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 Jun. 6 2013 at 11:30 pm
Hannah Cofer GOLD, Syracuse, New York
18 articles 0 photos 5 comments
I loved your interpretation of the red riding hood story it was amazing!

Kinners GOLD said...
on Jun. 6 2013 at 8:49 pm
Kinners GOLD, Haven City, California
19 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'm a TEMP from CHISWICK!!"

-Donna

This story is such a beautiful tragedy. I've always been on the side of the 'bad guys,' and you don't know how many characters I've obsessed over who could've been good souls if they weren't twisted by the careless mistakes of others. This really hits home for me.

on Apr. 17 2013 at 1:49 pm
MyFinalDestiny GOLD, Central City, Pennsylvania
10 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"stay golden" the outsiders

THIS STORY IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on Apr. 11 2013 at 6:14 pm
Athena22 SILVER, Anoka, Minnesota
6 articles 0 photos 3 comments
Wow, just wow. This was absolutely the best twist of Little Red Riding Hood I've ever heard! Like most other comments I really like the idea of the wolf being almost a pacifist, then being cursed by the witch. Honest to goodness this is pure genius that deserved publishing!

holly1999 GOLD said...
on Mar. 20 2013 at 1:12 pm
holly1999 GOLD, Middlesbrough, Other
12 articles 8 photos 114 comments

Favorite Quote:
'There was no need to clarify my finger snap, the implication was clear in the snap itself' - Magnus Bane

omgee, this story is amazing. I love how the wolf is the good guy. Brilliant!!!

on Mar. 5 2013 at 11:24 pm
PuppyLove16 BRONZE, Sacramento, California
4 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
"People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used."

OH MY GOODNESS!!! That was amazing! I loved how the wolf was the good guy and red riding hood was bad...and your ending was just beautifully evil. Great job... I want more!!!

on Feb. 9 2013 at 2:25 pm
GreekGoddess BRONZE, Andover, Connecticut
3 articles 0 photos 182 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The unprepared rebel dies in the fire."
~unknown

By gods, I love this story! I love how the wolf is the good guy, but riding hood isn't evil, well not the one we know who is going to her grandmother's house. I love it!

BellaCharlie said...
on Nov. 23 2012 at 6:43 pm
BellaCharlie, Osler, Other
0 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!
-Audrey Hepburn

This is so beautiful. I love the very ending and the twisting of Little Red Riding Hood. Good job!

on Sep. 22 2012 at 10:36 pm
ShadowFangirl101 PLATINUM, Sheridan, Wyoming
20 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You've got to be one of the good guys because there's way too many of the bad." --Skulduggery Pleasant

"If you have time to worry, then run." --Sonic the Hedgehog

Wow this is amazing!! It's interesting to see the story from the wolf's perspective and learn how he came to be there. Great job!

on Aug. 29 2012 at 12:29 pm
RandiRose SILVER, New York, New York
5 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

I have a version of Snow White called " Skylar West and the Seven Runaways."

on Aug. 29 2012 at 12:29 pm
RandiRose SILVER, New York, New York
5 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

VERY GOOD!!!! Check out my stories!!!

BellaCharlie said...
on Aug. 29 2012 at 11:18 am
BellaCharlie, Osler, Other
0 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!
-Audrey Hepburn

Awesome story! 

on Aug. 20 2012 at 9:35 pm
AWriterOfWords DIAMOND, Hamburg, New Jersey
59 articles 13 photos 9 comments
Wow! From the first word I was hooked in. I love the innocence of the wolf in the beginning but then the twist. Oh it was so wonderfully written. It had wonderful flow and made me keep reading, Honestly I like it better than the original as it doesn't cast a wolf in such a bad light! Keep on lighting this world with your writing!

on Jun. 26 2012 at 4:07 pm
TheDevilsLotus, Rgr, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments
I really like your spin on this tale, and I feel for our poor wolf friend. The ending surprised me a bit, what with the wolf surviving, and spending the rest of his days at the bottom of the river. I think that this is a really cool concept, of taking a spin on the Red Ridinghood tale. I also like the style you've written this story in - it's very easy to follow, but it's intriguing as well, if that makes any sense. Overall, this is a really great story!

on Jun. 2 2012 at 8:42 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
--Eleanor Roosevelt

They should make a movie out of this! This dark retelling seems like something straight out of the Grimm fairy tale book.

on Apr. 22 2012 at 2:24 am
IAmWhoIWantToBe PLATINUM, Manila, Other
41 articles 0 photos 650 comments

Favorite Quote:
‎"I’m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world: I run my world." - Beyoncé

This is sad. But it's beautiful. And I love it.

KatsK DIAMOND said...
on Feb. 19 2012 at 5:27 pm
KatsK DIAMOND, Saint Paul, Minnesota
57 articles 0 photos 301 comments

Favorite Quote:
Being inexhaustible, life and nature are a constant stimulus for a creative mind.
~Hans Hofmann
You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.
~Ray Bradbury

I totally agree-- it's rather sad how the wolf never gets satisfied, and his longing just gets more intense, as a consequence for his innocence, but, I suppose, that's life. Hey if anyone has time, could you check out/comment on/rate my work? Thanks and good job on the story!

on Feb. 15 2012 at 8:36 pm
Amyelisee BRONZE, Lake Bluff, Illinois
3 articles 8 photos 117 comments
I LOVE IT!!!

Sarah7387 said...
on Feb. 6 2012 at 10:42 am
Sarah7387, Waukesha, Wisconsin
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Oh the poor wolf. Great job. I loved the twist on this story.

on Feb. 2 2012 at 8:09 am
Phantom_Symphony, Etowah, Tennessee
0 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
~ Behind my smile is a hurting heart. Behind my laugh, I'm falling apart. Look closely at me and you will see, the girl I am...isn't me.

I love it!! It will probably inspire me to write more. Thanks for the good read. :3 Keep writing I look forward to reading it :D