“Dear little girl, are you not afraid of me?” The wolf asked, a toothy mock-filled grin forming at the end of his question.
“Mr. Wolf, rather than saying I am afraid of you, it’s more like I do not understand you.” The girl in red responded.
“What is there to understand girl? I am a wolf, you are my prey. It is the law of nature for the weak to be consumed by the strong.
The little girl looked solemnly at the wolf for a moment.
“Mr. Wolf, I agree with what you said, only there is a bit of a problem with your perspective sir."
“My perspective? Well then dear child, what do you find to be the issue with my perspective?” The wolf questioned loftily as it padded silently across the leaf-covered ground closer to the girl.
“You have been misled." She responded with a cold look upon her doll-like face. "My appearance itself is deception. I am no weak prey for you to ambush. I am strong. Strong enough to face you. To look you in the eye and stare you down. To keep staring at you until you can bear it no more.”
The wolf paused, cocked his head and looked carefully at the girl, his amber eyes gleaming with an ancient intelligence.
The forest was silent. Not a sound could be heard as the two sides stood at their impasse. Not even the wind played its tricks nor the birds and small animals sang and hummed out their little activities. It was if time froze, and in that moment the wolf seemed had a quiet realization.
“Little girl." The wolf started as he slowly circled the girl, testing her. When he came face to face with her again he stopped, standing less than a half a foot away. He leaned closed towards her face and bared his teeth as if to bite. The girl did not move. Not one inch. A sort of quiet dignity clinging to her small frame.
"Hmm." The wolf began again as pulled back some distance. "Little girl clad in red, I will let you go today. For even a wolf such as myself, I find that you are worthy of letting go just this once. However, should I find you again...” the wolf flicked his silvery tail and another terribly coy tooth-filled grin appeared, “I may just gobble you down."
The girl nodded slowly and seriously, picked up her basket of food, and walked past the wolf. She paused after moment and turned back towards the large beast.
“Mr. Wolf, who knows what may happen next time we meet, or if, we shall ever meet again. We do not know what the future holds. However, for a kindness granted today, take this bit of food.” She said as she pulled out a biscuit followed by a handful of nuts and berries from her basket. The girl carefully placed the food on a rock before continuing on her journey.
The wolf turned only after he could no longer hear the girl’s footsteps and sniffed at the food before eating a berry. ‘Interesting girl,’ he thought to himself. 'Very interesting indeed.’
