Red woke up feeling stiff and sore. Her hair was still wet, and had tangled while she slept. Red was not feeling very happy as she groggily crawled out from under her blankets and checked to make sure her clothes were dry before getting dressed. Even more importantly her cloak was dry, Red draped it over her knees as she worked at the tangles in her hair with a comb. Snow continued to sleep, but Granny woke up and stoked up the fire to make tea and fry some bacon.

"What are we going to do now?" Red asked Granny.

"We'll rest here until the rain lets up." Granny said as the bacon began to sizzle. "Then we'll go deeper into the woods, so far that we won't have to worry about anyone finding us. There was an abandoned cottage, it's probably still empty if it's still standing."

"Snow too?"

"There's enough room for her."

"No." Snow was blinking sleepily. "It'll be better if we split up."

"You can stay with us." Red had known her friend would have to leave eventually but hated to say goodbye.

"I know I could, but I shouldn't." Snow sat up, her black hair a wild mess that made Red feel better about the state of her own hair. "We both have people after us. Now that the mayor is dead and you left your home, the villagers will forget about you unless you draw attention to yourself. Maybe you can even move into another village someday. But the Queen is not going to stop coming after me until I'm dead... It's easier for one person to disappear than three." Snow smiled. "You taught me how to hunt, I won't starve to death out there."

"You're right, Snow." Granny agreed, "But that doesn't mean we can never see each other again. Come with us to the cottage, then we'll help you find your own shelter."

The plan made Red feel better. They ate as the rain pattered outside the cave.

"The important thing is that it's still standing and no one else has moved in." Granny said.

Red gave the cottage a doubtful look and Granny did not blame her. Much of the thatch had rotted away, a few spindly saplings had taken root on the roof, one wall sagged outward, and many of the shutters were coming off or gone altogether.

"It will need a lot of work but it will do, at least winter is behind us." Granny assured her granddaughter.

As Granny moved ahead to go inside and heard Red mutter to Snow in an undertone: "You're right, you will be better off on your own after all."

The door was still in good shape, thick sturdy oak and well made. The hinges creaked as Granny went inside. It looked much better on the inside than the outside, though critters like mice and squirrels had been making themselves at home for several years. There was a table, a few stools that looked like they could still take weight. The cupboard had come off the wall, but there were still dishes inside. Granny looked at the fireplace and wondered if the chimney was clear enough to build a fire.

Snow ventured inside, followed by Red.

"We'll stay in the kitchen tonight." Granny said since she knew this room was habitable. "Until the rest of the place gets fixed up."

Snow chose to help clean up the kitchen and spend the night at the cottage. Red had taken a look at the rest of the cottage and thought the cave would be a better place to live, but Granny insisted the cottage would be fine after it was fixed up, and they could fix it up.

The chimney was deemed safe so a fire was built in the fireplace. Granny snored softly as Red and Snow sat by the hearth, blankets wrapped over their shoulders and cooling cups of tea in their hands.

"Are you going to hide in the woods for the rest of your life?" Red asked.

"I'm not going after my crown if that's what you want to ask me."

"But you're the King's daughter and the Queen-"

"-has probably framed me for killing him." Snow said. "As long as the people are treated fairly I don't care who rules."

"I think you'd make a better queen."

"I'm not going to be queen." The sharp way Snow said it made Red drop the subject. They sat in silence for a moment, broken by the rattle of Red's spoon as she awkwardly stirred her tea. Snow's face softened. "It will be best if I keep out of sight, no one will get hurt including me. I'll hide in these woods until I have enough gold saved up so I can go to another kingdom where she won't be able to go after me."

"How are you going to go about getting gold?" Red asked.

"Still working that out." Snow admitted. "I'll probably be hiding in this forest for a long time." Snow finished her tea, then curled up on the floor to get some sleep. "Goodnight."

Red sat up for a while. Despite all the traveling and work on the cottage she did not feel as tired as she should be. She did not feel like sleeping yet. Red pulled up the hood of her cloak to make sure it was on, then slipped outside.

Wolfstime was not over yet, the moon was still full and bright. It was tempting to take off the cloak, let the Wolf out for a couple hours, hunt and run through the woods.

But Red was not going to risk anyone lives. So she sat down on a stump and listened to the night life.

A giant tree had been felled ages ago. The hollowed out trunk was so big Snow could step inside with barely ducking her head. Some animals had hibernated in the tree trunk over the winter but had abandoned it. What was important was that no humans had been around it.

"This is perfect." Red admired Snow's potential hideout. "No one ever comes by here. Just cover the opening to keep out the wind and rain."

"I was thinking of putting some vines over the entrance, so in case anyone does come by they won't notice it." Snow's voice echoed from the trunk.

"That's even better." Red stepped into the tree trunk.

Red helped Snow clean out the tree.

"I'd better head back, Granny will start to worry." Red said, noticing the sun starting to sink over the west. "Are you coming?"

"I think I'll start getting used to this place." Snow said. "I'll be all right."

"Okay... You know where we are if you need anything or change your mind." Red left the tree and followed her back trail back to the cottage in the woods.

So that ends it. I wanted to finish this story before "Child of the Moon" airs next week, and I'm expecting to see the promo tonight and feared I'd not be able to write anymore after seeing it. Like with my Unplanned two-shot that I consider complete but everyone wants me to continue, I'm a coward when it comes with competing with the real show. By next week this whole fic will probably become AU. Maybe if I get enough ego-inflating reviews I'll write more or start a new fic. (Not until next month or later, I'm doing NaNoWriMo.)

A couple weeks ago I extended the first chapter of this fic to include more Granny, go check it out. Maybe if I feel inspired I'll rewrite more chapters for more Granny, she is fun to write.