Something about opposites [ Boyxboy ]

3.9 Red hood FICTION

[A/N I guess you all know the story about a little girl and her grandmother being eaten by a wolf... well, enjoy my version of this story]

Long, long time ago in a far away land was a Cursed Forest. It was inhabited by terrifying creatures which was killing people in horrifying ways and eating them. Near that forest was a small city. In one of the houses was living a single mother, beautiful and hard working woman and her son, 15 years old boy named Tom.

One day the woman get the letter from mother. The old woman was badly sick and needed medicines. She was living at the other side of the Cursed Forest, in a small village where was no doctor. When she read the letter, she was terrified.
-Tom! Tom!
She called her son immediately. Tall boy, with black hair went out of his room and looked at his mother, surprised.
-Granny is seriously ill. You have to quickly go for the medicines and bring it to her.
Boy nodded his head.
-Here's the list of what you need. And the money.
Boy was right about to leave, but woman stopped him.
-Tom, remember to go by the main road. Don't even come close to the Cursed Forrest. Do you understand?
-Yeah.
Tom nodded and went to buy the medicines.

He was supposed to take the route around the forest, but he was young and stupid. He thought:
"What? I won't make it thru the forest?"
And:
"If I wouldn't make it then who would? "
He put on his lucky sweatshirt, just in case, and went into the forest. Just few steps inside and it became strangely cold. He put on his head the red sweatshirt's hood and moved forward.

The path was small and hardly visible. He started to wonder if he made the right decision.
-Be courageous Tom. You're already here and just need to move forward.

He said to himself. His voice sounded strange in this quiet forest. Suddenly Tom heard some sound. Like some animal was following him. He speed up a little, but he knew that a wild animal, a mutated creature, would catch him anyway.

Jack was lying in his den comfortably, when he smell something nice. He sniffed.
-Mm... tasty...
He slowly went out. There was some human walking on the path. Few meters behind him was Degon, a 2 meters tall creature. He was walking on two feet like human, had claws and peck like an eagle and deer's antlers.
-Do you think you can eat this human? No way I'm gonna let you take this yummy from me.
Jack whispered and in a blink of an eye lamp onto the creature.

Suddenly Tom heard some loud noise, like something heavy falling on the ground. Second after that he heard some terrifying howling, but at that time he was already running with all his might. 20 minutes later boy wasn't able to even walk. He looked back and seeing nothing dangerous, sat on the ground. He was exhausted, thirsty and he was hardly breathing. Then he heard some rustle and saw it... The most terrifying creature from Cursed Forest. Half human half wolf, with huge mussels, hard claws and sharp teeth. It was standing on two legs like a human, but looked nothing like one, with his wolf's tail, ears and nose. With all his body covered by brown fur. Tom was petrified.

-Are you sure it's wise to sit on the ground on a place like this?
The creature asked, with its growling voice. Tom wasn't able to answer. The creature moved closer to him, sniffing loudly.
-Do you know that there are more than a few hungry creatures in this forest? And they all would be pleased to eat you...
The way it said word "eat" made Tom shiver.
-So, where are you going, human?
Tom finally managed to speak, but his voice was very quiet.
-I'm going to my grandmother. She lives in the village on the other side of the forest. She's sick and needs medicines.
Saying that, Tom showed the creature the herbs and bottles he bought.
-If she's seriously I'll you should pick for her green mushrooms from my forest. Eating it will ease her pain.
Tom looked at the creature, surprised.
-Really? Thank you!
And Tom immediately started to look around and picking the mushrooms. He didn't want to wait until the beast will change its mind and eats him.

Creature was already walking away when boy stopped it, shouting:
-Wait! What's your name?
The half wolf was silent for a while, but finally said:
-I'm Jack.
-I'm Tom!
Boy shouted and get back to picking Cursed Forest's painkillers. At first Jack wanted to eat that nice smelly human, but as he walked to him closer, he decided to watch him a little first.

Boy, with his pockets full of mushrooms, was walking down the path. He didn't know that the most powerful creature in the Cursed Forest was walking not far behind him. Suddenly Tom stopped, probably hearing some noise.
-Is it you, Jack?
He asked. His voice was trembling. Without noticing anything, human continued walking. At the same time in the bushes behind him Jack was ripping off Cursed Forest bear's head. The leaves around became red and sticky. Jack licked the blood off his claws and went after the boy.

As they were getting near the end of the Cursed Forest, boy in front and half wolf few meter behind him, Jack was struggling with his own thoughts.
"I have only few minutes to decide what to do with this boy... I should eat him, right? But why does it seems soo not right? When he will be out of the forest I will lose my chance..."
Then he remembered that the boy was going to his grandmother who was sick.
"Maybe that's the old woman living right near the forest..."
Jack thought with new hope and decided to run to the old woman cottage and wait there for the boy. He will think about something in there.

Old granny was lying in bed, sleeping. Suddenly some noise woke her up. It was like someone broke the doors for her home. When she saw a monster, half human half wolf, standing in front of her, she fainted right away.

"All this stories about Cursed Forest are just myths. It wasn't scary at all."
Tom thought to himself, walking out of the forest with a self-confidence on his face. When he approached his grandmother house he get a little surprised.
-Why is the door open?
He whispered and carefully moved closer. He quietly went into the house... and freeze seeing half wolf standing above his dead grandmother.

When Jack smell the wonderful scent, looked back. Tom was standing in front of him, looking at him, horrified.
-You won't faint like her, right?
Creature said growly, but Tom, probably because of his fear, didn't even hear that. He knelt down and with tears in his eyes started to beg:
-Please, don't eat her. Please... you can do with me whatever you want, but don't eat her! Just let my mother bury her with a dignity. Don't eat her, better just eat me instead.

Jack was looking at crying boy and his wild heart started to became tamed.

-Why would I eat her? Old human are so chewy... Bleh.
Jack said, but boy didn't hear it. Half wolf sat down beside him and put his paw on his shoulder. When Tom looked at him, he said:
-I won't eat your grandma.
-Thank you...
Saying that, boy surprised creature and hugged it.

"It's soo soft..."
Tom thought surprised, how pleasant to touch is the wild wolf's fur. He didn't plan it, but when he started to hug Jack, he just couldn't move away from him. Surprisingly, the scent of this wild animal wasn't unpleasant. And hugging it was very warm and comfy. For a while Tom forgotten that this beast killed his grandmother and felt relax hugging it.

Jack moved boy away, gently.
-Your grandmother is alive, she just fainted when she saw me.
-What?
-Don't come to the Cursed Forest ever again. I won't be always able to protect you.
-Protect me? What do you mean?
But the creature was already deep in the forest.

Few days passed. Tom's grandmother became completely healthy. But from the other hand Tom became sick. He wasn't sure, but he suspected that it's an illness called "love". During day he was constantly feeling that he miss something or someone. During night he was dreaming about touching soft fur of half wolf named Jack.

One day Tom decided to go to the Cursed Forest and find Jack. After making few steps inside the darkness of the cursed trees he heard some noise.
-Didn't I tell you not to come here ever again?
Jack asked angrily. He said that he wouldn't be able to protect Tom, but the truth was that he was guarding the enter to the forest all days and night to be sure that, if Tom will come in, he will be ready to protect him.

Tom didn't answer. He just run to the half wolf and hugged him.
-I missed you.
Human whispered, feeling the soft fur under his fingers. Jack didn't answered. He just hugged boy back, closing his eyes.