100% Hero (3 page)

Early that morning, Chester asked his daughter to try
to be nicer to Freddy.

'But he's friends with a dog! It's so disgusting,' she
complained.

'I know, my jewel, but remember why we're here.'

Priscilla pointed her perfect nose in the air in a little
sulk. 'I want to go back to America. I miss my friends.'

'Well, Papa has to earn the money for his little
lady's very smart school, my sweet. Just get the boy to
show you round the castle and . . .
explore
. We don't
have much time, and I must complete my research.'

Priscilla was not pleased, but eventually she agreed.

'Are you American?' Freddy asked as soon as Priscilla
walked into the kitchen.

'No! Boldovian.'

'Never heard of it.' He shrugged. 'Do you want to
see my slug collection?'

'Ooh, no,' she shuddered.

'I can burp "Happy Birthday", listen . . .' He burped
the tune.

'Weird,' was all the perfect girl said, with a look of
pity. 'This place is, like, sooo lame.'

'I can fart it too if you want . . .' Freddy offered.

'Go away!'

Poor old Freddy had run out of things to suggest. They couldn't play chase with Batty, couldn't splash
in the moat with Batty, couldn't throw a Frisbee with
Batty . . . couldn't do any of the things he usually did.

Batty came in just at that moment. Priscilla gave a
shriek and jumped on the table.

'Oooh! Get it out. It's a filthy mongrel,' she
screeched.

Batty flicked the strands of black-and-white hair
out of her eyes and gave a small growl. She didn't like
Priscilla either.

'Don't be scared. She won't bite you,' Freddy
reassured Priscilla, although Batty's teeth were showing
a little, and she looked as though she might quite like
to bite the screeching girl.

'I'm not
scared
. I just don't want it to touch me.
I
am a
Weren
.'

Freddy blushed.

'Perhaps you'd better go out on your own,' he
whispered to his friend, and led her to the back door. 'Just for today.'

Batty stood outside and watched him return to the
girl, then she padded off sadly into the woods.

Freddy was confused. He felt sad about Batty but
also excited about Priscilla. He wanted her to like him. He didn't want to be
lame
.

'We could go on the Slide of Doom,' he said.

'What's that?'

Freddy's eyes twinkled with mischief. 'I'll show
you.'

'Woo-hoo!' he yelled, as the large metal tray shot down
the spiral stone staircase.

'Coo-ool,' Priscilla screamed behind him.

The pair were travelling at breakneck speed,
Freddy's black, spiky hair flying up. They reached the
foot of the stairs and then sped along the corridor, out
the open door and into the courtyard at the centre
of the castle. Just before they could splash into the
ornamental pond, Freddy expertly steered left into a
rosemary bush. He rolled off the tray, laughing.

'Again?' he said.

Priscilla was upside down in the shrub. Freddy
hauled her up. She brushed the leaves off her jumper,
straightened her hair, and looked down her perfect
nose. Then, for the first time, she smiled at him.

'Again!' she agreed.

Freddy looked for her, but Batty had not returned
for lunch. Instead, he joined the grown-ups and
Priscilla in the Great Hall. Mrs Mutton had made the
girl a salad, but Freddy had sausages again. After his
glorious morning of triumph with the Slide of Doom,
he thought he was on a roll. Not at all deterred by his
failures of the previous evening, he again scoffed his
sausage sideways.

This time, Priscilla laughed so much that she had
to fan her face with her hands.

'Oh, like, you are so-ooo
cool
,' she said when she
could catch her breath.

'Yes, I am, aren't I?' Freddy agreed, pleased that
Priscilla had at last seen the light.

'Well, I am very happy to see you two young people
getting on so well.' Chester winked at his daughter.

'Of course, we are, Papa,' she replied, wafting her
eyelids. 'Freddy is the Greatest Werewolf Hero
Ever
,
remember.'

'Well,
Second
Greatest Hero,' Freddy corrected. He
didn't want to sound like a show-off. 'Sir Rathbone is
the best wolf really, well . . . anyway, that's what
some
wolves think . . .'

Flasheart grinned. Freddy always made his father
laugh, only sometimes he wasn't sure why.

'What are you going to do this afternoon, Pinky?'

'Dad!' Freddy hissed at his father's use of the
nickname. The last thing he wanted was for Priscilla
to know about his
pink phase
.

'Sorry,' Flasheart grimaced.

Freddy stuffed in another sausage.

'I'd really like to explore the castle.' The pretty girl
smiled at them. Freddy found himself smiling back
like a charlie. 'Like, do you have . . . any . . .
secret
passages
? We have them in Boldovia.'

'Flah-blah-
splutter
-flig,' Freddy said, forgetting in his
eagerness to reply that he had a mouthful of sausage.

Some flew across the table and landed on Priscilla's
nose. She flinched, shuddered, wiped it off with her
napkin, and just about managed to return the smile
to her face.

Flasheart frowned at Freddy significantly, and Mrs
Mutton threw a bread roll at his head, which bounced
off and rolled over the table.

'Don't talk about . . .
anything
with your mouth
full,' she hissed.

Freddy blushed and nodded. He had almost
blurted out one of the Lupin Pack's greatest secrets. It was not to be shared with anyone, not even distant
relatives with perfect noses.

'Well, I'm not sure about secret passages, but
explore as much as you like. Just don't tire yourself
out, Freddy. It's a big night tonight.' Flasheart smiled,
his teeth already looking sharper.

'It will certainly be an honour to attend a Transwolfation
here in Sir Rathbone's own hall,' said Chester,
looking about in awe.

'And will you go on a Blood-Red Hunt?' Priscilla
looked a little excited, despite being a vegetarian.

'No, we will stay in the grounds of Farfang tonight,' Flas heart replied before Freddy could. 'It's not always
safe.'

'Oh, Dad,' Freddy whined. He didn't want to look
a sissy in front of the guests.

'Maybe next month.' Flasheart looked grave. He
didn't want to upset his son, but he had seen reports
in the local paper that a documentary crew had arrived
in Milford to film 'wildlife'. The last thing the werefolk
wanted was publicity.

'Oh well . . . if it's too dangerous for you . . .' Priscilla shrugged and looked at Freddy exactly as if
he were a coward.

The poor boy blushed red. The hairs on his palms
were itchy as anything. He would prove to Priscilla
that he was a brave wolf.

Batty came looking for Freddy that afternoon, but he
was with Priscilla again. They were sitting under the
drawbridge, where he was showing her his collection
of slugs – Priscilla had changed her mind about them. The dog flicked her hair and went to lie under a
rosebush. She lay her muzzle on her paws and sighed. She didn't like that human girl.

Freddy was telling Priscilla about his heroics,
without any mention of poodles.

'And so, that night I led the whole Werepack in
the Blood-Red Hunt. It was like the coolest ever – so
radical.' He flexed the thin muscles on his arms.

'Where did you go on the Hunt?' she asked, poking
one of the slugs with a stick. 'Gross.'

'To the Stone Circle. That's where Cripp shot my
dad. You can tell because of the Blavendoch.'

'Blavendoch? What's that?' Priscilla's blue eyes
opened wide.

'It's a plant you only find in the ancient forests
of Europe, of course.' Freddy was speaking quite
pompously about something he hadn't known about
until recently.

'What's so special about it?' she asked.

'It only grows where a wolf's blood has been spilt,
and it only flowers under a full moon. Its petals are
as red as blood, and its juice is supposed to be . . .
magical
.' Freddy's voice dropped to a whisper.

'I want to have one.' The beautiful girl pouted. 'You
could get it for me tonight.' She tilted her head and
looked at Freddy through her eyelashes.

'But it's on the other side of Milford,' Freddy said
uncertainly. 'Dad won't let me tonight . . . Perhaps
next month.'

'That's too late! Do you always do what daddy says?
That's so lame,' Priscilla snorted. 'Or perhaps you're
just . . .
scared
?'

'No way!' Freddy jumped to his feet in outrage.

He bashed his head against the underside of the
bridge.

'Ow! I'm not a chicken. Watch this.'

He picked up a slug, balanced it on his nose
and then flicked it up, caught it in his mouth and
ate it. It tasted so bad that he thought he might be
sick.