TW: Red Riding Hood!AU

It was a late gloomy Thursday evening, and a small figure was strolling through the forest with a bright red cloak on, carrying a rucksack full of food from the market in town. The moon was full and bright, letting off a small glow into the forest. The figure was trudging his way through the mud from the rainfall the previous night, clumsily kicking stones off the path and scuffing his feet as he did so. The name of this strange man was Chris Trott. In his left hand, he held a small torch that illuminated the gravel path in front of him.

The woods were deathly silent, even the trees no longer whispered in the wind. The animals refused to come out. Trott always wondered why. This night felt different from all the other times he'd walked back home... everything felt..darker. He walked briskly, fear settling in from a reason he could not conjur. His hand gripped the torch tighter in trepidation, if he carried on walking at this rate he'd be home in a few minutes. He whipped his head round frantically, hearing a loud crepitation nearby. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned, his knees began to wobble, his eyes grew large. The sound grew nearer, engulfing the sanity within his brain.

Fight or flight? His brain flickered between the two options, now was not the time for indecisiveness. Presently, his breathing became heavier, his lungs expanding and contracting quicker, his heart missing a few beats. A tall shadow appeared from the trees, the grey glassy eyes transfixed on Chris. Chris stared back, his lips tightening and becoming white. He moved steadily astern, still gazing at the creature. Crack! Chris stepped on a stick, time stopped as the figure lowered and went on all fours. Chris turned and sprinted, the torch still clutched firmly in his hands. His heart was racing, his house couldn't be much further now, or could it?

The creature behind him was down like a sprinter, headed for Trott, it's powerful legs bounding and pouncing from the ground below it, the claws outstretched and ready for use. Just like in a cliché horror movie, Trott tripped over one of the creepers that had escaped the forest, falling onto his stomach, the torch spiralling out of his hands as he tried to break his fall. The gravel scorched his hands, leaving them bloody and sore. He turned over onto his back, hastily sitting up and facing his almost certain death. The creature ground to halt before him, standing on his hind legs. Drool poured from his mouth, the creature licked its lips in presentiment, ready to pounce and consume the aghast human beneath him. Just before the the creature - which Trott recognised as a werewolf - surged forward, a rock hit him directly on the back. The werewolf span round and snarled, baring it's teeth to the offender.

The offender happened to be a lumberjack who had been working in the forest that. The lumber stood tall, over 6ft. His ginger beard was barely visible in the night sky and neither was his classic checkered t-shirt. He feet were firmly planted on the ground, the lumberjack, known as Alex Smith, bared his teeth and yelled:

"COME AND GET YOU BIG DOG. LEAVE THE POOR FUCKER ALONE."

The werewolf began sprinting towards him, Trott immediately tried to get up and run, but his hands were glued to the floor. He watched in awe as the lumberjack raised his axe, ready to induce a fatal blow to the head. Did he have a death wish?

Alex charged at the werewolf, yelling, his axe raised. As the werewolf picked him, he hacked at his arm, slicing it open. In reflex, the werewolf howled, and threw Smith into the nearest tree, stunning him into a daze. The wolf fell and crashed to the ground, dust unsettling around him. A small cheer was heard by Chris, as he hauled himself off the floor to see if the lumberjack was ok. As he looked up, he stared in disbelief at once was the werewolf, but now lay a man. Who should he go to first?

He jogged over to Smith, who was clutching the back of his head with his hands. He looked down into the lumberjacks blue eyes, containing bravery and kindness. He knelt next to him .

"Are you hurt at all?" Trott asked quickly, trying to check for any blood. The only blood he could see was the dried blood on his hands from where he fell. The lumberjack looked up at him in a daze, shaking his head. He nodded towards the man who lay in the mud, slowly breathing. Trott nodded understandingly and stood up, still unsure if the man was okay. Smith made another gesture towards the man on the floor and held out his hand for the man to pull him up. Trott clasped his hand firmly, his cuts stinging slightly on contact with his skin. Alex leant on Chris, one hand holding the axe, the other around his neck as he hobbled towards the man on the floor.

The man with dark hair on the floor looked up at the pair, panting. Tears were brimming in his eyes, he didn't want to hurt anybody. It was just the way he was born, and he hated it. One minute he was a normal human being, the next he was a monster who killed people and frightened them to death. That wasn't how he wanted to live his life. He sat up slowly, look at his arm where the axe had sliced. Blood was oozing out of the wound, and he squeezed it tight to try and clot it.

It took an age for the pair to walk over to him, he had hurt him pretty badly. Trott lay Smith down on the floor and sat adjacent to the man was gazing at him.

"I'm...I'm Ross, I am so sorry for what happened.." He trailed off, unable to look at him directly in the eye.

"It's ok, I don't think he's hurt badly, it's just a small hit to his head from the tree. You really scared me out there." The smallest of the three replied, scratching the back of his head. He realised he had left his rucksack somewhere in the woods. Damn, he'd have to find it in the morning. "We should probably get you both to the hospital, your cut looks pretty bad."

"It's fine, I've had worse before anyway, it'll heal." Ross announced, giving a reassuring smile. Trott still felt unsure, but accepted it anyway, Smith had stood up next to him now, offering them both a wobbly hand up. Trott took his hand and hauled himself off the floor, immediately hugging the man tightly.

"Woah!" The lumberjack said, stumbling backwards. "What was that for!"

"For rescuing me of course, Ross probably would've eaten me if it wasn't for you. Why don't you three come back to my cabin, it's a few minutes away. You all look like you need a rest."

The other two nodded gladly, and followed him back to his cabin where they spent the night, laughing and sleeping, the rucksack on the floor, forgotten.

Credit to Zozaaaa on Ao3