Peril

With unbelievable swiftness, the woodsman swung his mighty ax. Red tried to dodge the advance, but the blade left a mark. A long slit had been made in her dress on her abdomen. Trace amounts of blood oozed out of the cut, staining the delicate material. The damage was minimal despite the great pain it was causing.

Red covered the injury with her hand, feeling the warmth of the fresh blood coat her palm. As the ax swung away from her, she dashed forward with knife in hand. The blade sliced a nice piece of flesh from the woodsman's arm, causing him to yell from the pain. And while the blundering foe was engulfed in his own misery, Red made a mad dash towards the cottage door.

She grabbed the doorknob roughly just in time to feel a strong rush of air fly past her head. She screamed in surprise and staggered back from her escape exit. And to her dismay, the ax was now lodged in the wall and door, keeping it shut.

In panic, Red ran to the malicious weapon and strained herself to pull it loose. But its weight was far too great for a young girl to dislodge and it remained immovable.

A large shadow fell over Red. She spun herself around quickly, extending her knife in front of her.

"Take one more step and I'll have your other arm," she said bravely.

The woodsman laughed at her attempt at heroism and stepped closer. She swung her knife madly, hoping to God that it would meet flesh. But instead, she felt the vice grip of the woodsman's powerful hand clasp onto her wrist. His hold began to crush her bones and she groaned sickeningly, letting the knife drop to the floor.

"You're choice, lassie," he whispered evilly to her. "I can have you whole or in pieces."

Red shut her eyes as the pain in her wrist became unbearable. Her knees buckled underneath her and she fell, feeling the world spin around her.

The woodsman grinned at his triumph. "Good choice, darling," he said, releasing her.

Red cringed, waiting for her impending doom. But instead, the sounds of a fierce struggle ensued. Screams and grunts of bloodcurdling nature resonated in the small cottage with loud crashes and thuds following.

She opened her eyes at the sounds and nearly screamed at the sight of what was occurring.

A large, hairy creature had jumped onto the woodsman's back, wrapping its strong arms around his throat and face. Inhibited by the giant paw over his eyes, the woodsman blindly whirled about, hitting furniture and various knick-knacks, sending them crashing to the floor.

The woodman gathered up speed and rammed the large creature into a wall. The poor animal howled from the impact, but did not relinquish its hold. With crushing jaws, the beast sunk its teeth into the back of the woodsman's neck, ripping and tearing with all its might.

Blood stained the antique rug as the fight continued. Such violence Red had never seen before, and she gazed on in fright.

"Red! Get the knife," the creature called out to her as it tried to stay on. Suddenly, the woodsman reached over his head and grabbed a handful of fur. With the last of his strength, he hurled the beast over his head, sending the animal flying into a bookcase.

Red gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Her rescuer was in peril and there was nothing she could do… unless…

The woodsman held the attacker upright against the shelf and wrapped his huge hands around the beast's neck, squeezing with all his might. The animal struggled and gagged, his body trembling from suffocation.

"Back to hell with you, foul Beast," the woodsman growled loudly.

Suddenly, he stopped, finding himself short of breath. He stared wide-eyed in front of him, gasping and quivering as his face grew cold. It seemed his very life was slowly leaving him. He stumbled back a couple steps, reaching over his shoulder. He touched his back slowly and pulled his hand back. His fingers were stained crimson as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

"I think… I'm beaten," he choked out for the last time. And with that, he fell forward, landing on the floor with an earth shattering thud.

The creature looked down at the deceased human, eying the large knife sticking out of his back. And there standing before the corpse was Red, shivering in fright, her eyes glued to the bloody mess that had recently been her attacker.

She lifted her eyes and gazed upon her rescuer. "Tyrone," she said desperately, running to his outstretched arms.

She fell into his chest, exhausted and terrified. He held her close, his powerful arms comforting her as she stained his fur with tears. He shushed her softly and ran his dull claws through her hair tenderly.

"It is alright. He can not hurt you anymore," he said, his soft voice lulling her into peace.

"Thank you, Tyrone… thank you," she cried, nuzzling her face into his warm fur.

"Shhhh," he hushed her, holding her at arms length to check her for injuries. His eyes moved over her body and he gasped at the large bloodstain on her abdomen.

"Red, you are hurt," he exclaimed. With one swift motion he scooped her up into his powerful arms, carrying her to the bedroom. "You've had enough adventure for one day, little brave one…"