Little Red Ridding Hood (WhispersWolf and myself)

Caitlyn leaned against the wall as she looked over every person there. She had to make sure that the more experienced didn't hurt the newbs in the business. She had been her fathers only child and so had to follow in his footsteps. She was the head of the guard. Her blue eyes spotted the mistakes that were made and mentally made a note as to talk with the people that made them later.
"Hey Red!" Her father's friend said as he saw her. She smiles happy to see her godfather. She had been called Red since her grandmother gave her a long red cloak to grow into as a kid and had never taken it off since. Sure she washed it from time to time but otherwise she wasn't seen without the garment.

A faint snarl escaped from between the beasts teeth. He had been watching the village for a while now; saw how they moved, mobilized, and came into his territory. He didn't care if he was the only wolf, since he considered himself one, these were his lands, and he would share them, but only to a certain degree. He realized they needed food, but he needed it too, and humans were prone to over hunting. Keeping his white frame hidden in a bush, he stood there, motionless, glad for the years and years this forest had lived. The brush had grown and was able to hide his larger than normal form, and keep the white of his coat hidden when there wasn't frost and snow on the ground. When there was, he blended in effortlessly, and became nothing more than a ghost to these villagers; some glowing yellow eyes and occasionally a stain of red.

Today he could sense the humans were moving. He didn't know what, or where, but he saw them prepping, and saw that red. The woman who headed it all of, adorned with a bright red cloak. His snarl grew in volume as he remembered seeing those flashes of red that were, for once, not blood. Putting his nose to the air he sniffed around, hoping to catch some idea of why the humans were bustling so much today; what was going on; what was happening. But he knew he probably wouldn't get much for information; they all tended to smell like fear when they came into his woods.

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Caitlyn walked over to those that needed her assistance, and pointed out what was wrong in a kind tone and smile on her face. She didn't see the reason to yell at people unlike her father when he got irritated. She moved from person to person and demonstrated when needed the correct way to wield their weapons. "And be careful. These must only when hunting animals."
"Does that include...him?" Asked one of the younger ones. She smiles sadly. She wished that they and the wolf could get along, but if it wasn't meant to be, then so be it.
"Unfortunately. But do not confront him if you see him. It's not wise nor is it safe. Come straight running for me. I'm the one with the most experience since I was handed a dagger when I could walk and learned to defend myself before I could talk." She said not at all proud of the fact that this was true. She pulled a hand through her black locks not messing with the hood and yet it still fell revealing her porcelain skin caressed by the sun. She giggles a little and pulls the hood up over her face once more the comfort of her grandmother's warmth settled over her when her father came walking on his cane that had taken him out of commission with a basket.
"Caitlyn. I need you to bring this to meema. She's not feeling well, and you know how I get if I walk too far." He said handing over the basket full of the things his mother needed. She smiles and nods.
"Of course father. Do you mind talking through their exercizes while I'm gone? I'm sure Jacques can help." Jacques was her god father. She took the basket and headed toward the forest forever glad that she had been wearing slacks forever as well and hadn't been raised on dresses and things. Those were really bothersome to her. She still had no idea why a girl had to feel as if she had to cover herself in many layers that were often uncomfortable to fetch a good husband. It generally confused her. She started to sing something random as she traveled.

It was something of a wonder, he supposed, how long he was able to sit there, crouched, waiting for the humans next moves. Watching them all silently with his yellow eyes as the one in Red padded back and forth, back and forth, between her 'packmates' and corrected what they were doing. The snarl on his face remained as he saw their weapons and knew immediately that they were preparing for a hunt. And that irritated him. It irritated the -hell- out of him. These were his woods, and they knew it. why they continued to set foot in his woods was beyond him; he knew that only their weapons gave them the courage to step out into his woods. He watched them eagerly; the more they prepped, the more he was enraged, but the more a small sense of bloodlust ran through his veins, and he urged them to step out. Encouraged them to step out. He would slaughter anyone that attempted to come at him.

And he knew they would come. They talked, they whispered. Someone would make a fatal slip, despite all this planning, and they would belong to him. They would belong to the forest, and to the village they would never return. His interest was piqued as a man with a cane approached Red, and the animal in his mind calmed as the human he knew he had was curious as to the new movement. It was kind and friendly, but it seemed like it had a purpose. He watched an exchange of gifts, and then a grin spread across his face as the one cloaked in fabric that looked like blood stepped towards his domain.

Falling back from the bush he had been hiding in, he ran deeper into the forest, stretching out his long legs, and feeling the wind run through his fur. Giving the beast a bit more of a leeway, he closed his eyes for a moment and ran. He wanted to get ahead of the girl, but still give her a chance to get into the forest and think she was safe. He couldn't go after her so close to the village, it would be near suicide. She needed to get away from the village to feel safe, to let her guard down. And that was when he would strike. Go after his prey when it's at it's weakest.

Caitlyn never felt safe traveling these forests. But having traveled the road alone before without much mishaps so felt a little more comfortable. Sure she never traveled through without a weapon and it was within easy reach of her dominant hand. She hummed softly and continued on her way the village disappearing within a mile of her travel. She looked through the basket making sure everything was in place. She nods glad that her father had included everything. Sometimes his memory sucked and failed him. She looked around trying to get her bearings and from memory choose the correct path.

The paths in the forest never stayed quite the same. Because of the humans and their hunting, game didn't make set trails. Because of their hunting, they never took the same path twice. Because of their hunting, he would trash the trails. All of these things allowed the forest to re-claim any marks made and any harm done. The few trails that did exist were faint, and one had to have a keen eye to keep to one. To stay on track. Now, he wasn't sure if she would be able to do it, but it didn't matter. He could hide even better.

He chuckled. A white ghost, that's all he was to them. The humans. A simple haunt of the forest that brought on their worst nightmares. He chuckled at the thought and slowed his run. He was deep enough into the foliage that he should be able to hide and ambush the girl in red. Out of sight if the village, and not close enough to Grannies to count. Now, just to wait for the girl to come by.

Caitlyn came up to a spot where her grandmother had placed a little marker on the ground never once ruining the grass and blew out a sigh of relief. She didn't have to worry now that she was going the wrong way. That would be awkward to explain.
"How come you never took that to meema?" She could hear her father asking.
"Cause I forgot the way there?" She can see herself questioning the obvious fact. She was just glad she didn't have to go through that. It was then that she stopped suddenly. She felt...unease here. She looked around the forest the movement of the hood the only thing signifying that she was searching. She felt as if something was there. Was it him? Just in case she placed her hand over her weapon taking long measured steps watching the shadows.

The wolf stayed in his cover, eyes kept wide, open, and searching for the girl who would stick out like freshly split blood on new-fallen snow. A grin crossed his lips and his teeth showed as her scent came closer and closer; she was almost here. Holding his breath as she stopped and started to look around, he began to hatch a plan, that was slowly overtaken by his primal side, and did his best to keep his growl silent. Making sure she was in front of him, he jumped out of the bush, and began prowling closer to her, low to the ground. His tail swished, side to side, and his teeth were still bared in a soft growl.

Now, how was this 'little Red' going to deal with the fact that the big bad wolf was approaching her, albeit slowly.

Caitlyn turned at the sound of a thud, and threw a dagger the point hitting the ground in front of one of his paws just barely missing. "Whoever or whatever is out here I have no wish to fight you. However I will not be remiss if I accidentally kill you out of self defense. I must get this basket to my grandmother. Either get out of my way or regret it." She warned grabbing another dagger glaring at the bushes.

Unsure of what really to do, he grinned and decided to try a little different tactic. Still hidden by the foliage of the forest, he shifted and projected his voice toward "little Red". Peeking around a trunk and through some leaves, he yelled out: "What are you doing in the dark of this forest?"