Chapter 123: The Giant Wolf
Squirrel’s jittery rambling sent Yu Sheng’s thoughts into a spiral. He suddenly considered many things: the possibility that this Forest harbored “loopholes,” the chance to break Little Red Riding Hood’s curse—but above all, he found himself increasingly intrigued by Squirrel itself.
“You… seem to be trying to help Little Red Riding Hood escape from the Forest?” he asked, eyes locking onto the little creature’s, curiosity laced with seriousness. “Why?”
“Why?” Squirrel froze in confusion. “Do I need a reason?”
“Aren’t you also an Entity born of this Forest?” Yu Sheng furrowed his brow. He asked plainly, “You were even helping me before—so why would you want to aid the Human who’s intruding here?”
Squirrel stood blankly, scratching its face with a paw. It mumbled, “Yeah… why… why would I help…”
And then it stopped. Completely still, like its brain had shut down.
Yu Sheng winced. [Crap. This rodent’s brain might be too small for that question. Entity or not, I think I just broke it.]
Just as he feared Squirrel might remain permanently glitched, the little thing twitched, as though successfully rebooted. It raised both paws high and squeaked, “I’m Squirrel!”
Yu Sheng eyed it warily. “Uh… yes. I know you’re Squirrel.”
“I’m the ridiculously cute Squirrel! The tiny creature of the Forest!” it squeaked shrilly, “There has to be one like me in the story—a carefree Forest animal who helps children about to be eaten. That’s the rule! I can’t sing, but I still have to help the Cursed Children lost in the Forest, because—I am Squirrel!”
It stood with paws raised high, shouting excitedly, as if it had just found—or rediscovered—its very reason for being. Its joy was palpable.
Irene leaned close to Yu Sheng and whispered, “Is it actually insane? It really doesn’t seem mentally sound.”
“It’s an Entity spawned by the Black Forest, what do you think?” Yu Sheng murmured thoughtfully. “This might be another one of the Forest’s rules—or rather, a Fairy Tale rule.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Every Fairy Tale needs a ‘threat’ trying to kill the protagonist, and a ‘friend’ trying to help them. In the Forest, that ‘friend’ often takes the form of a small animal. That’s how I see it, anyway.”
“I… guess that makes sense?”
At that moment, Squirrel abruptly stopped its shouting and stood up straight, as if listening carefully. In the next second, it leapt onto Yu Sheng, scrambling up to perch on his shoulder.
Irene blinked in surprise, then scowled. “Hey! That’s my spot!”
“Shh!” Squirrel raised a paw and tensed all over. Yu Sheng could feel it trembling. “Listen outside. Do you hear it?”
Yu Sheng immediately caught on and motioned for Irene to stay silent. He crept to the window and tilted his head, listening to the sounds of the Forest.
Nothing. A deathly silence. Even the faint wind and the distant howls of Wolves that always lingered around the Little House had vanished without a trace.
Silence cloaked the Little House. Then, a sudden knock at the Door shattered the night.
Bang bang bang. Bang bang bang.
The knocking came slow and steady, like fists pounding directly on the heart.
“The Wolf is here, the Wolf is here, and the fire in the Little House is nearly gone!” Squirrel trembled violently, speaking in rapid, hushed tones. “Why is it burning out so fast? We’re doomed, doomed, doomed…”
Yu Sheng’s peripheral vision darted to the fireplace in the corner of the Little House. The flames were indeed dwindling rapidly—despite the ample fuel in the hearth, the fire seemed to be vanishing into thin air.
He turned to Irene. “Can you fight in your current state?”
“Probably not—I’m just a projection that squeezed its way in, remember? You summoned me with a doodle. How strong can I be?” Irene’s oil painting frame wobbled. “At best, I can cheer you on… Try not to die too horribly, okay? It’ll give me nightmares.”
Yu Sheng nearly choked on air. [This Doll is great in every way, except for that mouth!]
Bang bang bang—
The knocking resumed, growing louder and louder, like thunder rolling across the sky. The entire Little House shook with each impact. Walls creaked. The roof trembled.
Squirrel let out a terrified shriek and, from who knows where, drew forth a stiff, dry Pine Needle Sword, clutching it like a one-handed blade. In its other paw, it gripped an Acorn Shield, holding it before its chest like a tiny buckler. “Squirrel is ready! Squirrel Knight is ready!” it cried.
The knock on the Phantom Door came a third time. Within the Cozy Little House, the shelves and wooden wardrobe trembled as if caught in an earthquake before crashing down with thunderous bangs—only to vanish instantly into thin air. The flames in the hearth dwindled to mere embers, and the entire dwelling began to shake. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls—and then, abruptly, a gaping hole burst open in the rooftop.
Yu Sheng saw an eye. A single glowing, spectral eye—belonging to a Wolf. It pressed against the hole in the ceiling, and behind it emerged a narrow, fur-covered face cloaked in black.
The deafening pounding resumed. Outside, the Wolf battered the Little House with savage ferocity, as if drumming upon the fragile shell of a war-torn drum ready to collapse.
The last flicker of fire in the hearth snuffed out. In the next moment, the entire wooden structure splintered under the monstrous assault. The red strings and ragged cloth strips wrapped around the Door and windows ripped with an ear-splitting shriek—so sharp it sounded almost like screaming. Then, the towering form of the Evil Wolf stepped into the ruined threshold, looming before Yu Sheng and Irene.
It was far larger than the Evil Wolf Yu Sheng had seen slither from the shadow of Little Red Riding Hood back in the Museum. This one was colossal—larger than the house itself. Standing so close, its grotesque, contorted body filled Yu Sheng’s entire field of view. Slowly, it lowered its head, eyes filled with maddening violence and cold apathy, locking onto the prey that had tumbled from the shattered remains of the Little House—savoring the final act of the hunt.
“It’s growing again! It’s getting even bigger!” Squirrel screamed, clutching its Pine Needle Sword and Acorn Shield tighter, its tiny head tilted skyward. “Little Red Riding Hood must be terrified! The more scared she is, the bigger this Wolf becomes!”
Yu Sheng snapped his head around. “You’re saying—”
But he never got to finish the thought. The neurotic Squirrel, seemingly driven to madness by fear and panic, shrieked and flung itself into the air, lifting the Pine Needle Sword high above its head. It charged at the Giant Wolf, running through invisible paths in midair. “Squirrel Knight is ready! Squirrel Knight will protect you!”
Yu Sheng’s eyes went wide. “What the hell—wait, you crazy nut, hold up!”
But Squirrel didn’t answer. It had already become a bolt of lightning, darting straight toward the massive shadow, its tiny needle blade thrust forward with purpose.
“Squirrel Knight~ appears on the forested~ path,” it howled mid-air in a raspy, off-key warble. The lyrics were bizarre, the tune abominable. But just as it claimed, every tale needed a little animal companion to aid the Cursed Children—and to sing. Unfortunately, singing was not its forte. Its voice was so dreadful it felt like another waking nightmare. “Oh oh oh~ it will help~ the lonely Little Red Riding Hood~~”
Its shrill melody and frenzied cries vanished in an instant as the Giant Wolf’s jaws opened wide—and the tiny creature disappeared down its maw.
The Wolf hadn’t even tilted its head. It simply opened its mouth, and the Squirrel seemed to leap willingly into the abyss.
The terrible tune ceased. The Wolf’s jaws moved a few more times, and from between its teeth came faint sounds of chewing. Then it lowered its head again, gazing at Yu Sheng with a slightly puzzled look.
In this Forest, Yu Sheng and Irene were nothing more than uninvited intruders.
“That Squirrel’s dead!” Irene finally processed the scene and cried out in disbelief. “I thought it’d explode or do something dramatic at the last second… but it just died?!”
A gust of wind howled. The Giant Wolf’s massive paw came crashing down toward where Yu Sheng stood.
But Yu Sheng had already anticipated it. With a sharp stomp, he shattered the ground beneath his feet and vaulted sideways, twisting through the air toward the creature’s underbelly, searching for a blind spot in its assault. “Less commentary! If I die, I’ll be next!”
Irene’s oil painting frame sailed through the air toward him. “Got any last messages you want me to pass along?”
As Yu Sheng flipped to evade another pounce, he shouted back, “Tell Miss Foxy—Steamed Buns for dinner! Have her take the meat filling out of the freezer!”
“Got it, noted,” Irene’s frame spun and tumbled through the winds stirred by the Wolf’s tail, its edges beginning to fade and shimmer. “I’m pulling out now—this place is no longer welcoming to me!”
“Bye! I’ll be back soon!”
Yu Sheng waved, just as the painting vanished from his sight.
The wind screamed again. The Giant Wolf, now clearly enraged by this pest crawling beneath it, leapt to the side and locked its furious gaze onto the lone figure on the ground. Then it charged again, claws raised.
But Yu Sheng didn’t dodge. Instead, he grinned.
“Come on then! Taste this—you bite this down, and your damn life will never be the same!”