CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
HUNTER AND HUNTED
It’s a monstrous ogre, drool dripping from his front teeth. You’d think Filomena would be used to seeing ogres by now, considering she turned one of them into mush a few chapters back. But ogres tend to take the breath out of you.
Finally she finds her voice. “I was just on my way to Grandma’s house!” she says, taking a few steps back from the disgusting creature and hoping the wolves will show themselves as soon as possible. “My grandma is waiting for me!”
The ogre laughs a heartless laugh. “I’ll eat your granny, too!”
The terror starts at her toes, travels up her legs, through her gut, and straight to her heart. She has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. And her friends are nowhere to be found. Where in fairyland are those wolves, anyway? They might as well be fictional, for all the help she’s received from them.
Noble creatures, my nose.
If only she could think of a spell, but all she can focus on is staying alive and uneaten. And hoping that wherever Jack and Gretel are, this hunter didn’t get to them first.
I would have heard them scream, right?
Right.
The ogre sniffs the air. “You smell like you taste good.”
“No,” Filomena blurts out, adamantly shaking her head. “I taste horrible. Trust me.” She points a finger in the other direction and adds, “An ogre down the road sampled me earlier and spit out the bit he tried.”
He narrows his eyes, like he’s considering her statement. Then he grunts with finality, having decided. “Liar.”
“No! I swear!” she insists. “There was a much more delicious person wandering in the woods over that way!” She points again, and the ogre turns in that direction.
Please be dumb enough to believe me. Please be—
But the ogre has turned back to her, and this time, he’s rooting around in his pockets. He finally removes what looks like … a fork!
Filomena screams and tries to run, but her feet are frozen to the ground.
The ogre puts a heavy hand on her shoulder, holding her still, and says, “I use this one on little rodents and liars like you.”
“Filomena!” Jack’s voice rings out as he emerges in the darkness, with Gretel at his heels.
“No! Run away! Save yourselves!” Filomena orders her friends.
But the ogre moves first, reaching to stab the fork into Filomena’s stomach.
She closes her eyes, waiting to feel the life drain out of her. But there is only a small click, a tap from a blunt, three-pronged jab.
The dragonhide armor! The fork can’t penetrate it! Not one bit.
The stupefied hunter lets out a “Huh?” when she doesn’t drop to the ground dead, as he intended.
While he tries to figure out how she managed to withstand a fork wound, Filomena reaches into her pocket for the fang she received from the dragons.
“Hey! I use this one on big, foolish traitors like you.” Without any more thought or hesitation, Filomena stabs the ogre with the Dragon’s Tooth, hard and fast in his thigh.
He stumbles back in surprise on his clumsy and oversized feet. As he does, a pack of wolves emerge from the shadows, galloping closer with gallant ferocity. The wolves attack, biting and nipping at the ogre’s haunches, and Filomena takes the opportunity to roll away to safety.
One ogre is no match for the snarling wolves, and at last the monster runs away and the wolves give chase until he’s out of their forest.
When the wolves return, they turn their attention to Filomena. The Wolves of the Wood circle her, howling in unison.
Her heartbeat picks up again as she wonders whether she’s just escaped from an ogre only to be torn apart by these savage beasts. The wolves continue to circle and howl.
“Please! I’ve come to seek your aid!” says Filomena.
The wolves stop circling, and one by one they bow to her, stretching down, showing the scruffs of their necks, and all at once they transform into a group of raggedy-looking kids.
The tallest one, their leader—a handsome dark-haired lad who looks to be about thirteen—nods to her just as Gretel and Jack arrive at last.
“You’re all right!” says Gretel, enveloping Filomena in a hug. “That armor’s something else, huh?”
“Stabbed him hard!” says Jack. “Just like I told you—good girl!”
Filomena is so relieved that she can’t even laugh. But it’s hard to ignore the wolf pack of boys and girls.
“You called for aid,” says the leader. “We answered. We are the Wolves of the Wood. I’m Rolf. This is Rox. That’s Sid, Eddie, Gina, and Max.”
Introductions are made all around.
“You’re Jill’s brother, right?” asks Rolf.
“Cousin,” Jack corrects with a smile. “Our moms were sisters. How do you know Jill?”
Rolf nods. “She rolled our way a while back. Said she was headed to the beach, wanted to be near the water. And who might you be?” he asks Gretel.
“Gretel,” says Gretel. “Nice to meet you.”
Jack leans in and whispers, “She’s the Cobbler’s daughter.”
“The Cobbler?” Rolf asks, head still slightly turned to Jack.
Gretel looks pleased. “Yup.”
“Your dad makes the best leather jackets,” says Rolf.
“I’ll be sure to tell him that,” says Gretel. “He’s retired now. He lives in Boca mostly.”
“Grandma is always talking about moving to Boca!” says Rox.
“Ahem,” says Filomena. “I hate to interrupt, but we’ve got something important to ask you guys.”
“Spill it, Red,” says Rolf, as the other wolves gather around to listen.
“We need your help to find our friend. A bunch of evil trolls snatched him, and they’re holding him hostage somewhere,” she tells them.
“Trolls, huh?” says Rolf. “I think some of them just passed this way. Nasty little critters.”
“Definitely smelled them earlier,” agrees Sid, scrunching his nose.
“That would be them,” says Jack with a grim smile.
Rolf appears to think over their request.
“Dude, if we’re going to do this, we should bounce,” says Max. “We chased that ogre away, but no doubt he’ll be back soon. And most likely with a bunch of his ugly friends. We should get out of here pronto.”
“So, um, you’ll help us?” Filomena asks. “Please?”
The wolves look at one another, and Rolf finally responds on behalf of the entire pack. “Of course we will. We always answer to the one who wears the Red Cloak.”