{TWAU} The Daughter of The Big Bad

Chapter 5 ~ Paperwork & Colouring

               She did not know that the wolf was a wicked sort of animal, 

                                                             and she was not afraid of him. 

                                                                                      - The Little Red Riding Hood

Published: 05/16/2022

Words: 1508
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     *Y/n ventured alone into the woods. She had no recollection of how she got here or why, but she didn't question it. Nor was she afraid. Judging by the confidence in her stride, her body knew where she was going but she didn't know where 'here' is.
It was probably around midday, but the trees that created a canopy overhead made it hard to tell. It didn't really matter, she thought, she was going to see him.

 
     It felt like an eternity walking through the woods as if she were walking on molasses. But what felt like time passed, Y/n heard it. A low, deep growl came from the dark ahead of her. All of the sudden, the woods had gotten darker. Wasn't it just daytime? How long had she walked into the forest? Y/n squinted, trying to get a better look at the massive form standing only 6 meters away. There was no question what the beast was. "A wolf." She breathed out in realization. Not just a wolf, it's the infamous big bad wolf. The one from her stories. The one she so desperately wanted to meet. The wolf's golden eyes illuminated from the dark, studying her, still growling.

      He looked intimidating as all hell but that didn't stop her from reaching her tiny hand out to him as a greeting. "Hello, I'm Y/n." This made the wolf stop growling for a moment, sniffing the air in suspicion. His golden eyes squint ever so slightly as he slowly approached the child before him. Not once did she hesitate. Not once did she quiver or wince in fear. There was no fear. Only strong determination and confidence as she stared up at the wolf. He came closer and closer, his snout only mere inches away from her palm. It was the wolf who seemed hesitant about this interaction. "Don't be scared," said Y/n softly, "I won't hurt you."

 
      It took a second, but the wolf had reluctantly pressed his nose into her palm. This made the child smile brightly as she caressed his large snout, then moved in between his eyes, then his head. The massive beast had to bow his head low near the forest floor for her to pet him. "Well, well, well," an unfamiliar female voice echoed around them, "what have we here?" Immediately, the wolf jerked his head up in alert, his menacing tone from earlier returning. 

Y/n looked around them, but only trees seem to be the only surroundings. Now, she's scared. All that confidence is suddenly crumbling down. The wolf had moved behind her, in a way like he was trying to shield her from whatever threat has made itself known. The unfamiliar voice said nothing, only tauntingly laughing around them and the world around Y/n begin to tip over.*

She jerked awake, panting heavily as her eyes scanned the room. Oh! It was just a dream. There was no window in the room, making it hard to tell if it was morning or not. Bigby had gotten her a tiny bed that sat adjacent to his. There was a light that illuminated under the door frame. Maybe Bigby is still awake? Is that even a question? The poor fucker barely sleeps given his occupation.

Y/n padded towards the bedroom door and opened it. The morning sun shone bright making her bring a hand over her eyes to shield them. The first sound she heard was the kettle, giving out a low whistle as it began to boil water. Bigby was making coffee, she thought. Now stepping into the open space, Y/n noticed that Colin is nowhere to be seen. Hmm... She'd thought he lived here with them...

From the kitchen, Bigby poked his head out, and his expression soften. "Hey, kid. How'd you sleep?" Y/n went over to him. "It was okay. I had a cool dream!" She perked. Bigby had gotten his mug out as the water came to a boil. "Oh yeah? What about?" Before even considering being a dad, Bigby was always awkward with kids, mostly because they were scared to death of him. And even then, he tries to be patient when it comes to kids and their constant ramblings.

"I saw the big bad wolf!"

Momentarily, this made Bigby freeze. The first question that popped into his head was: 'How did she know!?' But then he remembers 'Ah, right. She was talking about her dream.' But then he felt a little sombre. He could picture Y/n looking up at the wolf--him-- with fearful eyes. The great beast looming over this precious child, seconds away from ripping her to shreds. Bigby felt an odd pang of guilt that dream-Bigby had probably frightened her, or worse, hurt her in some way. But judging by Y/n's expression and tone, she didn't seem bothered at all by her encounter with this said wolf. Instead, she looks ecstatic!

"What..did the wolf do?" He was curious about what happened, but ultimately, the question was more for himself than her. 'What did I do?' he wanted to ask but it'll only make her ask questions. Questions he's not ready to answer.

"Nothing. I went to find him! He was growling at first," this made Bigby cringe mentally, "but he let me pet him... he's not so scary." Bigby half smiled at that. "He's scary to other people, you know." A pause. "Okay, he's not scary to me." She clarified. At this point, Bigby had already finished his coffee but had set his cup aside. "How about something to eat? Toast okay?" At that, her face lit up.

***

It was sometime later and Bigby was back in his office. The problem? Colin isn't residing in the apartment like he usually does. And because Colin is nowhere in sight, Bigby reluctantly brought Y/n along. Of course, she didn't mind. As long as she has her colouring and storybooks, she's content. Although, the same couldn't be said with Bigby-- being content, that is. It's the worry of someone finding Y/n and asking questions.

 "Y/n?" He called from his desk. She sat adjacent to him in a chair with her legs crisscrossed, an open picture book sitting on her lap. She looked up in response. "Remember what I told you earlier? About what to do if someone--not me-- comes into my office?" Y/n nods, "I hide under your desk." A little sigh of relief escaped him as he nodded. "That's right." And with that, she went back to reading.  

He gazed down at the file before him before standing from his seat. "I'm gonna give this to Snow. I won't be long, okay? 5 minutes." She sticks out her pinkie. "Pinkie promise?" Bigby smiled faintly and wrapped his pinkie around hers. "Pinkie promise." And with that, Y/n was alone with nothing but cabinets, a desk, and that cool-looking office chair that she is so tempted to sit in. There's no harm with just sitting in an office chair, right? It's not like she'll misbehave and make noises or make a mess. Putting her book onto the desk, she went around and sat in the leather chair. 'Now, I'm the sheriff,' she thought. 

It has not been 5 minutes. In fact, it's been more than 5 minutes. Meaning? Bigby is a liar, liar, pants on fire. He pinkie promised he'd be back in that time frame! Well, no matter, since Y/n is busy colouring a certain animal that she's currently obsessed with. She really did try her damnest to get the snout right, though, it was as good as any kid's drawing.

 There were footsteps coming from outside the office, followed by a knock. Y/n froze, staring at the door with widen eyes. Is that Bigby? But why would he knock?- "Sheriff?" The voice was unmistakenly from a male, deep and somewhat powerful. Taking her crayons, she ducked under the desk with her knees tucked to her chest. 

The knob turned and the door squeaked open. Just keep quiet. Don't make any noise- "Hmm..." The stranger hummed, taking slow steps toward the desk. At the bottom of the desk, there's a 5-inch space where Y/n can see the stranger's shoes. Steel-toed shoes. Just by that alone, Y/n can visibly picture what the man would look like. Her imagination changed and concluded that this man might be a bad guy. Bad guys wear shoes like that, right?

Don't be scared. Don't be scared.

She can hear papers flipping and being moved overhead. What was he doing? Then a pause. And then the stranger turned and left the office, closing the door behind him. Y/n let out a ragged breath. Looking down at her crayon, she didn't realize that her intense grip had caused it to break in half. Getting up from under the desk, she rose slowly, looking around. Then her eyes went to the desk and- wait a minute. Where did her wolf drawing go?