100% Hero (4 page)

'See . . .' he said, going a little green, '. . . not a
coward.'

Priscilla only snorted. 'I want a Blavendoch, not a
dead slug.'

'Wolf, wolf, wolf, wolf, wolf, wolf, wolf!' Freddy
repeated under his breath for the thousandth time. 'Please not poodle.'

He was with his father in the Great Hall. They were
standing next to the window, which ran from ceiling
to floor and had a thick curtain pulled across it. Mrs Mutton, Chester and Priscilla were all seated in
a row. It is always a great honour for a Weren to be
present at a Transwolfation.

Freddy's palms and neck were itching unbearably. He saw his father also shrugging his shoulders
uncomfortably. Then Flasheart spoke, in a voice that
made Freddy's heart thump with pride. Flasheart was
fun, but he was also the Grand Growler, and could
instil respect, even fear, in anyone.

'We howl thanks for the ancient magic of the
Moonstone. Now, by the power of the silver moon,
let the Transwolfation begin!'

Freddy drew the curtains and the hot beams of the
moon fell onto father and son.

The boy saw his father arch back under the heat
of the magic. Flasheart fell forward onto his hands
and roared as his bones grew, distorted and pushed at
his skin. As his own black hair spread and his fangs
grew, Freddy felt his wonderful, painful, fantastic
Transwolfation falling upon him.

Freddy saw Flasheart jump up to the window and
howl, the most powerful Fangen in Britain. Chester
and Priscilla were watching him in awe. They had
never seen such a huge wolf before.

As his skin continued shivering, it seemed to
Freddy that his father was still growing, but no – it
was he who was shrinking.

'Oh, no!' he yipped. Dripsy-Wimpsy had struck
again.

'Great horned toads!' Chester jumped out of his
chair in disgust. 'So the rumours are true!'

Freddy didn't wait for Priscilla to speak; the look
of revulsion on her face was enough. The Second
Greatest Werewolf Hero Ever was . . . a
poodle
.

Freddy scampered out of the room, down the
corridor and out the kitchen door. The full heat of the
moon fell onto him, but its warmth could not help
him.

'Freddy!' Batty barked in delight as she ran after
him. She had seen all, watching from the shadows. Although she could talk to him as wolf or dog, she
was pleased to see him as a poodle once more –
just like the silly pup she had first met and grown so
fond of.

'This is wooftastic,' she said as she bounded up
to him.

'Are you kidding? It's a total disastrophe!' he
yelped.

'But it's just like old times. Stinky's back again.' Her wet nose twitched in excitement.

'But I don't want to be Stinky! I don't want to be a
stupid dog,' he cried.

Batty bared her teeth a little, but Freddy didn't
realise how upset she was. He couldn't think of
anything but himself.

'I want
pure
blood.'

'Well, you ain't got it, have you?' she growled. 'I
ain't ashamed of being a dog. I'm proud.'

'But I'm supposed to be a
wolf
, it's not the same.' Freddy stamped his delicate little foot in frustration. 'Why can't anything ever go right?'

'But you're a hero, remember. Ain't that better than
anything?' She nudged him and smiled. She was never
able to stay angry for long.

'Well, yes, that's true . . .' he agreed and started
to cheer up a little, but then he remembered the
expression on Priscilla's face. 'But
she
doesn't think so. She wants a wolf who can bring her the Blavendoch.'

'What do you want to get flowers for?' Batty scoffed. 'You ain't no sissy.'

'She thinks I am.'

'Oh, who cares what snot-nose thinks?' She nudged
him again. 'Come on, Stinky, let's jump in the moat,
hide Mrs M's slippers and steal some sausages.'

Freddy was standing in the shadows of the castle. His sharp little fangs stuck out from his lower jaw
and he frowned. What would have been a great plan
normally now didn't seem like the kind of thing a
hero
did. Not the kind of thing that could take the look of
disgust off Priscilla's face.

Freddy stepped back out into the moonbeams.

'No, my friend,' he announced, 'I cannot play
tonight, for I have a mighty feat to accomplishate. I do not ask you to come with me – for it is dangerous
work.'

Batty snorted. 'Stop showing off, Freddy, or I'll bite
your tail off. What are you on about?'

'I'm going to get the Blavendoch for her!' he said,
and started running around the castle towards the
bridge.

Batty chased after him.

'Stinky, wait,' she barked. 'I'm coming too.' There
was no way she was letting the silly pup run halfway
across Milford on his own.

'Freddy,' Flasheart called, emerging from the castle
to look for his son. 'Freddy, no!' he roared, as he saw a
little black tail disappear through the bars of the gate
that guarded the entrance to the grounds.

He raced over, and arrived just as Batty was also
trying to squeeze through the gate. She was too big. By now Freddy had disappeared out of sight down the
long, narrow lane that led to Milford.

'That pup is a moatful of trouble!' Flasheart snarled
to himself. Batty barked.

The wolf and dog exchanged a significant look. Freddy could speak both the wolfen and canine
languages, thanks to his mixed blood, but his father
and his friend had to rely on intuition to speak to each
other. They both understood now. They had to follow
Freddy and make sure he came home safely.

Flasheart stood on his hind legs and pushed the
gate controls with his nose. The gate began to swing
open. In seconds, Batty and Flasheart were racing
after the poodle, their eyes glistening in the bright
moonlight.

Freddy's heart was beating fast as he ran towards
Milford. Okay, yes, he was a wolf and a hero who had
been on the Blood-Red Hunt, but never before had
he been alone in the forest. The trees looked blue and
metallic under the moonlight. Freddy turned off the
lane and scampered through the trees towards the
Stone Circle. Of course, he didn't believe in goblins,
or elves, or ghosts; he wasn't a puppy. But then most
humans didn't believe in werewolves either . . . What
if goblins, elves and ghosts did exist after all, and were
just good at hiding in really dark, really scary forests?
He heard what sounded like padding paws and heavy
claws following him, and ran faster in his fright. He
would find the Blavendoch and get back to the safety
of Farfang as soon as he could. Then Priscilla would
see him for the hero he was. His poodley chest swelled
with pride.

Freddy slowly crept forwards towards the clearing
in the forest. Under the blue light of the moon stood
the ancient stones of the circle. They were far older
than Farfang, as old as the Weren themselves, and
no-one knew what magic they held. Freddy had
been there twice in daylight and only once under the
moonlight with his father. In the depth of the night,
despite the warmth of the moon, he shivered with
fear. This was the very spot where his Uncle Hotspur
had betrayed his own brother, and led him to the
silver bullet of Dr Foxwell Cripp – dreaded werewolf
hunter.

Freddy inched towards the stones and green grass. He paused within the shadow of the trees. With a
gasp, he saw what so few have seen – the blossom
of the Blavendoch, fed by the blood of the Fangen. By day, it looked like an ordinary stinging nettle, but
when warmed by the full moon, its flower was of a
beauty not to be equalled. Its petals were said to give
life back even beyond the grave. Not even Priscilla
Puceley could turn her perfect nose up at such a gift. Freddy ran forward to grasp the stem of the beautiful
red flower in his teeth, and then . . . It all happened
so quickly.

'Freddy, no! Don't touch the flower!' Flasheart
roared, jumping into the clearing.

Freddy didn't bite. As he paused, the grass clearing
was suddenly flooded with searchlights. It was as if
he were on a stage. Freddy jumped back in fright. Flasheart snarled with fury. It was a trap! Again.

'Run, Freddy, quickly,' Flasheart roared, blinded
by the lights on all sides.

'Dad, what's happening?' the puppy yipped, his
heart beating faster than ever.

'Get out of here. Now!' The huge wolf glared
defiantly at the lights.

'Stinky, quick! This way.'

Freddy saw Batty through the bright glare and
raced towards her. A man ran out and blocked his
path, but Batty threw herself at him with a furious
growl. The man yelped and fell backwards and the
two dogs sprinted into the trees.

'It's okay, Dad, this way,' Freddy barked and turned
back in time to see his father leaping for freedom as
the men advanced on him. He heard the shot fire and
saw the beautiful black wolf slump onto the ground,
next to the blossom of the Blavendoch.

'Dad!' Freddy cried in horror, and started to run
back.

'No, Stinky.' Batty tackled him from behind and
clamped her paw on his head. 'You can't help him if
you get caught too.'

Freddy struggled to stand. He was desperate to
see if his father was okay. His chest was painful with
fright.

'Just let me see then,' he whispered.

Batty nodded, her own heart beating too fast. Hidden in the shadows, the two friends crept on their
stomachs towards the circle of light.

Freddy could see his father's body lying on the
ground. With relief, he saw that the wolf's chest was
rising and falling – he was only asleep. A very pretty
lady stepped into the spotlight. She had dark skin
and black curly hair. Freddy was surprised to hear
her speak in an American accent.

'Are you sure he's okay?' she said, stroking
Flasheart's rich black coat.

A man approached her, holding a rifle by his side.e'll sleep until we get back to the zoo.'

'I would hate for him to be hurt . . .'

'Sugar, please!' A man with a goatee beard ran up
to her. 'We're on a schedule! The camera is rolling!'

Freddy looked to where the man had come from
and saw a large TV camera set up on one side of the
clearing. That explained all the lights.

The lady frowned again and stood up. She stepped
across Flasheart's body, stood in front of the TV camera
and spoke into her microphone.

'And so, viewers, the report from our secret informer
about a "Great Beast" in Milford is true. But don't fear,
he is safe and well. As you can see, it is a wolf, but
twice the size of any wolf I've ever seen. We'll catch
up with him in the morning and see what our Super
Vet has to say about the "Beast of Milford". And so for
now, I'm Sugar Smith, America's top reporter, signing
off. And remember, on
World's Most Wanted Wildlife
the cameras never stop rolling.'

'Oh no!' Freddy groaned. What a total disaster. In five hours' time the sun would rise and his father
would transform back into a man in full view of
the whole world. Never had the secret existence of
Wolfenkind been in so much danger of being exposed
– and it was all his fault.

Freddy and Batty watched as Flasheart was lifted on a
stretcher and loaded onto the back of a utility truck.
It took four men to lift him and even then they were
puffing and sweating.

'We have to rescue him before dawn,' Freddy said.
'If he transforms back in front of those cameras . . .'
He couldn't invent a word bad enough for such a
disaster.

The searchlights had now gone out. Sugar Smith
had climbed into a van, along with her crew. The man
with the rifle climbed into the front seat of the truck
that held the wolf.

Batty's ears perked high as she heard the engines
start, and the headlights beamed on.

'Come on then, Stinky. Now's your time to be the
hero again. Operation Free Wolf is go. On the truck,
quick.'

'Of course!' he murmured.

The truck began to drive and the dogs made a dash
towards it. The back of the truck was too high for
them to reach.

'Up here, this way,' Freddy yipped. Two of the
standing stones had fallen down many hundreds of
years ago and one now lay across the other, with one
end buried in the grass. Freddy sprinted as fast as
he could and tore up the stone slab. At the top, he
launched himself towards the flat bed of the truck.
He sailed through the air.

'Ouch,' he yelped, as he crashed painfully onto some
hard metal equipment in the back of the vehicle.

'Woow!' Batty landed with a graceful flop onto a
soft tarpaulin. 'Great plan, Stinky.'

He nodded, and then moaned as he tried to climb
down from the metal legs and camera tripods.

'Shush.' Batty pointed her ears at the driver.

'I am
shushing
.' Freddy tripped over as the vehicle
lurched. He landed with a crash, his nose next to
his father's. Flasheart snored in his face, completely
oblivious to the danger they were in.

'Freddy, hide under here,' Batty growled, her hairy
black-and-white muzzle sticking out from under the
tarpaulin.

Freddy dived in with her and the two friends lay in
the dark, wondering where on earth they were going.

'What's that smell?' Half an hour later, Freddy jumped
up and stuck his nose out from under the tarpaulin.
His ultra-sensitive dog nose could pick up scents that
a human could never have smelt.

'Animals,' Batty said with a frown, her pretty nose
twitching. 'Lots of different animals.'

Freddy snuck out and put his paws up to look
through the front of the truck. The driver was oblivious
to the poodle straining to see behind him.

The vehicle jolted around a bend and Freddy saw
a sight he recognised. Ahead of them was a huge wall,
ten metres high and topped with barbed wire. A large
arch spread over the gateway. The words 'Milford Zoo'
were picked out in coloured lights.

'Oh, great howls,' Freddy groaned and crawled
back to his hiding place.

A zoo was designed with one purpose . . . to keep
animals inside. How was his father going to escape
from here?

The two vehicles drove in and the gate closed
behind them.

Flasheart was locked in a cage in the zoo's hospital.
The vet had checked him and was happy that he was
in perfectly good health. The great black animal lay
on his stomach, breathing steadily. A numbered metal
tag had been pierced through his ear like an earring.

'This is possibly a new breed, or even species.' The
vet was talking into Sugar's microphone as they both
stood and looked at the sleeping animal. 'He's nearly
double the size of our wolves here in the zoo, and his
fangs are exceptionally big.'

'Well, there you have it, viewers. Another great
discovery from your team on
World's Most Wanted
Wildlife
– a new species of mutant wolf. And you
wouldn't want to meet this fella when he's angry. We'll
come back tomorrow and see how he's doing. This is
Sugar Smith saying a very late goodnight.'

The cameraman switched off the main camera,
but he had erected a smaller one in the corner of the
room – it would record everything that happened.

Sugar bent down and put her hand through the
bars of the cage to stroke the wolf's fur.

With a sudden growl and a quick pounce, Flasheart
took her hand in his jaws – not biting, just holding.
Sugar gave a small scream of fright. The wolf's green
eyes sparkled with amusement once he realised that
the hand that had awoken him was no threat. He
released it with a sharp-toothed grin.

Sugar jumped back. She could almost believe that
she heard the wolf laughing.

'Did you get that on film?' she stammered.

'Oh, yes. We'll get everything,' the cameraman
assured her.

'Dad, Dad!' Freddy banged on the window with his
nose. 'Over here.'

He was hanging on to the window ledge outside
with his front paws. His feet were struggling to stay
balanced on Batty's head and shoulders. Freddy
could just see inside the zoo's hospital. His father was
inspecting his cage, searching for a way out.

'Ow, Stinky, get your foot out of my ear!' Batty
complained.

'Whoops, sorry. Dad, Dad!' He banged again.

'Ergh!' Batty growled. 'Have you farted?'

'Erm . . . no, it wasn't me.'

'Yeah,
right
! Stinky by name, stinky by nature.
Hurry up, will you – I can't breathe now,' the mongrel
complained.

'I'm trying, aren't I? Dad, over here,' he called
louder, before looking over his shoulder, concerned
that he and Batty might also be caught.

Flasheart's ears jumped and he turned to see his
son's little poodley head bobbing up and down at the
window. He laughed.

'Well done, Pinky,' he called, and stuck his muzzle
through the bars of his cage.

'Dad, I'm really sorry. I was just trying to get the
Blavendoch for Priscilla. I didn't mean for you to
get caught.'

'Well, maybe next time you'll listen to your father.'
Flasheart frowned. 'But we'll talk about that later.
Where am I?'

'In the zoo's hospital,' Freddy yipped. 'The front
gate's locked, but the Plan Master sneaked in.'

'That's not good.' Flasheart tried forcing the cage
door with all his strength. 'I can't open it and the
rather charming lady who is my captor took the key
with her.'

'That's bad,' Freddy agreed, his toes squashing
Batty's eyebrows, 'because you're going to be on TV.
There's a camera over there filming you.'

Flasheart turned in dismay and saw the camera for
the first time.

'That's
very
bad,' he called, and slammed against
the cage door again. It was no use. The cage was
designed for lions. He glanced at the clock. It was
3.00 am. It would be dawn in two and half hours,
then – disaster.

'Dad, all they know now is that you're a really
weird big wolf,' said Freddy, bobbing up again. 'You
mustn't transform back.'

'Yes, I am a mighty wolf, pup, but even I have no
powers to stop that,' Flasheart said calmly. 'Only a
Moonstone can prevent the Transwolfation.'

'A Moonstone! Of course!' Freddy cried, a plan
pinging into his head. 'Dad, try not to transform. I
promise we'll be back in time.'

'Freddy, wait . . . you must warn the Fang Council.
Forget about me, you must protect the werefolk's
identities,' Flasheart called, but Freddy had already
rolled off Batty's shoulders.

He jumped up with an excited gleam in his green
eyes.

'What is it, Stinky?' she woofed.

'Coldfax,' Freddy cried.

'Coldfax?' Batty's hairy ears immediately drooped.
'I never want to go back to that place.'

'We must,' Freddy yipped, and scampered off
towards the zoo gates.

'But why?' Batty asked as she squeezed under the
gate after him.

'Because there's a Moonstone in the dungeons.'
Freddy laughed at the brilliance of his plan. 'If we run,
we'll make it.'

'But what about the ghost hound?' Batty was worried.
The thought of returning to that dismal prison frightened
her.

'My dad was the ghost hound. There's no-one left
in that place to scare you any more,' he said, puffing
his chest out.

'What about Cerberus?' Batty remembered the
wolfhound – their old jailer. 'He was real enough,
and so were his fangs. Some dogs reckon that he still
prowls those dungeons.'

'Oh . . .' Freddy's chest deflated again. 'We have to
take the risk.' He sounded braver than he felt.

'Okay,' Batty sighed, and followed him.

Even so, she had an uneasy feeling that there was
danger ahead.