RED
"Even in a world that crumbles, an innocent and pure story can be found."
The night draped the forest in a dark cloak, barely interrupted by the silver moonlight filtering through the leaves of the trees. From deep within the woods, a dark silhouette moved stealthily among the trees and partially snow-covered rocks. Covered in a thick silver-gray fur that faintly shimmered under the moonlight, turning black at its head and tail, the figure swayed, its four ebony-black claws clutching the ground.
The creature moved with stealth and speed. Its wolf-like ears picked up every sound, every movement that might pose a threat. It navigated agilely between trees, leaping and swinging between branches and ground with an almost supernatural grace. It paused on a branch to gaze at the full moon, the shadows leaving its body, revealing a green suit with a black collar and green wristbands, along with a white belt. A hourglass symbol adorned a green necklace around its neck, covered in thick black fur.
Eyes adapted to darkness scanned the area ahead. A towering cliff stood, imposing and majestic, offering a perfect point of orientation. For a moment, its gaze drifted to the broken moon in the sky, fascinated by the floating pieces.
"It's still strange," murmured with a raspy, rough voice, a green glow inside its mouth illuminating sharp fangs.
Deciding it had seen enough, it focused on the cliff. The view from the top might provide a better sense of its location and next stop. With a nimble leap, it descended to the ground and began running on all fours like a wolf toward the base of the cliff. Upon arrival, it jumped and dug its claws into the rock, climbing with strength and skill.
Reaching the summit, it scanned the horizon. The unmistakable lights of a distant city elicited a growl of resignation. It had been traveling blindly for days, even crossing a sea, only to realize it had been going in the wrong direction.
"I won't trust panoramic views again," it thought disdainfully. Just as it was about to leap from the cliff, its sensitive ears caught a sound.
The initial burst of a gunshot sliced through the air like compressed thunder, resonating with startling clarity and precision. The reverberating echo bounced among the trees and rocks, creating an acoustic cascade that prolonged the sound. The sharp whistling of the projectile slicing through the air was clear and penetrating, the rapid, oscillating vibrations conveying the projectile's high-speed energy.
It recognized the sound of a firearm, and it wasn't the only shot. More shots followed, accompanied by the howls of a large animal. Curiosity piqued, it decided to investigate. Fresh tracks in the snow led from the trees to a cut piece of stone that felt eerily familiar. It approached and read the inscription on the tombstone.
"Summer Rose… Thus Kindly, I Scatter," it read aloud, eyes then shifting to the tracks leading in and out of the forest.
Like lightning, it began to run, chasing the tracks. Its teeth clenched, hoping to still be in time to help whoever was in trouble.
The metallic whisper of the spent bullet being ejected and the sound of the next cartridge loading into the chamber completed the rhythmic cadence of gunfire, forming a lethal and precise symphony. The wielder of the weapon, a young girl no older than fifteen, gracefully dodged and countered the savage attacks of black beasts, humanoid wolves.
The girl fought with skill, firing rapidly. When two monsters leaped at her, she activated her weapon's alternate form. With a click, she released a hidden latch in the rifle's stock, and metal plates began to slide with a smooth, synchronized sound. The rifle's barrel retracted slightly as the weapon's body extended and elongated. In a fluid motion, the rifle's grip folded outward, revealing a curved, sharp blade that unfolded into an imposing and elegant scythe.
The blade's edge gleamed under the moonlight as the girl swung the weapon diagonally, cutting down one of the monsters. The second was caught by the blade around its neck, only able to see the girl's arrogant smile before she pulled the trigger, severing the monster's head from its body. Both fragments fell into the snow, disintegrating into a black mist.
She cycled the bolt of her weapon, chambering another round, and attacked again. With a swift twist, she thrust the scythe forward, cutting down another approaching Beowulf from the flank. The creature's body collapsed into the snow, disintegrating into the same dark mist. She spun on her heels, keeping her guard high as she dodged the claws of other beasts emerging from the forest shadows, their red eyes gleaming with inhuman ferocity.
One of the larger wolves lunged at her with a deafening roar. Ruby leaped back agilely, transforming her weapon back into a rifle and firing a series of shots that pierced the air, bringing down several beasts with a final groan. But the black tide was becoming overwhelming. The creatures kept coming, and as the largest one nearly struck her, she felt a twinge of fear.
She slashed and fired, but she was beginning to be overwhelmed. Surrounded, back against the trees, she swallowed hard at the direness of her situation. The forest had always been infested with monsters, but this time their numbers were far greater. The sound of something moving through the forest behind her alerted her. She spun, aiming her weapon, but turning her back to the beasts would also spell her doom.
A new creature, similar to the humanoid wolf, leaped from the trees toward her. She tried to attack it with her scythe, but the creature managed to evade the strike, losing only a few tufts of fur. She thought it was the end, but to her surprise, the beast merely passed by her and pounced on the other wolves.
The claws of the new creature clashed against the black hide of its adversaries, releasing black smoke with each impact. The fight was fierce and swift. In less than a second, it had dispatched three, causing confusion among the monsters. The girl seized the opportunity and surged forward, propelled by a shot from her weapon, taking out another two monsters.
With agile movements and precise strikes, the girl and the giant wolf fought side by side, eliminating the wolves that kept appearing. The beasts' roars and the metallic sound of gunfire created a terrifying cacophony, but they did not yield ground. The girl's scythe became an extension of her own body, clearing the battlefield with every sweep. Meanwhile, the gray wolf leaped among the black wolves, its claws gleaming with a green flash as it tore through its enemies with overwhelming strength and speed.
Amidst the chaos, Ruby launched an attack on what she thought was an approaching enemy wolf from her left, but her weapon was deflected with a kick, lifting her momentarily into the air. She noticed the gray wolf looking at her with a displeased expression. She had attacked, mistaking it for one of the bad wolfs.
"Uh... thanks," she said with some embarrassment, her voice barely audible over the growls and howls. The wolf grunted in response.
The beasts continued to attack in waves. Both fought back with all they had. The girl fired her scythe in rifle mode, bullets tracing lines of light through the air before impacting the bodies of the black wolves. Her ally used his agility to move among the creatures, his claws and fangs finding their mark with deadly efficiency. A particularly large and fierce wolf leaped toward Ruby. Its shoulders, chest, and back were covered with white plates resembling bones, etched in red.
The girl widened her eyes at such a creature and tried to defend against its extended claws, ready to tear into her. Ruby attempted to dodge, but the monster was fast and managed to reach her. Just as its descending claw was about to strike, something pulled her out of harm's way, lifting her into the air. Seizing her new position, she fired down at the white-plated creature, managing to inflict some damage, but the monster shielded itself with its arm, deflecting the shots off its plates.
She landed gracefully, her weapon transforming back into a scythe as she fell. Her eyes fixed on the armored creature, which now had her as its focus.
"An Alpha? here...?" she murmured with concern.
The green-suited wolf then lunged at the Alpha with impressive speed, his claws gleaming as he attempted to pierce the white plates of the creature, only to have them bounce off upon impact. The Alpha wasted no opportunity, retaliating with brutal force, trying to slash and bite him, but his opponent didn't make it easy, evading and counterattacking with a style more akin to a boxer than an animal. The two giants clashed, the gray wolf catching the black wolf's claws with his own, then delivering a headbutt that destabilized them both.
Two wolves lunged to aid the Alpha but were brought down by precise shots from the girl in the red hood. More attempted the same, with similar results. The girl acted as the firepower while the green-suited wolf contained the Alpha, a feat of sheer strength worth noting.
"On your left!" the girl's eyes widened upon hearing the guttural voice of the green-suited wolf, incredulous at the possibility that such a beast could learn human language.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she had to fend off two wolves that had come too close, exploiting her blind spot. She leaped over both and landed in between them, then used her scythe-mode weapon to cut them both in half.
Her attention returned to the wolf and the Alpha, who had separated. The wolf was surrounded by more of those beasts, and the Alpha stepped aside, as if biding its time. She watched as her ally clenched his fists and raised his guard, a stance she didn't overlook. It was easy to see that the wolf was not normal. Unlike the others attacking them, it seemed more intelligent, more self-aware of its surroundings and of her, protecting her at times. It also wore pants, unlike the others.
While she pondered this, the black wolves seized the distraction and attacked in a group, catching her off guard. She took a blow, and a red glow ran through her body, as if something within her had absorbed the damage to prevent injury. The black wolves didn't stop there; taking advantage of her momentary defenselessness without her weapon, they attacked.
Fast footsteps approached where she was, and she saw the green-suited wolf tackle both beasts, then grabbed one by the leg and used it to strike the second.
She was amazed; using one enemy to strike another must have been one of the most badass things she had ever seen. But her thoughts were interrupted when the Alpha's howl echoed and she saw the great beast charging towards them on all fours.
"Here comes the Alpha!" the girl exclaimed and crawled to retrieve her weapon, but she saw the green-suited wolf clenching his fists and preparing.
"Cover your ears!" She didn't understand what the wolf was trying to do, only saw him open his mouth. Something she didn't want to see.
His mouth opened in four sections so unnatural that it turned her stomach, and then a thunderous howl was heard. Its power was such that it forced the girl to cover her ears and sent the snow flying in front of the wolf.
The Alpha also took the attack head-on, being so close that it was unable to dodge it. The sound waves cracked its body plates and sent it flying through the air. Such was the force that it covered the total distance to the trees where it hit and fell to the ground. Its body then began to disappear into smoke.
The wolf closed its mouth and showed its teeth to its enemies. Then, for the first time, the attackers felt something unheard of. They felt fear in the face of this creature similar to them, which had insisted on defending the girl. It was dangerous, much more dangerous than any of them.
The clearing fell momentarily silent when the strange wolf closed its mouth, the wind blowing snow around it and the guttural growls of the beasts now mere whispers filled with doubt.
The green-suited wolf no longer seemed like prey; in fact, it looked at them with the eyes of a predator. Bright green eyes that cut through the darkness of the night.
Behind him, the girl stood, genuinely surprised to see her attackers standing still, unsure of what to do next. She heard the growls of the wolf that had joined her in battle and saw him baring his fangs, as if warning that if they continued the fight, he would confront them with all his might.
Then, the black wolves began to retreat into the forest, fearful of the girl's unexpected ally and aware that they would only die if they continued to fight.
That was a surprise for the young girl, who could only watch with wide eyes. It was the first time she had seen those creatures flee from something.
When the last one vanished from sight, leaving only her and the great fierce wolf, she felt a pang of concern. She had attacked him—perhaps it was the adrenaline and confusion—but she had attacked, and he had proven far more prepared for combat than she was, capable of causing significant damage. Moreover, she was exhausted from the fight; facing him was not something she desired.
The great wolf glanced over his shoulder at her, and she gripped her weapon tightly, swallowing nervously.
Seconds passed too slowly, and then she saw him sigh—it seemed like a sigh of relief.
The wolf simply turned and began to walk back into the forest, leaving her standing there, watching the strange creature go.
She stood there, unsure of what to do. Should she just turn around and leave as well? Should she thank him or apologize? Could he even understand what she would say? ¡He spoke! But nothing assured her that he understood what she said! She shook her head. Her father did not raise someone who did not apologize for their mistakes and did not thank those who offered help. So she went after him, her footsteps were heard by the wolf who turned and looked at her curiously.
"I... thank you... and I'm sorry." The girl searched among her clothes and took out a transparent bag tied with a ribbon and handed it to the big wolf. "It's... take this. For help me.. and sorry... again."
The wolf took the small gift and examined it; it was a bag of chocolate chip cookies. He looked at the girl and allowed himself to smile.
"Chocolate is bad for dogs." He still kept the gift. "But thank you."
"You spoke and understood me! OOOH That's soo amazing!" she exclaimed, perhaps too loudly. "What are you? Some kind of Grimm... in clothes? A genetic experiment?"
The wolf let out a hearty laugh at the strange attitude the girl had; it was curious how someone who had just had a rather fierce fight could behave so age-appropriately, maybe even a little childish.
"I prefer the term superhero," he corrected. "You're good, Little Red Riding Hood. Keep it up." He was about to leave, but he stopped and turned his face towards her as he scratched his black mane. "Do you know which way the city is? I'm a bit lost."
"You mean Vale? Of course! Straight ahead that way. Although you'll need to take a ferry or a bullhead to get there," she explained, as if it were normal for her to talk to a two-meter-tall wolf.
"Thanks for the directions, Little Red, and for the cookies."
The girl watched as the big wolf disappeared into the thicket of the forest, then turned around and began to follow her path.
"Yang won't believe this!" she said with genuine excitement in her voice.