RED and the Wolfe
By PapillonCameo and Tachigami

Agent RED had been walking for an hour. An hour of seemingly listless wandering and more than once the path grew so narrow he could barely get through without his red duster snagging on the unchecked overgrowth. No vehicle could fit through the forest's powerful foliage, and air deliveries drew too much attention. He was the best, after all, their top agent. RED---his organization-given name---was almost never bested, and if he was, he was usually being forced to work with others. RED preferred to work alone, and in the silence of the trees, found his current mission to be very relaxing. However, he didn't take his hand off the bag at his side, hidden beneath his red duster. Inside sat an extremely important computer component, though he had no idea how to use computers or what the motherboard was for. His superiors had little faith in anyone but him, especially for something that apparently contained such important information. RED didn't mind; the forest was calming. It eased him, but kept his ears and eyes searching. There were so many layers to the trees and the darkness that the sun just didn't hit.

He was still some miles away from the little cabin. He knew who lived there---an old woman known throughout his organization as Little Granma. She was hardly little, and though she was old, she was strong and energetic and certainly not as frail as she looked. But he'd only laid eyes on her once, and that was over a year ago when she was at their main base.

Something moved to his left, and RED shoved a hand under his duster, wrapping his fingers around the handle of a large-barreled gun. It was stowed away close to him, and undetectable underneath his duster, and he was starting to pull it into the open. There was something there---amateurs would simply brush it off as a shifting in the wind or a small twig falling from its mother tree. But there was something there. Something. He glared into the dark, and something moved again. RED gritted his teeth, ready to pull his gun, but the underbrush shuddered and a groundhog emerged. He sighed, rolling his steely gray eyes and releasing his gun, pushing his light yellow-gold hair back. He had to expect animals, but it was better to be safe than to have a few extra holes in him and whatever he was transporting stolen. He went on, spying a bridge in the near distance.

Crouching in the shadows was a well muscled form, dressed in green camo pants and a dark brown shirt. The man tilted his head to the side, a soft breath escaping his lips. He could smell the tension in the air, and the other man's red duster was bright to his enhanced eyesight. Wolfe had heard of the mysterious RED. It was a rare person in the espionage world who hadn't.

Careful movements made no sound as Wolfe padded ever nearer his target. He had been assigned the mission to steal away RED's cargo. He'd never failed, and this time would be no different. The covert agent blended in with his surroundings perfectly, until he burst from the forest to stand in the middle of the path, before the bridge.

Copper hair fell in a thick braid to Wolfe's waist, a spiked piece of leather holding it all in place. He grinned, sharp canines giving a clue as to why he had been given the name Wolfe. "Ah, if it isn't infamous Little Red." Golden eyes flashed with mirth as Wolfe crossed his arms, and waited.

His sharp eyes kept looking left and right. Now he was paranoid. He felt it. Something was wrong, and it wasn't coming from a groundhog. The closer he got to the bridge, the louder the river water became as it slapped against the muddy, grassy shoreline and trickled over rocks. It muffled the rest of the environment's noise and that frustrated him. Anyone could be around...

He froze and brought out his weapon when a large and rather familiar form appeared on the path in front of him. RED growled, his weapon pointed at the copper-haired man and stance rigid, carefully keeping his arm over the bag threaded over his shoulder and under his duster. "If it isn't Big Bad Wolfe." RED spat, stepping forward slowly. "Keep those paws where I can see 'em, eh? We wouldn't want that pretty pelt to be splattered all over the ground, now would we?" He squinted in the gloom, but could see well enough as his booted feet kept him moving forward, this time at a careful, considerate pace. He needed to get going and couldn't be stopped to play stupid games.

He knew Wolfe well. Just like Wolfe most likely knew RED. He didn't want to take a single chance with the man, and simply wanted to disappear until his delivery was in safe hands.

Quick eyes noticed the other man's protective hold of something hidden just under red cloth. There was the prize. Now, how to get to it? Wolfe lifted his hands with a grin and stretched languidly. "I could think of better things to go then getting splattered everywhere." Relaxing, he shifted to bar RED's way even more by standing dead center upon the path. "Pretty, hm? I heard you were always cool and collected. So, hearing you think I'm pretty, quite unexpected .. Little RED."

He was rather relishing the challenge. It was rare, those days, for anyone so skilled as RED to be found out, his location leaked. Wolfe had been wanting to confront him for a while. Such a reputation as the other man had earned was quite hard to come by.

RED narrowed his eyes, and didn't stop moving forward. Not much space was between them now but RED kept his weapon raised. "I suppose the term 'pretty' settles in nicely for a sweet little princess." RED sneered. "Now if you don't mind, Princess, would you move your ass out of my path? A shattered knee is certainly hard to walk on." He moved his thumb, flipping a switch on the side of his weapon. If he fired a shot, it would give the receiver a powerful shock and incapacitate them for a while.

It wasn't safe on the path anymore. RED knew that. He would have to get rid of Wolfe then slide into the forest's thickets, find his way on his own. He kept his arm over the bag---Wolfe wouldn't be able to simply snatch it if he got close enough; it was threaded over his shoulders and underneath his coat, even if the strap snapped he wouldn't get it. It was simply out of his reach and would remain that way. RED was no fool---he didn't get to where he was being foolish. Reckless, maybe, but never foolish.

"No need for such threats, or insults. Might hurt yourself waving that thing around." Reaching out faster then any regular human would have been able to, he grabbed the other man's wrist and pressed his thumb down into RED's vulnerable wrist. Then he pulled, or tried to, so he could unbalance the other man with his strength and height. "I won't be moving so easily, pipsqueak."

Finding RED in the forest would be difficult, even fore him. Enhanced senses, a knowledge near unparallelled in tracking ... They would be no use at all if RED was as good as rumors said. The nearby forest and river were so large, losing oneself within would be an easy task for one accomplished in evasion.

RED should have seen it coming. He yelled, mostly in annoyed shock, immediately lowering himself to the ground to keep his balance and keep himself from being thrown. "You don't have to move if you don't like, Wolfe." He growled through the sharp pain going down through his wrist, but refused to release his gun. His other hand shot out, grabbing Wolfe's wrist in turn and yanking with a strength that didn't seem to be possible for such a thin, quick body to possess. He swung Wolfe around, putting out his foot and sweeping it under the man and spinning around, now with his back to the bridge. "I guess a big body like yours isn't exactly elegant." RED said, readying his pistol and firing a couple shots. The lower voltage wouldn't stop Wolfe for long, but it would for just enough time for RED.

He turned, positioning the bag against his back and slipping his gun under his coat again, and took off. He had to go fast---Wolfe was an amazing tracker, everyone knew that. But everyone knew he was just as good at evasion. A jack of all trades, RED. But then, so was Wolfe. He jumped off the bridge and into the underbrush, and began weaving his way through the trees. It was hard not to leave an obvious path of broken twigs and branches and trampled bush and leaves---but RED knew from experience where to step. What stones would hold him up and what trees offered shelter above the ground. He knew how to be silent, and smooth, and easily slipped his way between thick trees and bushes, disappearing along deer paths that had been there for a long time. He kept following the path, which he could barely see. It was good enough, though. He just needed to get far enough away from Wolfe to return to the path safely.

The tracker stumbled, and winced. Growling under his breath, Wolfe narrowed his eyes and laughed. Of course his limbs wouldn't listen to him, but his ears would, as would his nose and his eyes. He could still ear every one of RED's movements, thanks to the tinkering scientists had done with him. The moment he could move again, Wolfe was back on the trail, nose pointed down so he could follow RED's scent.

It was such a nice one at that. Cinnamon, and something else, something earthy and delicious. "Come on, RED! I'll catch up soon enough." And somehow, the prize would become his.

RED was growling much like Wolfe probably was. He could be as silent as a shadow, but couldn't naturally cover his own scent. He'd been sure the river would have scrambled the air with its movement, created such a heavy feel to the air that his scent would be disrupted, but apparently not. He could hear Wolfe bashing along, and finally stopped, breathing hard. Slamming his hand into his pocket, RED brought out a small device that attached painfully to his skin. It sent small pulses over his skin that transferred to his clothes, and he dove forward again, bursting out of the trees and looking behind him, seeing no one on the path.

Grinning, RED turned and sprinted, pacing himself as he ran but keeping himself at a quick and nearly unnatural pace. Few could keep up with his improved limbs and scientifically boosted system that let him run for hours on end at a swift pace. None could follow a track they couldn't sense, however.

Rivers were mistakenly thought to wash away scents. Even if that hadn't been the case, it was hard to hide one's passing entirely. A stray foot upon dry rock was all one really needed to get a good idea as to where the prey was going. The scent led Wolfe towards the path, and then .. Then it became sketchy, spotty, but still all headed in the same direction. And a flash of red spurred Wolfe to push himself into a run like none he'd ever dreamed he could pull off. That red, it was so unnatural, it had to be RED.