my, what red hair you have!

the better to stand out with, my dear.

Once upon a time, there was a woman with a hooded cloak as red as blood. She wore it in hopes that its captivating color would distract onlookers from her similarly shaded hair underneath. Since she was young, her friend had always told her that red was the color of fate, and she did not take too lightly to those that thought otherwise. Whether it became a spectacle to behold in a commoner's view, or a rarity to be had from a noble's inconsequential thirst, she obscured her precious locks of hair from the outside world, and gave them all a fabricated crimson to be satisfied with, instead.

They called her "Little Red Riding Hood," although she often corrected people that her name was Shirayuki, and not the four-word-long abomination that gossipers and barmasters surmised to entertain themselves with. Still, she was rather well known, and because of that she could not indulge in public transport as much as she could. Very often, Shirayuki would take a road less traveled upon, and make the most of her journeys on foot. Quite literally, she walked through the woods with trepid feet and softer resolve—but nevertheless, a fiery steel tempered in her name as she headed forward, unfalteringly so.

On the other side of the Clarines Forest, there was a young man named Zen Wistalia. He was Shirayuki's friend since childhood, but more importantly he was someone that she could rely on. It was no secret that the two of them were in love with each other, but their busy lives often kept them apart. Zen was the heir to a throne in the kingdom of Clarines, whose only business in the Forest and nearby Shirayuki's home village was to visit his sickly mother, or vacation in the secluded mountains. Shirayuki, on the other hand, was a village apothecary and herbalist that constantly sought to better herself. Her recent admission of an official title from the kingdom's pharmacy gave her more credibility than before, and in turn, those that were obsessed with her found their feelings increased by tenfold.

Their different lives made them busy most of the time, and despite their intense feelings of love for each other, they could not seek out a proper relationship. So they made the most of the instances in time where they could see each other, and Shirayuki crossing the Clarines Forest on a frequent basis was an example of such a thing. She held a wire basket in her hands, one that was half full of food and drink, with the other half consisting of herbs and her travel journal's notes. She bade goodbye to her friendly neighbors and the village cats before making her way, and she was oh-so-sure that nothing could stop her from seeing Zen.

She did not count on a golden pair of eyes following her every move along the way. Nor did she anticipate to hear an occasional echo of noise—breaking branches, snapped twigs, rocks tumbling—behind her every ten steps or so. While she could be oblivious at times, Shirayuki knew that she was being followed. She turned on her heels, and stared at the evergreen foliage behind her, waiting for something to reveal itself from the underbrush.

It never did, and so she hurried her pace along even more. She desperately thought to herself that she wasn't scared, necessarily, but rather she was just nervous that she was making Zen wait too long. The sooner she could leave the forest, the better. Her hands were shaky as she clasped the handle of the basket closer to herself, and she tried not to think about the sweat accumulating beneath her hood and behind her neck as a result.

Shirayuki made it to a clearing when she bravely decided that she needed a rest. While the fear and anxiety should have kept her running, she did not feel the presence of the strange force behind her anymore, and she figured that at this point, she was safe. But just to be sure, she hiked herself up onto the lowest branch of a hanging tree—putting a good distance between herself and the rest of the forest—and let her feet dangle in the air as she admired the natural view before her.

Her slender fingers drummed against the lid of the picnic basket, before they gave into temptation and flipped the lid up completely. She ran her fingers through the ensemble of food she had with her, before she decided on a round, sweet shape that conformed to her very grasp.

It was a crisp, red apple. She brought it out from the basket, and put it to her lips where she bit off a juicy part. The sound was sharp and delicious, making her more satisfied than the actual taste of the apple itself. Nevertheless, this little snack was enough to satiate her, and she held the half-eaten core in one hand, while the other hand rested in her lap as she remained perfectly content in the trees. It never occurred to her that she might want to hurry up, because all the fear from before faded away and was replaced by awe for Mother Nature, and all she had in store for Shirayuki. From the greenest grass to the earthen oak trees, everything was colorful and beautiful in this forest, and it made sense why Zen's mother would choose to retire in a peaceful location like this.

Just as she was about to hop off the branch, she heard a rustling noise behind her. Suddenly aware of her current location, Shirayuki tossed the half-eaten apple back into the basket, and swung the handle over her shoulders. Then she scaled the tree higher and higher, until she found herself perched on a branch that kept her out of view from onlookers, and hidden away safely in the cluster of green leaves. The noises did not stop, however, and so she held her breath as she waited for the offender to disappear.

Five minutes passed, and she heard nothing. No rustling, murmuring, shouting, singing, or any other noise that indicated someone might be following her. No howling, chirping, or chattering from any forest creatures that might have had their eyes on her. And there was nothing like the divine word of the Gods, or the maddening whispers of forest fairies to drive her away. All was silent, and Shirayuki sighed to herself in relief.

As she was about to bring herself down to the lower branches below, she heard something hollowly ring, and then turn into a dull thud right next to her. She glanced for only a second, but there was no doubt in her mind when she saw it.

An oaken arrow shaft, buried into the bark of the tree—only a mere inch away from her skin. Shirayuki had no time to scream as she tumbled down from the tree, ducking and scrambling as a short flurry of arrows began to fly in her direction.

Her basket was miraculously unharmed throughout this whole ordeal, but her limbs painfully moved after making rough contact with the ground upon falling. She was glad that she decided to wear pants on this fine morning, because she could already envision the difficulty of scraped knees without them. Still, she had no time to dwell on the pleasantries. There was a hunter nearby, and for some reason they mistook her for some sporting animals, seeing as their arrows were still soaring in the air at her. Shirayuki pulled at her hood for good measure, and began to run even faster.

All the while, the hunter behind her called out, "Stop running! I won't hurt you if you cooperate!"

That sounds like a wonderful idea, she thought to herself sarcastically. But no thank you! "Stay away from me! Leave me alone!"

"No can do, girly! Hair as red as yours would sell for so much on the market! Just give up and you won't get hurt!"

"As if!"

Shirayuki continued to defy the strange hunter, for she knew that his words were loaded with lies and only lies. This was not the first time that something like this happened, either. Many people were obsessed with her, and usually they tried to pull off stunts like kidnapping her on a nearly monthly basis. The first time that ever happened. Zen came to her rescue, and then several occasions after that. But she could not always rely on him in dire times, could she? After all, he was only staying in town for another day before he had to go back to the kingdom. If she did not successfully rendezvous with him now, then she will not be able to see him at all until next time.

And if this hunter was so insistent on capturing her and taking her to the black market, then there might not even be a next time.

Her blood surged with adrenaline, and Shirayuki decided that she needed to do more than just put distance between herself and her pursuer. If she leads him to Zen's mother's home, then she could endanger the lives of both the crown prince and the queen of Wistal, which was one of the last things she wanted. But she also did not want to turn back and go back to the village, since she already traveled so far away from it in the first place. So the only solution she could think of was a simple one.

She made a sharp turn in another direction, ducked her head down, and ran with all her speed and might. The wind picked up around her, and part of Shirayuki felt warm and triumphant, as she was sure that this would be the last that the hunter saw of her.

Unfortunately, she made a mistake somewhere in her calculations, and the rough surface of rope met her soft skin much too quickly. Then her feet were obstructed by some unknown weight, and she tumbled over herself in a disgraceful manner. Her basket bounced out of her grasp, and then out of her sight completely as it disappeared behind a large rock. Her arms twisted awkwardly, and were unable to break the front-facing fall that she was forced to have.

Shirayuki was caught in a hunter's trap, somehow, and turned red out of anger and shame mixed into one. His footsteps echoed loudly in her ears, and rough hands reached out to caress her errant strands of red hair, after he pulled off the hood that obscured her hair in the first place. She burned at his touch, and tried to writhe away, but the netting around her body and the weights around her feet prevented her from moving more than a few inches.

He laughed loudly above her. "I told you to cooperate, didn't I? Now look at you, you went and got all hurt on me. At the very least, your hair's still in tact, so you'll still sell well on the market…"

"No, stay away from me, you creep! You're not taking me anywhere!"

As much as she tried to escape on her own, and as much as she thrashed and flailed to repel his hands from further making contact with her body, she could do nothing to stop his obsessive gaze. Nor could she do anything to free the restrictions on herself.

He laughed again, the sound ringing hollowly in her ears. "You're right, girly. I'm not taking you just anywhere—I'll take you everywhere tonight. How does that sound?"