Chapter 14
Red fell asleep with her head resting on Wolf's backpack while he laid on his side, arm slung lazily over her waist. He felt calmed by the sound of her breathing, the tranquility of her form as it rested. Her soft brown locks fell over her shoulder, resting over her neck. If he were a wolf or any other mindless animal he would have rested his long head there, a perfect place to get comfortable.
But he was human. That would only be awkward.
With his thin hands, Wolf played with her soft hair, breathing in her soft, beautiful scent. When she sighed, he tensed, fearing her awake.
Night didn't last forever; it ended, as all things do. Wolf blinked weary eyes on the distant horizon, barely distinguishable through the thick trees with their stretching branches. He scented the air, reaching to add more fire for the wood.
The smell of smoke is what brought Red back from her dreamworld. She blinked awake, sitting up, examining her surroundings. The girl caught sight of Wolf, standing away from the fire, arms crossed over his chest.
Wolf knew the exact moment she awoke. He heard her catch her breath, her breathing no longer calm and relaxed, but tense and ready for the day.
He turned, just in time to see her stand to her feet. The brunette yawned, stretching out her arms, "Sorry I fell asleep on you Wolf. Anything up?"
"No intruders all night, no sign of a witch. They must be keeping a close eye for any signs of disturbance." The human rubbed his eyes with tired hands, yawning to himself.
Red stood alongside him, staring into the awakening forest. The dark emeralds shimmered as a wind whispered through the trees' leaves, murmuring sweet words to the animals.
"It's beautiful in the morning," she murmured.
"Yup," Wolf said, eyes glancing to her, breaking whatever moment the pair might or could have had. Red shifted her own eyes to him right as his mind echoed, "Not as beautiful as she is."
With this thought, he walked back to the fire, adding some kindling and a log to keep it going. He relaxed on his side, "You mind if I take a quick snooze?"
"Go ahead," she reassured him, "I'll make sure no witch comes here."
(**)
It seemed an eternity for Jack, Twitchy and Granny to show up from the town. Jack came accompanied with a few dogs, something Wolf wasn't very pleased with. "Great," he muttered, "more mouths to feed."
"Now, Wolfie," Granny started.
"I'm just saying we're in a bad enough shape as it is. How are we going to take three dogs with us when we can all barely fit on those two bikes we have?"
"They can ride in the side-along I brought with me," Jack offered as a group of men came up, lugging the side-along with them."
Wolf glared, "Fine then, slow us down. But that thing isn't going on my bike."
Red rolled her eyes, "Chill, Wolf. You don't have to attach the side-along to your bike. Can we put it on yours, Granny?"
"Dear it makes no difference to me," the old lady said with a sly smile. "No extra weight will slow down this old girl."
Red smiled, "Okay, should we head out now?"
Wolf grumbled, turning to his bike, "I suppose we should."
"Sure you feel like you can drive, Wolf?" Jack sneered at him, "Or should you ride with the other dogs?"
"Hey, brat? See that hole you put pie in? Shut it," Wolf growled over his shoulder, zipping up his blue hoodie as he walked past the bikes. He turned his head to call loudly, "Or we could always leave you here with the other babies."
Jack glared, jumping on the back of the other cycle.
Red rubbed her eyes tiredly before mounting on to the bike, hands gripping the handles. She sighed out through her nostrils as Jack approached, getting on after her.
No words were exchanged.
Boys.
(**)
Wolf snarled from where he crouched on the ground, irritated with this drizzling rain that fell upon their heads. He shook his head in a dog-like way, dark hair flapping in the roaring wind. Red sat on her bike several feet away with the others, shivering. "Smell anything Wolf?"
"Nothing, not a single thing!" he called back, growling to himself. Stupid human body couldn't even smell right. "Anything Twitchy?"
"Nobuttherain'sgonnawashitallawayboss! Whaddyathinkweshoulddo?" he asked over the pouring rain.
Wolf looked over his shoulder, glaring as he caught sight of Jack enfolding his arms around Red's trembling form.
He growled, standing up, "We better find some shelter or we'll just die of sickness! Twitch and I will go find some shelter!"
"Hurry on then!" Granny called.
Wolf took off from his pack of friends, eyes adjusting to the pouring rain as he nimbly jumped over logs, ducked under branches to locate a place to stay. He continued running up the hill, stopping when he heard his associate call his name. "Wolf! WolfoverhereIthinkIfoundacave!"
The canine squinted through the rain, running back to his friend's beck and call, bare feet slipping on the wet earth. At long last his legs gave out so he collapsed on the ground, sliding a few feet before he jumped back up, skidding down the hillside where he found Twitchy crouching in an old cave.
"Is it abandoned?" Wolf asked. He stepped inside, shaking his body to rid of the water.
His efforts stood fruitless.
Irritated, Wolf stalked past Twitchy, who's fur was already beginning to dry quite quickly while Wolf's clothes dripped, the water plopping on the hard cave floor.
Both scented the cave, making sure it was abandoned before Wolf volunteered to go back to the others. "I'll be back in a flash, okay Twitch?"
"YeahnoproblemWolfI'llstayhere."
The former-canine jumped back into the cold.
(**)
Red, Jack and Granny huddled together, trying desperately to conserve their body heat in the pouring rain. Jack kept his arms around Red, hugging her close to him.
The girl didn't even care as she scanned the forest, searching for any sign of the turned wolf.
He appeared a few minutes later, drenched, somehow even more wet than they were, eyes wide as he looked over their freezing forms. "Come on!" he called. His slick hand grabbed Red's, pulling her away from Jack's grasp, jumping into the forest with the others closely following.
Wolf led them to the cave. The trio sighed in relief. The dogs came panting in, shaking out their fur. Wolf watched them jealously before stripping his hoodie and shirt off, wishing he could dry himself just as fast.
"Good job Wolfie," Granny said as she pulled out her flashlight, searching the contents of the cave for something to burn.
"It was really Twitchy who found it," Wolf explained. The hyper active squirrel was already fast asleep at a corner of the cave, tail not even moving, showing how exhausted he was.
Red peered into the storm, jumping when a flash of lighting flickered, enlightening the cave for a brief moment. She looked over to Jack as he stood next to her, wrapping an arm around her, a hope to comfort her. "It's okay; we won't get hurt in here."
She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, push him away and give him a good punch or slap across his face. She wasn't worried about the storm!
Clearing her throat, she stepped away from him, much to the pleasure of Wolf, who watched nearby. A smirk grew on his face. He brushed past the two of them, stepping into the rain. Red's eyebrows lifted up her head as she called out, "Wolf? What are you doing?"
He turned, "Going to look for some dry wood; there's not much here."
Red blushed when she saw him without his shirt, bare chest open, water dripping down his smooth skin. "But won't you get sick?"
He laughed, long, thick hair plastered to his face and neck. "Ha! I never get sick."
With that, he jumped into the forest.
When he was gone, Red placed her hand on her face, surprised and annoyed at the rising blush that crept up her cheeks, giving away her innermost thoughts.
"Come back over here, kids. Wolf will be back soon and it's important we stay warm and dry," Granny beckoned them over, pulling out a blanket from her backpack, handing it to them as she dug for another one.
"Want to share?" Jack asked as he received the blanket.
"No I'm fine," Red declined.
He shrugged, "Your funeral."
Red caught a glimpse from Granny, who gave her a look. Red shrugged at her subtly before enfolding her arms close to her chest. Jack gave her an almost annoyed look before shifting his eyes back to the outside as the weather continued to rage on. His eyes glazed over as the lightning illuminated her features, making her skin look a soft porcelain pale.
She was beautiful.
Her next words stirred him, however, making him scoff in irritation.
"I hope Wolf is okay."
(**)
The human laughed as he slid on the ground into the mud. Getting back to his feet he took off, stopping here and there to bend down, searching for dry branches or grass that could warm the others back in the cave.
As serious as the situation was, Wolf found it amusing, the position he was in. He loved the storm raging all around him, growling with its loud threats. The flashes of lightning made his heart jolt, the sound of the thunder compelling him to howl with glee.
He loved storms.
Wolf slid expertly below a tipped log, not minding the least how cold he was, how nearly every square inch of him was either scraped, bruised or bleeding.
The turned-human didn't care in the least.
Laughing as the rain pelted his smooth face, Wolf finally stopped when he found a large boulder, outcropping a stack of smallish sticks. He beamed, running over to it, crouching to make sure the materials were dry enough. "It'll work, right?" he asked himself. "It should be pretty dry; it's only got a few drops on it."
Grabbing as much as he could, Wolf took off to the cave, careful this time not to skid through any mud or land in a large puddle.
(**)
Red looked up, deflating with relief when she saw Wolf come in, holding an armful of dried grass and sticks. It wasn't much to go by, but it would be enough for now. She started to stand to speak with him when he turned back, running into the thick of the storm. "Wolf wait!" she called, running to the edge of the cave, a few sparks of rain pattering upon her.
He stopped, "Yeah?" turning to her with a confused expression.
"Where are you going?" she shivered when a gust of wind blew into the cave. Squinting her eyes against the storm, Red watched as Wolf raised a hand, cupping it over his mouth to yell back.
"I'm going to get more firewood! Stay there!"
For a moment, Red contemplated going after him, but stepped obediently back in the cave when she felt the heat of the small fire reaching its fingers to her. Her spirit longed to chase after Wolf, to help him search for wood. After all, nobody knew the forest better than they did. Obviously he would be able to find it better, seeing as he actually lived in the forest with those wolves, but Red also had her days of wandering as a girl.
Red's mind drifted to Wolf's situation, being in the form he currently ran in. What would it be like to one moment be a wolf, then a human? Were there psychological changes as well as physical? What if they never found a way to turn him back?
Red sat next to her companions, wrapping her arms back around her damp knees, still wet from the outside rain. She sighed, staring at the ceiling, wondering what it would be like to be a wolf. Running freely through the trees, not a care in the world. To hunt in a pack, always be surrounded by the warmth of your family. It sounded great.
The girl hesitated.
She could always ask for the witch to turn her once Wolf was back to normal. Would she do that? After all, she did-
Red's mind train stopped when Jack wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. He gave her an encouraging smile before leaning close to the fire, placing his hands close to the flickering flames. Red watched him with a smirk growing on her face before wrapping the blanket close around her frame.
Her mind faintly wondering what thought train she just jumped off, Red fell into a peaceful sleep.
(**)
Wolf shook his head, flapping water from his hair as he entered the cave, carrying another, heavier load of fire food. He blinked his eyes, adjusting them to the darkness as he came forward, placing them down next to the tiny flames.
Granny looked up at his approach. "Hey Wolfie. Brought back more fire food?"
"Yeah."
"It getting any better out there?"
"Honestly? It's getting worse." Wolf flexed his shoulder, satisfied when he heard the joints popping. Granny tossed him a towel, muttering at him.
"And for pete's sake, get a shirt on. You'll catch your death."
He smiled at her, pleased with the conversation of the storm. "It feels great though doesn't it?"
She looked to him with 'yeah right' eyes before leaning back against the cave wall, dedicated to sentry duty tonight. "Well, get some sleep Wolfie."
"Sure. Whatever you say, G," Wolf complied as he pulled the shirt over his head, zipping the hoodie up as he looked for the others.
Wolf stopped when he laid eyes on Red and Jack.
Red, now asleep, lay on the ground close to the fire, not making a sound. Jack slept behind her with his arms around her, nose nuzzling her neck.
Rage, hot, boiling like fire rose in Wolf's throat. He barely heard Granny's warning, "Dog, don't do anything stupid," as he snapped his hand forward, grabbing Jack, forcing him awake as he dragged the blondie out into the downpour.
"Dude what the-" Jack gasped in pain as his opposer crushed him to the wall. The larger hands pinned Jack's shoulder back so he couldn't move from his spot. He was met with the hard, vengeful glare of Wolf.
The turned-wolf snarled, "What do you think you're trying to pull?"
"Pull what?" Jack said innocently.
"You know what!" Wolf roared, pressing him harder to the wall. "I would have thought Red beating you would give you a reason to stay away from her! If she says no, she means it!"
Jack became offensive now, shoving Wolf in the chest. "What I'm trying to pull? What about you? Taking your shirt off in front of her, being all 'brave' by going into the storm when any of us could have done that?"
"I only went into the storm so we wouldn't die of hypothermia!" Wolf snapped.
Jack rolled his eyes, "Oh sure. You know, you can tell that to yourself Wolf, but there's no way the rest of us are going to believe it."
Wolf's defensive stance deflated slightly before he took control of himself. "What are you talking about, brat?"
For a few moments, the only sound to be heard were the loud pounds of rain, the roars of thunder and the two panting for breath. Jack gave out, eyes bugging out.
"Wait. Seriously?"
Wolf glared. "What?"
"You, you really don't know?"
"Don't know what?" he asked, shifting his position.
A smile grew up Jack's face, breaking into a grin, which promptly turned into laughter. He threw back his head. That added in with the hard drizzle, Wolf could have described him as evil.
Jack keeled over, clutching his stomach as he gasped, "You don't even know? How- how rich is that?"
Irritated by the boy's laughter, Wolf stalked up, eyebrows glaring. "Don't know what?"
Jack straightened himself, wiping what would either be a tear or a raindrop from his eye. "Oh, you don't know."
Wolf's upper lip curled. "Spill it blondie."
He rolled his eyes now, regaining composure of himself as he said snidely, "Well, it doesn't matter, seeing as you don't know. You only need to know this, Wolf." Jack leaned forward, staring the former wolf straight in the eyes, which made Wolf's spine prickle at the gall of this human.
Never look a wolf right in the eyes, no matter what form he's in.
"Red is mine. There's nothing you can do to stop that. We're perfect for each other. You need to face that, there's nothing that won't keep us together, especially a dog like you." He spat at Wolf's bare feet.
The kid turned, walking back to the cave.
He didn't make it.
With a wild snarl, Wolf launched himself forward, tackling the boy into the mud. Instantly thrown into the fray, Jack fought back, punching, kicking, scratching. Wolf snarled violently at him, a viscous sound coming from his throat with every breath he took. The moisture in the air only made his growls that more louder and menacing.
Jack's legs kicked at Wolf, his weaker hand hitting the beast's jaw. He could hardly get any punches in though. Wolf, even in human form, stood stronger and bigger than the prince, who grew up with a soft life.
The fight only went on for a few seconds before hands began scrabbling at the two, pulling them apart. It took a strong pair of arms to heave Wolf from Jack. A voice Wolf didn't take notice of called to him, "Wolf! Wolf stop! Stop it!"
Granny helped lift the wounded Jack to his feet. Wolf felt pleasure rise in his chest when he saw the busted lip, the bruised skin and black eye beginning to blossom on Jack's face.
Overcome by violence, he snarled, breaking free of the arms' grasp, whipping around and slashing his claws across the human's face, the one who dared try to hold him back.
Then froze.
Red glared at him, four streaks of blood beginning to form on her cheek, dripping, flowing with the fall of the rain. Tears of betrayal glimmered in her eyes as she sternly frowned. Wolf cringed under her gaze, wanting to curl into a ball and never come out.
An apology came to Wolf's tongue, then died at his lips. Any apology would be useless now, especially after how far this fight went.
Oh the stupidity of him.
Her words stunned him, shamed him, made his pointed ears fold back as far as they could against his head. "Wolf, I can't believe you," she growled out, making sure he heard every word.
Wolf looked away from her, giving her complete authority as she went on, "I didn't know I was the partner of a five year old! I thought you were mature enough to handle Jack like an adult would."
The human flinched as she whispered out, her soft voice louder than the closest boom of thunder. "I can't bring to words how disappointed I am in you."
A crack of lightning sounded behind her. Wolf flinched, continuing to look away. He saw from the top of his eyes as she went over to Jack. No pity showed in her eyes as she grabbed his chin with one hand. "Now you listen to me Jack. Just because you got beat up I am not letting you off the hook." She stared right in his eyes, hard blue orbs filled with authority. She growled out, "I belong to no one. I am my own person and I intend for it to be that way for a long, long time. So I suggest you find some other girl to fall on you every time a spider crawls in front of her."
She exchanged glares to the both of them before addressing the pair, "If you can't settle your differences, I'll call Nick and tell him that you can't cooperate together, then we'll going leave you here tomorrow for the team to come pick you up." Both flinched. "But," she emphasized, "if you decide that you can set aside your differences to work together, we can go on working together like the nice, happy family that we are. Mark my words though if you guys slip up like this again, if you so much as look at each other wrong I will dump both of you where I stand or I'm not Red Riding Hood. Got it? Do we understand each other?"
Shamefully, both nodded.
Red whipped around, heading back into the cave. However she stopped, the wind whipping her hood off, flying, playing with her hair. Her shoulders lifted, then fell in another sigh. Wolf saw her fists clench. With an irritated huff she pivoted towards Jack, glaring, speaking with strong clarity, "Oh, by the way Jack, it wasn't Wolf's deepest desire to turn into a human."
Wolf's eyes widened. Taking in another breath, Red spoke out, "It was mine."
duh duh DUUUNNNNN
howdaya like THEM apples! :D eat that cliffhanger! EAT IT! 8D
i'm going to a wedding for our youth pastor today soooooooo I thought I wouldn't be able to upload but then we stopped by wendy's and I had wifi for long enough to upload. Ur welcome. xD