The red ridding hood (Malec fanfiction)

Part 1

He tugged the hood down a little farther, knowing that it was hopeless at covering all his hair but then again, red was a terrible color for any kind of camouflage anyway.

A sudden noise in the shadows put him on alert, and he hugged the basket closer to his chest, hiding behind a particularly thick tree trunk, his heart pounding so hard he could feel it in his throat. The threat—if it was a threat, but really what else could he expect to find out here while he was all alone—passed him by and he took a deep breath of relief.

He could turn back now, return home and forget his responsibilities, never having to face the dangers that everyone knew lurked out here in the wilds.

But Alec knew what he had to do, and he was going to fulfill his duty, even if it did mean heading through the perils of the deep, dark forest right past the very lair of the—

"Well, hello there," came a low, smooth voice from right behind him, and Alec jumped as he turned, swinging the basket in a defensive arc that made the speaker duck quickly to protect his head. Alec's heart pounded double-time when the figure barked out a laugh.

"Stay back," he warned and cursed himself for letting his voice shake. It was hard to keep his voice steady when he was pretty sure his heart was going to jump right out of his chest. The other took a step forward, instead, and laughed again when Alec brandished his basket at him.