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.