he sat down and watched the girl pick the flowers. "Don't you know how dangerous it is?"
Without looking up, Little Red simply responded, "Oh, I'm not afraid," and continued to pick her flowers. A red, a blue, a yellow. A red, a blue, a yellow....
"And why not? You know there are dangerous things and dangerous people in this forest. A young girl such as yourself shouldn't be wandering around on her own."
She simply smiled at the wolf, shaking her head. "As I said, I'm not scared. Are you?"
"What?" The wolf was confused, for no one had ever asked him that before.
"Are you scared?"
"... Well, of course not. Should I have any reason to be?" He moved to stand, watching as the girl, too, got up.
"Yes. You should be."
And with that, she placed her flowers in the basket, moving back over to the forest path. The wolf followed, watching her with a certain look to his eye. "Little Red Riding Hood, might I ask where you're going?"
"To my grandmother’s house. She's very sick, and I was told to deliver these to her!" She smiled at the wolf, a full lip smile that barely showed through the shadows her hood provided.
"I see. Well, best of luck that you get there safely." With that, the wolf trotted on ahead, leaving the girl on her own.
Of course, as the sun rose in the sky, the forest, cool as it was, grew warm. It wouldn't hurt, Little Red thought to herself, to take a small nap in the sun. She would still be to her grandma's by dinnertime to deliver what she needed to. So, moving over to a tree, a nice big one with widely spread roots, she settled down for a small nap...
Meanwhile, the wolf followed the path to her grandmothers house, licking his lips at the thought of an easy meal. His eyes gleamed as he saw the open door, and he cleared his voice. A small cough, and a rumble.
Then he spoke, standing in the shadows of the old womans house. "Oh, grandma, I've come with some wine and bread. Mother has sent me to give them to you."
The old woman, hard of hearing, simply gave a small smile. "Hello, Little Red. It’s good to see you again. It’s been too long, you should really visit more often. My, why are you standing over there in the shadows? Why not come closer?"
"There’s no need for that, grandma." Nonetheless, the wolf came closer. And closer and closer. By the time she had realized this wasn't her granddaughter, it was too late. The wolf had eaten her, and was settling in, waiting for Little Red herself to arrive.
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Many hours later, the girl in question awoke. The sky was growing dim, shadows haunting the dirt path. She must have slept in longer than intended. She pulled herself up, turning on her heels as she started down the path once again.
By the time she reached her grandma's house, the sun had long ago abandoned her, leaving the house dark. A simple candle was the only source of light.
"I'm terribly sorry for being so late, grandma. I must have gotten distracted so many times!" The little girl started to move closer to the figure on the bed, who shuffled to sit up a bit straighter. "Did I wake you? Sorry if I did. Mother sent me to bring you food and wine." She placed the basket down at the doorway.
"It’s quite alright, deary. Your grandmother was wide awake, waiting for you to arrive." There was a small pause. "Dear, will you please come closer? I’m afraid that in my old age, my sight has grown weak."
The little girl did as instructed.
"Grandma! What big eyes you have."
"Ah, they are better to see with, dear."
"And your ears, how long they are!"
"Better to hear as well."
"... Hey grandma, want to know something funny about your teeth?"
"What would that be, dear?"
"Mine are much bigger."
Giving a wild grin, the girl lunged forward, wide eyes glowing yellow in the low light of the night. The wolf never saw her attack coming.
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Now, as this happened, a simple woodcutter was coming home from a long day’s work. As he passed the old lady’s house, of whom he knew was sickly and unwell, he heard the crashing and screaming from inside. So in he ran with his axe, ready to help defend whoever needed the help.
However, what he walked in on startled him.
A little girl, sitting in the corner of the room, gripping the broken half of a wine bottle close to herself. On the bed, a dead wolf and elderly lady laid, seeming almost peaceful. The girl, on the other hand, was trembling, her already red cloak stained with a darker red. It must have been the wine, the woodcutter assumed.
"Girl, what happened here?"
She looked startled, eyes not visible under her hood. "T-The wolf came in and… and he attacked grandma! I d-didn't know what to do, I broke the bottle and stabbed it over and over."
How odd. The only marks on the wolf looked like bite marks. However, he didn't question it. Instead, the kindly man walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her. "How brave of you. You must have had a long day, seeing something like that. You live in the nearby village, yes? So do I. Why don't we travel back together?"
Hesitantly, the girl nodded, slowly uncurling and standing up.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Did the glass cut you at all?"
"No, but the wolf… it bit me," Holding out her arm from under the cloak, he saw an oddly human-like bite in her arm. Yet, once again, he didn't question it.
"We'll clean that up the moment we get back to the village. Girl, what is your name?"
She paused again, only to say, "People call me Little Red Riding Hood. Just Little Red."
"Well, it’s nice to meet you, Little Red. Why don't we go home now?"
Nodding, she grabbed his hand with her free arm. For a moment, he swore her fingers were clawlike and cold. That simply couldn't be possible, though.
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