You stand at the mouth of a path. The woods are dark and forboding; the mist is heavy and cold. You draw your cloak around your shoulders to fight off the chill.
[[Glance at the letter in your hand]]//Little Red-
I can’t wait to see you soon; your sixteenth birthday only comes once in a lifetime. Your mother would have been so proud to see how you’ve grown.
I know you feel like you’re too old for tradition, but it would be an honor if you spent your most special birthday with me. I want to give you the gift I gave your mother; I’ve been keeping the ''locket'' safe.
Come to me soon, dear heart. And remember: don’t stray from the path. The woods are dark, and full of nightmares.
Your eternally loving
Grandmother//
You fold up the letter and tuck it in your pocket.
[[Follow the path through the woods]]The path is long and winding, but your footing is sure and you keep up a brisk pace. You think, //I'll make it Grandmother's by nightfall//- but just as the thought crosses your mind, you hear an otherworldly, heart-rending howl just outside of your sightline. A roar of pain; it sounds strangely human.
Your Grandmother's words reverberate in your head: //Do not stray off the path//.
You hesitate.
[[follow the cry deeper into the woods.]]
As you near whatever is making this horrible, pained sound, your fear mounts. You reach for the knife at your waist, its sturdy handle a comforting prescence.
You eventually break into a clearing. Your breath catches in your throat. Thrashing before you is a ''wolf''- a massive beast, imbossibly large, bristling with fangs and claws and muscle. But something is wrong; the creature looks pitiful, caught in a steel trap that is crushing its right hind leg.
The wolf notices you. Snarling, it whips its head around, ears folding back- but as it nostrils quiver, it pauses. Cocks its head. Impossibly, he speaks, in a growly, gravelly voice.
"You- you smell... familiar."
"I think I'd remember a wolf the size of a man. Keep back- I've got a knife," you respond.
"Your smells says 'friend' to me. No reason to fear."
"There is always reason to fear strange creatures in the woods- but I heard your cry as I was walking down the path."
"If you could find it in your heart to free me.... I had nearly given up hope. I would be ever grateful, my lady."
Something about the wolf's tone stirs you.
[[You decide to help free the wolf.]]
Just when you think you can't go any further, the path opens into a clearing where Grandmother's cabin lies. Exhausted, you climb the steps. Just as you reach for the handle, a voice stops you.
It's the wolf- limping just outside the clearing. It's clear he can't walk to where you're standing.
"Wait! //Don't go in there.// The woman who lives in that house- she's dangerous."
"My grandmother? I don't understand."
"She's a ruthless old witch, centuries old. She trapped me in this form, bound to the body of a beast."
//That's absurd. Impossible.// And yet...the wolf is compelling.
"Please. Listen to me. I owe you my life; let me save yours."
[[Follow the wolf.]]
[[Enter grandmother's cabin]]There's something about this wolf. His eyes. His voice. You take one last look the front door of Grandmother's cottage, then turn around, and follow the wolf into the woods.
He barely looks at you as he limps along.
Eventually, you reach a twisted, dead tree. It's massive- thick. The wolf's hackles rise as you both approach.
"This is it." He points his snout towards a dark opening in the center of the tree. "Go on in."
"Hold on. I've gone far enough. Why did you say I smelled like a friend?"
The wolf regards you. "Your grandmother is a soul-stealer- part of a loathsome coven. If my nose is right, you're the only one who can break her curse."
"If your nose is right...?"
"Your mother- your mother was Nesta, right?"
Her name hits you like a hammer to the temple. "How...?"
"Please. Enter the oak. Once you see for yourself, I'll tell you all I know."
[[You climb inside the tree.]]The inside of the tree is cool and dark. There's a rotten smell- something deep and earthy and unpleasant. Rather than bark, the ground stretches before you into some kind of hallway. You find yourself drawn forward- towards a black door hundreds of feet away. You listen- no sound on the other side. You try the door- and it gives way.
[[Enter the room]]The room looms before you: an apothecary from hell. Shelves line the walls, stacked with horrors. There are dead things, skinned and dried and plucked and stuffed; there are wicked-looking tools and devices everything you look. It's horrifying.
Lying open on a table is a leathery old book. There's a crude drawing of body in the center of a drawn circle; in the margins are scribbled notes and what looks like a moon chart. Your eyes land on an ominous passage: "//every sixteen years the ritual must be renewed. blood for a soul. heart for a heart.//" The handwriting is strangely familiar.
A chill passes over you. You frantically reach into your pocket and pull out your Grandmother's letter.
There's no doubt- the handwriting matches.
[[Gather yourself and leave the black room.]]Steeling yourself, you approach the giant predator. The wolf lets you approach; he seems tired and weak. As you lever the steel jaws of the trap open with a sturdy branch, the wolf whimpers gratefully- "Thank you."
You say: "I didn't realize a wolf could speak."
The wolf replies: "I'm a rare beast."
As he groaningly pulls his bleeding leg free, you spring back. Just in case.
"Now, be on your way, beast. I- I'm not sure what else I can do for you."
"You've done enough; I can survive from here."
"As you wish. I must make haste; my grandmother's house is still a fair distance."
The wolf cocks his head inquiringly, but you draw your cloak around you and find your way back to the path.
[[Continue along the path, picking your way through the forest]]As you hurry towards Grandmother's, you can't stop thinking about the wolf. It seemed almost noble. Fortunately, there are no further distractions on your way to the cabin in the woods.
[[You arrive at Grandmother's house]]The wolf seems sincere. His eyes are kind. But you're here for your Grandmother- to celebrate your birthday.
"I'm glad you're out of that awful trap, wolf- but you must have the wrong woman. My Grandmother wouldn't hurt a fly. Maybe I'll see you again-"
As you slip inside the cabin and pull the door shut behind you, you hear the mournful whining of the wolf and the restless rustling of leaves as he pads back and forth. He never touches the clearing surrounding the cabin. Eventually, he slinks off into the forest. You draw a shuddering breath, and look around the cabin.
[[Take in your surroundings.]]A quick glance around the room shows that Grandmother isn't home- and yet, the room is filled with hundreds of sputtering candles. As you step into the center of the cabin, your foot brushes across what feels like sand. You glance down, and notice mysterious shapes and runes drawn all over the floor.
There's a sudden sound like a flurry of wings, and then a whisper in your ear.
"//Theeeeere's// my dearie. There's my joy." You feel your Grandmother at your back and jump, startled. She continues: "I'm so happy you made it. We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to //come find you.// But now that you're here... it's time for your ''present''" She chuckles, and it sounds like the cracking of bones.
You swallow hard and turn to face her. "Grandmother...?"
She reaches into her cloack and withdraws a golden locket. "This...would have been your mother's. If she had loved me as you do. If she had //given in.//"
[["I thought she was killed by wolves."]]
Your Grandmother locks eyes with you. She slowly approaches. Her voice is low, ''hypnotic''. "I offer you the same choice I presented to her: a life of power, beauty, and endless riches. One of comfort, free from worry."
You stumble backwards. "I don't understand- you've been lying to me all these years?"
Her eyes are black. There are shadows moving, around her edges. "//Every sixteen years. A soul from our bloodline. That is the bargain we made.//"
As your Grandmother reaches out to towards, locket dangling from her clawed grip, you instinctively draw your knife. She stops, grinning.
"You think that pigsticker can stop me?"
[[Slash.]]
[[Shove.]]Quick as lightning, you slash at your Grandmother's outstretched hand. She's not expecting this- she yelps, and draws her hand back. The ''locket'' clatters to the ground. You snatch it, and bolt out the door.
As you rush towards the forest, you hear your Grandmother's voice rising in a furious scream behind you.
[[Escape into the forest with the locket.]]Just as your Grandmother's hands are about to reach you, you plant your feet and give her a mighty __shove.__ She's not expecting this; she topples with an "Ack!" She drops the ''locket'' and you snatch it off the ground as you hurl yourself towards the door.
As you race across the clearing towards the forest, you hear her scrambling to her feet and calling after you: "//You can run, dearie. But I'll find you. I'll find you.//"
[[Escape into the forest with the locket.]]You run. You run until you can't run any further. As you collapse under a tree, you glance at the ''locket'' in your hand. You think to yourself: //I'm sorry, mother. I'll make it right.//
The end.As you crawl out of the dead tree, the wolf is waiting for you. He takes in your ashen face and trembling hands. He speaks softly, but matter-of-factly as he limps towards a particular tree.
"I imagine you have questions." As he speaks, he claws at the ground.
You wrap your arms tightly around yourself. "I'm not sure what to think. I... I don't even know what I saw in there."
"She preys on us. The whole wood. There are few of us left who can stand against her."
"I'm not sure what I can do-" Your thought is interrupted as the wolf drops a wrapped parcel at your feet. "What's this...?"
[[Unwrap the parcel.]]
Your heart stops. You'd recognize that locket anywhere. The wolf takes in your face as you study the jewelry.
"Nesta's daughter. What big eyes you have. You should have this. Come with me, and I'll tell you everything."
The end.