100% Hero (16 page)

Freddy and Batty streaked through the woods towards
home. They had almost reached the main road when
Freddy felt the most appalling pain in his muscles.
He collapsed on the ground with a groan.

'Stinky, what is it?' Batty barked.

'The magic of the Blavendoch must be wearing off,'
Freddy growled. 'I'm transwolfating.'

'Oh, bad timing.'

'Der! I didn't ask for it to happen.' Freddy writhed
in discomfort.

'Does it hurt?' The mongrel frowned her hairy
eyebrows together.

'Yes!' Freddy croaked and curled up on the grass,
breathing deeply and trying not to cry out. Then
everything went blank.

'Woof!'

He awoke to find Batty licking his face. He must
have been asleep for hours – it was now dark and
the moon was shining. He was a boy again, but he
felt terrible. Never again – no more Blavendoch juice
for him. It wasn't a natural way to transform. He
remembered Dougal's warning about things going
wrong and quickly checked all his bits.

He let out a sigh of relief. Everything was where
it should be. Then he groaned. 'Naked in the woods
again. Fantabulous!'

He started to fashion some underpants from the
giant green fern leaves around him. Something didn't
feel right . . . he saw something over his shoulder.

'Whatever . . . ?' He turned around and around trying
to catch a glimpse. And then he managed to spy it.

'Oh, great howls,' Freddy groaned. Dougal had
been right. Things did not always go back together as
they should. Yes, Freddy was a boy again – apart from
the little poodley tail waggling from his backside.

'Why me?' he wailed at the moon.

Freddy and Batty emerged from the woods and ran
down the lane that led to Farfang Castle.

A huge black wolf leapt out from the trees.

'Dad!' Freddy yelped and flung his arms around
its neck.

Batty barked joyously and scampered around the
pair. Flasheart licked Freddy and Batty on the forehead
in turn.

'Dad, Chester is evil. He's looking for the Treasure
of Bane and Hotair is helping him. They're at Farfang
right now,' Freddy gasped. Flasheart gave a deep
growl.

Freddy heard a noise behind him and spun around.
Sugar Smith stood at the edge of the woods, watching
them.

'Hi-ya!' Freddy tried to jump into a karate position,
but had to hold his leaf pants in place.

Batty growled.

'So it's true!' Sugar stepped towards them. 'The
Black Wolf of Milford is the wild wolf-boy's father and
they live in Farfang Castle. Just as Dr Cripp told me.
Werewolves – the world's biggest story for America's
top reporter,' she said with a wry laugh.

'Stay back!' Freddy roared, standing in front of
his father. Flasheart looked at Freddy's tail and gave a
growl of surprise.

'It's okay, Freddy!' Sugar smiled.

'How do you know my name?' he asked, panicked.

'Well, you live at Farfang with your father, Flasheart
Lupin. It was simple research.'

Freddy felt ill. For six hundred years the Werepack
of Lupin had lived in secrecy and safety in Farfang
and now, because of him, they were all in danger of
discovery. He looked to his father, who could have
killed Sugar with one swipe of his powerful claws.
Instead of looking fierce, his father's green eyes were
glinting brightly. Freddy didn't understand.

'Don't worry, Freddy. You can trust me. I released
your father from his cage.' She stepped towards the
boy with a smile. 'He ran here and I followed in my
car.' She pointed towards to the castle gates.

Suddenly the lane was lit with the bright searchlights
of a utility truck. Freddy recognised it as the
one driven by the marksman who had shot his
father.

'Traitor,' he cried.

Flasheart's green eyes blazed at Sugar.

'No!' she said, looking at the wolf. 'He must have
followed me. Quick, hide. I'll get rid of him.'

With a snarl Flasheart jumped into the black of the
forest, followed by Batty and Freddy. They watched
as the truck screeched to a halt next to Sugar. The
marksman jumped out, his rifle slung over his
shoulder.

'I know it was you who released that wolf. That
beast was worth a lot of money to me,' he said coldly.

'How? The show donated him to the zoo. You're
just their paid hunter.' Sugar put her nose in the air.

The marksman was thinking only of the money
that Chester Puceley had promised him. Puceley had
told him that if the beast should escape, it would head
for Farfang Castle. The marksman didn't know why
the wolf was special and he didn't care. He would get
his money for delivering it dead or alive.

'Where are you going?' said Sugar, as he climbed
back into his truck.

'To the castle gates,' he replied. 'To wait for it.'

'Oh, farts – we'll never get home now!' Freddy
groaned from behind a tree.

Sugar glanced over to him nervously. As ever, Batty
seemed to sense when her friend needed help. She
howled her best impersonation of a wolf – a pretty
good one too – and streaked across the road in front
of the marksman. He just caught sight of her out of
the corner of his eye and gave a cry of fury – his prey
was escaping! In a moment he had turned his truck
and was chasing her back the way he had come.

'Batty, be careful,' Freddy called after her. She really
was the bravest mongrel in the world. She had given
them the chance they needed.

Flasheart walked up to Sugar, who reached forward
and allowed the huge wolf to breathe on her hand.

Freddy interrupted them. 'Dad, shouldn't we chase
him? We must help Batty.'

The wolf roused himself.
No time – Farfang – danger
,
he signalled silently, and started to run towards the
castle.

'You'd better come too, I suppose.' Freddy screwed
his eyes up at Sugar uncertainly. His father seemed to
trust her – but Freddy wasn't sure yet.

As they chased after Flasheart, Sugar explained to
Freddy how she had helped the wolf escape.

'I sent a message to the guard that we had an intruder
inside the lab and then locked him in!' She laughed a
little. 'Oh dear, he was very angry. Then it was easy. I
switched off the power and opened the cage.'

Freddy was impressed.

'But weren't you scared?' he asked, as they
approached the gates of Farfang. 'For we Fangen are
mighty and powerful beasts.'

Sugar looked at the skinny boy in his green leaf
pants, his little poodley tail waggling behind.

'No, I trusted your father's eyes. I guessed that he
wouldn't harm me,' she replied. 'Besides, I've seen
prejudice before – and I try not to judge anyone, not
even a wolf.'

Freddy smiled a little, showing his fangs.

'But can I just ask, sweetie – is it normal for little
Fangen boys to have a tail?'

Freddy sighed and looked back at her pretty dark
eyes. 'No. It's not
normal
,' he said grumpily.

'So you are very special, then?' She smiled and
Freddy cheered up immediately.

'Oh yes, I'm very special indeed. In fact, probably
the specialest.'

Using his nose on the digital pad, Flasheart had
opened the electronic gates that protected Farfang.
He was prowling anxiously outside the front door
when Freddy and Sugar caught up. Freddy crossed
his fingers and pushed the heavy door open. No luck!
It squeaked as horribly loudly as ever. Sugar's high
heels clicked and clacked across the stone floor and
the noise echoed through the Great Hall.

'Great howls,' Freddy groaned, 'we have to be
quiet.'

'Why?' Sugar frowned. 'Don't you want your family
to know you're home and safe?'

'Well, my uncle wants to mince me into poodle
pieces and my second cousin five times removed
wants to shoot my dad,' Freddy told her. 'And Mrs
Mutton will probably show me the wooden spoon.'

'Nice family.' Sugar raised her eyebrows.

'Yeah – you see what I have to put up with,' Freddy
agreed.

Flasheart rolled his eyes, but then held his head
high and sniffed the air. A sound echoed from
deep below them. The wolf leapt across the Great
Hall and down towards the dungeons. Freddy
followed, leading Sugar down the dark stone steps
into the gloom. The key to the dungeon was on a
hook outside – Chester and Hotspur had not been
expecting any visitors. The noise came from inside
the first cell.

Freddy unlocked the door and flung it open.

'Mrs Mutton?' he cried in surprise. As he did, the
old lady stood up – she still held the wooden spoon
with which she had been banging the pipes.

'About time. So, you naughty young pups – what
kept you?' she demanded, her hands on her hips.

'Well, I had to single-handedly defeat the foes of
the Fangen first,' Freddy informed her.

'Oh, really?' She sounded unconvinced. 'Well, you
didn't get them all. Hotair is back and more trouble
then ever. Who's this?' She nodded at Sugar.

'That's Sugar – she's from the TV. She helped Dad
escape.'

Flasheart gave a growl and raced up the stairs. The
others followed close behind. Back in the Great Hall,
the wolf sniffed the air – he couldn't smell his enemies
but he was still concerned.

'And you, Flasheart Lupin, what kind of a scrape
have you been in?' Mrs Mutton exclaimed. 'Locked up
and on TV – worrying us all to bits.'

'I'm sorry about that,' Sugar whispered. 'It's all my
fault.'

'Yes, it is,' Freddy agreed, remembering the sight of
his Blavendoch advertised everywhere but forgetting
his own mistakes.

He suddenly shivered in his leaf pants, cold after
his run despite the heat from the fire that always
burned in the huge room.

'Sweetie, you look frozen – put this on.' Sugar
removed her pink jacket and offered it to him.

'Thanks, but I'd rather freeze.' Freddy jumped back
as if she had offered him spinach. '
As if
,' he muttered
under his breath.

Flasheart seemed to laugh, but then he shook his
head and stamped his foot.

'Dad wants to transform. You fair maidens had
better give him some privacy.' Freddy puffed his chest
out. 'This is wolf's business.'

Mrs Mutton cried out in horror at his revealing the
secrets of the werefolk to a human. In a microsecond
she had whipped her wooden spoon out of her apron
pocket and whacked Freddy on the backside.

'Ow!' he yelped. 'What's that for?' He jumped
around and Mrs Mutton tried to reach him.

'Keep your big mouth shut for once, young pup,' the
old lady hissed, aiming a raised eyebrow at Sugar.

'She knows everything already,' Freddy yelped,
jumping out of reach again. 'It's not fair – Cripp told
her, not me.'

'Ma'am. I really can't approve of showing sweet
young children the wooden spoon.' Sugar placed
herself between the boy and his tormenter.

'Sweet? I'm not
sweet
,' Freddy cried.