Little Red Hooding Ride

By Crystal Benson

*~* This is the story of Little Red Hooding *~*

     I'm not your typical childhood girl.  I thought I was born from normal parents but will soon find out the truth before I'm ready.  After school each day I like to wander into the forest for long walks.  

     My mother was not who I thought and I lived with my father.  He is always concerned knowing I walk near 'The Demon Forest' and occasionally beyond the warning signs. 

     The Demon Forest has seven borders, all of which are clearly marked with warning signs not to cross over.  However, there should have been one warning me to protect my heart. 

     Falling in love with a wolf-shifter and his family was never in my plans, but sometimes romance happens, and so does heartbreak.

 

     Follow Red, as she faces tragedy involving demons and unworldly creatures.  She must face a future filled with the unknown before she realizes her true love.

     Will she ever live happily ever after?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crystal Benson
• Release date: Feb 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393162254

Crystal Benson

Crystal Benson is the middle child of seven children. She was born in Lancaster, California but raised mostly in Illinois and Iowa. She has lived in Iowa, Arizona, California, and New Jersey. She attended school in Moville, Iowa at Woodbury-Central School and in Kingsley, Iowa at Kingsley-Pierson High School. She has worked as an Administrative Assistant and as a Front Desk Supervisor at two different Hotel Establishments. She was never an avid reader until while traveling she picked up a book from a campground library due to boredom. She has been reading books ever since. She now lives in Arizona and misses her traveling days.

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Crystal Benson

All rights reserved.  No part of this book is to be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the author’s written permission except for use in any review.

This book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are fictitious.  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or establishments is entirely coincidental.

Copyright Case # 1-8479192181

Copyright © 2020 by Crystal Benson

Originally Published by KDP

Re-edited.  Republished by KDP

Photo by Pixabay

ISBN-13: 979-8606415281

ASIN: B0849PLXCP

Acknowledgments:

My friends – All of them, who have been very supportive of me in all of my writings.

My PA – Terra James, for all her help in posting for my books and who has also helped in getting this paranormal romance book started.

My friend – Louise, for greatly assisting me with my editing skills in this book.

A BOOK FOR THE PERSON who writes it is like her child.  It has her personality, her features, and has to be written the way she wants it to be told.  Those who have never written a book would never understand the true feeling.

Thanks a bunch for reading, it’s a great hobby.  If you enjoy reading this book, well I’m like all the other authors out there.  Will you please tell a friend or leave a review? 

Dedication:

To my sister, DESIREE

I HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED UP TO HER

WITH ADMIRATION AND LOVE.

SHE HAS A LOVE FOR WOLVES

AND THIS NOVEL IS FOR HER.

I LOVE YOU SIS!

*~* This is the story of Little Red Hooding *~*

I’m not your typical childhood girl.  I thought I was born from normal parents but will soon find out the truth before I’m ready.  After school each day I like to wander into the forest for long walks. 

My mother was not who I thought and I lived with my father.  He is always concerned knowing I walk near ‘The Demon Forest’ and occasionally beyond the warning signs. 

The Demon Forest has seven borders, all of which are clearly marked with warning signs not to cross over.  However, there should have been one warning me to protect my heart. 

Falling in love with a wolf-shifter and his family was never in my plans, but sometimes romance happens, and so does heartbreak.

Follow Red, as she faces tragedy involving demons and unworldly creatures.  She must face a future filled with the unknown before she realizes her true love.

Will she ever live happily ever after?

CHAPTER  ~ 1 ~

Once upon a time in The Demon Forest, a pretty young girl named Red Hooding came upon an abandoned hunters shack.  Red walked this path several times in the past, but somehow never recalled seeing this small building before today.  She approached slowly and was leery about looking inside.  Red took a deep breath and heard the door screech as she pushed it open.  Red peeked inside, and through the darkness was horrified at what she saw...

*~* This is the story of Little Red Hooding *~*

I see a shadowed figure is crouched down low in the far corner against the back wall.  The only light to see inside is from the doorway which I am now blocking.  A thin light beam is shining nearby coming in through the tattered roof.  The creature moves slightly enough to show the long claws and sharpened teeth, but I can't see the eyes on the figure.  There is nothing to determine if it is male or female or even the size of it from the distance between us.  The creature starts to moan and I don't know if it is injured for me to step forward to help or maybe I should wait until the hunter returns.  Where the mouth is supposed to be, is a gaping maw which is emitting the most disturbing moan I’ve ever heard in my life.  It starts to scratch at the floor as if speaking for me to come closer, but should I... or not?

Do you need some help?  I speak to the horrid looking thing with a shaky whisper while asking myself the same question.  As I take one foot forward, the door slams shut behind me.  I don’t know whether I should run or not, but my heart is now beating a rapid rhythm in my chest.  I try to swallow but almost choke on my spittle.  My short life flashed before my eyes and I think I may even faint, but I am afraid of what will happen if darkness falls upon me now.  I wipe my brow with a trembling hand, as the sound of nails being scraped across the wooden floor penetrates my ears.  I am afraid to take my eyes off the hooded figure to see what is causing the wretched sound.  I turn and reach for the doorknob and at this instant sense it coming up behind me and now feel its hot breath whisking the hair away from my neck.  Just as my hand wraps around the doorknob I feel its claws starting to dig into my neck, and I know I have to run.  

I tear the door open and I am about to break into a dead run when I feel a piercing pain in my left side.  The Huntsman on the horizon misses the arrow shot for the animal and hits me instead.  The force of the arrow shooting into the air pushes me back up against the outer wall of the shack.  The missed calculation of the arrow causes the creature to escape deeper into the forest, while I still manage to stagger to a tree nearby for the hunter to shoot again.  I take a glance down at my side, as I am catching my breath against the tree.  My warm, enriched blood drenches my favorite yellow dress at the entrance site of the arrow.  In my now weakened state, I don’t know if I have the strength to remove it or not.  The next arrow flying through the air misses the animal altogether again.  When I look up to see where the hunter is, I am shocked to see him run after the creature instead of coming to my much needed medical assistance. 

I decide I need to run for different help but know I can't get very far with an arrow stuck into my side.  With both of my hands now covered in blood, I grab a hold of the shaft.  I take a deep breath and with gritted teeth, I yank the arrow out in one swift pull.  While my breaths come in shallow gasps, I ready myself to flee.  I run the best I can towards the road knowing it will get dark soon.  I trip over several tree roots in my new staggered pathway which makes it hard for me to run a straight line.  When I finally reach the clearing of the road, I look down and I see...

The Huntsman is lying on the pavement in a broken, bloody heap.  From what I see, he could be the same man who shot me, but how would he get back here.  He doesn't even look human as the creature had ripped his skin from his body with his internal organs spilling out everywhere onto the ground.  I have to slam my hand over my mouth to stifle an oncoming scream.  I don’t need to bring any unwanted attention to myself or the area.  I slowly step back and then turning around I run into...

This brick wall of a creature is even scarier than what I saw in the abandoned shack.  I can't control the terror which takes up residence in my beating heart.  I break into a full run fueled by overwhelming adrenaline which plows me deeper into the dark forest.  I’m afraid to turn my head to look back in fear of tripping over more tree roots to get farther away.  I take a quick look behind me, but then when I look forward again, I suddenly halt my footing.  I am forced to come to a dead stop when before my tearing eyes I see...

A wall of fog has now blocked my view and has also surrounded me.  I wonder where these low clouds came from when before I turned to look behind me, they were not here.  Through the grayness, I can start to hear soft growling, but it soon becomes louder.  I can begin to smell my sweat and I’m aware my sense of fear is also lingering in the thick air which is wrapped all around me.  The red blood on my hands has now dried to a crimson color.  I know my wound in my side left droplets behind me and now gathering at my feet.  I feel helplessly weak and can’t think fast enough of what should be my next move.  I hear a harsh male voice behind me, but as I twist around to see who it is, I lose my balance and fall to the moist ground.  I feel the thunder of the ground move under me knowing the man is nearing me.  Is he coming to help me or the leader of the mystery growlers?  My eyes begin to close but not before I see his feet encased in...

The whitest of all fur I have ever seen is wrapped around his boots.  As I feel my soul drifting into a dark place, I wonder if this is what occurs when one begins to die a slow death.  I feel my body being carefully lifted off the ground and up into the air, and my first thought is angels have come to take me to heaven.  I am jostled as I’m cradled but still held firmly as not to be dropped.  I start to feel the warmth of a body near mine and now realize the man is carrying me close to his chest.  I’m also sensing now he is walking further into the forest with the sound of branches snapping under his feet as he walks.  My eyes creep open to a slit but can only see the darkening sky through the movement of the trees.  I try to get a glimpse of the man‘s looks, but he has an abundance of hair covering his face.  I wonder if he is a bearded Huntsman or one of the creatures now roaming these woods.  He sees my mouth opening to speak, but from him, I hear a deep grumble.  I feel his musky breath forcing my eyes closed once more and I decide to wait for a later time to speak.

When I open my eyes again, I’m no longer in the man’s caring hold, but stared at by three wolf pups sitting quietly at my side.  I’m almost afraid to move from this pile of straw that I feel starting to poke me in all directions.  I’m assuming these small animals were on security detail to warn their mother or leader when I wake up since one walked away now.  I start to sit up and the two remaining pups softly howl which startles me.  As I suddenly jerk away, I feel the pain from my wound has subsided since the first sting of the arrow.  

I look across the room to see the pup that walked away had gotten the attention of a gray-haired old woman.  She is at a table under the light of a kerosene lantern similar to the one which my father once owned.  She has her back towards me and is facing the wall and as I slowly scoot myself up to a sitting position.  I hear her speak some words but in a very frightening way.  She says, I would advise you to keep your ass in bed until my son returns with...

The old woman’s words freeze on her tongue as the door bursts open and ‘The Mother of all Wolves’ enters the home.  The huge she-wolf glances in my direction and gives me a snarl before strutting across the floor.  She walked through the doorway before the man and she must be the mother of the wolf pups guarding me with caution.  When she gets herself settled on the pallet of blankets in another corner, all three of the pups run to her for nurturing.

The other huge being entering must be the man who carried me here to safety and who the old woman claims to be her son.  I cannot see his face due to the dark hooded jacket which he is wearing until maybe he gets closer to the light across the room.

I start to stand as I originally planned earlier and still neither of these two people has spoken much to me.  I think now is a good time to strike up a conversation since I seem to be ignored.

Continue to lie down and be still until you have completely healed.  Those words came from across the room but this time from the man who also is not facing me.

The thoughts going through my head are: How do they know what I’m doing?  They are not even looking at me.  I need to ask them some questions, but do I dare?  Where am I and who are they?  Why do they have wolves here, in this place which looks like a cabin?

I watch the old woman stand and now see she has wings of an angel and walks to the stove to lift the lid on a pot in which the meaty aroma drifts to where I am sitting.  I’m very hungry now and in their home, so I hope they have enough food for me to have a bowl too.  Scooting back up against the wall instead of lying down I get up the nerve to say something.

Excuse me kind people, but can you answer a few questions for me?  I don’t understand why I wasn’t taken to the hospital. 

I take a deep breath as they both turn around.  I’m surprised at the look of what they show as they glare back at me.  It’s hard to believe and I must be dreaming because of looking at the old woman with gray hair.  She has the most flawless looking skin I ever saw and I’m quite the distance from her across the room.  How can she be the mother of this man when she looks not much older than I am?  She must be a witch, oh my, can she read my thoughts?  I need to speak out loud so I can keep track of what they hear, but I’ll have to wait.

The woman speaks first, Dear Red, you must be hungry, would you like a bowl of my Hasenpfeffer?

Oh my, yes please, I love rabbit stew!  I hear a growl, but feel it rumbling from inside me.  I hadn’t eaten anything since before my walk through the forest, and I’m not sure how long ago that was.  My father must be so worried about me since I’ve been gone for some time and I’m sure he has his men looking for me.

As the woman walks towards me, I can see better now her looks are of a beautiful age much like my mother's face was before her death several years ago.  At first, I also thought this woman was glaring at me, but I soon realize she is blind.  The discoloration of her eyes is still astoundingly mesmerizing.

After she hands me the bowl along with a spoon, I say, Thank you for this meal.  Before I take a bite of this stew, I want to ask her a question.  How did you know my name when I can see you, but I know you cannot see who I am at all?

It is true I am blind, but I can reach you by the smell of the fear rising from your soul, my dear.  My name is ‘Alizon’ and I am not a witch nor do I read minds.  My son, ‘Alatar’ already told me much about you when he brought you here to heal.  ‘Asena’ and her wolf pups over there... she tips her head in the direction of the huge she-wolf and points to where they are resting, ...are best left to themselves and undisturbed.  Alizon turns to walk away, then says, Eat up Red, before the stew gets cold and the pups decide they need more than their mother’s milk to fill their empty stomachs.

I eat the stew which is better than I have ever made myself.  I wonder if the woman put in some special herbs to give it the zing which still lingers on my taste buds.  With all of the bottles on the shelves near the stove, she must collect many forest plant leaves, then dry them out or ground them down as spices.

The man still hasn’t turned his head in my direction since he stepped foot in this home except to glare at me when I asked a question.  He did remove the outerwear which he walked in wearing, but is still a mysterious looking creature of a man.  He pulled up a chair to the table and his mother served him a bowl of stew and poured him a goblet of ale.  He ate slower than me, but his mother may have given him a second helping or even a bigger bowl than mine.  I was just too busy shoving the food into my mouth to stifle my growls to notice their movements.

Looking across the room, they are both still seated and since I am very grateful for their hospitality, I want to return my empty bowl to the sink.  As I pass by Asena, she lets out a soft moan and gets the attention of the man.  Alatar angles his head towards me and as he leaps up, his chair goes flying back behind him.  Being startled by his movements I feel a twitch in my side and grab ahold of the sink to steady myself from the pain.  I almost drop the bowl to the floor but he catches it in one hand and places it in the sink.  His other arm went around my waist as I start to descend to the floor but then I hear, Red, did I not tell you to be still until you are healed?  I am quickly lifted once again by Alatar as he is carrying me back to the straw bed where I was when my eyes first opened for the day.  As I look up into his face I notice how he is now clean-shaven and has the darkest eyes I ever saw.  Maybe I misunderstood his earlier fur-lined hood with a beard, but I see the glare in his eyes is still the same.

How do you know who I am?  I ask him while still clinging to his arms because I don’t want to let go until I get some answers.  Are you the same Huntsman who shot me with the arrow and then tracked me down in the mysterious fog?  I start to feel woozy and it’s a combination of his musky odor and his meaty aroma breath.  I think I blacked out for a moment but then hit my head on the wall.  The added pain brings my attention back to life and Alatar is still holding me with one arm underneath my legs.  Ouch!  Did you do that on purpose, you big dope? 

We hear a snicker across the room.  Alatar smiles, turns towards his mother, and says, Not funny Mother.  Looking back at me and still smiling, he whispers, I’m sorry about that.  I wanted to scoot you over for me to sit and answer all your multitude of questions.

I blink twice to clear my head and ask again, Who are you people out here in the woods and how do you know me?  I never saw either one of them before, when walking through the forest or going to the village.

Alatar starts by telling me, I see you walk through this forest every day, but when you tire, you turn around and go home.  I was up on a ridge when I heard you scream.  Coming down the hill, I spotted a chewed up Huntsman on the road and assumed you saw him and started running away.  I chased after you and caught up to you in the mysterious fog, as you put it.

How were you to catch me so quickly?  I ask in wonder and not wanting to question his limp that I noticed when he came in to the cabin.  I can see a bead of sweat immersing on his forehead as if his nervousness doesn’t want to reply to me.

Red, have you ever heard of The Demon Forest and shapeshifters?  Alatar’s sweat is being held back from dripping into his eyes by a crease which goes the length of his forehead from temple to temple.  His looks make me think of a scared bunny and I start to giggle.  I can see the caring thought in his eyes how he isn’t happy to divulge this information of a story.

I apologize for the giggle and then encourage him to keep talking.  "Yes, I have