the only red she wears is the band at her wrist, a leather bracelet she’d had back before the curse had broken. the streaks in her hair have long since faded ---but hidden in her suitcase is the red cloak - something she couldn’t leave storybrooke without, even if she is in control of her wolf. it’s not a risk she’s willing to take.
and yet, here she is, having left everyone she knows behind. and why? to find others like herself. when the curse had lifted, everyone found their friend, their family. but apart from granny, most of her family ---the others like her, are dead. or left behind in the enchanted forest. it’s impossible to know which. and while emma had promised she knew nothing about anything other than human in the world outside storybrooke, ruby couldn’t help but search. it’s not as if she was going to learn anything simply staying in the tiny, protected town.
it’s not the full moon, and ruby feels no urge to turn. with complete control of it now, it’s not the pull of the moon that dictates her shifts regardless. but tonight she’s following the prick of her skin, a strange feeling that leads her to a somewhat crowded part of town, despite the hour. people in storybrooke had almost always been tucked into bed by ten, but here, the night seems to just be starting.
eyes turn to her as she passes, each gaze sending a shiver down ruby’s spine. she knows the smell of wolf, and this isn’t it. it’s something else, something she doesn’t recognise. but by the looks she’s getting, she’s not the only one who can tell the other is different. eyebrows knit softly, red lips parting, before closing again. she knows better than to ask.