Scarlet (Little Red)

II. The Strange Man

Scarlet gasped, seeing a large brown wolf whimpering beside the cookie crumbs. The wolf attempted to stand up, but its weak legs immediately crushed onto the dirt. Steadily, she walked towards it, placing two hands in the air. "Are you okay?" she said softly while the wolf growled at her.

She took a step back, noticing its aggressive tone, and slowly kneeled to its level. "I won't hurt you," she stalks towards him.

Unable to gather any more strength, the wolf lay there enjoying Scarlet soft touch. "Oh, what happened to you?" she whispered, running her fingers down his crusty hair.

The wolf glanced at the straw basket, and instantly Scarlet knew what had happened. "You ate the cookies?" she asked, and the wolf nodded lightly.

An intense twist of guilt scattered inside her guts, feeling as if it was her fault for forgetting the basket and allowing an innocent creature to hover through it.

Scarlet grabbed a piece and lifted it to her nostrils, inhaling its scent and noticing an odd smell. Hearing the wolf whimpering again, she placed the piece into her pocket. With all her strength, she lifts the boney wolf. "I got you," she said.

After a few steps, Scarlet realized that dragging the wolf wouldn't work. She crouched down. "Wait here," she said and quickly dashed back towards grandma's house. She grabbed a wheelbarrow and rushed back towards the forest.

Releasing a deep breath, she rolled the wolf into the wheelbarrow and grabbed the basket. She placed the basket inside, but the wolf instantly pushed it away. "Okay, I can see why you don't like the basket. It did give you stomach problems," she grumbled, then sank the basket towards her forearm.

Scarlet huffed another breath and pushed the wheelbarrow up, rolling it back to her grandma's house. Beads of sweat rushed down Scarlet's skin as she inched closer to her destination. A few feet from the cottage, the wolf shuffles around, causing Scarlet to lose balance. "What's wrong with you?! Stay still!"

After some time, she laid down the wheelbarrow as the wolf rolled itself into a ball. "Hey. I need to treat you," she said, rushing her fingers through the wolf.

The wolf whimpered, glancing at the cottage once more. Scarlet smiled, "There's only my grandma and me. She's really nice."

The wolf shakes its head.

Scarlet sighed, "Come on. I'm inviting you to my home."

Suddenly, a rushing wind lifted towards them, causing Scarlet to stumble onto the ground. She shot her head up, hair scattering across her red cheeks, wondering what had occurred. Scarlet looks around, then feels a droplet of water leaking down her forehead.

The rain began pouring down, mixing with the melted snow. Scarlet grabbed the wheelbarrow and rushed inside the small storage house. Her body trembled as she turned on the oil lamp, not wanting to disturb her grandma, not to mention getting in trouble for sneaking out into the woods.

Noticing the wolf was wet, similar to her, Scarlet grabbed some old blankets on the shelves and scattered them on the floor. She rolled the wolf on and then threw the rest on top of him. "Are you okay?"

It whimpered, snuggling closer to Scarlet.

She smiled, "Would you like me to stay with you?"

The wolf rested its head on her lap as she curled closer to the wolf. Scarlet lifted her soak jacket and took it off, showing her tank top. She glanced at the wolf, who was staring at her with massive intensity.

Steadily, Scarlet leaned toward the wolf. "I'm going to get into so much trouble," she whispered, her eyes getting heavier and heavier.

Laying there, Scarlet had never felt more safe and comfortable. The heat radiated around her flesh as her breath softened. The wolf opened its eyes, showing off its deep amber. She ran the tip of its finger around its ear. "We'll get you feeling all better tomorrow," she whispered gently. It poked out its tongue and licked her cheeks, causing Scarlet to giggle as she held the wolf closer.