The Cascade Mountains, Washington State, 2004.
I struggled my way past the deflating airbag and climbed out of the car, holding my head.
"Argh...motherfucker, that really hurt...thank God for airbags," I groaned quietly as I turned around to see Snow, Casey, and Bigby out cold from the impact.
"Ah, shit..." I muttered as I opened the back door and carefully took Snow out of the wrecked car, then I placed her down on the ground at a safe distance, then returned and took Bigby out of the passenger seat.
"Fucking hell Bigby...did you put on a little weight?" I grunted and noticed that he had a compound fracture on his left arm as I set him down near Snow, then went back to help Casey out of the car.
I swore under my breath as I got a first-aid kit out of the trunk, then took it over to Bigby, opened it up and took out a roll of bandages and disinfectant. I took Bigby's arm and pulled quickly but steadily to set the bone, instantly waking him up and causing him to howl in pain. As his arm began to heal properly, I disinfected and bandaged the wound site as Bigby groaned in pain and watched me work.
"Dad...what the fuck happened?" Bigby questioned as he carefully sat up and gently clutched his arm.
"We got ambushed by a sniper is what happened, then we crashed and you three blacked out because of the impact. Don't move your arm around too much since you suffered from a compound fracture and I had to reset it back into place," I informed him while I was creating a makeshift arm splint from twine and sticks, just as I secured it on Bigby's arm and went to check on Casey.
"Shit...this brings me back to the time Bloody fucking Mary broke my arm and you had to reset it, funny how the aftermath is similar but the situation is different," Bigby remarked as I saw that Casey was okay.
"Yeah, but we didn't have a sniper trying to kill us during that time but I can clearly recall Mary shooting me in the kevlar vest and I cracked my head open against a brick wall after falling backward," I said while conjuring my gun holster and ammo pouch onto my belt, along with a back up ankle holster for a Glock 26.
"Which reminds me, I don't think us being here was a prank that was concocted by Jack because he's definitely not brave enough to try and kill us after enchanting us to come out here," Bigby stated while I was busy trying to wake up Casey and Snow, just as the sun was beginning to set.
"Yeah...someone put an enchantment on us to lure us out here to kill us, but I don't know why something is telling me that Jack is responsible for this unless whoever is responsible could be setting up Jack in order to draw away suspicion," I theorized as Casey and Snow started stirring and waking up.
"Ugh...Nate? Bloody hell, my head," Casey groaned while I helped her to her feet.
"Hey, I know you are wondering about what is going on but we need to get moving," I said as Bigby helped Snow to her feet.
"Snow? Snow, are you okay?" Bigby said while Snow groaned in pain.
"Are we alive?" Snow inquired as it became dark.
"Thankfully. Lucky us, since the car has taken most of the damage," I replied as I checked to see if Casey had a concussion from the crash.
"Lucky? Hell, thank the Mundies and designing their marvels of modern engineering to take all the damage...at least Casey and I seem to be in one piece," Snow muttered the last part while I kissed Casey in relief when I didn't find anything concerning.
"Me too, except for this," Bigby stated as he gestured to his broken arm, causing Snow to widen her eyes in horror.
"Oh my God, are you okay?!" Snow exclaimed in shock as I pulled out my P226 and did a brass check.
"It'll be fine in a moment thanks to Dad's medical knowledge, and it'll heal itself once I change into my wolf form. Let me just rest for a moment and then we can get the fuck out of here," Bigby said as he rested against a tree.
"Bigby, you're badly injured so we shouldn't be going anywhere for a while," Snow stated in concern.
"We don't have a choice Snow, because we need to get more distance between us and the sniper," I pointed out.
"What sniper?" Snow asked in confusion.
"It wasn't just a flat tire that sent us over the cliff since there was the sound of a gunshot just before the tire blew. You couldn't hear it due to the sound being very far away, though I could hear it since my hearing is very sharp. The fall down the cliff actually brought us some time since it removed us from the sniper's killing zone before he could fire another shot, but that was a while ago and he, whoever the shooter is, might've been tracking us since the crash.
Because of that, we'll need to move out of the hot zone quickly once Bigby and I change into our wolf forms since we can cover a hell of a lot of miles quickly, even with passengers," I explained and Bigby nodded in agreement as I holstered my gun.
"He's right, so help me get undressed since you'll have to carry what's left of my clothes and your stuff if you want me to have something to wear once I change back," Bigby instructed calmly as he removed his shirt.
Snow helped Bigby with the rest of his clothes due to his broken arm, then I stood next to him and we shifted into our giant wolf forms. The two women stared in astonishment as we finished our transformations and shook our fur into place.
"Holy balls Nate...I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that," Casey breathed in awe as I padded over to her with my tongue lolling out and my head tilted to the right in a cute manner, despite being as tall as a large semi-truck.
"It's an incredible sight, isn't it?" I asked while lowering to my stomach, and she nodded as I added, "Climb onto my back and hold on since it's going to be a fast and bumpy ride."
Casey obliged by managing to swing her leg across my back and she grabbed my large furry neck to prevent herself from falling off once I stood up, but I wasn't bothered by her gripping my soft gray fur as I could see Snow also climbing onto Bigby's back and we took off like two blurs through the woods.
"Holy crap!" Snow yelped in a mixture of shock and amazement while we rushed through the forest.
"Hang on tight Snow, you can't possibly hurt me," Bigby declared while I was enjoying the wind rushing through my fur.
"Damn Nate, this is amazing! Is this how you feel whenever you are in your natural form?!" Casey inquired while we were moving quickly.
"Hell yeah! If only you could experience what it's like being so big and strong in this form...it's a feeling like none other," I stated while smiling nostalgically.
After traveling for enough time and distance that we felt safely away from the crash site, we came upon a large tree with heavy branches where we hid safely for a few hours of sleep. Bigby and I went to different spots and settled in, curling protectively around our passengers.
"Oh my God!" Snow yelped in alarm, causing Bigby to nudge her shoulder with his head in a gesture to be quiet.
"Snow, please stay quiet because we need to get a few hours sleep while it's still dark enough to conceal us, not to mention that you also need rest since we don't know how long we have until the shooter manages to find us," Bigby lectured while looking down at her.
"But I just realized something, Wolf. Back at the campsite, there was only one tent and one sleeping bag," Snow pointed out uneasily.
"Snow, I really don't think you need to worry about what could've happened between you and my son since we're currently trying to stay alive right now," I stated just before I lowered my head and nuzzled Casey, but I was ignored as Snow shot a look at Bigby.
"Were we sleeping together?" Snow questioned while crossing her arms, and I noticed Bigby looking away with an expression in his eyes that I was unable to figure out.
"I doubt it since I don't think that I was sleeping under a tent at all. I saw plenty of wolf and fox tracks in the campsite area, wolf tracks my size. Apparently, I've been in my wolf form and running wild, probably sleeping wild too while Dad and Casey were off doing their own thing in the forest. Don't let it bother you, Snow, because we've got plenty of other things to worry about as my father said," Bigby reassured but Snow didn't look convinced.
"It's not my fault if I'm overly concerned about what might have happened between us under the spell. You caused it, you're the one who's confessed an interest in me," Snow reminded with a huff and I rolled my eyes at the argument that was happening.
"After which you promptly shot me down, so can we please get some sleep?" Bigby changed the subject while I could hear a slight tone of embarrassment in his voice.
"Why?" Snow inquired.
"Because I'm tired and we have a long road ahead of us tomorrow," Bigby stated dryly.
"No...what I meant was, why me? Why the interest?" Snow clarified while I huffed in disbelief.
"Jesus Snow, now you're suddenly in the mood to talk about this? Of all the centuries we have known you, you have amazing timing," I remarked while Casey was looking awkward at the banter between the three of us.
"I can't sleep because I think I'm still too wired by the events that had just happened, so why after several hundred years is your son suddenly attracted to me?" Snow wondered in confusion, but I looked away and stared at the rows of trees stoically.
"It's not for me to say..." I muttered while looking back at her.
"Dad's right and it wasn't sudden...I don't act impulsively so you should know this by now," Bigby told her quietly.
"You're stalling," Snow pointed out with a sour expression.
"No...I'm answering your question, but in my own way so please be quiet if you want to hear the full story," Bigby started to explain as we rested.
"Among our people, well, what used to be our people, and on my mother's side, the first stirrings of wanting to claim a mate are usually triggered when we encounter the one who, for some reason, has a scent that draws us to them...who stands out from everyone else. One of the reasons why you survived our first meeting was that your scent affected me in a way that felt good," Bigby explained as we kept moving. Bigby and I were back in our human forms, and I was keeping my gun out for any danger.
"Are you serious? I was a mess back then after weeks of being on the run from the Adversary's legions, then three days in one of his chain gangs. I was covered with dirt and hadn't had a bath, or used a perfume bottle for..." Snow trailed off while reminiscing.
"Nevertheless, I wasn't interested in human girls back then so I guess it took centuries of living as a human myself for the attraction to grow on me," Bigby added as we traversed a large tree root that was sticking out of the ground.
"So, I'm your experiment with an acquired taste?" Snow questioned.
"It's a little more complicated than that...you're the woman I can't ignore," Bigby declared quietly as he helped Snow down from a large rock we had crossed.
"What the hell does that mean? It sounds vaguely insulting," Snow said.
"Living in the city, I have to smoke like a Bristol chimney just to deaden my senses enough to put up with the massive information overload," Bigby stated.
"I've noticed," Snow remarked.
"Even with that, I have to work hard to mentally filter out all of the millions of intrusive sounds and scents, every vehicle, every single person with their natural scents, plus the different colognes and perfumes they drench themselves in. Every morsel of food served in homes and restaurants, and every scrap of garbage they produce...I'd go crazy if I couldn't block it all out," Bigby said while we kept walking.
"And what does this have to do with me, Bigby?" Snow inquired.
"Because of you and you alone, I can't block your scent out no matter how hard I try and believe me, I've tried. I know where you are every second of every day. I know if you're having good or bad dreams every time you sleep. I know what kind of mood you're in by subtle changes in your natural scent, no matter how much you bathe or what manufactured scents you choose to wear.
I know when you are happy which is rare; when you are sad, and when you feel desperately lonely which is all too often. I know you get jealous whenever you have to talk to Beauty because of how successful her marriage is, all things considered, how unrelentingly loyal Beast is to her and you feel guilty for resenting her happiness to the point of making you snap at her, even though it's not her you're pissed at," Bigby told her, and I decided to try and change the subject since Snow was looking very uncomfortable at his confession.
"Bigby, maybe we should focus on surviving this and then we'll continue this conversation back home because you are making Snow highly uncomfortable," I chimed in while Casey was looking stunned at what she had heard.
"He's right, this is...it's too creepy, like you've been stalking me for all these centuries so please stop it," Snow begged with an uneasy expression.
"I'd stop it if I could. You'll recall in the first years of the Exile, my Dad and I tried to live apart from you and the other Fables but you insisted we come to the New World and join your grand experiment," Bigby stated while I was in front of him and keeping my eyes and ears open.
"Hey, it all worked out in the end since I never would've met Casey and we never would've found a place to belong if we had decided to stay in Europe for all these centuries...though the only downside to it all is that we had to deal with Goddamn Crane and his fucking corruption for centuries until that summer week back in 1986 when everything changed in Fabletown," I chimed in as I recalled Faith and wondered what she was doing right now since she left the community after the Crooked Man was sent to the Farm with Colin, Mr. Toad, and his son.
"Still..." Snow trailed off.
"If it makes you that uncomfortable Snow, then you probably shouldn't have asked questions that you were not ready to hear the answers to," Bigby said while we kept moving.
"Guys, I'm tired and my legs are about to give out. Bigby, Nate, if you two change back into wolves, Casey and I could ride again and we'd cover more ground," Snow suggested after a while, breathing heavily.
"We'll do that soon Snow, but not yet. Just hold on for a little bit longer since we don't want to get too far ahead of the shooter," I said calmly.
"Why not? Isn't that the whole point in getting away?" Snow questioned in confusion.
"Not always...if we simply make a run for it, we could likely get away this time but at the risk of letting her choose where and when to attack us the next time," Bigby explained just as we reached a cliff.
"He's right, so we need to get the high ground against the sniper and ambush her when she isn't expecting it," I agreed.
"She? What the bloody hell are you two on about? Are you two saying that our assassin is a woman?" Casey wondered and I nodded.
"Yeah, Dad and I finally caught the scent of our enemy, who is definitely a woman and a Fable. Do you hear that sound, faint but getting closer?" Bigby inquired while I kept my ears open at the sound of the dirt bike coming closer to our location.
"The chainsaw? You and Nate said that this place is logging country," Snow pointed out.
"The sound is similar but it's not a chainsaw. Our guess is that it's a dirt bike heading to our location. She's closing in, but we're at a location to give her a proper welcome," I stated as Bigby and I went to a small cave that looked like it would give Snow and Casey some cover from what we were about to do next.
"You two know who it is, don't you? It's that fuckin' tosser, Goldilocks! Ugh, I always hated that damn tart!" Casey growled irritably.
"Nasty insults aside, that would be our guess...unless you're aware of other fugitives who are psychotic, trigger-happy, female Fables with a special grudge against you? Alright, see how far you and Snow can crawl under those boulders because you two need to take cover for this next part," Bigby warned and the two women turned toward the cave.
"What are you two going to do?" Snow inquired after I holstered my gun.
"I have a special talent we Cardinal Winds are well known for, one that Bigby and I haven't used since the murder case of Faith and Lily...it's time for a bit of the old huff and puff," I declared after Bigby and I shifted into our giant wolf forms.
Snow and Casey immediately took cover inside the cave while Bigby and I stood over the cliff, looking at each other and nodding before breathing in deeply and blowing out an enormous gust of wind with the force of a hurricane that tore up the ground and ripped apart trees. Eventually, we stopped and I let out a wolfish grin after seeing the area below the cliff looking like a wasteland.
"Fucking hell...still got it after all these years. The first time I did it unintentionally before I met your mother, scared the ever-loving hell out of me," I remarked and Bigby huffed in amusement.
"Bigby? Nate? Is it over?" I heard Snow question and saw her along with Casey peering out of the cave in uncertainty.
"Yes, it's safe to come out now since we're all done," I notified her, prompting Snow and Casey to come out and they stared at the devastation in shock.
"Holy shite...how the bloody hell did you two..." Casey trailed off in disbelief.
"As I said, it's a special talent that we Cardinal Winds are well-known for...not to mention that I never told you two that Bigby is the product of a mixed marriage," I remarked.
"As my Step-dad said, my biological father was the North Wind...and as for how he met my mother and took a liking to her, well, that's a long and interesting story for another time," Bigby stated.
"Like everyone else, I heard the story about you and the Three Pigs but I never imagined what you and your father could really do," Snow breathed out in astonishment while looking up at us.
"And Bigby was still just a growing cub back then, so I doubt a brick house would survive now that he's full grown," I chimed in with a proud grin.
"So, did you two get her? Is Goldilocks dead?" Casey questioned and we shook our heads.
"No, unfortunately, but not for lack of trying. Killing her this way was a long shot, but it wasn't our actual plan. We've succeeded in two things we'd hoped to accomplish," Bigby stated.
"Which are?" Snow asked.
"The first thing we did is create a trail pointing to us that a blind man couldn't miss, so Goldilocks should have no trouble locating us now. The second and more important thing we did is show the local winds who the bosses are around here.
They're obeying us now for a while at least, just long enough that they'll maneuver to keep Goldilocks upwind of us at all times and carry her scent directly to us, no matter what path she takes. Now we'll know where she is every second, right up until the moment she arrives," I explained, causing Snow and Casey to look at us in surprise.
"So, we set a trap for her this time?" Casey inquired.
"Yup...one thing I learned in 'Nam is that you set the bait, lure your enemy to your location, and ambush them when they least expect it," I stated.
"And what's our part in all of this?" Snow wondered.
"Hiding, staying quiet and staying out of our way if things go according to plan. Just in case though, let's talk about what you and Casey should be prepared to do if the situation doesn't turn out the way we expect," Bigby said and started to explain.
After explaining our contingency plan to Snow and Casey, we had them take cover and hide while Bigby and I watched Goldilocks coming up the path we made for her.
"Come on, I know you bastards are out here, now show your ugly faces," Goldilocks muttered and Bigby lunged at her to tear her apart.
"As you wish!" Bigby snarled as he headed towards her with a bloodthirsty growl.
I was in my human form and I winced as I witnessed Goldilocks react by whipping around and shooting Bigby in the chest with a rifle, causing him to tumble in mid-air and crash to the ground like a redwood tree. Bigby choked up blood as Goldilocks headed over to him. I felt rage spark up when she fired twice into his side, then went over to the cliff to look for me and the others.
"Where are you, Princess? You, the vixen, and the Deputy? Come out, come out wherever you are," Goldilocks taunted sadistically while Bigby weakly lifted his head.
"You...should...have...used...silver..." Bigby rasped in pain, causing Goldilocks to look at him and head over to where he was currently laying.
"Excuse me, what's that?" Goldilocks questioned.
"Silver bullets...these steel and lead rounds hurt like a fucking bitch, but they can't kill me or cause any permanent damage," Bigby explained while whining in agony.
"Well, that's not fair since I'm using top of the line 30-378 Weatherby hunting rounds. They can kill a charging elephant and they should've rendered your internal organs into nothing but a gory pudding," Goldilocks stated as she knelt down.
"My bones, vessels, and internal organs are already regenerating. Pretty soon, I'll be up and ripping you apart between my teeth," Bigby threatened, prompting Goldilocks to shove the barrel into his mouth.
"Is that so? Then have an appetizer," Goldilocks declared and pulled the trigger, blowing out the back of Bigby's head and causing brain matter to splatter onto the ground.
"I'm far from ignorant, Wolf. If I can recall my werewolf lore correctly, silver isn't the only thing that can kill you. Fire works too, right? So I'll build a nice bonfire with you in the center of it, pausing, of course, to put the occasional round in you in order to keep you nice and helpless while I work. How's that?" Goldilocks inquired while Snow, Casey, and I snuck up behind her with a hatchet, my backup weapon, and my P226.
"How's this, you bitch?!" Snow shouted in pure rage as she sent the blade of the hatchet into Goldilocks' skull.
Goldilocks fell forward and managed to get back up, pulling out a snub nose revolver and stumbling around, firing wildly.
"Shit, take cover!" I shouted urgently and quickly reacted by shooting her repeatedly.
Goldilocks' body jerked many times from the rounds hitting her until she stumbled back and went clear over the cliff, prompting me to rush over with my gun up and watch her crashing against rocks and trees as she fell to the bottom. Goldilocks' eventually rolled down and landed onto a road and I was stunned to see her picking herself up.
"Jesus fucking Christ...what the hell does it take to kill that crazy bitch?" I muttered in disbelief.
Suddenly, a semi truck collided into Goldilocks and sent her flying into the nearby river. The truck swerved to a halt and the cargo trailer nearly tipped over from the sudden stop as the driver quickly got out with a look of panic and horror as he took out his phone to call an ambulance.
"Did she go over the cliff?" I heard Bigby groaning and I looked to see him and the others approaching.
"Bigby! Jesus, lay back down because you got shot many times and need to recover!" I exclaimed as I went to check on him.
"Don't worry about me...what about Goldilocks? Is she dead?" Bigby questioned while I checked to see if his injuries were healing okay.
"Of course I'm going to worry about you, I'm your father. As for Goldilocks, I doubt she's dead since she survived a hatchet to the head, getting shot seven times, breaking every bone and crushing internal organs in her body from falling down a cliff. The fact that she survived all of that, it wouldn't surprise me if she survives getting hit by a semi truck and thrown into a river," I remarked as I went over to kiss Casey.
"I hope she's dead but she's popular with the Mundies, so they won't let her die that easily," Bigby said and I frowned at that, since the popularity of a Fable's story gives them the power to survive where humans could not.
"So, what the hell do we do now?" Snow inquired.
"For now...we sleep for twelve hours and then we go home," I stated.
"You won't get any arguments from me," Casey agreed as we left the area.
After Bigby shifted back to his human form and put his clothes back on, we all made it to a nearby logging camp and called the Business Office to inform everyone there about the situation and that we were heading home. Then, we asked one of the truck drivers to give us a ride to the airport. We took a plane back to New York City, and were going to rent a car to get back home.
"First thing I'm going to do is sink into a hot bath for a week," Snow declared tiredly.
"First thing Dad and I are going to do is look deeper into this and figure out who Goldilocks was working for, because somebody put us under that spell and she couldn't have done that herself," Bigby growled under his breath.
"Bigby, before we face the others, we should settle one thing. About what you said to me that night..." Snow trailed off with an uncomfortable expression.
"If you're worried that I'm going to continue "stalking" you, don't since I can move out of the Woodland if it bothers you so much," Bigby offered.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Casey and I will get a car and we'll meet you two outside when you're ready to go," I spoke up and led Casey away from Bigby and Snow.
"Why are we leaving them alone?" Casey wondered in confusion.
"I get the feeling that they should have some time to themselves," I explained as we headed over to the rental car office.
After we waited for Bigby and Snow, they made it out of the airport and I noticed that Bigby look much lighter and happier than before as he and Snow got into the car with me and Casey.
"So, why are you looking so happy?" I questioned in anticipation as I was driving us back to the Woodland.
"Well...Snow and I talked and we...decided to give things a try," Bigby admitted while his face turned red.
"Well Goddamn! I'm happy for you two, really, but make sure that it doesn't get in the way of doing your jobs," I told them and they nodded.
"Don't worry, we'll keep it professional," Snow vowed and I nodded while keeping my eyes on the road.
A couple of weeks passed by while we returned to our lives while recovering from what Goldilocks tried to do to us, but I noticed that Bluebeard hadn't shown up to the last few meetings and I wondered where he was since I had an idea that he was responsible for us nearly dying in the Cascade Mountains.
Today, Bigby and I were in our office doing paperwork when Bigby's phone rang and he answered it.
"Hello...Snow?...we're busy...whoa, whoa, calm down! Dad and I are coming so there's no need to shout at me!" Bigby exclaimed defensively and hung up.
"Snow seems to be pissed at us. What the hell is going on?" I wondered in confusion as we stood up.
"No idea, but she sounded very upset over the phone and basically demanded that we see her immediately," Bigby explained as I went over to the coat rack and put on my jacket.
We left the office and headed to Snow's apartment. I knocked on the front door and recoiled when it opened suddenly to show a very pissed off Snow White who looked like she had been crying.
"There you two are! Get the hell in here, now!" Snow shouted, which forced us to head inside and she yelled at us for nearly five minutes.
"...threw up this morning, yesterday morning, and the day before that!" Snow ranted furiously.
"Oh my God, you're pregnant?! I'm going to be a father and Dad's going to be a grandfather?!" Bigby questioned loudly in joy while I was stunned at the news.
"Holy shit, I'm going to be a grandfather!" I exclaimed in excitement, which didn't sit well with Snow.
"Don't you two dare be happy about this! Bigby, you told me we didn't do anything and that you slept outside!" Snow shouted in outrage.
"How the hell would I know? I have no memories of the time we were both under the spell! Do you? How is this my fault?" Bigby questioned defensively.
"You and Nate lied to me! You two have all those special senses you're always boasting about, so both of you would've known what we did as soon as we came to, but you and Nate hid it from me!" Snow retorted.
"We only told you what you needed to hear in order for you to stay calm and focused in a combat situation," I explained while resting my hands on my duty belt.
"So, what do we do now?" Bigby asked as Snow turned away from us.
"Please, go...I'd like to be alone," Snow told us and we reluctantly left the apartment.
As we headed back to the office, my sharp hearing picked up Snow crying and I felt bad for her and hoped that Snow would be okay. But I was also excited that Casey had approached me yesterday and told me that she was pregnant and we were going to have kits.
Even though we couldn't remember what had happened during those three days, we were happy that we were going to be parents and I knew that things would be much more interesting from now on.
A/N Well, looks like Nate's life is going to be very interesting due to being a father of fox kits that'll shape-shift and control the wind element. So, how did you all like this chapter? Let me know and stay tuned.