The next time he saw Virginia, he was being dragged into a courtroom by two men. She was dressed in black robes and had a curly, powdered wig on top of her head. She must have talked the Judge into letting her be his council.
"It's no good. It's no good. We've lost already, my creamy council," he panted in panic. "The local jury is certain to be biased against me."
"Now that," she said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "is exactly what I don't want to hear – negative thinking. Any jury can be swayed. All you need is a – " she stopped short as she entered the courtroom, seeing that the jury was a pen of sheep. Was this not normal where she comes from? He was pushed forward into a box behind Virginia's council chair. Angry shouts filled the courtroom, demanding his head.
"All rise for the honorable Judge," announced a man as the Judge took his seat, frowning. He immediately donned a black cloth, placing it on his head.
"It gives me no pleasure to sentence this wolf to death for the terrible crime of –"
"Objection, Your Honor," shouted Virginia, rising from her seat. "We haven't heard any evidence yet." The Judge paused.
"Oh. Well. . . move it along, nice and brisk, eh?" He leaned back in his seat as Virginia began to speak in a loud voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Ewes and. . .rams," she said nervously. "Before you leave this courtroom today, I will not only have proved my client's innocence beyond any reasonable doubt – ow –" A sheep bit her! Wolf wanted to growl at it, but he resisted. "But also unmasked the real killer!"
"Just a pot of lemon tea and a slice of Rosy Peeps's ginger cake," said the Judge to a smiling man below his podium. He was asking for food? Now?!
"Look at this poor man before you," Virginia demanded, crossing over to Wolf. He ducked his head shyly. Is he a wolf? No! But he is a stranger. . . and stranger equals wolf, and wolf equals killer. Is that what we're saying?" She put her hand on her hip as if she really were trying to understand. Wolf frowned. That probably wasn't the best thing to say.
"Very well put," said the Judge. "Now to the sentencing!" Wolf looked around the room as the villagers grumbled their assent.
"Your Honor, I'm only just getting started," Virginia announced. The Judge looked disappointed. "I would like to call my first witness."
Sally's grandfather took a seat beside the Judge.
"Wilfred Peep," said Virginia, pronouncing his name deliberately. He frowned down at her. "You saw my client running away from the scene of the crime, is that right," she asked him.
"Clear as daylight," he said confidently, pointing. "It was him." Voices roared in anger. Even the Judge accused him. Virginia tilted her head.
"I'm wondering if you can read this," she said, holding up a small card to Wilfred. He bent down to examine it.
"Of course I can. It says 'No trespassing. According to–'" He didn't get to finish because Virginia snatched the card from his hand.
"Thank you." She strode across the courtroom and held up the card. "I'm wondering if you can read it now. At the same distance you say you clearly saw my client running away from the murder scene." Wilfred's eyes narrowed.
"According to Little Lamb Village Council Ruling number 7-1-4B bylaw 21A," he finished. A look of panic and surprise crossed Virginia's face and she had to check what was written on the card herself. The entire room exploded in laughter.
"No further questions, Your Honor," she yelled.
"Oh cripes," Wolf whined. Virginia called Sally's cousin to the stand.
"Miss Peep, what is your profession?"
"I'm a shepherdess," said the girl proudly in a thick cockney accent. Virginia nodded.
"Oh. . . shepherdess. . . or temptress," accused Virginia.
"Temptress. Temptress," Wolf murmured. The girl's mouth flew open in righteous indignation.
"I'm a good girl! That wolf came up to us. . .girls, and he kept trying to. . . touch us and show us his tail." Virginia scoffed, shaking her head. She had a strange look on her face.
"Oh! That's a lie," Wolf exclaimed from his box. "They provoked me!"
"Provoked you to what," demanded the Judge, leaning forward.
"Uh. . . p-p-provoked me to nothing," Wolf amended. "But they sure were trying." He growled at the girls who were simpering on the stairs, smiling at him. He was too afraid to feel the wolf now. He felt like a pup in trouble. A roar of outrage came from the men. Virginia had to yell over them to be heard.
"Miss Peep!" The room quieted. "Miss Peep, I suggest that you and Sally Peep were the easiest shepherdesses in town." The girl on the stand pursed her lips together, nostrils flaring.
"Are you suggesting that an innocent young girl from this village might kiss a man before she's married," the Judge asked angrily. Virginia's eyebrows shot up in amusement.
"Well, a bit more than that, Your Honor," she stated simply. His face was turning red. Wolf thought he would explode.
"You try my patience. You are just this," the Judge held up two fingers in measurement, "far from being thrown on the bonfire with that filthy, murdering wolf!" Virginia's face fell and she moved to sit back in her seat. Now she looked like the child in trouble. Wolf whined.
"How would you describe Sally Peep," the Judge directed at Wolf. He shifted in his seat.
"Objection," yelled Virginia, but he had already begun to answer.
"Sally? Very cute," he chuckled. "Succulent. Nice girl. A very tasty little birdie and no mistake," he said, grinning.
"Nice enough to eat," asked the Judge excitedly.
"Oh, yes!" Then Wolf realized what he was doing as Virginia turned to look at him, horrified.
"No. No, I didn't mean that," he said, composing himself.
"She was asking for it, is that what you're saying," asked the Judge, frowning.
"She was begging for it. I mean, she was gagging for it!" A murmur rumbled through the crowd. "No! No, no. What I mean is that some of these girls are very provocative." He let his voice drop to a low register. "They know that a wolf. . . well. . . it's like thrusting a steak in front of a starving man!" Wolf was really starting to get agitated. The Judge was nodding his head.
"Is it, indeed," he said in a low voice. Wolf was trying very hard not to stomp his foot like a child.
"Oh, no! I didn't mean that, either! See, I'm twisting everything I'm saying," he whined. At this Virginia jumped up from her seat.
"He's suffering from post-menstrual tension, Your Honor," she said. He didn't know what that was.
"Yes, p-p-p. . . whatever it is," he agreed.
"The night before the murder, there was a henhouse homicide resulting in the death of ten chickens," the Judge said, glaring at Wolf. He gasped, incredulous. Maybe he could just deny it.
"No, sir," he said, but his voice came out uncertain.
"You didn't kill those chickens," asked the Judge. He sounded as if he were a father dragging the truth out of his child. Wolf squirmed.
"No, sir," said Wolf, a little more confident this time.
"You didn't go near the henhouse?" Wolf was having trouble meeting his eyes.
"Absolutely not, sir."
"Then how do you explain this," asked the Judge, producing a piece of cloth. A lone feather drifted to the floor. "This is a piece of your shirt, recovered from inside the Peeps' chicken coop!" Wolf felt his jaw drop as a collective gasp filled the room. I can do this. I can recover.
"Oh, the chickens," said Wolf in good humor with a nervous laugh. Virginia turned around to face him, astonished. "Let me think. . . Yes, ahem, yes. I might have eaten all the chickens," he admitted. Virginia's eyes grew wide and she frowned, but he avoided looking at her.
"And then you killed Sally Peep," accused the Judge. Wolf whined.
"Oh, a couple of drumsticks doesn't make me a killer. I had chicken for dinner, I admit it! But I didn't touch no girl, I swear!"
"Then why did you lie," asked the Judge. Virginia jumped out of her seat again at this.
"Yes, why did you lie," she demanded, putting her hand on her hip.
"Because if I – if I had said yes to the chickens, then you would've thought I'd wolfed down the girl, as well!"
"That is exactly what we think," the Judge said slowly. The villagers shouted their agreement.
"But I didn't do it! I didn't do it, Virginia," he said, turning to her. She blinked and seemed to recover.
"Of course he didn't," she seemed to say to herself, then louder, "Of course he didn't do it!" The yelling died down. "But if he didn't kill Sally Peep, then who did, I hear myself asking. . . myself," she said. Her voice had a note of uncertainty. Don't give up on me now, Virginia, he begged inwardly. She continued.
"Because the time has come for me to point the finger at the real killer. Because. . .because last night, there was another man walking around dressed as a wolf!" She looked at Wolf as she said this, her eyes lighting up with the realization. He smiled down at her. Even if she didn't win, he could die knowing she believed in him. That was enough. But he still didn't want to die. Not yet. Wolf's felt his eyes grow wide and he gestured to Virginia and her wolf-costume theory.
"Yes," said Virginia triumphantly. "The man in the wolf mask is the real killer." Her voice changed; she sounded angry, coming to stand beside Wolf. "And that murdering piece of filth is the one that should be on this witness stand now!" The Judge observed her for a moment before answering.
"The honor of playing the wolf in the annual fair has always gone to an unimpeachable member of our society." Virginia took a step forward.
"I don't care. Bring the sleazebag in! Let me cross-examine him, and I guarantee we'll have our murderer."
"And when that honor was bestowed on me," continued the Judge, "last week, I was only to happy to accept." Virginia's mouth fell open in astonishment.
"I am most dreadfully sorry, Your Honor," she said sweetly, going back to her seat. Wolf's stomach clenched. This wasn't going at all the way he'd hoped. More yelling commenced, and this time Wolf got vegetables thrown at him. It was unpleasant. He felt like crying again. The Judge waited for the ruckus to stop before speaking to the jury.
"Members of the jury. You have heard the evidence, most of it quite ridiculous."
"Some of it," Wolf growled to himself. A man had grabbed two pieces of wood, one labeled "Guilty" and the other "Not Guilty" and was hanging them above to separate pens on either side of the jury box.
"Now those who believe him innocent all go into the left-hand pen. Those who know him to be guilty will go into the right-hand pen," said the Judge.
"The right-hand pen is full of food," accused Virginia.
"Yeah, it's full of food," agreed Wolf. So, of course, all of the sheep filed into the "Guilty" pen. Wolf howled in anguish.
"Oh, the Gypsy was right! 'A girl dead, a wolf burns!'" Why hadn't he trusted his instincts and left when Virginia said?
"By a unanimous verdict, I pronounce you Guilty of murder most heinous," said the Judge, his tone authoritative. He had donned the black cloth again. "I sentence you to be burned at the stake!" The Judge turned to the crowd, his tone changing to a more pleasant one. "Let's do it right away, before the Marvelous Marrow contest." The crowd cheered.
He let out another howl, unable to stem the flow of tears any longer. Virginia took off her wig and threw down angrily, yelling protests at the Judge. The villagers had grabbed Wolf and was forcing him out the door and to his death.
They carried him to a large open space where men were piling on brush. He struggled as much as he could. I can't die now! He was unable to shake them and he was being tied to the stake. He tried to snap his restraints, but his animal side had diminished with the moon.
"Wolf," cried Virginia.
"I didn't do it! I didn't do it," he yelled at Wilfred Peep. Sally's grandfather angrily put his hand on Wolf's throat, forcing his head back. A rope was being tied around his neck, binding him to the stake. He let out a long, loud howl.
"Wait! Wait, no," yelled Virginia. The crowd parted to let the Judge through to the front. "You cannot do this! You haven't give him a fair trial," she said to the Judge. A couple of men were restraining her. Wolf wished he could make it better for her. He had wished a lot of things. He spoke directly to her.
"Virginia, I want you to remember me all nice, please, forever," he said, choking on tears. Virginia nearly sunk to her knees, but she was held up by the men who were holding her arms. I hope it's quick, he thought, but he knew it wouldn't be. He had seen the death of his parents, smelled it. He didn't want Virginia to watch, but he couldn't bear to send her away. The villagers had lit the torch.
"Here you go, Wilf," said the Judge, handing the torch to Sally's grandfather.
"I'll burn him," said Wilf, moving the fire to the brush.
"Stop! Stop, stop," came Tony's voice. He cut through the crowd and slapped the torch away from the brush. "Wolf did not kill Sally Peep, and I can prove it!" Wolf stopped crying at once. Tony? He hadn't expected Tony, of all people, to rush to his defense.
"He'll say anything," said Wilf to the crowd, bringing the torch down once more. Tony took the torch again, but Wilf didn't let go.
"Listen to me," said Tony to the crowd, "the Peep family has cheated you for years!" Most of the people who protested then were Peeps.
"Look, they have their own magic well! They've stopped the rest of you from getting any of the water!" Virginia looked as surprised as Wolf felt. She shook the men off her arms. Good. Wolf hadn't liked them touching her.
"That's a lie," yelled Wilf, struggling to take back the torch. Tony was younger and stronger, so he took the torch easily, discarding it on the street.
"When Sally Peep lost the competition, she wrecked your well, didn't she, Wilfred? You found out what she did, you followed her up into the field, and you killed her, didn't you," Tony accused. Wilfred's eyes grew large and fearful, but he recovered quickly.
"I don't know what you're talking about. We don't have no magic well," he defended.
"Why do you think they won the competitions year after year? Why do you think their food tastes so much better than yours," Tony addressed to the crowd. The Peeps protested loudly. One woman pushed her way to the front.
"I believe him," she yelled angrily. "You Peeps have cheated us for too long!" She directed this at Wilfred. Wolf watched in quiet surprise. He felt hope bubble in his chest.
"Where's the proof to any of this? Prove that I killed Sally," Wilfred challenged. Tony's eyes narrowed.
"Where's your coat, Wilfred," he asked. "The one you were wearing last night?" Wilfred seemed unable to answer. Tony whistled and the crowd parted again, making way for Prince to bring a bloodied coat to Tony. He took it from the dog's mouth.
"He's got Wilf's coat!"
"Look, blood!"
"Blood?" Horrified gasps filled the silence. Wolf snarled at Wilfred. Virginia looked triumphant.
"Sally wasn't screaming 'wolf' at all, was she Wilfred? She was screaming your name. 'Wilf! Wilf!'" Wolf could smell the fear coming off of Wilfred.
"She ruined the well," he admitted. "Dirty little vixen. She destroyed all the magic!" His daughter marched angrily up to him.
"You killed our Sally?! I ought to kill you," she screamed. Virginia and Tony freed Wolf from his bindings while everyone was distracted. Wolf smiled as he felt Virginia's nimble fingers undo the rope at his neck.
"Let's get out of here," said Tony. They pushed through the crowd. Everyone was pushing to get at Wilfred.
Wolf felt like his chest was going to explode. He'd been an emotional wreck all day, and the adrenaline rush was making him buoyant.
"My three friends," he said to his companions when they were alone. "How can I ever thank you enough? You saved my bacon!" To Prince he said, "Thanks, old chap. I owe you a very big bone," and bent to pet his head for a moment. "Oh, yes! From now on, we are friends for life! And as for you, Virginia, what a courtroom drama!" He rolled the 'r' on drama and gestured for emphasis. She was still wearing the black robe.
"So, are you cured now," she asked.
"Completely. Back to my old self," he replied gleefully. "I can't remember much about it, to tell you the truth, but I do remember that you both laid down your lives for me." Tony opened the door to the barn and they filed inside. "It was the most amazing thing. So dramatic!" Tony had stopped ahead of them, halting their progress.
"Wha – what happened to the wagon," he exclaimed. Wolf frowned. What now?
"And our mirror," chimed in Virginia. Oh. He felt his chest tighten again. Even after all that happened she still wanted to go home. There was movement. . . and the owner of the barn came around to meet them.
"Oh, my son John's just taken the pigs to market," she said brightly. She must not know what's going on in town. "Left a couple of hours ago." Virginia and Tony sighed.
"Which way, and how far," said Virginia dejectedly.
"It's not a journey you'd want to make on foot," said the woman, moving about the barn. Tony looked at him, but Wolf just shrugged.
The four of them gathered their things and walked back to the village, where things seemed to have died down substantially.
"Did you have a nice stay in our village," asked the Village Idiot.
"Not exactly," replied Virginia.
"Wish I could remember who exactly that dog reminds me of," said the Idiot, frowning.
"Let me make a suggestion," said Tony, "Prince Wendell, your ruler." The Idiot laughed.
"Prince Wendell! Don't be so daft." Prince whined and looked up at Tony. "No. . . it was a puppy I once knew called Mr. Fleas."
Tony opened his mouth to say something to the dog.
"Nevermind. Let's go," he said.
"Aren't you going to make a wish then," called the Idiot after them. Virginia smiled and flipped him a coin.
"Why don't you make it for us," she said. Wolf smiled at her. He wanted to take her hand, but resisted. She still wanted to go home, and that meant that he still wasn't important enough to her to stay for. He had to work on that.
"Bye," he called to the Idiot as they left.