Hunger Pains | Teen Ink

Hunger Pains MAG

March 1, 2010
By E.B.D BRONZE, Vero Beach, Florida
E.B.D BRONZE, Vero Beach, Florida
4 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Long ago, a huge wolf roamed the land in search of wisdom, beauty, and love. Every creature in every forest knew of this magnificent wolf, and they were not afraid of him for he promised not to harm any living animal. He ate only berries and fruits; he was determined not to hurt anyone.

One day, as the wolf strode through the woods, he heard a faint melody. The sweet tune intrigued him, so he began to follow it to its wonderful source. After some searching, he spotted a young woman in a red cloak walking along humming a cheerful tune. He had never seen such a beautiful human girl in all his life, and ­decided to ­approach her carefully, and not frighten her with his ferocious ­appearance.

“Excuse me, fair maiden, but what song is that which you hum?” he asked quietly.

The young girl, turning, didn't seem to be at all fazed by the wolf; in fact, she acted as though it was a normal, everyday occurrence to run into a creature like him.

“Well, sir, I just made it up. It's not really a song of any importance.” Her voice was soft, yet stern.

“I think it's a rather beautiful song, therefore to me, it is of great importance.” The wolf noticed a small basket filled with food in the girl's hand and asked her where she was going.

“I found a vacant home back here in the woods, and I was thinking about having a picnic there. Then, maybe later, I could clean it up and make it my own!” Her excitement over the picnic and cleaning the house pleased the wolf; it wasn't every day he saw a young human following their dreams.

“That all sounds very well. I'll leave you to your travels, young miss.” The wolf lowered his head as if to bow and started to walk away.

“Sir!” cried the girl. “Would you like a piece of bread before you go?” The wolf accepted her offer and took a small piece.

As soon as he finished it, he felt something strange inside of his body, like all of his insides were burning with hunger – hunger for meat, of both man and animal. As the wolf fell over, he heard a woman's laughter. When he gazed over at the little girl in red, she was no longer beautiful. She had aged; her eyes were full of hate, and her hair appeared brittle and thin.

“You fool!” She grinned and began to back away from him. “I've been crossing the land in search of you! It's not right that a beast such as yourself doesn't eat proper meat.” The wolf looked at her, bewildered. “Never again shall you eat a single berry! Instead, you shall eat meat of human and animal alike, and suffer from eternal hunger!”

The wolf went to pounce on her but, within a blink of an eye, the woman was gone. Furious, saddened, and alone, the wolf started to walk as hunger began to ache in his bones.

For thousands of years, the wolf ate the meat of the people within the villages and kingdoms he destroyed in pursuit of settling his hunger. Everywhere he went, he kept an eye out for the woman who had cursed him; however, she was never to be found. The idea of revenge lingered in the wolf's mind and transformed him into a bitter animal.

Then one day, as he walked in the forest he always traveled, he caught sight of a young girl in a red hood. Convinced this was the woman he had been searching for, he went directly to her, trying to gain control over his anger.

“Young one, where are you off to?” His voice was deep and raspy.

The girl shrilled at the sight of him and spoke with a quivering voice. “To my grandmother's. Her house is at the end of this trail and I need to bring her some food.”

The wolf could tell this wasn't the girl he had been searching for, but he thought of her grandmother, and knew she must be the one. “Thank you, young miss.” He spoke as he darted away, following the thin trail.

It was a short distance to the house, and as the wolf approached, he heard the humming of a song he hadn't heard in thousands of years. He froze; anger raged inside of him, and his surging hunger swelled to a degree he had never felt. Blinded by revenge, he broke through the door as the old woman screamed. The wolf knocked over dishes and tables, and then pounced on the elderly woman, ­devouring her whole.

It wasn't long after the wolf finished eating her that the young girl in the red hood entered the house. Terrified, she dropped her basket and ran screaming into the woods as the wolf chased her. The girl tumbled through the bushes as the wolf came closer and closer.

He was finally upon her. Suddenly, from a hidden place between the trees, an axe broke through and cut into the wolf's side, gashing it open as he fell to the ground. A woodsman had been in the forest when he heard the young girl's cry, and ran to protect her from the foul, wretched wolf.

The man took his axe and sliced open the wolf's belly. He filled it full of stones and rocks and sewed them up, and carried the wolf out to a deep river and dropped him into the water.

The wolf did not die. He survived, and sat at the bottom of the river, ­unable to move, with his hunger pains aching ever more.


The author's comments:
In one of my writing classes I was asked to make a Fractured Fairytale and I chose Little Red Ridinghood. This is the story I created.

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This article has 80 comments.


on Nov. 6 2015 at 1:06 pm
EllieMayB BRONZE, Medford, Oregon
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"What the world fails to realize it that villains are just a victim whose story hasn't yet been told." The Land of Stories.

I really like how you changed the story to the wolves point of view. I never really liked that story until now. Great job! It was really interesting, and sad. I kind of liked the wolf....

aoliver BRONZE said...
on Nov. 5 2015 at 8:42 am
aoliver BRONZE, Plaquemine, Louisiana
3 articles 0 photos 3 comments
I like this story because it is a lead up to Little Red Riding Hood and its funny how you tell it happens. It shows a lead up to why the wolf would kill little red riding hoods grandmother. My favorite line is, “As soon as he finished it, he felt a strange inside of his body like all of his insides were burning with hunger.” The old woman cursed him with eternal hunger and then left and after that day he was always trying to find her.

on Nov. 4 2015 at 1:01 pm
raleighr BRONZE, Plaq, Louisiana
3 articles 0 photos 3 comments
This short story reminded me of Little Red Riding Hood. In the end of the story, “The wolf did not die” which is similar to the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. This used to be one of my favorite fairytales. It was nice to see it in another form.

on Nov. 4 2015 at 12:12 pm
mariyahm-- BRONZE, Plaquemine, Louisiana
2 articles 0 photos 4 comments
I love this story that was once known as “Little Red Riding Hood” that was told different, but because of this reading it all comes together now. “You fool!” “I've been crossing the land in search of you! It's not right that a beast such as yourself doesn't eat proper meat.” “Never again shall you eat a single berry! Instead, you shall eat meat of human and animal alike, and suffer from eternal hunger!” this quote shows that you shouldn’t always trust people. This can relate to the real world because you have to be careful to whom you take items from and what people are doing around you because you don’t know what people are thinking, and they could be out to get you!

on Nov. 4 2015 at 9:58 am
kinly.nicole BRONZE, Plaquemine, Louisiana
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"People are going to judge you anyway, so forget everyone and be yourself."

I like this story even though the end was a bit sad. The lady that gave the wolf a piece bread reminded of the Evil Queen that gave Snow White the poisoned apple. I liked how you wrote the wolf being good at the beginning and only “ate berries and fruits”, but then after the lady cursed him, the wolf turned bad and “ate the meat of the people within the villages and kingdoms he destroyed in pursuit of settling his hunger”.

on Oct. 5 2015 at 2:17 pm
LittleRedDeliriousPrince SILVER, Parma Heights, Ohio
7 articles 0 photos 100 comments
WOW, plot twist. Did not see that coming.

Izzy777 SILVER said...
on Jun. 23 2015 at 2:04 pm
Izzy777 SILVER, Tampa, Florida
9 articles 0 photos 63 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I always wonder why birds stay in one place when they can fly anywhere around the world. But then I ask myself the same question."

WOW, this was so freaking awesome man what the heckk!!! (((: You're very creative

on Dec. 16 2014 at 7:47 am
French_Gold SILVER, Waynesville, Georgia
9 articles 0 photos 70 comments

Favorite Quote:
There's plenty of sense in nonsense, if you wish to look for it.
-Cassandra Clare

I love how people have started to look deeper into the stories of fairy tales. I bet people would never rewrite the wolf as a good then turned bad.

on Nov. 26 2014 at 12:49 am
Chrissiana1320 BRONZE, Hypoluxo, Florida
3 articles 0 photos 48 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It isn't what you can do with your strength, but how you chose to use."


















-By me, I think.

I love how you switched that the wolf was good at first.

Ms.Wild said...
on Nov. 20 2014 at 3:17 pm
Ms.Wild, St. Julian's, Other
0 articles 0 photos 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
Breathe, Smile and don't forget to love.

a bit sad... I loved it.  It's great!

on Aug. 4 2014 at 2:30 pm
GlitchWolf BRONZE, Clover, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
Insomnia is the writer's best friend...

Wow, great story! You made us see the other side to the fairy tale we all know. Amazing.

Obi-Wan BRONZE said...
on Mar. 20 2014 at 9:37 pm
Obi-Wan BRONZE, Bel Air, Maryland
2 articles 0 photos 15 comments
That was awesome, great detail.  I love how you took little red riding hood to a whole different level

smith67 BRONZE said...
on Jan. 13 2014 at 11:16 am
smith67 BRONZE, Jacksonville, Florida
4 articles 0 photos 4 comments
wow! this is really good. i love how you used a backstory to make us feel sorry for the wolf!

on Nov. 3 2013 at 2:07 pm
flutterbye1888 GOLD, Ridgley, Maryland
13 articles 3 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
Always bring a banana to a party.

You did very well mixing the original fairytale with a backstory that made you pity the wolf. Maybe nothing is what it seems when you see it. :)

on Oct. 8 2013 at 9:37 am
Demoderby PLATINUM, Pontiac, Illinois
28 articles 13 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
All that we see or dream is but a dream within a dream
-Edgar Allen Poe

I love old fairytales and I also love gruesome stories... And putting those two together is a great idea, but it depends on the story. Little Red Riding Hood turned into that was amaising. I loved it best of all...

on Sep. 9 2013 at 2:20 pm
KingReject SILVER, Gueydan, Louisiana
9 articles 0 photos 24 comments
moo...dairy tale.

on Aug. 26 2013 at 4:42 am
TheSkyOwesMeRain GOLD, Irvine, California
13 articles 1 photo 299 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments which take your breath away.

You are only as strong as your weakest link.

I love that the way you tell the tale makes us feel sorry for the wolf. Great work! I particularly love the beginning with the old woman cursing the wolf!

Delmara SILVER said...
on Jul. 31 2013 at 2:53 pm
Delmara SILVER, Paris, Texas
9 articles 5 photos 5 comments
My mouth dropped open at the end! I was totally not expecting the rocks...shiver. Awesome.

SpottyLepard said...
on Jul. 23 2013 at 12:52 pm
SpottyLepard, Concord, North Carolina
0 articles 59 photos 78 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Smooth seas do not make strong sailors." -Old Nigerian Proverb

This is great! I love the different viewpoint you give to the classic tale, and the tone you used sounds makes it sound like a classic dairy tale. Nice work!

JRaye PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 5 2013 at 4:36 pm
JRaye PLATINUM, Dorr, Michigan
43 articles 10 photos 523 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you."

"Have you ever looked fear in the face and said, 'I just don't care.'?"

SUCH a good story!!! It's so tragic, but the way you told it was exactly how a fairytale might be told - the same kind of voice, you know? Anyway, really incredible job, and congratz on making the magazine! :)