Little Red Riding Hood

"There! I found one! Kill it!" I heard someone scream. I stood in the meeting area. The ground rumbled like an earthquake. The roaring sound of footsteps and cheers echoed the forest. I ran behind the meeting rock as people swarmed into the meeting area with pitchforks and torches. I could make our the faint glint of a maple charm. Who were they, that they were so powerful? I squinted and noticed something...

Red.

They were Redheads from my villages. Miss Honey, Mr Chops, Mr Pan... all of them. They ran to the trees and threw torches and it set the trees ablaze. In the bright flames, I noticed... animals hanging on the trees. The sloth clan!

They stayed in the meeting area out of convenience because they were always late. The sloths screamed as they turned into birds, trying to fly away, but many were too slow. Some burned in the fire, others' wings caught flames and they fell to the floor with a thud. 

The villagers cheered. "This is a warning to you all, Blackbirds! Return our children at once, or more of your people will die!"

I ran towards the fire. Maybe a survivor! There must be some! I noticed a group was huddled on the floor, the bodies of dead sloths surrounding the young and the old. I threw my cloak over them and grabbed them up. A family lay on a branch, the mother cooing at the child to not worry. I grabbed them and ran into the lake of the meeting area, throwing them in.

My sleeves were burnt with brown spots and full of holes. My cloak was thankfully safe. I knew this was a dream. Maybe they were all actually dead, but I had to rescue them. For ease of mind. I huddled them as fish, probably Blackbirds swam around me. It was a good thing the villagers didn't attack them.

The trees continued to burn all around, grey clouds of smoke escaping into the night sky. I hope they are safe. As I sat knee dip in the pond, holding the sloths in my bundles cloak, I wished this had actually happened. If only I was actually, there, they would be safe.

Why? Why did the Redheads attack today? Why was this happening? Because of the children! I knew where the children were! I would tell Aloysius when I wake, of the children and of the fire. I would return them, and no more forests would have to burn!

At least, not from my side. The Redheads had burned up a whole clan. That wasn't forgivable. I didn't know the sloth clan, but that didn't make it right. These were my people! How could they-

My people... I thought of the Blackbirds as my people now. I wanted to protect them. Maybe old me would have tried to find reasoning, try to understand and sympathizse with the panicked Redheads, but not now. Their actions were inexcusable, and to burn a whole forest. 

A fire burned in my heart, and my insides felt hot, even as I was drenched in the cold pond. I would find a way to teach them a lesson. They were my neighbours and friends once, but I wasn't friends with murderers.

I grew tired waiting in the pond as the fire continued to burn all around. We were basically trapped until it died down. I started to shiver in that pond, when I felt something behind me, a large black wolf, glaring down at me.

"I'm scared of you," I told it, but walked towards it. I sat up on the ground and leaned my head on its warm fur. It sat down and let me close my heavy eyelids.

~~~~~

Where was I? Wet? I touched the soft cloth below me and it felt damp. I touched my cheeks and they felt sticky. Right... I was on my bed, and I cried last night in front of Aloysius. I rubbed my eyes, they felt sticky.

I turned around to see Aloysius asleep beside me. I was surprised he wasn't awake yet, then again, he must not be used to sleeping in the night. Neither were the wolves. I knew they were adjusting their sleep schedules, and I felt too guilty.