Nerium Dogbane: Well, you'll find out soon.
Al Drin Hoshizora: Yes, I will respond.
I am a burglar: I bet you wouldn't.
Lycan the Wolf hadn't been this furious since the time the Three Little Pigs burned his rump in a boiling pot.
After having set aside his general contempt for humanity for the sake of a little girl who had done nothing to earn his concern, he had been struck and chased off like a common animal, with no chance to explain himself. It was more than he could bare.
It was humiliating, crass, and ignorant, and these were things Lycan could not tolerate.
"Well, those two are on their own now!" He declared to nobody but himself. His fur was ruffled, and his anger had been kindled.
After all, why should he care about a woodcutter who tried to chop his head off, and a stupid little girl who can't tell her grandmother from a wolf. He even tried to eat her once; why should he care for her now?
Besides, his den was in sight. The Wolf was prepared to simply go in, sleep the rest of the day, and when he woke up, he'd hopefully forget about it all.
As he passed by the den, he noticed a small paw mark on the side of the den. He paused for a moment. Then, he walked up, and pressed his own paw over the mark.
"I will never forget you," He whispered, his voice like the breeze.
Suddenly, a scream echoed through the forest, piercing the Wolf's ears like silver blades. Quickly, the Wolf dashed to the source of the scream, already knowing what had just transpired.
But this time, it wouldn't go unpunished.
Due to his speed, he got there in no time. Just as he had expected, he saw a large man, ironclad, this time carrying a young boy through a tree. The Wolf recognized the boy as a lad who lived with his mother several acres away, and sometimes played in this area. He imagined that this man had been spying on the boy for some time and had found out the precise location where he could pull off the kidnapping with no one watching.
But the Wolf refused to let that happen.
Crouching into a pouncing position, the Wolf extended his blade-like claws as he readied himself for the strike. Wolves usually hunted in packs, but Lycan was a loner. He subdued his prey by himself.
Soundlessly, he soared through the air, a dark blur of fur flying out of the trees. The man apparently sensed the Wolf coming, as he spun around just in time to see a row of fangs coming his way. Shouting out, he dropped the boy to the ground just as the Wolf collided with him. Instantly, he brought the man down.
The two crashed on the grass, struggling with each other. However, it was hardly a fight. The man was big, but the Wolf was bigger. The man tried to pull out a small dagger from his jacket, but the Wolf pressed his clawed paws on his wrist. Soon, the man was pinned.
By now, the boy had awakened, and nearly screamed when he saw the large animal, his weight pressed on his former captor. The Wolf turned to stare at the boy for a moment, and whispered, "Tell your mother that there are bad men in the woods and that every child should stay inside until they know it's safe."
The boy sat on his rump, eyes bulging and his mouth opening and closing. Frustrated, Lycan growled, "Go, now!" This appeared to snap the boy back into reality, and he scrambled to his feet and raced back to his house as fast as his legs could carry him.
Once the boy had vanished into the woods, Lycan turned his golden eyes on the boy's attacker. He was of large size, probably six feet tall, and he had a large belly. He had dark blue eyes and a short, bushy beard. He was dressed with fine silver armor, and wore a rather large helmet. The only thing uncovered was his face.
The man looked intimidating, but the Wolf could hear, smell, and see fear. And this man was oozing with it.
"Who are you," Lycan growled, his hot breath on the man's face. "Where are you from?"
The man shut his eyes, and said, "I'm from Grimm."
The Wolf narrowed his eyes. So, these men had come from the very kingdom Red and Woody were heading to. If that was the case, the two had gotten themselves in even more danger going to the kingdom.
"Why are you stealing kids?" The Wolf asked, disgust evident in his voice.
"Why do you care?" The man asked, genuinely confused. "You're a wolf, a wild animal. A savage beast. Why do you care what we do with children?"
The Wolf paused for a moment, and got off the man. The man sat up, huffing and puffing, before getting to his feet. The Wolf continued to stare at the man, contemptuous.
In spite of himself, the man said, "Well? Answer me, wolf. Why do you care so much?"
The Wolf narrowed his yes, and got on his two hind legs, towering over the man. Puffing out his chest, Lycan stared the man down, and silently whispered, "Because this savage beast knows what it's like to lose someone you love."
The man's expression changed. First, he wore the dubious look of someone who thought he had the high ground with his morals and words. Now, he wore the expression of someone who realized that it was he who had fatally undermined his enemy.
The Wolf lunged at the man, teeth bared and claws out.
The man didn't even get the chance to scream.
Woody whistled a jaunty tune as he and Red continued down the road. Then, he suddenly cursed when he saw that he and Red had reached the part of the pathway that had separated into two different areas.
"Look Woody, there's an arrow," Red pointed out. As she walked towards the wooden arrow, she saw that the directions led to Grimm.
"We can be on our way now," She said. Woody was about to follow, when a gruff called out, "Hello."
Red and Woody whipped their heads in the direction of the voice, and they were surprised to see a rather hairy guy shamble out of the woods, wearing armor that didn't seem to fit him. He wore a large helmet over his head that was blocking his view, making it hard for him to see where was going.
The man tripped over a rock, and tumbled over the road, but Red caught and steadied him.
"Thank you miss," The hairy man said, pulling the helmet over his black nose.
"Who are you?" Red asked, unfamiliar with the man. Woody stared at the man, rather confused himself.
"My name is, uh. . . Mr. Wolverton," The man said after a moment's hesitation.
Red and Woody exchanged glances with each other. Finally, the woodcutter shrugged and said, "Seems legit. Where are you going?"
"I was heading towards the kingdom of Grimm when I lost my way," Wolverton explained to the pair, pulling up his armor.
Red's eyes widened. "Oh," She said, rather taken aback. "We were going there ourselves."
"You are?" Wolverton said, sounding surprised. "Oh my, talk about coincidences. In fact, since we're both heading towards Grimm, why don't we journey together, eh?"
Red inched towards Woody. "Uh, sure," She said. It was then she noticed something.
"Hey, is that. . . blood on your mouth?" She asked, reaching up to touch him. However, Wolverton stumbled backwards.
"This is just. . . paint," He said, wiping it off his snout with his arm. "I'm a painter."
There was an awkward silence, and then Wolverton said began ushering the two towards the pathway, saying, "Well, what are we standing around here for? Let's get a move on. Time waits for no animal."
With that, the three set off down the road.
Strong people stand up for themselves, but stronger people stand up for others.
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