Once upon a time, on the fringes of a deep, dark forest there was a quaint little hamlet with cobblestone streets and cozy families, where playful squeals and merry laughter were the only noise from every home. It was an undisturbed, serene neighbourhood…until…

CHAPTER 1 THE MYSTERY OF THE WOODS

"This summer day is too scorching, Rae dear. Don't forget to wear your hat when you step out." "Yes, mama! Raleigh, I will give all your love to grandmama. Be a good girl and get well soon!" I wanted to go along with Rae to visit grandmama, but I was feeling poorly that day and was bundled up in bed.  "Rae, child, be careful along the way and don't stop for anyone or talk to strangers. Go straight to grandmama's and return home before sunset." Mama's worries were not unfounded. A child could easily get lost in the woods after dark. Rae took the laden hamper of food and drinks for grandmama in her tiny arms and set off, giving me a cheerful smile and wave. Mama went about her usual chores, checking up on me occasionally. After a lunch of warm vegetable stew, I drifted off to sleep. Upon waking, the house was unusually quiet and dark. Did mama forget to light the lantern? Where is everyone? I eased myself out of bed weakly and clutched the bedpost to steady myself. I found mama outside with the lantern, at the edge of the dusty road which led to the other side of the woods. "Mama! What're you doin' here? Where's Rae?" She turned to look at me with a pinched  face and burst into tears. Amid sobs, she could barely speak. She fumbled, "Rae hasn't returned yet… I hope she's safe…?!" A chill ran through my blood and my heart  pounded like a million hammers against my ribcage. We waited all evening and all night, mama pacing up and down, clenching and unclenching her hands. I was at my wit's end. At daybreak, when there was still no sign of Rae, mama gathered a search party to go in search of her. Upon reaching grandmama's place, she was gone too. That's strange! Where could grandmama have gone?! After a thorough search of the woods, we found Rae's red hat, her clothes, and shoes, scattered all over in a clump of bushes and thick overgrowth.  But there was no sign of Rae anywhere! Mama let out a piercing cry as the village-folk concluded that the little girl might have been devoured by a wild animal. The village woodcutter, Uncle Harry, then spoke up, "There were none spotted till now…Our woods were considerably safe, but who knows? Looks like an evil design of something not so human.'' *** Little girls went missing from time to time when they ventured too far into the woods to pick berries or wildflowers for doll tea parties.  Their bodies or remains were never found, but ragged, torn bits and pieces of clothing always were.  Always red---jackets, blouses, skirts, frocks..even shoes. Maybe a pack of wolves had decided to make it their home?  Maybe red attracted these wild beasts? These whispers and waves of wary gossip spread like wildfire. No one dared to find out what kind of beast it was. The bravest of men steered clear and the woods were marked as forbidden territory! Grown-ups and children alike avoided wearing red even in the village. Just in case… Except for Uncle Harry, the woodcutter, who assured us that if he came across the wolf, he would slice and chop the vile beast into pieces just like he did the wood.  Anyway, winter was fast approaching and every fireplace would soon need a major supply of wood. With great reluctance, everyone agreed to let him go about his work.  But never once did the woodcutter encounter the wolf. *** Red! Something stirs in me when I see the colour of blood. I'm thirsty and starving…nobody comes this way anymore. My folly…! I crave for fresh, young blood… Little girls…their blood is sweeter.  Their flesh— tender. It soothes the growing hunger and ache in the pit of my stomach…  An angry, frustrated screech echoed in the heart of the deep woods and a flurry of roosting birds took off in fright, their wings making a hasty flapping noise above the treetops.  ***

CHAPTER 2 RALEIGH

"It's been almost ten years since Rae and grandmama disappeared. Get a hold on yourself, mama. It's a relief that the wolf hasn't ventured into our dwelling in search of food. Maybe it died of starvation in the woods after all these years." Mama barely heard me. After losing father when I was four, it had been a double blow for her to lose Rae and grandmama in a single day.  In fact, mysteriously, grandmama was  never heard from again after that fateful day. Mama, to this day, blamed herself for letting Rae go to grandmama's all by herself.  If only I wasn't ill…I'm partly to blame too.  I'll kill the wolf with my bare hands if I see him… Pretty girls barely in their teens had met brutal ends. Disappeared without a trace, all except their clothes… Always red! Red...Crimson…Scarlet. Animals sense human scent…but can they identify colours? Martha Sally Marjorie Victoria Something else was common among all four…and also Rae…!   Their thick manes of chestnut-blond hair flying in the breeze flashed before my eyes.  *** There were many such dwellings like this in the familiar hamlet on the other side of these woods, but I couldn't bear to live there anymore. I needed to stay away. This one had seemed clean and tidy. Most importantly, no one would dare to cross the woods and spot me here even by accident…. I had nudged at the front door. It opened easily and I had peered inside cautiously. Assured that it was vacant, I had entered it and looked around. There were no signs of life in the one-room cottage. The wooden bed which occupied one side of the room was made, its linen pulled taut around the mattress. The kitchen that comprised the other half of the cottage was scrubbed clean. There was no stock of food or any remains of food. The fireplace too had been scraped clean of any soot…well, at that moment, I did think it was strange! Someone had abandoned this house after taking good care of it! Where was the owner?  Anyway, I decided to make it my home…I've lived here for ten years now… But now, it's time to go back to the familiar dwelling.  I can't help it.  I must risk it…! ***

CHAPTER 3

I'm so much in love with the moon… She looks so stunning in her full glory tonight, that I can't take my eyes off her. I stand in a clearing devoid of trees to get an unobstructed view of the huge pearl. The silver light makes me serenade her with my howls.  A shrill guttural wail pierced through the woods and into the dwellings! Raleigh sat bolt upright in a trice and gave her mother a startled look.  The wolf! He's not dead after all. He was lying low all this time!  It turned her stomach, made her want to strangle him even more… I need to hatch a fool-proof plan to lure him out and end his life.. But I can't be hasty. Now that we know he's still around, I have one chance to take him down. He will be alerted if I miss… *** The next day at the market square, Raleigh bought some fresh loaves of bread, eggs and some bottles of milk. With her arms full, she stepped inside a clothing shop and looked around.  "How can I help you, miss?  Raleigh was taken aback at the baritone voice and turned to face a handsome youth with platinum blond hair and arctic blue eyes! It was… Boris!  "Boris! When did you return? I almost didn't recognize you!" she stuttered.  "Raleigh, is that you? You look quite different too. Imagine! Ten long years and what a stark change", he beamed at her. Raleigh felt her cheeks growing hot. Did my blush show? Does he know that I have a massive crush on him even now…? "So! Do you see what you came looking for?"  She snapped out of her thoughts and spoke haltingly, "Ah…yes, yes…I'm looking for a red cape…a cloak…a hood…any one of these. What do you have?" "Red?! Long time! Someone finally wants to buy red?!  Lemme see... I might have something for you. But let me tell you it's from quite an old stock. Red doesn't sell very well in these parts…you know.."  He looked at her, half expecting her to change her mind and walk out. But to his surprise, she agreed to have a look. It was a full length cloak of velvet of the brightest red, almost crimson. It looked spotless and glossy. "I'll take it", she whooped excitedly and cramming her package in her basket, walked out of the store leaving behind the extremely curious lad who had followed her out to the doorstep. "BORIS!" a voice bellowed from behind him even as he jumped out of his skin.  "Stop gawking at girls, you half-wit! You'll get yourself into trouble one of these days! Tidy up the shop and wipe everything clean before you close for the day. Skiver! I don't pay you to do nothing!" One day I plan to… Boris ground his teeth.

CHAPTER 4

THE WOODCUTTER

The woodcutter propped his axe against the tree trunk and mopped his brow. The forest was unusually silent, broken only by the chopping of his axe and his grunts and  with the occasional hooting and chattering of woodland critters.  He was grateful for the cool shade, the dim light beneath the lush tree canopy and the solitude of the forest.  A cacophonous honking above shook him out of his reverie as a flock of geese flew high above, unseen beyond the treetops. Winter had arrived early. He resumed chopping, delivering blows to the same wedge of exposed wood. As the echo of the chopping faded, something else caught his attention.  A blur of bright red through the trees!  What on earth! Who had been so foolish to enter these woods wearing red?! *** The crackle of dried leaves under her feet echoed through the woods. She could smell him, lupine musk marking every branch, every leaf, every inch of the ground. She deliberately walked noisily, crunching her footsteps, kicking pebbles and singing loudly. She swung her basket in tandem with her bouncy steps.  She could hear his heavy breathing, in the  overgrowth, panting with yearning for the taste of her flesh. A low growl began to build from the beast’s throat, a savage sign that his patience had ended, that it was time for him to satiate his needs. *** Axe clutched in his hands, the woodcutter moved towards the figure. He heard her noisy footsteps, crunching across the mulch of leaves that carpeted the forest floor.  He heard singing. He sprinted towards her,  She was clad in a bright red cloak. Her hair, what he could see of it beneath her hood, was chestnut brown!  *** As she felt the hackles on her neck rise, she tensed her muscles to ward off the attack. The bushes rustled and suddenly came alive as a dark shape soared into the air, claws drawn, bearing down on her. They both fell to the ground, stones and thorny undergrowth digging into her back as the full weight of the monster bore down upon her, leaving her staring at the canopy of trees through which light barely trickled. The silence of the woods was shattered by an ear-splitting scream! She forced herself to stand and peered down at the crumpled mass that had been the hamlet's terror.  When her eyes got accustomed to the dim light, she found herself staring at the grimacing face of the woodcutter with a deep stab wound in his meaty shoulders, made by her trusted dagger! She stifled a scream, shocked beyond her wits!  *** A rustle in the bushes made her turn around and behind her, blocking out the fading light of dusk was an unusually tall, stocky creature, with pointed ears, covered in ashen fur all over! It stood on its hind legs, its muzzle bared, revealing terrible fangs.  With a menacing growl, the beast lunged at the woodcutter. He swung his axe, but the creature easily swiped it from his hands and shoved him, until he crashed into a thick trunk of a tree, gasping for breath. It pounced and gripped the woodcutter’s hair and cracked his head against the tree.

CHAPTER 5 THE WOLF

I want to lure him away. I hope my ruse works. I have this one chance. It's now or never! A flurry of snow had begun to fall. As I dash furtively through the trees, I can sense him not far behind. His bloodlust.  I'm hunted… The wind howled through the wintry air and the only other thing I could hear was the hammering of my own heart above it. I'm gasping and panting… I'm drained…  This silver moonlight! I feverishly look for a place to hide. To escape. To be invisible. A ramshackled shanty! Will have to do... for now! I make a dash for it and close the rotting door with the latches on its last hinges.  Survival? No chance! I crouch in fear, my doom could only be delayed...not prevented. But it won't be in vain.  The door crashed open and a hateful voice spat out, "Just where I want you, you rabid, foul animal. This is my shack. I will skin you alive and haul your carcass to the village! I'll be the hero who saved them and they will be none the wiser! If the wolf is dead, little girls will start coming to pick wildflowers in spring. Then I can…" he halted mid-sentence and a barrel of a rifle was right in my face.  "I waited so long to kill you! Just my luck that I couldn't catch you red-handed. But today… is my lucky day!  His sneer was worse than a beast's. A vile shot rang out and echoed through the sleepy woods.  The rotting planks soaked up a bloodbath and it seeped around the shack. A handful of silver bullets clattered and rolled on the floor and so did the woodcutter with his limbs ripped out and his face mauled viciously.  I got to him first! He staggered back and fumbled, to balance against the wall. At the same instant, Raleigh, who had followed us to the shack, pulled out her dagger.   It glinted a single spark off the chrome blade in the moonlight. "Where is my grandmama, you heathen? I'm sure you've had something to do with her disappearance", she raged wildly. The woodcutter laughed maniacally and pointed to the floorboards. "There! You will find them all in there! Chopped into tiny little pieces. Your grandmama got too wise for her own good and had to be dealt with!" With a savage cry, she lunged at him. The  upward thrust of the dagger met flesh and muscle, slicing him smoothly between his ribs as he fell.   I knew by the gush of crimson that erupted from the wound that she had stabbed him in his rotten, hateful heart!  The woodcutter was finally dead! Raleigh! She was my saviour.  Our saviour! *** Overwhelmed by relief, I limped out of the shack as fast as my legs could maneuver me to my den. The bullet had only grazed past one of my legs. I would stay inside the cavernous darkness until it was safe for me to come out again.  As I hobbled on my good legs, I let out a pleading howl, "Silver moonlight, have mercy! Be gone! Soon!" Silver! It's my life. Also my death… Raleigh…you're safe! The hamlet is safe!

CHAPTER 6 RALEIGH

The ramshackled shanty was a sight to see! Straight out of a horror house. Bones jutted out from beneath the rotting floorboards. When they were completely ripped apart, hacked remains of skeletons of young children were found. Presumably, the missing girls from our hamlet… Realisation dawned on me hard and I wailed hysterically as a deep rooted ache surfaced. Rae was probably one of them?!  I'm glad that it was my dagger that had found its mark on the woodcutter's rotten heart. I can't bear to call him Uncle Harry after this. He had abused the trust of all the girls who had gone to him in all innocence. I had avenged Rae and every other girl who had fallen prey to this lusting demon. The wolf was blameless. This one actually saved me!  Hold on…! He attacked the woodcutter, but not me…? *** I found some pawprints in the snow quite a distance away and followed them. It led to a den. Inside, I could hear whimpering sounds. The wolf must have been injured during the tussle. Peering into the darkness, I could make out an animal curled up in pain. How could I help? What if it attacks me if I approach it when it's vulnerable? I whispered, "Thank you, noble wolf… for saving my life."  I planned to visit the den in the morning with some food and medicine. *** The next morning, the hamlet was abuzz with the latest sensational news. Photographers and reporters from towns and cities far and wide thronged our streets and the woods.  The woodcutter's story was a major news and headline and I was on the front page of every one of them. I was giddy with all the attention.  "He was the big bad wolf,” I said looking into the distance. I had avenged the little girls who had met their traumatic and terrifying deaths at the hands of a paedophile!

CHAPTER 7 BORIS

I could sense a pair of eyes looking intently at me from across the street. I turned my head sharply and caught a glimpse of Boris admiring me from behind the lacy curtains of the store. I crossed the street and walked up to the store hesitatingly, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Boris, where are you? I want to talk to you…" "Not now, Raleigh. I can't see you. Go!" he barked from a room behind the drapery. Stunned at being turned away, I persisted, "But why? Come out! I want to buy something. I need something from the topmost shelf." "I said, not now! So, leave!" Enraged at this rude behaviour, I pushed the thick drapes apart and walked in to see Boris lying down on a couch with a bandaged, injured left leg. At once, my anger gave way to embarrassment and compassion. "What happened to you?" He looked away sheepishly. On the side of his face I noticed something odd. His ears were of a different shape today. As I looked on intently he brought his hands to his ears and that's when I noticed he had paws and claws today instead of fingers! Could it be…was he…No! It can't be!  He was slowly metamorphosing into a human right in front of my eyes. "Was it you, yesterday? The wolf who saved me? Boris, say something…" *** "Yes it was. I had to leave this village and stay in a secluded house when I realized what I could become. Uncle Harry...ermm…the wood cutter chanced upon my secret and threatened to reveal it to all. I found an abandoned house on the other side of the woods and stayed there until now. It could be your grandmama's…now that I think of it… He wanted the village folk to believe that a wolf had strayed into these woods, so he made a deal with me to howl raucously whenever I shape-shifted.  I was a coward, Raleigh. I knew of his misdeeds, but I was helpless. Eventually, I could no longer stay away. I had to return to take care of my aging father." There was intense pain and sorrow in those noble blue eyes. "Your secret is safe with me, Boris. I'm glad that the wolf is not the bad one. Whoever thought it would be the woodcutter? You brought him to justice for his evil deeds." "When you bought the red cloak, I knew you were up to something, Raleigh. I followed you into the woods that night in spite of the full moon when I knew I would shapeshift…" "You put yourself into danger, Boris? For me?" Raleigh was choking and tears welled up in her eyes. "It's no big deal, actually. Not all wolves are bad. Only the ones in sheep's clothing are…"  He smiled softly at her and their foreheads touched.  This was one big good wolf with whom she would feel safe!   Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!