Little Red Werewolf Hunter

It was 15 years since Red and the Huntsman had defeated the Werewolf king. Although she was just a child at the time, the Huntsman had explained to her afterwards about the Werewolf king and how he had stalked the woods in the night looking for humans to eat. Without her help as a distraction, the Huntsman explained, he would have never been able to catch him off guard and finally kill him. As Red was leaving her grandmother's cottage, though, the Huntsman caught her by the shoulder and leaned down to tell her something.

"Don't ever forget this...werewolves are created through powerful magic and can be resurrected though powerful magic as well. The death of the Werewolf King has broken the magical spell allowing all evil things to live in these woods, but I can't guarantee this to be permanent. Tell me, will you be there for me again should I needed your help in the future?"

Although Red was barely old enough to comprehend the importance of this, she knew she could never be content while knowing there were werewolves living in the woods.

"Yes, if there are ever any more werewolves then I'll do anything I can to help you kill them again."

"Alright, good" he replied. "But before you go, you'll need these." He reached into his pack and took out a bundle wrapped in leather. Red took the bundle and unwrapped it to see two silver daggers gleaming so brightly she could see her own reflection in the blades. They scared her a little, but also intrigued her. She wrapped them back up.

15 years would pass before Red would have to take those daggers out again. All had been quiet in the magical woods since that night, and eventually Red moved away to begin a life of her own. One autumn's evening, Red was out taking a walk near the edge of a stream. It was a warm night, and she was able to see though the moonlight was obscured by clouds. Everything was quiet, but suddenly a sound pierced the air. It was a wolf's howl. Red had heard many wolves before, but this one made her uneasy. The wind began to pick up, and Red decided it was best that she cut her walk short and turn home. Night was falling quickly.

Red could see her house appearing in the distance when she was startled by the sound of hoof beats. A dark figure on a horse quickly rode away from the front of her house. Red stood frozen on the spot until she was sure the figure was gone. Finally, after the hoof beats had faded into the wind, Red rushed toward her house. She could see something nailed to her door. It came into focus--a note, hastily written. She only had to glance at it before the words 'werewolf' jumped out at her off the page. It was signed simply with 'H'. Red already knew what it was.

Red grabbed a candle and ran downstairs to her basement. Hidden in a dark corner was an old chest. Red brushed the dust off of the latch and opened it, and her old red cloak shone in the candlelight--it seemed just as bright as it was the day she got it. She reached in and grabbed it, then headed upstairs and out the door again. Red carefully unfolded the cloak, revealing an old leather bundle tucked inside. She threw the cloak around her head and gingerly hid the bundle inside her vest.

Red mounted her horse, but as she was about to leave something caught her eye. Red light was beginning to creep out from behind the clouds in the night. Larger and rounder the light grew as the wind carried the clouds away. Red got goosebumps as she realized what it was--not just a full moon, but a harvest moon ruling over the sky that night. She paused, but as the cloak fluttered over her eyes she remembered the Huntsman's words to her. "I knew this day would come," she thought, "and I'm ready for it." She rode off.