Little Red Riding Wolf (Book 1 of Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs the Series)

Chapter 4

Red

Red's boots crunched as she walked through the forest, patches of sunlight coming through the trees lighting her way. Any normal girl wouldn't think twice of stepping into a forest for fear of either getting dirty or running into some scary wild animal. She, however, wasn't scared of the forest and enjoyed walking through it every day because she found it to be both peaceful and quiet.

She continued onward, making sure to look around for any wild creatures, not that she was worried. Wild animals were more afraid of her than she of them because they smelled wolf on her.

Mostly she looked out for hunters who frequented the forest for game, as well as hunter's traps. She had learned how to do this from sometimes joining her father on hunting expeditions back in Whiteburg.

Pretty soon the forest went away to her small grassy hilltop clearing, strewn with patches of wildflowers. She walked over and took a seat on the grass. Davey hopped out of the basket and sat down next to her, and the two looked out at the spectacular view the cliff provided.

The cliff overlooked the vast countryside, Edelweiss's neighboring villages, and the Camelot on on its hill far away in the capital.

Red took a deep breath as a cool spring breeze blew over her. This was her favorite place where she could forget her troubles and just relax. Here, there were no meddling matchmaking mothers, snobby girls making fun of her, annoying suitors, or suspicious mayors. It was her haven.

"What do you think I should do Davey?" She asked, looking at her rabbit.

Davey pretended to do her down on one knee and propose and then stood up to give her a questioning look?

"Yes, it's about Jacob proposing to my mom," she said, understanding her little buddy completely. "I know should be happy be that she someone new, and everyone says Jacob is a nice guy. It's just that there is something that I don't trust in him, ever since I first met him. Do you think I am going crazy."

Davey immediately shook his head, assuring her she wasn't.

"You sense something off about him too huh?" She asked.

Davey nodded, then patted her hand, showing he agreed with her.

"Good, because there is no way on Fairytale Island that I will let him and his creepy nephew  a part of our family," she said with complete assurance. "Will you help me?"

Davey nodded and gave her a thumbs up.

Suddenly, there came a cry from the woods, startling the two of them.

"What was that?" Red asked Davey, who looked just as confused. She didn't see any hunters on her walk here, so maybe it was sometime after the clearing?

Red bit her lip as she debated with herself on what to do. Part of herself said she should ignore and it and hoped that someone else would come along help whoever was in trouble, while the other part said she should go and help them.

She looked at her and gave her a look that said she had to do the right thing. Giving a sigh, because she knew he was right. Just because she could turn into a monster doesn't mean she had to be one.

So she put Davey in her basket and picked it as she got up from her spot. Then, straightening her skirts and pulling her hood over her face, she turned and headed back toward the forest, following the direction the screams were coming from.

As she got closer she noticed that the sound was male: deep and had a Camelot accent. That meant it must have been one of the villagers, It had to be a hunter, because no one else would dare brave the woods, other than her, of course.