Red Shoes, Red Hood, 7 Dwarves ~ Merlin x Reader

Kidnapping is illegal, you know

Merlin's POV

I wake up gasping for air. My throat is dry and my lungs are heaving out the water I inhaled. What happened? The last thing I remember is Red Shoes trying to pull me out from under that rock. How did she get me out? I was pinned under there pretty good.

Gaining my breath and my bearings, I look around. The sun has set, stars decorating the sky and I'm normal-looking. Wait, that means I'm alone. How long have I been out? Further inspection results in me noticing that Bunny is here, as are three wooden bear cubs sleeping on top of him. And... Red Shoes?

The woman sleeping a few feet from me has her back facing me. Her clothes are the same as Red Shoes but she seems to be bigger; more muscular and athletic than Red Shoes is. Broader hips and shoulders. Her red cloak has slipped off her revealing a very toned arm. And her ear is... furry? It looks like a wolf's ear. Why does that seem familiar? Have I seen this woman before?

Cautiously, I scooch over to wake her. Just before I touch her she stirs. I pull back as she gets up, her hair covering her face and a pair of red shoes falling from her belt. Her hand finds her head and groans in pain. She must have a headache.

She lifts her head, first looking at Bunny and the bears, then turning to face me. Both of us gasp. Mine of surprise and hers almost fearful. That's... it can't be...

"Red Shoes?"

"Hi, Merlin," she says timidly. Her voice renders me speechless. It is her. That's Red Shoes. "Are you okay?"

I shake my head, getting rid of the shock. "I- I'm fine. Are you?" I ask, looking at how different she looks. "What happened?"

She looks away, brushing her hair behind her ear delicately. "You... You were gonna drown," she says. "I took the shoes off so I could save you."

All I can do is stare at her. She's completely different. Her ears are furry and twitching towards invisible sounds. I saw her teeth when he talked; her canines are fangs. And she's big. Not overweight-big but musclular-big. She looks like she is made of pure muscle. Her eyes flit to me but instantly flit away awkwardly. I almost gasp when I see that they are glowing like golden rings.

"I- uh... I'm gonna make us a fire," she says quietly, getting up. Her legs look powerful too. Her leggings showing off incredibly defined muscles. She stays still for a moment, scanning our surroundings for wood.

I can only stare as she easily finds sticks that I never would have seen. Can she see in the dark?

She comes back with a pile of wood in one arm and about ten large stones in the other. How in earth is she that strong? That must be how she got me out from under the rock. She positions the stones in a circle, then the sticks in a stable formation. Then she pulls out a flint and steel from her bag. Did she always have that on her? Who is this girl?

After she gets the fire going we both just stare at it for a while, thinking things over.

I can't believe that this is Red Shoes. This is what the girl I kissed actually looks like. She's a hybrid of some sort. One with incredible powers. And she's not ugly, she's still attractive but the ears and the fangs and the eyes take the spotlight.

I just can't get my head around this...

"So, this is me," she says softly. "All of me." I can't bring myself to look at her, my mind still racing. "You must be pretty disappointed huh?" My eyes widen at the question. "That I'm not a supermodel?"

A memory flashes through my mind. Wait... "You're the girl from Golden Goose Avenue," I say, remembering the girl I saved. "Red Shoes-!"

"That's not my name," she says, hiding her face from me. "It's Y/n Hood."