The sun had dropped under the horizon nearly an hour earlier and the fog rolled in so thick Red could barely see the forest that surrounded her. Every step was precise, every twist and turn had to be perfect, otherwise she would have a face full of cold bark shoving her onto the ground. She couldn't afford that, one false step and the mob carrying silver tipped arrows would come down on her like a frenzy. They were faster than the normal mob. Fast, mean, well equipped...

They were lead by a bona fide werewolf hunter.

A man who was boasting about his hunts in the tavern of the town Snow and Red were staying in for the night, he had come across the sea after hearing about the wolf monster that had been terrorizing the mountain villages. He had yet to make it to Red's home village, and she had silently scoffed at the thought of his soon arrival there, only to have missed her, only to have to track her down. If there was one thing she was good at, it was covering her tracks. For her sake, and Snow's, she had to be. Despite the vibrant color of her cloak, most just passed her off as a young gal with a particular sense of fashion. No one really noticed her.

But he could smell her. His face went from a satisfied boast to a look is discontent and disdain as his nose wrinkled and his lips went up into a snarling pinch. Wet dog, he muttered. His pale face rose into the air and his eye's latched onto hers faster than she could turn away.

She didn't even have time to go warn Snow, although she knew her friend would be okay. Red had been teaching her everything she knew, how to hunt, how to run, how to knit. She would be fine on her own... She hoped.

At the very least, she drew a large crowd away from the village, maybe giving Snow some time to slip away. This man... the hunter, he basically rallied everyone with in a shouting distance and Red could barely get across the street before the masses assembled. He was fast, nearly caught up to her, she could feel the edges of her cloak being pinched by fingers who could almost get a grip.

She had never been so thankful for fog in her life. Beautiful, cold, thick fog that she alone could navigate through without much trouble. It was slow, but sure enough the mob was loosing speed, loosing members as one by one they were taken out by still nature itself. The frozen, snowless ground made sure no one could follow her tracks. Her lips tightened into a smile as she continued to run. The forest was her domain, her own sanctuary. It would protect her, it always had.

The even ground became jagged, twisted and gnarled, it made for a fun turn of events for Red. The trees were massive, growing larger and larger as she ran further into the heart of the forest, a place only real hunters would tread. Far enough in where screams would just be lost in leaves and the largest of prey and predators walked about. The heart of the forest. Red picked up speed and jumped as high as she could, her fingers just barely grabbing onto the small knot in the middle of the tree and without a single thought or hesitation, she pressed her legs back and launched herself back out, her arms wrapped around the lowest branch she could get. She continued to climb until she could comfortably hide within the branches.

She slowed her breathing and looked down below, her gathered cloak in one hand, a sturdy branch in the other. A single torch glowed below, cutting through the fog like a beacon. She could hear him, the hunter and a smaller boy who walked next to him. Two souls.

"How could we just loose her, that nauseating smell doesn't just disappear, damn mutt." His voice carried, low and full of anger, the sound itself seem to crawl right into her ears and push itself down her throat. She swallowed it as her own lips snared. Just who was this man...

He continued, standing still and twisting his head back and forth, as if he was lost. "All I smell is..."

"Salt." The young voice piped, even more loud in Red's ears, causing a sharp ringing to cut through her head.

"Must be her doing, she lead us here... Come, let's go back, boy. As soon as she exits the forest, I shall get her scent again."

Red was taken back and her grip on the tree tightened. She had many people hate her. She used to hate herself just as much, but the voice... his voice. He had much more than hatred. It was nearly poisonous, simply hearing him speak made her own heart suddenly twist and pinch in pain. She watched from above, watched the pair take their steps back to the village, as much confidence in their steps as her own. No one just knew the forest like she did, not without living here. This hunter was from another land, across the sea. How did he know his way back? Although, the real question was...

Why did he smell salt?

Red didn't even notice it at first. It wasn't until she purposely took a sharp inhale through her nose that her senses were suddenly bombarded with the smell of salt. It was a foreign smell, not of the salt she was familiar with, although that seemed so silly. Salt that she didn't recognize? It was so strong that she had to bring the edge of her cloak up to her nose just to get used to it.

One quick glance into the distance, no longer seeing the bright torch of the hunter, Red relaxed, taking a long sigh of relief. She needed to get back to Snow, she couldn't leave her in that village. It was small and out of the way, Queen Regina's rule didn't stand as strong this far out, it would be a few days until the guard would make it's way here. She would have to wait though, Red had no choice but to stay this far into the woods for a spell, at least until her skin stopped tingling. The hunter, he left a mark on her, while he never even touched her, his essence lingered. That voice of his...

"Well, that was exciting."

The noise that came out of Red's mouth was not human as she jumped out of her skin, nearly loosing her balance on the tree limb. Her heart had jumped into her ears and she turned and faced the source of the voice, a man, drenched and nearly frozen, hung suspended in a net trap next to her. How had she not noticed that?

"By the gods, who are you?" It was not the best question, there were several that swam around in her mind, it was simply the first one that popped out. She noticed the frost that clung to his hair and skin, as well as his lack of appropriate clothes for the forest such as this, although you could not tell that he was in such a position by the expression on his face, his lips curved into a slight grin and his eyes colored a sharp and bright color.

One hand stretched out from the net, "Trust me, milady, I will tell you all you wish to know, just as soon as you help me down."

Red just stared at him, obviously the look on her face was amusing enough to him to warrant a slight chuckle. Her eyes drifted upwards, following the long rope that held him up, she climbed down the tree to where the tightened rope ended and was hooked, leading to a looped pile of loose ends. Slowly, Red let the rope slip between her hands, watching as the net descended. Five feet up off of the ground, she was out or rope and the net fell with a thud, she could hear a quiet groan of pain coming from him.

As he tried to untangle himself from the net, she pulled off her red hood and placed it around his shoulders when he was free.

"I don't-"

Red ignored whatever he was going to say. "You need it more that I do, you'll freeze." She took a moment to look up, and she could make out a small sliver of moon through the clouds and fog. "I'll be fine." She sized him up, it was like he was drenched head to toe before being caught, however that happened. "I'll get a fire started, then, I'm going to need some answers from you."

"As you wish." He replied, chapped fingers enclosing around the hem of her cloak, pulling it tighter around his shoulders. She couldn't tell if he was being... what, genuine with that statement, but her eyebrows lowered in annoyance as she walked away, picking up some dry sticks. One look back at the man, he caught her eyes and gave a slight wave, Red couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the sharp smell of salt again.

It was him. The one who stopped the hunter from finding her.

He smelled of salt.