Little Red Riding Hood

I awoke to find myself in an unfamiliar place. I had expected to be back at home in my room, and on my bed. "What happened yesterday?" I had followed the little raven into the Balcbird forest, and I had attempted to escape and fight many of them. I had reached grandmama's house. But this was definitely not her house.

Instead of a warm wooden cottage, I was in a dark damp musty cave. The bed I sat on was a mattress with warm quilts on me. Where was I? Had I not escaped? Was I captured?

"Ah, you're awake. It is half past noon," a deep familiar voice said. I turned and met the familiar black wolf who had guarded me during my second visit. I was so scared by everything, seeing a familiar face made me relieved. Even if he was part of the capture, seeing him gave me a glimmer of hope. I got up and hugged him tightly. He was surprised but didn't stop me.

"If you have gained sufficient strength, come, follow me." 

I nodded and stood up, following him. We were heading towards the entrance of the cave. A bright light shone through and blinded me slightly. When my eyes adjusted, the oustside scenery took my breath away. There were tall trees surrounding multiple caves, and the centre was plush soft grass. Each step on it made my feet less sore. It was amazing! A stunning view.

"Welcome to the Wolf clan of the Balckbirds," the wolf said. I looked down where he would be slightly lower than me, but I only saw the legs of someone. I followed the body till I saw a human head. I jumped back in surprise. It was a person! 

"Are you surprised that I have a human form? Or did you just think I was a talking wolf?" he raised an eyebrow. He had eyebrows now!

"I- I knew you were a Blackbird. I just never expected to see you as a human is all." I slowly backed away. The once wolf, now human looked at me amusingly.

"It's much better to see your face. I can finally see your expressions once hidden by your hood."

I just realised my hood wasn't with me. My hair was out and my eyes could be seen. "My cloak, my hood, where is it- oh...," I panicked and realised why it wasn't with me. "I tossed it away when running... oh no," I cupped my face in my hands. It felt so strange to have others see my face. I felt a soft fabric tickle my cheek. I looked to the side and a red cloth was dangling by the side of my face. It was my riding hood! I grabbed it and hugged it close. "Where did you get this from? I left it in the forest!"

"I had one of my pups retrieve it from the Bird clan. We washed it because there was a lot of dirt on it. Quite a smart tactic, I must say, pretending that you were hiding. Like a scarecrow," the guy nodded approvingly.

"Bird clan? So... the were the ones from yesterday, right? And you are the wolf clan." He nodded. "So you can only turn into a wolf? But there was a man from yesterday from the bird clan who could turn into a bird and a wolf." And the wolf who had attacked the market place had turned into a lizard to escape the hunters.

"Blackbirds can turn into any animal we want. I can turn into a wolf, a bird, or even a fish," he turned into all three respectively, the last one being the funniest as he flopped around, gasping for air. He finally turned back into a human.

"Then what is the need for clans divided by animals?"

"It is a complicated history. To sum it up, our ancestors were once animals who turned into humans when the forest turned black. They were the first Blackbirds. They came together to form clans. We all live peacefully and not one single clan has more power than another. Occasionally, if there is inter-clan marriage, it is between the two partners to decide which clan to join, and everyone accepts them. Deep down, we are all beasts."

It was quite saddening to hear him refer to himself as a beast. But why was he telling me all this? 

"Come, let us walk. You must be hungry. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."