"No." Pietro said as Jack finished his tale " No, no, no no,no, no," he paused for a breath before finishing "no, no and finally no."
"Really, ten no's?" Jack said " One would have sufficed."
" Jack, we go way back, but what your asking me to do is dangerous, and suicidal normally, but hey let's throw in the enchanted Forrest in to the mix, we'll be lucky if we don't get eaten by wolves!" At the mention of wolves he saw Red Riding Hood flinch, but Pietro filed it away for later. He continued on his friend "Granted I'm assuming that's why you roped in Red here, so we're back to dangerous and suicidal. Plus, the whole story you just told me, I've heard some stories in my day but that one has to be made up, and if that's the case we really need to talk that you would lie so badly to your friend."
With that Jack hefted a sack roughly about the size of a small turkey as it hit the table with a definitive thud. The thieves around the bar took notice before they returned to their drinks with cold glances from the table. Pietro opened the sack and looked inside as he said "Huh, I'll be damned. My apologies Jack."
"Look I made a mistake," Jack said plainly " Made a deal I shouldn't have and someone paid for it. Now someone's after me looking for that and he won't stop until he gets it. I thought you would help me Pietro that you would understand."
Pietro took one more look inside the sack and then closed it up. He stood and Thassues climbed back on his shoulder as he said "It's not safe here, the bartender would sell you out for the right price. Meet me at the back gates to the city and I'll be there, we need to leave by first bell, or dawn if your in hurry and what you say about a pursuer is true."
"We'll be there at dawn. Thank you." Jack said
"Don't thank me yet, thank me when we're alive and this all just a story we tell to impress girls in taverns." Pietro said with a half smile at Red before taking off.
At dawn they rode out on horses, Pietro "borrowed" from a local stable. They rode for most of the morning until they got to the border to the Enchanted Forest. There they let the horses go as they proceeded in the forest. The horses took off, as if spooked by the ancient and secret magic's that dwelled within the forest.
Once they entered the forest, Red Riding Hood took the lead, and even Pietro had to admit, she did know the terrain. They kept the journey lively, Jack telling tales of him and Pietro in their youth. Red would chime in with a few tales of her growing up as the daughter of bakers. Pietro was silent for most of it, but eventually even he relented and showed off various slight of hand tricks he perfected as well as a few Thaddeus could do as well without the aid of his instrument.
By nightfall they had traveled a third of the distance, an impressive feat given the large sack they were also hauling around. They needed to go to find what Jack was looking for. They made camp under a large oak tree. Red took the first watch.
As Pietro slept a pale thin hand reached out for him. His eyes sprang open and he grabbed the hand, moving to break a finger before he realized that it was just Red. He let of the hand and said " My turn to watch, sorry about that…I'm a light sleeper. Good night then." He said awkwardly and rose from slumber and moved closer to the fire, only to discover that Red had followed him back to the campfire.
"Can I ask you a question?" she asked
" No." Pietro said with finality
Surprisingly she didn't give up after that merely paused for a minute before saying " You don't trust people much do you?"
Pietro shot her a dark glance saying cynically " What an observer of the human condition you are Red. No I don't trust people, with the price that's on my head, they either think I'm a monstrous criminal to turn into the authorities for the reward or some charity case they can help to make themselves feel better, so which are you?"
She paused and then said " I don't know neither I think, just want to know more about you."
It was a response that Pietro had never heard before and what more it seemed genuine. However he recovered from his momentary shock as he then replied " You know what, I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine first."
Red nodded
"What's happened with you and wolves?" Pietro asked
She was quiet after that had drew her arms around her as if cold, and in the firelight for the first time Pietro noticed little white lines on her arms. Scars healed over, scars from claws. She then turned to him and said " Well…"
With that Pietro held up his hand and said " Good Night Red, I proved my point."
"What point?"
"Everybody has secrets, and you shouldn't delve into a persons secrets unless your prepared to walk the dark road that they came from. Like you said we just met." Pietro gave a smirk " You get us through these woods and we survive, then I'll tell you everything you want to know about me."
She gave a slight nod and said " I'll hold you to that." Then walked away from the campfire and went to sleep.
Pietro's shift was surprisingly uneventful, and several hours later he woke Jack and then fell back asleep as soon as his head hit dirt.
It felt like it had only been a few minutes when the earth rumbled and Pietro's eyes shot back open as he sprung up. Red sprung up as well as they both turned and saw Jack his eyes wide with terror as he said " We have to go…now."
They began frantically packing up their supplies and dousing the fire as the shaking of the earth got closer and closer.
Pietro took out his pipe and played. He thought about whatever was coming toward them going away. He commanded with the melody go away, go away.
The rumbling got closer
Pietro was confused, he could control man and beast with his music, yet now it had failed. He then turned to jack and said " Jack, is there something you forgot to mention about what was pursuing you.?"
Jack turned his head and said " Maybe."
Then it appeared, crashing through the trees, like they were merely annoyances in it's wake. Easily dwarfing the smaller trees and standing eye to eye with the bigger trees the creature was brawny, and had a long black beard. It's greenish-yellow eyes glowed a bit, and with the light of the moon shining off it's bald head and the firelight shining up at it's boots, it seemed like it had been brought from the abyss itself.
Pietro tried to move to stop it, but one swing of it's hand knocked him back against the tree hard as he passed out, another swift swing, brought down Red just the same. Then hand reached for Jack and plucked him up, lifting him several stories in the air before he was brought eye to eye with his pursuer, as the giant smiled a crooked grin.
Fi, Fie, Fo, Fum. The giant said Finally found you little one
You thought you could give me the slip, instead
I'll grind your bones to make my bread!
