Little Red

The wolf and his prey

Wulf was hunched over the tracks, tracing the outline with his finger. His breath came out in frozen steam, drifting away in the freezing air. He had been tracking the wolf for months, and now he was so close he could almost taste the wolf in the air.

Wulf followed the tracks for some time before finding human foot prints. He knelt beside the imprints searching for further clues, a brown crumb caught his eye reaching for it he pinched it between his fingers squinting at it. "cookie. " He murmured,  finding both human foot prints and wolf walking side by side. "What does that girl have to do with the wolf?" He thought aloud, making the connection instantly between Clari and The Cookie Crumbs.

He continued to follow the tracks, studying the area closely.

-0-

"where are we going?" Clari asked, struggling to keep up with her huge furry companion through the deep snow that tugged at her feet as if trying to make her stay.

The wolf paused, his ears pivoting on his head. Clari could hear his snuffling as he scented the air, suddenly he leaped foreward, bounding through the snow. Clari stumbled foreward, atempting to catch up and failing when she tripped over her feet and fell facce first in the snow.  Clari pushed herself up onto her knees, looking around the forest for the wolf. But there was no trace of him anywhere. "Mr. Wolf?" she called out, not knowing what else to call her new friend as she stood, shaking her cloak to rid it of the snow. 

"What?" A familiar deep voice replied, somewhere behind Clari.  She rolled her eyes turning around and glaring at Wulf. The obnoxious cookie monger.  "Go away!" She growled, watching the large man approach, bow in hand and a stupid smile on his face. 

"Nah, I think I will stay here a while." He sighed, dusting snow off of an exposed tree stump and sitting down on it. He was still wearing that grin. "What is wrong with your face?" Clari smirked, still searching for her wolf friend from undedr the shadow of her hood.

"Many things. But nothing is wrong with yours." 

"Leave me alone."

"Why? I could help you." Wulf said, obviously staring at the tracks Clari and the wolf had made. 

"I am perfectly safe thank you." Clari said, turning from the annoying man and continuing on her way. Only to hear footsteps behind her, "No need to be rude miss. I just said you were pretty."

Clari stopped suddenly and turned to him again. Her expression could be read as shock. This man... so impertinent. It seems HE was raised by wolves. Clari thought, taking a deep breath before saying:  "Mr. Wulf, I am not interested in you or anything you have to offer. Since you have been so blunt with me I should get to do the same."

Wulf shrugged, "seems fair enough." he said, seemingly undettered by her reply.

"You sir are excrutiatingly, aggrivating. Why can't you simply leave me alone? Quit harrassing me at the least." Clari spat, gesturing with her hands, explaining her new headache.

"Why thank you. I take great pride in my wit." Wulf said with a smile and a bow. 

Clari had had enough, so she started walking away from him without a word. Wondering where her furry friend had vanished to, she didn't want to be alone in the forest. Especially with Wulf on her tail.

Despite her futile prayers that Wulf would be suddenly devoured by a bear she heard him follow close behind her again. She decided to ignore him, maybe then he would get bored and go away. But he began to chatter again, much to Clari's displeasure.