Bright warm sunlight beamed throughout the evergreen trees. Forest dwellers such as rabbits and squirrels darted across the dirt road, caught in their affairs of scavenging for food or taking care of their offspring. From the distance a red hooded figure could be made out, carrying a woven basket in one hand.
"Duuudeee, this stinks! Why do I have to be the delivery boy?" Garfield complains, coming his blonde hair though his fingers.
"I mean I know this stuff here" Garfield lifted the basket a little higher and shook it slightly "is supposed to help Granny and all but couldn't it wait until I kicked Vic's butt in Mega Monkeys 4! I almost had him too!" he cries out. A couple of mice scurry by his feet, frighten by the sudden outburst lashing out from the young teenager.
Not even an hour ago, Garfield's mother barged into his room and pulled the plug from his game station. At the time he was quite shocked and horrified that his once in a full moon lead in the game was snatched from his hands, forever gone. It also didn't help when his best friend Victor, started laughing when his mother got after him for wasting so much time on video games instead of heading out to his grandmother's house when he was supposed to. But hey, he couldn't help it that the call of Mega Monkeys rung louder than visiting an old woman he only met about two or three times.
That's another thing too! Why on earth was it his responsibility to hike a mile and a half in the middle of nowhere when a car could be an easy solution? Oh that's right, because his father didn't want to get dirt in the rims. So sending off his only son is obviously the better choice than a quick carwash. On another matter, it was also annoying having Vic taunt him about the sending off his friend to be eaten by the Big Bad Wolf. Yes, yes, nothing new there…
Jump City, much like other towns, has its own ghost stories and legions. But by far the most popular one is the dreaded wolf. Legion has it that a fierce and merciless beast roams the woods, always on the prowl- searching for its next victim. It is rumored that if you are marked or clawed by the monster, then by the next full moon you will never be seen again. Garfield stops in his tracks for a moment and shakes his quickly, trying to rid his new anxiety of the fairy tale creature. Lifting his head up, he faced a fork in the road.
"Dude! I thought this was a straight forward path? Which way is which?" he panicked, his head shifting left to right repeatedly. Both paths looked identical from one another, making the dissension even harder.
"Uuhhhmmmmm…" he scratched his chin before a moment later snapping his fingers and grins.
"No worries, eeny, meeny, miny, moe~" the blonde began to sing, his fingers moving right to left with each word.
"Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go, eeny, meeny, miny-" his finger stops when long growl erupted from the right path.
His finger quickly switched to the left "MOE! This way moe!" he stated before hightailing out of there.
Arella, an old woman who has far reached into gold age, slowly makes her way to the living room. The walls showcased several old photos and paintings, while Victorian furniture lay in the center. She dusts a seat off before calmly sitting herself down.
"Honestly now… what could be taking little red so long?" she sighs, glancing at the father clock. 5: 45- it read and not a second less or second more. This was quite unsettling for the elder woman, could it be he ran into trouble or is he lost? Maybe he… she shook her head, worrying would get her nowhere. But what more can she do, sick as a dog and bones so brittle they could shatter with a small push- she's not going anywhere.
Just then a light tapping cut through the silence. Arella turns her attention to the notice and just outside the window were two deep purple eyes- glowing radiantly. Arella sat still for a moment before slowly smiling.
"Uuuuhhhgggg… WHY DOESN'T SHE MOVE TO AN OLD PEOPLE'S HOME!?" Garfield screams, depressed that not only is he missing the Space Wars marathon tonight but he is hopelessly lost with no Gameboy!
"Seriously if she needs people to bring her nasty prune juice or vitamin pills then why not move to where it's people's job to babysit you and not surround yourself in an endless maze of trees!" he yelled before finally collapsing onto the a oak tree, leaning his head back and sighing. Twilight was closing in rather quickly which meant the road ahead will be a lot harder to see. The male teen continued to wine until he halted in his movements when he heard a long growl among the bushes.
"Oh no…" Garfield squeaked in a high-pitched voice, his face pales. Oh dear Jesus please let it be a wild fan girl after him and not a hungry mountain lion! Please, please, please, plea-! …
Time stilled as Garfield gazed upon a fierce and captivating creature standing in front of him. Dark blue wolf ears peeked from long silky hair, a long elegant tail swished back and forth, glowing purples eyes that could cut through the deepest of fog, and a red small jewel lying in the middle of her forehead are all features that graced this she-wolf. The red hooded teen was so mystified by the lovely girl he did not take notice of her more … unwelcoming demeanor until he realized that the she-wolf had caged his neck between the tree and her clawed hand.
"What do you think you are doing in my territory?" she stated calmly, almost emotionless. Garfield's eyes widen and a small blush begins to spread to his cheeks.
"Wha-at?" he chokes out. The wolf's eyes narrows and leans forward- eye to eye.
"Are you death or mentally handicapped? Why are you in my territory?"