Among Wolves: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood

Among Wolves

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Ruby was six when the villagers found her mother's corpse in the forest. Mauled and unrecognisable. Three fingers were missing, torn away with fangs, and the delicate pendant that had always adorned her neck was nowhere to be found.

The whispers of the villagers offered no solace; instead, they added to young Ruby's anguish with their callous words.

"Poor woman lost her mind," they muttered. To them, her mother's tragic fate was a consequence of her supposed madness. In the eyes of the villagers, her mother was the crazy woman who wandered into the forest.

The villagers knew not to wander into the forest beyond their village gates, and if they said:

"If you had to go, go with a lumberjack for they carry with them silver axes."

Ruby grew up believing that the forest was of untamed horrors, and the village's lumberjacks were protectors.

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"Awoo.

We shall run as wild as the wolves one day,

Leave the world behind someday.

Awoo.

The world may whisper, but we won't obey,

Through the night, we'll find our way."

Ruby remembered the first time her mother sang to her the Song of the Wolves. She learnt that these creatures sometimes walked among humans in disguise, but mostly dwelt within the forest. Her mother, frequently ill and lost in her thoughts, often sang these songs. Ruby's protective and sceptical father would hold her tight as he dismissed her mother's tales.

"There are no wolves among us," he'd grumble, his brow furrowed, while her mother turned away in silence.

Ruby's mother's mind was indeed troubled, lost in a maze of confusion. Her songs mixed with her delusions, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. She spoke of home, the forest, and a hunger that never seemed to end.

Her father, though loving, could only watch as her mother slipped further into her own world. He could only hold Ruby close, shielding her from the storm brewing within her mother's mind.

"There are no wolves among us," he'd repeat as he tucked her into bed. Ruby would then watch the shadows move below her doors along with the raised voices of her parents.

Her mother remained trapped in her madness for years, lost to a world only she could see until one day, she ventured into the woods while her father was away. Ruby tried to grab onto her mother's skirt, urging her to stay but her mother had a wistful look in her deep, dark eyes and left.

Twelve long years had passed since her mother was found dead. Ruby stood at the forest's edge, her gaze fixed on the towering poplar trees.

What was in the forest that called for her mother?

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Ding. Ding. Ding.

The village bell tolled on a cold, autumnal evening. In the orange light of dusk, a sense of unease settled over the villagers like a heavy fog, chilling them to the bone.

Like a bolt from the blue, a cry pierced the air, shattering the fragile peace of the village square.

"Wolf!" a boy's voice rang out, his words laced with panic as he sprinted through the cobblestone streets, his breath coming in ragged gasps.