Once upon a time, there lived deep in the dark woods a rather large wolf. All the creatures of the wood feed him. His breath always held the stench of blood. But the wolf never liked to hunt. When he was a pup, the wolf realized he was of great strength and size. But he did not like to use it to bully and devour the smaller creatures like the rest of his pack. He felt more inclined to help the creatures. One such creature was a little girl, whom he’d often seen at the edge of the woods. He heard her mother call her Red Riding Hood.

The wolf always saw Red as being small and fragile. He often saw the hunter, his nemesis, visit Red. He seemed kind to the girl, but the wolf saw right through it. The hunter wanted to kill Red, just like he tried with all the creatures of the wood. But he never killed Red because her pack was so close. They would overwhelm the hunter in the end. But nevertheless, the wolf continued to watch over her whenever the hunter came to call.

One day, Red decided to visit her grandmother in the woods. The wolf became alarmed when learned of this. She was straying from her pack. She would be vulnerable to the hunter. Thinking quickly, he fled deep into the woods. Reaching the hunter’s cottage, the wolf destroyed as much as he could to create as much noise as possible. The hunter dashed outside with a hatchet and chased the wolf, determined to kill the creature that prevented him from hunting his quarry. The chase went on until the hunter lost the trail of the wolf. Short on breath, but still determined, the wolf went to find how deep into the woods Red had come.

The wolf found Red just as she was approaching the fork in the trail. He spoke very politely to her, asking where she was going and warning her of predators in the woods. She thanked him for his concern, though she trembled slightly in his presence. The wolf suggested she go down the Way of the Pin. But he did not tell her it was because even though it was longer, it was darker and harder for the hunter to find her. Red followed his advice and went down the path. The wolf raced down the Way of the Needle to make sure no dangers awaited her ahead. The wolf reached the cottage of Red’s grandmother, bursting through the door and finding the old woman dead in her bed. She had died in her sleep the night before. The wolf was saddened to see this, but didn’t wish to scare poor Red with this knowledge.

So the wolf devoured Red’s grandmother.

The wolf was faced with a new dilemma: How to keep Red from knowing her grandmother was dead. But the wolf was clever and dressed himself in one of the nightgowns in the wardrobe. Time passed and Red finally made it to the cottage. She entered and noticed an odd smell. But hearing her “grandmother’s” voice pushed the worry away. “Red, I’ve missed you so much. Come here and give your grandmother a hug.” But Red felt that something wasn’t right.

“Grandmother, what big ears you’ve got,” she said. The wolf replied, “All the better to hear your footsteps, my dear.” Red took a step towards the wolf, but noticed another peculiar trait.

“Grandmother, what big eyes you’ve got,” she said. The wolf replied, “All the better to see you with, my dear.” Red took another step towards the wolf, but noticed another peculiar trait.

“Grandmother, what a big nose you’ve got,” she said. The wolf replied, “All the better to smell you with, my dear.” Red took another step towards the wolf, but noticed another peculiar trait.

“Grandmother, what big nails you’ve got,” she said. The wolf replied, “All the better to reach out and touch you with, my dear.” Red took another step towards the wolf and was now within arm’s reach.

“Grandmother, what big teeth you’ve got,” she said. The wolf replied, “All the better to eat with, my dear.” But now Red could see the face of the wolf and smell the blood on his breath. She believed that the wolf would eat her just like he must’ve killed and eaten her poor old grandmother. She ran from the wolf. Confused, he pursued her. Red began to scream as she fled through the rooms of the cottage. The wolf tried to explain he was trying to protect her from the hunter, but she wouldn’t listen. Determined to make her understand, he pounced. Red looked back up at him with eyes full of fear. Saddened to her response, the wolf told Red that all he wanted was to protect her, just like he had tried to do for all the creatures of the woods. But they all fled. They all misunderstood him. And in the end, he had to eat them to protect them. He licked her cheek to show his affection and began to eat her up.

The hunter came into the cottage just as the wolf had finished devouring Red. The wolf looked at him with eyes red with rage. “This is your fault,” he snarled. “It’s your fault that I have to keep eating, to keep killing. You won’t leave us alone. You make me kill all I want to protect.” The wolf leapt into the air, his jaws aiming for the hunter’s throat. Ready for the assault, the hunter swung his hatchet. He caught the wolf’s belly as the wolf caught his throat. Both predators fell to the floor of the cottage and died.

And no one lived happily ever after