Chapter One: The Journey
The Enchanted Forest, Snow White POV
Once Upon a Time…in a storybook that follows no other, where anything is possible, Snow White yet again found herself running through the gloomy woods away from the Queen's knights ordered to kill her.
How did I end up here again? Sure, she's been separated from Prince Charming again and her plan to rescue him hadn't been clearly thought out, her blunt feelings were far too rash that she couldn't help going right after him as they have done for each other for who knows how long now. But she couldn't help but wonder, as the dirt is kicked up from under her bolting feet, how many more miles she will have to run in her life towards that forever fleeting happiness.
Snow White brings herself to a sudden halt as her hand slides across an oak tree that is unusually rough and ragged, she spun towards the upset bark to take in four quite large claw marks through disbelieving eyes. As she traces the outlines, Snow can't help but think about the kind of creature that could make a cut quite as fierce. Her thoughts are interrupted by a nearby rustling drawing her back to her reality and resuming her escape.
Over the fallen tree, a left at the towering boulders, under the overhanging vines, across the sparkling lake, and then up the hill to the cottage resting on top. Snow knew where she was going, she wasn't stupid after all and she knew how to take care of herself. It was a promise that she planned to keep unbroken…until an arrow shot clean past her head having her thoughts yet again interrupted.
Snow White rolls out of the way of one of the Queen's guards lunging forward at her and unsheathes a dagger from her boot. Two more heavily armored men come charging towards her, to the first Snow twirls to the side and extends a kick back into his side taking him down as he barrels past, to the second Snow plunges her dagger into his abdomen and back out as she pushes him back. Yes, of course she can fight, all her life she's been running from the evil Queen and it's made her quite the independent scrapper.
"You little—" says the first guard from behind Snow as he lifts his sword to strike, she whips around in a small attempt to protect herself only to be interrupted by a gigantic blur of black fur and a growl so ferocious.
The big, black wolf pinned down the unsuspecting guard and began tearing him to shreds. Snow, shaking her head, turned the other direction placed her dagger back into its sheath in her boot and walked the rest of the way up the hill to the cottage, leaning up against the little porch. A few moments later a girl in her twenties with long, dark hair and a red cloak draped over her shoulders appears from around the tree line, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. Red Riding Hood. Even as a wolf, Snow had to admit, Red was graceful with every little shift of lean muscle as she moved and beautiful with the way the moonlight glistened off of her dark hair and eyes.
"You know, I could have handled it myself," Snow called down the hill at the approaching girl with her arms across her chest.
The girl in the red cloak threw up her arms, chuckled and replied, "Yeah, you say that now but two seconds ago…that's a whole different story, Princess."
"Whatever you say, Red." Red takes a seat on the porch next to where Snow leans against the post. Snow White looks over at Red Riding Hood who merely makes a motion for her to take a seat next to her with a look and a nod. She sighs and sits next to the blood red cloaked girl adjusting her own pure white cloak.
"So where's Charming? I thought you were off to get him—what is it that you two always say? 'I will always find you,'" Red mocks Snow, smiling and nudging her shoulder.
"It didn't exactly go as planned…it was a set up. The Queen knew that I'd come for him and she tricked me, now I'm back to square one left wheeling without any clue of which direction to go or what I can do to get back my Prince. I know that we always promise to find each other but I am so tired of being alone." Snow White drops her head into her hands with tears filling her eyes.
Red wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling Snow into her embrace to make an attempt at comforting her. "Hey, hey, it's okay. You're not alone, I'm here. When I found out what I was people told me that I needed to choose between being wolf and being human…but you, you accepted me as I am. You were there for me and I'm going to be there for you. Snowy, I will do whatever it takes, I'm going to help you. We will get your boy back and I will be by your side whether you need it or not."
"I could never ask that of you." Snow White looks up at Red with a bit of shock and love upon her face.
"You don't have to, I'm doing it. I've always been yours, Snow." Red's smile stretches back, wide enough of a grin to show her canines.
Snow White returns a warming smirk and wraps her arms around Red's neck to pull her into an affectionate embrace. After they finally break apart, Snow gets to her feet and flattens out her rumpled cloak, extending a hand to Red.
"Together?" Snow asks raising an eyebrow in question at Red who remains seated, looking up at her with that same wide grin.
"Forever and then some, Princess." Red answers by taking her hand and rising to her own feet. With her other hand, Red puts up the hood to her cloak and keeps her other hand with Snow's, their fingers entangled together. "Where to first?"
Snow White starts moving down the hill towards the dusky path with Red Riding Hood following at her side. "I think that's the point of an adventure, Red, you never exactly know where you're going but who you're going with," Snow squeezes Red's hand giving her a reassuring smile as they step over a collection of mossy rocks.
Suddenly, there's a cracking noise of someone or something stepping on a branch nearby. Snow is taken by surprise as someone masked by a green hood jumps down from a tree close by landing behind her and pins her arms behind her back, dragging her away from Red.
Red bares her teeth, readies herself to attack and growls, "Whoever you are, I'll give you one chance…let her go and maybe, just maybe, I won't rip your beating heart clean out of your chest."
"Why are you doing this?" Snow White implores, concern and confusion written all over your face. Twice, the Queen must really be outdoing herself tonight…
"I've been ordered to," says the hooded man with a thick accent, "I don't exactly have a choice."
"Then before you kill me," Red growls interrupting her, her eyes beginning to turn a shade of yellow indicating her wolf making a presence in this unexpected standoff but Snow shoots the wolf girl a warning look," At least let me know who you are."
The hooded man thinks for a moment then releases Snow White who flew back to the side of a still fuming Red, moving his hands to his green hood removing it in one fluid motion. He had short curly brown hair, a short beard, and brown eyes with a bow strapped to his back and pelts worn as his ware. Snow nor Red recognized him.
"Who are you?" Growled an irritated and impatient Red as she protectively takes a step in front of Snow.
"Fellow kin, I will not harm you, I cannot harm those of my kind. As for who I am, I left that behind long ago to live with wolves. People call me, "Weak" or "Petty" whether for crying over my prey for their sacrifice or because that's what they think I really am. However, I am employed by the Queen. I am the Huntsman. And I have been sent to hunt you, Snow White."
