Das Mädchen in Rot - Chpt 4 [English - US]
Das Mädchen in Rot [English - US]
Description:
Das Mädchen in Rot (German: The girl in red) is a dark version adaptation from the original story wrote by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. The adaptation tells the story of Nella - a young girl that lived with her family in a tribe and her father was killed by a black Wolf-Being (it's how the tribesman call the werewolves) as he and a friend of him saved the young Nella. After she reached her full age, Nella was summoned to be part of a cult where the grown up women wears a red mantle and depart from the tribe to the Grandmother's house for the Ancestors blessing to keep the Wolf-Beings away from the tribesmen. According to the Oracle, the Grandmother's house is deep inside of the forest - the same where the Wolf-Beings and other dreadful creatures lurk inside, preying upon the visitors that venture without a portion of cautiousness.
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Introduction:
About fifteen full moons ago, an ancient tribe lived in what would become a forest. This tribe was known for worshiping a mystical entity whose form resembled a wolf.
When the first Red Moon rose in the sky, the people of that tribe began to transform into the image of the entity. No one knew what happened to make them become the image of the entity, but it was said that the wind carried various howls throughout the world.
One night, a small group of hunters entered the forest in search of food. And when they spotted the first deer to take back to the tribe, a huge figure appeared and devoured three of the hunters who entered that place, leaving only one of them to tell what happened. He said the creature that killed the others who went with him had the shape of a man, but the head and fur of a wolf.
And it was on that day that the tribe began to fear the wolf creature that attacked our people in the forest.
Chapter 4
Nella's journey to the Great Mother's home was nearing its end. With the help of William, a young man she met in the forest who tried to stop her from going further to the person she needed to find, but was convinced that her journey was important after she told him the reason for it, she was able to reach the end of this part of the Great Journey and prepare, with the wisdom and instructions of the Great Mother, for Nella's communion with the Spirits to save the tribe and her mother from the Wolf-Things, known as werewolves.
Along the way, William used a shortcut he discovered in the forest to reach the Great Mother's hut, significantly increasing the tribe's chances of survival. But for unknown reasons, the Girl in Red's guide eventually left – leaving her to follow the path alone. Nella had come so far that she could give up for William's sake, but his words from their last moment spoke louder to her, and she continued.
Fortunately for Nella, the Great Mother's hut was nearby, and she could finally finish this part of the Great Journey.
////
Nella approached the door. From the looks of it, the material used in its construction was simply wood. She opened it and went in search of the Great Mother. Everything seemed so quiet; not a single sound came from within. She looked around the room for her, but it was empty. There was no one to greet her. Walking through the rooms, she explored the house for the person the Elder had mentioned.
“Great Mother? Are you there? It's me. Red.” Nella called after her. Nothing yet.
The young girl went deeper into the house. She needed to be sure the Great Mother was there, otherwise everything would be in vain. Walking, she called her name several times. Nella couldn't give up. She had to go deeper to find her and ask for her help in saving the tribe. Until, one of them, she heard a voice coming from a corner of the house. One where she should be: Her room.
“Red! I'm here!” said the voice that called her from that place.
The voice was a bit hoarse, too deep to be the Great Mother's. But the young woman approached the door to her room. Leaning in close, her head pressed against the doorknob, she opened it again. Before doing so, Nella called out to her for a moment.
“Great Mother? Are you there?”
“Yes, Red. I'm here. Come. Come closer. I really want to see you.” called the person's voice.
Without questioning her, Red pulled the handle and pushed the door open to enter her room. It had a simple but pleasant appearance. A fireplace to light the fire, furniture, and a comfortable bed with several blankets. And in it, lay a figure wearing a nightcap and robes.
“Ah, Red. How good it is to see you after so long,” said the person many call Great Mother.
“Well, I imagine so. This would be my first time here,” she replied, since this encounter has been the first of many.
“I understand. New faces are always new to me.”
As she said that, Nella found it strange how her voice had become a little deeper than before.
“Are you okay, Great Mother? Your voice seems to have gotten hoarse.”
“I… I was sick during this time of loneliness. With no one to take care of me,” she replied, trying to disguise her tone.
“Ah, that explains it. Well, I brought some food, in case you need it. My mom made it for me to take on the trip.”
“What a sweet girl. You can leave the basket on the chair. Come. I want to see your face.”
The girl approached at the behest of the person who claimed to be the Great Mother. Nella had several questions for her, but one of them, about her preparation to commune with the Spirits and save the tribe, was paramount. Everything seemed to be going well.
However, what she didn't know was the imminent danger that lay ahead. The sun had already set on the horizon. Night had descended upon the forest, and anyone outside would have sought shelter as soon as possible or faced an unpleasant encounter with the nocturnal creatures, including the werewolves who awaited the moonlight.
As Nella approached her, the Great Mother began to feel something surging in her body. Her hands began to tremble, her face slowly distorted, and her mouth watered. This was unusual for someone like her.
“Great Mother, are you… are you okay?” the girl asked as she stood at the edge of the bed.
“I'm…” The tone of that person became thicker and huskier than before. “… I'm fine, Red. Don't worry. I know you're surprised this is your first time here. I assure you everything will be fine.”
Nella was surprised to notice the person's hands had grown enormous. They looked like he was wearing a leather glove, only made of flesh.
“Great Mother, your hands are huge. What happened to them?”
“Nothing special. That's how they are. They allow me to catch some things very well.”
Her eyes widened and turned golden. They became monstrous as the transformation reached a terrifying level.
“Great Mother, your… eyes.”
“My…my eyes? Well, I can see just fine with my eyes.”
Then the nose began to take on a wolf-like appearance.
“Your… your nose! It…”
“What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my nose? It's always been like this; I can better capture the scent of flowers and forest creatures.”
And finally, its saliva-filled mouth lengthened, and its teeth sharpened. Nella no longer wanted to be near this person who was transforming into a monstrous creature. She backed away.
“And why are your teeth sharp?!”
“Well, they are sharp to eat…human flesh!” she replied in a tone more like that of a monster.
Nella backed away from her. As the monster stood up, its robes tore as it transformed. Hair grew to cover its body, and sharp claws grew from the bridges of its fingers. The girl fell as the transformation was complete. A werewolf with grayish fur and whitish front hair.
“Great Mother, you're a… you're a…” she tried to finish. Seeing a werewolf up close was so terrifying, just like that time she was a little girl and her father sacrificed himself to save her. Fear completely overwhelmed her.
“Me? I'm not your precious Great Mother. I'm a hunter from the pack of this forest.”
“What did you do to her?!” she shouted as she recovered from the fall.
“She was very easy to kill. At her age, she didn't stand a chance of escaping me. But her meat was too tender for me to savor. I prefer meat that's not too tough, but tender, coming from a young girl like you!”
He leaped toward Nella, his claws poised to pierce her. Faced with this, she managed to gather some strength to escape the attack. In pursuit, he launched several blows to hit her, knocking objects around the room. But Nella managed to dodge them, and in one of those attacks, she managed to escape the room by reaching the door.
The girl locked him out by placing a stool on the doorknob. Doing so, she had some hope he wouldn't be able to get out. To her horror, he managed to break the top of the door with his clawed hand.
In her fear, Nella ran for the exit. The werewolf possessed terrifying strength, capable of breaking objects made of wood or other materials. Nella had no chance of confronting him. It was during her escape attempt that she stumbled again on the floor, but bumped into the door to another room.
Looking inside, she found several pieces of vases and other decorations lying on the ground. And to top it all off, there was a human hand, stretched out inert and dead. Nella went in to see, and to her horror, she saw the rest of the body. It was that of an elderly woman with white hair, thin skin that clung to her bones, and wearing a sort of cloak of fur and leather. There were several tooth and claw marks on her neck. A mark was visible on her neck, the main factor in her death. It was the Great Mother, killed by the werewolf.
“Great Mother! No!” cried the Girl in Red, desperate to see her like that. Lying on the ground, showing no signs of life.
It was a macabre scene, and since that person was the Great Mother, any hopes she had of saving her mother and the tribe were lost. Amidst all this, the monster that killed her was emerging with an evil laugh.
“What's wrong? Are you scared now that your Great Mother is dead? Don't worry. You'll see her once you're dead like her!” he said, raising his right hand to hit her.
Just when Nella thought this would be the end, she closed her eyes in fear and covered her face with her arms. And at that very moment, something broke through the wooden wall and caught the murderous werewolf by surprise. It grabbed him and dragged him to the other corners of the cabin, breaking walls and furniture.
Nella recovered from her shock and went to see what was happening. As she entered the living room, she came across another frightening thing to complete the figure. A second werewolf. Only this one was brown.
The two were fighting with claws and teeth, like two wild wolves. One managed to scratch the other, but would receive the same from its opponent. Their hind legs dragged on the ground from the strength of whoever was dominating the fight. It was a confrontation unlike anything she had seen before. And in the midst of the clash, the brown werewolf lunged ferociously at the other, biting him in the throat, and forcefully ripped out a chunk of flesh that left its opponent unable to stand or breathe.
The creature that murdered the Great Mother was trying to resist bleeding for several minutes, which many believe to be due to its regenerative abilities. But since air was unable to reach its lungs due to the tear from the other's bite, it remained motionless on the ground, unable to move a single limb.
Nella was frightened by the sight. Two wolf-headed creatures facing off, one dead before her eyes. Although the one who fell dead had used that person to lure her into a trap, the other continued to frighten her. And as he approached the girl, Nella tried to back away, but stumbled, running out of space behind her. He stared at her intently, as if she were about to do something threatening. Nella was in no position to demonstrate danger, but something compelled him to leave her there and continue on to another corner of the forest. And that's what he did.
Nella was relieved to be alive, yet at the same time, she wept for not having arrived sooner and being able to commune with the Spirits through the Great Mother's help. In light of this, she believed the entire tribe would be doomed for her delay.
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The next day, Nella was sleeping on the floor of the hut. She spent the night crying for the tribespeople, for not having achieved the goal of the Great Journey and believing this would be the end of it. The place was growing colder as winter lingered this time of year. Parts of the hut that had been destroyed during the two werewolves' fight allowed the frigid air to overwhelm the residual heat, overwhelming it completely. And what persisted was the whisper of the wind.
Amidst the silence, the Girl in Red felt something approaching her. She felt a warm breath brush against her face, and sometimes, something releasing that breath would brush against her. A tip that was slightly cold, but warm when it came from below. And when she finally woke, she saw that same face from before. The face of a wolf.
Nella was startled when it appeared to be a wolf's snout, but it wasn't one of the bloodthirsty monsters like the one that had tried to kill her. Its gaze was serene and peaceful. It was then that she realized it was the same wolf from the day Nella was a child, trapped in the forest for chasing the baby goat that had escaped from its pen. Nothing had changed in her since that day.
“You… you remember me?” asked Nella, surprised to see her.
As she approached, the wolf rubbed her head against Nella's and licked her face and mouth. The girl understood that her gesture answered her question. In return, she hugged the wolf. It was a comforting moment after a long time. When Nella looked into her eyes again, she decided to ask something else.
“Could you take me back home?”
The wolf didn't answer. She remained silent in the face of that question.
“I wish I could go home, but I'm afraid everything is out of my reach.”
Looking at Nella, she seemed to understand something she'd said about wanting to return home after failing to fulfill her role on the Great Journey. The wolf walked away from the girl as it walked out of the hut and stopped. Nella thought it was going to show her something. So, she followed it.
Nella left Great Mother's hut, following the wolf to a place she knew. The air grew chilly as she ventured deeper into the forest. Because of the greater number of trees, the sun couldn't warm the more enclosed spaces.
The girl followed the wolf relentlessly, being guided to a clearing with a pond where she could rest. But there, they spotted the last person Nella expected to see. The boy who had met her when she began her journey to Great Mother's hut: William. Nella was surprised to see him. His back was turned, staring at the pond for no particular reason. Nella glanced at him, then back at the wolf with that look of surprise, and then back at him. It was at this moment that she approached William. A few steps later, the boy sensed her presence and fixed his gaze on her.
“William?” asked Nella, surprised to see him again.
“Nella. What are you doing here?” he said in astonishment. He was more surprised to see her than she was to see him.
“William, I… I… was there. And it was… scary.”
“Scary? Explain to me.”
“The Great Mother… she… she was killed… by a werewolf. And I… he almost got me,” she replied, frightened.
“Oh Nella, I'm so sorry. So sorry.”
“Why did you leave me back there? You could have gone with me.”
“Nella, I…”
As he asked that question, the wolf who had shown him the way to the lake approached the two, emitting signals that he could better understand.
“Hvit. Why did you bring her here? Shouldn't you take her back to the village?”
“Hvit? That's her name?” Nella asked, referring to the wolf who found her during her childhood and now.
“Yes, Nella. This is Hvit. She's been helping me when I go hunting or to a place isolated from danger,” he replied. “I asked Hvit to take you back, but she seems a little stubborn about it.”
Since her first question remained unanswered and Nella didn't understand what he meant by taking her back to the village, she asked him again.
“William, what are you talking about? What do you mean, take me back?”
“When I sensed that Great Mother's hut was attacked and she was killed, I assumed the worst when you were there. I tried to get back as quickly as possible, but I knew the danger had passed.”
“Did you know that? How?”
“But that's beside the point. I need to get you out of here. The werewolves have started roaming these woods, and you are no longer safe here.”
“But, William?”
“There's no time. We need to get out of this place as soon as possible.”
William went to place his hand on Nella's wrist. At that moment, Hvit reacted strangely and tried to bite him. The boy pulled his hand away just in time before she bit him. The young woman was startled when she began to growl.
“Hvit?” she said in astonishment.
“Hvit, what was that for?”
She barked at him as if to demonstrate some aggressive gesture. It was unusual behavior for a wolf to protect a human.
“Hvit, there's no need to be stubborn. Nella has her people, and we need to move on with the life we have in this place.”
Nothing changed when she said that to Hvit. She remained in that defensive posture, ready to lunge at him if he lunged at Nella like that. Amidst the barking, she was saying something to him, but the girl couldn't understand what it was. Only he.
“You're not serious. It's dangerous to go there, and you know it very well!”
What did he mean by “there”? The Girl in Red had no idea what they were communicating.
“Excuse me, but what did you mean by ‘dangerous to go there’?” she asked William. He sighed in discomfort at having to answer that question.
“In the deepest part of this forest, there is a cave containing an ancient sword. And this sword is capable of defeating werewolves.”
“So what are we waiting for? Let's go. We can go there and save my people.”
“But I wouldn't advise you to do that. The cave is deep within their territory, and they won't allow anyone to enter. And even if we did go there, I don't believe it has anything to do with what the Great Mother would lead you on this Great Journey. Besides, it was sheer stupidity of your people to send you here.”
“In any case, I'm going there. With or without your help,” Nella replied decisively to William. With no time to waste, she headed to the cave they'd mentioned. Hvit went ahead to show her, but the boy stayed behind. He was reluctant to help her find the cave sword and use it to save the village where she was born.
“This girl is a bit stubborn and foolish! She'll end up dead before she even reaches the sword.” William thought, looking at the two figures walking towards the cave he mentioned.
////
Three hours passed after Nella and Hvit left the clearing in search of the sword. Everything around them seemed frozen and covered in snow and partially opaque mist. Trees, rocks, bushes, hollow logs, moss, and mushrooms. Everything was covered by that white curtain of steam, water, and ice. But it wasn't completely invisible.
Nella walked forward with her new companion. She pulled the ends of her red cloak closer to her, covering her arms from the cold. She sighed as she climbed the terrain of gravel, dirt, and undergrowth. Hvit kept its eyes on her, sensing imminent danger. In an instant, the wolf stopped. It sensed something approaching.
“Hvit? What happened?” asked the young girl.
The wolf creature didn't respond. It remained quiet, neither barking nor growling. This made Nella a little nervous. Before they could move forward, they heard a voice. It came behind them, calling.
“Nella! Hvit!”
“William?” Nella said quietly.
Hvit turned its head in response to the call from behind. To Nella's surprise, it was him, running to catch up with them.
“Nella, wait.”
“William, what is it? You're not going to tell me you're going to make me change my mind about giving up the sword?” asked the young woman, frowning with a serious expression.
William shook his head. “Of course not, Nella.”
The Girl in Red was a little surprised to hear his answer. She glanced briefly at the wolf and then back at William.
“I'll go with you. Hvit and I know how to get to the cave, but you'll need help getting there.”
“I appreciate you coming to help us get to the sword. I really do.”
The boy joined the group, guiding the Girl in Red on another perilous journey. With Hvit at his side, they continued ahead, familiar with the forest and the terrain ahead. This way, they could use any means to reach the forest's interior as quickly and safely as possible.
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