Chapter One
Into the woods, but mind the path.


"Sokka! Dad!" Katara shouted from the front door. "I'm on my way to Gran-Gran's!"

"Wait!" Her father replied.

She turned to see him walking from the kitchen carrying a basket laden with meats and breads. Carefully, he handed it to her. "You almost forgot the food."

Oh, she realized. That would have made the entire journey pointless. "Thanks Dad, you saved me another trip."

He nodded. "Be careful Katara, make sure you-"

"Stick to the path." She finished for him.

He sighed. "Katara, I'm serious. The woods are dangerous and we've been receiving some troubling reports from the neighboring villages. They say people have gone missing."

She reached out to clutch his hand. "Dad, I'll be fine. This isn't the first time I've made the trip alone. And I promise to stay away from any dangerous looking animals."

He shook his head. "It's not the animals I'm worried about."

"Dad, I can take care of myself."

He smiled. "I know. Just promise me you won't stray from the path."

She nodded. "I promise. Now, can I go?"

"Yes, but be safe. I expect you back by sundown. And if you're not back, I'm sending Sokka out to find you."

"Sundown it is." She turned, and with the basket in tow, began walking out the door.

"Oh and Katara" he shouted out.

"Yes?"

"No talking to strangers."

"I wouldn't dream of it." And with that, she was gone.

The sun had just begun to slide over the horizon, casting orange and pink shadows on the wooden cottages surrounding her. No one appeared to be out at the moment, and she basked in the quietness of it all. Normally, the village was bustling with people running here and there; but now it was very much deserted. The villagers had yet to rise from their beds and start the day.

Swiftly, she walked down the dirt path leading to the edge of the village. Why her grandmother decided to live so far away, she didn't know. But Gran-Gran was stubborn and refused to move from her crumbling, ancient home. Whenever anyone brought it up, she told them someone had to keep an eye out for the village-that someone had to warn them of threats. And who better than the old woman living at the edge of the woods?

Katara shook her head. She couldn't wait for the day her grandmother gave in and moved in with them. Then, she would no longer have to make this tedious trip.

She looked back to see that the village was far behind her, only the dirt path and the woods remained a head. How ominous the forest looked in dawn's early light. If she didn't know of the path's enchantment, she might have been afraid. But then again, no. Katara liked to think herself brave.

Humming as she went, she slowly made her way down the path.

"You have a very nice voice."

Katara jerked to a stop. Meticulously, her eyes scanned across the forest until they landed on a boy perched calmly against a tree. He was tall and had skin as pale as the moon. His cheekbones were high, his face narrow and beautiful, his hair a rich shade of black. But what struck her most were his eyes-eyes as golden as the Sun with thick black lashes. She had never seen eyes like them. All the eyes she had ever known were blue, grey, brown, or green. But not gold, never gold. She held back a gasp. He was beautiful.

She trembled. He was a spirit; he had to be. She had heard of spirits coming to visit humans before, but nothing good ever came of it.

Her voice shaking, she called out, "Are you a spirit? What do you want with me?"

He laughed, stepping toward her, his hooded red cloak billowing in the wind. He stopped just outside the edge of the dirt road.

"Do I look like a spirit to you?" He questioned, his voice velvety and deep.

"I don't know" she retorted. "I've never seen one before."

"Well, you can't touch spirits, can you?"

"No," she mused. "I don't suppose you can."

He reached his hand out towards her. "You have your answer then. All you have to do is step off the dirt road and touch my hand, then you'll know if I'm a spirit or not."

For a moment, she considered it; until common sense came flooding back to her.

Angrily, she responded. "You're just trying to lure me from the path! So you can eat me or do whatever you spirits do to young maidens."

Now, he was really laughing. He tossed his head back, his laughter seeming to echo throughout the forest.

When he finished, he looked at her, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Do you honestly think I want to eat you? Are you really that afraid of me?"

She huffed. "I'm not afraid of anything, but I'm no fool."

"Oh, really? Then why don't you step off the path, little wolf?"

"Little wolf?" She questioned. "Why did you call me that?"

"Because you think yourself so strong and fearless. When in reality, you're just a scared little girl."

"I'm not little!" She retorted. "I'm 16! And I'm not afraid of you! I have half a mind to cross this path and smack you!"

A small, amused smile emerged on his lips. "I'd like to see you try."

"Oh, I will! If I ever see you again, and I don't have food to deliver to my grandmother, it will be the first thing I do!"

He stared at her with quiet, curiosity. "I'll take you up on that."

Katara was startled by the intensity of his gaze. "I should be going. I can't keep my grandmother waiting."

"Wait" he declared.

Katara shifted uncomfortably as he began to remove his red cloak.

"I want you to take this" he gestured towards the cloak.

"Why?" She queried.

"You amuse me. And I'd like to find you again." He tossed the red cloak through the invisible barrier, onto the dirt road.

She eyed it wearily. "How will this help you find me?"

"Whenever you're wearing it and you enter the woods, I'll know."

She reached down to pick it up. "How does it work? And how did you find me in the first place? And you never told me your name. And-"

His chuckle echoed throughout the still forest again. "I'll see you soon, little wolf."

By the time she looked up, he was gone. She clutched the red cloak in her hands; it smelled of smoke and ash.

She shoved it to the bottom of the basket she was bringing to her grandmother. A million questions ran through her mind.

Should she tell anyone about the boy?

Should she tell anyone about the cloak?

Was he really a spirit?

She walked the rest of the way to Gran-Gran's cottage in a daze. When she trudged up the stairs to her grandmother's front porch, she was greeted with a warm smile.

"I'm glad to see you've arrived safely Katara. Did anything interesting happen on the way over?" Gran-Gran asked, as Katara removed the food from the basket.

"No," Katara lied. "Nothing at all."


A/N: Hey guys! I've been struggling with a little bit of writer's block with one of my other fics, so this kind of happened. I'm sure all of you know the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood, this is my Zutara spin on it. I'm not expecting too many chapters, and they should be around this length.

But I hope you all liked chapter 1. And I can't wait to hear from you!