Red drew in a nervous breath as she stepped into the dark wood, her heart beating a little faster and her eyes alert to the slightest movement within the rustling trees.
"Never go into the wood, or the wolf will eat you." A mantra she'd known since childhood, and one repeated to others as she had grown into a young woman. And now she was to break that rule.
She knew taking this shortcut was a risk, but the wicker basket she clutched in her delicate hands should have been at her grandmother's an hour ago and this dark path, for all its menace, was the fastest route.
"It's just this once," she whispered to herself as she left the bright sunlight of the fields behind. "Oh!"
She gave an involuntary shiver as the cool breeze of the dark wood tugged at her short summer dress. Was it just the wind? Or was it the fearful beating of her heart? She drew in another breath to steady her nerves then, drawing the ruby cloak from the basket she threw it about her shoulders and moved forward. If she kept to the path she would soon be out of this wood and back into the glorious sun.
A sudden rustle of leaves to her right. Red wrenched around to stare intently into the wood but saw only the thick, dark trunks of the trees and the outline of dense bushes in the dark gloom beyond the path.
She waited for a second longer, then turned back to the path. A second rustle came, louder and nearer.
This time Red did not look. She kept her eyes firmly on the path ahead and quickened her pace.
A little way on the path twisted and bent and, glancing back, Red found she could no longer see where she'd entered the wood. The thick, moss-covered trees lay on either side of the little path, like looming wooden walls, and the dark space between them seemed as black as night.
And was that a movement? There, besides that huge oak? Red's heart beat faster as she stared, her eyes and ears alert to the slightest movement. "No, it was just the wind," she whispered to herself. Then she turned back to the path and her heart skipped a beat.
He was a few meters ahead, leaning languidly against a tree and watching her closely.
He was a man, naked and rough. His skin was tanned from a life outdoors, and his frame - though slender - was muscled and toned. On his face, he wore a half-mask, smooth and contoured, and upon which was painted the likeness of a snarling wolf. At the sight of it, Red felt a pang of fear, fear which only grew as her eyes flicked from the frightful mask down to where his engorged cock, swollen and panting, stood erect between his legs.
"Why, hello there," he cooed. His tone was cool, confident, and filled with certainty. "Going somewhere?"
Red clenched her jaw as she felt the tingle of adrenaline surge through her body. "Through the wood, Mr Wolf," she replied with mock authority.
Mr Wolf seemed to consider this for a moment. Then a snicker issued out from behind the expressionless mask. "Don't you know the saying, little lady?" he asked. "Don't go into the wood, or the wolf will eat you." As he spoke the last words his glittering eyes flicked down to drink in her body. She saw his lips part and the tip of a pink tongue snake out greedily. Her eyes flicked down again to his manhood and she saw the monstrous cock pulse in anticipation
For a moment there was utter silence between them. The cool breeze sighed against her bare legs and face, and she suddenly felt utterly exposed. He slowly, patiently shifted his body away from the tree, watching intently as she tightened her grasp on the red cloak. Then the wicker basket crashed to the floor, and she ran.
Red's heart pounded in her chest as she ran back the way she'd come, back along the twisting path. She heard a growl, or perhaps it had been a laugh and, within a few short moments, she was aware of his presence overtaking her.
She darted suddenly away to the right, off the path, and plunged into the dark shade of the trees. The undergrowth was thick here and it scratched at her feet as she ran, but the heavy panting behind urged her on.
As she dodged past a tree her cloak became snagged in its branches and she was, for a moment, wrenched backwards. "No!" she wailed, releasing her grasp on the tangled garment. She wrenched her gaze back the way she'd come as she tore off the cloak. He was there, crashing through the undergrowth. Her heart pounded in her chest and she turned to run again but he was upon her in an instant.
Red felt a savage fist grab a clump of her hair as she and Mr Wolf collapsed forward into the undergrowth. "You're mine now, meat!" he growled. Meat. The word shot through her like a bolt as she lay on the ground with him on top of her. "Please, sir," she panted. "Please let me go."
Another growling laugh. "When I've enjoyed my meal," he snarled.
At this, she felt his rough hands begin to explore her body through the thin fabric of the dress, pawing at her nipples and grasping at her curves.
Red screwed her face tight as she lay helpless beneath the weight of him, unable to resist his hungry explorations of her body and chastising herself for taking the path.
He chuckled to himself as he groped her, and she gave a small whimper as she felt his hot breath on her skin when he leant in and gave a long, wet lick across her cheek; savouring the meal to come.
"Please," she repeated in a meek voice. "Let me go, sir."
And suddenly the weight was gone. The hands vanished, and she found she could breathe freely again. Red opened her eyes and stared up at the masked man who towered above her.
"Just a bit of fun, meat," he snarled. "No harm done. Now, then. Five."
