Hey there!

This is my first ever Fanfiction so I hope it's ok! I am completely in love with Fables and TWAU (all credit to the owners of both of those amazing works of art!) and this has been knocking around in my head for a while so I felt inspired to write it down! I may do more if people enjoy or the mood takes me!

So enjoy and please let me know what you think!

xxx

It wasn't often that Bigby felt nervous in the woods. But as he sat there listening intently, he felt restless, like he had made a huge mistake and needed to call off the whole thing immediately. I blame Snow he thought as he began counting to 30 and pacing the forest floor. 1...2...3...

Earlier that morning she had announced to their brood they would be having a "training session" with their father. He was as thrilled as his children at the time. Pleased that she accepted they needed to be cubs, and pleased he could spend time with them too. The morning had gone well so far he thought, as he rounded 10...11...12...13... They hadn't been too squeamish and followed his instructions to the letter, so once he had run out of ideas, he had suggested a little game of hide-and-seek.

"I want all of you to count to 30 and run as fast and hard as your legs will carry you. Once you hit 30, stop there and hide as best you can...and NO FLYING!" He shouted as they roared off in separate directions, squealing and giggling as they went. He laughed at the time, but now there was a hush over the forest, that made him feel as though there was a lump of goblin stuck in his throat. Visions of a tearful Snow, wailing: My precious babies! What have you done with them! As he shrugged helplessly at her, ran briefly through his mind until he shook his great head and rolled his eyes at himself. Come on wolf-man! Pull yourself together! And he padded off into the forest... 17…20…25…28…30.

Lifting his head high in the air he took a sniff and caught 6 familiar scents. Following the strongest first he lightly cantered through the trees until he reached a clearing. He spied around for seconds until he saw an unconvincing pile of leaves right where it shouldn't be. Little tufts of red fur were poking out from the poorly made hiding place and he had to clench his jaw to stop himself laughing at his little girl. With a short, sharp blow he managed to clear most of the fallen leaves in front of him without sending Blossom flying, but revealing her all the same.

"Gotcha!" He chuckled as he playfully nipped at her, while she ran in and out of his legs. "Well it was really hard to find anywhere to hide here daddy," she reasoned, but she didn't seem to upset at being caught, rather thrilled in fact. "Come on then, you've got to find the next one! Catch a sent and we'll both head that way together." Bigby watched a Blossom took a rather dramatic sniff. "I think I can smell Ambrose...that way?" She glanced up at him, checking she was right and bounded off in the general direction her nose took her. After a minute or 2 of trotting along she stopped, sure she was closing in on her brother. She circled an area, sniffing as she went thoroughly confused. She plonked down looking at her father, head tilted to one side. "Where is he Blossom?" he asked amused and also completely bowled over by her cuteness.

"He's EVERYWHERE!" she cried out melodramatically. Clever boy Bigby thought proudly, as he picked up several red herrings planted by his son. "Daddy, you have to help now," Blossom moaned as Bigby tried to sniff out the real Ambrose. "Why don't you have a look under that log over there?" he whispered in Blossom's ear and watched as he bounded over and revealed the second pup. "Great job kiddo! We had trouble finding you for a bit there" Bigby said as Ambrose beamed and wagged his tail furiously. Once they had settled Bigby asked Ambrose to lead the way.

10 minutes later they had uncovered Connor, Therese (who had accidentally revealed herself howling after a spider had emerged from the hollowed out oak she had been hiding in) and Winter. Just Dare left he thought, partly relieved that he hadn't lost any so far, and they were slowly closing in on the final cub.

Winter and Blossom were leading the pack, while Connor and Ambrose followed, telling the other how their hiding place was better. Therese was lagging behind next to her father, feeling slightly abashed and frustrated with her capture. She had the best hiding place of them all but the stupid spider had to ruin everything...She accidentally emitted a little growl, which Bigby caught.

"Everything alright sunshine?"
"I just wish that spider had left me alone! I would have never ever have been caught if it wasn't for him!" she growled again. Bigby noticed Ambrose and Connor sped up ever so slightly, and smiled down at his daughter.
"Don't worry about it honey. You did great, and you found Winter in record time which was no mean feat!"
"I haven't got mean feet...silly daddy" she told him bossily, but she nudged his leg and caught up with her sisters, tail wagging, sated by his pep talk. World's Greatest Dad. He grinned to himself and he followed on behind his pack.

Suddenly Winter halted. "What is it scarecrow?" She sniffed the air and looked at her siblings. They all followed suit and looked at their father in a panic. Dare's scent was gone! That little terror. The pups all started yelling for their brother, and pawing at Bigby. "What's happened dad?" Connor cried as he paced the little clearing they had reached. "Everyone calm down. Now." Bigby stood up tall and sniffed his nose more powerful and sensitive to his cubs' scent. He closed his eyes in relief when he picked up a feint trace of his son mixed with something in the forest. Looking around at the group they all looked alert and ready. "Take a deep breath and tell me what you can smell".

"Pollen" said Winter.
"Rabbit" said Ambrose, hungrily.
"Flowers" Blossom and Therese chirped.

"Water" muttered Connor. Bigby cleared his throat and raised his brows. "And what would cover scent pretty well?" he said slowly, hoping they would cotton on soon enough. "Aahh" Connor gasped and barked at his siblings as he ran towards the small stream they could hear, flowing through the woods. Bigby, despite himself, bounded after them eager to see what exactly Dare was doing.

There he was, bold as brass, lying in the middle of the stream absolutely drenched and grinning. Connor reached him first knocking him over getting equally as drenched in the process. "We thought something terrible had happened Darien," shouted Blossom and she tried to avoid getting splashed by her brawling brothers.

"Well if you hadn't have taken so long, maybe you wouldn't have had to worry so much...I bet you were all off having fun without me!" he said, eyes full of reproach. As the pups chimed in at the untruthfulness of that statement, Bigby trotted forward.

"Are you telling me, if I had found you first you would have been happy about it?"
"No, dad."
"And now you get to tell your mother that you were the last one to be discovered and you're not going to be even a little bit proud about it?
"I guess so!" Darien laughed and wagged his tail.
"In that case you can tell her it's your fault you're all covered in water..."
"What? Wait, dad, NO!"

Bigby took a deep breath and placed his muzzle in the shallow stream. With one sharp huff a huge spray of water travelled across his entire brood, soaking them from snout to tail. Reactions ranged from screams, howls and to Bigby's sheer delight, laughter. Once they had recovered they rounded on their father, pouncing this way and that, wrestling him to the ground. You're a disgrace you old mutt he thought to himself as he rolled from side to side, almost but not quite catching his children and they circled around him.

After a while of play, Darien declared his utter starvation and it was decided they should head back home. Smothered in mud and soaking from the stream they shook themselves down and trotted merrily in the direction of home.

"Did we do okay today dad?" Winter asked, as six inquisitive heads swivelled around to look at him.
"Perfectly sweetheart."

Back at Wolf Manor

6 hours! I hope they're not driving him mad yet. Snow thought to herself as she tidied up the last few toys that had been scattered around the living room. She hadn't had time like this to herself for who knows how long, and although she had enjoyed the peace and quiet, she was hoping they would be back soon. She'd already had a long relaxing bath, read a book, done a light tidy up and even prepared dinner. Ghost had kept her busy for a while playing 'Move-the-object-mummy-had-just-tidied-until-she-realised-what-was-happening' game, but Ghost had floated off to play with his brothers' action figures a while ago now. She couldn't believe she was bored. She laughed at herself and figured she would head out into the small decking at the front of the house to await their return. As she stood there the light breeze reinvigorated her and she strolled out, barefoot into the soft grass.

She heard them before she saw them and her heart leapt a little. Darien first, shouting as always, as if his parents were two deaf pensioners. He must have been telling a joke as he heard six little laughs and a rather loud roar from Bigby. It wasn't as if she was surprised that they got along, but the way Bigby had embraced his role as a father so fiercely and how they clambered over each other to be near him, had often made her heart swell to the point of breathlessness. She had never dreamed of such domestic bliss and yet here she was, rocking on the balls of her feet nervously awaiting the arrival of her family, until they finally came into view.

I am going to kill him.

"Muuuuuuuuum! We had SO much fun!" One of her mud-covered cubs came racing towards her, followed by 5 others, all equally caked in muck. Connor reached her first and leaped up at her, covering her dress her in mud and gunk. Several other paws found their way onto her clothing and whilst at first she was highly dismayed, she had missed them far too much to stay cross for long. "Get off your mother you monsters!" Bigby yelled but the damage had been done.

Shit. She's going to kill me.

"Alright, alright" Snow laughed, "I want everyone to change back and march straight up to the bathroom. Looks like you all need a good wash before dinner. And so help me if I find any mud on the furniture!" The cubs obediently changed forms and tiptoed through the front door, then immediately raced ahead causing unknown damage to the clean floors.

Snow sighed and turned to look at her husband. Still in wolf form he cowed, bowing his head low and tucking his tail between his legs. "Sorry Snow, things just got a little out of hand and before I knew it we were covered in mud, I wasn't thinking..." he trailed off apologetically. Oh damn those puppy eyes. She took his jaws in her soft hands and pulled his muzzle up to meet her face. "Don't be silly you old mutt! It looks like you've all had a wonderful day, who could ask for more? Besides, they track down dirt better than anything I've ever seen so honestly don't worry." She laughed and planted a kiss to the bridge of his head and scratched behind his ears until his tail wagged.

Snow smiled: "Well I suppose those cubs won't clean themselves."

"That'll be the day," Bigby agreed: "You wash, I dry?"

"Sounds like a plan Mr. Wolf...but just what are we going to do with you?" she smiled mischievously. Sensing the mood shift in his wife, he circled around her, and with a small whoosh changed his own form, placing his rough, warm hands over her eyes. "Now no peeking Mrs. Wolf, I've got my marching orders too!" She giggled and all of a sudden his hands were gone, and she was standing alone in the grass. She twirled around to face the house wondering how a man could move so swiftly, and saw his head poke around the door, grinning wolfishly: "Well, are you coming?"