Note from author: I hope you enjoy my little fairy tale. As always, I do not own anything from Doctor Who. :)
Once upon a time, a man was taking a walk through the forest.
He was very brave, but he doubted the content of his heart.
For the man had seen many battles and had done many terrible things. Nevertheless, deep down, he was most certainly a good man.
While he was walking, he saw a woman wearing a bright red cloak running frantically and crying for help.
He immediately went to help her.
She stopped running and hid behind a tree, allowing the man to catch up to her. He did not ask any questions; instead, he offered her his hand and told her, "Run!"
The man only asked her what she was running from after they were safe.
"There is a wolf that lives in this forest. It is very dangerous." She explained nervously, "It was chasing me."
When he asked her what she was doing in the forest all by herself, she told him that she had gotten lost.
"I will take you home." He offered with a smile, "You'll be safe with me, I promise."
She smiled and they walked back to her village together.
On their journey, he told her many stories of places he had been. Each was exciting and completely true.
When they reached her home she turned to him and said, "You do all of this by yourself?"
The man nodded. There was a sadness in his eyes as he confirmed her inquiry, and the woman could see it.
"I would like to go with you." She added with a smile.
The man shook his head, "No. I could not put you in that kind of danger."
The woman frowned, "But you said I was-"
He eagerly interrupted her and grabbed her hand once again. "Alright. Let's go!"
He was very lonely and desired companionship. So the two of them left the village, and ventured off into the world together.
They shared many adventures.
Everything was wonderful and exciting for a long time until the wolf began to show up again.
At first, the pair did not notice it, but it slowly became more and more evident that the beast was following them. Sometimes they found paw prints, other times they found claw marks scraped into tree bark.
These occurrences were definitely unnerving.
The man and the woman did not know what to do other than to keep traveling. If they kept moving, perhaps they could lose the wolf.
One day they found themselves back in the woman's village. It was like nothing had changed except for the fact that a circus was now in town.
Seeing nothing wrong with it, they decided to go.
From the moment they entered the circus ground the man felt that something was off.
It was called Badwolf Circus.
Each act featured a daring trick that appeared to be a life or death situation. The ringleader called people from the audience, who were obviously chosen in advance, to perform.
Sometimes the performers lived and other times they "died".
The man assured his companion that it was all part of the act and that the person was actually perfectly fine.
She believed him wholeheartedly until they were called onto the stage.
That was when the man realized this was not just a performance. People were really dying, and they were next.
He gripped his partner's hand tightly and once again told her to run.
They ran from the circus and were chased into the forest.
The circus workers could not let them escape and reveal the truth about the terrible work they were doing.
The couple had to get away; they had to find someone who could help.
There came a point when they could run no longer, but luckily, they found a small cottage.
"Hide here. You'll be safe." The man told her.
"No, I can't let you go alone! I can help. Let me come with you." She begged hopelessly.
"Stay here." He ordered.
The look in his eyes told her that he was never going to let her come.
"I am going to lead them away from here." He explained, "I am probably going to die, but that's okay. I hope it is a good death. A long time ago, I promised you that you would be safe with me. I am keeping that promise."
Tears formed in the woman's eyes. "No, I won't let you."
He placed a finger over her lips and continued, "Have a good life. Do that for me please. Have a fantastic life." His hand lowered from her lips and he left her there.
She had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle the sobs that threatened to rip through her body.
Over the years she had been traveling with him, they had become very close.
There was no way that she was going to let him die. Not when there was something she could do to help.
The man kept running until his feet refused to carry him any further. He hoped that he was far enough away, but suddenly he heard voices.
They had found him.
Soon he was surrounded by a gang of performers, each with a sinister grin on their faces.
As they closed in around him, he knew that there was no escape.
Nevertheless, the man was not afraid.
He was a brave man.
He was a good man, a man that would gladly die for the woman he loved. He had fought for many causes in his lifetime, but she was the most noble.
Suddenly they all heard a rustling in the bushes. Then there was a low growl.
The gruesome performers exchanged glances, but decided to ignore it. They zoned in on their target again.
Another snarl ripped through the air just as they were about to attack, and a large, ferocious looking wolf leaped in front of the man.
Its fangs were bared towards the performers, demanding that they stay back. It was as if the beast was protecting the man.
One of the circus men stepped forward, daring the wolf to attack.
The animal snarled again, and when the man did not retreat, it attacked.
This caused the others to turn and run. They would not be bothering the man any more.
He turned and started running again, suddenly finding the strength the return to his partner in the cottage.
They could get away and be together again.
When he finally returned to the cottage, he was shocked to find that it was empty. All that was left was her red cloak.
He picked it up as a feeling of panic rose within him. Had the wolf gotten her first? What if she had gone after him?
All of the terrible thoughts running through his mind vanished when he heard her voice from outside.
The man ran to her, still carrying her cloak.
When he exited the cottage, he found her standing as far away from him as she could.
The woman's clothes were tattered now. There was dried blood covering her mouth and smeared down her throat. He stared at her for a moment as it all sunk in. It all made sense now.
"You are the…" His voice trailed off, and the scarlet cloak left his hands and drifted to the ground.
"I am the wolf." She finished for him. "I created myself. The day you met me in the woods I was running from myself. I upset a very powerful warlock who wanted my love. He turned me into this." She sounded so ashamed. "I will never be well again until I am kissed by my true love. The warlock hopes that it will be himself. I know now that it most definitely is not."
Tears ran down her cheeks as she explained herself, "I wanted you to be safe. Protected from the false circus. I am sorry. I understand if you want me to leave you alone, but you should never be alone. Promise me you will find another person to keep you company."
The man was silent for a moment. He took in everything she said, but only one part mattered to him.
Slowly he bent down and picked the hooded cloak up off the ground.
The silence continued as he walked to her and draped it around her shoulders.
Finally, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
Something like an electric shock shot through the couple and forced them apart. The air around the woman began to spin faster and faster like a tornado until it simply stopped.
When it stopped, the woman was overcome with joy.
Although there were no flashy lights or incantations spoken, she knew in her heart that the curse had been broken.
"You cured me."
The end! I hope you all enjoyed this. If you did I might be inspired to write some more fairy tales. Let me know! (Feel free to make requests.) Thank you for reading. I love you all. xoxox