Snow fell down on the forest, covering the ground and the dark green of the trees in white. A woman walked quickly down a path between the trees, trying to get home before the storm hit at full strength. Her crimson red cloak flowed behind her, her face obscured by a hood. Little Red Riding Hood, they used to call her, as early as she could remember.

But she was little no more. She was a young woman who had already mourned the loss of her parents, of her grandmother. Now she lived alone in the house she was born and raised, living a quiet life. Knowing the forest well, she harvested plants and minerals that she sold at the tow to apothecaries and pharmacists. It wasn't much money, but she had enough.

The Big Bad Wolf had been dead for a long, long time. There were other threats to be wary of now. As revenge for the death of Big Bad Wolf, the other creatures of his pack started to attack humans. Old, young... men and women... no one was safe from their teeth. But the victims didn't die. They changed, cursed with lycanthropy and doomed to run away into the forest, hunted mercilessly by the ones who once called them family.

That had been many years ago...

The girl stopped and looked up, snowflakes floating and resting on her scarred face, amber eyes looking up at the darkening sky. She still felt responsible. If only... if only she hadn't listened to the wolf, if only she had gone straight to Grandma's house like Mother told her to... maybe no one would have died and maybe, just maybe, there would be no werewolves. She sighed and dropped her head, walking slowly, gripping her basket. That guilt had haunted her her entire life and was the reason she never moved to the town. She never felt threatened anyway... somehow the werewolves seemed to stay away from where she was living.

It was the hunters she feared most of the time. Drunk with bloodlust, high on confidence and alcohol. She found them disgusting and pathetic, bearing no love for them. Specially after a certain event that had left her with a nasty scar across her face.

There were rumours that some werewolves could be cured if they had been human before. Why not look into that instead of slaughtering them all as if they were mere beasts? After all if some of them could be brought back...

Then again she had never seen a Beast up close, what did she know?

But it was getting dark, she should hurry and get home. The snow had already started to fall heavier and she did not wish to freeze in the middle of the forest.

As she hurried down the path with her basket in her hands, she thought she saw a dark shape out of the corner of her eye. Stopping, she scanned the bushes and trees with narrowed eyes. Nothing... probably nothing... she should rest better the next night, she was starting to see things that weren't there... but as she turned back, she heard the very distinct sound of rustling... and a low deep growl that belonged to something big.

"A werewolf?!"

Could it be? They had never come so close to her home! More rustling. She stopped and turned, lifting her long skirt and pulling from a dagger that she kept strapped to her thigh. Enough to keep a man at bay, but a werewolf? She had heard tales about how they were so strong they could rip a man's head off with one swing of their mighty claws. And yet she had nothing else, running was no option and climbing a tree was useless.

So she waited as the dark figure among the trees moved and stepped forward into the dying afternoon light. The girl gasped, her eyes widening at the sight. In front of her was a werewolf, tail twitching nervously, way taller than her and with broad shoulders, strong arms, large hands. Black fur covered most of him giving him truly terrifying look.

She couldn't help but notice how he didn't look as wolfish as the tales made believe or as the severed heads the hunters brought then exposed in the market. He still had hands, even if they were covered in fur and had huge claws, and the face was still mostly human. What she found the strangest was that he was still wearing dark blue pants, even if they were old, tattered and torn.

- S-Stay away... -she held up the dagger- I have no quarrel with you, creature.

Her voice was firm but her dagger shook slightly. The werewolf seemed to pick on that and stepped forward, showing his sharp teeth. She stepped back, eyes fixated on his, small purple pupils shining in black eye globes, giving him a devilish stare. Tilting his head slightly, he seemed to be analyzing her, then sniffing the air. For a moment she feared if he was considering her to be a worthy meal.

- Stay away, I said!

She tried to scare him by stepping forward but the werewolf barked at her, startling the young woman and making her slip on the snow covered ground, landing on her bottom. Scared, she moved back until she hit a tree and stared up as the creature approached slowly. The dagger lay on the ground, too far for her to reach.

The werewolf towered over her, starting to bend down, crouching.

She gasped and held her arms in front of her face, waiting for the inevitable bite. Killed by a werewolf, a fitting death for the one who caused it all.

But the pain never came. In fact, she hadn't even been touched the slightest. Lowering her arms, she noticed the werewolf sitting and going through her basket, eating everything he could find. The cheese she had gotten from the market, the vegetables and dried fruits, even the meat she was planning to cook, everything disappeared. It seemed he was starving. She watched him closely, intrigued. He didn't seem threatening at all like that... in fact he looked like a hungry pup now that he wasn't growling at her. Moving against the tree until she was on her feet, she noticed how the top of his head was adorned with longer black fur, messy and falling all over, a silver stripe of fur growing from the sides of his head and running down his back. And the strangest of all, his right hand also had that silvery fur, unlike the rest of him.

- Oh...

He had deep wounds, deep cuts and scrapes all over his back still bleeding, staining the fur. She raised a hand, feeling tempted to touch them, to help the creature, when she heard another growl. He was looking up at her, ears tilting down. He was... afraid?

- Wait... I... I can help you...

Help?! What was she even saying? If he felt inclined to do so he'd turn her into his next meal! Or worst!

And yet she found herself staring into those wide eyes, holding her hands up chest level to show she wouldn't harm him, speaking softly as she stepped closer. He seemed suspicious still, but curious. She had the feeling he wouldn't bite her... and she felt strongly compelled to help him.

- Come... my house is nearby, I can treat you... -she held out a hand and he recoiled, baring his fangs- you can't walk around bleeding like that, you will die.

He frowned, still letting out a low growl, but seemed to understand. She wondered just how much intelligence those beings had left as she watched when he finally took her hand. She gave him a small smile and rested her own hand on his. Such a large hand... calloused and ice cold...

- Alright, let's go then...