Little Red Riding Bennett (Bennett/Wolf!Razor) [COMPLETED]

Act 2: The Wolven Forest

Bennett tried to be brave. The edge of the wolven forest looks much less inviting in the dark. He hadn't made it in time for sunlight. If he wasn't careful, he could get lost.

"Just follow the path Bennett, you've done it before."
He had, just not at night. after going over the plan one last time, he swallowed his fear and started stepping forwards.

What little bit of moonlight he had was immediately blocked out by the leaves above. The trees here were large and plenty. If he didn't follow the path, he'd never find his way out.

It was eerily quiet in the forest. The snapping of branches below his feet was accompanied only by the occasional nightowl. Otherwise, there wasn't a peep to be heard.

Trying to fight the silence, Bennett started humming to himself. He knew plenty of adventurer songs. His dads had thought him all their favorites. He liked them too, they'd sing for him to put him to sleep when he was just a little boy.

He was getting pretty far into the forest now. He was careful to check the path. There wasn't much of a difference between it and the grass around it. It was a dirt path with stones at the edges that wasn't maintained often. as a result, grass grew onto the path and stones were misaligned. It wouldn't be super hard to follow if it wasn't for the darkness. He moved much slower than intended, constantly checking if he was still going the right way. The chilly wind was cold this late. Amber had the right idea with lending him the cloak, he would have been freezing without it.

Despite everything, he felt like things were going well.

Awoooooooo!

"Eek!"
Bennett jumped! The howl was scary, even if it sounded far away. He should be safe at this distance, he thought.

"It's okay, you're safe."
He had to reassure himself to remain calm.

"Focus on the path, you're almost there."
It took him a bit to figure out which way he was going again. When he finally recognized the grassy path between the grassy everything else, he continued walking.

AWOOOOOOOO!!

Bennett stopped. That was much closer than the last one! There were wolves nearby...

Suddenly every little sound became a threat. Every whisper of the wind, every falling branch. Even the gentle swaying of the leaves. He had to be much, much more careful.

It took him a bit before he dared to move again, careful not to walk too loudly.
"Keep going Bennett, just keep going."

It didn't take long for him to hear rustling in the distance. It came from further down the path.

"What if that's a wolf? Do i take a detour? No, if i stray from the path i'll get lost for sure..."

he continued as quietly as he could, hoping it was just a squirrel. How much further did this path go? It was hard to tell at night.

The this time it was the bushes nearby that rustled.

"Who's there!?"
Bennett could feel his legs shake. Whatever it was, it was coming closer.

He couldn't hold it anymore. Before he could stop it, his legs started running. He ran and ran and ran, not realizing he dropped his basket. His foot got caught under a tree root, causing him to trip. He fell down to the ground with a painful thud.
"Ouch!"

Bennett tried to get up but struggled to. A pain pulsed through his ankle, he wouldn't be able to walk for a while. Looking around him, he realized he had no idea where he was. He was lost. Even worse, he now realized he couldn't see the basket. Still disoriënted from the fall, he couldn't guess what direction it was in if he tried. The same applied to the path.

bushes shook around him. Something was moving closer. He heard the rhythmic crushing of grass below feet. No, it happened too fast. A walking human wouldn't sound like that. It was a wolf.

Bennett hid in his red cloak, hoping it would somehow protect him from danger.

Two fluffy grey ears appeared from out of the bush, followed by two human-like hands. They had pads on the inside and their nails were sharp like a wolf's claw. It moved closer, fully revealing its unusual form. Bennett wasn't sure what was in front of him now that he could fully see it. It seemed just as much human as it was animal. A mostly human face and upper body with furry hind legs and a rough, unbrushed tail.

Bennett pulled the cloak shut, hoping it would leave if it couldn't see his face. It approached.

He could feel its presence. It was smelling him up close, trying to identify him. It circled around him, still sniffing. It finally seemed done when it sat down in front of him. Nothing happened for what felt like minutes until Bennett felt its hand on his wrist. He pulled away in surprise. It waited a bit before it touched him again. This time he didn't move, noticing how careful it was. It moved Bennett's hands away from his face.

He was surprised to see what had found him. Up close, it looked like a boy. He had wolven features but the rest of him was human. He wore torn clothing, likely found in the forest, and his hair was long and uncombed. His orange eyes seemed to glow in the night.

He was still holding Bennett's hand, looking at it intently. A deep red liquid had formed on his palm. He must've cut his hand when he fell. The wolf boy brought it closer to his mouth.

"Please don't hurt me", Bennett uttered nervously.

The boy looked at him with its head slightly tilted.
"Safe."

Bennett was surprised to hear him speak. It seemed difficult for him, but he appeared to understand words.

"W-what are you doing?"

"I help."

The wolf boy began licking the wound. It felt strange. Now that his mouth was open, Bennett could see his sharp fangs. he was scared but remembered that dogs clean their wounds by licking them. This must be something similar, he thought. The boy was trying to stop the bleeding.

When he was done, he let go of Bennett's hand. The adventurer looked for bandages in his bag and wrapped them around it.

"I'm Bennett, do you have a name?"

"I Razor."

his fear wasn't entirely gone but adventurers had to be brave.
"I thought you were a wolf so i ran away."

"I wolf. yes."

That wasn't very reassuring.
"But you look like me. Like a human."

Razor pulled his lip aside with his fingers, displaying his fangs.
"This human?"

"N-no, i guess not."

What a weird creature he had met. None of his dads had ever told him about anything like this.

"Am i in danger?"

"No. you safe."

The panic had left him enough to remember why he was here.
"I'm... lost. I dropped my basket while i was running and i don't know the way back. Can you help me?

The wolf boy seemed up for it.
"This way."

Bennett tried getting up to follow him, forgetting his sprained ankle. He sank through his legs as soon as he took a step, falling once more.

He was already preparing his arms to shield himself from incoming ground when he felt the wolf boy catch him.