Red sprinted through the forest, weaving around tree trunks as low branches slapped at her face and snagged at her clothes. She dared not pause to see if her pursuers were still following. If half the stories of the enchanted wood were true, one would have to be crazy to enter so close to dark.

What did that make her?

Desperate, she reminded herself. She never would have entered if not for the direst need. She desperately hoped the Queen's huntsmen would have hesitated on the border of the wood. Loyalty would certainly eventually win out over apprehension, but she needed any shred of distance she could put between them and herself and them.

Something caught her toe, a stone or a root, she wasn't sure. Either way, she pitched over and found herself half sliding, half rolling down a leaf coated slope. She landed hard against the trunk of a tree, with a thud that knocked the breath out of her.

She suppressed a groan of pain as she sat up slowly and tried to catch her breath. As far as she could tell, nothing was broken, but a dozen new cuts and scrapes burned painfully. Aches bloomed across her body where bruises would certainly follow.

Just as she was recovered enough to stand and keep moving, a hand clapped over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her middle blocking her arms.

Instinct took over and Red tried to scream.

"Quiet!" hissed a low soft voice at her ear, which only made Red struggle harder.

She thrashed and twisted. She tried to scratch and bite, anything to get out of the iron grip of her captor.

"Hey! Lady, I'm trying to… Hey! Stop struggling, you idiot! I'm trying to help you!"

That voice.

The accent, the cadence, the words, the tone. Red knew that voice. She fought down the panic trying to claw its way out of her and willed herself to stillness.

"I'm going to let go," the voice said. "Don't scream, don't run."

Red nodded and the hands let go.

She whirled to see the girl. She was taller than Red, more lean, more muscled. She wore hunter's clothes, sturdy and practical, all in browns and greens. Her skin was tan and freckled from the sun, with a few more pale scars than Red remembered. The wild brown hair was drawn back in a messy braid that Red did remember.

And the eyes…

Red would recognize those eyes anywhere. They had playfully haunted her dreams for years. The golden brown color, almost gold or amber, had always reminded Red of fallen leaves.

"Loup?" she whispered, not daring to trust her eyes and the new hope that flickered in her chest.

The other girl blinked and cocked her head in confusion. Her brow creased and she narrowed her eyes. Of course Loup wouldn't recognize her. Five years ago, Red had been someone else, someone pretending to be something they weren't, hiding the truth even from themself.

Loup made the tiniest inhalation of a gasp and her eyes widened. Seemingly unbidden she tentatively reached to brush a tress of Red’s hair.

Loup opened her mouth to speak, but she froze, eyes darting back up the hill Red had tumbled down. Without a word, she grabbed Red's arm in a firm but gentle grip and pulled her behind a fallen log. She pressed a finger to her lips and Red nodded and willed her lungs and heart to stop working so loudly.

Loup peered over the log before crouching down once more next to Red. She chewed her lip and eyed Red's cloak dubiously. It was a crimson hood that in retrospect was probably a terrible choice for fleeing through the woods.

"Give me that," she said, gesturing to the cloak.

"What?" gasped Red.

"Someone's coming,” Loup replied. “Judging by your state, you're looking to not get caught. Give me the cloak and I'll send them on a false trail."

Red hesitated. Loup had been her friend once, but that was a long time ago. Five years earlier she and her grandmother had stolen into the night, chased by rumors of monsters and witchcraft.

After the events of the past few weeks, Red’s trust was in painfully short supply.

Was Loup even the same person that Red remembered?

"Look,” Loup sighed, seeing Red's expression, “I want to help you. If you are who I think you are, then you know we once trusted each other. Can you trust me now? Please?”

What choice did Red have?

This was Loup. This was her Loup.

She swallowed and nodded. She unclasped the cloak and pulled it off her shoulders before holding it out with the slightest tremble in her hands.

Loup flashed a crooked smile as she took the cloak. Red never thought she would see that smile again. Seeing it now sent a thrill through her.

Loup threw the cloak around her own shoulders with a jaunty flourish, flashing Red a wink as she fastened it.

"Stay here,” she said. “Stay quiet. I'll be right back."

Her eyes lingered on Red for a moment.

"You look good, Red.”

Loup ran.

Red had made such a horrible racket, running blind through the forest as she had. It took every fiber of Loup’s focus to move just as noisily, to fight down every instinct of stealth and silence.

She needed them to follow her, whoever it was that pursued Red.

This was her forest.

She knew it better than any of the trappers or huntsmen foolish enough to venture in. She knew exactly where to lead them to get them off Red's trail.

That was Red, wasn't it? Loup had barely recognized him…

Her, Loup corrected herself.

Finding Red in her forest had certainly been a surprise. Finding her to be not the grangly boy that Loup remembered was even more of a shock. But she had Red's brilliant auburn hair, her grey-green eyes, that scent that had always reminded Loup of roses and lavender.

She slid to a halt at the edge of a ravine and scanned the rushing water below as she caught her breath. Yes, this would do nicely.

She yanked the cloak off her shoulders, cringing as the fastenings tore. It was a nice cloak, nicer than anything she owned. She would have to make it up to Red somehow.

She tangled the cloak up in a thorn bush. Then she heaved a nearby log down the slope causing it to crash into the ravine below. The false trail wouldn't hold up to any scrutiny, not from an experienced huntsman, but in the fading light of the evening, it might be enough. In the very worst case, it would buy them time.

She doubled back on the intentionally careless path she had left for them to follow and climbed quickly and silently into a tree. These were her woods. The huntsman might be experienced, but she had spent every day for the past five years stalking through these trees.

She was now the hunter and he was her quarry.

A few moments later the huntsman appeared. He was alone, which was surprising. Any companions he might have had had must have turned back, sensibly not wishing to linger here after dark. This one though moved silent and deadly along the path. Something else must be driving this one, some dire unknown purpose.

She did not want to fight one of the queen's huntsman, but she would to keep Red safe.

The realization startled her. Red had only tumbled back into her life moments before and here she was ready to risk her life for her best friend. It didn't help that her friend was now absolutely beautiful…

Focus. She needed to focus.

The huntsman had found the cloak and was dubiously examining the edge of the ravine just as she hoped he would. But then he muttered a curse and began searching the area with a tense desperation.

Loup gritted her teeth and eased her hunting knife out of its sheath.

What are you up to? She asked silently.

He froze and quick as lightning, quicker than she could have possibly reacted, he drew his bow and fired off an arrow into the underbrush.

The resulting scream wasn't human and Loup felt herself relax by the tiniest degree. Red had been wise enough not to follow her.

She watched him as he dragged the body of a wild pig into the clearing. With quick precise moments he had the pigs heart out of its chest and was wrapping it in Red’s cloak, heedless of the blood that spattered all over it.

Satisfied with his grisly task, he turned back down the trail and moved swiftly back in the direction of the queen's castle.

Loup stared at the carcass for a long while.

What the hell have you gotten yourself mixed up in, Red?

Red was half asleep, wedged uncomfortably between the branches of the fallen tree when she was startled awake by the sound of a twig snapping. She leapt to her feet in a burst of terror and brandished the dagger she had been clutching.

"Woah! Calm down! It's just me," Loup said, raising her hands placatingly and taking a cautious step back.

Red blinked at her for a moment before dropping the dagger and lunging to throw her arms around Loup. The other girl grunted in surprise as Red buried her face in her shoulder.

"Um… okay," Loup said as she returned the hug tentatively.

Red let out a single sob. It felt so good to see Loup again.

"So... Do you still go by Red, or should I call you something else?"

Red pulled back and sniffed. "Red's fine, I always liked Red."

Loup might have blushed at that, it was hard to tell in the twilight, but the flicker of a delighted half grin was unmistakable.

Loup had been the first one to use that name after all. Loup had discovered a sniffling prince hiding in the hay loft in the stables, in one of the horrible, sick moments when Red wanted to be someone else, anyone else. It hadn't taken Loup very long at all to determine Red’s true identity, but the nickname stuck, and Loup had never once used her given name.

Loup was now studying her with a strange intensity that made Red suddenly shy.

"Come on," Loup said finally. "There's a hunting shack a couple miles from here. We should be able to get there before it gets too dark."

Red looked up at the twilight sky, painted red-gold by the fading sun. A trickle of dread coursed though her as she realized how late it was.

“Isn't the forest dangerous at night?” she asked in a hoarse whisper.

"You're not frightened of the Big Bad Wolf, are you?" Loup replied with a flash of a wicked smile.

Red swallowed.

"Should I be?"

Loup laughed.

"It's just a story that my grandmother made up to keep unwanted guests away. I'm the most dangerous thing you're likely to meet around these parts.”

Loup tossed her head in a beckoning motion and started walking, prompting Red to stumble after her.

"So… it's been a long time," Red said as she caught up.

"Sure has," Loup said, sounding somewhat evasive.

"You left so suddenly and I never found out why. I mean, there were rumors, but you never know."

"Rumors?" Loup paused, glancing back at Red, face creased with worry.

"They said your grandmother was a witch and you seduced a stable girl.”

Loup barked a laugh.

"Yeah, that's… pretty much exactly what happened,” Loup said with a wink that made Red blush.

Loup laughed again before sobering slightly.

"After your stepmother took over, things weren't looking too great for… people like us, so Grandmother made plans to run. One night we got word that the guards were coming and we left."

They walked in silence for a while as Red digested that. She knew the impact of the queen's policies all too well. Loup's grandmother had been right to run.

"I wrote you," Red said softly. "For a little while at least."

"I know," Loup said with a slight strain in her voice. "Grandmother said it was too dangerous to reply."

"I would have come with you," Red said in a rush, the words spilling out before she could stop them.

Loup hunched her shoulders and kept looking ahead.

"I know…” she said, “and I did ask Grandmother, I begged her to let you come with us. Again, she said it was too dangerous. She asked me what would happen when the queen realized we kidnapped the prince."

Red felt her stomach twist at that last word. She fell back a few paces until Loup turned around, her expression a mix of regret and curiosity.

Red's heart began to race. This part of the conversation had been inevitable and if anyone would understand, it would be Loup, but the ever present nagging terror had been eating away at her in the background.

"So… um… are you a princess now or what?"

Red forced a smile.

"Legally, no, but it's… complicated.”

Loup raised an eyebrow.

“But you are a woman, right?”

Red nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Loup studied her, opened her mouth to speak and closed it once more without saying anything. Instead she opted to wrap Red up in a big hug.

“Glad you figured it out,” Loup said and Red felt the tension drain out of her.

“I mean,” she added, “I'm not exactly surprised.”

Red stifled a giggle.

“You're okay with it right?” Red asked. “You're still my friend?”

Loup scoffed.

“Of course, dummy.”

Red found herself grinning.

“This… doesn't have anything to do with why you were being hunted, does it?” Loup asked with a protective edge to her voice.

“Yes,” Red sighed. “But not the way you'd think. Years ago my stepmother uncovered a prophecy that said the fairest princess in the kingdom would take her throne. She was secure in her belief that her daughter would one day become queen until she checked her magic mirror and saw me instead of my stepsister."

"Huh…” Red commented wryly. “Congratulations on your magically affirmed gender, I guess.”

"Thanks," Red replied with a sardonic smile.

For all the terror of the past few days, it did feel oddly validating.

"How exactly does a magic mirror judge fairness though?"

Red shrugged. "I have no idea, but she believed it and my life became a lot more complicated."

Loup frowned and chewed idly at her lip.

“That explains the huntsman then…”

She related what she had seen at the edge of the ravine, the huntsman, the torn cloak and the pig’s heart.

Red mused over that for a while.

“The huntsman?” she asked finally. “He was blond with a scar over his left eye?”

Loup nodded.

"That's Maximilian, I'm pretty sure he's in love with my stepsister. He must have taken the heart as a decoy, maybe trick them into thinking I was dead? Maybe, if they think I'm dead, they won't come back."

"And what's going to stop your stepmother from checking the mirror again and seeing you alive?"

Red frowned.

"We'll head to Grandmother's house in the morning, she'll know what to do," Loup assured her. “Worse comes to worst, I'll keep you safe. I promise.”

Night had fallen fully by the time they reached the hunting shack. The last glow of the sunset had faded and the stars glittered through the branches of the trees overhead.

After their initial conversation, Red had remained quiet. The girl was understandably exhausted and had begun to stumble in the gloom

The shack itself wasn't much to look at, just a single room built against a rocky outcropping. But it was meagerly stocked with provisions and it kept the evening chill at bay.

"Make yourself comfortable," Loup said, gesturing at the pallet of furs.

"There's only one bed," Red said, her voice hazy with exhaustion.

"There is," Loup said as she busied herself with the stove. "I'll be fine on the floor, you need it more than I do."

"You don't want to share?"

Loup fumbled the firestarter and she felt her face heat.

"Uh… no, it's fine. I'll be fine."

She took a breath and forced her hands to steady and finally get the fire going.

"I'm sorry, it's not exactly top tier accommodations," she said over her shoulder with a grin.

But Red was already asleep. She had only barely managed to get her boots off before collapsing from exhaustion.

Loup grabbed a blanket and draped it over Red's sleeping form. Her eyes lingered on Red's face for a moment. Beneath the scrapes and smears of dirt, Red was indeed beautiful.

It was Red, but not the timid, uncertain creature she remembered. The Red she met in the forest today had certainly been scared, frightened even, but underneath the immediate fear, she carried herself like someone who knew exactly who she wanted to be.

Loup wrapped her own jacket around herself and curled up on the floor opposite the sleeping pallet. It wasn't the worst sleeping conditions she has ever subjected herself to, but as the night wore on, she found herself wishing that she had taken up Red's offer to share.

Dim firelight played across Red's face and Loup's mind wandered back to the nights like this one, when she and her best friend stayed up through the night, sharing secrets.

But there was one secret that Loup had never shared with Red.