Archive of Our Own

Pelirroja, as the villagers called her, had the most striking red hair. It was easy to spot her from far away. It always made her lose games of hide-and-seek between her and the other village kids. She hated it so. The other kids poked fun at her for it. They'd yank and pull and call her names until her scalp bled.

Her closest friend was a boy who was infatuated with her red hair. Whenever she hid it beneath her dark cloak, he'd goad her into taking the hood down and letting her hair flow.

The cloak was given to her by her abuela in order to hide her from those who wish to do her harm. Pelirroja, however, would wear it on all occasions to protect herself from the world. Withdrawn, Pelirroja's only friend was that kind boy.

They grew up together, scarcely a moment where they weren't apart until one day, the boy disappeared. By then, Pelirroja had grown into a young woman and had many suitors call upon her. But none of them would be enough for Pelirroja as she only wished for the boy she lost to return home.

No one was quite sure where he went off to. Many believe that he upped and left on his own volition as a lot of boys his age end up doing. Others thought that he taken by witches, otherwise, why else would so many boys disappear from the village?

As days passed, some of Pelirroja's suitors would disappear at a rapid pace.

One by one.

No one was quite sure where they went, only Pelirroja was to blame. The villagers thought her to be a witch, making all the men disappear to get back at those who made fun of her hair.

This was simply untrue, Pelirroja's mother and father staunchly defended their daughter and the villagers had no choice but to listen. Her father was a respected man in the community, a hunter. He believed that a creature was taking the boys and eating them and he intended to find it.

One day, the boy who had Pelirroja's heart returned. Although, he was a boy no longer. He was a man now, with strong features to match.

Unfortunately, that was not the only thing that was different about him. He grew cold towards Pelirroja and pushed her away. Despite being back, he wanted nothing to do with her.

Maybe she ought to marry someone else, Pelirroja had thought. Though, she ought to act quickly before every young man in the village was gone.

Her heart was conflicted.

She still yearned for the nice boy she grew up with and felt that he still had to be in there, somewhere.

Pelirroja decided to seek out advice from her abuela. The old woman had seen much and in her infinite wisdom, could impart upon Pelirroja about what she should do.

She was warned about going into the forest by her father, as the mysterious creature could still be out there. Pelirroja told him not to worry, as she still had her cloak to hide her red hair.

As she walked about the path to Abuela's house, Pelirroja grew increasingly aware of something else present with her. Certainly not the creature, she wondered. It was never proven to exist. Her father was simply being paranoid. Surely they would have known by now if a monster was terrorizing their humble village.

There was a rustle in the undergrowth, a whisper in the trees.

Pelirroja froze.

There was no creature... Certainly?

Her heart pitter pattered in her chest.

From the bushes came her beloved, her friend. It was only him. Only... What did he want with her now?

"You cannot be here," he told her. "It is too dangerous out here in the woods. You must go home."

"But why?" she asked. "All of a sudden you care about me? I am merely going to see my abuela."

She turned to leave and felt a strong grip on her arm.

"Pelirroja," he urged. "Go back. Please. Return home and do not marry. Do not take any more suitors, turn them away."

"And what is it to you? You have gone cold," Pelirroja accused, trouncing him where he stood. "you cannot hope for me to warm you up." She wrenched her arm from him and strutted up the path, leaving him in her dust and for a while, she could no longer see him behind until her turned into a small dot in the distance.

Pelirroja was alone again, only joined by a low grumbling and growling of a creature lying in wait. Her blood ran cold at the sound.

A great wolf lunged out of the foliage, obstructing the path. Pelirroja had no choice but to turn around and run away. Her father's suspicions had been correct. There truly was a beast in the woods.

Fortunately, a hunting party was not too far off. They heard the  lurid screams of Pelirroja as she fled down the path, denoting her presence as well as the wolf's. At once, the hunting party turned their weapons and dogs, allowing Pelirroja to get away. Her feet continued to slap against the ground nonstop until she reached her home back at the village.

Pelirroja holed herself up in her room. Her heart never stopped racing, rattling against her ribcage.

Her beloved. He was still out there. She had to go make sure that the wolf did not take him too. How stupid she felt for blowing him off.

It wasn't her fault, yet she felt that it was. Quickly, Pelirroja raced to gather hunting knives that her father wasn't using and set back upon the path to find her beloved.

She found a trail of blood, stark scarlet against the green grass.

She could only hope that it didn't belong to him.

Following this trail, Pelirroja happened upon a cave. The wolf's dwellings no doubt. Pelirroja swallowed her fear and ventured inside. Slowly, she tiptoed inside. There was a slumped form circled up in the middle of the cave floor.

Pelirroja held her breath. It was hairless— not the wolf but her beloved.

"My love!" she cried out, tossing herself over his form. The was a gash in his shoulder, trickling blood down his arm. She tore a part of her cloak to still the flow. His clothes were nowhere to be seen. "I am so sorry," she expressed.

"What for?" he asked. "You did not do anything."

"What for, what for... I do not know." Pelirroja shook her head to herself. "Come now," she said, "let us go back home together."

"No," he croaked. "I cannot."

"Why not?"

Her beloved unfurled his hand, revealing a broken arrow that he kept hidden in his fist. "Look around, Pelirroja. I did all this."

Pelirroja's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave.

Piles and piles of bones were strewn about.

Human bones.

That of the suitors.

Pelirroja drew back. "You..." she uttered, unable to find the words as her breath hitched in her throat.

"I ate them Pelirroja," he sobbed, tears staining his cheeks. "I was jealous. I only wish to have you for myself."

"B-But why?" Pelirroja asked. "Why eat them?"

"I didn't ask to be made this way! The mark of the beast, I am horrendous! A lunatic!" he cried, sputtering blood from his throat. "Yes I couldn't stay away, not like the others... I love you too much to leave you forever. But I cannot have you. Not like this."

Pelirroja took another piece of her cloak and dried his tears. "Come now. There has to be a way," she said. "Get up, on your feet. We shall seek help."

"No one will wish to help me if they knew the truth. I am besotted with lycanthropy, they will see me for the monster that I am."

Against his will, she helped her beloved to his feet.

"While that may be true, that is nonsense," Pelirroja tutted. "You may be different now, but I will never forget how you were there for me. Now I will be here for you."

Together they walked back to the village, seeking out the church. They were being followed by the hunting party who had lost the wolf, unknowingly tracking Pelirroja and her beloved.

Pelirroja knocked on the church doors in a hurry, urging the Padre to help. Unable to turn away lost souls, the Padre allows them entry and Pelirroja explains their situation. He sends her to search for wolfsbane in order to ward off the animal possession that was plaguing the poor young man. It was possible to save him as he wasn't the original wolf that was stealing away the boys in the village, turning them into its kind.

At once, Pelirroja whisked herself away to find the wolfsbane. When she returned, she found her father at the head of the hunting party, threatening to tear down the doors to the church.

"Papa," said Pelirroja frantically. "What are you doing?"

"The hombre-lobo, he is in there I know it!" Her father shouted, brandishing his knife in the air. "He shall pay for his atrocities!"

Horrified, Pelirroja threw herself against the doors. "No! You mustn't!"

"Why not Pelirroja? Move out of the way mija, I do not wish to hurt you."

"Then harm will not befall me! You have to trust me Papa, this time, I will be the one to save us all. Step back so that the Padre could let me through."

Pelirroja met her father's eyes and at first, he was angry. He couldn't understand why she would want to protect the lobo from death. It was the least he deserved for killing all those men.

"Fine," he conceded. "Go on my daughter."

Pelirroja was welcomed back inside and the priest took the wolfsbane flowers from her. Her beloved was in the floor, shivering despite being covered by a blanket. He uttered morbid nothings into the air as he rocked himself back and forth.

She tried to comfort him by running her hand along the curvature of his back. With a bloodied hand, he reached up and touched her hair, soothed by the color he loved so much.

The priest would return with a tea made from the flowers. He instructed Pelirroja that the hombre-lobo must injest the tea in hopes that he'd never turn again.

It was not promised, but it was hope.

Pelirroja brought the cup to her beloved's lips and he would reject it, disgusted by the scent of anything other than flesh to consume.

"You must," Pelirroja urged. "For me."

He parted his lips gently and downed the drink. He gagged and coughed before his body was overtaken by shakes. He seized on the floor, muscles spasming.

Fur sprouted on his skin and he tilted his head back for a bone chilling howl.

Pelirroja's father burst in, worried for the well-being of his daughter. In his eyes, he only saw danger as the young man was changing. He ordered one of his men to shoot before the transformation was complete.

His father would be missed however.

Pelirroja threw herself over her beloved's body, shielding him from the arrow.

Slowly, her beloved turned to normal— naught but the hair on his head. "Pelirroja..." he murmured, the breath stolen from his lungs.

"Why... It's him! Young man... You are—!"

"Pelirroja!" The young man sat up, clutching her to his bare chest.

Her eyelids fluttered upwards and she gazed at him. "I am okay, beloved."

"We are okay."