Red

Red

The rules: go straight to Grandma’s house, keep to the path and never speak to strangers. I broke them all…

Once upon a time, I met a wolf.

Small, black, injured, but with the most dazzling blue eyes I’d ever seen. Eyes that captivated me from the moment they connected with mine. Eyes that saw right into my soul.

Perhaps I should have run, sought help from my grandmother like I did whenever my parents fought. But I was a child then; too curious and trusting to stay on the safe path. So I stayed and cemented my fate to him.

Years passed with my wolfy wandering in and out of my life, as if he also knew he should have run on that day. But, like me, he couldn’t stay away.

By the time I discovered he was more than a lost wolf pup, it was already too late. There would be no escape. The wolves would be at our door, both the real ones and those posing in sheep’s clothing.

But as it turns out, I would turn out to be more than just a little girl lost in the woods.

As for living happily ever after? I would have to find out if such a thing could ever last.

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“Oh my God! Who are you?! What have you done to my wolf?” she shouts, gathering the sheet to hold up in front of her trembling body, as if it were a shield to a weapon that she couldn’t ever possibly fight.

“Scarlett, I…” I gasp as I reach out my hands to implore her to listen to me, only to realize that I will, of course, be completely naked.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she begs, her cries beginning to break through her shock, “I’m only fifteen!”

“Oh, fuck, no…” I begin as I rush to cover my nudity, turning away when she begins throwing whatever she can get hold of. “Scarlett, listen to me!”

“You wait, when my wolf gets here, he’ll rip your throat out!” she screams, but upon realizing she has nothing else to throw, she grabs hold of the edge of the sheet and pulls it over her head and remains in a huddle, effectively trying to block out the danger in front of her.

I pause for a moment or two, trying to figure out what to do for the best. I could run and pretend I was nothing more than a pervert who crept in to do unspeakable things to her, or I could try and convince her of what I am…of who I am. Rationally, I know what I should do, but ultimately, I am a selfish boy who has fallen so hard for her, it feels as though she is a part of my soul.

“Scarlett,” I begin as I crouch down in front of the quivering mass of sheet, “it’s me, it’s your Wolfy.”

She gives no answer other than the gasping sound of her breath as she cries, so I take a step closer and begin to lift the edge of the sheet. I see her face; her brow furrowed in fear as she takes in the sight of me.

“Scarlett,” I whisper, “look at my eyes, will you?”

I remain silent, allowing her time to look at me. To really look at me. As time passes, her furrowed brown begins to change from fear to confusion. Her hand reaches out to run across my black hair, her eyes looking deep into mine, and her nose gently inhaling a scent she knows all too well, even if her sense of smell is much weaker than mine.

“Wolfy?” she ventures, and I release a gasp of laughter, elated to have her see me for who I am as a human for the first time ever.

Alas, this moment of sheer happiness only lasts but a moment before she is leaping away from me, bracing herself against the wall opposite the bed as though I am the monster I really am.

“Scarlett, don’t be scared, I would never hurt you!” I rush out, grabbing the same sheet she had hidden in and at least hiding my nudity from her. “You know me, Scarlett, I’ve been protecting you ever since I’ve known you!”

“What?!” she cries, closing her eyes tightly and shaking her head. “I mean…what?!”

“I will explain all that I can if you just calm down, Scarlett,” I say slowly, thinking how ridiculous I am to be trying to soothe a bunny rabbit who can only see a monster in front of her. “Please, I know I’m asking for a lot here, but if you would just calm—”

“Don’t ask me to calm down! You never ask a terrified person to calm down; it only does the opposite!”

I smile at her, because sassing me can only mean she is beginning to calm down. Though from the look in her narrowed eyes, I decide to keep that to myself.

“Prove to me you’re him…show me you’re Wolfy,” she says determinedly.

“You trust the wolf more than the man?” I ask, somewhat surprised.

“Definitely,” she says, nodding as she does so. “He makes me feel safe.”

“He is me!” I plead with her to understand.

“Prove it!” she all but screams.

“Ok!” I shout back, putting my arms out in surrender once more.

With a deep breath of hope, I step back and allow myself to change in front of her. It’s quick to the human eye, much quicker than it feels, or so I’m told. An elder told me of how humans have these different versions of how shifting happens, but if a human could actually see what’s involved to change from one state to another, it’s likely we would have died out a long time ago. No shifter would have been able to hide his identity if a human could watch it unfold in real time.

As I appear in front of her, as Wolfy, the version of me she cares for, she visibly relaxes. Her shoulders slump, her eyes shut, and she releases a soothing breath. It has me feeling both glad and disappointed at the same time. She trusts the wolf, not the boy. I understand, believe me I do, but it still stings. She is the only person, shifter or otherwise, who I can truly show who I am to. Except as a human. I cannot show her the human yet.

With that in mind, I trot around the bed and sit in front of her. At first, she holds herself back, obviously feeling deeply conflicted. However, when I dip my nose down, showing her my submission, she reaches out and pats my head. I cannot help but lean into her touch because she’s showing me that I am still her friend, and I have her trust.

“What does this mean?” she whispers. “I don’t understand.”

I don’t change back straight away, instead, I accept her embrace for all its worth. Selfishly, after the shock of her seeing me, the threat of her pushing me away after everything, has me wanting this to last just that little bit longer. She smells distinctly of her – warmth, friendship, safety, and everything I’ve been missing my whole life.

She eventually pulls back and looks at me before giving a slight nod. I duck my head a little, as if to say, ‘Are you sure?’ She nods once more and wraps her arms around her waist, preparing herself. Standing naked before her, with my hands cupping my groin, I offer her an awkward smile while she takes the opportunity to look me up and down, still in disbelief.

“Here,” she says, offering me the sheet once again.

I wrap it around my waist, and we stare at one another for a while, feeling so awkward it’s almost sad. We’ve been nothing of the sort when I’ve been in my wolf form. I get it, I guess I would be the same. To her, I am still a completely different entity to Wolfy, even if I am him too.

“Ask me anything, Scarlett,” I offer, throwing my hand nervously toward her. She carefully eyes it before looking up at me again. I still wonder if she’s going to bolt for the door.

“Do you want to borrow some of my grandpa’s old clothes?” she asks, to which I cannot help but laugh a little.

“Not at all what I thought you’re first question would be, but yes, that would be very kind of you, Scarlett. Thank you.”

She nods with a nervous smile before walking past me to get to her grandparents’ room where she begins rummaging around with the coat hangers. I fidget with the sheet while I wait, desperate to talk things through so she can see I am the same as Wolfy; I am him as much as he is me.

“Sorry, he wasn’t known for his sense of fashion,” she says, handing me over some old slacks and a plaid shirt. She then turns around so I can dress, even though she’s already seen everything. This is so humiliating and not at all how I expected things to go when I ran over here last night. I could hear her from a few miles away, howling like she was in pain, and like a moth to a flame, I ran to her.

“I live in the middle of the woods,” I reply, “fashion has no place in our world.”

“Your world? How many are there of you?” she asks, and I brace myself to turn around and face this ensuing conversation head on. “You’re tall,” she observes, “how old are you?”

“Sixteen,” I reply, “they’ll send me away soon.”

“What?!” she gasps with a look of horror on her face. “Send you where? Who? Why?”

“It’s ok, Scarlett,” I rush out as I pace up to her and lift my arms to hold her. But then I remember I am a stranger to her in this form; she’ll likely freak out. “I mean, it’s only for a year or so. All male shifters are expected to go.”

“Go where?”

“Er, well,” I begin, rubbing at the back of my neck where some of my sores have begun to itch through the heat of this situation. “We go into a solitary of sorts. We have to learn to survive without the pack…to prove ourselves.”

“And what happens if you don’t?” she asks, her eyes wide and searching for reassurance. It’s both painful and beautiful at the same time – she’s worried for me.

“Then, we, er…we don’t,” I admit, looking at her with sadness.

“No, you can’t go then, I won’t let you!”