The wolf
In short: In Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf gathers information and disguises himself as the grandmother.
Character
How does it work in the tale?
He first learns where the girl is going. In the bedroom, voice and appearance delay recognition. That gap in knowledge drives the scene.
Why does the wolf mention flowers?
In the Grimm telling, the wolf draws the girl’s attention to the flowers. Each time she spots a prettier one, she goes farther from the path. Meanwhile the wolf heads straight to the grandmother’s house. Follow the two routes through the same forest and notice what each character does with the time.