~*~* Okay, the first chapter was just a teaser tidbit, so to speak, of it. I wanted to post it and see what reactions would be to it, such as if I'm dragging down the story by beefing it up with adjectives and little superstitions. Here's an explanation of what I expect to do with this story: A Gothic romance of Red Riding Hood, going much more in depth with character development, Eastern European history; mostly centered on the Prussians by the late 16th century, to give it a real place and anchor, making the fairy tale more realistic and better appeal to mature audiences. Baba Yaga is Red's grandmother, but for this story only, I'm making her less terrible. . . So she won't eat children, but she'll still be ostracized because of her intense practice in magic. Also it's convenient that Red's original Grandmother lived alone in the woods, and since Baba Yaga haunts the woods, I thought it would be an interesting twist to the story. I won't give away the entire story here, so hopefully this explanation will ease some of the confusion from the first post.*~*~
With extraordinary ease, his rough, mud-splotched paws slipped in and out, above and under the smooth, crisp leaves. Continuing his stealthy ambulance, there seemed to be more leaves trying to catch oddly under his wide spread paws, wanting to crack and warn his prey. As always, the wolf's tenacious instinct nearly sprung the corded muscles of his hindquarters into an attack, but he controlled the urge by freezing himself where he crouched. The wolf whined and barked anxious yelps at the human, frustrated with this ongoing battle between voracity and curiosity. It would take less than a minute to take down the warm body, it pleaded with him, using only a predator's logic to argue his case, but the willful human won out, again. A sniff of the faint, dwindling scent jerked the wolf back into motion. His actions were all deliberate, low to the ground. No longer did his tail wave high, but was tucked low between the two propelling legs, pushing his hunched front forward. At this liquid rate, he soon recovered the lost distance between himself and the young girl, oblivious to her stalker.
The moon rose beautifully, all a-glow in its soft silver illumination. They continued on; him weaving expertly through the trees, roots and other surprises, her on the flora and fauna over grown dirt path, until the path spread itself wide enough to defy the encroaching plants. The girl delicately crossed over the sweet green grace watched by golden eyes. So intent were they on following the girl over the lushness that they failed to heed the structure situated in a nook of the glen. The building did nothing to cure his consuming interest, only bloating it more.
From the ground to the stilted supports there was little differentiating it from the mound which it was built upon. Dirt packed into the building's dais, only successfully being held up by roots of a sundry of herbs and weeds plotted in it. Even more eccentric than the queer mound under it, the house itself was plump and rounded at the bottom, curving into a choke, then expanding the wall of molding sienna bricks to open into the thicket entrenched roof. From the great distance he hid, inhuman vision allowed his eyes to detect something more sturdy than just wood bundles to cover it. Over the stacked, for that's all he conclude it was, roof, his eyes wandered to the chimney, in just the house's pear shape. Smoke puffed up through it, carrying fragrant, teasing scents of herbs, and when the smoke doubled, the tantalizing smell of juicy meat beckoned to him. Tantalizing as they were, the moon was still out and he wouldn't change until dawn. So, finally giving into his hunger pains as the girl entered the peculiar house, he bounded off to catch something to sustain himself for the night.
Exhilarated at the freedom, the wolf pounded triumphantly against the ground with expeditious haste. The pent up frustration had built into energy and no the wolf was to use it, stretching out in long, winding strides. Continuing into the forest, playing a one-man game of tag against the unreceptive forest. In all his rampant frolicking, his stomach lurched, growling at him. That froze him over. In the abrupt silence, he heard his hear pounding and lungs flaring at the pace his nostrils were. Craning those nostrils to his down wind side, a tang sent an excited spasm through his body. The wolf treaded tactfully, now unbound by stiffness, over the hazards of the forest, zoning in on his prey.
Ahh, the increased sharpness of the aroma revealed that his prey was alone, and smelled like deer. A piteous cry echoed into the unreceptive night what a young deer indeed! He slide closer and closer to the deer. It would be an easy kill, it being alone, young and frightened. Which was all well, he didn't need to confront a deer alone. And he was tired. The wolf closed in on the deer undetected. The man stopped his whirling thoughts. Now the wolf had full concentration. Not wasting a moment, the wolf padded one paw at a time closer to the crying deer. Near enough now, he coiled up for the sprint and tackle. Three, two, and without warning the wind changed, three! A mere bolt of lightning, he flashed from his hiding spot. The deer panicked, dashing off, only too slowly. In a few, exasperating strides, he over took it. By the creature's hinds, he jumped. It cried out. Teeth sank in as it tried to continue.
The wolf was too heavy. It collapsed to the ground. Rounding instantly on it, his fangs ripped out the throat. The fragile vertebrae snapped, leaving the deer a twitching corpse. Blood gushed over the ripped skin and fur, muscles and tendons spilled as eagerly as the red liquid poured. Mad with hunger, he drenched his muzzle in the thick, warm blood while ripping the muscle from the neck. Each tear he made with his canines caused spasms and an explosion of blood onto his face. Soon he was picking at the bone and shook his head vigorously from side to side, flinging the crumpled deed in the process. Sated when his teeth racked marrow that the neck was finished, he began to tear at the deer's shoulders. He growled in the back of his stuffed mouth, ramming his claws into the deer to hold it still as he jerked his head up and down, tearing, ripping the shoulder met. At last he stopped ravaging the body, falling back on his haunches. The wolf was full and ready to sleep, he nuzzled into the deer's still warm belly and began to fall asleep.
Then he jerked, twitching excessively. His head rose from the comfortable pillow to glare balefully into the woods. The human was reminding him of the cottage and responded with a bored and irritated snort. Seeing the wolf wouldn't cooperate, he soothed him to sleep, then roused the body. Turning to pad back to the house, he turned back as an after thought, and grabbed one of the deer's legs. He set off for the house, going the long way due to the deer.
At last he returned to his previous hiding spot and settled in for the night, drowsy eyes noting the house's golden candle light still burning.
With extraordinary ease, his rough, mud-splotched paws slipped in and out, above and under the smooth, crisp leaves. Continuing his stealthy ambulance, there seemed to be more leaves trying to catch oddly under his wide spread paws, wanting to crack and warn his prey. As always, the wolf's tenacious instinct nearly sprung the corded muscles of his hindquarters into an attack, but he controlled the urge by freezing himself where he crouched. The wolf whined and barked anxious yelps at the human, frustrated with this ongoing battle between voracity and curiosity. It would take less than a minute to take down the warm body, it pleaded with him, using only a predator's logic to argue his case, but the willful human won out, again. A sniff of the faint, dwindling scent jerked the wolf back into motion. His actions were all deliberate, low to the ground. No longer did his tail wave high, but was tucked low between the two propelling legs, pushing his hunched front forward. At this liquid rate, he soon recovered the lost distance between himself and the young girl, oblivious to her stalker.
The moon rose beautifully, all a-glow in its soft silver illumination. They continued on; him weaving expertly through the trees, roots and other surprises, her on the flora and fauna over grown dirt path, until the path spread itself wide enough to defy the encroaching plants. The girl delicately crossed over the sweet green grace watched by golden eyes. So intent were they on following the girl over the lushness that they failed to heed the structure situated in a nook of the glen. The building did nothing to cure his consuming interest, only bloating it more.
From the ground to the stilted supports there was little differentiating it from the mound which it was built upon. Dirt packed into the building's dais, only successfully being held up by roots of a sundry of herbs and weeds plotted in it. Even more eccentric than the queer mound under it, the house itself was plump and rounded at the bottom, curving into a choke, then expanding the wall of molding sienna bricks to open into the thicket entrenched roof. From the great distance he hid, inhuman vision allowed his eyes to detect something more sturdy than just wood bundles to cover it. Over the stacked, for that's all he conclude it was, roof, his eyes wandered to the chimney, in just the house's pear shape. Smoke puffed up through it, carrying fragrant, teasing scents of herbs, and when the smoke doubled, the tantalizing smell of juicy meat beckoned to him. Tantalizing as they were, the moon was still out and he wouldn't change until dawn. So, finally giving into his hunger pains as the girl entered the peculiar house, he bounded off to catch something to sustain himself for the night.
Exhilarated at the freedom, the wolf pounded triumphantly against the ground with expeditious haste. The pent up frustration had built into energy and no the wolf was to use it, stretching out in long, winding strides. Continuing into the forest, playing a one-man game of tag against the unreceptive forest. In all his rampant frolicking, his stomach lurched, growling at him. That froze him over. In the abrupt silence, he heard his hear pounding and lungs flaring at the pace his nostrils were. Craning those nostrils to his down wind side, a tang sent an excited spasm through his body. The wolf treaded tactfully, now unbound by stiffness, over the hazards of the forest, zoning in on his prey.
Ahh, the increased sharpness of the aroma revealed that his prey was alone, and smelled like deer. A piteous cry echoed into the unreceptive night what a young deer indeed! He slide closer and closer to the deer. It would be an easy kill, it being alone, young and frightened. Which was all well, he didn't need to confront a deer alone. And he was tired. The wolf closed in on the deer undetected. The man stopped his whirling thoughts. Now the wolf had full concentration. Not wasting a moment, the wolf padded one paw at a time closer to the crying deer. Near enough now, he coiled up for the sprint and tackle. Three, two, and without warning the wind changed, three! A mere bolt of lightning, he flashed from his hiding spot. The deer panicked, dashing off, only too slowly. In a few, exasperating strides, he over took it. By the creature's hinds, he jumped. It cried out. Teeth sank in as it tried to continue.
The wolf was too heavy. It collapsed to the ground. Rounding instantly on it, his fangs ripped out the throat. The fragile vertebrae snapped, leaving the deer a twitching corpse. Blood gushed over the ripped skin and fur, muscles and tendons spilled as eagerly as the red liquid poured. Mad with hunger, he drenched his muzzle in the thick, warm blood while ripping the muscle from the neck. Each tear he made with his canines caused spasms and an explosion of blood onto his face. Soon he was picking at the bone and shook his head vigorously from side to side, flinging the crumpled deed in the process. Sated when his teeth racked marrow that the neck was finished, he began to tear at the deer's shoulders. He growled in the back of his stuffed mouth, ramming his claws into the deer to hold it still as he jerked his head up and down, tearing, ripping the shoulder met. At last he stopped ravaging the body, falling back on his haunches. The wolf was full and ready to sleep, he nuzzled into the deer's still warm belly and began to fall asleep.
Then he jerked, twitching excessively. His head rose from the comfortable pillow to glare balefully into the woods. The human was reminding him of the cottage and responded with a bored and irritated snort. Seeing the wolf wouldn't cooperate, he soothed him to sleep, then roused the body. Turning to pad back to the house, he turned back as an after thought, and grabbed one of the deer's legs. He set off for the house, going the long way due to the deer.
At last he returned to his previous hiding spot and settled in for the night, drowsy eyes noting the house's golden candle light still burning.
