Red, The Wolf, & The Huntsman

Table of Contents-1

Table of ContentsForeword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

*****

Red, The Wolf, & The Huntsman

Chapter 1

Redina’s face flushed when she heard the rustling in the brushes ahead of her. By no means was she scared of traveling through the woods. Not even the distance she had to travel to get to her grandmother’s house. But she had to admit that the hand-wringing of her fellow villagers had gotten to her. Wolves had been spotted by the river. Two people in a nearby village had been killed by them. Now, here she was walking in the woods alone.

“It’s nothing, Red,” she told herself refusing to give in to the local hysteria. “You’ve walked this route a thousand times. Besides, the river is in the complete opposite direction. If anything, I’m walking towards safety.”

Hearing her words aloud was enough. She was being ridiculous. She wasn’t the type of girl who was scared to leave her house without the company of a strong man, and she wasn’t about to become one.

So, feeling the heat diminish in her cheeks, she threw her shoulders back, straightened her riding hood, and took a tighter grip of her basket. Taking a step forward, the brush rustled again telling Red that the first time hadn’t been a coincidence.

“Who’s there?” she shouted in as low and confident of a tone as she could muster.

The brush rustled again.

“I hear you. I know you’re there. You may as well come out. If you do, I will refrain from hurting you,” she said slipping her free hand into her basket.

This was a bluff. The most dangerous thing she had in there was a loaf of bread. Sure, her mother made the hardest, least appealing bread in the village. But only the damage she could do with that would be to encourage them to eat it and hope they broke a tooth.

“I’ll say it only once more. Come out and I won’t hurt you.”

To Red’s disappointment, the brush rustled in response. She was still holding out hope it was a bunny or bird. Nope, whatever it was was big and, odds on, dangerous.

“Come on. Let me see you!” she ordered as the noises shifted.

Whatever it was was close and getting closer. Red’s heart thumped reconsidering what she had done.

“That’s right. And don’t make me have to put an axe between your eyes.”

The rustling stopped. It understood her. What was this? Was it a wolf or something else?

Wait, she saw something. She spotted it between the branches at the edge of the path fifteen feet in front of her. It wasn’t a wolf. It was a person.

“That close enough,” Red demanded. “Now. Step into the clearing so I can see you.”

The person didn’t move.

“Do it!” Red barked.

The person obeyed. In one motion, the person stood up and slowly stepped onto the path in front of her. Red’s mouth dropped open. What was she looking at? Well, she could figure out what she was looking at, she just couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“You’re naked,” Red said to the young man standing in front of her.

The man didn’t budge. Staring at her, he neither looked threatening nor self-conscious. He just stood there as if he were crossing the village fully clothed.

The longer the young man remained silent, the more disturbed Red got. It wasn’t exactly anger, but she did feel tension. Having only grown up with her mother, she had never seen a naked man before. She had always been painfully curious to see what was behind the bulge in their crotch region, and here was the perfect opportunity to find out. Should she look? Could she even stop herself from looking?

Red stared at the young man’s face for as long as she could. He looked to be about her age or a little older. In spite of that, he didn’t have any hair on his chin. Would there be any on his chest?

Losing her battle, her eyes dipped. No. His chest was broad and strong but it was hairless. He had the build of a man. His pecs bulged and… her eyes dipped again to confirm… his stomach rippled with strength. This stranger could be the most beautiful person she had ever seen.

Her face, her chest, her whole body prickled with heat. What was happening to her? It felt like she was losing her breath. What’s more, she really needed to look. Everything in her body was screaming at her to look down. When she did, she could barely get herself to look away. What was that? What had she just seen? Why did she desperately want to look back?

“Who are you?” she shouted doing everything she could to not look again.

The young man opened his mouth but closed it again without speaking.

“Don’t you have a name? Don’t you have… clothes?”

For the first time, something changed in the boy’s eyes. Was it sadness? Embarrassment? Whatever it was made Red feel something for the boy. She wanted to be closer to him. She wanted to take care of him.

“Well, you can’t be standing here talking to me like that. Here, put this on.”

Without thinking, Red rested her basket onto the ground and detached the chain that held together the halves of her riding hood. Removing it from around her shoulders, she approached the boy. His stillness drew her closer. He wasn’t reacting at all to her approaching, so when she stopped less than an arm’s length in front of him, she got the impression that she could wrap her arms around the tall, young man without him moving a muscle.

“Here,” she said. “Put this on.”

Red’s hand touched his shoulder as she draped the red cloth on top of him. Her heart clenched when she realized she could smell him. He had an earthy scent and it was glorious. It was making her weak in the knees. She could feel the heat of his naked body envelop her and it took everything in her not to lay her palm against his strong chest and press her tingling body against his.

“There,” she said pulling the sides of her cloak together in front of him. “Now you’re presentable.”

“Thank you,” he replied as if he was remembering how.

“You can speak? I was starting to think that you were some wild animal that had learned to walk on their hind legs,” she said with a smile.

“Wild animal?” he asked seeming to clear his mind.

With him covered and speaking, Red quickly composed herself. “You’re not a wild animal, are you? You do have a name, don’t you?”

“Name? Yes. My name is Vetem, but people call me Tem.”

“Well, I’m Redina, but people call me Red.”

“Hello, Red.”

Tem looked Red in the eyes and smiled. It was such a beautiful sight that it made Red’s heart hurt.

“So, Tem, is there a reason you’re walking around the woods naked.”

“Naked?” he asked looking down. “I’m wearing this.”

“Now you are. I mean before. Were you out here running around without your clothes on?”

“Yes,” Tem replied without a hint of self-consciousness.

“Very well. Then perhaps you shouldn’t also be hiding in the bushes as people walk by. You could be mistaken for a wolf and receive an arrow to the throat before you’re given a chance to explain yourself.”

“A wolf?”

“Haven’t you heard? Wolves have been spotted in woods near the river.”

“Are you afraid of wolves?”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Red replied rebelliously.

“Of nothing?”

As Red pushed out her chest and pulled her shoulders back to answer, Tem whipped his attention away from her and towards the path behind her. The motion cut her off.

“What?” she asked seeing concern wash across his face. Turning to see what he was looking at, she heard the brushes in front of her rustle. Looking back, he was gone.

“Tem? Wait, don’t leave. Tem? Tem, you have my riding hood!” she exclaimed running to the spot where he had exited. “I need my hood back.”

In response, a shout came from behind her. “Red! Red, is that you?”

Red stopped her search for Tem and returned to the path.

“Hunter, is that you?”

“It’s me, Red. Who are you calling to?”

“It was a man I was talking to. What are you doing out here? Are you following me?”

“Following you? Why would I be doing that?” Hunter said with a laugh as he came into view. He was dressed as he did when he was going on a long hunt.

“I don’t know. I can’t figure out why men do most things.”

“Well, Red, I can assure you that I’m not out here because I’m following you,” he said with a brilliant smile.

Red felt embarrassed having accused him. She knew that he had never given her a reason not to trust him. In fact, he had always been very good to her. If it wasn’t for her mother’s strict rule that she would only marry a nobleman, she might have considered Hunter for a husband. He had certainly expressed enough of an interest in her to warrant such consideration.

“You’re right. I can see now that you are dressed for work.”

“And I can see that you are barely dressed at all.”

“What are you talking about, “barely dressed”? I am dressed as a proper lady would be.”

“Of course you are. My mistake. It’s just that I’ve never seen you without your red riding hood. You practically look naked. What would your mother say? The scandal!”

“Well, the hood isn’t stitched to me. Perhaps I left it at home not wanting to dirty it on my walk. Have you ever thought about that?” Red asked defensively.

Hunter held up his hands and laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. I was simply making a joke. That’s all. Besides I kind of like you without your cloak. It allows one to see…”

Red put her fists on her hips waiting in anger for what he would say next. “Allows one to see what?”

“Your wonderful disposition, Red. Without your cloak, your wonderful disposition is on display for the whole world to see. And what a wonderful disposition it is,” he said with a bow and devilish smirk.

“I see.”

Feeling more feisty than usual, Red calmed herself and searched the ground for her basket. Where ever Tem was, it wasn’t here and he had her riding hood. She would need that back and she didn’t feel like explaining how she lost it in the first place.

“So, what are you doing hunting these parts of the woods? Aren’t the profitable game by the river?”

“The wolves? That’s what they say. And that’s where every other man with a sword or bow will be looking. But I’m the best at what I do because I don’t think like everyone else.”

“You think there’re wolves out here?”

“This is where the deer are. It would only make sense. And if I can’t collect a royal bounty for a wolf’s head, perhaps I’ll get a stag for the royal kitchen.”

“You do seem to have a plan,” Red acknowledged.

“That I do. What about you? Are you on your way to your grandmother’s house?”

“My mother wanted me to take her some of the bread she baked her?”

“Is she angry at your grandmother or something?”

“My mother isn’t that bad of a baker,” Red replied feeling she needed to defend her mother.

“Red, your mother is a beautiful woman, perhaps second only to you. And, I’m sure your mother has plenty of other attributes. Baking, cooking, and pleasantries aren’t any of them.”

Red was about to give Hunter a piece of her mind for suggesting such a thing, but couldn’t keep up the charade. “Who am I kidding? You’re right. None the less, she sent me to my Grandmother’s to deliver her bread and I’m doing it as all good girls do.”

“Through wolf infested woods, none the less. You will make some man a fine wife.”

“Are you saying that obedience is the lone quality that makes a woman a good wife?”

“Red, I said no such thing! I was simply saying that…” Hunter paused. “Have I yet complemented you on your wonderful disposition?”

Red gave him a side glance and collected her basket. “Having said that, I will be on my way.”