The adventures of Red

Chapter 7: Into the woods

Beep, beep, beep, Reds alarm starts blaring. Red was about to hit snooze when she remembered she was meeting up with Zeke today. She jumped out of bed and ran to the shower. After her shower Red quickly gets dressed, runs a brush through her hair, and heads to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen Red walks over to unplug her phone catching a glimpse of the time. Red says "Oh shoot I am going to be late." Grabbing a nice red apple on her way out the door in fear of being late. Red quickly walks to the hallow tree while eating her apple.
When Red gets to the hallow tree she looks around a little, but Zeke is no where to be found. She takes a couple steps away from the hallow tree and sets on the ground. Just as she starts digging Zeke's voice startles her. "Red, what are you doing?"
"I am going to bury my apple core." Red says
"Why? Zeke asked even more confused.
" Because, if you bury an apple core that still has a little bit of the meat on it, it will act like it's own fertilizer. Come spring this apple core will be the start of an apple tree." Red explained.
"How do you know this?" Zeke inquires.
"From school, Red replies. It's something I picked up when we were talking about Christopher Columbus. Our state capital was named after him ya know. Plus I really love plants and, nature Red explained
" I have never learned anything like that." Zeke says dropping his head in shame.
Red stands up wiping her hands on her skirt and takes Zeke's face in between her hands. Lifting his face so that their eyes meet she says, "Oh Zeke you have nothing to be ashamed of.
"That is sweet of you." Zeke says.
"But?" Red asks.
Zeke stood up in complete silence.
"Zeke, please talk to me" red pleaded.
"Well I don't want to tell you. You'll get upset. Plus we agreed to forget about it." Zeke explained
"So it has something to do with last night?" Red questions.
"It's not just something about last night Red it's everything about last night." Zeke says leading Red back to the pond.
"What does that mean?" She questions.
Zeke lead Red to a picnic right there beside the picnic. " I thought you might be hungry." Zeke says.
"Starving! Thank you, this was very sweet." Red said sitting down beside Zeke on a picnic blanket.
"Good let's eat." Zeke says trying to distract Red.
"Nice distraction." Red says unamused. " back to where we were what did you mean that it has everything to do with last night?"
Zeke closes his eyes taking a deep breath in, and opening them as he breathed out.
"Well, he starts they have this whole future planned for us. But, if everything works the way they want it to I am afraid I will be too stupid for you. You'll get bored with me because I can't share any facts with you. I can't even read" he admits.
"Oh Zeke, please don't think like that! You aren't boring I find you to be very interesting! Red says trying to Reassuring him.
" You only feel that way right now because this is still like a whole new world to you. Everyone  and everything is new. What happens when all of this is not new anymore?Will you still believe that?" Zeke questioned
"Yes Zeke, I am sure I will never get bored with you. If it would make you feel better I can always teach you to read and then you can have all of this world and all other worlds at the tip of your fingers." Red says popping the last grape into her mouth.
"Would you really do that?" Zeke asked.
"Of course I would Zeke. If it would help you to be more confident. Plus that will be a good excuse for us to spend more time together. Red says with a smirk
" that would be very kind of you," Zeke says. Since we are both done eating I should pick up this mess I have a lot I want to show you.
After cleaning up lunch Zeke looked at Red and asks, "Are you ready for an adventure?"
"Sounds delightful, I will follow you," Red says.
" OK well first we need to stop by the house and drop off the basket," Zeke says lifting the picnic basket up.
"Do we have to go in?" Red asks with a glare.
"No killer," Zeke says still feeling the sting from that look. "I will have one of the kids put it away."
As they started walking towards the cottage, Red looked at Zeke asks, "What did you mean kids? I thought we were destined to save the pack?"
"Well since you are ready to talk about it. I am next in line to become alpha, Zeke explains. However I cannot become alpha until I am married leaving mother to be alpha until I wed. If I don't get married before something happens to Mother. The pack will leave to find a new alpha. Then I will be stuck here in the woods all alone,"Zeke explains.
"So what you're saying is that if we don't go through with the plan, and get married you will lose everyone?" Asks Red.
"Yes, Mother also said I would be stuck in this in between stage, Half wolf half man.
" wait a second what in between stage?" Red asked even more confused.
" hold on just a second, let me just run the basket to Connor real quick, and then I will explain" Zeke says.
Red says, "Ok," and climbs a fallen down tree trunk to set on. "I will be right here."
"Be right  back," Zeke yelled over his shoulder as he ran in the direction of children playing.
While Zeke was gone Red pulled out her phone and started taking pictures of the animals and the trees surrounding her.
"Ok, where were we?" Zeke asked startling Red.
"You really need to stop making it a habit to scare me." Red says holding her racing chest.
"I'm sorry Red, but you did know I was coming right back." Zeke laughed.
"Whatever!" Red says. "Anyway, you were telling the about the different stages of your people." Red reminds him.
"Oh yeah," Zeke started. So, when we are born we are human. Around four or five years old, it is different for everyone, we start to develop our wolf characteristics. Once they are all developed like mine half man, half wolf we stay this way until we get married," Zeke explained. While leading Red into the woods.
"So, what happens after you get married?" Red asked intrigued. "Where are we going?" Red asks.
"We are going to meet the pack," Zeke stated with a lot of excitement.  "When we get married the wolf characteristics start to fade little by little. Most people still have the ears, some still have the tail as well. Have you heard the stories the humans came up with about "wear wolfs?" Zeke asked using air quotes.
"Yeah, Red answered with some confusion. They are men until the full moon, at which time they become part wolf. It's also said they completely loose control."
"Well, Zeke says rolling his eyes. First I would like to say we don't loose control over our body's, just our appearance. We are essentially wear wolfs, but humans are too afraid of how we look, so they just assume instead of talking to us," Zeke explained.
"So what about the story about our grandfathers? Why was your Grandfather in wolf stage when he ran Papa to the hospital?" Red asks.
"I'm sorry Red but I can't answer that. However I have a feeling this first person we are going to meet will be able to tell us. Are you doing ok? I know this is a long walk,"Zeke says.
"Yes, I'm fine. I like to walk," Red admits.
"Ok, good, it's right over there." Zeke says pointing at a shed like building.
They walk up to the door, and Zeke knocks. An elderly man opens the door.
"Hey Walter! Meet Red," Zeke says.
"Well hey there Zeke, come on in how ya been? Nice to meet you Red," he says with a nod.
Walter lead Zeke and Red to his kitchen table. He then turned and walked straight over to the coffee pot turning it on, "Hey you guys drink coffee? I've got about six different types of creamer," he says opening the refrigerator door. Zeke and Red both look for a minute when Zeke says, "chocolate Carmel please."
"And you Red?" Walter asks
"Same please," Red says.
"Good choice, it's my favorite," Walter says sitting the creamer on the table. "Let me go get cups before the coffee is done, you guys make yourselves at home," Walter says walking back to the other side of the cabinet.