A.N:: Given the fact that this is the second bit I've posted on the day of my account's revival I'll just come out and say that this is just an edited version of a funny little idea I put together a while back. xD The idea in general was enough to make me smile and I enjoyed writing it immensely, the edits were also more about switching around sentence structure or changing a word here and there. Enjoy~
People live in cities of all sizes in the world. From huge urban sprawls on the coast to dottings of homes miles away from their "neighbors" erected in the middle of wide, dusty plains. There are also little congregations of people who decide to set up among mountain ranges whose peaks poke the clouds above and are some of the most isolated groups out there. One such village, seemingly dug into the side of such a slope, was no exception and an outsider walking in might be questioning whether they've taken a step back in time. Dirt roads (if you can even call them that) winding through old fashioned wooden cottages are the basis of this tiny town and the people living there number no more than 50. Crafts in metalworking and trade are most often taken up and life is always peaceful, routine, and simplicity itself. The people living there would also have it no other way.
Shrinking our scope from the whole town to one family we focus on a single little girl in particular. She, her Mama, and her Papa are a perfectly fitting piece of the puzzle that makes up the area with the little girl held in high respects by the other townsfolk. Since the village is, frankly, no more than a neighborhood there's no such thing as private living. Your business is his business and likewise her business is yours; a hopelessly intertwined mess of threads that resulted in every occupant of the town being very familiar with the little girl and her parents. They even had an affectionate nickname for her: Little Red. The name came from her favorite scarlet, hooded trench coat that she wore almost 24/7 and her petite frame that filled it. She was actually already 13 but because of her size and the fact that she wore her bright blonde hair in twin pig tails that made her look quite childish the equally childish name stuck. However, she didn't really mind the name too much since she held no interest in outward beauty or other's opinions. If that wasn't the case then she just had her nose stuck in a book too often to notice the results.
Little Red's family life was as routine as any and one tradition of hers was to pay a visit to her grandmother across the woods once a month. Yes, the woods. Outside the village gate and surrounding most of border lay a thick, pine forest. The dark green of the pine needles contrasted sharply with the gray stone and bleach white snow of the mountains nearby and cast a blanket of shadow over a large portion of the land. Little Red's grandmother lived in another tiny village on the other side of the narrowest portion of the trees and once a month Little Red paid a visit and returned with a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Both parties thoroughly enjoyed the trip to say the least and today was the awaited day.
Most of the village roused themselves just as the sun began to bleed color into the sky and chase the stars away and Little Red and her parents did too. After happily donning her base clothes and signature red coat Little Red practically bounced down to her Mama's side as she finished packing the wicker basket she usually toted along. This was the only fluctuating aspect of the trip since Little Red brought something different to her grandmother's almost every time. This time it was raisin bread.
After a goodbye kiss from both her Mama and Papa and two identical promises made to be careful Little Red was off. Making her way past her neighbor's homes she waved to anyone that was out and about and they smiled warmly back, she was their Little Red after all. Though the last thing Little Red did before she actually left the village was to say goodbye to a few of her friends who had gathered at the gate anticipating her trip. After this was all said and done the first steps outside her hometown were taken and the tail of a billowing red coat faded into the darkness of the forest.
If you were to measure the distance from point A to point B Little Red's trek covered about two miles but a practical skip made it go by in a flash. Also, if you're wondering why a little girl was allowed to travel on her own through the forest the reason was simple. There really wasn't anything to be afraid of. No predators were known to stalk through the shadows and a very clear path connected the gate of Little Red's village to her grandmother's, only forking once or twice to others close by. Birds twittered brightly on overhead branches as she walked and little rays of light filtered between the pine needles to the earth. It was pleasantly warm and a light breeze managed to weave its way past the tree's defenses, overall it was a beautiful day and if anything Little Red felt disappointed that her time outdoors couldn't have stretched on longer as her grandmother's log cottage peeked through the tree trunks ahead. On a separate note her grandmother's house wasn't actually in a village, it was just outside of its border but the kind old woman's lifestyle flowed just the same as if she was smack dab in the middle of everything.
Little Red's grandmother was already waiting on her front porch with a smile as she approached and beckoned her granddaughter inside the comfy abode. They chatted easily for the next few hours in twin rocking chairs while passing the raisin bread back and forth between them and Little Red was as happy as ever. Her grandmother was such a nice woman who was always worrying about her daughter and stepson alike and humorously commented at least once per visit about how silly she thought it was for her Mama to have "run off with that flamboyant rascal". Little Red's cheeks always hurt from smiling so much when she left. However, it would soon be growing dark and Little Red had to head home for fear of worrying her parents. As always her grandmother tied a batch of freshly baked cookies up in a colorful cloth and placed them in her basket before sending her off, here was also where she had to make yet another promise to be careful on her journey.
Once again Little Red found herself moving lightly down the path through the pines only with cooler air and fading light brushing her skin. The enticing scent of the cookies wafted up from her basket and made her mouth water slightly but it had been a long standing promise with herself not to eat a single one until she returned home. Minutes ticked by and the distance between Little Red and her destination waned but for some reason the ease she normally felt at traversing the familiar path wasn't quite there. The forest seemed to have fallen eerily silent, leaves rattled against each other and swirled over the path, and the air felt almost heavy. Slight prickles of alarm at the foreboding atmosphere began to travel up Little Red's spine but she swallowed down any fear before it could even form. There wasn't anything to be afraid of… nothing at all.
Now she stopped. Out of the corner of her eye a flicker of motion darted by in the distinct shape of a four-legged animal. The silence of the forest was stifling now and her heartbeat and breathing seemed unnaturally loud, a siren call to anything nearby that she was here and vulnerable. For an agonizingly long moment nothing happened, but then the shape from before moved out onto the path a few feet ahead, it's movements fluid and graceful in a feral sort of way. Little Red sucked in a sharp breath as the creature glided forward and a warning growl rumbled in its throat. A wolf, and not a small one either.
Her immediate instincts screamed for her to just take off running but fascination won over for the moment. Rather than the dark, brindled color she'd heard that wolves normally were in the region this particular lupine had a thick coat that was as strikingly white as mountain snow. The long strands of it swayed lazily back and forth in time with the beast's movements and the wolf itself watched her almost quizzically with perhaps its most startling trait, blood red eyes, almost the exact color of her prized trench coat. The twin, almost human looking orbs clashed with Little Red's own emerald irises as both watched each other's every move. Strangely enough Little Red actually found herself relaxing under the newcomer's gaze even with the strong muscles she knew were hidden behind that fur along with razor sharp fangs and claws but he didn't seem to be acting like he wanted to harm her. Their curiosity regarding one another was equal even with their physical standing. For what seemed like an eternity neither made another move until the wolf suddenly dropped onto his haunches and tilted his big white head slightly. His nose twitched and Little Red couldn't help it, she smiled. Of course it was the cookies. Her own human nose was being blasted by the wonderful scent so it was no wonder that they'd attracted something with a much more sensitive sense of smell. Did wolves like cookies though? It didn't really seem like something one would be too eager to test.
The wolf seemed to notice her change in demeanor towards a tad smug because he snorted slightly and rose once more. He then took a small step forward and Little Red involuntarily stiffened as he drew a bit closer. Her feet felt cemented to the floor even with a part of her brain practically flying off the handle on this entire situation and when he nudged the basket lightly with his snout she reacted with another one of her trademarks, one that involved smashing the nearest living being on the head with a hard cover novel.
Whether it was actual pain at almost having his wolf skull cracked open or pure surprise a loud yelp escaped Little Red's target and he skittered back a few feet before dropping his front half and pawing at his head. Little Red still had the book turned weapon clutched in one hand and for a few seconds she was frozen in fear over what would happen after provoking a wild animal. Instead of fruitlessly fleeing she decided on standing her ground. She tucked the book back in her basket before squaring her jaw and putting two fists on her hips as the wolf looked back up somewhat accusingly. He seemed a bit confused by yet another sudden change in her demeanor but, like Little Red had, settled on a defiant stance and narrowed his oddly colored eyes.
After his recovery Little Red moved one had off her hip to extend it and shake a finger at him in a universal gesture of "no no". If possible by lupine facial anatomy the wolf looked taken aback and growled again but the threatening sound was cut short as a cookie was suddenly presented out in the open. To him the smell was quite literally mouthwatering and he even seemed comically hypnotized as he took a few more steps forward. However an outward palm stopped him in his tracks and he was met with another slightly smug smile. Little Red practically grinned at his wary stare before pointing towards and thus introducing another expression to the world of wolves; utterly appalled. Also in one word; priceless.
It took a great deal of self-control for Little Red to not burst out laughing at the scene but she was going through with this so she made the gesture again. After getting past his immediate disbelief the wolf's eyes flicked from the, notably quite large and still warm, baked treat to Little Red's face before he gave a slight huff and dropped into a sitting position. A strange joy filled Little Red at seeing such an apparently untamable spirit following orders like a domestic dog and she did let out a slight giggle as the wolf snapped up the cookie that was tossed at him. He seemed immensely satisfied.
About a minute later every crumb of the cookie had disappeared and the wolf was licking his chops a to get at anything missed which gave Little Red time to wonder what happened next. The wolf did cast a few more longing glances toward her basket and she pondered the situation for a moment. He didn't seem vicious, more like a big dog if anything and it was obvious that she couldn't just shoo him off. His attitude could change to more hostile or he might just follow her home. Home… could she take him with her? That situation would most definitely take some major explaining to her parents and possible begging on her part but, why not? He could be a sort of village thing that everyone was involved with and it's not like she would have many people to convince. That settled it.
With another smile Little Red moved smoothly past the wolf who watched her questioningly. She preceded a few steps down the path before stopping, looking over her shoulder, and tilting her head forward in a motion to follow. He twitched an ear once and stared with his impossibly red gaze as if considering before padding leisurely in her direction. Another grin tugged at her lips and she turned again before moving in her half walk half skip sort of way with her new companion close behind.
Forget a kitten or puppy, she was Little Red and she was bringing the Big Bad Wolf along home.
A.N:: So then, thoughts? Was it as adorable as I'm initially imagining or maybe just plain silly? Any and all thoughts are always welcome but, try to be gentle for the sake of my tentative soul q.q
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