canines & fabric [chapter 1]

     This shouldn’t have happened.

    This really shouldn’t have happened.

    Perhaps she could have avoided this situation from happening if she just held back the urge to buy some groceries. But no, the Red Riding Hood was an idiot and had terrible luck, just like when she was younger. Young enough to meet the infamous Big Bad Wolf and dumb enough to stay in a room with him. Blanchette took a deep breath or at least, she tried. She wanted to let out a scream yet she couldn’t, her throat was dry from shock and dread. All she could do was to stare at the red puddle, the same shade of her raincoat, that trailed down to the drain, mixing in together with the rainwater. The fresh scent of rain did not wash away the heavy smell of iron — the smell of blood that Blanchette surely couldn’t forget.

    The body, presumably dead, laid further into the dark alleyway and just from the sight of darkness alone, Blanchette had no courage to investigate the matter. All she knew was that there was an insane amount of blood coming from the alleyway, running past her shoes and slipping into the drain. It gave her enough reason to freak out and call for help.

    She fumbled with her phone and everything then went into a blur.

    Blanchette couldn’t remember what she had told those officers on the line but she assumed that she was a stuttering mess, considering that she was standing metres away from possibly a corpse. By the time the police officers came swerving into view, Blanchette was still alive and was not murdered by the killer despite standing for quite some time in the crime scene.

    “—ss Blanchette.”

    There was the possibility that the killer was still around the area. Why was she waiting near the crime scene like an idiot? Blanchette was incredibly disappointed that her idiocy still remained despite being an adult now.

    “Miss Blanchette!”

    She was snapped back to the Earth. “Yes?”

    The police officer, clearly a midget mouse deer, raised his squeaky voice with frustration. Blanchette’s eyes quickly snapped back to his face before flickering to the name badge on his chest. Rori was the officer’s name, Blanchette made sure to remember that small detail. She then looked at Rori’s partner for tonight: a female crocodile whose name was Alma, was calling for more backup down the alleyway. Tapping the pen against his notebook, Rori let out a tired sigh at the sight of Blanchette not paying much attention.

    “Miss Blanchette, please answer my questions so that I can help you. What were you doing out here during midnight? It’s almost one in the morning.”

    “I wanted to buy groceries.”

    “At midnight?”

    She nodded. “The supermarket is still open and not many people are there at this time so I can always take my time buying groceries. And I was thinking of getting some food down the road as a quick snack.”

    Rori jotted down everything that she said. “I see.”

    “Who… Who is it?”

    He looked into Blanchette’s eyes and hesitated, knowing very well that she was asking about the dead body. “Well, it’s best to not know much about it. All I can say is that it isn’t a pleasant sight, you get what I mean, don’t you? You told me that you didn’t get to see the culprit’s face or see anyone around. My best guess is that you’re safe. Anyway, I will need you to get down to the police station to give an official statement for tonight’s incident. Will you be able to do that right now? We can give you a ride back to the police station, should be a safer option for a young lass like yourself.”

    “Yes, thank you. I will take up on that offer.”

    Well, it sure was a safer option, Blanchette found. 

    She didn’t need to walk down the road alone with her red raincoat being a stark contrast with the midnight darkness. She didn’t have to be caressed by the cold breeze and suffer from a mild cold the next day. Most importantly, she didn’t have to risk her own life meeting a potential serial killer looking for their prey somewhere on the dimly lit street. However, what Blanchette didn’t expect was meeting the Big Bad Wolf after she was done giving her statement and was free to go. 

    Was it a surprise? Yes.

    Was it a pleasant surprise? Absolutely not.

    The Big Bad Wolf was still the same, compared to several years ago — messy, untamed hair, those dark circles that wouldn’t go away, and that predator’s eyes he always had. Still the same scar over his left eye which one may call hideous but to Blanchette, the scar was actually healing very well all those years. She could remember vividly that the scar was a gift left behind by the woodcutter who managed to save her from the clutch of the Big Bad Wolf. Blanchette was close to being devoured and if not for the woodcutter's axe, she wouldn't have the chance to see her family again.

    “If it wasn’t for the call from Parsley, I would have thought you’re in here for trouble again.” Blanchette purposely let out a long and loud sigh. “So you're the friend she mentioned to come pick me up. Should have known Parsley was going to do something like this.”

    “I wouldn't have expected you to be in jail.”

    “What? I’m not in jail.”

    “I know.” He gave Blanchette a look, it was definitely an attempt to mess with her. Sometimes, Blanchette wondered if he was meant to be a sly fox and was instead, accidentally reincarnated as a gigantic wolf. “I wouldn't want to wake up at three in the morning because of a phone call but Persinette mentioned that this is important. Get in the car, I will send you back home. We can talk on the way home.”

    As much as she wanted to decline his generous offer, Blanchette had no other choice, really. Seated beside him, Blanchette desperately tried to look out the window, perhaps wanting to catch something more interesting than the dangerous wolf, or more specifically, the werewolf as one may call, beside her. Blanchette took a sneaky glance at him and frowned.

    Zeke, famously known as the Big Bad Wolf in the city. Not only did he have many enemies who hated his guts, he was also overwhelmed with the number of chaotic incidents that he had caused in the past including the story with Blanchette. 

    The Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. 

    She could still remember the memory as clear as the day. She remembered— Blanchette could remember the day she met an injured wolf, not knowing that the pitiful-looking beast would be her demise. Call her an idiot, if you must but Blanchette simply thought she was doing the right thing by helping out an injured animal. It was close to dying with his breath threatening to be the final one. Blanchette could recall heaving and dragging the gigantic wolf back to her grandmother’s home despite having a smaller build, getting coated by the beast’s blood. The smell of iron was unpleasant for a young lady like herself but when all she could see was red, Blanchette merely thought Zeke’s condition was more important than her discomfort.

    Don't die, please.

    Blanchette remembered blabbering those words to the wolf who could barely keep his dull eyes open. She was naive, not knowing much about a wolf-shifter or a werewolf. Before she could register what was going on, the wolf had pounced onto her, his keen claws digging deep into her shoulders and drawing out blood. Even now, Blanchette could see the same scars left over by Zeke, healing but still visible. Driven by hunger and fatigue, Zeke saw Blanchette as a food. As his prey that could satisfy his empty stomach. She could paint the expression of the beast if she was given the chance to — eyes staring straight into her quivering eyes, a loud snarl coming out of his drooling mouth, and his bloody canines. His canines that she swore could rip her into pieces.

    The fear took over her brain and by the time she could breathe again, the woodcutter’s axe had slashed across the beast’s eye. He howled and howled in pain, and before he bolted out of the house, Blanchette was certain that Zeke spared a glance at her—

    “What happened?”

    Blanchette shook her head. “It's nothing.”

    Zeke scowled. “I’m asking because I’m worried.”

    “Didn’t see you getting worried when you tried to eat me.” She mumbled softly, this time looking out the window to avoid meeting his gaze.

    The silence suddenly crawled into the conversation like a ghost that lingered at the back of the car. Zeke tightened his grip around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from the sheer force he was putting. Blanchette wondered if what he was feeling was anger or guilt. Was he pissed off because she wasn't still willing to let go of what happened? To be fair, Blanchette was almost eaten by him. It was certainly a hard memory to forget and bury into the back of her mind. Or maybe, Zeke was guilty. Surely he was feeling a tad bit of remorse for not being able to control himself well, at least that's what Blanchette was hoping for.

    The entire journey back home was quiet, as if the two of them had been swallowed into a tunnel leading to apocalypse. It was suffocating, the silence strangling her neck until she had to close her eyes to take a deep breath. Blanchette was beginning to regret the way her mouth worked and all she could do right now was simply putting the blame onto her brain and mouth. 

    “I wasn't lying when I said I'm worried.”

    Zeke parked his car in front of the apartment where Blanchette stayed and if it wasn’t for his voice, she wouldn’t have realised that it was time to get out of the suffocating vehicle. She took a deep breath and pondered if she should say anything else before leaving. Looking into Zeke’s eyes, or eye in his case, Blanchette could tell that the Big Bad Wolf was genuinely curious and concerned over what had happened to Blanchette. There was a brief moment of confusion for the Red Riding Hood, puzzled that the beast who tried to devour her was actually getting worried over her. Blanchette couldn’t recall them being close at all.

    “Why?” She suddenly asked. “Why are you worried?”

    Zeke’s frown deepened. “Isn’t it normal to be worried? You were in the police station.”

    “No, I’m not asking about that. I’m asking why are you worried about me.”

    He opened his mouth, expecting himself to give her an answer that could satisfy her but he hesitated. Not because he couldn’t find a good response, but because he wasn’t willing to explain himself that he was merely trying to mend their relationship, if there was one in the first place. Zeke saw Blanchette as someone who would put the others first before her and something about that personality of hers was frustrating. It was irritating the back of Zeke’s brain. That was the reason why she was almost eaten by him in the first place, not because she was an idiot but because she was putting Zeke’s health before her safety.

    And that infuriated him.

    “It’s complicated.”

    “Complicated?” Blanchette furrowed her eyebrows. “Fine. Look, I appreciate your concern but it’s really nothing to be worried about. If there’s anything that you should be worried about, the police would handle everything by now. Anyway, thank you for sending me back home.”

    Just when Blanchette was about to leave the car, Zeke suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. His long nails, which grow at a rapid rate no matter how many times he would snip off those nails, dug gently into Blanchette’s skin. It wasn’t painful, to her relief, but the keen claws attempting to dig into her flesh was enough to send her into dread as it reminded her of the past. She felt her heart drop to her stomach, crushing every internal organ inside her body as she gazed at Zeke’s hands that could kill. In fact, she knew he could kill with his hands. She had heard of those rumours before with her own ears.

    The Big Bad Wolf picked a fight again and clawed someone’s face out!

    I heard Zeke the Wolf actually stabbed someone with his entire hand.

    Be careful, the Big Bad Wolf will bite your head off. I saw him doing that!

    Zeke was observant enough to notice the way Blanchette’s face paled in horror and instantly, he pulled away his hand as if her skin burned. Perhaps it actually burned his hand, metaphorically. Someone like Blanchette, someone who was kind enough to help him yet he returned her generosity by pushing her into terror, shouldn’t be someone who Zeke could touch easily with his filthy hands. He would only put her into an uncomfortable state, just like what he was doing right now.

    “Sorry. I just want to give you this.” Zeke handed her a business card.

    Blanchette awkwardly took the card and without reading it, she nodded. “Thank you.”

    Watching Blanchette getting further and further away into the apartment, Zeke took a good look at his hands. His nails were growing again, this time sharper than what he could remember. He figured it was a good sign that she was afraid of getting grabbed by him, it proved that she wasn’t an idiot to allow someone like Zeke the Wolf to hold her.

    “I need to cut them again.”

༺═──────────────═༻

    Blanchette tiredly shoved the key in and unlocked the door. 

    Just when she took a first step into the room, she was instantly met with a tight, suffocating hug from her roommate. When she was living alone, she would have screamed out in fear and bewilderment but right now, the sight of  long, braided blonde hair and shrill voice were common to her. At Blanchette’s defeated groan, Persinette quickly pulled herself away and grabbed Blanchette by the shoulders. Persinette’s amber eyes wandered from Blanchette’s head to toes, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

    Thankfully, there was none.

    “You have no idea how worried I was when I received your call. What happened?”

    Slamming the door shut, Blanchette shot a glare to her roommate. “I will tell you later because there’s something I must definitely ask you! What were you thinking of when you asked Zeke to pick me up? Persinette,” At the sound of her full name and not her nickname, Persinette winced from guilt. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

    “Well, come on, Blanc. Zeke is a good guy. I mean, he is scary-looking with his grumpy look and sharp claws and canines and the rumours— wow, that’s actually a lot. Anyway, he still has his own charms. I told you that he saved me from that filthy thief, didn’t I? That means he is not that bad. Plus, I can tell that Zeke is trying to fix his mistakes, especially with you.”

    “How do you even know that?” Blanchette rolled her eyes and jumped onto the couch, eyes flickering at the clock that wouldn’t stop ticking. She could feel Persinette’s presence behind the couch, leaning close to her head. “It’s not like you personally talked to him to know what he feels about this— Wait. No way, did you actually talk to him? About me?”

    “Yes! But he didn’t actually tell me much about himself. I was only treating him to a cup of coffee as a thanks for helping me and then I asked him about you. About what happened in the past and why he was being a jerk to you even though you tried to help him. He mentioned that he wasn’t able to control himself so technically, isn’t that not his fault when he tried to eat you?”

    “Yeah, well, there’s still no way I would get close to someone who tried to kill me.”

    “Nonsense!” Persinette took a seat beside Blanchette with a wide grin, an expression that Blanchette knew was her demise. “Don't you know Snow White has a lover now? And guess who? She is dating the huntsman, Lionel Braham, who tried to kill her. Isn't her situation somewhat similar to yours? The huntsman was ordered to assassinate Snow White but he didn't, and look where that got to. Zeke didn't mean to kill you, let me remind you that it's because he couldn't control himself, and he didn't kill you, just like the huntsman.”

    “Parsley, Zeke is a wolf. A werewolf, a wolf-shifter, someone who could turn into a wolf.”

    “Oh, come on. You're just finding an excuse to not get into the same mindset with me. Beauty got together with Beast who would literally turn into a full beast during sexual intercourse.”

    Blanchette stared at Persinette in disgust. “That did not happen. Tell me you're joking, please.”

    “I wish I am.”

    “Parsley.” Blanchette exasperated.

    “You get what I mean, don't you? Give Zeke a chance, Blanc. I’m not asking you to go date, marry and have babies with him. I’m just telling you to.. not get too distracted by what happened in the past and don't look at Zeke as a wild wolf that kills for fun. Zeke is more than that and you know that yourself. Be friends with him. Heck, even an acquaintance is fine! You will find out that he is not as bad as he was painted as by rumours.”

    Blanchette pursed her lips, unsure whether she should actually listen to Persinette. Persinette’s words were true, she didn't know much about Zeke and aside from the little incident, or big in Blanchette’s opinion, all Blanchette knew about Zeke was that he’s a terrifying wolf whose hunger wished to be satisfied. Blanchette fiddled with the business card in hands, eyes glossing over the minimalist design. Was his worry really enough to dispel the discomfort Blanchette had for him? Perhaps not because their story was way back but Blanchette, persuaded by Persinett, was willing to close one eye and try.

    “Okay. I will give it a try. But if he tries to eat me again, I’m stopping myself from listening to you.” Blanchette groaned. “I will refrain myself from picking a fight with him.”

    “Thank you, Blanc. I’m sure Zeke will appreciate it.” Persinette smiled cunningly, making Blanchette ask herself if Persinette was persuading her out of generosity or a hidden intention. Persinette caught a glimpse of the card in Blanchette’s grasp. “What's that? Oh, is that Zeke’s business card? Venator, is it? I remember it was something like that when he handed me that.”

    Blanchette nodded. “Yeah, Venator. It's a latin word for hunters, no? Is that his company name?”

    “Hm, well. I wouldn’t say it’s a company. It’s more like a… police unit? But they are not really police officers or working in the police station, if you get what I mean. It’s complicated but you can think of them as a support unit which helps the police to hunt down the criminals. The police do the investigation and the Venator hunts the criminals down. The only reason they are doing this is mostly because the officers working in the police station don’t have combat-based Gifts or most of them don’t even know their Gifts. So, people like Zeke come in with their Gifts to help.”

    Gifts — those were literally gifts bestowed from the Author. One may call it magic but gifts were limited, unlike magic. If one was born to have a gift to shift into a bear, that was all they could do. It would be impossible for them to shift into a crocodile or a wolf. Gifts were important and crucial, those were the signs that the people living in this world weren’t forgotten. People like Uncle Stoneheart or Aunty Sam were Ungifted because their stories were left buried, nobody could reminisce how they managed to coax the witch to save the kingdom or how they foolishly gave away their own sheeps to the villain. But people like Persinette were known as Gifted because their stories were remembered — such as the story of how she let her long hair down the tower for the prince charming to climb up. Not many would know that she was tricked by the prince and once she saw a stranger, Persinette literally pushed him off the tower.

    Unfortunately, the prince survived the fall.

    The only issue with Gifts was that it had to be self-discovered. Whether it was by accident or after a million tries and errors, unless you manage to discover it, you would remain as Ungifted even if your story isn’t forgotten. Just like the Red Riding Hood. Everyone knows about the story of how she was fooled and almost eaten by the Big Bad Wolf (though some parts might have been confused to be different), yet she was still unable to find her own Gift. Unsure whether she was just forgotten or unable to find one, Blanchette had just chosen to stay with the title of Ungifted out of defeat. 

    “Really?” Blanchette gaped in shock. “Someone like Zeke who has been in prison countless times?”

    “Don’t you know that one of the piggies is the police officer? Zeke practically owes him for blowing off his house because of a cold. And Beauty is the Chief of Police so Beast was practically forced to be in Venator as well. From what I know, only the two of them are currently in Venator.”

    “Beauty is the chief?! Since when did she get promoted?”

    “Since the previous chief retired?”

    “Gosh, I bet Beast is suffering from a bunch of workload. Beauty is a fearsome woman.”

    “Hey, you still need to tell me what happened that caused you to be at the police station.”

    Blanchette stood up and stretched her body, a yawn escaping out of her parted lips. “It’s nothing that you should worry about. I just found a dead body when I was out and before you ask anything, no. I didn't get to see the dead body so don’t mention anything about it. Let the past be the past, Parsley.”

    “Oh, a dead body— Wait. What?! A dead body?! You’re treating this as if it’s nothing! It’s definitely something I have to worry about! Do you have any idea how horrifying it is to see a dead body lying in the middle of the street for God’s know what? Blanc, don’t go to sleep now, please!” 

    Persinette followed Blanchette who was walking to her bedroom, her braided hair swishing left and right as she desperately tried to stop the Red Riding Hood. Due to Persinette’s worry and confusion that bubbled up unrestricted inside her, her hair began to grow excessively. Though Persinette could grow her hair as long as she wanted as her Gift, it had its own downside. Whenever her emotions were uncontrolled and unstable, Persinette’s hair would end up growing out of control. There was once that Blanchette found out the entire room, including the living room, was filled with her blonde, luscious hair due to her heart being broken by Hansel. Unfortunately, it was possible to grow out her hair but it was impossible to shorten it. Blanchette had to spend hours just to completely cut Persinette’s hair short.

    Frightened that Persinette’s growing hair would worsen the situation, Blanchette grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her teary eyes. She could already feel Persinette’s blonde hair touching her ankle, definitely a bad sign that her hair was growing at a rapid pace.

    “Parsley, I need you to calm down. Your emotion is spiralling out of control. I don’t want to spend my morning cutting off your hair, please.” Blanchette pleaded with a wry face. “Follow me. Take a deep breath in and slowly, exhale. Just like this.”

    Persinette followed Blanchette’s example and inhaled.

    In and out.

    In and out.

    In and out.

    “Okay, okay.” Persinette breathed out with a soft smile. “I’m okay.”

    “And I am okay too. Don’t worry about it. The police officers mentioned that they didn’t see anyone around the area after requesting a patrol so that means the murderer is not anywhere near me. That means they don’t know me and wouldn’t be coming after me.”

    “There’s that but that’s not what I worry about. I am more worried about your mental state, whether you’re going to be in a shock or not. Seeing a dead body is something serious and I’ve heard some people getting trauma from such a gruesome sight! I know you more than you do, Blanc. You don’t voice out anything about yourself to anyone until you break down from the burden.”

    Blanchette smiled at Persinette’s comforting words. Despite being a mere roommate at the beginning, it didn’t take long for the two of them to be good friends. Everyone would say that Persinette was the polar opposite of Blanchette — she was fashionable whereas Blanchette’s only fashion sense was the colour red, her favourite colour out of all. Persinette would shine like the bright sun, her wide grin was identical to the warm sun rays on Blanchette’s skin while Blanchette was like the moon, she simply couldn’t be as bright as Persinette.

    “I promise, if there’s anything wrong, I will come to you for help.”

    Persinette nodded. “Okay, fine. Just tell me if you need my help, okay?”

    “I will. Go to sleep, Parsley. Good night.”

   “Good night, Blanc.”

༺═──────────────═༻

    A pair of eyes hidden within the shadow watched as the lady in red raincoat dialled in the police number. The soft noises from the way her nails tapping against the phone screen blended well with the rain droplets and if it wasn’t for the bright red colour, she couldn’t have found out about Blanchette Red, the Red Riding Hood who was once known as the Little Red Riding Hood.

    Zellandine took a puff of her cigarette and twirled the strands of her curly, her eyes never leaving Blanchette who remained around the crime scene foolishly under the rain. She had heard of Blanchette from many people as she was working. People talked a lot, mostly 90% of useless information and 10% of useful details, Zellandine found. She had always hated those men who would chatter non-stop beside her ears but for tonight, Zellandine was rather satisfied to know some details about Blanchette Red beforehand. Despite still having some time left to smoke, she nonchalantly tossed the cigarette onto the ground and stepped on it, digging the tip of her high heel onto the surface. 

    “What an idiot. She’s next.”