The Wolf

She knew she was being followed the moment she set foot on the path leading into the woods. Luckily, her journey was not long, but the persistent feeling of being watched, and perhaps assessed to be robbed or killed, was not a comforting thought. Her stalker didn't reveal themself–she had tried to look for them to no avail, either they were invisible, or very elusive–until ten minutes into her walk when she reached a fork in the road.

The paths looked similar at the angle she stood, but one led off to another village by a river, and the other, deeper into the woods. The best option for someone who didn't want to be found was the second path, and so the girl made her decision without more than a moment of thinking. However, just as she started onto the path deeper into the woods, something about her stalker's demeanor changed. The almost-silence of their steps changed to a soft patter, like they would allow themself to be seen if she turned around. Well the girl, knowing much about the rules for walking into the woods alone, did not turn around, and instead just stopped walking. She adjusted her red cloak and counted the flowers collected in her basket twice over for comfort, before speaking as steadily as she could. "I have a guess already, but I want you to say it for yourself, how'd you find me so quickly?"

The stalker's voice held the slightest bit of amusement amongst the low gravelly voice that, at first, sounded more like an animalistic growl than discernable words. "I'm a detective. That's what I do." Short and to the point. The girl could appreciate her stalker's bluntness.

The girl, still not yet turned around towards her follower, scoffed. "My mother told you, didn't she?" Of course her mother would want her daughter followed to make sure she was safe. As if the path to her grandmother's house was so unfamiliar that she couldn't handle herself against any kind of rare danger. The daggers hidden in her cloak and boots were enough protection until she reached her grandmother's cottage, and then at that point the protection placed around the house would be plenty safe until the girl decided to leave once more.

The stalker's silence at the question was all the girl needed to know. "You've hardly any purpose for following me out here, you know–I've walked this path plenty of times before on my own without hassle. My mother is just overprotective when it comes to these woods even though she knows my gra–she knows that it's plenty safe for me to be here."

"That may be so, little girl. But I was still told to watch and keep you safe if the need arises." The words were said in a huff, like her stalker–she guessed a rather masculine-type creature–had something better to do than amble through the woods after a naive little girl.

The girl finally turned around to face her stalker, dagger ready. She looked up to see a dark, hulking form just a couple feet away from her. His voice definitely matched his appearance. She recognized her stalker now to be a well known hire–police and detective type work mainly, but also muscled protection because of his rather intimidating stature. "Well, Mr. Wolf, I suggest you go back home now. These woods aren't safe to be out in after dark. The sun's started to set, after all. Wouldn't want you to get hurt." Then the girl tucked her hair behind her ear, pulled up her blood-red hood over her head, and continued to walk towards her destination.

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A/N short story retelling of Little Red Riding Hood :D what'd you think? As it's so short, I only wanted to vaguely add in details that related to the fairytale so that it felt more like a burst of something interesting that started and ended quick. Don't think I'll make it longer, but I enjoy writing things like this, usually as writing practice based on prompts I find on Pinterest.

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9/2/2023