"Why is there another wolf? Just how many wolves are out there? Don't tell me there's a wolf pack nearby or something," Davion babbled.

  Of all the luck, he just had to run into another wolf after escaping the last one.

  How was he supposed to get out of this mess?

  All of a sudden, the wolf said, "Don't lump me together with ordinary wolves. We're not the same."

  With a bewildered expression, Davion dumbly stared at the wolf, his previous fear replaced by utter confusion.

  That was the last thing he expected to hear from the wolf's mouth. He had expected it to remain quiet like the last wolf or make some threats. Complaining about being compared to other wolves was something he had never considered.

  "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go now," the wolf said as it walked around Davion.

  Davion snapped out of his daze. "Wait!" When the wolf stopped and stared, Davion blurted out the first thing on his mind. "So what are you exactly if you're not a wolf?"

  "Just think of me as a talking wolf."

  Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I really couldn't tell you were a talking wolf.

  Instead of saying this out loud, Davion asked, "Where are you going? Do you know the way out of the forest?"

  While he was still wary of the wolf, it didn't seem to mean him any harm. After all, it had intended to leave without giving him a second glance if he hadn't called after it. He might as well cling to it and leave this forest with its help.

  "No." His shoulders slumped, wincing in pain, his hopes dashed when the wolf continued, "But leaving the forest isn't my goal right now."

  Unsure how to respond, Davion simply said, "Okay?"

  "If that's it, I'll go now."

  "Wait," he said, jerking forward, his body protesting against the action. "Can I come with you? I'm lost, and I don't want to be alone."

  The wolf took a moment to consider his words. "I supposed it wouldn't hurt. In exchange, you have to answer some of my questions."

  What questions would a talking wolf have?

  He decided not to question it and nodded. "I'll do my best."

  "First, let's do something about your state. You look like you've been through a wringer," the wolf said, waving a paw in his direction.

  Davion looked down at himself as blood dripped down his head to the ground.

  His clothes were torn in several places, revealing cuts and bruises. He must really look frightening. No wonder everything hurt so much. It was probably worse than what had happened to his legs.

  "Hold still. I don't want to mess this up," the wolf said as it approached.

  It can heal? It's like the dog. Are they related? But one's a dog, and the other's a wolf. How does that work?

  He tensed when the wolf stopped its face inches away from his own face. Davion expected the wolf to start licking him all over like the dog had; however, the wolf simply pressed its nose against his forehead. As he was about to ask what it was doing, a strange feeling overcame him, and he gasped.

  The feeling felt like it would last forever when it abruptly stopped, leaving Davion lightheaded.

  "There," the wolf said, backing away. "You should be good as new."

  Davion shook the grogginess away and looked down again.

  Though his clothes were still a mess, he no longer saw any cuts or bruises anywhere. Even the blood on his head was gone like it had never been there to begin with. The only proof was the bloodstains on his head and on the ground.

  This is completely different from what the dog did. It's like magic. Could this wolf be a magic wolf?

  "Can you stand?" the wolf asked.

  He jumped to his feet feeling refreshed. "Yeah. I'm good."

  "Then follow me."

  Davion followed without hesitation. Strangely, the wolf didn't immediately bombard him with questions and instead focused on sniffing the ground. He could only watch awkwardly from the side as they slowly made their way through the forest.

  Fortunately, they didn't run into the other wolf or huntsman. Unfortunately, the dog was still nowhere to be seen.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Unable to take it anymore, Davion asked, "What are you doing?"

  Without bothering to lift its nose from the ground, the wolf said, "I'm on the lookout for someone."

  "Who?"

  "You probably won't know them."

  "It can't hurt to tell me."

  He had a faint idea of who, or rather what, it could be, but he didn't want to make any assumptions.

  After some hesitation, the wolf said, "I'm looking for my sibling."

  Davion groaned. "So there is another wolf."

  "They're not a wolf, or at least I don't think they are."

  What was that supposed to mean? How could the wolf's sibling not be a wolf?

  He had never heard of such a confusing statement before. It didn't make any sense.

  The wolf glanced up, noticed the look on his face, and said, "It's complicated. Think of us as magical animals." Davion decided not to question it given all the crazy things that had happened so far. "Anyway, I've been chasing after them to stop whatever crazy stunt they're doing now. Unfortunately, I haven't been very successful so far."

  "Did they sneak into a grocery store and steal some food?" he asked, genuinely curious.

  "No, it's much worse than that. I believe they're the one behind the rumors I've been hearing."

  It took a moment for Davion to realize what it was talking about.

  "Excuse me?" he squeaked before flushing in embarrassment.

  "I really shouldn't be telling you this, but you are my best clue so far to finding them," the wolf said, lifting his head and flicking an ear.

  "Can you tell me more about your sibling?"

  "Not a lot. What I can tell you is that they sow chaos everywhere they go. I need to stop them before they do something that can't be undone."

  "How bad is it going to get?"

  "Let's just say they once caused a war between two species."

  Davion's jaw dropped.

  "Uh, they're not going to destroy the town, are they?" he asked tentatively.

  The wolf looked him dead in the eye and said, "I'll do my best to make sure that doesn't happen."

  He wasn't reassured in the slightest. When he woke up this morning, he never expected to be dragged into such a fantastical adventure. Davion would gladly trade it for a normal Halloween. Unfortunately, it seemed he didn't have a choice except to go along with whatever was happening.

  Pushing those thoughts away, he asked, "Do you at least have an idea what they did?"

  With a nod, the wolf said, "I think so."

  "What did they do?"

  "It looks like my sibling somehow pulled the characters from Red Riding Hood into the real world to reenact what happened."

  That had been the opposite of what Davion had thought before. He had thought he had somehow ended up in the story and not vice versa.

  Right as he was about to open his mouth again, the wolf stopped and stared straight ahead. Davion followed its gaze, noticing something in the distance. Thinking it might be the huntsman again, he froze. The wolf, on the other hand, jogged over to the shadowy figure. Startled, he watched it leave before snapping out of it, and he trailed after it at a slower pace.

  If the wolf had no problems running towards it, it had to be safe, though he was still cautious.

  His eyes widened as the figure came into view. Stunned, Davion came to a stop and stared at the small house in the middle of nowhere. To be sure that he wasn't seeing things, he rubbed his eyes, but it was still there.

  Where had the house come from?

  Wait. Is this house what I think it is?

  "This place might give us clues about what my sibling did. Be careful," the wolf said, cutting through his thoughts as it approached the building.

  Davion nodded, eyeing the place warily.

  If this house was really the place he thought it was, he was pretty sure that it wasn't a good idea to stick around. After all, it was an important place in the story where everyone ended up gathering at. There was a chance that the same would happen now. The thought of meeting the huntsman again almost made him turn to leave. The only thing holding him back was the wolf.

  He observed the wolf as it turned the corner of the building and disappeared from sight.

  From what little he knew about the wolf, it probably wouldn't listen to Davion if he suggested they leave. It would probably choose to stay, which meant that if Davion wanted to leave, he would have to do so alone. Traveling alone in the fog-covered forest was something he wanted to avoid, especially since there was no guarantee that he wouldn't bump into the huntsman along the way.

  After some hesitation, he trailed after the wolf. His eyes bounced between the house and the surrounding forest. When neither of them found anything suspicious, they stopped in front of the door, burning holes into the wood.

  "Are we really going to go inside?" Davion whispered, afraid that someone or something might hear him.

  "We didn't find anything outside. That only leaves checking inside the house," the wolf said, pawing at the door.

  "What if someone's inside?"

  "That's why we'll knock."

  That's not what I meant at all.

  Davion, after some pressure from the wolf, reluctantly knocked on the door. He tensed, prepared for something to open the door and jump out, but minutes passed by without anything happening. The duo exchanged a glance.

  "Try again," the wolf said, prodding his leg with a paw. "They might not have heard the first time."

  He knocked again, but there was still no response.

  "Maybe no one's home," Davion said as he tried to peek through the window.

  Unfortunately, the window was covered, preventing him from looking inside. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. He had encountered the old woman in the town, and she probably hadn't returned home yet. The same could be said about the huntsman. The only two he had to worry about were the wolf and Red Riding Hood herself.

  I have no clue where Red Riding Hood is. I haven't seen her at all. As for the wolf, I've already bumped into two so far. I don't think the wolf I'm with right now is the wolf from the story. It could have eaten me the moment it found me, and nothing would have been able to stop it. Maybe the other wolf I met was the wolf from the story.

  Davion wasn't sure which was worse. The other wolf he met being the wolf from the story or it being a different wolf lurking somewhere in the forest.

  "How about trying to see if the door is open?" the wolf suggested.

  He scoffed.

  Why would anyone leave their door unlocked?

  It was dangerous. However, the wolf continued to insist Davion try the door, and he eventually relented.

  Giving the door a light shove, he expected nothing to happen. To his utter surprise, the door swung open without a sound. He gaped at the open door, unable to believe what he was seeing.

  The door really was open. Not only that, but the door hadn't even creaked despite how old it looked.

  The wolf peered inside and said, "I guess we'll take a look ourselves."

  By the time Davion snapped out of his shock, the wolf was already inside the building. "Wait a second."

  "What's wrong now?"

  "Are you sure it's a good idea to just walk in? I mean, what if the owner is inside and catches us?"

  "I can outrun them."

  What about me?

  Seeing how reluctant he was, the wolf said, "You can wait out here if it bothers you that much. I won't force you to come in. You can keep watch and warn me if anyone else is coming."

  "Okay," Davion agreed and watched as the wolf disappeared further into the house.