Fable Dark: Red Riding Hood

The Wendigo is within minutes of reaching the fleeing party but it senses someone else. Drake and two others, taller men, one with an axe and the other with a bow and arrows, pursuing Red as well. The Wendigo would have no troubles murdering the fools who dared stalk its prey. "I don't understand why we're bothering to hunt this girl down," One of Drake's followers complains, "She's evaded the wolves and the Wendigo. What good will we be?"

"Shut up, you idiot. You aren't paid to think. We've been given two offers for the same head. If we capture the girl and first take her to Noir, we get more gold that you ever dreamt still existed. Noir intends to kill her after he's done with her so we'll ask for her back, take her to the Mountain Refuge, and they can kill her. Then we'll have the funds and power to create an empire", Drake barks.

"But, Drake, knowing Noir, he'll want to kill her personally", argues the other of his followers.

As they proceed down the mountain, the Wendigo follows them silently, awaiting its chance. Crook can feel the presence of the beast. But he stays steady smoking his pipe. The Wendigo is so powerful that its presence completely overshadows that of the other three. But there is another feeling. This is not a sense of danger. It's simply one of knowing. Back in the forest, the elder wolf stops on a tall boulder and howls to the moon. Several glowing eyes make themselves visible from the darkest veil of shadows given off by the bushes. Wolves emerge, all snarling and ready to carry out their mission. The elder looks around at each and every wolf before him then turns his head to the mountain and barks loudly, commanding the others up the steep cliffs.

On the mountain, Drake reaches as angle where he can see Red and the others on their way down the mountain. They're some distance away but that would be no issue to the mercenary. He holds his hand out from beneath his cloak then dashes ahead, nearly disappearig from visual spectrum. However, before his followers can follow, there is a low growl. A shadow casts itself over them as they turn around. There, looming over them, in fact dwarfing them, is the Wendigo. It kneels down to them, its mouth foaming and its fangs glistening. As the two begin to back away, it lunges at them, claws sharpened. As it pounces the first, bone crunches and blood splatters. The claws dig into their target as the beast proceeds to tear him apart. The second hardly has time to holler for help before it's his turn to fall before it. But he is not so gracefully slain. The Wendigo wastes no time in killing him by first snapping his neck. No, the monster sharpens its claws against a boulder and tears the poor fool apart, forcing him to die from the pain and blood loss.

Meanwhile, further down the mountain, Crook can sense the Wendigo's activity. But he also senses something else in motion towards them. He turns around then begins to growl, raising his tail and holding the pipe in his clenched teeth. "What is it?" Asks the Lumberjack.

"It might be the Wendigo", Red says.

"No," begins Red's Grandmother, "This isn't the Wendigo. I think Crook would know better than to stop us if it was."

All is quiet, if only for a moment. Then the sound of clapping echoes over the mountainside. "So you are the infamous Little Red Riding Hood", Drake says over his applaus as he rounds a boulder.

Red's eyes narrow as Drake approaches her. "I'm not little", she says.

Drake stops directly in front of her, both unflinching. He quickly throws his arm out from beneath its cloak. In it is a knife. He runs the flat side of the dagger along her face gently as he stares into her eyes, a sadistic look on his face. "You're too tense," he says, "Why so serious? Smile once in a while." But Red's face remains cold and brooding. She can hardly hold the fact that her heart is now racing. Drake suddenly turns the knife to its side and places it on her cheek, licking his lips. "Come on, smile for me." He runs the knife along her jawline. Now the knife rests between her lips.

Lumberjack puts his hand on Drake's shoulder to pull him away from the now petrified girl but this man surprisingly grabs the Lumberjack by his arm and flips him over his head, forcing that poor thing to slam into a rock on the mountain. "Hey!" Red shouts. Red abruptly turns to see if he is alright but the knife, still being to her face, lightly cuts her cheek on this motion. She touches her hand to her face and sees the blood, looking to Drake.

"If you can make a god bleed, they lose their power", Drake says.

"How about I make you bleed", Red threatens.

Drake smiles and drops the dagger then presents both his tattooed arms. "Alright then. A little fight in you, I like that", he laughs.

Red takes her blade from her Grandmother then faces Drake. A breeze glides by in the silence of battle. Red suddenly swings her blade in a circle but Drake ducks. In one swift motion, she redirects the blade but Drake remains one step ahead, always faster. As he rolls off to the side, he flings his hand from beneath his cloak, releasing three daggers in Red's direction. The first two of them, she manages to deflect with her blade but the third grazes her arm. Drake stands and throws two more, this time cutting her hands, making her drop the blade. She begins to back away as he gets closer. Eventually she backs into a rock and winds up cornered by Drake before she can move. She stares into her eyes with his own, hypnotic gaze. She drops her guard suddenly and feels numb. "Red, snap out of it! Use your hood!" Yells her grandmother. Drake glances over at the old woman, freeing Red's mind for a moment. As he reaches inside of his cloak and throws a dagger at her, Red throws up the cloak of her hood with her arm, catching it in the dense cloth. Then she wraps the cloak around Drake's head and jumps around him, kicking him in the back as she pulls her cloak back. He slams into the rock and cuts his forehead, too recieving a concussion. "At a girl."

Red stares at Drake then looks up to her grandmother. Leaf helps up the Lumberjack as Red picks up her blade. Her arms and hands are cut up and bleeding, as is the cut on her cheek. "We need to be going", Lumberjack says. "We can't be far from Wolfsbane's door."

Crook turns himself an looks further down the mountain then perks his ears and barks. He leaps from one rock to another then starts to sniff one before pawing at it. Red takes the key from the Lumberjack and climbs up onto the rock, looking for a place to place it. It isn't until she jumps down on the other side that she sees a keyhole. Placing the key inside and turning, the tumblers shift and the door in the rock opens, revealing a small room, carved into the mountain. The others soon make their way around and follow Red inside.

The room is mostly vacant. But in it is a set of make-shift beds and a chest in the corner, covered with a white sheet. Leaf removed the sheet as Red wipes away the dust, revealing a keyhole, identical to the one beloging to the door. She places the key in the hole and turns, opening the chest. Even with just a crack, Red can tell some of what's inside. The shine reaches throughout the room from inside. Opening all the way, she reveals the chest to be filled with many items, of them, her hunch was correct. Three weapons forged of silver were inside. Among the three was a shinng, silver blade that Red took as her own. There was also an axe which Leaf presented to the Lumberjack like a gift on Christmas morning, with a smile. The last was a shield made entirely with silver. The round shape and sleek design caught Leaf's eye from the moment she saw into the chest so, in a unanimous decision, the shield was given to her. Also in the box were several books, some blank, some filled, and a small black box. The books seemed to be journals Wolfsbane had written during the earliest days of survival after the Great Apocalypse. There were some others, however. The box was a mystery. However, attached to it was a note.

Whosoever holds this box has found my sanctuary from the early days of this nightmare. Right now, it's a mess. The wolves are all in the forest an the barrier keeps them there. But the mountains are dangerous too and it won't be long before I'm found by someone or something, I'm sure. If you find this, take the box to a place called The Garden of Apollo. I think it may, very well save us all.

Red began to read the letter aloud as there was more.

Also inside this chest is a set of weapons made with silver. I forsaw the wolves would somehow escape the forest some time in the future though I've no idea when. But they won't be the only things. There is something else in this vision. It's a beast is what it is but I cannot make it out. But it shares that weakness to silver. So I had these things made. The blade and axe are able to cut through absolutely anything, be it bone or steel. And the shield can take a blow from the most powerful of forces. These books are my daily recordings and some stories. If I am gone by the time you've found this, please see to it that they are put into public eye. Goodbye. Protect that box with your life.

Wolfsbane had put much emphasis on locating this garden and transporting the box but what was the connection? It didn't matter at the moment. This was urgent but too was the objective at hand. The Lumberjack picked up the box and placed it on the sheet then tied the sheet by the corners, making a carrying pouch. He placed the axe in the axe harness on his back as Leaf tied the shield to her back. Red gave the blade to the Lumberjack to store in the pouch until it was needed.

Back in the refuge, chaos once again plagues the town. The wolves rampage throughout, barking and howling. Many attack people for food as others ransack carts and street merchant booths. Wolfsbane leads several of the people into an all out battle against their ferocious foes. The clash of claws on steel creates a sound heard all around the mountain.

As Drake awakens, he is pleased to find he is still alive. But the feeling doesn't last. He soon finds that it's far darker. Looking up, he finds the Wendigo to be standing over him, snarling. "Nice doggy, good doggy", Drake says as he begins to scoot away.

Minutes later, Red and the others break away from the hidden chamber with everything they'd found inside. They barrel down the mountain, determined not to get stopped or distracted. The sound of the Wendigo's howl echoes over the mountain, over the forest, over the entire land as Red looks over her shoulder at the beast as it stands in the moonlight.