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Little Red Wolf - 01 - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Scarlett never was a very good little girl. She was named after the color of her hair and the shade her face turned when her emotions ran wild. When faced with fear her emerald green eyes sparkled with a ferocity not seen in the other girls. Scarlett was not afraid of the dark. Scarlett was not afraid of strangers. Scarlett was also known to beat up the boys who would call her names. She learned young that all the scary things needed was a black eye and they would go home.

When Scarlett was six, she went into the woods to pick wildflowers with her sisters, Merelda and Velora. When they got home their parents scolded them to stay inside where it was safe because the woods were dangerous. Merelda burst into tears, screaming about how she wanted pretty flowers. Velora threw a tantrum, begging her parents to go with so that they could pick the flowers another day. Scarlett pouted but then went and pestered the old crone, who mixed potions, to teach her about plants and how to avoid poison ivy.

When Scarlett was nine she and her sisters were told the woods were full of wolves. They were advised to always go with a boy just in case they attacked them. Merelda coward inside and did not leave the house. Velora went and manipulated the boys to get all the escorts she wanted. Scarlett did not like the boys, though, so she bullied some of them into teaching her how to hunt with a bow and arrow.

When Scarlett was thirteen she and her sisters were told there were men in the woods who liked to hurt girls. Merelda, who was already betrothed, decided she did not need to leave the house once she was married and agreed to stay out of harms way. Velora made friends with the boys who might hurt her and manipulated them into giving her what she wanted. Scarlett decided that if the boys around her learned how to fight, then she would too. Thus she hounded the local militia into giving her lessons. First she learned to use a dagger, then a spear, and finally an axe. They refused to use a sword, because she was a girl, but that did not stop her from becoming very dangerous with the weapons they did teach her to use.

As the sisters grew, they all became more different than anyone could imagine. Merelda was the good girl, Velora was the bad girl, and Scarlett... well... it seemed to many that she was not a girl at all. The boys did not like Scarlett because she could fight. She would not do what they told her to do and she would injure them if they tried to force her. The girls did not like Scarlett because she was too aggressive and could not stay out of danger. Her village was not very fond of her because she was the most unladylike young woman they had ever heard of. She was neither a delicate flower nor a whore, and they really had no idea how to deal with that.

When Merelda was fifteen she married a young man named Thomas, who was five years her senior. She had a nice wedding, received lots of presents, and happily began her life as a house wife. She became a mother a year later and could not have been happier.

When Velora was fifteen she began working at a seedy tavern in the more unpleasant part of town. There she learned getting what she wanted from men was easy when you were pretty. She was also smart, though, and had something her empty headed older sister did not, ambition.

After a year she was assisting the manager with his finances. Velora always got what she wanted and she wanted her own business. So she married the old innkeeper and ran his business for him. She knew he would die and leave it to her. Without any sons, she did not need to worry about losing her property.

When Scarlett was fifteen she killed a deer. As she marveled at her handy work, a pack of gray wolves showed up and surrounded her. With an axe in one hand and a dagger in the other, she faced them boldly, ready to fight. They growled at her and she growled back. It was then that the pack-alpha stepped forward and stared at her intently.

He was not like the other wolves. His jet black fur seemed to shine with good health and his greater size assured his dominance. His eyes were a cold sea blue while the others were amber and mean. There was intelligence and understanding in him that did not appear in the others. The yellow-eyed wolves were dangerous and full of instinctual hunger. The alpha, however, was full of curiosity and something else. He did not look down on her. He did not belittle her with his eyes. He saw the predator within her and he accepted her for who she was.

Scarlett put her weapons away and stepped away from the slain deer. The alpha seemed to understand and he claimed the kill for the pack. Scarlett watched in wonder as they ate their fill and ran off. All but the alpha, who bowed his head to her before leaving to join his pack mates.

For days Scarlett thought about the alpha wolf. He had acknowledged her. He had accepted her. To her family she was just an unruly brat who refused to grow up. She refused to accept men as providers and without them, her parents believed, she would never achieve anything. To the alpha she was an equal, a predator, and perhaps something else. She began to wish she could be a wolf, and run through the woods at his side.

After that day, she returned to the forest more than before. Her parents had given up trying to lock her in her room, she even dared to stay out past sunset. Daring as she was, she had not the courage to face what might lurk under the stars. After that night, though, she began to explore a little farther and a little longer, a few feet and a few minutes at a time.

She ate what the forest provided and was mindful of what it needed. She felt at home among the trees, with the wild things all around. It felt more like home than the village of her birth ever could.

One night, Scarlett turned sixteen. Under the watchful gaze of a full moon, a terrible argument was brewing. Her father had decided it was time for her to get married and act like a proper young woman should. In a few more years she would be labeled an "old maid" and then none would have her. Scarlett would have none of it and in her father's frustration he rose to his feet and struck her across the face. She stared hard into his eyes... his terrified, ignorant, eyes. She saw that he was not a predator. She saw that he was afraid of her. She saw that he did not know what to do around a woman who did not seek out the power of a man. She saw that this was no longer her home.

Without a word she gathered her weapons and put on her hunting outfit. Scarlett had made her outfit herself from the skins of deer she had hunted. The outfit was scandalous, though. Dresses and skirts were no good for hunting, so she had made herself a nice pare of leather pants. They were one more thing that set her apart from the others. Her hunting pants said she was just as good as any man, no one approved of this mindset.

That night she walked into the woods. Her anger bolstered her with reckless courage. Whatever was out there scared the men, but she was better then them and could face it.

It was strange to be setting off into the woods at night. Things looked different and all of the noises were strange. She had never dared to set out like this before, but she was determined to conquer that fear now. Fortunately, the moon was full and it lit her path.

As she crept through the semi-darkness, she began to think of the wolf who had acknowledged her. She had only seen him twice more during the past year and she missed him. She wanted to see his noble eyes and be recognized. She needed someone to remind her that her strength was real and not just part of her imagination. Local lore said the eastern part of the forest was the dangerous part where the creatures were wild. She would go there.

Nocturnal things passed here and there. She was not sure what they were but she knew they were watching. She decided to go near a stream for a drink. As she dipped her calloused hands into the water, she heard a rustle. Four paws struck the earth and tore through the trees. There was a scent on the air she did not recognize but she held her ground. The shape moved again through the brush and it grew closer than she was normally comfortable with.

From the foliage, Scarlett could hear a panting breath. She suspected a wolf, but was it her wolf? She had her spear with her, but she did not want to use it unless she was sure. She stared hard at the spot where she knew the beast to be, she was looking for its eyes. Finally, two yellow orbs glinted in the moonlight, it was not her wolf.

The creature burst forth in a blur of motion. With one swipe the spear shattered into several pieces that clattered uselessly to the ground. Another movement tumbled Scarlett forward then something pounced onto her back. The creature growled but did not finish her. She could feel its weight and its breath. It was bigger than a common wolf but too fast to be a bear. She would have to move quickly if she was to survive.

Slowly she brought her left leg up to get at her dagger. As she did this the beast shifted its position and tried to hold her down. Something was pushing up against her between her legs. It was a fleshy limb without bones. She was glad she was wearing leather pants for a dress would have been torn apart by such an intrusion. She could not see it but it was poking at her and rubbing its length across her.

Adrenalin filled her muscles and she coiled her body. With a burst of speed and strength she seized her dagger and twisted her body to face her attacker. The part that identified him as a male was huge and pulsing and pressing hungrily against her body. The creature was like the big bad wolf from her story and he moved forward to close his teeth around her throat.

With a thrust of her dagger Scarlett's blade penetrated his chest. The great wolf-beast recoiled back and gave her precious seconds to act. Snatching the axe form her belt, she let forth a growling battle cry and slashed the wolf-beast across the throat. It gurgled, reeled, and bled into the nearby stream. Like a vicious predator the girl then leaped forward and began hacking away at the sizable shoulders, neck, and head. Scarlett was covered in a crimson mess as she tried to stay clear of its deadly claws. After several terrifying moments the creature slammed to the ground and lay motionless at her feet.

Scarlett was on her knees and breathing heavily. The blood of the great beast covered her and poured in rivers to the nearby stream. Her ears strained as Scarlett prepared herself for the presence of others. Blood attracted predators and there were hot rivers gushing from grizzly wounds. Moving to the water, she began to wash herself. She started to shake and felt like she was on the verge of some sort of hysteria.

Scarlett forced the fear from her mind and focused on her own survival. She needed to get clean and then move away from this place. Then another sound caused her to freeze. The beast was moving. His wounds should have been fatal but he still was pulling himself upward. A growl resonated from deep within his throat and he gurgled slightly as blood oozed from his maw. The wounds were closing before her eyes, he would be fully healed in seconds.

He stood on his hind legs and his massive erection rose toward her as well. She was shocked at her body's reaction to the pink and pulsing thing. Her heart beat like a stomping demon and she found herself growling. Deep within her was a battle of beasts. Instincts were flooding her veins and her face was the color of her name.

With a howl of rage she lunged forward with her axe. All was instinct and rage. Then something passed before her eyes. Another wolf-beast had tackled her original attacker.

In seconds they were tearing large chunks of each other's bodies apart and coloring the forest crimson. They wrestled, snarled, bit, and clawed. Scarlett was transfixed, unable to move, mesmerized by the carnage. It was a spectacle of pure animalistic destruction. The newcomer was far more skilled, though, and tore the head off of the yellow eyed monster. A howl of victory filled the night.

The newcomer turned to face her and she looked into his eyes. They were a dark shade of blue. Scarlett felt a rush of excitement fill her. Somehow, she knew this beast was her wolf. He walked toward her on his hind legs. He was larger and much more muscular than he had been before and he had almost human looking hands and feet. He bent one knee and sniffed her delicately. Scarlett could not contain herself any longer, she wrapped her arms around the great beast's neck and began to weep.

Gently, he picked her up. His fur was thick and comforting, and his arms were strong and safe. Here was belonging. Here was security. Here was trust. Here was where she belonged.