Big Bad Red { private }

[Pixelated Problems]

This is a private one x one between myself and Aartsengel_Zerachiel. Do not post.

[Aartsengel_Zerachiel]

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ϔơu ƈaἦ яuἦ Ѣuŧ ḭἦ ŧh϶ ϶ἦɗ yơu’ḽḽ ơἦḽy dḭ϶ ŧḭя϶ɗ
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Once upon a time there was a little girl dressed in red, a sly and hungry wolf intent on eating her, a sick grandmother, and a huntsman. This tale is old, well told, and often changed into a more romanticised version to scare children into staying out of the woods. The story is considered superstition, fake, and just another fairytale. But is it?

Nestled in the woods was the small city of New Haven. It was once a small settler’s camp in the middle of nowhere. Slowly the city grew. Like other settlers, the founders of this city ran into all sorts of trouble. One such problem inspired a fairytale. Wolves were always a problem in forests like the one around their fair city, but none more-so than these. A special breed of wolves lived in the forest long before the humans came. Each of them grew to the size of a bear if not bigger, and each of them could become human at will. Werewolves they were called and the inhabitants of the new city soon became their favourite prey.

The citizens lived in fear of these wolves until a little girl who wore a red riding cloak came of age. Unlike the other citizens she was not afraid of these wolves, and when one took her parents she swore revenge. Taking up her father’s hunting bow, hatchet, and her mother’s basket full of treats she set out to hunt the wolves down. Deep in the woods she met a young man. His words were full of trickery and hunger. His every move was made to lure and devour this girl who had walked into his territory. It had comes as a great shock to him when he tried to eat her and ended up dead.

From that day on the girl in red made it her life’s mission to defend the city and kill these wolves. Her descendants trained in the art of hunting them until only the smartest, most cunning of them were left. These wolves found ways to incorporate themselves into the city as it grew and became just regular citizens until nights of the full moon when festivals, carnivals, and other such events allowed them the freedom to hunt.


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The scent of rain and roasted meats filled the cool morning air of New Haven and dark clouds bordered on the edges of the sky. A sinister smile briefly graced the full, red lips of Samantha Wolfe. Her graceful gait led her towards the small roadside hot-dog cart she always ate at before going to work. It wasn’t as good as her preferred food, but it would keep her happily full until she could eat properly.

A hand slid into the pocket of a tattered pair of jeans as she reached for some cash to pay for her usual order. “Morning Sal! Gimme the usual!” Green eyes sparkled merrily as the aging man just laughed and pointed to a bag on his small side table. “I already have it made. You’re late today.” Exact change was passed to the man and the bag was eagerly snatched up into t-s**t clad arms. “You’re the best Sal. See you tomorrow.” And with that, sneakers pounded the pavement and short black hair ruffled in the wind as Sam ran towards her job.


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The computer store was located inside an old, red brick building located on the edge of the city’s park. It was Sam’s favourite place to hang out when she wasn’t working inside said building. Inside she sat behind the desk and idly watched as random customers came in, browsed, and left the store. Only a few of them would be interested in buying, and even fewer would have anything intelligent to say about the objects they desired. It was tedious always answering questions like ‘How do I turn on the internet?’ or ‘I moved my task bar to the side of my screen, how do I fix it?” Her green eyes slipped into a half lidded, nearly asleep state as yet another person entered the building.

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Ɯƕơ'ș Дғṙἄἶḓ סӻ Ҭӈә βιɡ Ƀɒɖ Ϣφϯḟ?

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[Pixelated Problems]

The sound of footsteps echoed in the computer store as a woman made her way inside. An ominous, nearly hostile air filled the space around her. Long brown and silver boots took large steps towards the center of the room towards the main desk. Golden blonde locks twisted into braids bounced lightly as she stepped, but her face was hard to see unless standing directly in front of her thanks to a crimson colored cape. The cape was lined in beautifully intricate black and golden detailing from top to bottom, and had been adjusted to a sleeveless top for easier access. Leather gloves with various metal adjustments graced her hands, which sat near her pockets, her thumbs shoved inside.

Stopping dead at the counter, her sharp features moved up to stare at the woman behind the desk. Blue orbs stared directly into the other's eyes, and she began to speak.
"Pick up for Rosa." She stated, glancing around the counter for the usb she had come to pick up. Her expression had an air of irritation to it, but in reality her mind was simply elsewhere. So many thoughts were often floating in her mind, and nearly every one was focused around her job, as it should be. It was something she had learned from birth, for being a descendent of the great Wolf Hunter led her to do the same. From the moment she learned to walk she was taught as many hunting techniques as possible, and from the moment she learned to read her studies had truly began. She knew so many stories by the age of ten that she swore her brain was going to explode into hundreds of pieces. So, at the ripe age of only eighteen- it wasn't surprising that she was fully invested into the same thing every blood relative before her had been. But there was one difference between her and her mother- and her grandmother, even. She wanted it more.

She wanted to destroy every damn wolf that dared to cross her path. Her mother had always worried about the fact that her hatred towards the wolf made her mind stray from the fact that what they were doing was an act of justice, an act for humanity- for the people of the town that were so often threatened by the big bad wolves. It had nearly become a personal threat that there were still wolves out there- as if their existence was living proof that she was a bad person, or simply bad at her job. Bad at what she had lived for since the moment she was born. Hell probably the reason she was born. To continue the line of fighters of 'justice' or whatever.
Glancing back at the woman behind the counter, she locked onto eye contact while waiting for her flash drive.

[Aartsengel_Zerachiel]

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ϔơu ƈaἦ яuἦ Ѣuŧ ḭἦ ŧh϶ ϶ἦɗ yơu’ḽḽ ơἦḽy dḭ϶ ŧḭя϶ɗ
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The new set of footsteps into her went unnoticed by Sam. Her eyes were still half lidded and a catchy tune she’d heard on the radio was being softly hummed. Her red lips were twisted into a scowl of boredom and mild irritation as she tuned out the stupid questions being thrown at her from the showroom floor. If people couldn’t be bothered to come to her to ask she couldn’t be bothered to answer. Honestly, it wasn’t like she was on the other side of an impassable wall where people had to yell. It was three or four bloody feet.

Green eyes noticed the boots striding purposefully towards her and casually traveled up the form of this new person. The way this woman dressed sent up red flags as Sam tried to remember who would wear such clothing. It took her a few moments to shake off the sleepy fog before it hit her. She was a Red. One of those damned murderous bitches who made their living hunting Sam and her kind. Still, they hadn’t survived this long by running in terror at the sight of one. Her eyes remained half lidded and he lips turned up into a half-hearted attempt at a smile for the woman as she waited for her to speak.

“Rosa? Let me check the book.” Her voice came out deadpanned and bored. She wanted nothing more than to leave and do something fun, not sit around entertaining people. Still, having a Red in front of her was certainly worth entertaining. Unlike most other wolves Sam was not afraid of them. It was foolish, perhaps, but her youthful naivety made her cocky and confident where others would be cautious and trying desperately trying to find a way out in case the Red knew. “Here it is. Let me just go get that for you.” Her hand reached under the counter to one of the many shelves hidden behind the wooden face. Moments later she had found the right U.S.B stick and handed it over to the girl. “That’ll be Thirty-five, fifty.” Her own green eyes met the hard, blue pair staring across the counter. “So, where’s a girl like you going in an outfit like that? The Ren-fair isn’t until Thursday.” Her voice held a teasing note as she pretended not to understand the significance of the outfit on the other girl. She just could stop herself from throwing a verbal jab at a woman who would, no doubt, murder at least one of her kind before death. Not to mention that nasty habit the Reds had of breeding. Really, was it so much to ask for one of them to be gay, or barren?

That thought led to thoughts of being able to catch one unaware. Surely they would taste just as good, if not better than one of the idiots in her store that were on her ‘to eat’ list. “No, wait. You’re in that play about Red Riding Hood, aren’t you? I thought that didn’t go on until tomorrow.” She knew she shouldn’t be teasing the Red, Rosa she assumed, about such matters, but what harm could there be in teasing a little girl in red when no one had a clue that Sam was a wolf.[/size[

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Ɯƕơ'ș Дғṙἄἶḓ סӻ Ҭӈә βιɡ Ƀɒɖ Ϣφϯḟ?

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[Pixelated Problems]

The woman behind the counter responded and Rosa simply gave a nod, watching the other's moves like a hawk. Her alert attitude, although often coming off as her just being rude, was one of those things that was just natural to her; something she never bothered to think about. As the girl went searching for her much needed object, her mind went through a list of tasks for the following day. She was to go on a trip to her grandmother's, in order to deliver said object. Her mother had moved long ago to retire from her job and lived in the next town over, which was only accessible through the woods. Others would be certainly frightened by the idea of such a trip, but to a Red-- or more, to a stubborn child like herself- it was nothing.

Upon hearing the price, she pulled her hands out of her pocket and flipped through a few bills, pulling out the dollar amount and then searching for two quarters. She set them on the counter instead of handing them to the other, then picked up the USB and shoved that into back into her pocket as well.
When the other began to speak, she looked up with a curious, nearly vulnerable face that lasted only a few moments, soon returning to her harsh look once again. She wasn't used to being asked questions, or really even talking to others. Most found her too unapproachable to bother, and she wasn't one to ever start some sort of a conversation either.
"I don't think that is any of your business." She said simply, less coldly than one would expect her to. Although she did want the stranger to back off, she- for some odd reason- didn't want to be nearly as harsh as she normally would.
But, as the other made a comment about some 'little red riding hood' nonsense, she immediately snapped a harsh "No." and her blue eyes stared over at the other. As if she would be caught dead doing something so frivolous. It sounded like a complete waste of time.
Attempting to end the conversation, she started to turn and walk towards the door, ignoring the fact that she should have received a receipt, mostly wanting to stop the conversation with the strange girl behind the counter.

[Aartsengel_Zerachiel]

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ϔơu ƈaἦ яuἦ Ѣuŧ ḭἦ ŧh϶ ϶ἦɗ yơu’ḽḽ ơἦḽy dḭ϶ ŧḭя϶ɗ
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Sam could have laughed at this strange girl who’d graced her store. She was so uptight and high strung that Sam wondered just how little it would take to set her off. Maybe Sam would try to push her buttons later if they saw each other again. It might just be fun to see what made this particular Red tick. Were the elder Reds this amusing?

“Well alright. Sorry to have bothered you. I was just curious. See you later Gorgeous!” She called out, still teasing the poor blonde girl as she retreated. “Come back soon!” The smile on her face was a predatory one, one that very rarely graced Sam’s lips. The chase and games with this new girl would be so much more fun than the regular prey and she would relish every second of it. She might even be able to get close to the girl first. Befriend her even before Sam struck.

With the interesting girl, Rosa, gone Sam returned to her listless state of near sleep and once more pretended that people around her didn’t exist. The rest of her shift passed in a hazy blur of boredom, more hot-dogs, and a mild head-ache brought on by stupidity. She really needed a new job, one that focused less on people and more on a physical aspect.


xxx


Once free from the prison of her daily life Sam made her way to her favourite spot in the park to watch one of the paths that led through the woods. So many people came near it, traveled only a short distance along it before fleeing, and even dared each other to go further than that. It had become a game for the teens to go as far as they felt they could before they would yell and howl to try and get the wolves angry. The only real problem with their plans was the fact that the wolves no longer lived n the forest, they just hunted there when cooked meats became too bland to eat. If she were lucky she would see the girl in red go by on her way to do something interesting. If not she might just find a snack, perhaps a deer that stayed too close.

Quietly she perched herself on a low branch over the path, one that was within the park so as to not look stupidly suicidal. He green eyes dropped into their usual half lidded state and a soft tune was hummed softly. The scents of the forest and wildlife filled her nose and filtered out the more unpleasant scent of the city. The soft sounds of birds and the late afternoon bugs were like soothing music to Sam’s ears. If it weren’t for the city’s curfew she would have slept out in the park on more than one night, chances of rain or not.
[/size[

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Ɯƕơ'ș Дғṙἄἶḓ סӻ Ҭӈә βιɡ Ƀɒɖ Ϣφϯḟ?

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[Pixelated Problems]

A slight twitch hit Rosa's body as the girl called after her as she left the store. Swallowing, she continued on and ignored the girl's yelling, it was obvious to her that the comment was either just pure teasing, or a clever ploy to attempt to shove her off her game. It was that paranoia that constantly flowed through her blood, making her question every little thing that the people around her did, or that the people around her might do.

After leaving the store, Rosa went off to the local market, picking up a beautifully woven basket one of the street vendors were selling. Red thread was woven throughout the basket in a appealing pattern, and from the moment her eyes laid on it, she was positive it was something her old grandmother would adore. Around town she picked up some ripe fruit for her grandmother that wasn't common where she lived, placing it in the basket strategically to both look nice and prevent any bruising.
After nearly filling it completely, she began to make her way towards the woods in order to get to the path to her grandmother's home. It wasn't a path she was too familiar with, but at the same time, wasn't completely unknown. Regardless of her knowledge of the path, she left the town and started to walk to the park with absolutely no fear riding in her bones. She was a stubborn child with too much confidence- a fact that her grandmother had reminded her every time she paid a visit. On her way inside, she glared at a few teenagers who she passed by, whom seemed astounded that she dared to enter the woods herself. They only bothered to exchange glances before Rosa was out of their line of sight, and they were out of hers. Teenagers like that were always considered the dumbest beings alive to her, for wasting their time playing silly games instead of training for something really important.

Rosa's boots crushed a few sticks as she took steps through the park, turning from the very old path that hadn't been used for quite a while in order to step into the darker parts of the woods, knowing a short cut from her last journey.

[Aartsengel_Zerachiel]

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ϔơu ƈaἦ яuἦ Ѣuŧ ḭἦ ŧh϶ ϶ἦɗ yơu’ḽḽ ơἦḽy dḭ϶ ŧḭя϶ɗ
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The early part of Sam’s evening had been filled with dinner at her usual spot, a light snack of a raccoon, and people watching. Young couples had tailed through lazily on walks around the lake. Picnickers enjoyed late lunches o early dinners. Children ran around screaming and playing. And yet somehow, the moment the sun began to set ever one of them vanished into their city and houses. Only the brave few remained outside during the late afternoon calm.


xxx


The late afternoon air carried the scents from the city towards the forest, carrying along with it the scent of one Rosa. Sam’s lazy gaze turned towards the path when it reached her sensitive nose. A predatory smirk grew along her lips as the red highlighted figure grew ever nearer. Every sign led the wolf to grow eager and playful. Teasing such easy prey would be so much more fun than simply watching the teens who had once more taken to drunkenly trying to taunt a wolf out of the forest.

“Where are you going, little girl in red?” Sam’s voice ran out, singsong in tone only moments after Rosa had passed her hiding spot in the tree. “And what do you have in that basket?” Her form easily slipped from the tree and landed gracefully upon the dirt trail only a few feet behind her intended prey. “Surely it’s getting far too late for you to be out on your own. There are wolves in these forests you know.” Her feet carried her towards the Red clad form before her. Her words were meant to tease and glean information at the same time. Not that she planned to do more than talk at this point.

Her curious gaze remained locked upon one of the only two women in this city who stood a chance of beating or even killing a wolf. The mother of this young woman was nowhere to be seen, and Sam knew of no others like this strange little family. The city had praised them as heroes and guardians. The wolves called them far worse names and had vowed their own revenge on the line of Red. This had resulted in many killing each other in the heat of battle. Sam had no intention of dieing, or even fighting.

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Ɯƕơ'ș Дғṙἄἶḓ סӻ Ҭӈә βιɡ Ƀɒɖ Ϣφϯḟ?

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[Pixelated Problems]

The sound of another's voice made Rosa's heart skip a beat. The other few adventures she had taken in these woods were filled with absolute loneliness, for everyone in town had some ridiculous fear of the place. Only once had she run into another around here, and that 'another' was something she would never refer to as 'human'. So, hearing a humanoid voice made her feel odd, but her general skeptical self said to never let her guard down. Her body made a sharp turn and her eyes laid upon the woman she had seen only a few hours before.
It suddenly became so clear as to why she had an odd feelings about this woman when they first met. There was now no doubt to Rosa that this girl was suspicious in so many ways. Rosa's mouth remained shut and her fingers kept curled around the basket, but legs were weighed heavily in a way to make it easy for her to move if an attack was suddenly sprung.

"None of your business." She finally snapped, irritated that this ... thing was wasting her time like this. As if her little comments from the morning earlier hadn't been enough, now she had to harass her on her trip to her frail old grandmother's.
But the moment that one word fell from the girl's lips, everything changed. Her eyebrows furrowed in an angry rampage and her rosy lips curled into a scowl. Her green eyes darted straight into the other's with enough anger to fuel a bull.
It was all obvious. Rosa hadn't been training so long to be oblivious to every wolf she came across. Anyone who knew about this woods and it's 'wolf problem' would be too terrible afraid to go prancing around in trees and stalking anyone who came across. Plus this kid's damn personality- it just screamed annoying wolf. And those eyes. There was something about those eyes.
"Look," She began harshly, taking a threatening step forward as one hand remained in her basket. "I'll give you a break this one damn time, simply because I have something more important. But if I ever see you again, you'll beg for mercy." As she spoke, she gritted her teeth and hissed every vowel. It was surprising how much hate one girl- especially one with blonde pigtail braids- could have. Rosa took a step back and turned away from the girl, keeping her focus on the corner of her eyes as she started to walk towards her grandmother's once more, hoping the wolf wouldn't attempt to push any more of her buttons.

[Aartsengel_Zerachiel]

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ϔơu ƈaἦ яuἦ Ѣuŧ ḭἦ ŧh϶ ϶ἦɗ yơu’ḽḽ ơἦḽy dḭ϶ ŧḭя϶ɗ
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The reactions she got from her idle comments and her lack of fear caused Sam to pause for a moment. Had this girl in red figured out her deep dark secret? That could be a very bad thing. The hairs rose on the back of Sam’s neck and she felt her heckles rise. Instead of reacting the way a wolf normally would have when they knew they’d been caught Sam decided to play up the human side of herself.

Unfortunately for Rosa, pushing people’s buttons was one of Sam’s favourite pass-times. Every uncomfortable reaction, every glare, and every threat only made the wolf want to push this woman further. Her lips twisted upwards into a predatory grin and her eyes took on an equally predatory gleam. Her movements changed to mirror Rosa’s pace though it left her enough room to flee should the need arise. The chuckle that bubbled up from her lips was teasing in nature.

“Oh how kinky of you, sexy. But I don’t just ‘beg’ for everyone. You’d have to buy me dinner first before I’ll writhe underneath you and ‘scream’.” Sam just could help but turn her reply into an innuendo. The last time she had done something like that the girl had fled her store.

Quite happily Sam followed Rosa’s every step as the girl left. Considering that she hadn’t left it wouldn’t count as being seen again. “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.” Sam pointed out as she made it obvious that she would be tagging along during the journey unless Rosa found a way to drive her off. If she’d had a tail at that moment it would have been wagging in a smugly happy fashion. Her gait was light and bouncy and her pace matched Rosa’s no matter how it changed while leaving just enough room to avoid being hit.

“You also haven’t told me what’s in your basket. It smells kind of sweet. Is it goodies? Maybe you should pick some flowers while you’re at it?” Her green eyes darted along the side of the path at her own mention of flowers. The wild flowers that grew along here were beautiful and most people paid an arm and a leg to get samples of the rare ones. One could make a small fortune if they ever gathered seeds and grew them in a greenhouse. Then again no one would dare pick them aside from the wolves and the Reds. “I’m sure whoever it is we’re going to see would love them.” Her comment had been meant as helpful, though it came out as more of another taunt.

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Ɯƕơ'ș Дғṙἄἶḓ סӻ Ҭӈә βιɡ Ƀɒɖ Ϣφϯḟ?

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[Pixelated Problems]

The other's rather sexual comment made Rosa twitch from irritation. Obviously this wolf was completely delusional or didn't understand exactly who she was. Either that or she was totally drunk, which seemed like the most intelligent answer in this situation. Despite her need to want to smack the other across the face or whip out a gun she had tucked away, she knew that a fight would draw things out for too long, and this journey to her grandmother's was too important to waste time. Her fists and jaw clenched and she stomped as she walked, her shoulders tensing up. It was getting hard to fight back the need to put this kid in her place.

[******** off," She hissed at the other, still watching at a fast pace. How goddamn stupid did this wolf think she was? Wolf or not, Rosa wasn't going to give away where she was going to anyone! Especially someone who was following her every footstep- unless, of course, it would make them leave. But by the slight cheerful pop in the other's voice, it was rather obvious that getting this wolf off her tail would be a bit of a challenge.
Although, when the irritating follower mentioned something about flowers, she stopped. She remembered walking to her grandmother's the first time and passing through some flowers, which she picked and brought to her. The old woman's face lit up like a Christmas tree, something she didn't see often. Normally she was a rather stoic woman, but that one time she saw her like that... it was just a sight to see. Her smile was so bright and inviting that it immediately put Rosa at ease.

Turning her heels quickly, she ducked through some trees to make her way to where the flowers were at. She kept one hand inside her jacket, and eyes constantly darted to her peripheral to check where that damn wolf was at. She deeply wished the damn thing would leave her alone, or at least bug her on a different day.
As she finally came along the field of gorgeous fuschia, yellow, and lime colored flowers, she walked over and set down her basket in the middle of them. Looking up and glaring at the wolf, she pointed a long finger at the other. "Don't even think about trying anything funny unless you want a bullet to the face." She snapped, then crouched down next to the basket and wrapped her fingers around a few of the flowers delicately, pulling them with care so they wouldn't become completely destroyed.

[Aartsengel_Zerachiel]

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ϔơu ƈaἦ яuἦ Ѣuŧ ḭἦ ŧh϶ ϶ἦɗ yơu’ḽḽ ơἦḽy dḭ϶ ŧḭя϶ɗ
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It wasn’t every day that Sam got to make people squirm in such an obvious way and it sent a shiver of joy down her spine when she made Rosa visibly twitch. Every time the other girl reacted to her verbal assault it made Sam want to say more. Every dirty innuendo she could think of, hovered on the tip of her tongue and waited for Rosa to say or do something that would unleash them. Even being told to “******** off” sent Sam’s mind into overdrive as millions of responses flitted through her mind. Instead of responding she chose to wait, another tactic that was proven to annoy. Green eyes watched every twitch and reaction instead as they attempted to read just how far this over-reactive girl could be pushed before a physical fight would ensure between the two combatants.

Agile feet easily kept pace with Rosa as the girl refused to slow down and perhaps even tried to out-walk Sam in a futile attempt to shake the wolf from her tail. Dead leaves crunched in a speedy, rhythmic pattern under both pairs of feet and for a moment Sam wished she wasn’t in her human form. It was always so awkward, clumsy, and made more noise than anything else in the forest. Her wolf form had stealth, and it was always so disconcerting to her to be just as loud as a human.

Her footsteps faltered for a moment as the woman she’d been happily tailing took a sudden turn and veered off towards the flowers. Sam’s eyes widened in shock and her feet refused to move for a moment as her mind registered that the girl had listened to her advice about flowers. She had only meant the comment as another barb about Little Red Riding Hood and not as an actual idea. When the momentary shock wore off her feet carried her once more along the trail Rosa had taken. Packed dirt and leaves made way to softer grass and pretty flowers the further the pair got. Before long they found themselves in a dense patch of fuchsia, yellow, and lime colored flowers. Each one of them was in full bloom and filled the air with a faint perfume that made Sam want to sneeze.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Sam promised the girl with her fingers crossed behind her back. Rosa hadn’t defined what something funny was so Sam would come up with her own interpretation to fit her mood or needs. For a while Sam was content to simply sit at the edge of the flowers and watch the other girl pick them. For some odd reason she felt inclined to help the girl she’d inadvertently roped into such a menial task and soon enough her own nimble fingers plucked stems of various flowers and gathered them into a small pile near Rosa’s feet. Sam wasn’t sure if it was an act of apology, friendship, peace, or something else she couldn’t explain. Her mouth remained firmly shut during the time they picked the flowers, though her mischievous smirk remained firmly in place. Even if she wasn’t up to something now it was only a matter of time before this odd spell of calm was broken and Sam retuned to her usual self. Her mind was still thinking of an infinite number of ways to piss off Rosa.

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Ɯƕơ'ș Дғṙἄἶḓ סӻ Ҭӈә βιɡ Ƀɒɖ Ϣφϯḟ?

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