Claret Hood lives for danger.

Sometimes, she strolls into the eerie woods alone on purpose, wearing a bright crimson cape just to garner attention.

While predators see her as an easy target, she isn’t a naive girl who skips to her grandmother’s house. She’s far from it.

Having grown up in the forest, in a wolf territory, her mom taught her how to handle herself.

Though she was skilled in many weapons, she was partial to an axe. Her brother hogged the bow and arrow, so she almost never got any practice with it anymore.

But who cares. It isn’t the only long range weapon.

“Claret, please tell me you will stay home when I am helping your grandmother,” Claret’s mother, Carmine, pleads, though she knows she is powerless against Claret’s head strong nature. Even as a child, she was wild, never staying in one place for too long, exploring the scary world with her brother.

“Sure, Mom,” she answers, fully aware of her intention to do the exact opposite. She sharpened her axe and everything. That’s not going to waste.

Carmine sighs and continues to pack her belongings to bring to Grandma in a picnic basket. “I will be gone for two days max.” It’s said as a warning.

This isn’t her first rodeo.

Helping her gather supplies, Claret reassures her mom, “And if I have any trouble, I can call Forest. Don’t worry about me!”

It’s fruitless to argue with Claret. She knows what she wants and goes for it with all of her energy. She goes all in every time. It’s who she is.

Carmine shakes her head but has a familiar grin on her lips. “I’m going to worry regardless. How can it be that both my children like danger so much?” She questions, humor in her tone.

Shrugging, Claret points out the obvious, “I don’t know, Mom. You raised us this way.”

Carmine Hood is no slacker. She is a single mother who single handedly slayed more wolves and beasts than anyone else in the town. Wolves killed the Hood patriarch and Carmine took his place as the protector.

If she imagined her children being anything but rebellious and strong, she was kidding herself.

“Ha ha. I’m going to go now before I analyze my own parenting skills,” Carmine says, pausing to kiss Claret on the forehead, “Goodbye, love you.”

“Love you right back!” Claret responds. Her mom hates saying ‘I love you too’. The ‘too’ is the part she doesn’t like. Saying that first to someone is something she should say regardless, even if the person doesn’t say it back. You don’t say it to get it reciprocated. So she and her brother come up with different endings to love declarations.

The moment the door shuts with a loud thud, Claret is on the move. She gathers items for herself this time, including her trusty axe. She won’t leave as long as her mother, but she does pack some snacks for her jaunt outside.

Since her mom took the picnic basket, she places her food in a satchel bag and takes her red hood off of the coat rack. She swings it on and opens the door in one swift movement.

She steps out from the safety of her home, the crunch of her boot against the twigs and rocks audibly announcing her exit. She hopes that the wildlife hear her coming.

They should be scared.

Resting her weapon on her shoulder, she walks down the beaten path.

Time to go hunting.

———

(This may or may not be inspired by Ever After High after going down a rabbit hole and rewatching all the episodes.)