Once there lived a young girl with hair as red as blood and eyes greener than the moss that crept along the forest floor. At the tender age of sixteen, this girl lost her parents. It had been a nasty thing, a horrific crash that led to a slow and painful death for the both of them. She was told it had been a grisly scene, and even though it mortified her to think of her parents perishing in such a way, she couldn't help but wish she'd seen it for herself. She would try to picture their final moments, twisted in the metal framework of their car, blood and tears flowing like rivers.

For she was a curious thing and curiosity often gets the better of us all.

It was not long after losing her parents that the girl was sent to stay with her only living relative, a grandmother. The woman belonged to her father's side and was practically a stranger. The girl had asked about her when she was younger, wondering why the family never visited. Her parents would never say much, other than she was a strange woman that preferred to be left alone.

Her grandmother's house was deep within a forest, secluded from the rest of the known world. It was odd to think that a home could be so isolated in modern society, but there it stood, a small cabin situated in an equally small clearing. There was an old road that led to the home, its gravel loose and untraveled. The old woman did not leave her abode very often, only to retrieve groceries once or twice a month.

The girl had to be driven to her new home as her grandmother refused to make the trip. The only vehicle she owned was a small and very old truck that wouldn't make it more than ten miles let alone one hundred. Her chauffeur was a police deputy belonging to the local station. He was quiet, but not in an unfriendly way. It was a long and boring drive, the road seemed to stretch on for thousands of miles along with the forest that shrouded it. The girl watched the trees as they whisked by, wondering what creatures lived within. She was sure there were squirrels and mice, birds and bunnies, but were there other things? Dark and scary things that lurked in the shadows and fed on your flesh? Perhaps not, but it was an amusing thought. The girl was, strangely enough, excited to see her new home. She had always felt entranced by the wood and nothing brought her more joy than the thought of living in them.

Her driver did not speak much and when they reached their destination, he simply dropped the girl off. He did not stay to make sure she got in safely, but sped off as soon as the door slammed behind her. The girl was not surprised as in her short time in town, she'd heard the many rumors about this area. It was said by the local townsfolk to be cursed. They whispered about its gruesome past and told tales of monsters that lurked in the trees. The girl, of course, knew not of the stories and legends, only that people were wary of the place.

In the clearing grew wild flowers and shrubs. The girl stopped to admire them before following a small stone path up to the house. The home appeared to be made of logs and its door was painted a deep red. She noticed a strange moss hanging from the knocker, it was gray and resembled fur. It gave her a funny feeling, perhaps of dread. A pain in her chest that made her stop for a moment. She tilted her head to the side and reached up to touch the evil looking thing. As her fingers stretched upward the door opened revealing a frail old woman. The girl jumped back in shock as the woman smiled down on her. The smile seemed sincere, the wrinkles around the woman's mouth stretching to meet her eyes, dark and secretive. She welcomed the girl with a warm embrace and told her how glad she was to see her, even under the awful circumstances. Being none the wiser the girl shook off her previous feelings of uncertainty and followed the woman inside happily.

A room was made up for Red, as the grandmother had nicknamed her granddaughter in that short time, and dinner was made not long after. The two seemed to get along well and Red began to think she just might like it here. There was one peculiar thing, however, that was requested of the girl.

"At dusk you are to retire to your room and are not to leave until dawn the following morning." The grandmother told her as they cleaned the table.

"May I ask why?" Said Red. She did not mean to be rude or undermine the woman, but it was an odd rule for which she wondered the reasons.

The old woman frowned for a moment then smiled once again. "The wood is a dangerous place at night, I want you to be safely indoors."

And with that the conversation concluded.

A few weeks passed and the girl had grown used to her new home, even her grandmother's strange request no longer troubled her. One night the girl had trouble falling asleep, thoughts of beasts and carnage along the roadside filled her troubled mind. It was while she laid awake that she heard the front door open and close. She glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. It read a quarter 'til midnight.

"How odd." The girl thought.

She considered getting up to check on her grandmother but was fearful of being punished for disobeying. As headstrong as she was, Red felt unsurpassed respect for the old woman and refused to undermine her. Instead the girl sufficed looking out her bedroom window, which faced the front of the house where she could see anyone who came and went. She reached up on her tippy-toes and was shocked to see her grandmother walking into the treeline, wearing nothing but her night dress. Fearing for her grandmother's safety, the girl left her room and went after the elderly woman.

By the time she exited the house the girl had lost sight of her grandmother. She was at a loss for a moment but began to rely on her senses to guide her. She hesitated before entering the dark forest that loomed above her, its branches twisted and sinister in the darkness. She soon noticed a feeling settling in her stomach, which far surpassed her curiosity and her dutiful task was placed on hold for a moment. It was fear, she realized, that was creeping its way up her throat, not the silly kind you get from the night alone, but the deep-seated crippling kind. The kind that makes you feel physically ill, the kind that stops you dead in your tracks, the kind that should have stopped Red from entering the treeline. However, against the very essence of her being, she proceeded, even picking up her pace when she heard the old woman cough not far away. The forest floor was rough and hurt the girl's bare feet, but she continued on after her grandmother. Some small sense of relief came with the idea of no longer being alone. The trees moaned in the breeze and twigs crunched beneath her feet. It was then that she noticed these were the only sounds the night had to offer. She nearly stopped as the realization hit her, the forest was completely silent. There were no owls calling out, not mice scurrying along the decaying leaves, not crows cawing. It was dead silence, all around her. She suddenly grew very conscious of her own labored breathing, yet she pressed on. It was too late to turn back now.

It was not long after this that she came upon the woman. The girl was thankful for the full moon's light, how it illuminated the trees around her, making her journey a little easier.

She began to breathe easier as the thick growth of the wood opened to a very small circle, clear of any trees or brush. It was then she took notice of the moon, it was encircled in a red hue, and her fear began to return tenfold. In the center of that grassy circle, shrouded in the now tainted moonlight, the girl saw her grandmother. She nearly sprinted toward her but stopped as she noticed the woman was beginning to undress. The moonlight shone directly on the ground beneath her grandmother's feet, shrouding her in its glow. Red watched the old woman's face as she looked at the polluted orb with love and adoration. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be at peace as she swayed to the sound of the wind.

Red leaned forward in hopes of getting a better view from her spot in the trees. She cringed as a stick snapped beneath her foot, a hand immediately moving to her mouth in shock. The girl slowly looked up and watched in horror as the old woman opened her dark eyes that now shone yellow in the night's glimmer.

The fear began to take control as Red started to back away quietly, her body shaking violently. The old woman did not pursue her though, simply turned back to the sky's luminescence.

Once she had forged enough space between herself and the clearing, the girl broke into a run. Her mind raced as the forest spun around her, the rocks and vines digging into the soles of her feet. She did not know nor understand all that she had seen, but she had a deep lurking feeling that she was not meant to have seen it. She reached the cabin quite quickly and locked the door tightly, her chest heaving in exhaustion and fear. Perhaps this was why her grandmother did not want her leave her room after dark. Even after witnessing whatever it was she had witnessed, she still worried for the old woman. The wood was a dangerous place at night and she was all alone out there, doing whatever it was she was doing. The memory of her grandmother's eyes stayed with her, they were simply not right.

As Red leaned against the front door, pondering what to do next, a loud guttural howl resonated in the distance. The sound shook her to her very core, and her body began to grow numb in horror. She told herself it was a wolf at first, but she knew that was wrong. It sounded strange, not quite canine, like it was out of tune.

Again she feared for her grandmother, but there was no way she was going back outside, not after that sound. She stood there a moment longer, listening to the quiet of the night. The howl, if one could even call it that, sounded again, this time closer. It was morbid and so violently unsettling that Red wanted to cry. As it sounded for the third time, Red made a mad dash for her bed and hid under the covers. Praying for sunlight, she eventually fell into a restless sleep.

In the following days the girl lay awake at night, waiting for the sound of the door opening and closing, but it never came. She waited for that howl to come again, fearing it would be right outside her window, yet it never came. It was slightly disappointing and made her fear she had dreamt the whole thing up. She eventually decided that night in the woods had, in fact, been a dream and carried on with daily life.

A month soon passed and the girl had nearly forgotten about the little clearing deep in the woods. Though her dreams were haunted by a beast with bright amber eyes and yellowed fangs.

Then one night, when the moon was once again full and hung brightly in the sky, the girl heard the door opening. As much as she wanted to know what happened deep in those woods, she refused to leave her bed. The fear of what she may see this time was too strong to ignore.

Life continued this way for many months. Each time the moon was full and bright, Red's grandmother would leave the house and venture deep into the woods. Each time the same distorted howling could be heard all around the house, shaking the poor girl to tears. What her grandmother did on those nights remained unknown to Red, and the girl hoped it would stay that way.

Red soon realized that her birthday was fast approaching and that it fell on a full moon. This frightened the girl as she had a sinking feeling something awful would happen.

The night of her birthday was soon upon them and they celebrated in the evening. Her grandmother had baked her cake and given her a few small gifts. As the sun began to set, Red tried take her leave to retire to her bedroom, but her grandmother stopped her.

"I want to tell you a story." The old woman said as she sat down by the fire.

The girl smiled and sat before her on the floor. She was uneasy about the sudden change in rules, but tried her best to swallow down her fears and listen.

The old woman began a rather dark tale about a young girl and a wolf. It was not an ordinary wolf, however, but a man that transformed by the light of the moon. He tricked the young girl and made her his bride, then turned her into a beast like himself. It is said that they lived in this very spot, and that their children were monsters just as their parents before them. Though the curse, as the old woman called it, was only passed to the girls naturally. On the night of their seventeenth birthday, they changed for the first time. The boys, however, had to be turned in other ways. The children eventually found partners of their own and in this way, the curse continued.

As she listened Red began to feel strange, almost as if she were feverish. She touched her cheeks and found them to be burning. Her look of confusion was evident on her face as her grandmother's words faded, replaced with low ringing in the girl's ears. Red began to feel fear bubbling low in her gut once again. This was soon replaced by a sharp pain as her insides began to knot. She tried to ignore it, thinking perhaps she had eaten too much cake. Her muscles were tightening and her skin soon started to itch. It felt as though she were dying.

Red looked up at her grandmother in wide-eyed terror, hoping for some reprieve, but was met with a horrendous sight. The old woman had begun to change. Her eyes were glowing yellow, as they had so long ago, and her teeth started to splinter and fall apart, giving way to long dirtied canines. The thin nails that grew from the woman's fingers decayed and fell away. In their place vicious looking claws, tinged in red, broke through the bloodied nail beds.

Red could not take her eyes away from the scene that played out before her. She was frightened so frightened that she could not move, only stare in silent horror.

"And now," The old woman began, her voice distorted and savagely perverse, "it is your turn."

"N-no." Was all the girl could manage as tears fell down her face.

This had to be a bad dream, at least that was what she tried to tell herself. Though no amount of falsehoods could cover what was taking pace. The girl tried to stand, to run to a place far away, but her efforts were in vain. As soon she tried her wobbly legs bowed and a sharp pain ran throughout her body, forcing her to drop down once again.

The old woman then stood, a look of triumph plastered on her grisly mien. She approached Red, a look of amusement painted her contorted features as the girl fumbled backwards. The old woman reached down with a clawed hand and grabbed the girl by the arm, dragging her to a mirror.

"Look!" She growled in that twisted inhuman voice. "Look at what you are."

The girl's eyes rose slowly and peered into the glass. A shrill scream escaped her lips at what she saw. Her eyes had turned the same golden color as the old woman's. Bloodied tears crawled down her cheeks as she stared. She felt her teeth loosen and fall to the floor, the white of fangs showing though. It was then that her bones began to crack and shift, and she screamed out in pain. She could see them snapping and buckling under her skin. Then her skin itself started to split and peel back from her body, falling in bloodied heaps upon the floor. Beneath it a dark black fur emerged, its texture slimy and crimson stained. Her finger tips soon began to rip apart as long claws emerged from the bone. Her senses dulled as the pain became too much. Another scream broke free from her throat, this time guttural and broken. She looked up at her reflection once more, her yellowed eyes wide in terror and her head began to pulse. It felt as though her skull was coming apart, and to her horror, it was. The bone broke in two and from it protruded a long muzzle. It was then her legs bent inwards and became those of a beasts.

Then the transformation was finished and the thing she had become stood on its hind legs and towered over the living room. The old woman too had finished her change and the pair stood on their haunches and raised their muzzles to the air. Then, in unison, they let out a series of deep guttural noises that almost resembled those of wolves, howling at the moon.