Tony followed Samantha further away from town and deeper into the forest. All the light that was left from the sun had now vanished. The moon seemed to shine brighter than the sun at night. The stars were petite speckled dots, barely showing in the sky. No wonder Wolf was always entranced by the moon, Tony thought, it really was intimidating and seemed to hold it's own power when it was full and filled the sky.
He followed her into a small clearing where a tiny cottage was nestled between a sliver of a creek and a dense row of trees. There was an ax that was left dormant on an old trunk, obviously used for chopping wood. There was no fresh cut woodpile, or any new notches made into the trunk. The ax, Tony noticed, hadn't even been touched for a long time, it was covered in a thin layer of dust.
Samantha led him over to the front of the house and opened the door. It slid open with a loud creak and Tony stepped inside. Samantha lit a candle in the center of the room and then another near the back. The house was small, and yet cozy. So many things with this cottage reminded him of when he first saw the Seven Dwarve's cottage; everything fit for the perfect size of the owner.
Samantha closed the door behind her and motioned Tony to sit at the table. She had a silver pitcher sitting on the kitchen counter, which was once filled in a cup, Tony realized had water in it. Tony took a sip, it was very delicious. Warmer than he would've liked, but still very tastily nonetheless.
"Make yourself at home, I'll be right back." Samantha said before leaving into the back rooms. Tony quickly finished his cup of water and refilled it again. Tony noticed a beautiful bouquet of flowers placed on a small table near the hall. Daises and Buttercups, he noticed, there were some others, but he couldn't identify them. He was never good with flowers.
"That's a nice vase of flowers there." Tony called to Samantha in the back rooms, trying to have some small talk between her.
"Oh yes," She said from the back room, "Mrs. Crendell from the other side of the town picked them for me. She's been giving me things since I can remember. Food, clothes, whatever the weather or time permits. She's such a sweet lady. Her husband, Mr. Crendell, is the town's butcher. He always has the best selection of meat, of course, I'm a vegetarian, but according to most of the town, it's delicious."
She came into the room holding a purple velvet sack in her right hand. Two yellow cords tied it, both knotted twice. The cords were slightly frayed and worn and Tony thought it was possible that she opened the pouch more than once or twice since she stole it. She quickly undid the knots and pulled out a long yellow crystal, identical to the red one. Tony stared at it in awe, another crystal. Two down, only one more to go and then they could get Virginia back, but his hopes were dimmed slightly by a quick thought.
"Damnit." He muttered as he turned away from the crystal and down to the cup he held.
"What is it?" Samantha asked as she put the crystal on the table and placed the pouch on the counter. She pulled back a chair and sat opposite to Tony.
"I left my sack in the barn." He needed the mirror to figure out where the next crystal was. Wolf or no Wolf, he was going to keep searching, Virginia was counting on him.
"Well, we can go back and get it." Samantha offered raising from her chair. Tony nodded and took the crystal off the table, placing it sloppily in his pocket. He finished off his water and put the cup on the counter next to the pouch.
Samantha opened the door and immediately shot back to where Tony was. He was confused by what spooked her, until he saw Wolf standing in the doorway, a grin on his face, and a line of blood around his lips. Tony and Samantha backed up instinctively as Wolf took a step inside the cottage and shut the door behind him.
Tony and her were not afraid of Wolf, they were afraid of the wolf in him. His eyes were turning a shade of yellow and his hair was mussed and dirty. His hands were covered in blood and dirt; his clothes were ragged and tattered. He stared at them, keeping his same smile, and walked over to the counter where the velvet pouch was.
He lifted it up and gazed at it for a moment. Then looked again at them, keeping his glare directly on Samantha.
"Well, well, what do we have here? I wonder what could've possibly been in this. A yellow crystal, perhaps? It looks about the right size to me. Only, one small thing, it's empty!" He held the bag upside down and shook it. "Where did it go?" He put a fake confused and shocked expression on his face and began to pace the room. He dropped the pouch on the table and arched an eyebrow. He saw the crystal peaking out of Tony's pocket.
"Listen Wolf, maybe you should head back to the barn and lie down for a little while." Tony suggested.
"Oh yeah, you just know EVERYTHING that I should do, don't you Tony!? Always offering advice, when you're the one who needs it the most!"
"Hey listen, I'm not going to take that tone from you!" He said, putting in more volume than he would've liked, the last thing he wanted to do was make Wolf angry.
"Oh really? And what are you going to do? You wanna go to that barn and get something nice and sharp to stick into me? Cause that's what your daughter was going to do. Just like all people and farmers. You're all alike, all wanting to burn and destroy wolves like me, we're just filthy animals to you, aren't we? You just want to kill us all. Well, it's not going to happen anymore. I'm going to get you ... before you get me."
"Wolf, just stop. Listen to what you're saying. You know it's not true." Tony tried to reason. He put up his hands and slowly walked towards Wolf, trying to calm and soothe him. Samantha stayed near the corner of the kitchen, watching helplessly, as Wolf's eyes burned brighter and his teeth appeared out of the corner of his mouth.
It didn't work. Instead, Wolf began to approach Tony. He slowly took each step, just as he did in the barn, feeding off of the fear they were both giving off. They circled around the table; Wolf sped and declined his pace as they went, trying to learn their moves. Tony glanced quickly at Samantha, within that small moment their eyes met, his flickered to the door with a small tilt of his head. She very slightly nodded and both turned back to Wolf.
Tony paused and waited for the right moment. "Samantha, now!" Tony shouted as they both sprang for the door. With a grunt, Samantha flung it open and ran outside. The door slammed shut behind her, she stopped running and froze. Tony was still inside.
Her hands were trembling and her heart was racing. She grabbed her head and watched the cottage, hoping he would emerge from inside. He was trapped, she knew it. Her knees began to shake and she frantically searched for something, anything.
"What can I do!? What can I--" She stopped as her eyes rested upon the ax.
Wolf pressed Tony up against the door and brought his face close to his. Tony tried to move away, but Wolf's hold was too strong, his reflexes too acute for him to hope to escape. Wolf smiled devilishly again and leaned towards Tony's ear and whispered.
"I told you to get far away, didn't I?"
He followed her into a small clearing where a tiny cottage was nestled between a sliver of a creek and a dense row of trees. There was an ax that was left dormant on an old trunk, obviously used for chopping wood. There was no fresh cut woodpile, or any new notches made into the trunk. The ax, Tony noticed, hadn't even been touched for a long time, it was covered in a thin layer of dust.
Samantha led him over to the front of the house and opened the door. It slid open with a loud creak and Tony stepped inside. Samantha lit a candle in the center of the room and then another near the back. The house was small, and yet cozy. So many things with this cottage reminded him of when he first saw the Seven Dwarve's cottage; everything fit for the perfect size of the owner.
Samantha closed the door behind her and motioned Tony to sit at the table. She had a silver pitcher sitting on the kitchen counter, which was once filled in a cup, Tony realized had water in it. Tony took a sip, it was very delicious. Warmer than he would've liked, but still very tastily nonetheless.
"Make yourself at home, I'll be right back." Samantha said before leaving into the back rooms. Tony quickly finished his cup of water and refilled it again. Tony noticed a beautiful bouquet of flowers placed on a small table near the hall. Daises and Buttercups, he noticed, there were some others, but he couldn't identify them. He was never good with flowers.
"That's a nice vase of flowers there." Tony called to Samantha in the back rooms, trying to have some small talk between her.
"Oh yes," She said from the back room, "Mrs. Crendell from the other side of the town picked them for me. She's been giving me things since I can remember. Food, clothes, whatever the weather or time permits. She's such a sweet lady. Her husband, Mr. Crendell, is the town's butcher. He always has the best selection of meat, of course, I'm a vegetarian, but according to most of the town, it's delicious."
She came into the room holding a purple velvet sack in her right hand. Two yellow cords tied it, both knotted twice. The cords were slightly frayed and worn and Tony thought it was possible that she opened the pouch more than once or twice since she stole it. She quickly undid the knots and pulled out a long yellow crystal, identical to the red one. Tony stared at it in awe, another crystal. Two down, only one more to go and then they could get Virginia back, but his hopes were dimmed slightly by a quick thought.
"Damnit." He muttered as he turned away from the crystal and down to the cup he held.
"What is it?" Samantha asked as she put the crystal on the table and placed the pouch on the counter. She pulled back a chair and sat opposite to Tony.
"I left my sack in the barn." He needed the mirror to figure out where the next crystal was. Wolf or no Wolf, he was going to keep searching, Virginia was counting on him.
"Well, we can go back and get it." Samantha offered raising from her chair. Tony nodded and took the crystal off the table, placing it sloppily in his pocket. He finished off his water and put the cup on the counter next to the pouch.
Samantha opened the door and immediately shot back to where Tony was. He was confused by what spooked her, until he saw Wolf standing in the doorway, a grin on his face, and a line of blood around his lips. Tony and Samantha backed up instinctively as Wolf took a step inside the cottage and shut the door behind him.
Tony and her were not afraid of Wolf, they were afraid of the wolf in him. His eyes were turning a shade of yellow and his hair was mussed and dirty. His hands were covered in blood and dirt; his clothes were ragged and tattered. He stared at them, keeping his same smile, and walked over to the counter where the velvet pouch was.
He lifted it up and gazed at it for a moment. Then looked again at them, keeping his glare directly on Samantha.
"Well, well, what do we have here? I wonder what could've possibly been in this. A yellow crystal, perhaps? It looks about the right size to me. Only, one small thing, it's empty!" He held the bag upside down and shook it. "Where did it go?" He put a fake confused and shocked expression on his face and began to pace the room. He dropped the pouch on the table and arched an eyebrow. He saw the crystal peaking out of Tony's pocket.
"Listen Wolf, maybe you should head back to the barn and lie down for a little while." Tony suggested.
"Oh yeah, you just know EVERYTHING that I should do, don't you Tony!? Always offering advice, when you're the one who needs it the most!"
"Hey listen, I'm not going to take that tone from you!" He said, putting in more volume than he would've liked, the last thing he wanted to do was make Wolf angry.
"Oh really? And what are you going to do? You wanna go to that barn and get something nice and sharp to stick into me? Cause that's what your daughter was going to do. Just like all people and farmers. You're all alike, all wanting to burn and destroy wolves like me, we're just filthy animals to you, aren't we? You just want to kill us all. Well, it's not going to happen anymore. I'm going to get you ... before you get me."
"Wolf, just stop. Listen to what you're saying. You know it's not true." Tony tried to reason. He put up his hands and slowly walked towards Wolf, trying to calm and soothe him. Samantha stayed near the corner of the kitchen, watching helplessly, as Wolf's eyes burned brighter and his teeth appeared out of the corner of his mouth.
It didn't work. Instead, Wolf began to approach Tony. He slowly took each step, just as he did in the barn, feeding off of the fear they were both giving off. They circled around the table; Wolf sped and declined his pace as they went, trying to learn their moves. Tony glanced quickly at Samantha, within that small moment their eyes met, his flickered to the door with a small tilt of his head. She very slightly nodded and both turned back to Wolf.
Tony paused and waited for the right moment. "Samantha, now!" Tony shouted as they both sprang for the door. With a grunt, Samantha flung it open and ran outside. The door slammed shut behind her, she stopped running and froze. Tony was still inside.
Her hands were trembling and her heart was racing. She grabbed her head and watched the cottage, hoping he would emerge from inside. He was trapped, she knew it. Her knees began to shake and she frantically searched for something, anything.
"What can I do!? What can I--" She stopped as her eyes rested upon the ax.
Wolf pressed Tony up against the door and brought his face close to his. Tony tried to move away, but Wolf's hold was too strong, his reflexes too acute for him to hope to escape. Wolf smiled devilishly again and leaned towards Tony's ear and whispered.
"I told you to get far away, didn't I?"