Red

Part 1: Red

I didn't know about Seff until I was a teenager; I guess that was ironic, as I experienced the change when I learnt about him. Seff was always talked about. The things people said, depended. To women he was attractive, dangerous and most definitely off limits. To men he was dangerous, competition and to be ignored. I hadn't decided what he was yet, when I was becoming a woman, my friends would talk about him to me. I would listen. They told me of his translucent skin which shone in the light, his ethereal beauty mesmerising, blinding. The sang about his bright green eyes, the colour of fresh beautiful grass. And his hair, the colour of midnight, ebony and silk meshed together and placed on his head

Seff was different, he was feared more than a normal man should, well, he wasn't a normal man; he was the wolf that plagued our village. In his human form, he was a normal man, an attractive gentleman. But once a month of the full moon, he would become a wolf; we had no evidence that he was the wolf of course. But we knew that he was. I had never seen the wolf, my father would keep me safe in the house every full moon. We had no proof that the deaths were caused by him. He didn't even kill every month. Just when something bad happened. We didn't go to his cabin even though we knew where it was. Fear stopped us. I didn't fear him, I recognised myself in him. He was a nice person.

Seff's real character wasn't openly discussed; how he changed forms, was unsaid, but we all knew Seff was the murderer. We didn't say anything. The wolf never killed innocents, no children, or parents were ever killed. You could call him a moral murderer. Choosing who is evil and ending their lives for the better. But he still killed.

Many men spoke of entering his cabin in the woods, in hopes of killing him, only for him to knock them unconscious with one tired movement. His strength was awe inspiring, he lived among us and he killed among us.

I myself had never seen him, I was always too busy being myself, having fun, being a child. That changed as soon as I turned eighteen. I had always been mischievous. Adults found it entertaining, my mother found it cute. Well, my mother wasn't there any longer and I was left with my father, he didn't find my adventure seeking the slightest bit humorous, we didn't get along but I loved him.

That was until, I came home drenched; my white coat stuck to my body, weighing me down. I thought my father would be out, cutting wood, earning money. My father always cried about how hard his job was, I offered to take after business and he would tell me it was a man's job. Why would he complain about his job, his role?

The house was silent as always and I let myself in, placing my leather boots on the floor. Ignoring the splatter of water on the wood, I would clean that up later.

"Red," my father called, I stood there shell shocked. I was in trouble. With my tail in between my legs, I headed to the dining. All hell was going to break loose. My stomach churned, I stopped and steadied myself. I was going to be sick, my throat was burning, my eyes were stinging. This would be the final straw. My father didn't like what I was. He wanted me to be calmer, less boisterous. More womanly.

"Hello," I croaked, my throat parched. I could barely moved as to my horror, next to my father sat Alex. I hated him. Everyone else in the village loved him. I loathed him so much that if he were to die, I would cry in glee. I faced his merciless brown eyes, he was attractive. The girls had no qualms about repeating that. He was a bad person, who hadn't done anything wrong yet. Some could call me hating Alex without reason, evil but I didn't care. It was always best to be sure.

I faced my father, who's face was beetroot with suppressed anger. I bet this incensed whatever plan he had of getting rid of me.

"Daughter," he began stoically, I looked at him.

"This is Alex Lukas. Your fiancé."

I didn't move, I saw this coming. I knew that by the gleam of my father's eyes that he thought this was the best for me. Alex was an heir to a fortune, every girl wanted him. I didn't. It was ironic, I was considered the beauty of this village but I was tainted. I acted like a man, I was abnormal. And there Alex was, thinking he could forget my flaws. I didn't smile. I did not care.