Werewolf

by Kalianna Loralei

Franks new team joins forces with Oscar, Kittie and her friends to help prepare them for a huge undercover mission. Set during an upcoming fic. Can Michael keep the peace during the game as the players try to uncover the werewolves who are murdering their fellow villagers? Or will Kittie's friends dominate the game and cause mischief, not knowing the real reason for the game.

Part 1

3rd PoV

Before Keri went in, Frank decided she needed one more session of training before the mission, to remind them all how roles are important and how they had to act normal 24/7. It wasn't like at school where they could take a break and be spies again. So after a quick chat with Kittie, Frank called them all together.

"Now, I know we've had you playing games to develop your skills, and that's what we're going to do again. You need to understand the importance of maintaining a cover, and you'll be given the opportunity to create your own, a skill you will need for the future." Frank glanced over at Kittie.

She smiled, realising he needed help. "We're going to play a murder mystery game called werewolf. It's set in a village a couple of hundred years ago and you can each choose your role like inventor, carpenter, tailor, and your identity of course. You could be Isaac Von Stumpen, the rich hotel owner who lives with his wife and son who will one day take over the family business, or so he hopes. You could be Felicity Babbens the young seamstress working at the 'knit and stitch' because she has a passion for working with textiles and making clothes. It's up to you, but make sure you know it because when you get given your card, you need to make yourself seem believable. Normally the game isn't this in depth but it's more fun and this way you train more."

The doorbell rang, and Oscar got up to answer it. "The other thing," Kittie continued, "is that there will be normal people aka non-spies playing so you need to act normal. As far as they're concerned you're kids Oscar, Lexi, and I tutor and you've been invited to play before you're picked up and taken home. Okay?"

Oscar came back into the sitting room with Elle and Lexi. "Who's coming?" he asked, to give them some idea of the others who would be joining them.

"Tyler and Oliver from FM, and then Amy and Rachel as well. Amy'll be up in a sec and I think Rachel may have hitched a ride from Ty. SJ's running late I think. Anyone want a drink?"

"I'll take one, herbal tea please," smiled Elle, sitting down next to Keri. "You guys joining us for werewolf?"

Keri nodded. "Yeah. Just finished tutoring and Josie won't be around to pick me up until later, and we're giving these guys a lift as well so yeah."

"Cool." Elle grabbed a coaster from the middle of the table and put it near her so she could place the mug on it in a minute. "Hey Kit, did you want me to help get it all set up?"

Oscar passed the box to Elle and together they counted out all the cards they'd need. "We're using the thief right? And cupid?"

Oscar shook his head. "Not cupid. Makes it too complex and these guys haven't played before so I think it's better to stick with the thief, fortune teller, hunter, and witch as extras. They're simple enough and I have a feeling they'll want complex character stories anyhow."

"They better," Michael interrupted, squeezing in between them carrying a glass of coke. "Kittie said I can be narrator, and I'm expecting detail and flourish. It better not just be me being a good storyteller."

"As if Swan," answered Elle, shoving him out of her way. "Go sit in a corner until you've finished that. Kittie will kill you if you get that muck on her cards."

Michael gaped. "Muck? Muck?! I'll have you know this is genuine coca-cola, not cheap own brand super market stuff."

"Muck." Elle glanced up at Kittie who had come in with her tea. "I take it the others know how to play?"

Oscar chuckled. "I forgot you bowed out early at the Halloween party so didn't witness Tyler and Oliver play this drunk. It was absolutely hilarious. Poor sods could barely make coherent accusations. Ty kept mumbling about it all being the work of lycanthropic aliens and arguing with Oliver who seemed to take the Doctor Who approach of a fallen star with lycanthropic dna that possessed young men. Nearly ended in a punch up until Kittie being Kittie intervened and calmed them both down."

"Ahh telling tales on our last encounter with this game are we Halliday?" called Tyler as he entered the room, ditching his coat and hat on a chair nearby. "Let's hope you're telling it in its full epicness."

"Of course not, because it's hardly what I would call epic. You two nearly had a punch up arguing over game mechanics whilst drunk and only subdued when Kittie threatened to kill you both as the narrator and put you in time out."

Tyler screwed up his face. "Don't remind me of my indignities. To be bossed around through the threat of murder." He shook his head before glancing over at the spylets.

"You must be the tutees. I'm Tyler and this oaf that's come in behind me is Oliver. Don't worry, he doesn't bite, except when he's a werewolf, oh and at night. Quite the scoundrel in bed." He waggled his eyebrows causing Keri to laugh.

"Knock it off Ty. I don't think these guys know of our humour and the fake relationship."

"Fake?" Tyler held a hand to his chest, feigning pain. "We are not fake. You're…" He glanced over at Kittie and stopped. "Right. Best behaviour it is. Sorry."

Dan frowned. "Hang on, are you two together or not? Cause it's not… I mean I'm not like that… it's cool if you are."

Oliver laughed as he handed Elle the card she'd dropped. "No, we're not together. And for the record, my girlfriend doesn't mind all the banter. It's just a running joke that I'm not entirely sure how it started. We're good friends, get called the three musketeers when we're with Sam, sometimes even without."

"It's probably because you're my underlining, no innuendo intended. Oliver works for the company Sam and I created as our head of digital effects and head of the department, aka the only member, that transfers real life footage that's tested out to animation frames in the form of rough sketches. He tweaks the fiddly bits making it more realistic. Plus he gets to do a lot of the motion capture stuff which is pretty cool."

"It is indeed," laughed Oliver in response, setting his stuff down near Oscar.

Kittie stood up, looking behind Tyler and Oliver at the doorway. "Did you lose Rachel along the way guys?"

"Oh she just headed upstairs to grab Amy. I think she's looking forward to moving in here soon."

"Awesome," smiled Kittie. Before Michael could take the cards off of Oscar and Elle, she grabbed them and pulled out the different types. "Okay, just so you guys know. We're all villagers in a town, some of us are villagers with cards like this, some werewolves like this, and then there's a couple of special villager cards which means they can do a bit more. This card with the mask on is the thief. They get one action where at the beginning they can look at the two leftover cards in the middle and choose one. If they're the same they take one and then the other and the thief get hidden. Their identity changes and their role might depending on what they picked up." She placed the cards she'd mentioned face up so the others could see.

"Then there's the witch and they have two potions they can use at any point within the game. One potion heals and one potion poisons. Each night after the wolves have chosen their victim, they wake up and get to see who it is. They can then choose if they want to use their healing potion or not but once it's used that's it. They can also poison someone they think might be guilty but no-one is listening to them about the accusation. Doesn't tend to be used, but is occasionally, especially when they know they're the victim and can't heal themselves." She glared at Tyler and Oliver. "I've also seen these two use it to kill each other as quickly as possible, and once to kill the last person so they can live together in peace in the village."

At that point, Rachel came in with Amy, carrying bowls of crisps and sweets. "Thought we'd bring down some food to keep those creative brain cells going," beamed Rachel as they placed the crockery on the coffee table. "But that does mean you can't pig the lot Michael," she finished, moving the bowls she had been holding out of his reach. She knew what he was like.

"Thanks." Kittie picked up a Haribo and popped it in her mouth before continuing. "So the fortune teller can be told the identity of another player each night they are alive. If they're too suspicious in their accusations though they tend to get bumped off, especially early on if they're very obvious." This last comment was directed at Elle who looked a little sheepish.

"I wasn't that obvious last time was I?"

"Honey, you made the volcano cake for Tommy's birthday look like a smooth cover up. Subtle is not your middle name." Kittie picked up the hunter card and placed it down so the spylets could see. "And this is the hunter. The only special thing about this is that when killed, the hunter can retaliate and kill someone else making 2 deaths at once. Aim of the game for the wolves is kill everyone else, villagers aim is to wipe out the wolves, and if the cupid were in play it would be the lovers to be the only ones left."

Frank came in muttering about Stark and following commands. Keri glanced up. "Did you want to play Frank? I thought you'd left but you can join in if you want."

"Uhh," he looked around at everyone else and shook his head. "No, I'll watch I think seeing as I don't know how to play. Maybe next game if the AA haven't come and fixed my car."

Kittie tilted her head to the side questioningly. Frank scowled. "Mr Stark damaged the breaks last time he used my company car and didn't bother to get them fixed. So when I came to give you the work you needed to mark Kittie, and bring these guys up they stopped working completely. Thankfully I didn't hit anything on your road."

Kittie nodded feigning relief. For a lie to cover up Keri's slip, it was pretty good, especially as the car was outside. Someone from MI9 would come to look at it pretending to be AA she was sure. She clapped to gain everyone's attention. "Okay, so Michael, do you want to shuffle the cards and hand them out? Don't spill any of that muck on my cards or I will disown you."

Michael picked up the cards excitedly. "This is where I get to take over. Now, look at your cards and don't show anyone. Ty, Oliver, no cheating okay? It's not gang up on everyone else, especially as you're not the lovers as there are none."

"Disregarding our relationship again. Jealous Swan?" snorted Tyler, narrowly avoiding the large sweet that was thrown at him by Kittie.

Michael took a deep breath and smiled. "Our tale begins in Winchester town in 1806. Your previous Sheriff John Richardson has died and it is time to elect a new sheriff. A group of you gather around in the town hall to decide who will take his place. I open the floor to you. Please introduce yourselves as well so the other villagers know who you are."

Taking that as a sign to do this systematically, Kittie grabbed the sheriff's badge. "As the widow of the late sheriff, I believe my husband would want a worthy predecessor and I feel obliged to make sure this is so. With a heavy heart, I hand over my husband's badge and wait to hear who steps forward." She placed the badge down again.

Oscar coughed. "Well ma'am, as your local deputy, I feel John would have wanted me to follow in his footsteps, especially as I have knowledge of the case he was working on when he died."

Michael waved a hand here to interrupt. "Now the case he is referring to is about Seamus McAuffrey, an Irish traveller who came to the town 6 months ago, and has since been boiled alive in silver after evidence that he was a werewolf. After the execution, Richardson and uh…"

"Lockland," Oscar filled in.

"Lockland set about trying to work out how many innocent villagers McAuffrey had turned but unfortunately Richardson was killed trying to work this out. They still don't know how many wolves there are exactly but estimate there is two or three."

"Do you think you as sheriff could find the wolves and kill them before the whole town is wiped out?" questioned Kittie, immersed in the role.

"I do ma'am," replied Oscar, doffing an imaginary hat.

"If it pleases you, I would like to offer myself for the role of sheriff. The name's Henry Taffin and as the local blacksmith, I have access to silver and other metals that can be melted down and formed into weapons to kill these wretched beasts." Tyler grinned, looking over at Oliver. "And my apprentice here will help keep the manufacture of such weapons going."

"But sir, if you're the sheriff, are you going to leave the important task of making these weapons to a boy? As the owner of the Hyde Inn, I don't feel comfortable entrusting my safety regarding silver weapons to a boy," argued Neish, not wanting to miss out on the fun.

"Could I offer my services as Sheriff?" asked Keri, before she shook her head. "No, I would like to offer my services. You all know I'm a genuine Annie Oakley and a dab hand with a gun. Those wolves don't stand a chance with me."

"But… but… you're a girl!" spluttered Lexi. "I couldn't endorse this one bit. You will never be my sheriff young lady and I shall make sure you never will be." If he had a moustache he would have twirled it.

"Now hang on a cotton threaded minute!" protested Rachel. "Now you know all know me, and you know I, Mrs Felicity Davenport owner of the Knit-and-Stitch would personally never run for sheriff but how can you say that we women cannot be sheriff? Miss uh…"

"Julie Carlaw."

"Julie Carlaw is an excellent shot. She's chased several of you varmints away from my young daughter when you came a-calling unsolicited like. Why shouldn't she be allowed to be sheriff?"

"Quite right too! We women should be allowed the chance, the same chance as you men. Personally I would hate myself or mama to be caught up in all this werewolf drama, but Julie saved my neck when Tom Tanner came round wanting more than a kiss, and I don't think there's any one of you who would do a better job with them wolves if they do exist. Half scared me and I weren't the one she was shooting at." Elle smiled, and giggled a little as if the idea amused her.

Michael waved his hands around again, standing in the middle of the room. "This is England people. Stop making it sound like the Wild West. I specifically stated this was Winchester Town, not some backwater settlement in the south of the US." Sheepish looks passed around the group before Lexi glanced over at Dan.

"You're rather quiet tonight sir. What's your opinion on the matter?" Lexi asked, wondering if the reason Dan hadn't said anything yet was because he was confused by what was going on. Then again that might have also applied to Tom.

"No, no. I would like to run for sheriff but these fine people have already stated their cases much better than I could. I'm just a mine excavator for Mr Babbage here, and while I wouldn't personally elect Miss Carlaw it isn't because she is a woman. It is because I believe Mr Lockland would do a better job as he knows the case already. You Taffin would be much better staying in your smithy with your lad working on making those silver bullets to kill those monsters before we all become their suppers." Dan grinned at Tyler and Oliver cockily as if trying to aggravate them.

Oliver scowled, and stepped back when Tyler rested a hand upon his shoulder. "He has a point lad. Leave the business of catching them to someone else while we concentrate on the weapons to bring them down."

"If I might add something here," piped up Tom from the corner. "I know you all find me and my inventions strange but uh, I think I could work with Mr Taffin and his apprentice to uh modify their silver to bring down these beasts quicker. I personally don't want to be a meal. My Tabitha would be most distraught at my death and I'd rather not let it come to that. I've been working on something since we first found out about McAuffrey and I think I'm quite close to coming up with a way to identify them." It was an obvious bluff, or he was being a bit of a clueless fortune teller.

"Very well then. Mrs Richardson, what do you think?" asked Michael, trying to steer the conversation so that they could actually start playing.

"Well, I uh, I think the candidates we've got are good, so we should put it to a vote I think," Kittie nodded as she spoke as if confirming for herself. She already knew who she wanted, but was trying to help Michael gain a bit of order again.

"Right, so hands up for Lockland the current deputy," called Michael to which 7 people raised their hands including Oscar and Kittie.

"No surprise there," murmured Elle, earning a glare from the couple.

"And for Miss Carlaw?" Her candidacy was met with three hands – Rachel and Elle backing her up.

"And our last candidate Mr Taffin, although at this point we have a majority…" who surprisingly had two, Oliver who as the smith boy was very loyal to his master, and most surprisingly Amy who had yet to offer an opinion or even a statement during this discussion.

"What? I think Mr Taffin should have the opportunity, as he rightly said has access to the materials in order to bring down these frightening creatures. Why they send Mr Fluffles into the most horrendous yowling matches, like my precious baby is possessed."

"Very well, with the majority of votes, Mr Lockland is your new sheriff," declared Michael, placing the card in front of Oscar.

With that, he decided it was time the game actually began. He had never known discussion to go on longer than a minute but as they were all pretty immersed he supposed he was grateful.

"Having elected a new sheriff, the town of Winchester went to bed, traps having been laid out by the villagers to try and catch these wolves. Night fell and one by one the villagers drifted off to bed, praying for daylight to come soon. The first to awaken that night was the thief. Eager to change their identity, they searched for a new one, found it and became so completely. Maybe they were already being that person as well, so maybe they just put their thieving past behind them. Anyways, the thief went back to sleep, tucked up in their bed."

Frank watched as Rachel opened her eyes, took a new card begrudgingly and 'went back to sleep'. Judging from her reaction both the leftover cards had been ordinary villagers.

Michael carried on. "When the moon was at it's highest, silvery light shone down on the village causing the werewolves to stir and transform. They gathered in the square to plan their revenge for the murder of their creator and chose their first victim through gestures." He paused for a moment as Oliver, Neisha, and Elle flapped around trying to choose a victim, eventually settling on one. "Satisfied with the brutal murder, they crept back to their beds having howled at the moon a little, pleased with their accomplishment where they went to sleep."

"Then, startled by the noise, the witch woke up and rushed over to where they had heard the wolves attack. Finding the victim, they inspected the body and decided whether or not they should use their healing elixir." Dan shook his head, not wanting to use the only healing potion on the first victim when it could be a deciding favour later on in the game. "Believing there was nothing they could do to save the innocent, they stayed there until the last breath was drawn, closed the poor soul's eyes and went back to bed having discarded their blood covered clothes."

Michael checked the booklet and hit his head. "Before they went to bed though, the witch thought about their stash of poison they had and wondered if they should kill someone whom they thought guilty of being a wolf." Dan shook his head and closed his eyes again after a little eye rolling.

"In the early hours of the morning, the fortune teller awoke," bringing Tyler to a quick start. "The fortune teller scried using tarot cards and saw someone was going to die. Unable to work out who, they searched their crystal ball to know the true identity of one of the villagers, whom they will now identify to me by pointing."

Frank watched as Tyler thought for a moment then pointed at Oscar. Michael moved around the group, picking up multiple cards before picking up Oscar's identity and showing it to the other. Nodding to show he understood, Tyler closed his eyes again. "What the seer will do with that information is up to them. They packed away their equipment, not wanting anyone to know they were the seer for magic is frowned upon here as much as lycanthropicy, then went back to bed."

Michael paused for a moment. He counted off the steps on his fingers. "Thief, Wolves, Witch, Seer… Okay, so the town awoke the next morning, everyone in their houses in their beds. Slowly the villagers wandered out into the open fearful of what may have occurred in the night and who might have been killed." Michael stopped as Tyler handed him a note. He frowned initially then laughed. "Taffin stumbled out of his cottage next to the smithy, Daniel his apprentice in tow, both looking a little rough but not injured. The villagers gathered in the town square but then they realised someone was missing. It was their newly elected sheriff." He held up a hand as Kittie, Oscar, and Keri opened their mouths to comment. "No, not yet you two, and you," he said pointing to Oscar, "are dead so not a word until the end."

"Can I say how I died at least or how I'm found?" he asked, clearly wanting one final word in his short story.

Michael flapped a hand. "Sure, I guess, why the hell not. Anyways, the villagers rushed to the sheriffs house and found the door was unbolted." He nodded to Oscar to take over if he so wished.

He did. "The door creaked open and the villagers gasped. Inside was a complete and utter mess. Crockery from the kitchen was found smashed all over the house, mirrors and windows broken, no doubt so the monsters didn't see themselves, too ashamed or sickened by their appearances. Blood was pooled in places, largely leading from the front door to the hallway and up the stairs. Deep scratches lined the stairs and the villagers eyed them fearfully as they crept up, dreading what they would find. The trail of blood led to the bedroom where the sheriff, now deceased, lay on the floor, his skin pale and cold, his eyes closed. The brightest colour in the room was the large pool of blood around the body that had oozed through the jagged tears in the poor man's flesh. He had been dead for a few hours. Who had killed the man who had barely begun his investigation into the identity of the wolves?"

Michael coughed, not impressed. "Yes, thanks. So who did it? You can vote for one person per round so choose someone you think did it, if you have a case, state it, and try and convince the others you're right."

With that, war broke out, or rather an argument that could have been war.

"Babbage was certainly fond of getting him hired quickly and not Miss Carlaw. Maybe if she had been sheriff, she wouldn't have died in the first round, I uh mean night!" protested Amy, stroking an imaginary cat.

"I object. My employer is a good man and he would never do anything as brutal as this. He wanted the right person for the job and he believed in this poor soul. Maybe he was killed because people thought he would bring the wolves down quickly. Maybe he really was onto something," countered Dan.

"Ahh but, I think it's Mrs umm…"

"It's Ms," answered Amy as snootily as she could. "Ms Eliza Farenborough-Greenway. Poor Elijah gone and all I have left is my cat Mr Fluffles and some nit brain accuses me of being a wretched vile werewolf. Oh the indignity."

Elle widened her eyes briefly at Amy's acting and carried on. "Anyway, I think its Ms Farenborough-Greenway because she was the first to accuse a well standing citizen who contributes immensely to this town, and I heard her last night creeping around." She nodded enthusiastically.

"And how did you hear her child when you were supposedly tucked up in your bed dreaming?" Frowned Rachel, playing the concerned mother.

"Oh, I Uh… I was in bed mother, I just woke up, yes, I woke up and I heard a noise coming from outside so I peeked round the curtain out the window and who did I see prowling through the streets? None other than Ms Farenborough-Greenway herself, no doubt on the hunt for blood."

"Preposterous! You would believe this child's outlandish lies?"

"I heard you myself lady. You came barrelling down past the smithy, woke me up you did clanging around. Gave me half a fright! I couldn't see you but I'm sure you looked positively hairy." Oliver grinned, glancing at Elle before grabbing the note she passed him.

"Hairy indeed! I shall tell you what I was doing you rude hooligans. I was out looking for Mr Fluffles. He had gotten out and I was terrified those monsters would rip him to shreds so I crept out to look for him which is when you saucy miss must have seen me. And my hairiness is utter nonsense. I was wrapped up in my fur coat with Mr Fluffles tucked in at the neck to stop him escaping again when I walked past the smithy."

"No! All lies, you lie lady!" yelled Oliver, jumping to his feet as if it were all real. "I can prove it. So maybe I wasn't in the smithy all night. Maybe I went a-calling to Miss Jenny here in the night to steal a kiss, just a kiss mind ma'am," he added, feeling Rachel's motherly glare on him, "before heading back which was when I saw you."

"Daniel!" gasped Tyler. "How could you? I thought that you…" he cleared his throat. "I thought you were a good lad. I shan't have you sleeping in the smithy any longer. You shall have to stay in my house where I can keep an eye on you. There are monsters about you know lad, you could have gotten killed."

Kittie rolled her eyes. Those two were at it again. Michael waved his arms around, trying desperately to draw them away from the torrid love scene that Tyler and Oliver were so intent on having, despite Elle and Oliver's communications.

"Alright, alright, it sounds like there's quite a compelling case against… Amy I can't say your name without laughing," he spluttered. "Any other accusations?"

"Yes, I accuse…" Tom moved his hand to point at Keri, "you Miss Carlaw. Maybe you killed the sheriff, may Mr Lockwood rest in peace, as revenge for becoming sheriff instead of you. You have the knowledge, the motive, and maybe the means and opportunity. You live alone, so you could have snuck out of yours easily, met up with the other wolves and killed our sheriff. You were also rather insistent on becoming sheriff in the first place. With a wolf as sheriff, then maybe just maybe the wolves could have more power and turn us against each other."

"If that's your logic then you surely can apply that theory to Mr Taffin. He wanted to become sheriff as well, offering himself before I did, and he was alone last night as well, at least that we know of," she looked at Oliver and Tyler accusingly. "For all we know, there are many secrets going on in this place."

"I think it's time we call for a vote. Those who think it is Ms Faren… Farenborough… Amy hands up." Michael counted the hands quickly knowing the maximum would be 11 if Amy voted for herself. "All those who think it is Miss Carlaw?" Again he counted, 4 hands this time, less than the others. "And all those for Mr Taffin, although at this point it's a why bother when we have a majority." Keri's hand shot up accusing him.

"Excuse me, what about my vote? I think it's Mr Babbage," protested Amy.

"Well considering you're most likely to be executed I don't think it's worth it, but we'll count your vote that way anyway. Unfortunately the majority is Amy so I'm afraid you are hung and shot with silver bullets. Any last requests?"

"Someone please look after Mr Fluffles!" wailed Amy. Then she smiled. "Can I reveal what I was?"

"Oh yeah, sure. And uh Oscar was an ordinary villager aside from Sheriff. Amy?"

"I was… a villager, which you found out after I died and there was no sign of wolf about me, even from the rudimentary examination performed by the inventor here who apparently is the most qualified to do that sort of thing."

"Great. Disheartened that they had killed an innocent but annoying and snooty villager, the others went to bed. Of course the wolves were hiding their true identities and couldn't show their joy until later that evening. Oh wait, but first we need a new sheriff."

"Tyler," chorused most people, and even Keri had to admit that now her character had been accused by 4 people, she wouldn't be sheriff. Tyler took the card and laid it next to his character card.

"Darkness fell and soon everyone was sound asleep in their beds, until the moon came out again and the wolves softly howled their way to their meeting point. Discussion was made as they chose their next victim before going to complete the deed."

Elle, Neish and Oliver glanced around the room at the others. There was a bit of discussion before Tom was chosen as the next victim, no doubt because he had made a good point when accusing Keri, despite the fact she wasn't actually one of them. They also didn't want to kill Tyler yet as it might be suspicious if the sheriff died 2 nights in a row.

"Having mauled their victim, the wolves howled a farewell and went back to sleep. The witch woke up and found the next victim. They chose whether or not to heal the dying person but eventually decided it was not going to help as the victim was too near death. They also realised it was not worth trying to poison anyone as they weren't entirely sure on the culprits. So they went back to sleep." Dan closed his eyes again. Frank was fairly sure he was trying to play a long game here and wait until he was sure about who he thought the wolves were.

"Next, the fortune teller awoke and scried to find out the identity of one of the villagers." Tyler pointed to Oliver. No doubt his communications with Elle were making him suspicious, and wanting to play the game his way, he was intrigued to find out what his friend was up to. Michael showed him the card having moved several others so that no-one knew whose card had been seen, before Tyler nodded with a grin and closed his eyes again. What he would do with the information Oliver was a wolf would soon be seen in the morning.

Michael took a swig of his coke and coughed, banging his chest as it went down the wrong way. "Everyone woke up the next morning, the village peaceful and quiet until… Loud screams came from towards the edge of the town where the inventor lived with his wife. The newly elected sheriff and the townsfolk hurried over to the house, the women hitching up their skirts to make running easier, and were met outside by a distraught Tabitha. She screamed through tears about her poor husband, the blood stains on her white nightgown clearly showing he had been the victim. Why she had been left alive, no-one knew."

Kittie waved a hand to grab her brother's attention. "Whilst the others examine the body, I will attend to the poor widow."

Michael nodded. "Upon investigation, pieces of the late Mr… Uh Tom, what was your name?"

"George Branwell," muttered Tom, fiddling with a Rubix cube he had pulled out from his pocket, classic Tom showing here.

"Right, pieces of the late Mr Branwell were found strewn around his workshop at the back of the house. No doubt he had been working extremely late when he had been attacked, hence the reason for his family not being attacked as well. Unless it was a calculated attack going after someone who could have stopped the wolves."

Michael shut up and let the others take over again. A flurry of activity struck as the group began talking, confirming it must be the work of the wolves, and that justice must be sought for the poor widow, widows when including Kittie. Accusations came left, right and centre as the others took into account the various note passing that had been going on. Even Rachel and Elle were passing notes but that may have just been so they could get their connected stories straight. Eventually after a lot of conferring and persuasion with Tyler acting not as the key accuser but not a sheep either, the finger of blame was pointed at Oliver. In game, Oliver protested and pleaded with his master to defend him, as well as Elle, begging them to reconsider for how could he, the boy they knew so well be a wolf? Eventually even he had to admit it was fruitless, so when the vote came, he wasn't surprised when it was 9-1 including Tyler's extra vote as sheriff.

"So after deciding that it was Daniel, the town captured him and imprisoned him shortly before the lad was hung drawn and quartered. As the lad died, his eyes turned bright yellow and he snarled, vowing his wolfy brethren would avenge him."

The group looked around at each other, the remaining wolves masking their annoyance as Oliver turned over his card whilst grabbing a fistful of Haribo which he proceeded to eat one by one. No doubt he was looking forward to the outcome of the game even if he wouldn't win.

"Okay, everyone goes back to sleep, feeling a bit safer that their sheriff has finally been able to get somewhere on this case and get rid of one of the wolves, with the help of the other villagers. The wolves woke up that night and met, absolutely furious at the death of their friend. They chose a new victim, ready to adhere to their brother's wishes."

Snickers came from Oliver following Tom's gasp in surprise at who the remaining wolves were. He probably had no idea.

"Knock it off you two. The dead don't make a sound," growled Michael. "You know that," he added pointing to Oliver who was indeed what you might call a veteran at this game. Neisha and Elle argued silently for a few moments, Neisha unsure why Tyler should be killed. He wasn't the one who had initially accused Oliver and killing the sheriff again might be suspicious. However she did know that the witch might choose to save him, especially as Tyler did seem to be a pivotal person in this game who knew what he was doing so maybe it was better to kill him after all. She agreed and the girls closed their eyes again, signalling to Michael they were finished.

"Okay, so having killed their victim, the wolves went back to bed, satisfied with the beginnings of their revenge. No doubt they had more planned. The witch awoke and through their tarot cards, found the victim of the wolves, still alive but not for long."

Dan nodded, indicating he wanted to use the potion to heal Tyler. Even he knew the importance of keeping him alive at this point, even if it meant using his only healing potion.

"Realising the healing potion would help this poor soul, they quickly poured the draft down said victim's throat and helped them back to bed. Finished, they went back to sleep."

Squeaks came from Tom again as Oliver threw a cushion at him to shut him up. Michael scowled. "You two stop it. The dead do not make a sound at all. I shall kick you two out of here if you don't shut up." He cleared his throat trying to regain his cool. "So then, the fortune teller woke up." Even he had to bite his lip here as the victim woke up shortly after being mauled. "They scried into their crystal ball and looked for the identity of…"

Tyler pointed to Keri, and Michael nodded. "Having finished, they packed up again and went back to bed. The next morning, everyone woke up. Now the villagers found that no-one had died but your poor sheriff's cottage was rather damaged inside for he had been the intended victim but had been healed in the night thankfully by the witch. The wolves had failed, but the townsfolk still had to make a decision of who they thought was a wolf, and do something about it."

Michael opened the floor up again, and immediately Kittie turned to Lexi. "Mr Babbage, where were you last night? I'm sure I heard something last night outside my house, and there in the moonlight, I saw you sniffing the ground before you raced off."

Lexi tugged his collar. "I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for that." His smooth face was replaced with faked nervousness. "I woke up in the night and went to check the traps we had set. Whilst I was doing that, I found tracks and blood. I was checking to see if it was human or wolf, wondering if it was the victims, uh our sheriffs, or if one of the remaining wolves had been injured in their attack. My interests don't just extend to mining you know."

Keri frowned. "A likely story, however, you Miss Jenny don't seem that distraught over the death of your beau, Daniel. Perhaps that is because you knew you could get your revenge for him."

Elle snorted. "Yes, that's why. I'm not distraught because he was a wolf. Why would I be upset over the death of a wolf? I'm a villager, mama tell them."

Rachel shook her head. "I'm not sure my darling. You have been mighty suspicious lately." She glanced at Lexi. "However, Mr Babbage, you sir are also acting very suspicious. You've not really spoken up recently. Maybe you're just letting us hash it out so you can be the last wolf standing, and with Mrs Richardson's testimony, the evidence is starting to point to you."

"Nonsense. I am an upstanding citizen. I was merely checking the traps as I have already stated. As for my lack of first-hand accusations which seems to be the problem here, I don't want to accuse my fellow villagers with solid evidence like we did with Mrs Farnborough-Greenway. As much as I despised the poor woman, she was an ordinary villager and we had killed one of our own."

"Well does anyone have any other accusations? I personally find Jenny unconvincing but there does seem to be a compelling case being built against Mr Babbage," commented Tyler, taking a lead as sheriff.

"I don't believe my employer is guilty of such a crime. I'm sure he was just checking the traps as he said. And none of the victims so far have had a real connection with him. Yes Mr Lockwood had been our sheriff, our current sheriff was nearly killed, and then the inventor, but no-one who has previously accused him has died. If he were a wolf, why wouldn't he target the people who were opposing him?" Dan seemed determined to defend Lexi.

"Ahh but, maybe he hasn't killed anyone who has accused him because it would be even more suspicious? Just look at that face. I'm sure he is guilty!" argued Neish speaking up. It had been a while since she had said anything substantial like that.

"He also accused me, a poor innocent girl whose lover was a wolf." Elle wrinkled her nose, unimpressed.

"Are you guys ready for a vote?" asked Michael, glad Tom and Oliver had finally shut up. The others nodded, apart from Lexi who still wasn't looking happy about the accusation. "Alright then, so there's call to vote for Elle, and Lexi, anyone else?"

The others shook their head, thinking those two seemed the most likely suspects right now. "Alright, hands up for Lexi," who was voted for by 6 people including Tyler, "And hands up for Elle," who was given 2 by Lexi and not surprisingly, Dan. "Sorry Lexi, you are shot down in the street by the sheriff."

Lexi turned over his card and grinned. "As Tyler fired at me, I drew my own gun and shot back, bullets flying. Despite aiming for Elle, I'm going to go with Keri for the reason she had been very adamant to get sheriff and maybe as a wolf she had chosen Ty to die so she could become the new sheriff. So unfortunately Keri, as the hunter I have chosen to kill you as I die."

"Very unfortunate indeed," laughed Keri. "For you see, I was just a villager who was keen on protecting this town and keeping the people safe, nothing more." She turned her card over to reveal she was in fact a villager.

Groans went around the circle as Michael waved. "Alright, alright, so unfortunately the accusations and lynching were incorrect, and another villager died in the process. The wolves are starting to regain ground and are getting closer to a victory. The villagers are going to have to work quickly. Disheartened, everyone goes to sleep that night, wondering who the next victim is going to be. The wolves awoke and met in the village again feeling quite pleased with themselves. They had still got 2 villagers killed even if the witch had healed their victim. So together they decided which of the villagers had to die this night."

Elle and Neish looked around the remaining players and eventually settled on Kittie. They didn't see the point in going for Tyler again just yet, especially as the others knew he wasn't a wolf at least. If they could thin down the rest of the villagers first then there was a higher chance they would win.

"Having mauled their victim and howled at the moon in memory of their fallen comrades, they went back to sleep. The witch woke up. Having used up their special healing elixir, they decided if they were going to take a chance and poison someone, bearing in mind there are 2 wolves left in the game and if they accidentally end up killing a villager then they're probably not going to win."

Oliver frowned at Michael. "Are you allowed to say things like that? I mean it's not fair if you're helping someone. Gives everyone else a slight disadvantage."

"You're just sour because you're dead. Of course he can. He can say what he likes within reason, and he hasn't actually given anything away. He's just provided an opinion," countered Lexi. He passed the bowl of sweets to Oliver having taken some for himself. "Just eat more sugar and stop complaining."

"Thanks Lex. So anyway, did the witch want to use their poison?" Michael asked. Dan shook his head. "Very well. The witch went back to bed. The fortune teller woke up and scried to know the identity of someone in the village." Tyler thought for a moment before pointing to Dan. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at Oliver when he was shown the younger boys card, and Oliver shrugged in response. No-one had had any idea that Dan was the witch. Nodding to show he understood, Tyler closed his eyes again.

"Right, the next morning, the town woke up and found… poor Mrs Richardson, a late widow, and now a late person had been mauled in the night. The motive is unsure, unless you sheriff have any insights to offer?"

Tyler frowned. "Okay, so last round, uh day, when Mr Babbage was as it turns out wrongfully accused, both Neisha and Elle were adamant on getting him killed. And, you haven't seemed to be that upset over the death of Oliver, but angry Jenny. Even your own mother is starting to get suspicious of you and when investigating my ruined home, I found thread embedded in the scratches in my bedposts. With the help of the late inventor's wife, I was able to find it wasn't from my nightshirt, but from a woman's frock, similar to the one you had been wearing yesterday, pink gingham. So I put it to you my fellow villagers that poor Jenny Davenport is a wolf, much like my former apprentice, her lover." Tyler stuck his tongue out at Elle. He was feeling a bit miffed that the two of them had been messing with his plans, especially as he and Oliver had been planning on taking over the game before it had even started. If he was right, then their communications were because of the two of them being wolves and giving each other an alibi. "Can I say as well from and out of game point of view, they were passing notes, and why else would they need a cover scheme to say where they both were if only one of them is a wolf? What possible reason could Elle have had for going along with it?"

"Because it's funny to mess with you Ty," retorted Elle. "Look, I am just an innocent who was led along by a wolf. I am a sweet girl who works very hard for her mama in the shop. I would never hurt anyone."

"But, perhaps you tried to kill me the other night so you could have Daniel to yourself, or you had found out about our relations and wanted to kill me because you couldn't do anything to him as he was already dead."

Gasps went around the circle, causing Tyler to scowl. "Oh come on. It was fairly obvious, and even you sir," he said pointing to Dan, "knew of the matter. For you yourself asked me if relations with a man were very different from relations with a woman."

Dan blushed both in character and out. "I was curious. But I do think our sheriff has a point. Based on the deduced allegations from Miss Davenport's behaviour, and the evidence that was found at one of the scenes, I do believe she is guilty."

Nodding carried on, even Neisha who saw no choice but to convict her fellow wolf in order to stay alive herself for the time being. Even Rachel nodded reluctantly, her character not wanting to believe her daughter was a monster, but knew it could be possible, and she had been suspicious.

"Any last words Elle, before you're shot with silver?" Michael asked. "Oh and Kittie was a villager by the way. Forgot to mention that."

"Please Mama, don't let them do this to me. I'm just a girl, please!" Elle begged.

Rachel shook her head. "I'm sorry my dear, but it does seem to be you. May your soul rest in peace."

"It won't until you're all dead and my brethren have taken over!" growled Elle in response, all façade of her being a villager gone. "They will hunt you down one by one until no-one is left but them and then will I finally get my revenge." She turned her card over with a flourish, revealing she was a wolf as Tyler had suspected.

"Alright, alright," called Michael as chatter began around the circle from the remaining players. "Kittie, can you make sure those two stay quiet?" he asked pointing to Oliver and Tom who looked slightly offended. "Great, now the village goes to sleep that night, knowing that amongst the 4 of them was one remaining wolf. The wolf woke up and furious that they had now lost their brother and their sister, they chose a new victim and began devouring them, leaving nothing but blood stains and torn clothing." Neisha pointed to Tyler. With him dead there was a chance she could get the sheriff card and still win. She closed her eyes and Michael carried on. "The witch woke next and decided if they wanted to poison anyone."

Dan nodded and pointed at Rachel. He knew it was 50/50 between her and Neisha and although he wasn't sure, he had a sneaking suspicion it was Rachel. If he was wrong, he knew he would have to get the sheriff card somehow in order to win. Having confirmed with Michael, he went back to sleep, leaving Kittie frowning at him.

"Okay, the fortune teller woke up and scried to find out the identity of one of the remaining villagers." Tyler looked confused, thinking he was probably killed but shrugged. If Michael was letting him see a card, he would go for it. He chose to look at Neisha's to confirm his suspicions from before. His eyes widened as he saw he had been right. Whether or not he could use that information in a minute was something he would soon see.

"The next morning, only Neisha and Dan woke up, for your poor sheriff had been devoured in the night, and the owner of the knit-and-stich had been poisoned due to poor judgement by the witch."

The second Tyler and Rachel's cards had been revealed, war broke out between Neish and Dan as they both scrambled for the sheriff card in front of Tyler. Michael picked it up and held it in his hands. "Okay so neither of you is going to want the other to have it, so we're going to have to do a coin toss. Whoever calls it correctly is the one with the card. It's the only fair way, but either the wolf is going to win, or the witch." Michael took the coin Kittie had passed him from the box. With the game having had similar outcomes before, a 1p had been left inside the box to solve disputes quicker. "Okay, Dan, heads or tails?"

Dan thought for a moment. "Heads," he said, deciding that 50/50 odds were better than nothing even if he had made a mistake with it before.

Michael tossed the coin and caught it, laying it flat onto the table. "Heads it is. Dan gets the sheriff card, and no doubt the two of you are voting for each other, so with 2 votes to 1, Neisha you are killed. When the two remaining villagers find that they are the sole survivors, there is a stand-off between them before they race to the sheriff's office to grab the badge and the guns with the silver bullets. By a mad dash, Dan is the first to reach it, promptly barricading himself in there until he is ready to hunt down Neisha. He loads up on silver bullets from the safe and heads out of the door carefully to find her. A growl comes from behind and he dodges, narrowly avoiding being pounced on. As he does so, he twists and fires 3 shots into the woman, dropping her. A final shot to the head kills her. He stands panting in the street, and realises he needs to rebuild the town with the leftover villagers, burying their deceased, and burning the bodies of the wolves."

Michael bowed, his story finished.

"That was fun. Can we play again?" asked Keri.