100% Wolf (16 page)

'Oh my,' Cripp wailed as Bruno and Hamish led
the charge towards him. He turned tail and reached
the castle in time to slam the door on the vicious
horde. In desperation he began to look for somewhere
to hide from the wolves within.

'Not up there, we'll be trapped,' Flasheart cried as his
son headed for the tower staircase. 'To the kitchen.'

Freddy nodded and ran in through the kitchen
door.

'Freddy?' Mrs Mutton cried. 'And just where do
you think you've been? Do you know how worried
I've been?' She was standing in her dressing gown on
a chair behind the door and holding a huge iron frying
pan. She was waiting to ambush the burglars.

'Quick, he's after us!' Freddy hissed.

'Who is? Arrghh!' she cried. A large man with a
black beard and long black hair had charged into the
kitchen.

'No, not
him,'
Freddy protested.

Too late.

With a loud, jarring bang, Mrs Mutton brought
her frying pan down upon Flasheart's head and he
slumped onto the floor.

'She shoots, she scores,' she laughed in triumph.

'Dad, Dad, wake up,' Freddy shook his father urgently.

'Dad?' the old housekeeper climbed off her chair
and bent down over the unconscious man.

'Flasheart?'
she cried and nearly fell over.

'But how?' She looked wonderingly at Freddy.

'No time to tell,' he snapped. 'But it was all Uncle's
fault and now he's on the rampage with a gun.'

'I'll fire a silver bullet into your heart, sir,' they
heard Sir Hotspur roar. He was terrifyingly close.

'We'll see about that, Hotair,' Mrs Mutton
whispered. 'I'm ready to rumble,' she claimed, holding
up her frying pan again.

'That won't stop him,' Freddy whispered, looking
down at his unconscious father. 'I need to draw him
away from Dad.'

Just then they heard a tremendous clamour echoing
from the far side of the Castle. They looked at each
other in alarm.

Cripp had sneaked through the Great Hall to the
other side of the castle. He quickly hid behind a
curtain when he saw Sir Hotspur emerge from the
door to the courtyard. The furious red-faced man
stormed past and ran across the Great Hall, raging
to himself. Cripp took his chance and rushed down
the passage towards the back of the castle. He saw
Sir Hotspur's study and next to that the library. He
made a dash ... but he had forgotten about his
tripwires. He fell and crashed into a suit of armour
that stood nearby. In an instant Sir Hotspur, who
had almost reached the kitchen, stopped, turned
around and raced back towards the other side of the
castle as fast as his fat would allow him. Cripp was
flailing around on the floor among the armour.

'Oh my! Oh mummy,' the terrified hunter wept as
he crawled away towards the library.

With Batty at his heels, Freddy had run up the
small servants' staircase from the kitchen. From the
first floor he could look down across the courtyard
and in through the windows diagonally opposite. He
saw the doctor lock himself in the library just in time
to avoid Sir Hotspur, who arrived with a red, sweating
face. The fallen suit of armour gave him an idea.

Without a second to spare he charged towards the
front of the castle, with Batty in hot pursuit. There at
the top of the Red Stairs was Sir Rathbone's own suit
of armour. In two minutes flat, Freddy was wearing
Sir Rathbone's heavy metal breastplate and helmet.
The breastplate came down to his knees and the
helmet rattled loosely on his head. He reached up and
grasped the huge sword and shield. With an effort he
lifted them and climbed onto the banister.

Just let him try to shoot me now, he thought
grimly.

'You're a traitor, Dripsy-Wimpsy!' Harriet's snide
voice spoke out behind him.

Freddy jumped with fright. The twins had been
watching him all this time.

'Yeah, you've betrayed the Grand Growler,' her
brother chimed in.

'Clear off, little piggies, this wolf is busy.'

'You can't make us. And we are so going to tell.
Everyone will know what a coward Freddy Lupin is,'
Harriet snorted.

'Oh yeah? And I'm
so
worried,' Freddy laughed.
'Now get out of my way, Werens, this is wolves'
work.' He nodded at Batty, who advanced towards the
twins with a menacing growl. Freddy could hear Sir
Hotspur hammering away below, trying to break into
the library. Harriet suddenly gave a piercing scream as
if she had been stabbed with a spear. Freddy jumped
again.

All went quiet below and then Sir Hotspur's heavy
footsteps came towards the Great Hall. Harriet gave
Freddy a smile of total evil.

'Now he's going to marmalise you into poodle jam,'
she laughed.

'We'll see about that,' he snarled.

Freddy clamped down his visor. He wondered if Sir
Rathbone had been this scared when he faced his foes.
Summoning up his courage, he banged the sword on
the shield and called out as loudly as he could.

'I, Freddy Lupin, rightful heir to Sir Rathbone's
glory, say this to you, Sir Hotair Catsvomit! I am going
to kick your big, flabby bum!'

His words echoed around the castle as Uncle
Hotspur rushed towards the Great Hall.

'Here goes nothing,' Freddy groaned, feeling his
stomach might actually explode with fear.

Sir Hotspur arrived red and panting. As he turned
to face the stairs, he gave a startled jump. With a
blood-curdling yell Freddy whizzed down the banister,
sword held high.

'Freddy the Fantastic flies again,' he called as he
hurtled towards his uncle. Sir Hotspur instinctively
bashed him away with his shoulder and Freddy was
bounced high into the air.

Then, a miracle! Or, more accurately, a
disaster!

Freddy found he could fly. At least, that was how
it felt. The back straps of his breastplate had caught
on the huge chandelier that hung quite low from the
ceiling. He was trapped swinging to and fro just above
his uncle's reach.

'Whoops,' he croaked. This was not part of the
plan.

The twins gave a cheer of delight.

'What a dunderbrain!' Harriet shrieked.

'No foolster will stop me being a wolf!' Sir Hotspur
said coldly, raising his gun. Batty was already on her
way down the banister. She flew through the air and
grabbed Sir Hotspur's wrist in her jaws. He gave a
furious cry.

Freddy raised his visor. 'Don't mess with my dog,'
he roared.

Sir Hotspur looked so fat and comical wrestling
with the dog that Freddy couldn't resist pulling faces
at him.

'Can't get me now, can you, Uncle Fart-face,' he
called. 'Get his wobbly bum, Batty.'

Sir Hotspur finally wrestled free of Batty and sent
her skidding across the hall. He was now in an insane
rage.

'If I didn't have to shoot you, sir, I'd turn you into
dog dirt and flush you down the lavatory!' he hissed.
'But it's all over now. I shall be Grand Growler again
and you and Flasheart will be forgotten forever.'

Sir Hotspur raised his gun for the last time.

'Oh, great howls,' Freddy moaned in fear.

And then it happened.

The chain holding the chandelier could take the
weight no longer and snapped with a sickening bang.
Freddy was jolted off and plummeted with a yelp
towards the floor – the chandelier following behind.

'Arrghh,' he yelled helplessly. As he landed, his
sword slammed onto the gun and shattered it. All
around, bits of plaster debris and dust showered
down. The dust cleared and there sat Uncle Hotspur,
his arms trapped tightly to his sides by the iron ring
of the chandelier.

'The Champion!' Freddy roared, raising his arms
in the air victoriously.

Mrs Mutton and Flasheart appeared in the hall.
Freddy's father had a large lump on his forehead. Batty
limped over.

They laughed at the sorry sight of Sir Hotspur.

'Looks like the prophecy has come true,' Flasheart
smiled, looking at the sword and the shattered gun.
'The legend always said that if the sword of Sir
Rathbone was held by the hand of a true hero, it could
save his werefolk from danger.'

'That must make me a true hero then,' Freddy
beamed.

'I suppose it must. Well done, Plan Master.'
Flasheart ruffled his son's pink hair. 'No match for a
pup, are you, Hotbot?'

'Who's been a naughty wolf then?' Mrs Mutton
waggled her finger at the prisoner.

Sir Hotspur glared at them all.

'Release me this instant, sir!' he bellowed, his red
face and beard covered in plaster dust.

'No chance,' Freddy snorted. He looked up to see
if the twins were there, but they had snuck away. It
looked like their days of power were ended.

They were interrupted by a loud bang on the
front door. The police had arrived to investigate
Mrs Mutton's report of burglars. Using the point of
Sir Rathbone's sword, Mrs Mutton quickly led the
protesting Hotspur down to the dungeon.

'Stop whining, Hotair' and a prod with the sword
were all the sympathy he got from her. 'You're going to
see my wooden spoon, I promise you that.'

The policeman looked somewhat surprised when
a small, pink-haired person wearing half a suit of
armour answered the door.

'We had a phone call about some trouble, sir?' the
policeman said, looking at the devastation in the hall
with interest.

'No trouble that I know of, officer,' Flasheart
beamed charmingly from behind Freddy. 'Do you
know of any trouble, Freddy?'

'No ... except for that burglar we caught,' Freddy
piped up.

'Did we? Really?' Flasheart looked confused.

'Yes. If you'll just follow me, officer,' Freddy said
pompously, as he led the way through the Great Hall.

'In there.' He pointed at the library door.

The officer raised his voice. 'This is the police.
Open up.'

They heard a scraping noise near the door.

'Have they gone? The werewolves?' came the
whimpering voice of Dr Cripp. 'The castle is full of
them.'

The policeman took a step back, a little embarrassed.

'I have to ask, sir. Do you know anything about
werewolves?' He looked at Flasheart, who shook his
head innocently.

'Oh yes, I do!' Freddy shouted eagerly, putting his hand
up. His father looked a little alarmed. 'They have sharp
teeth, suck blood and turn into bats,' the boy added.

'No, no, I believe that is a vampire,' the policeman
corrected.

'Surely you don't believe in vampires, officer?'
Flasheart gave a chuckle. The policeman turned red.

'Of course not! Not at all. It's all nonsense,' he
mumbled.

'Like werewolves, you mean?' Freddy asked with
wide, innocent eyes.

'Yes, exactly,' the policeman agreed.

'Quite so,' said Flasheart. 'So our burglar couldn't
have seen one. Do you think he may be unbalanced?'

'Probably unhinged,' the policeman commented.

'Totally barmy,' Freddy laughed.

Batty woofed.

The policeman spoke gently to Cripp through the
library door. When he had at last persuaded him that
there were no wolves in the castle, Cripp opened the
door slowly.

'But there they are!' he screamed in terror when he
saw the Lupins. 'Wolves, they are all wolves.'

'His mind has totally gone,' the policeman tutted.

'So have his trousers,' Freddy pointed out. 'Totally
gone.'

The officer began to walk the poor dazed Cripp to
the main door.

'Just a minute,' Freddy cried. He reached inside the
doctor's coat and extracted a red-and-gold book. Cripp
flinched in terror as the boy gave a secret snarl.

'He stole my book,' Freddy explained, and put the
Wolfen Names safely behind his back.

'And what exactly has happened to your trousers,
sir?' they heard the policeman ask as he left the castle.
'It's not usual for men to walk around Milford in their
underpants.'

They drove away, unaware that the eyes of a
hundred hidden hounds watched them.

'Victory to the Plan Master!' Freddy laughed as the
door closed.

You can well imagine the scenes that accompanied
Freddy Lupin's arrival at the following month's Hidden
Moonlight Gathering. His father was the Grand
Growler once again and Batty had been acclaimed as
an honorary wolf. Best of all, Freddy's hair was now
black again, the terrible pink dye having faded at last.
He was cheered like a conquering hero by everybody
except the Pukesome Twosome. They sat with bright
green faces and hair, looking as sulky as you like.
Freddy had had his revenge on them with permanent
dye in their shampoo. No amount of scrubbing would
remove it.

Sir Hotspur, still wearing the Moonstone and
guarded by two large Werens, was forced to watch
as his enemies were applauded. His red face sweated
with frustration and fury.

Freddy took to the stage. He was to have the
honour of transforming first. Before the curtain was
drawn back to reveal the full moon, Sir Grey Hightail,
leader of the Fang Council, spoke.

'This young pup has shown how a thirst for power
led one of our greatest wolves astray. Whenever we
think of your crimes, Hotspur, we should be humble.
Thanks to Freddy we have uprooted evil from our
midst. Best of all, he has restored Flasheart to his
rightful place.'

He was interrupted by much cheering. Flasheart,
with his black hair trimmed and beard shaved off,
grinned back and winked at his son.

'Hotspur,' Hightail continued, 'the Fang Council
sentences you to wear that Moonstone and remain as
a man for six years, the same time you locked your
brother in darkness.'

Sir Hotspur went pale with horror at the news. To be
deprived of being a wolf was the greatest punishment
for werefolk. Hotspur thought his disgrace was
complete. But Hightail had not finished.

'We cruelly turned away this pup, but he did not
turn his back on us. He showed us the true meaning
of the Golden Rule. He has foiled the dreaded Cripp
and been the saviour of all Wolfenkind.' Hightail held
the Red Book of Wolfen Names aloft for all to see.

'A wolf shall never again be judged by his species,
but by his actions. Freddy Lupin, you stand side by
side with Sir Rathbone as our Greatest Hero.' The
werefolk cheered madly. Sir Hotspur looked sick with
hatred.

'Well, perhaps I'm the second greatest hero ever –
Sir Rathbone is still the best,' Freddy said generously.

The crowd cheered as Freddy, his heart bursting
with pride, stood up to transform.

'They really won't mind that I'm going to be a
poodle?' he checked with his father.

'Not one bit,' Flasheart winked.

His father pulled back the heavy curtain. There in
the sky shone the full moon.

'Now is the Grand Growling and High Howling of
the Hidden Moonlight Gathering of Werefolk. We howl
thanks for the ancient magic of the Moonstone. Now,
by the power of the silver moon, let the Transwolfation
begin!' cried Flasheart.

As the warmth of the moonbeams fell onto Freddy,
he dropped to his hands and knees and felt his blood
heating. His skin crept all over like a hundred scabs
falling off. Again he felt the searing shiver as the hair
grew through his skin. With a final shake he put back
his head to bark.

'Hooowwlll,'
came a deep noise from his throat.

Like the time before, cries of astonishment filled the
Great Hall. Freddy guessed something was not quite
right.

'Oh, now what?' he cried, rushing to the window.
In his reflection he saw a young, strong black wolf.

'I'm a wolf!' he laughed in amazement. 'At last, I'm
a wolf ... How?'

The hall filled with cheers and howls.

That night, when he led the Blood-Red Hunt next
to his father, Freddy was the happiest wolf alive. He
hardly knew how he deserved it, but could only be
grateful, because his every dream had come true.