The Wolf and Little Red Ridding Hood

Little Red Daughter

I hear the voices yell behind me in their heavy and angry voices. Never before have I had the chance to encounter real, live humans. What will they do if I do turn around? Will they notice my features are not that of a human's? But, will they also see how I am not a wolf either? This might cause suspicion. They have the option to accept me for my human side, or kill me for my wolf side. Then again, I know humans will always reject the difference just to keep themselves safe.

My eyes wander over to my hands, which are now up to my ears, and stare down my claws. In the moment, I could turn back and slash their throats, hide the bodies, and make away as if I were never here. My parents would never figure it out and I could never be prosecuted by the village itself. But...could I really ever gather the strength inside of me to be able to take the life of an innocent man? He probably has a daughter at home and only watches over the village at night with her in mind. I would be leaving a little girl forever wondering what happened to her father.

I clench my fist so tight that I begin to feel the blood drain from it. Slowly, I turn back around and keep my head low. 

"Y-Yes?" I ask in a low and terrified voice that trembles so obviously.

"Why are you out so late?" The man's voice yells at me. 

He must be very close because I can feel his breath through the wool of my hood. It is hot and burns a bit causing my heart to race like a scared rabbit from a hawk. In the heat of the moment, I reach my arms out and push the man in front of my to the floor. Surprisingly, the falls very easily and doesn't hit the ground as hard as what I expected him to. I'm ready to run, but then I hear the scream of a young girl. 

"Hey, what the heck! It was just a joke!!" The girl yells extremely angry.

I lift my head so that my hood doesn't block my vision anymore and I see them. The boy is on the floor, looking up to be completely flabbergasted while the girl kneels beside him and holds his arm asking him if he is okay. They both look like they are around my age, maybe the boy is a year or two older. Now I begin to feel embarrassed. How could I think that two kids could be grown adults trying to capture me? That's such a sad feeling. I open my mouth to begin my apology:

"Oh, I'm really sor-"

"Abigail, get back!" the boy doesn't take his eyes off me, and moves the girl behind him while scrambling to get to his feet. 

"Daniel, what the-" The girl looks confused at the boy who is putting his guard up, until she looks up herself.

That is when I notice what they are both eyeing. The boy keeps his eyes on my razor sharp teeth while the girl's eyes are immediately glued to my pointed, furry ears. She gradually rises and places her hand on the boy's shoulder then places her other arm on his bicep. Her eyes widen as she continues to scan me up and down, picking up every single little bit of my body as I stand here frozen. I want to move my legs and run, maybe even knock them out first to give myself a head start. Now that I know that they're around my age, the level of guilt I would have if I were to do something went dow tremendously. I could always just say I was protecting myself from my peers whom tried to take violent actions against me. 

"Who are you?" The boy interrupts my thoughts. 

"Uh...um..."

"I asked, who are you?"

"E-Ember...and you?"

"...Daniel...and this is Abigail." He said gesturing to the girl standing next to him. 

And awkward silence filled the air as we continued our stand off. Seconds passed by before the boy opened his mouth again, but it was the same exact time as me. We both immediately shut our mouths and scratched the back of our heads and confusion and unsureness. No one apologized due to neither of us knowing if we are friends or enemies at this point.