Red scampered through the forest as carefree as ever. She'd loved these leisurely walks to her grandmothers house once upon a time, mostly when she was younger. Today was no exception. Even though she was now 18, she liked to still wear the clothes that reminded her of her grandmother's tastes. Today was a flowered sundress that crept up above her knees from being for her smaller younger frame, grey knee socks, and of course her red hood and cape. Her shoes were her usual mary janes and were always a bit uncomfortable on these long walks.
Red stopped in a clearing to take a break and take in the afternoon air. The clearing was surrounded by thick trees and a large patch of green grass. There was a rock in the center that had its own beam of sunlight shining on it, like it was the center of a stage production. Red loved coming to little spots like this and just sitting, soaking up the sun and taking in the smells. She always wished she could just live in the forest forever. She hated chores and having boys leer at her and her parents talk about marrying her off to a nearby farmer's son. She just wanted to spend the rest of her days walking through the forest's trails and exploring its rich treasures.
All of a sudden, Red was startled by a noise in the brush. She looked around, snapping to attention trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. She worried that the low, growling sound could only mean one thing and she was still looking every which way when the large wolf kept up and pounced on her, knocking her off the rock and against the ground. She could feel the wild animal pushing on her chest with its paws as she lay dazed trying to focus.
The short fall knocked the wind out of her and the impact had made her dizzy. She looked up at the wolf, bearing down on her with its teeth out and its eyes blood red. Red was petrified, frozen in fear. She knew any sudden move would just provoke the wolf and it'd maul her right there. She breathed slowly and quietly so as not to startle the wolf and provoke it. Of course, that strategy didn't allow for outside interference.
The Woodsman came out of nowhere, taking advantage of the element of surprise to swing his ax in the direction of the wolf. The wolf's senses being what they were allowed it to dodge the first swing and it rolled off of Red quickly. She took the opportunity presented and tried to scurry away as quick as can be, but the wolf wouldn't have it. It lunged at her, side-stepping the Woodsman's massive frame and leapt at her arm, digging its teeth into her skin. The bite wasn't deep but it startled Red. She screamed and the Woodsman made another swing, this time connecting with the wolf's body. It let go of Red and fell to the ground with the force from the Woodsman's ax.
Red clutched her wounded arm close to her chest and wrapped it in her cloak. She could feel tears running down her face and her breathing was fast and labored. She tried to calm herself while looking at the scene: the Woodsman pulling his ax from the wolf's lifeless body. Red let out a sigh of relief and tried to collect herself.
The Woodsman dropped his ax next to the rock and picked up the wolf's corpse. He walked it away as a gentlemanly sign to let Red rest and to give the wolf a proper burial out in the forest. He nodded towards Red as if to say he'd be back in a bit. It would be the last time he'd see Red in her current form.
The sun had begun to set behind the trees. Red had lost track of time with the altercation and her terrorized afternoon. She looked at the sky and how gorgeous it was at sunset.
Out of nowhere, her heart started to race faster. She took a deep breath and suddenly could smell hundreds of new smells that she wasn't aware of before. The smell of pine and fir trees, the smell of the wolf's blood on the grass, tree sap and damp dirt around the clearing. She could even smell the Woodsman and his pungent odors from working outside all day. That smell in particular made her become aroused. She took another breath and looked around, knowing he wasn't near enough to see her but yet she could feel him somewhere thanks to her new ability to smell him. She stood up and looked at her arm. The dried blood was still there but the wound wasn't bleeding anymore. She could smell her own blood on her cloak and the wolf's blood on the grass. She walked over to the rock in the clearing which was now directly under the rising moon. She looked up and at the sky and closed her eyes taking another deep inhalation of everything around her. Then she started to change...
First she felt her shoes become too tight. She kicked them off and let her feet feel free inside her knee socks. She was also feeling her toenails encumbered. She put her foot up on the rock and noticed her nails piercing the material. She tore at it with her fingernails and exposed her feet. It just seemed easier than taking the knee socks off for some reason. She did it with the matching foot and looked at her toenails, now pointed and thick like claws. The fabric had torn so easy that it made her look at her hands and saw the same change in her fingernails. Not so drastic as to be inhuman but still...