A/N: Hi there! I'm Starmy, and this is my first proper fanfic. I'm pretty nervous right about now actually! I've written little drabbles in the past, but nothing like this. So this is both exciting and a little nerve-racking for me, but I hope you guys enjoy what I have here. IkeMarth (lovingly dubbed Sparkly Chicken Nuggets by me and a few other friends) is a big ship of mine, so I figured it was only proper I do something for it first. Inspiration just came and I decided to ride with it, and this happened, so!
Also worth mentioning that my friend ThatWingedWhippersnapper was super wonderful and helped me edit this little fic. I love her; you should love her too.

That being said, all reviews and criticisms are very welcome! I aim to improve, after all. u vu Enjoy!

Chapter One: Into the Woods

The boy sighed lightly as he rushed through the woods, gripping the basket in his hands tightly. It was a beautiful day, really; the sun was high in the sky, the birds were chirping in the tree branches, there was a gentle breeze cutting through the humid summer air. Even in this darker area of the woods, it was bright and cheerful and colorful and hard to imagine why anyone would believe it was dangerous. He'd been thinking the same at the entrance to this path, but running through it, he wasn't too entirely sure his judgement had been fair.

Of course, he also had to hurry, didn't he? That was the entire reason he'd chosen this path - which was less of a path and more of a faint trail that he had to keep his eyes on constantly. Usually, he was able to just take the longer path at a slow amble. A brisk walk, if anything. And that path was just so lovely, with bright flowers at every turn that he could pick if he so wished because they always made such wonderful bouquets! And birds that he recognized and could actually greet! And occasionally other people passing by that he could give a nice little hello to! And a path that he could actually see! And no noises; no noises like whispers or laughing or growls or screams because that was all just his imagination and the wind and nothing to worry about!

He let out a little shriek as a bird flew past his head, glancing at him quizzically before continuing on its merry way.

With a shaky sigh and a shake of the head, he continued on his way, reaching up and clutching his cloak a little bit tighter around his neck. He'd always thought that he looked rather ridiculous in red, but his mother had always insisted he wear it. It made him easier to find, easier to approach, easier to identify. Plus, everyone loved red. And it was such a lovely cloak that she'd made just for him, so of course he couldn't refuse. On the bright, sunny, safe path he felt nice in it. Like people would know that it was him, that it really identified him as Marth. Marth was the one in the little red cloak; Marth was the one with the hand-weaved basket, carrying his medicine to his sister, who lived on the other side of the woods with her husband; Marth was the one with the warm smile that could brighten anyone's day.

Marth most certainly was not one to go on this path.

Of course, there had been a storm a short while ago that had made the woodland path between his older sister's little cabin and his small, quaint town entirely inaccessible, so he'd been unable to get the medicine to her for nearly a week, which meant that there was no time for him to delay! He couldn't worry about the fact that the bush might be moving, or that could be a shadow moving closer to him, or that-

Suddenly, a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder, and he let out a little yelp, immediately freezing up with wide eyes and a frantic heart. He wasn't imagining that. He definitely was not imagining that!

There was a momentary pause where it seemed as though time was practically stopped entirely, but it resumed normally just after. "Didn't your parents ever tell you to never go down the dark path?" a deep voice growled above him, and he slowly turned around to find himself faced with an incredibly terrifying figure. He was tall and broad, with a firm, unamused face and eyes that were practically iron walls. He was scruffy and dirty, his red buttoned shirt patched and torn on the left arm and his pants just as worn and his hands with sharp claws. And most notably the tail he just barely glimpsed and the scruffy ears poking out of his messy, messy mop of blue hair. Oh no. Ohhh no. He'd heard about the wolves in the forest who would prey upon unsuspecting little boys and girls that would eat them alive and then use their bones as toothpicks and-

There was a long, deep sigh from the wolf, and he frowned lightly, shaking his head. "I'm not going to eat you, for Pete's sake. It'd be rude to do that on the first meeting, after all, have to wait until at least the third or fourth." He paused for a moment and, seeing as this attempt at lightening the mood didn't work - primarily because every time he talked, it gave Marth a clear view of his very, very sharp teeth - sighed again, shaking his head. "Well, Red Hood? Can you speak for yourself or not?"

Marth blinked a few times at this before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I… I needed to get across the… the w-woods quickly," he explained softly, looking anywhere but at the intimidating face - or his feet, which were bare and had claws as sharp as those on his hands. "So… So I t-took this route because, um, it's… sh-shorter…" He trailed off a little bit, shifting his grip on his basket.

The wolf examined him for a few moments, one eyebrow raised rather critically. He was going to try and steal the medicine from him, wasn't he? He was going to have to go back and explain why the medicine was gone and have to try and replace it and… Oh, but what if it just tore him to pieces here and now? Had he stepped into his territory or something? This was going to be the end of it, he knew it, and-

"You're going the wrong way," he said flatly, making Marth blink.

"What? But I was… following the p-path-" he stammered, confused, but the wolf shook his head again which made his ears flop a little bit. It would've been amusing, had it not been in this situation.

"The path forks," he explained, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder. "One path leads to the other side, the other - this one - leads to the heart of the forest. Where there are more thieves and 'big bad wolves' than you can count." He raised an eyebrow again, eyes lowering to the basket and its contents before looking back to Marth again. "And unless you're looking to go give them a little gift, there, and a nice little trinket to sell-" He gestured at Marth's cloak, "-and a free meal, I suggest, y'know, not going that way."

The shorter boy blinked slowly at this, looking back behind him for a few moments, and then back to the wolf in turn, rather puzzled and a little suspicious. "I didn't see any sort of fork," was the only challenge he gave, studying the man intently.

"Because people don't use that path," the wolf said with exasperation, rolling his eyes. "Because some people have more sense to come in here!"

Marth frowned at this, giving a little huff. "Well excuse me for being in a hurry!" He thought for a moment, looking back past this surprisingly-not-vicious wolf with slight worry tugging at his chest. But how was he going to find this fork if he could hardly even see the path he was walking on? If the path he was supposed to be walking on was hardly a path at all? Was he just going to be lost wandering here forever?

After a few moments of thought, he looked back to the wolf, who was still standing there for whatever reason. And looking at him with an incredibly degrading expression that he most certainly did not appreciate. With a frown, he raised an eyebrow, and pointed out simply, "You aren't exactly following your own advice by being here, you realize."

"In case you haven't noticed, Red Cloak, I'm a wolf. I kind of live here. And I have these," he replied, raising his hands and waggling his fingers to emphasize the sharp claws on them.

The hooded boy blinked several times at this, frowning again at his own stupidity. "Still, though. Doesn't seem like such a friendly place." These words came out a little more critical than he really intended, but it was a valid point, he thought. One hand had shifted to his hip as he examined the wolf, noticing a few other things. Like how he really wasn't that much taller, and how his clothing was worn and a little raggedy, sure, but not bloodstained or anything ridiculous. His claws and teeth were sharper than average - far sharper, actually - but they weren't razors. In fact, he might just have mistaken him for someone from town, if not for his more fluffy additions.

"So. Do you want me to show you the way out, then?"

This surprised him, needless to say, and he blinked a few times before meeting his eyes curiously. "You'd show me the way?"

"Well… yeah. I'm a wolf, not a monster." He seemed almost offended by Marth's assumptions. And he supposed it was with good reason; Marth really had no reason not to trust him, right? There were all of the stories about what wolves would do to people, but no one had ever confirmed them. Only passed them along. Like a dirty rumor about them. But still, he was a stranger, and he couldn't help but wonder if even this rumor had a ring of truth to it.

But did he really have any other choice at this point?

He was silent for just a moment as he turned these thoughts over, and his response came out relatively soft; it was more so than intended, but it worked, he supposed. "Please, then."

The wolf sniffed a little bit at this, seemingly appeased. "Stay close," was all he said, and then he turned and began stepping in what seemed to be a completely random direction. Marth considered running in the opposite direction, going back to find the fork himself, but after a moment he made what was quite possibly the most stupid decision of the day; he decided to trust him.

Quickly, he scurried to follow the taller male, sticking close behind him as he glanced around with more confidence than before, but still with slight anxiety. There were still just as many unnerving shadows everywhere - no, there were more now. And was it getting darker? It felt as though it was getting darker, and that was making his nervousness a bit worse, so he looked back up to his guide, who was walking ahead briskly and calmly. He didn't seem to even twitch at even the most disturbing noises that filled this forest - which was the same forest he'd been traveling himself for his whole life, but at the same time, it was so impossibly different. Darker, stranger, more hostile. He wondered why it was like that. There were parts of his side of the forest that were just as dark as here, but they still felt more at home. So shouldn't he be feeling just the same? It made sense, in theory, but there was just something about the essence of it all. It was the same forest, but it wasn't really. Not at all.

Was that really what separated him from the man before him…? Living in two different versions of the same forest? That was a little odd to think about. They were so impossibly different, though! So there had to be more to it than that. He was sure. And he still didn't actually know if this wolf was trying to help him or escort him to become some sort of feast for a pack. So maybe he just had to stop being so deep about it all and face the facts? There was nothing poetic about it. After all, the wolf must've grown up in this wilderness. That was generally how it worked, right? Where else would he live? And Marth… Marth lived in a sheltered, friendly town where everyone knew everyone. Those were complete opposites! So he really shouldn't be surprised. He was a wolf. Marth was a human. And they were separate, and that's how things would always be. He had to wonder why, though.

With a small sigh, he looked down at his basket, to the various goods his mother had packed. Some treats, some little cloths and clothing she'd sewn, bread, a small card, some flowers, and finally a few vials of medicine for his sister. He could remember when her illness suddenly sprang up out of nowhere, leaving her bedridden a majority of the time. Merric, her husband, was frequently too busy with his studies to make the trips to come and get this vital substance, so that left Marth to do the deliveries. He'd been doing it for a few years, now, but he'd never once wandered in this direction. Well he had, once, but-

When he suddenly ran into a surprisingly hard barrier, he let out a small noise of shock, expecting it to be a tree or some sort… but found it to be the back of his guide. He blinked a few times as he looked up at the other bluenette, who turned and looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Why are we stopping?" Marth asked after gathering his thoughts, confused for a few moments.

The wolf raised an eyebrow lightly, frowning a little bit in slight… what? It seemed very difficult to pinpoint what exactly he was trying to express. "This is the edge of the forest."

Blinking, he gazed around, finding that the wolf was correct - everything was lighter, the trees were much more spaced out, and the general suppressing air of malice had all but evaporated. He supposed that, while he was so absorbed in his thoughts, he'd entirely missed this.

"Oh," he finally said, stepping past the wolf to look out and see if- Yes, there it was. His sister's cabin. He looked back to the boy who'd helped him along the way, who was now regarding him sternly, arms crossed. "What?"

"You're not coming back here," he said flatly, frowning a bit and raising an eyebrow. "Right?"

Eyebrows drawing together, Marth turned to face him fully and asked, "Wha- Into that part of the forest, you mean?"

He nodded in response, ears flopping rather comically once more. "Yeah. It's no place for most people - especially not people like you, Little Red."

Marth studied the wolf for a moment or two before breaking out in a warm smile, nodding a little bit in response. "Yeah. Thank you very much for helping me, Mister, ah… You never told me your name?"

The wolf sniffed again, scratching a bit at the back of his head. "Don't mention it. And yeah. I know." He stared hard at the red-clad boy. "You won't need it. Stay safe. And away from the woods." With a final wave, he turned back and simply melded back into the trees as if he'd never been there in the first place. It was odd, almost a little unnerving. He was a wolf, though, he supposed, but still. The bluenette stared after where he'd disappeared for several long moments before shaking his head a little bit and turning, hurrying towards the relatively nearby cabin, unaware of the sharp blue eyes that still followed him.