Davion hadn't intended to say anything. He had planned to keep quiet about what happened to his twin sister, but the words just spilled out.

"What happened?"

"Is she okay?"

"How come you're here instead of with your sister?"

Under the onslaught of questions, Davion couldn't find a chance to speak and backed away to avoid being knocked down by his curious friends.

"Guys, chill," one of his friends said as he suddenly pushed everyone aside.

Several stumbled, and one actually fell on his butt, but they at least stopped harassing Davion with questions.

"Hey, what was that for?" one of his friends asked.

"Yeah. Why did you push us?" another friend asked.

His friend just rolled his eyes as he said, "Give the guy some space. His sister is in the hospital."

This seemed to snap them out of it as they gave Davion sheepish looks.

"Sorry about that," one of his friends said. "You're not mad, are you?"

"It's hard to stay mad at you guys," Davion said, earning him some smiles.

"But seriously, is it really okay for you to be trick-or-treating with us while your sister is in the hospital? You're not going to get in trouble, are you?" one of his friends asked timidly.

He shook his head. "No, my parents even told me to go because they didn't want me to stay in the hospital. They wanted me to have fun since we don't know when she'll wake up."

One of his friend's eyebrows shot up. "Isn't that really bad? What happened?"

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," another friend said as he gave the previous speaker a look.

"No, it's okay. The doctors said she is fine, but she just won't wake up," Davion said.

His friends gave him dubious looks before one dared to comment, "Isn't being unable to wake up a bad thing?"

"My parents didn't really tell me much. They only told me what they heard from the doctors. She should be fine in a few days."

Despite his attempts to act unbothered by what happened, his friends could clearly tell he wasn't okay given the looks they sent his way.

"You know it's too bad there isn't some kind of magical cure to wake someone up," one of his friends mindlessly muttered.

Even though his voice was quiet, they could all hear it clearly.

Davion was ready to wave it off as being ridiculous when another friend said, "I mean, if the rumors were true, then Davion would be able to cure his sister."

"What are you talking about?" Davion asked.

"You know about the wolf rumors we were talking to you about before?" When Davion nodded, his friend continued, "Well, did you know that there was another part of the rumor that said if you can catch the wolf, you can get a wish granted?"

At Davion's dubious expression, another person chimed in, "He's telling the truth. There are several parts about the rumors you must have missed."

They quickly let him in on the details that he missed during his own search.

He hadn't known that one version of the rumors said that catching the wolf could grant a person a wish. It didn't sound like how the original story of Red Riding Hood went, but if the rumors weren't based on that story, it made sense. Of course there were even more versions based on that version with different rules about what kind of wishes could be granted. Some said it could only heal injuries. Others said only food-related wishes were allowed.

If I could catch the wolf, then Sharlene could get better.

His thoughts didn't get far before he waved it off as silly.

It was just rumors. Getting your wish granted by catching a wolf was so far-fetched that no one could take it seriously. If it was that easy, they would have heard someone bragging about it by now, and so many people would be chasing after the wolf.

Besides, how would catching a wolf grant a wish? Would the wolf do it, or was it just magic?

The rumors weren't quite clear on that part.

"Why don't we just go back to trick-or-treating?" Davion suggested ending the discussion about the rumors.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

His friends quickly agreed, and they returned back to trick-or-treating. They only encountered two more houses willing to give out candy before they decided to take a break and sit on the curb. The group quickly revealed their bounty, marveling over the candy they had earned.

"Look what I got."

"Nice. I got the same one."

"Hey, can I trade you?"

"No way. I'm keeping it."

Even though Davion was having fun and enjoying a piece of candy, a part of him felt guilty.

While he was out there with his friends, his twin sister was unconscious in the hospital. She couldn't enjoy the candy or hang out with her friends like he was doing right now.

It made the candy taste less sweet as his mind wandered back to the wolf rumors.

It would be nice if it were true. Then I could look for the wolf and cure my sister.

"Hey, is it just me, or is it getting colder?" one of his friends suddenly asked.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look around. Now that he mentioned it, they noticed a chill in the air, but they could wave it off as it getting darker. The sun hovered over the horizon, the last traces of the light slowly fading away. Several street lamps glowed, spreading their yellowish light on the ground.

"Maybe you should have just worn a warmer costume," one of his friends teased, pointing at the previous speaker's costume.

The boy pouted. "I like my costume."

"You're dressed as a caveman," another kid pointed out.

"You just don't appreciate my costume."

The group continued to tease the kid dressed as a caveman when Davion spotted something in the distance. He squinted, but he was unable to get a good look at it. Pulling out his phone, he zoomed in on the object. His eyes bulged as a black tail vanished into one of the streets.

----------------------------------------

"What?" Davion blurted out, drawing everyone else's attention.

"Davion, what's wrong?" one of his friends asked.

Davion pointed in the direction he was looking at and said shakily, "I think I just saw a wolf."

In an instant, everyone's head snapped in the direction he was pointing at with wide eyes. They scanned the area for the wolf, but there wasn't a single trace of it anywhere.

"Are you sure you saw a wolf?" one of his friends asked.

"Yeah. It was right there," he insisted, pointing at where he had last seen the wolf.

One of his friends gave him an apologetic look. "Davion, I know that you're really worried about your sister, but there's no way that there was a wolf."

"Yeah, it's just rumors. You must have seen a dog or something," another friend added.

Hearing everyone telling him that he was mistaken, he felt silly for thinking it was a wolf.

They're right. Where would the wolf have come from? I must have been seeing things. It was probably just a dog.

An awkward silence fell upon the group as no one knew what they should do next. No one dared to talk about the wolf rumors again, but returning to their previous conversation didn't seem possible.

After some time, one friend finally suggested, "How about we go around the houses to see if anyone else is giving out candy? I'm sure there are more people willing to give out candy now since it's getting dark."

Everyone quickly agreed to the suggestion and started their trek. This time more houses were giving out candy, and the group gladly accepted the candy wholeheartedly. The previous events from before were forgotten as they eagerly ran down the streets to collect more candy.

Unfortunately, the fun didn't last long.

The group stopped in their tracks when a howl pierced through the night air. Davion's eyes bulged as he stared at his friends. Their shocked expression stared right back at him. No one dared to speak.

"Did you guys hear that?" one of his friends finally dared to ask.

"Was that a wolf?" another friend asked.

"Could Davion have really seen a wolf?" a different friend asked.

As soon as Davion's name was mentioned, all eyes focused on him.

No way. Is it really the wolf from the rumors?

He didn't know how to feel. On one hand, it was a wolf they were talking about. Davion didn't want to ever face a wolf. While he had never met one in real life before, he had heard and read how scary they were. He knew it was dangerous to confront one. The smart thing to do would be to run and find an adult to handle the wolf.

On the other hand, in the back of his head, he recalled the rumor where someone could get their wish granted by catching the wolf.

If there was the slightest bit of chance that the rumors were true, shouldn't he try to catch the wolf?

Another howl split the air. They all screamed.

"Run!"

Davion had no clue who spoke, and he doubted anyone else knew, but those words sent everyone racing away in different directions. Without paying attention to where he was going, Davion kept running.

Whether it was towards the wolf or away from it, he wasn't sure.

After some time, he couldn't run anymore and stopped to catch his breath. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, and he thought that it might jump out of his chest. Taking a moment to check his surroundings, he saw that there was no one else around him.

He was completely alone.

The worst part was that a fog that had come out of nowhere had settled around him, making it harder to see where he was. Davion clutched his basket, which he somehow didn't drop during his desperate scramble, close to his chest as he tentatively picked a direction to walk in. He wasn't sure how long he walked before he saw a shadowy figure in the distance.

"Hello?" he asked in a small voice.

There was no response. He hesitantly took several steps forward before he realized that the shadowy figure in the fog wasn't human. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he realized that the figure looked like an animal.

More precisely, a wolf.

No way. I need to get out of here.

Fortunately, the wolf didn't seem to notice his presence. If he made a break for it, there was a chance he could get away before the wolf noticed he was there.

Taking a single step back, he kept his eyes on the shadowy figure. There was no reaction, so he took another step back. Encouraged by the lack of response, he turned his back on the wolf. Right as he was about to run in the opposite direction, the thought of his twin sister popped into his head, stopping him in his tracks.

This was his chance. If the rumors were really true and he caught the wolf, he could wake his twin sister.

Davion hesitated, torn between the desire to run away to get as far away from the wolf as possible and his wish to wake his twin sister. After several moments of indecision, he quietly crept towards the wolf. Fortunately, the wolf hadn't moved from its spot.

He didn't know if it was because the wolf really hadn't noticed him the entire time he was there or it was distracted by something else.

Once he was close enough, he threw himself at the wolf, hoping to catch it off guard. His body collided with its large body, sending the two of them rolling on the ground. His basket flew out of his arms in the scuffle, but he was too busy trying to keep his grip on the wolf's fur. It struggled underneath his weight, thrashing around while Davion clung on to his dear life.

Suddenly, the wolf shouted, "Get off of me!"