Red Riding Hood - Part 2
By Molly Drummond / Spinebreakers Crew
Scarlett paused, sharpening her ears. She turned round, and screamed.
“What?” asked the wolf, trying not to look guilty in its pouncing pose, the sharp claws poised just a few inches from her skull.
“Er… er… nothing.” Scarlett stammered, treading backwards, “What do you want?” she asked. The wolf grinned, settling back down into the normal stance – standing on its two back legs with its paws behind its back (like a magpie).
“I was enquiring after the apple pie in your basket.” He said. Scarlett sighed. She may have had it all her life, but she always wondered at wolves’ sense of smell. Sure, they could be a little dumb, but that always helped when they were right behind you.
“You can’t have it. I’m delivering it to someone.” She explained. The wolf looked puzzled, until she added, “Who hasn’t paid in advance.”
“Well, who is its?” he asked, the disappointment clear on his face.
“It’s the Granny’s.” she told him politely. The Granny was not really a granny at all, at least, as far as anyone else could tell, but she lived almost exactly in the centre of the wood, and was about as lined as a pinstripe suit. She was a little bit of a hermit, and (ofcourse) expected to be a witch, but Scarlett wasn’t really afraid of her. Well, not much.
“I… see.” The wolf slumped, and gave her a look commonly seen on R.S.P.C.A posters.
“I’m not falling for that,” Scarlett said sternly, quietly adding, “Again.”
“Oh, okay.” He sighed, “You know, I could just rip you apart and take the pie for myself.” Scarlett pursed her lips as she tried to think of a reply.
“You could,” she began, “But once my mother and the Granny finds my ruined bloody corpse and no pie, you’ll be hunted down and slaughtered horribly.” She smiled sweetly, putting her head on one side and adding brightly, “Not such a great idea, is it?”
“Right, I get it,” the wolf grumbled, “But would you like a shortcut?”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because I’ve lived in this forest all my life. Because I gave up that pie without much of a fight. Because I’m loveable, and smart, and… yeah. And because you outwitted you, and I’ve decided to help you.” He grinned wolfishly.
“Honoured, but no thanks.” She replied, “I know a good way.” She set off down the path.
“Well, if you want to take up my offer, it’s that way!” the wolf called after her, pointing a little way west-south-west to her path (which was, obviously, North). Then he disappeared, slinking off into the forest. Scarlett paused. She looked up to a small gap in the leaves, and found it was already nearly dusk. It would take her practically an hour from here to get to the Granny’s house, nearly an hour and a half to get home, and by then, it was going to be pitch black. She would probably get lost, and getting lost in The Wood at any time was a very bad idea, and at night? That was catastrophic. She quickly went back to where the wolf had been, checking left and right, up, behind her and in the distance, because she hated accepting help, especially from a wolf.
The pathway he had pointed out was relatively well-lit, for The Wood. It was slightly narrower than her usual path, but that was no bad thing. It meandered a little way around the many trees, before turning steadily over a mossy lump of raised earth – not quite a hill – not quite a bump. Scarlett looked about her again, and fidgeted. Then she saw the slightly darker shade of bluey-grey the sky had turned since she had last looked up, about a minute ago. She sighed and made her decision. Even to Scarlett, the pathway looked fairly reliable, but then she was desperate. She took a deep breath, tucked the wicker-effect Tupperware box tightly underneath her arm and set off, with the nagging feeling that this was really what she shouldn’t be doing.
~*~
Leaving her point of view for a short while, the wolf watched the little red figure striding confidently along the path, and laughed a wolfy little laugh. He bounded away, soon lost in the trees.