My name is Mary Meclane. I used live with my mother and father on a small farm in a tiny village outside of a palace. I loved it there. I fed the chickens and helped my mother cook and clean. I was an obediant little girl and listened to every word my parents said to me. From a young age I was taught many things, such as women cant fight. I believed them, I believed that it was my place to cook and clean and have children, but that all changed very quickly.

It was a bright sunny day, my 10th birthday was just last week. Life was good, but then mother gave me news that my grandmother had become ill and could no longer cook for herself. My mom baked some bread and made some sandwiches, and then sent me away with a basket full of goodies for my granny. I skipped along the path, my short brown hair bouncing up and down. I had on my favorite yellow dress and a new pare of brown shoes from my aunty.

I was about halfway into to forest when a man jumped out in front of me. He had on very fancy clothing and he smelt of pine. His black hair was pushed back and his dark brown eyes seemed lighter then they should have. His skin was tanned wonderfully and his fingernails where clean. If I was much older, I would have found him to be very handsome.

"Hello little girl. My name is Mr. Spruce. What is that you are carrying?" He asked, leaning down towards eye level.

" Oh, this is food for my granny. She is ill and can no longer cook for herself." I answered. I felt like I could trust him.

He jumped up and grinned at me, his smile white and bright. "The old ladies cottage? I know a short cut to that place! It will cut your time in half, and then you can also pick some flowers for her." He moved a tree limb to reveal a small field of lovely wild flowers.

I nodded happily and walked into the field. "Mr. Spruce, thank you so much! Granny will love these. Now, where is the shortcut?"

Mr. Spruce pointed to a different path past the field. "That one will get you there just in time. You wont be a moment late, even if you take a long while picking flowers."

I leaned down to pick up a blue flower and put it into my basket. I turned back to thank him again, but he was gone. I didn't think much of it, and leaned down again to pick more flowers.

After picking all the flowers I could, I started back on my way to grannys house. Mr. Spruce was right, I got to her house very quickly.

I knocked on the door and opened it up. "Hello, granny? It's me, Mary. I've come to bring you some food."

Laying on the bed was my grandmother, and she did look very sick. Well, maybe not sick, but different. I was so distracted by her appearence, that I didn't even notice the small bit of blood coming out from underneath the closet door.

I reached her bed and placed the food on her bedside table. "Oh grandma, what big eyes you have!"

My grandmother batted her eyelashes and smiled a little. "All the better to see you with my dear."

My eyes moved to her ears. "Oh grandma, what big ears you have!"

She wiggled her ears slightly and repiled, "All the better to hear you with my dear."

I then moved my eyes to her mouth, looking at her smile. "Oh grandma, what big teeth you have!"

Her smiled widened as she jumped out of the bed, pushing me onto the ground. She took off her sleeping gown and bonnet, to reveal fancy garm and slicked black hair. "All the better to eat you with my dear!"

Mr. Spruce stood over me, smiling evily. I couldn't move or scream. I was paralyzed in fear. If what I just saw wasnt enough, Mr. Spruce began to change. His face became long and furry, and his hands and feet became level. His clothes dissapeared and where replaced with thick plack fur. Standing in front of me where Mr. Spruce once stood, was a huge black wolf.

It towered above me. I remember thinking that it must be as tall if not taller then a fully grown man. It growled at me and jumped towards my middle. I rolled at the last minute and he grabbed my arm in his teeth. A stinging pain ran through me and I could feel his teeth inside of my arm.

Just when I was accepting my fate as dog food, I heard the window behind me shatter. The black wolf let go of my arm and turned its head to an equally large gray wolf standing in the room. The growled at each other for a while befire the black one jumped. The gray one was faster, and moved at the last minute, leaving the other wolf to fall to the ground with a thud. The gray one jumped onto the other and bit its face, and a tooth went straight into the black ones eye. It let out a howl of pain and broke free from the other, jumping out of the window right after and running off into the forest. I don't remember what happened for a while after that, because my vision went black.

I woke up in my grandmothers bed. The scar on my arm was stil pained but it didn't seem to be getting any worse, and it wasn't bleeding. I looked up and saw a man sitting on a chair. His pants where dirty, and he had a ratty brown shirt. A fox skin was draped around his neck and I could see a bow strapped to his back. His hair was snowy white and his eyes where a hazy blue. He was a bit younger then my father, but not by much.

He looked up at me and smiled. His teeth just as white as his hair. "Hello there child, I am glad you are awake. I was beginning to think it would start before I had time to say anything."

I looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What will start?"

He walked over to my bed and set a messily rapped gift in my lap. "The transformation. Nevermind that for now though, I need to tell you something. There was a body in the closet. It was your grandmother."

I couldnt believe this. This day was so horrible, I wanted to cry. I did cry. My grandmother was dead and it was all my fault. All mine. "I-its my-y f-f-fault." I said between tears.

The man placed a hand on my back and said in a comforting tone, "No, he was planning an attack. He would have done it no matter what. He just decided to have a little fun with you."

I wiped my tears away and looked into his eyes. "I can never go back. Please dont make me go back."

He smiled, but his eyes where sad. "That is good in a way. You see, that bite is going to change you. You will be like me. You will be able to change your shape from wolf to human at will. Since you werent born with this power though, you will be a bit weaker. I am sorry."

I shook my head and scooted farther from his face. "I cant be one of you. I would rather die then become a monster like what I saw here today."

He took my hand in his and squeezed, shaking his head. "They are from an evil guild. I rule a different guild. We protect the villagers. If they wonder to far into the forest, we scare them back. We also fight off any wandering wolfs from that guild. We are the star clan, and we are good. You need to come with me, so I can teach you. Please."

He convinced me. It was logical. I couldnt return like that. I couldnt become a monster while at home. I would get ran out of town, or worse. "What about my mother and father. They will come looking for me."

The man shook his head. "I will say I am a hunter. I came in on a terrible scene, a young girl eaten whole by a wolf along with her grandmother. I killed the wolf, but it was to late for the two."

I giggled a bit. "That's impossible Mister. Wolfs cant do that, even as big as you where."

He nodded. "You will be suprised at to what people believe. Oh, and my name is Snowstorm. Nice to meet you."

I smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, my name is Mary." For some reason, I felt at ease and safe when I was around him.

He then pushed the package towards me even more. I had forgotten about it during the conversation. I held it up and saw in very small letters on the front it said,

For My Dear Mary,

I can't believe you have turned 10. I still remember the day you where born.

When I was your age my grandmother gave me a blue hood for my birthday. Today I continue that legacy.

I love you, very very much. ~ Granny

I opened up the package and inside I saw something bright red. It has small stiched flower paterns on it. I unfolded it even more, and saw that it was a red hood. The same color as blood. I stood up and walked over to the a mirror. I put the hood over my head and tied it around my neck.

Snowstorm walked over and put a hand on my shoulder. "Would you look at that, it's a little red riding hood."