It turned out that Loup’s grandmother's house was a surprisingly cozy looking cottage nestled deep in the woods.

The old woman herself was waiting for them at the door as if she were expecting them. Red didn't know her real name, it had always just been Grandmother. The grizzled old woman was studying them now, her face unreadable. She had always been kind to Red, more understanding than most, but there had always been a hard edged wariness to her.

Red swallowed a knot of apprehension, remembering how Loup told her how she had been forbidden from responding to Red's letters. It was a lot of her to ask for sanctuary here.

"Grandmother," Loup called,"you remember Red don't you?"

Grandmother studied Red with a neutral expression.

"I ran into her yesterday,” Loup continued with a defiant tone. “She was being pursued by agents of the queen."

Grandmother sighed.

"No one's ever accused me of being inhospitable and I'm not about to let anyone start," she huffed. "Come in, child. You'll be safe here."

Loup was helping herself to a second bowl of stew when Grandmother sat down across from her.

Red had recounted her tale to Grandmother as she wolfed down her own bowl of stew, eating so voraciously that Loup wondered when she had last eaten.

And now that Red had retired to the bathhouse for a well deserved soak, Grandmother was studying Loup intensely over steepled fingers.

"I know what you're going to say," Loup said sullenly around a mouthful of stew.

“Do you now?” Grandmother replied in her creaky voice.

“What was I supposed to do?” Loup argued back. “Was I supposed to just leave her there to get caught or worse?”

Grandmother sighed.

"Despite what you may think, I do care for that girl. I kept her away for her own protection as much as yours."

Loup's appetite vanished and she stirred idly, not meeting Grandmother's eyes.

"There are only five nights until the full moon, child. Does she know what you are yet?"

"No… I mean, I don't think so"

"And what do you plan on telling her when she starts asking questions?"

"I don't know," Loup muttered miserably.

After a long soak and what might have been the best sleep of her life, Red was feeling very much refreshed and more herself than she had felt in a very long time.

Loup however was uncharacteristically subdued and reticent, which sent unbidden panic through Red.

Had she done something wrong? Was this fragile renewed friendship doomed to falter now after they had only just found each other?

“Would you show me some of the forest?” she asked finally when she could bear it no longer.

Loup’s eyes brightened at that, but she hesitated in her reply.

“You sure?” she asked. “You're not worried about running into trouble again?”

“I thought you were the most dangerous thing in this forest,” Red replied with a forced laugh. “I trust you to keep me safe.”

Loup grinned even as a shadow flickered across her face. It was only when Grandmother threw up her hands in exasperation and shooed the two of them out of the house, that Loup finally relented.

But once back in her element Loup was fully recovered, revealing the side of herself that Red had so desperately missed over the last five years. She bounded ahead of Red, excitedly pointing out all of the different birds and wildflowers they passed.

They finally reached a clearing, completely non descript except for an ancient looking ring of stones and the tinkle of running water somewhere nearby.

“You remember how to start a fire?” Loup asked as she dug in her pockets for flint and steel that she tossed to Red.

“I'm… out of practice. Why?”

Loup flashed a lopsided smile that made Red's chest flutter.

“The best trout in the entire forest live in the stream near here. Get a fire going, maybe I'll share some with you."

Red grinned and Loup gave her a wink and trotted off. She busied herself, gathering sticks and clearing a space for a fire.

It had been quite a while, but Loup herself had taught her.

A twig snapped nearby. Red looked up and froze.

The queen's huntsman, Maximilian, was stalking towards her, watching the trees warily.

Red stood warily, ready to bolt.

The huntsman raised his hands in a half hearted gesture of placation.

"My… my lady," he began, stumbling over the title in a way that made Red's hackles rise, "please don't run. I have orders to bring you home. I wish you no harm, but I have no intention of leaving empty handed."

"No harm?" Red spat, with a mirthless laugh. "What do you think will happen to me when I return to the castle?"

The huntsman said nothing as he crept closer.

Red's heart was pounding now. He was stronger and faster than her. If she ran, if she fought, she would certainly end up in his grasp. It had been blind luck that had landed her in Loup's arms in the first place. She needed Loup, only together would they be enough to best him.

"Let me guess," she said, trying to stall him, "the queen realized that pig's heart was a fake and she sent you back after me."

He froze, his jaw clenching.

"Lady Antonia thought that if the queen believed you dead, she would call off the hunt."

Antonia… Red should have known her step sister had gotten her fingers into this mess. She was just as ruthless as her mother and twice as cunning.

“It didn't work did it? You tried to fool a witch and you've been given one last shot at success. What exactly did her ladyship, my stepsister, promise you? It must have been quite the reward if you were willing to go against the queen."

The huntsman's mouth twisted as the barb landed. Red had a pretty good idea of what Antonia had promised, an illicit relationship between her and the huntsman was an ever present topic of rumor among the palace staff.

He was too close now, almost within lunging distance. Red took a step back and readied a scream.

Before she could open her mouth, a blur of motion caught Red's attention. A hunting knife embedded itself in a tree just past them with a dull thud.

"Get away from her," Loup growled, as she drew a second knife from her belt.

Loup didn't dare take her eyes off the huntsman as Red scrambled to get behind her.

"You…" he said warily, somehow recognizing her.

How much about the conditions of her exile did he know?

"Red, run."

Her blood was roaring in her ears. The beast within was desperate to be free.

"But-"

"Go!" Loup snapped as she flung a handful of pebbles at the huntsman’s face.

He yelped in alarm, but she didn't spare him a backwards glance as she sprinted after Red.

Together they ran through the woods, dodging past trees and over logs. But just as she was beginning to believe they would make it, Red's ankle rolled. She let out a yelp of pain and collapsed to the ground.

Loup was at Red's side in an instant. In contrast to Red's heavy panting, Loup was barely winded. It was too close to the full moon and she was pushing herself dangerously close to the point of no return.

She didn't care. The only thing that mattered was keeping Red safe.

"Red! Are you okay? Can you get up?"

"I… I don't-"

Something struck Loup in the shoulder, spinning her. The air was knocked out of her lungs as her back slammed into the ground. She was distantly aware of someone screaming as searing pain and warm wetness were spreading from her shoulder.

The sharp scent of blood hit her as she became aware of the arrow protruding from her shoulder.

She painfully dragged herself to sitting and stared at the alarming amount of blood leaking from her body.

Whoever was screaming hadn't stopped. Loup looked up to see Red kicking and thrashing against the huntsman, who had a handful of her hair in his grip.

The caged thing inside her broke loose fully. Before she could think, she was on her feet and barreling towards them. She let out a wordless sound between a shout and a howl as she slammed into the huntsman with her uninjured shoulder.

He staggered back several steps and she positioned herself between him and Red.

"I said. Get. The hell. Away. From. Her." She said with her teeth barred.

She tore the arrow from her shoulder. The tip of it ripped her flesh and blood poured freely, but the wound was already stitching itself closed and she barely felt the pain any more.

The huntsman took another step back in shock, eyes widening with horror.

She tossed the arrow aside and snarled at him, more animal than human.

He mouthed a word, two syllables that sent an icy shard of fear that pierced through her rage.

He knew what she was. If he hadn't before, he certainly knew now.

He turned and fled as if the devil were chasing him.

She watched him go, but the roar in her veins didn't abate. Her teeth were too sharp against her tongue. The colors of the forest were muted but the shadows were sharper. She could hear every bird and every creature in the forest.

The full moon was still a few nights away, but still soon enough that the stress and blood loss were enough to trigger the change.

She tried to take a steadying breath though she knew it would prove futile. A familiar fever was taking root, with its aching muscles and crawling skin. She felt a stab of pain in her gut as her muscles cramped and she collapsed to her knees.

There was nothing she could do to stop it now.

"Loup!"

Loup curled up her hands as Red arrived at her side, but not before Red saw a flash of claws.

"Red, you need to run," Loup hissed.

"No, you're injured. You need-"

But Loup wasn't bleeding any more. Through the smear of blood, the injury was gone, replaced by a faded scar.

"What?" Red gasped.

Loup's hand shot out to grasp Red's wrist with an iron grip, inhumanly strong. She did indeed have claws now.

Red looked into Loup's face and was shocked to discover that the light brown eyes that reminded her of autumn had brightened to a startling gold. Those eyes were desperate, pleading, terrified.

Loup grunted again in pain and grimaced, flashing teeth that were now too long, too sharp to be human.

"Red," she gasped through the pain. "It's not safe. Run."

"I don't understand…"

But realization was already dawning on Red. The eyes, the teeth… Loup had lied when she said the Wolf was just a story. The creature was very much real and lay before her.

A voice in Red's head told her to run.

But Loup was her friend, her oldest friend… her only friend, if she was being truthful.

"Loup. I'm not leaving you"

"What? No, you can't stay! I don't want to hurt you!"

"I don't believe you will."

Loup's eyes snapped back to Red and for a moment she thought she saw a glimmer of hope.

Whatever Loup was about to say next was lost as she let out a sharp moan of pain and collapsed on her side. Red wanted to go to her, comfort her somehow, but the sounds of Loup's discomfort were sounding less and less human.

Instead she sank to her knees and watched in fascinated horror.

Loup tore off her jacket and cast it aside, revealing a sweat soaked shirt and roiling muscle beneath. Her claws lengthened and fur spread across her arms. She collapsed to all fours, shedding the remnants of shredded clothes. There were a few sickening pops and snaps as the bones in her feet rearranged and a furry tail emerged from her backside. Her face contorted, lengthening into a lupine snout and she let out a low howl.

The wolf shakes her head. The transformation is disorienting. She sniffs at the air, taking stock off her surroundings.

She is not alone.

She sees the human girl nearby. Her first instinct is to flee. She lays back her ears and curls her tail under her. The human girl is alone, but humans always mean trouble.

The human girl stinks of terror, but she remains still, watching the wolf.

"Loup?"

The wolf knows that voice. Her ears perk up and she cocks her head.

The human girl smiles softly and says something the wolf cannot quite understand.

The human girl holds out her hand. She is terrified, but her body language is composed and inviting. She is safe.

The wolf lays her ears back in submission and cautiously approaches. The human girl does not move as the wolf sniffs her hand curiously.

Satisfied, the wolf presses her forehead into the human girl’s palm.

"Good girl"

The wolf grins and wags her tail at those words. She will recall this moment in the morning with mild mortification, but for right now, the wolf is pleased.

Loup awoke painfully and groggily. The morning after a transformation was always terrible. Every single time, without fail, her head throbbed and her entire body ached worse than any hangover. The worst part was she usually woke up alone in the woods, cold and hungry and miles from home.

This time wasn't too bad. There was a comforting warmth pressed into her back that kept lulling her back to sleep. She dozed in and out of awareness, dreaming of arms wrapped around her and soft breathing against her neck.

She shifted slightly and the arm around her waist shifted with her. The breath murmured something drowsily.

Loup's eyes shot open and she immediately became aware of two things.

First, it was Red's body pressed into her back. It was Red's arm that was wrapped around her. It was Red’s breath that tickled her neck.

Second, she was naked. Very naked.

She made a panicked noise and scrambled to her feet.

"Whu-?" Red asked muzzily.

Loup glanced at Red who was blinking at her in sleepy confusion. A moment later, Red's eyes widened and she blushed furiously.

"Your… um… your clothes are over…"

Red gestured helplessly at the corner of the cave as she scrambled to turn her back on Loup and give her a modicum of privacy.

"Thanks," Loup replied, her own face burning.

Through the embarrassment, Loup realized a third thing.

Red had stayed.

Hazy memories of the night bubbled to the surface. Despite everything that happened, despite knowing what Loup was, Red had stayed.

They picked their way carefully back through the forest. Loup's boots had miraculously survived and her jacket was mostly unscathed save the arrow hole and the smear of dried blood. Everything else was a complete loss. She salvaged enough scraps to tie a makeshift bandeau around her chest and Red lent her leggings, which were far too tight in a way that Red could not stop staring at when she thought Loup wasn't looking.

Red's ankle still throbbed with dull pain as they made their way slowly back to the cottage. Loup remained quiet and pensive all morning until Red couldn't stand it any longer.

"So… um… about last night"

Loup's head snapped around, a flicker of panic on her face.

"What about it?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, you did transform into a wolf," Red replied.

Loup swallowed and nodded.

"So you're a werewolf?"

"Yes," Loup replied, looking away again.

Red's heart lurched at the expression of miserable resignation on her friend's face. Loup was supposed to be the strong one, the confident one. It tore Red apart to see her like this.

"Hey," she said and she grabbed Loup's arm. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm still your friend."

Loup's eyes were shining and her breath hitched a little.

"Thank you," she replied softly.

"How long? If you don't mind me asking," Red asked.

Loup looked away and wiped at her eyes.

"My whole life"

"Oh…"

Certain details of their childhood suddenly made a lot more sense to Red.

"And your grandmother, is she also… you know?" Red asked after some time.

"No, she's human," Loup replied. "Well, mostly. She is a witch after all. She isn't even really my grandmother. My mother was pregnant with me when she was turned. She had nowhere else to go and Grandmother took us in. My mother… she asked her to take care of me if anything ever happened."

Something flashed in Loup's eyes, the dull pain of loss that had never quite healed. It was a feeling that Red was familiar with.

"People like me," Loup continued. "We mostly just want to live our lives in peace, but people fear what they don't understand. Every terrible story and legend about us has a grain of truth in it. Every so often there's a bad wolf that makes fear curdle into hate.”

Loup sat heavily on a nearby log and let out a long sigh.

"I was five when they came for my mother,” she continued. “She bought us time to run. I don't know what happened to her, but I never saw her again. And then when I was fourteen, I got careless. I got caught and someone tried to hurt me and I defended myself. That's the real reason we left."

Loup sniffed and wiped tears from her cheek.

"I'm so tired of running. I'm tired of being a monster."

"Loup," Red said softly as she sat next to her. "Do you know why I stayed yesterday?"

Loup shook her head.

"I stayed because you are my friend. I know you and I know you would never hurt me. You are not a monster."

Red took her in a tight embrace.

"I'm glad you fell back into my life," Loup whispered.

Red released her and smiled up at Loup, who was looking at her with something like wonder.

Seized by a sudden impulse, Red brushed a lock of Loup's hair behind her ear and Loup gasped slightly as Red's fingers brushed her cheek.

Red's pulse quickened, suddenly aware of how close they were.

Loup's eyes were so bright with need, but there was that subtle, ever present glint of fear in her face. Red realized that even after everything, Loup was still afraid. She was still afraid that Red would see her as a monster and run.

But Red wasn't afraid. She knew what she wanted. She had wanted it since Loup crashed back into her life.

She closed the gap and their lips met. Loup's eyes widened in surprise as Red wrapped her arms around her, but after a moment of hesitation, she melted into the kiss.