Woodland Luxury Apartments, Bullfinch Street, New York City, 2002.
It had been several days since Jack and Rose's attempted con, and now Rose, Snow, and I were about to head to the Farm so that Rose could serve out her community hours there.
"Listen up Jack. Bigby is in complete charge of you while Rose, Deputy Pierce, and I are gone this week so don't give him any trouble," Snow warned as I stood nearby with my hands resting on my duty belt.
"Oh, Jack won't give me any trouble Snow, or I'll just keep adding more hours to his community service," Bigby stated which caused Jack to shoot him a look of horror.
"You can't do that! What the fuck, Bigby?!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief.
"Hey! Just try him and see what happens. This is what happens when you decide to be a dumbass," I said sternly.
"He can and he will with my blessing. Jack, until you work off the last of your punishment, you are to not complain and be grateful that you aren't getting a prison sentence because of what you and Rose tried to do. If you so much as try to test us, dark judgment will come down on you like the wrath of God almighty," Snow stated darkly.
"We'll be fine. You, Rose, and Deputy Pierce enjoy your trip and take your minds off us," Bigby reassured.
"That's another thing...Rose and I got the same punishment. Why does she get to work off her hours by going on a nice vacation while I have to pull janitorial duty alongside this inbred geek?" Jack insulted while he gestured to Flycatcher.
"Hey! Not cool, man!" Flycatcher retorted while Snow looked at her watch.
"Rose won't be going anywhere if she doesn't hurry the hell up," Snow grumbled in displeasure.
"I swear to God...if your sister pulled a runner on us, then she is going to be in even more trouble than she already is," I muttered lowly just as the elevator doors opened and Rose exited, holding a small backpack.
"There you are. Why aren't you packed yet? We are already running late," Snow snapped in irritation.
"I am packed, dear sister. This is it," Rose retorted as she held up her backpack.
"For an entire week?" Snow questioned skeptically.
"I travel light," Rose remarked as we went to leave.
"Have fun! Be careful and don't kill each other!" Bigby called out as we left the building.
"Hold on. If I'm going with you two, I might as well hitch a ride in the back," I chimed in.
"Why don't you use your car?" Snow inquired in confusion.
"Because driving to the Farm and back would be a waste of gas and I need to save up on gas money for when I really need it," I explained.
"So...how are you going to ride with us? Don't you think it would look odd to see a grown man riding in the back of a pickup truck?" Rose pointed out.
"Rose...you do know what I am and what I can do, right?" I questioned dryly and Rose blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh right...shape-shifter," Rose mumbled under her breath and they stopped to look at me.
I thought about what form I wanted to change into and I had an idea. I focused and my body started making cringe-inducing cracking and snapping noises as I shifted into another shape. As my uniform and duty belt disappeared, I went on all fours as my hips popped into a quadruped shape and my spine pushed against my skin as it started stretching. A pressure formed in front of my face and over my hands and feet as the flesh began to swell and balloon. I heard light sickly pops and cracks as my ears tugged and slowly moved upward while they formed into a triangular shape. My skin itched as hair sprouted out of my changing body and began growing and spreading to cover me in lush, two-layer tan fur with black coloring on my back and ears, while my nails grew into thick and dull claws while the flesh on my fingers, toes, palms, and the balls of my feet swelled and ballooned into thick pads. My teeth grew sharp while my tongue grew longer and flatter. Then, a lump formed on the base of my spine and it grew out while more fur with a short black stripe covered my newly forming tail. My heels and palms started stretching like rubber while my legs and arms shortened and altered into an inhuman form. My thumbs and toes receded and shrank beside my wrists and elongated feet. My shoulders creaked back and locked into a position better suited for moving in a quadruped stance while my chest and ribs expanded, my torso stretching into a slightly more narrow animal frame. My neck thickened and grew slightly longer while I made quiet canine whimpers as the feeling I felt in Salem centuries ago came back, my most private area altering into a canine shape and becoming covered in a sheath. Finally, my nose became black and more sensitive as my head and face lengthened and stretched into a muzzle that was being covered with black fur coloring like a mask, my size shrinking and stopping at 65 centimeters while my eye color turned brown.
Before Snow and Rose's eyes, I had morphed into a German Shepherd and I looked at them in anticipation after shaking my fur.
"Well...I suppose that will work," Snow remarked as I panted, and a collar appeared around my neck.
"Ugh...even after all these centuries, I still never get used to seeing that," Rose stated while looking ill at hearing and seeing me change into something else.
"Right...because you don't have my abilities," I said sarcastically while puffing up my chest a little.
Rose pouted while Snow laughed, and we headed to the truck.
"Anyway...why the hell do I get to go on this trip with you and Nate rather than do real work? Since when do you play favorites?" Rose questioned.
"Since I decided to see that after all these centuries of being at each other's throats, we might be able to work out our differences...and I'd like to see if it's possible for us to get back to being sisters again," Snow admitted and Rose scoffed.
"So, this trip is going to be like one long encounter session with each other? Baring our souls? Airing our grievances and venting our dirty laundry? Talking things out like civilized girls?" Rose wondered dryly.
"Something like that," Snow responded and Rose huffed.
"I'd rather push a mop," Rose retorted.
"Too bad, Rose. Your punishment for faking your own murder is whatever I decide it is. Now load up your bag and get in the truck...you can sulk while we are on the road," Snow stated as we approached the truck to see Trusty John struggling to push Colin into the back.
"Good morning Miss White, Miss Red, Mr. Pierce. Grand day, isn't it?" John greeted as he placed a rope around Colin's neck.
"Hey, John. It's nice to see you," I responded just as Colin piped up.
"But I don't want to go back to the Farm! I'm a city pig!" Colin protested.
"Too bad, Colin M'lad. You're going and that's the way it is," John lectured and Colin lowered his head while John tied the rope to the truck.
"I thought we were buddies, Johnny," Colin muttered while looking crestfallen.
"I'm tying him tight Miss White so that he doesn't get away again, you can count on that. You all should be ready to go, though watch the radiator since it tends to overheat," John warned as I padded up the ramp and laid down on my belly in the back of the truck.
"Thanks for the warning, John. We'll be careful," I said as I rolled to my side to soak up the sun's rays.
Snow and Rose got in the truck and we were heading to the Farm soon after. I was sitting up and leaning to the side so that I could feel the wind running through my fur and enjoy the many scents that were hitting me.
"Where are we? Are we there yet?" Colin asked for the hundredth time, causing me to shoot him a withering glare as we turned off the turnpike and went through upstate New York.
"Jesus Colin...will you quit fucking asking me every five minutes? You are driving me nuts," I snapped in irritation.
"Well...if I'm going to be miserable, then I might as well make everyone else miserable in the process," Colin remarked and I shut him up by baring my teeth and growling at him.
"You know what...I truly don't know how Bigby is able to tolerate you for so long because I have half a mind to strangle you right now, or maybe talk to the 13th floor witches and have them put up a barrier around the Farm so that you can't sneak out," I threatened while glaring at him.
"You wouldn't fucking dare!" Colin cried out in horror.
"Keep pissing me off and I might consider doing it. I am really done with having to deal with you sneaking off the Farm when you shouldn't...what do you think would happen if the Mundane world discovers our existence? There would be global mass panic and we all would be hunted down either out of fear or to be captured as lab rats for government experimentation. Humans fear what they don't understand and it tends to get ugly when they try to control or destroy what they fear," I lectured sternly just as I heard steam hissing, and I looked to see the engine was overheating.
While Snow pulled over and checked under the hood, I laid down and placed my head on my paws to take a nap since it would be a while until the engine cooled down. Later on, I was woken up by Snow who gently shook me. I got up while yawning and licking my snout.
"Ugh...God, are we there?" I inquired groggily while stretching forward and arching my haunches.
"Yes Deputy, we are finally "there" but it looks like no one else is here anymore," Rose remarked as I got out of the back of the truck and shifted back to my human form, my uniform and duty belt appearing on me.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked in confusion until I noticed there wasn't anybody around and the Farm looked empty.
"I'm not sure. Apparently, everyone here looks forward to my sister's visits as much as I do," Rose quipped while I looked around.
"Hello?! It's Deputy Pierce with the Fabletown Sheriff's Department! Is there anyone here?!" I called out but there was no response.
"Hold on Nate...I hear something. Come on...I think I heard voices in the barn," Snow urged us as we cautiously approached the building and I heard someone talking inside.
I gently moved Snow out of the way and placed my hand on the butt of my P226, carefully opening the door to see nearly every non-human Fable gathered around and speaking in hushed tones.
"Hello? Police officer. Is something going on?" I inquired in confusion and a chicken started flapping around in a frenzy.
"Run away! Run away! It's a raid! The Feds are here! I wasn't part of this because I was tricked and I'll turn over state evidence!" the chicken squawked in a panic which caused me to slightly narrow my eyes in suspicion.
"Deputy Pierce? Miss White? What are you two doing here so early in the season?" a swan inquired.
"We take it that this is a town meeting? If so, then why is Dun conducting it and not Weyland Smith? Is there something that we need to know about?" Snow wondered in confusion.
"Town meeting? Yes, of course, this is a town meeting...all perfectly innocent," Dun stated and I felt that something was wrong.
"I can't do hard time, I'm too delicate!" the chicken exclaimed frantically.
"Will someone please settle that damn chicken down! In honor of Snow White and Nathan Pierce's surprise visit, I say we postpone the remainder of this meeting so that we all can make them feel welcome," Dun stated.
"Why? What have we got to hide?" a wolf questioned in confusion.
"Out of order!" one of the three blind mice protested.
"Nonsense! A motion to adjourn is always in order so I hereby declare us adjourned!" Dun declared.
"If you all could excuse me, I need to find Casey," I stated as I turned around to see the fox Fable in question.
"Looking for me, Nate?" Casey inquired with a foxy grin.
"Oh...sorry Casey, I didn't see you there," I apologized while scratching the back of my head sheepishly.
"It's okay...shall we?" Casey said as she gestured her tail to the doors.
"Um...sure," I muttered shyly as we left the barn and went to a field nearby, Casey shifting into her human form so that she could be at the right height.
"So, have you thought about what we talked about?" Casey asked while the sun was setting.
"Yeah...I have and you're right. Winter wouldn't want for me to live a life of loneliness so I'm willing to give it a try with you and see where we'll go from there, okay?" I asked.
"Of course. If you feel uncomfortable about this in any way, just tell me and we can always remain as friends," Casey said and I nodded.
"Thanks, Casey," I said in appreciation and Casey suddenly looked bothered about something.
"Nate...there's something I need to tell you," Casey stated.
"What is it?" I asked in concern.
"Nate...you and Miss White are in danger here. You two need to take Miss Red and leave this place immediately before something terrible happens," Casey warned me.
"Casey...what the hell are you talking about? What do you mean about me and Snow being in danger?" I inquired while a chill ran up my spine.
"I...I can't Nate. I've already said too much and they could be listening to us right now. Just please take Miss White, Miss Red, and leave before something terrible happens," Casey begged, looking around like she was terrified of someone or something.
It was then that I had a rotten feeling in the pit of my stomach and I noticed something about the atmosphere of the area felt off...before, I'd always felt a warm feeling coming off the Farm but now it felt cold and unwelcoming, and the way Dun and some non-human Fables were acting...it was like they were too eager to have me and Snow here. Something was very off and I decided to take up Casey on her offer to get Snow and Rose out of here. Suddenly, I heard a scream of horror coming from the Farm and I quickly stood up, pulling out my gun and rushing to the area until I saw something that made me recoil and I covered my mouth.
"Oh my fucking God..." I trailed off in horror and disgust as I looked away.
"Nate! What was that...oh Jesus!" Casey cried out in distress as she caught up to me and I held her as she started sobbing.
"Just don't look...I'm right here," I comforted Casey while I looked at the sight of Colin's head propped up on a stick for everyone to see.
After the events of last night, I gave explicit instructions to the residents of the Farm not to touch anything and to bring me a camera and a pair of gloves so that I could examine the crime scene.
"Did you find anything, Nate?" Snow inquired, looking disturbed.
"Nothing...dammit! There has to be some form of trace evidence that'll help me find Colin's killer," I growled in frustration while I examined Colin's head.
"So...how's Casey?" Snow asked hesitantly.
"She's a mess right now and I don't blame her...Colin was a good friend of hers and seeing him like this is traumatic for her. Reynard is currently checking on her to make sure she is alright so once I'm done with processing the scene, I'm going to see how she's doing," I stated, finishing up taking the crime scene photos.
"Okay...Nate, do you have any theories as to how or when this happened?" Snow asked me.
"Honestly...I have no fucking clue since there is not much to find. I mean, how the hell did this happen without anyone seeing or hearing anything? But...I have an idea what is going on and you will not like it," I warned.
"Listen, Nate, I need to know what is happening in order to be prepared, so tell me what you think is going on," Snow said sternly and I sighed.
"Okay...but I warned you. What had been done to Colin, I've seen something like this before," I said darkly.
"What do you mean?" Snow inquired.
"It was back in Nam...1966. I was a Sergeant at the time and my unit and I were involved in a recon mission to locate an enemy stronghold that held some valuable Intel...we killed enemy patrols while moving through the jungle and managed to locate the stronghold but...oh God," I whimpered slightly and took a deep shaky breath before continuing, "We found the stronghold, but we came across many heads of men, women, and children that were put on sticks and spread around for anyone to see...Boyd almost lost his composure, Walker started crying, Redler just stared with this look of pure horror on his face, Chavez nearly lost it, Kenneth just threw up, and something in me just shut down while I tried to process what I was seeing..."
"Oh my God..." Snow breathed in revulsion while covering her mouth.
"Oh, it doesn't stop there...it turned out that those people used to be an entire village of hardworking folks that were trying to make a living. Apparently, the Viet Cong got it into their heads that those people were sympathizers of the rebels and they...we found out that they invaded the village, raped and murdered nearly everyone inside the village and set it on fire afterward...then, they not only left survivors but they decapitated the dead bodies and put their heads on sticks to send a message on what happens when you go against the NVA. I couldn't sleep for weeks and I and my unit had to get mandatory therapy to try and process what we had seen," I finished while closing my eyes and trembling, struggling to keep my composure.
"Nate..." Snow trailed off in disbelief.
"What I'm trying to say is that there could be only two reasons why this was set up...either this is a scare tactic or a message," I said bitterly.
"A message? But, what kind of message is the killer sending us?" Snow inquired hesitantly.
"I don't know, but Casey told me something last night...she said that we are in serious danger here and that we needed to leave this place immediately," I informed Snow.
"Danger? What kind of danger and did she say why?" Snow questioned.
"No...that was all she could tell me but she mentioned that "they" could be listening and she was looking around like she was terrified of something or someone," I explained.
"Jesus Nate...what the hell is going on here?" Snow wondered.
"I don't know...Snow, I have a really bad feeling about this place and something about it feels cold and unwelcoming. I think we need to get Rose and leave so that we can come back with backup just in case," I stated grimly while looking around the place.
Snow nodded in agreement while I went to check the surrounding area for any leads as to what had happened. After a while, I checked up on Casey to make sure that she was alright, then I went back to investigating throughout the day until it became nightfall. Frustrated that I hadn't found any leads, I was making my way back to the Farm when I caught a glint out of the corner of my eye. Feeling danger, I immediately dropped to the ground when rapid gunfire rang out and bullets whizzed above my head.
"Fuck! Who the hell is shooting at me?!" I thought in alarm as I pulled out my gun and frantically scrambled into cover behind a tree.
I heard people cursing and I leaned out to fire a few rounds, hearing a yell of pain and more gunfire pelted my cover. I zipped out of cover while firing, seeing non-human Fables shooting at me and I shouted in pain as a round grazed my head and sent me rolling down a hill, tumbling and hitting bushes and rocks as I crashed into a ravine which nearly caused me to black out from the pain. I forced myself to stand up and I limped through the forest, feeling like hell with my ribs broken and my head bleeding. I heard voices which prompted me to take cover in some bushes, seeing the familiar figures of Bagheera and Shere Khan stalking through the forest while arguing about looking for Reynard and Casey.
"Jesus Reynard...what the hell did you and Casey get yourselves into?" I thought just as I heard a sound behind me, causing me to whip my gun around. I instantly lowered it when I saw it was Reynard and Casey, the latter in her fox form.
"Bloody hell Nate! Don't shoot us!" Reynard hissed loudly.
"Then don't fucking sneak up on me like that! Are you two okay?" I asked quietly.
"We should be asking you that. You look like hell," Casey pointed out in worry.
"I'll be fine...I can't believe the inhabitants of the Farm are trying to kill me with firearms. I was ambushed earlier by shooters with Uzis for Christ's sake...how the hell did they get ahold of that much firepower?" I wondered.
"About that Nate...there is something you need to know. It's about what my darling sister tried to tell you last night," Reynard stated which caught my attention.
"Well, you two can explain while we keep moving because we are in a hot zone at the moment and I'd rather we all didn't get killed," I suggested and received quiet noises of agreement from the two foxes.
As we stealthily returned to the cottage where Snow and Rose were staying, Reynard and Casey explained that nearly all of the inhabitants of the Farm were starting a rebellion against the Fabletown Government because of the current laws in place. I was surprised to learn that Goldilocks was leading the rebels in a war not only against Fabletown, but also against the Adversary and his armies. I was also told that Weyland had been taken captive and was being forced to create weapons for the rebels, which angered me. Once Reynard and Casey were done explaining everything, we had made it back to the house. We climbed up to the window of Snow and Rose's room to see Snow sitting on her bed.
"Snow! Let us in!" I whispered urgently after I tapped on the window, causing Snow to look behind her. Her eyes widened in horror at the state I was in.
"Nate?! Oh my God! What the hell happened to you?!" Snow cried out in alarm which forced me to shush her frantically.
"Not so fucking loud! Let us in before someone sees us," I said quickly and Snow went over to open the window. Casey, Reynard, and I climbed inside the room.
"You and dear Nathan need to get out of here, girly-girl. It's no longer safe for either of you," Reynard stated while looking uncharacteristically serious.
"I can tell something bad is going on due to hearing what sounded like gunshots, and you are saying the same things Rose said to me earlier. Reynard, Casey, what the hell is happening?" Snow questioned in concern while I found a first-aid kit and worked on my head injury.
"We don't have time to explain because you and Nate need to get out of this place while you two still can. There are some of us who are still loyal to you and Nate, and my dear brother and I need to get you both to them before the enemy gives up on hunting us and focuses on going after you and Nate. Don't pack anything and make it look like you two are planning on coming back here," Casey instructed and we nodded.
I finished tying the bandage around my head and we all snuck out of the Farm to find the loyalists, preparing for a long night ahead of us.