In the clearing, a creature stood hidden in the shadows of an elm tree. His ragged hair consumed a pale face while a strong scent of blood and grim coated his body. Clutching the tree closely, the man watched a small beaten road that ran from Lincolnshire to London with the utmost enthusiasm.
Hunger was a great enemy to any animal. When hunger took hold it was a pain similar to that of the tortures inquisitors could instill in heretics. The thirst for sustenance, the need to slake ones lusts. The Beast needed to feed and quench himself without bother.
The wind was cool; fall was not yet in full swing but enough cool air was making its way into the underbrush of the England forests. Birds chirped softly in the canopy as little animals scurried from hole to tree, their ears awake for anything amiss.
Along the road, a young woman walked slowly. In one hand she carried a bright yellow basket filled with various treats of delicious merry making. Warm cakes covered in strawberry frosting, grapes and sweet fruits, even a small bottle of wine with the words Avignon 1745 scribbled along the side. In her right hand she gripped her cloak. It was a fine long traveling cloak, a deep crimson color and smooth to the touch.
"Mmm," whispered the beast, his lips softly smacking with excitement. He looked the woman over thoroughly, auburn hair nestled on top of her head, a slight curve of her body in the right places, it was a sight that the beast could only have dreamed of.
Slowing down, the woman reached up with one hand and pulled her red cloak up over her head, completely covering her hair. She looked around, a slight spook in her mind as the bird chirping began to die away. Looking down the road she continued on.
Smiling gleefully, the beast's heart moved faster, his excitement at seeing the young woman was overwhelming. The only thing keeping him in line was the burning hunger deep in his belly. Wrapping a set of fur rags around his face, the man walked forward onto the street. "'ello... mind offering somethin' to a poor ole lad like meself."
The woman stopped dead in her tracks as the man step out in front of her. "No sir, I haven't anything to spare," she said timidly, her eyes darting from the man to the forest.
Bowing his head, the man was not about to give up. "Nothin' at all... not a morsel?" he added a little grief to the last words. The weakness of many humans, and this girl was no exception, were their emotions. He could play them equally well by taking what he wanted with using their charity against them. "I ain't had nothin' to eat for days."
"Sorry sir, this food... its... its for my grandmother, she has been ill for a month now. My father told me to take this stuff to her, make her feel better." There was a tremble in her voice, the tell-tale signs of an obvious fib.
"Aw... poor grandmother, I am sorry my dear..." said the man in a pitiful tone. He could care less about the grandmother or wherever the little woman was going, he cared only for two things. One what laid within that basket and two, what possibly lay between the woman's legs.
The woman shivered as the man spoke. She could feel his eyes moving across her body, up her chest and down her legs. "May I pass?" She said through a quivering voice.
"Ah, be it may my dear..." stepping aside, the man let the woman past, her scent floating by his face. He breathed the aroma in deeply, the smell went straight to his brain. He wanted the woman, not just her tasty parcels, but her womanly wilds.
The woman moved past the man, her pace quickening to get to some sort of safety. Her free hand moved up to cover her upper body from the elements with her cloak. She was now clad completely in red, slowly making her way into the dark forest.
"Ah little lass... you will make a fine meal..." rasped the man into the air, his hot breath clinging in the air. He gripped his ragged furs closer and walked back into the forest, in a path for the woman and her bounties.
The forest was known to be inhabited by wolves. It was a common fact. Evidence of such beasts could be found when asking the old hunters and farmers that lived in and around the woods. They would tell you tales of wolves dragging young woman to their deaths, or snatching an innocent babe from their cradle. All of the stories dealt with a keen bloodlust for human flesh, a thought that made most of the country people's skin crawl. But were they actual wolves in the woods?
Questions like this would be what the man asked himself from time to time. He remembered a time when he attacked a group of picnickers, didn't get the mother but he definitely made a fine meal out of the two children who were with her. Could that have been the work of wolves? Oh such thoughts the man had as he grinned down behind a long fallen oak tree. Wrapped in rotted and ragged furs of wolves, the man had a penchant for blood and flesh, but on occasion he enjoyed the delicacy of human food and female company. This is precisely why he was hidden behind the fallen oak, his lusts and hungers had to be slaked.
The man followed the woman close, but not too close. It was in similar fashion as a wolf stalking its prey, hence the irony of saying such things. Keeping his distance, the man wanted to wait until the right moment to strike. He had to take the woman quick, knock the wind out of her then do what he pleased before gorging himself.
Walking quickly along the beaten road, the girl was not interested in stopping to rest, the man she had seen not a little while ago did not give her a warm comforting sensation. She did not want to be in the forest any longer, but she had to get to the other side, and going through was the quickest way. Clutching her red cloak and basket closer, she continued along.
The man licked his lips as he watched the woman. The shape of her thighs that could be seen from the outline of her cloak, even the delicate degree of her breasts gave the man such thoughts. He walked closer, his hands ready to grab and rip, his mouth ready to bite and chew, his mind ready to capture and feed.
A soft breaking of a branch set the man off, jumping from his repose, the man darted towards the woman, his arms outstretched to snag her.
Yelping as she turned, the woman dropped her basket and began to run, her red cloak hood falling off over her face. She was terrified, the look in her face proved that as she swiftly moved through the forest.
