Who's Afraid of The Big Bad Wolf?

"I should have known it was him." Sir Integra cursed blackly, seeming unsurprised by the disembodied voice. She spun in a circle, eyeing the clearing, then quickly swooped down on the child, placing her back on her hip, and ran.

"You know him?" Seras asked, eyes wide as her little arms – and her basket – wrap around the elder blonde's chest to anchor herself to the wiry form.

Rather than answer directly, she caught a glimpse of glacial blue irises staring at her from the corner of the Huntswoman's eyes. "What name did he give you?" She questioned smoothly, leaping over a fallen log as fluidly as a doe.

"The Big Bad Wolf."

Sir Integra barked out a laugh of amusement and she shook her head, a somewhat indulgent look on her face. "He would call himself that. In any case, Little Red Riding Hood, we must get you to your Grandfather's before he catches up."

"Too late, Huntswoman." That deep voice growled from their right and Seras shrieked as a great black shape lunged at them, her eyes squinting shut instinctively.

She heard Sir Integra grunt, and a sort of wooshing noise, followed by a sickening sort of wet thud and a yip of surprise. Something hot and sticky spattered across her face and she quickly buried her face into the side of the woman's tunic.

"That will only slow him down for a moment. If I get you to the path, can you find your way to your Grandfather's cabin?" Sir Integra's voice broke her terrified silence and Seras cautiously cracked an eye open.

"I… I think so."

"Good, we'll need to separate, then, Little Red Riding Hood. I'll keep him at bay as long as I can. Go, run!"

They stopped in a new clearing, and Seras saw the golden path not ten feet away. She ached to run through the bushes and onto the safety of the bricks, but something in her screamed a warning. He said only if I got to Grandfather's… She gathered her skirts up in one hand, and clutched her basket firmly to her flat little chest, the six year old ran parallel to the path, into the darkening woods.

A horrible noise sounded from behind and tears gathered in her eyes at the brutal sounds. I hope Sir Integra is all right..!

There, she could finally see the warm glow of lights in Grandfather Walter's cabin! She was almost there! "Grandfather!" She shrieked as her little legs pumped furiously across the uneven forest floor. She was just about to break the trees when a root caught her foot and she went sprawling on her face.

"Owww…" She whimpered, bringing the edge of her cloak up to wipe at her stinging face, the red cloth coming away faintly sticky. She sniffled, and groped for her basket, but not finding it. "What?"

She turned, and there, a few feet behind her, was her basket seemingly floating in mid air. Lifting her gaze a bit further, she shrunk back as blue eyes met burning crimson. The Big Bad Wolf had her basket, and his right forepaw was being held off the ground.

"Look what I just caught." His voice crooned out clearly, despite the wolf's occupied mouth. "I just caught you, Little Red Riding Hood."

"B-…but I made it to Grandfather's!" Seras protested, slowly gathering her feet under her, the voluminous red cloak shielding her trembling form.

"Oh?" He crooned, and the wolf's eyes narrow on her, "Are you saying you won, little girl?"

"Yes?" Her voice trembled a bit, and the answer turned into a question without meaning to.

The wolf stalked closer and she inched back, blonde hair falling into her eyes. "But, Little Red Riding Hood, you're still in the woods." The Big Bad Wolf purred and she could feel something soft tickling against her arm. She pushed the bangs from her face, and yelped, jumping back further – closer to the cabin – away from the looming black wolf that had swatted her lightly with his tail.

Her little mind and heart raced as those eyes bore into her very soul, "But…" she whispers, remembering, "You said if I survive to grandfather's!" She continued, growing more confident, "You never said I had to be inside." Smugness oozed off the child, she was always a stickler for rules in games, looking for loopholes.

The Big Bad Wolf stopped, and stared at her for a moment before he tossed his head back in a bark of laughter, much like Sir Integra. The basket dropped from his open jaws and rolled closer to the child, and Seras was so very tempted to grab it and run those last few steps. Why isn't Grandfather Walter checking on me?!

As if on cue, the front door to the cabin swung open and brighter light filled the small clearing, Seras' blue eyes catch sight of matted fur around the wolf's muzzle and shoulder. The wolf growled and bared his knife sized fangs, and she flinched back further.

Eyes burning into her like fire, the wolf nudged the basket closer with his muzzle and turned to leave. "I concede defeat, Little Red Riding Hood. But you won't be so lucky next time." His jaws snapped shut threateningly before he melted into the darkness.

'Seras… Was that who I think it was?" Her grandfather's voice called, and she felt a sob bubbling in her throat as she grabbed the basket and ran into his arms.

"Oh dear one." He sighed above her head, warm arms engulfing her and lifting her into the air to bring her inside. "It's all right now."

He set her down at the table and gently tugged the basket from her arms, a warm cloth wiping at her scratched cheek, "Let's have a nice cup of tea and biscuits with tiger butter, hm? Your mother wouldn't want them to go to waste now."

Seras nodded, and a small tremulous smile curled her lips. Everything was normal now, in grandfather's cabin.

And, really, even though it was scary, he never hurt me, The little girl thought of the wolf and their twisted game of tag. She was still scared of what would happen the next time they met, but that was the next time, and right now she was a little girl, safe from the things that go bump in the night.

"How many times have I told you not to leave the path, Little Red Riding Hood?" He asked as he handed the girl her buttered bread, a fondly exasperated smile on his face.

"I forget. But I won't do it again." She grinned up at him, and something inside her whispered that she was lying.

AN:And all's well that ends well. Or is it? Bwahaha... *crack-a-THOOM!*
Poor Huntswoman, what did the Big Bad Wolf do to you? And is this really the last we'll see of the wolf? Well, you'll just have to wait and see!

Trying to get all my other story-stories done so I can trick my muse into letting me finish WCHB before I do more sequels.