Author's note: Hello! So this is my alternated version of the Little Red Riding Hood. It's based off the fairy tale, not the movie. This is set in the medieval ages. So yeah... Read n' Review! Okay bye.
Disclaimer: I think it's pretty obvious that I don't own the fairy tale. I don't even know who does.
Chapter one
The girl breathed in the salty air that surrounded her, listening to the crashing waves that splashed underneath the large boat. She felt homesick, but the sounds of water calmed her. She relaxed herself, and felt herself daydreaming of the adventure that was waiting for her.
Red was no ordinary girl, no, not even close. She was a thief. A very good one, in fact. She has been stealing since she was six, fighting for her family's survival. Stealing food, money, clothing, anything to help her family. But it wasn't enough. Her mother died of malnutrition from the lack of food, and so she was left alone with her father and younger brother. After experiencing what it felt like to lose someone to death, Red fought harder. She stole more. She became a greatly feared thief in her town.
The Red Thief.
That was her name. Of course, her real name was a secret, but to others, she was The Red Thief. And to family and friends, she was Red. Only her mother and Red knew her real name, and Red decided to keep it this way, as if it was some connection between her and her late mother.
Red realized her love for stealing when she was ten, a year after her mother died. She realized that she loved the feel of making her victims feel pain, the adrenaline that coursed through her, the rebellious feeling and the pride she felt when accomplishing her goals. Most of all, she loved being feared. But all of this ended. Red, now sixteen, was leaving her country. She had to, or else the villagers wouldn't stop terrorizing her family. She loved her father and brother greatly, so she knew that she had to leave before they got hurt. However, she was leaving to a country that didn't know her name. Nobody there would fear her.
So she decided that she would make herself known.
She always thought that she was a great thief, and it was true. Even the boat she was on was stolen, including the food and supplies inside. Red realized something. In the country she was going to, she had nothing to protect. She was free to run wild and steal whatever she wished. This excited her greatly. Red was already a very unfeeling, cold-hearted girl with a large thirst for blood. If she could do what she pleased with innocent villagers without having to protect her family, she realized it wouldn't be long until she was greatly feared. Smiling to herself, she sailed towards whatever poor country that awaited for her.
When Red had reached land, her hopes were granted. A small, but busy village surrounded by forest rested in the area. Deciding to make this the village the one for her, she walked towards it, stalking through the trees in the forest that surrounded it. Walking in the streets of the little town, she grabbed an apple out of a mans hand, taking a big bite out of it, before throwing it back to him, walking away. The man began to yell at her, so, without looking back, she threw a knife that landed on the wall behind him, millimeters away from his head. The man shut up immediately, and walked away in a hurry. Oh yes, Red was very good with knives. Excellent with them. She had about a hundred twenty on her right now, but none of them were showing, so you would never know that she was a threat.
She walked around before entering a drinkery (a bar) where big burly men were liked to stay. Sitting down in front of a wooden counter, she asked for all the fire whiskey they could serve her. The bartender looked surprised, but started looking for the whiskey anyways. Suddenly, a disgusting voice sounded behind her.
"What do you think you're doin' her, little girl?" The voice snickered. A large hand landed on her shoulder, but she grabbed the hand, easily flipping the man over, by reflex. The man groaned in pain.
"I'm new here, so don't piss me off on my first day. By the way, I'm The Red Thief, not some 'little girl'." She spat out, venomously. The bartender came back with three bottles with whiskey, handing it to the girl, not noticing the man the was on the ground moaning in pain.
"That'll be worth two copper pieces." He said, expecting her to hand over the money. She merely scoffed.
"Please. I may be new here, but this is just too much. I don't pay. I steal. If you knew who I was, you'd be cowering over in fear." She hissed, slamming down a wanted poster of her, walking out of the bar.
The bartender felt annoyed, but picked up the poster. His eyes widened.
"The Red Thief... wanted dead or alive... for thirty thousand gold pieces?" He said in disbelief. Many of the men in the pub were watching the scene play out, and they fell into an bewildered state when they heard what the bartender had said. Many comments were heard.
"Thirty thousand gold pieces?"
"I can't make that much in my entire lifetime..."
"She can't be that big of a threat.."
"Is she a murderer?..."
"But she was so young..."
"It's almost as much as the Big Bad Wolf's bounty..."
What these men didn't know was that the girl was right outside the door, eavesdropping on everything. She felt curious when she heard the last comment.
The Big Bad Wolf? Who the hell is that? Almost as much? Are they saying that there's a better criminal around?
She grit her teeth in annoyance. Whoever the men were talking about was going down. She would show them. She would show the entire village. She was the only one who had the skills that were good enough to be called a thief. She was the only one. Walking away, feeling very irritated, she sipped her whiskey and felt it burn her throat pleasingly. She saw many women in fancy dresses and hats, looking at her, disgustedly. They were beautiful women raised in a perfect environment, so they were always told that drinking was for men.
Sucks for them.
Now, this didn't mean that Red wasn't beautiful. No, Red was very beautiful. However, she hid her bright blue eyes and long blonde hair under her the hood of her red cloak. The cloak hid her petite but curvy figure, because she thought that her small frame would make people feel that she was to small to scare anyone. But, this didn't mean she was raised in a perfect environment. She was poor when she was younger, and fought for survival, stealing bread and water.
Bumping into someone, the girl grabbed a knife and held it against the person's neck by reflex, the blade almost cutting his skin. However, to Red's surprise, the boy didn't seem intimidated. Instead, he grinned boyishly at her, saying "Excuse me." She grit her teeth.
Why isn't he scared?
"Who are you?" She said, narrowing her eyes.
"The name's Wolf. You?" He asked, casually, as if there wasn't something threatening to kill him. The girls eyebrows furrowed in frustration.
"As in... the Big Bad Wolf?" She said slowly, ignoring his question, her eyes narrowing into smaller slits.
"Ah, so you've heard of me." He said, smirking a little. In a flash, Red didn't even know what the man did, but suddenly, he was holding her knife, and he dropped it onto the ground. It was too fast to even distinguish what he had done, or how. Red bit her lip in annoyance. The man was seriously getting on her nerves. She studied him for a bit.
He had a strong build, and was tall. He seemed about a year or two older than she was, with young dark eyes and a smile that almost seemed... wolfish. His hair was dark and messy, resembling the color of the fur coats of... wolves. He was very attractive, but he reminded her too much of a wolf. She realized why he got the name he had.
The man gazed at her bottom lip, where she was biting. He realized that she was somewhat attractive, but couldn't tell very well because of her hood. So, he pulled back her hood with his right hand, swiftly.
His eyebrows raised in astonishment. He knew that this girl wasn't just any average girl. She was… insanely beautiful. Her features were so natural, so perfect. But something was off… Ah yes. Her furrowed eyebrows and scowl on her face didn't suit her at all. The girl was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn't notice him pull down her hood. Still biting on her lip, Red scowled, her face looking downwards as if she was figuring out as many ways as she could to kill him. She was. Wolf realized that a smile would've suited her much more. He wrapped his hands around her wrists firmly. She struggled against his hold, but Wolf was much stronger. She snapped her head up to face towards him, an angry frown on her face. Bending down a little bit, so that his was mere inches away from hers, he leaned in and… kissed her? No, it wasn't a kiss. Red felt angrier, but also very confused. Then she figured out what he was doing. He had bit her bottom lip that she was chewing on and gently pulled it out from between her teeth. She felt her face grow hot. The man pulled away, noticing her blushing face. He decided that it wasn't as charming as a smile would be, but a flustered, innocent face suited her pretty face just fine. The girl threw punch towards Wolf, but he simply caught her fist.
"I like you." He said, smiling at her. "Join my gang." He said. He liked her arrogance and aggressiveness.
"What makes you think that I want to join your gang?" She spat out. He grinned.
"I didn't ask whether you wanted to or not. I told you that you're joining my gang." He said. She started at him, annoyance spreading across her face.
What an incompetent fool.
"And if I refuse?" She said.
"You can't. You're already part of it."
"If I'm already part of it, then I quit."
The boy raised an eyebrow at the feisty girl. Many people would've done anything to be a part of his criminal group.
"Why?" He asked.
"I don't follow orders." She said simply. This only made Wolf like her more.
"Then be my partner. Partners in crime."
"I work alone." She said, getting more and more irritated with the boy within each second.
"You don't anymore. Plus, you look new to this village. I know my way around. If you work with me, we'll be able to do a lot more than you would be able to alone." He reasoned with her.
Red thought about it. He was right. However, she still didn't like him.
"Fine. We work together. But this doesn't mean anything. I still don't like you, and I'm not joining you to help you. I'm joining you for me." She said, giving in, but still acting arrogant.
"Sure, whatever. I actually have a little heist to do tomorrow. I'm stealing the woodcutter's grandfather clock. I heard it was a family heirloom, an antique. If it's important to the stupid boy, then I want it for myself." He said. Red admitted that he sounded a bit like her at times.
"You want to join?" He asked, grinning wolfishly. She could've sworn that she saw canines. She gave a small but mischievous smile.
"When and where?"
Author's note: So this is the first chapter... It's a little rushed, I know, so I'm sorry. Please review? Ps, no, to the people who were wondering whether Wolf was a werewolf. He's not. And yes, to those who were wondering if this was a Red/Wolf fanfic. Okay, bye.