4Red did what she was best at. She ran.
She felt naked without her hood, despite her mother's reassurance that she did not need it. She had worn it since she was a little girl, it had felt like a part of her, a second skin. But she had left it behind, discarded on the floor of the den, right next to the body of her best friend.
Snow White, the runaway princess. Margaret, the girl who snuck into the chicken coop. Snow, the one who convinced her she didn't have to be a girl, or a wolf, that she could be both. Snow, who was dead. Snow, who Red had killed in a… haze while she was in wolf form. Her mother taught her how to control the wolf inside of her, but she had so much to learn before she could master it. She had killed Snow just like she had killed Peter. Because she was ignorant to what she really was.
A monster.
Red fell to her knees, her skirts doing little to keep the cold from seeping into her bones. Her arms wrapped around herself, fingernails clawing into her sleeves in some attempt to draw the pain out from her heart. Tears fell freely, dotting her skirts and getting lost in the soil. She rested against a tree and cried. Sobbed for hours. The entire day she mourned. The sun crossed the sky and eventually sunk below the horizon, the moon took its place in the dark sky and Red felt her eyes burn from the power of the wolf.
She transformed and howled at the moon. Long, mournful, sad, until she could no longer hold the note.
Another howl joined her, then another, until a whole symphony of wolves crying to the moon filled the night.
When Red opened her eyes, daylight had just started to peer over the horizon. She didn't remember falling asleep and the familiar weight of her red cloak covered her body, she didn't remember that either.
Red sat up and saw her mother sitting on the ground beside her, the sun lit up her dark eyes. Anita smiled softly and placed a hand on Red's shoulder. Red leaned against her mother, no words were said, they simply sat until Red stopped crying.
"I thought I had control… I-" Red had gone through it over and over again in her head. Snow had come to the den, she had sought out her friend, the Queen's knights had found them and the whole den had attacked. Quinn had gotten an arrow to the shoulder, it just barely missed his heart. When Red had transformed back into a girl, she saw Snow's body laying on the ground and her blood was on Red's hands. She didn't know she had lost control, but she did.
"It takes time, my love," Anita stroked at her daughter's hair. "And heartbreak, but you will learn, I promise."
"Snow was my family…"
"Like a sister to you, I know." Anita pulled her close. "But you have a whole family waiting for you back at the den. Return to them, wolves mourn together."
Red wiped her tears away with the palm of her hand. "Quinn, is he-"
"Quinn is fine, he is already healing. Come, let us return."
Anita helped her daughter up and tied the strings of her red hood around her shoulders, as much as she insisted that Red did not need it, the comforted look on her daughter's face when it hung on her shoulders gave Anita enough reason to let her keep it.
When they returned to the den, Red noticed the bodies of the black knights piled in a cart. Quinn, who had a white bandage peaking out from under the collar of his black shirt, held onto the reigns of a horse. A surge of relief went through Red's chest and she ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, nearly forgetting about his wound. He groaned from the pain but returned the embrace. Anita looked on from a distance.
"I'm glad you aren't dead." Red smiled, letting him go, although her hand reach up to touch his cheek. When she realized that, she quickly pulled it back. He caught it and held onto her hand for a moment.
"I am glad that you are okay."
She hoped he didn't see her blush too much, so she turned her head and looked at the black pile of corpses. "Where are you taking the bodies?"
"They will be taken far and burned, or buried." Anita told her. "They may have been enemies, but they deserve a send off, it is our way."
"And Snow's?" Red asked, her eyes lingering on a body laying seperate from the rest, carefully wrapped in white.
"She will be buried with our own kind. You should rest, I can take you to the graveyard tomorrow, my dear." Anita touched Red's cheek and pointed to another woman coming out from the den. "Lucia, could you take my daughter below and help her clean up? Red, Quinn and I be back after we have taken care of the bodies."
Red realized she still had Snow's blood on her skin and sticks and dirt in her hair. Lucia, a tall, dark skinned woman, took Red's hand and led her to the entrance of the den. She took one last look at her mother, wanting to beg to go with them to bury Snow, but her mother's smile and firm gaze seemed to push her below.
The horse and cart did well enough in the rough path of the woods, but once they had gotten to the main road, Anita was glad they could quicken the pace. The smell of dead bodies made her nose itch.
"It seems my daughter has become quite taken with you," Anita broke the silence and settled her eyes on Quinn. "You are the one who found her, and for that I am grateful, I need you to make sure she never finds out the truth."
Quinn nodded "She's going to be a very powerful wolf, once she reaches maturity."
Anita couldn't help but smile, Red's wolf blood was the most potent she had seen in years. Her mother had ruined her plans when she had taken Red away from her after she gave birth, Anita didn't even have time to name her daughter before Granny had whisked her away. It was clever, naming her Red, giving her the colorful cloak, wrapping her in superstition as if it would keep her powers at bay. But now Red found her way back to her, as easy to mold as clay.
"That is why we must keep her on our side. I will not be able to keep a hold on her for long, there is only so much a mother can do. But a lover…"
Quinn's eyes widened, but quickly settled into understanding. "Yes, mi'lady"
"When we return to the homeland, things will change very quickly." Anita's smile grew as they passed over the final hill and the Queen's castle became a visible beacon in the distance. They drew closer and Anita could feel Quinn's anxiousness.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
They had reached the gates and Anita could see the army of guards poised to fire arrows should they take a misstep. "Trust me, Quinn. Her Majesty and I are… old friends."
"Halt!" A guard called from atop of the wall. "Who are you to seek entrance into the castle?"
Anita took a single step forward. "I am Lady Anita of Vilkas, an old friend of Her Majesty. I think she will be more than eager to accept my presence."
It took very little time after the guard had disappeared for the front gates to open. Anita and Quinn entered into the courtyard and were met by none other than Queen Regina herself.
"Anita," The Queen's welcome was cold, but filled with interest as her eyes laid on the cart full of her dead knights. "To what do I owe this pleasure."
"Your Majesty," Anita bowed, her skirts sweeping across the stone. "I have come to give you a gift." Anita turned and gestured to Quinn, who held the white-wrapped body in his arms.
Anticipation fluttered over Regina's face as Quinn lightly set the body before her feet and uncovered the head. Snow's face was ghastly white, the sheen of death, and blood had stained the bottom of her chin. Regina's lips quivered in a smile as she bent down and grasped Snow's face in her hands, her nails dug into her cheeks enough to draw blood, had it been able to flow freely.
"I… I can hardly believe it." Regina smiled, what seemed to be pure and ferocious joy radiated from her body.
"Your men had tracked her to our den, but it was my daughter that ended the princess's life. There were some casualties on both sides, but I have returned your men as a token of good faith." Anita was sure Regina had heard her, but the queen took several moments to stare into the cold face of Snow White.
"Oh, my dear friend," Regina said, not taking her eyes off of Snow's corpse. "You have done more for me today then- Come!" Regina stood up and extended her arm to Anita. "We will have a drink and discuss the terms of your payment- your reward.
Anita followed close to Regina. "I only have one request, and only one term that I will accept."
"So very straightforward. Go on."
"I would like the return of Vilkas."
Regina's brow raised. "I am afraid I haven't the faintest idea of what that is."
"Few do, as there are not many people alive who have heard the term outside of old musty history books." Anita explained. "Vilkas is land, to the south, it's borders are rather… blurred, but many years ago it was a kingdom of it's own, a kingdom of werewolves to be exact. It was the only thing that separated the your land and the Great Dirweyr."
"That I know of, Dirweyr and it's monsters were purged centuries ago." Regina said.
Anita nodded. "What everyone forgets is that Vilkas was the cost of the purge. Vilkas was weakened and the ruler of the Enchanted Forest thought us to be soulless creatures to be slaughtered. He attacked, Vilkas fell, and it's people scattered in fear of their lives. It is nothing but overgrown land and ruins but I would like it back."
Regina had stopped and turned to face Anita. "You want back an old, destroyed kingdom for your dogs?"
Anita straightened up, her face darkening "There have been sightings of creatures near the border of Dirweyr. The humans have forgotten the horrors of that dark place but we have not."
"You talk about Vilkas and the Dirweyr as if you were there…" Regina met Anita's gaze. The wolf woman's eyes were heavy with experience, in the same way Rumplestiltskins were. Seconds passed as Regina's recognized a simple truth.
In the next instant, Anita broke the silence "I think you'll find it to be a beneficial arrangement. It may take a few years to rebuild, but once it does? You'll gain a solid ally, protection against the Dirweyr and should you wage war, an army of werewolves at your service would be… a great advantage." Anita cooly lowered her head to the queen, who returned with a sharp smile of her red lips.
"But of course…" Regina's hand twitched in the air and grand doors opened at her command. "Let us have a drink, to celebrate."