EXCOLO

"Of course," she says politely, and I take the cup from her and smile. "Have you travelled far?"

"I have travelled from the edge of the forest," I say. I hand back the cup, and show her my other hand, my right hand, as I do. The thin and stolen layers of it have hardened again, and it is black as charcoal, hollow as an egg, and cold and stiff as stone. It will be better when I can find myself another glove, at least for a while. "I hear that there is a tower, in these woods, and at its gate you may find a pool that can wash away all ills." These things are all true, although I might not have come here were it so fine a place to shake off pursuit.

"Have you lived here long?" I ask her and then the footsteps are coming clearer and I turn to the others as they arrive and I smile.

"Hello there," the woman walking the path says. She is wearing leather as well, and a cloak as bright as blood, which I find an odd thing to see displayed outside skins. "How fare you this day?"

"Well, lady," I say, and I see that she is holding a child as well as walking with one. "And you, and your daughters? Why do you travel this path?"

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There's a man wearing a nightmare cloak, and what fun that is. Soon I'll show them all what I'm wearing under my skin.

"Hello," I pipe up, as we approach. "Do you know my grandmother? I need to find her."

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kateohara.livejournal.com

The man shows me his hand, and it's as black as night. Something like that must be cursed, but I keep my face still.

"I don't know about any pool, but there are all kinds of magics in the forest," I say.

"How fare you this day?" says the woman, coming up the path.

"Well," I say, though I'm not sure I am well. The woman and the girl have red cloaks, and I think of the one behind the door of my house and I feel a little sick.

"Do you know my grandmother? I need to find her."

"No, dear," I say to the child, and I look at the woman. "Have you lost your mother?" I say. "Sit and rest," I say, nodding at a tree stump. "You all must be hungry." I step inside and find a loaf I baked this morning - and a knife. I may need it.

I come back out with the bread sliced and wrapped in a cloth. The knife is under my skirt, but I can get to it if I need to.

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Westin is the first to answer. "Well, lady. And you, and your daughters? Why do you travel this path?" Kate answer in the affirmative as well, but I am not sure she is comfortable. Ylva pipes up she needs to find her grandmother.

"I and my babe were heading to my friends house." I answer simply enough, stroking rose again, who now fusses enough to let me know she wants to be held, or wants to see what's going on now. I take her from the sling and cradle her in my arms. "This little one," I indicate to Ylva with a nod of my head. "caught up with me on the path." Rose looks about with wary curiosity. Westin is dressed so oddly, and there is something wrong with his hand. I wonder if this is more of a nightmare for him.

Kate bids us rest, and offers food. She re-appears with bread, and I wonder if it will be time to feed Rose soon. Actually, I am wondering how deeply we are sleeping...

"You are most kind, mistress." I say to Kate with a smile, rocking Rose again. "Have you lived in the forest long? Would you know where the childs grandmother may dwell?"

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"Hello," the child sings. "Do you know my grandmother? I need to find her," and I shake my head, and the woman with golden hair tells her no, and bids them rest. She goes inside and comes out with a loaf of bread. I do not hear her speaking to anyone, and I think she is alone here--at best she may have a husband or brother who is out hunting. I think her hands are likely to be quite capably strong, and the red woman's as well, since I doubt that sword is entirely for fancy.

And surely there must be an axe about, for chopping wood.

I shake my head as the red woman speaks, drawing myself back to the conversation. "I and my babe were heading to my friends house," she says. "This little one caught up with me on the path," and she nods to the girl who I suppose is not her daughter after all.

"Do you travel these woods often?" I say, suddenly hopeful. "I have heard that there is a tower somewhere inside them, and that there I may be healed." I hold up my hand by way of explanation. "Or perhaps you would know?" I add, belatedly turning to the child.

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"I have heard that there is a tower somewhere inside them, and that there I may be healed. Or perhaps you would know?"

"I know a story about the tower," I say to him, smiling sweetly. "Once upon a time there was a little girl who was born in a great tower. She spent all her days there, high in a stone room. Her mama said it was safer for her to stay there than to go out, but she was so hungry, and the world looked so sweet. She persuaded her mama to let her walk to her grandmother's house in the woods. On the way she met a wolf, and the wolf thought she was a silly little girl, so he followed her to her grandmother's house. But the girl was crafty, and she knew the wolf was bad. So she ate her grandmother to make her strong and wise, and she waited for him. The wolf saw the blood on her mouth and begged her not to chew him up, so she swallowed him whole, and there he still lives, inside her skin."

I pull back the hood of my cloak, and it pulls back skin and hair with it, little girl body peeling open, and now I am a great wolf. I bare my teeth.

"I'm still hungry," I say, little girl voice from my great mouth.

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kateohara.livejournal.com

"Have you lived in the forest long? Would you know where the childs grandmother may dwell?"

"For years," I say, and I think that's true. And then the little girl is telling a strange story, a story that makes my skin prickle, and she is -

a wolf, standing in a girlskin. I cry out, and I run the few steps back to the house, push the door open. "Inside, get inside," I cry out to the woman and the man, and the wolf licks its chops.

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"Do you travel these woods often? I have heard that there is a tower somewhere inside them, and that there I may be healed." Westin asks of me, then the girl.

"I've traveled the woods before." I say placidly, setting Rose on my shoulder to rub her little back. "But the path seems longer today, the woods seem strange." I admit. Rose turns her head to watch Ylva, who is telling a tale I should know well...

but changes as does Ylva. From sweet little waif comes a great wolf, snarling and hunger gleaming in her eyes.

"I'm still hungry,"

Kate runs to the house and cries for us to enter. I rise quickly, and somehow manage to draw my sword while keeping hold of Rose. "I am not afraid of wolves." I snarl, for it is truth. I have lain down with a more cunning wolf, and bore his cub. But still...

I am holding Rose. Once I know she's safe I can deal with this. I walk backwards towards the house, never taking my eyes off the beast as I enter the sanctuary offered.

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"I know a story about the tower," the little girl says, and I listen hopefully at first, but it quickly becomes apparent that she is telling what I believe it is a story I have heard before-- "But the girl was crafty, and she knew the wolf was bad. So she ate her grandmother to make her strong and wise,"

--alright, perhaps not exactly a story that I have heard before. Still, it occurs to me that perhaps the little girl's mother might--

"...and there he still lives, inside her skin." And then she is opening like a flower in sudden bloom, a beautiful and terrible unfolding, and then there is only the wolf, teeth to break through bones and a throat to swallow men whole, and it speaks with the little girl's voice and that does not matter, this is no true child and never was.

"I'm still hungry," she says, and I am staring in shock, and then the golden woman is running back to her cottage, calling us inside. I am sorely tempted to shut the door on the red woman, who seems to be all but sauntering back, but she is too close and if she were to try battering it open and the wolf was approaching still...

I shut the door once she is inside, though, and bar it, and lean hard against it as well. A wolf. A wolf the size of-- well, I can see why others may have been reluctant to pursue me into the forest!

"Go away," I say through the chink in the door. "Go away or I-- or your mother shall hear of this!"

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"I am not afraid of wolves."

"Then you're a fool," I say, big wolf mouth smiling, "and I'll grind your baby's bones into dust."

They all run inside and slam the door. I run up to the door, slam my body against it so it rattles, tongue lolling. And then I howl, a long sharp sound.

"Come out," I say, "or I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down."

From:

kateohara.livejournal.com

When we're inside I put on the cloak that's hanging on the back of the door. It still makes me sick to look at, but I think I need it.

The wolf throws itself at the door, which rattles but holds.

"I think we're alright for now," I say, and then the wolf says:

"I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down."

And then there's a sound like wind rising, and the walls begin to shake.

"Oh no," I say faintly. "Oh no, oh no..." And the house is flying to pieces, hard strong wind blowing, and I spread out my cloak and it makes me glide on the wind. I look down at the wreckage of my house, and I want to know if the man and the woman were blown away or if the wolf ate them, but I'm already too far up to tell, and the wind's carrying me beyond the forest (http://community.livejournal.com/estdeus_innobis/405311.html).

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The wolf-girl calls me a fool, and I only smile. It's not as if I haven't heard that before. And it can try to eat my daughter. I somehow doubt she will allow that if I fail to keep her safe.

Westin tries to make it go away by threatening to tell it's mother, and I would laugh at the absurbdity...

but the wolf knows many stories, and the wind starts to howl around the house. This dream is going from bad to horrific, and of all the days for Rose to tag along! I sheathe my sword and look my tiny daughter in the eye.

"Rose, Rose you must wake up now. It is not safe here. Please sweetling, wake up!" I beg her, my voice rising to be heard over the wind as the house shakes and rattles. She does not leave me though, merely keeps my gaze. Stay with Mother, safe. Shake my head. "It's not! Wake up and call your father to care for you if I do not follow!" I beg, knowing he will care for her if I cannot. Still, Rose remains, even as the house flys apart, even as Kate dissappears from sight...

Root cellar. I spin and find a door, throw it open and plunge into the darkness, clutching Rose to me for dear life.

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My coat has blown back in the gale, and I can hear voices, thin crying singing voices from the inside of it. I cover my face against the shatter of thatch and wood-dust, reeling backwards, and when the wind is gone I am on my knees by the open door to the cellar--really just a hole--and the wolf is there in front of me.

"You wouldn't want to eat me," I say, with a shaking voice. "Why, I'm nothing but skin, thin as an onion, and burnt besides." I show it my hand. "I wouldn't be a good meal, not for something as fine as you, I wouldn't be sweet. You could find so much better-- I could find you so much better." I run my good hand back through my hair and look up at it.

"Surely there must be something I could find you that would taste better than me? There must be stores in the cellar, something that didn't blow away, and you're such a fine--" oh dear-- "wolf. You wouldn't want to go crawling in the dirt."

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He's cringing and pleading, little nightmare man covered in others' flesh.

"I could eat you," I say sweetly, "as an appetiser, before I find something more substantial." And I grin at him with my wolfish teeth. But really, I don't want to kill him. He might wake up if he dies, and that's dull. Or he might die for real, and I don't care about that, but since he has such a wicked mind I may as well use him to make other people miserable. "I'll count to three, and you can run," I say, baring my teeth at him - and run, of course, he does. Runs and runs through the thorns and brambles, until he reaches another place (http://community.livejournal.com/estdeus_innobis/405098.html?thread=10260330#t10260330). And when he does, I turn back, for I have other things to do.

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