You know, if you're gonna break out of jail, you should learn to cover your tracks better.
It was dumb luck, really. She had spotted him a couple days ago coming out of an apartment building in the early morning hours. She had just about given up, and there he was with his arrogant pride and crooked grin. She had been following him since the incident, and now, with her lukewarm coffee in one hand and both her eyes on him, she followed the man down the crowded New York sidewalk. Making sure to keep her distance, she slowed her pace as he stopped to eye something across the busy street. With the cold metal of her 9 mm nestled against the small of her back, she felt safe yet the beating of her heart reminded her of the severity of the situation.
This man, Bigby Wolf, was a witness in a murder investigation. Or at least he was until the entire station fell unconscious and forgot everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. Detective Kelsey Brannigan had awoken alone in the interrogation room, notes scribbled on a paper in front of her and a rolling camera pointed towards an empty seat. It had seemed incredibly odd at the time, and the first thing she had done was pull up the camera's feed from the last few hours. After what seemed like an eternity of rewinding, a man appeared in the seat.
He was slightly taller than average, composed entirely, it seemed, of muscle. The man had dark hazel eyes and a five o' clock shadow that would put any other to shame. Brannigan watched the entire video from the beginning. Apparently, a woman had been beheaded, her head left on the stairs of an apartment building. The same one that she had seen the man walk out of. She learned from the video his name and apparent connection to the victim. He had tried to hide it during the interview, but she could tell by the smallest twitches in Mr. Wolf's face that he was deeply saddened and angered at the loss of his friend. The interview had begun to go somewhere, when the man's face filled with concern and he pointed out that her nose was bleeding. Shortly after, she could hear herself in the background screaming in pain and the hard thump as she collapsed against the table. Mr. Wolf had looked around the room for a minute or two, confused, when seemingly out of nowhere he got up and walked in the direction of the door. Then everything went still.
The man had managed to take off with all of the evidence collected by the police besides what he had forgotten in the room with the detective. Conveniently for Brannigan, what was with her was most important, not the space-consuming lump of cardboard the witness had taken. Kelsey sighed, wondering what could have possibly put every cop in the building under. From the evidence she had gathered, it seemed that gas had been used. But how was Mr. Wolf not affected?
Perhaps it would have been better if Bigby's plan had worked. Nobody from her station took her or the case seriously, and so she had been forced to work it alone. Now here she was, following a potentially dangerous stranger down the burning concrete sidewalks of the Big Apple, with no backup to turn to if things went south. Kelsey sucked in a breath as the man slowly walked towards a woman across the street. What if he was the killer, and this woman is next? She absently felt for her weapon.
The detective shook her head as she noticed the woman's face light up a little as Mr. Wolf approached her. Or what if he's just a witness who happened to be nervous during an interview and escaped custody? She realized she had been staring, and quickly ducked into a crowd as the woman's head turned in her direction. Hopefully, she hadn't been spotted. After making sure the woman hadn't seen her, she snuck over to the other side of the road and edged closer to the two, hoping to be able to eavesdrop on some of the conversation they were now engaged in.
Bigby Wolf sat in his uncomfortable chair, trying to sleep but unable to. His mind was racing, his face had been contorted into one of concern and worry.
That morning, he had been contacted by Snow White. She wanted to meet him a few blocks away from the Woodlands, just outside of Fabletown. No more information was given in the call, so the sheriff had assumed that it was related to another sensitive case and needed to be discussed where no Fable could hear them. Well, he wasn't wrong.
The Deputy Mayor, he had noticed, was pacing up and down a portion of the sidewalk. While she had managed to keep her face cold and emotionless, the wolf could smell fear rolling off of his colleague in waves. He had approached her carefully, not willing to draw any attention from the many mundies crowding the sidewalks and roads.
He was already halfway across the road when Snow noticed him. The corners of her mouth turned upwards in a small smile, but she still reeked of nervousness. Bigby reached her, but for a minute or so she was silent, apparently deciding how best to phrase her next words.
Our spies reported that there may be a new threat from the Homelands.
Bigby sighed, leaning further into his seat. Snow's words were echoing in his mind, causing his insomnia. It had been hours since their hushed discussion, and yet even after an afternoon of dealing with drunken, enraged Fables and their heavy fists, he remembered every word as clearly as if he had heard them not a second ago.
They say that the Adversary has been ordering his mages to reactivate portals all over the Old Worlds - gates that connect here. To the Mundane world.
The Adversary was planning something against this world.
But that was not the only thing on his mind, keeping him awake. There was something else. Something that, at least for now, he would keep to himself. A mundy woman had been following him today. Bigby knew her face, but from where he hadn't the faintest idea. He was unsure if she knew of Fabletown, but would have to keep a close eye on her from now on.
The wolf groaned and shook his head. If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well work on uncovering the identity of his stalker.
Kelsey knew it was going to be a long night when she watched him walk up to his apartment building. She had parked her car along the dimly lit street with a perfect view of the building, with the shadows of the night giving her cover. Today had been a bust. Seemed all Mr. Wolf did was walk along the New York streets with no apparent purpose and break up any fight he happened across. Why this was, she couldn't hope to puzzle out. Kelsey had hoped to overhear his conversation with the mystery woman earlier, but she was unable to pick up on what was said between the two.
The detective sighed. Who was this man, really? What was his role in this investigation? And who was the woman he had spoken with? So many questions, so few answers. Perhaps she should shift her focus to his contact. No, she had to stay on Mr. Wolf. With enough time and patience, she'll be able to find what he's hiding. Maybe even get an opportunity to speak to the man, after she is sure he wouldn't recognize her.
Lost in thought, Kelsey missed it when the very man in her mind stepped out of the building she had been watching and began to walk down the street, unknowingly in her direction. Golden eyes spotted the hidden vehicle and the female inside. Keeping to the shadows as best he could, the figure reached a dark alley closest to his stalker and leaned lazily against a wall. How convenient for the wolf, that he need not even walk a mile to locate the woman who has followed his every move that day.
The sheriff studied her features in the night, as if doing so would give him a greater understanding of her behavior. Bigby noticed that her eyes were slightly out of focus, most likely caused by exhaustion. Her face was contorted into one of frustration, but also she would sometimes show something resembling contentedness. Whether that had to do with what was occuring in her mind or physical space, the wolf had no idea. She appeared to be looking towards where he lived, unaware of his presence nearby. Bigby decided that he would stay in that alley as long as the darkness remained and gather as much information as possible on this woman. Or he would have, if not for a loose brick falling from the wall above him and shattering over his shoulder.
The noise of collision and the sheriff's loud grunt of pain quickly drew Kelsey's attention towards his hiding place. For one mutually terrifying moment, glowing amber eyes met brown. The detective reached for her weapon instinctively as she opened her car door. Bigby backed into the darkest corner of the alley, hoping that the mundy would simply walk away and this encounter would not escalate into a show of force. Unfortunately, Kelsey Brannigan had never been known to back down from conflict.
The woman raced in front of the alley, trying her best to hide her fear. Bigby respected her for this. Never had a mundy run towards him, usually they would back away at even the sight of his glowing eyes in the dark.
"Come out. Don't make this any more difficult for you than it already is." Kelsey was determined to find out who had been watching her. She had a feeling of who the shadow may have been, but wasn't entirely sure.
Bigby willed his eyes to return to their humanlike tint of hazel. Having the glowing eyes of a wolf never seemed to help to calm the other party in these types of interactions. As he did, the sheriff's surroundings darkened significantly, but his sight was still much more acute than any mundy's. He walked out of the shadows that had been concealing him and watched as the woman's eyes widened in confirmation of who he was.
"Easy. I'm unarmed." Bigby attempted to calm the woman, raising his hands in front of him to show that he didn't want to fight.
Kelsey lowered her weapon to her side and held it one hand, but did not holster it. This man had the look of a killer, and she wouldn't risk being defenseless in his presence. She silently looked him over, checking for weapons or any other threatening instruments. The wolf's patience had begun to wear thin, as he asked lowly, "Why have you been following me?" He looked intensely at the mundy in front of him.
She allowed her face to show shock for only a moment before regaining her composure. She seemed to consider her words carefully. "You are a witness in a murder investigation, Mr. Wolf. I had- have questions that need to be answered. I'm sure you unders-"
The wolf understood immediately which murder she meant and interrupted her with a low, barely audible growl and a fist to the wall left of him. And yet another simple thing Crane couldn't do correctly. The detective jumped at the sudden violence, her heart beating at a slightly quicker pace. Bigby took another glance at the woman. He recognized her now. She had been the detective questioning him after Lily's head showed up on his doorstep. What was her name? Brannigan. That was it.
"Look, detective. The people responsible are gone. Out of the picture. They're about as dangerous as caged birds." The sheriff paused a moment before continuing, pondering how best to scare her away. "Drop it. You don't know - or want to know - who you're dealing with." His last words came out in a snarl, almost more animal than man.
Kelsey straightened her back and squared her shoulders. Smothering her fear, she replied in a low voice, "Is that a threat, Mr. Wolf?" She motioned with her weapon, reminding him that she was in control of the situation. The wolf smirked. So she doesn't know about Fabletown. The smirk quickly faded when he spotted a shadowy figure slowly walking towards them. Did she see fear in his expression? Not daring to lower her guard, Kelsey stepped to the side so that she could follow his gaze.
The man walking towards them was tall and well-built. As he got closer, Kelsey noticed that the stranger was tripping over his feet and could hear him mumbling to himself.
"Hey, Wolfie!" The giant slurred, "C'mere, it's been too long since I last threw you in a river!"
Great. A drunken wall of muscle is looking for a fight. With my suspect. And I'm in the middle of it.
"You're drunk, Woody." Bigby said, removing his attention entirely from Brannigan. "Go home."
"What? You would tear poor Gren's arm off but a little mundy with a gun is too much for you, sheriff?" The man, Woody, was nearly upon them now. Kelsey could smell the booze on his breath from where she stood against the wall. Tore a man's arm off? Sheriff? More questions that needed to be answered. Not now, though. Now, Kelsey Brannigan was focused on staying alive.
"Woody," Bigby repeated, "Shut up and walk away."
The giant responded by snorting a laugh and stumbling closer. He was very close now, only a few feet away. "Or what, wolf? Gonna flash some fang in front of the lady?"
"I might." The sheriff replied flatly. A low, threatening rumble was starting in his throat, just loud enough to hear.
Faster than Kelsey could react, Woody reached out one hand to her throat and pinned her against an alley wall, apparently too drunk or too stupid to make sure the weapon was knocked from her hand. "What'cha gonna do, wolfie?"
"Oh, me? Nothing." Not yet. Bigby smirked. He had seen the gun. It wouldn't kill the Woodsman, not by a long shot, but it would distract him long enough for the wolf to knock him to the ground. The wolf watched as the mundy, now turning a shade of blue from lack of breath and bloodflow, raised the pistol to the Fable's side and fired. A yowl of surprise and pain erupted from Woody's mouth and he slackened his grip on the detective. Just before he was able to recover, Bigby lept forward and threw him to the rough concrete.
The Woodsman struggled to get back to his feet, only to be met by a heavy fist to the face every time. "Give up, Woody." The Fable finally complied, resting his body on the ground in a sign of surrender. Once Bigby felt the fight leave the Woodsman's body, he allowed the man to stand. "Get out of here, Woody." The wolf directed. Mumbling under his breath, Woody shot a still-drunken glare at Bigby before stomping off in what seemed like a random direction.
The wolf looked back at the mundy detective. She was on her knees, coughing violently and hovering her hand by her neck, which was already showing a dark purple bruise. She appeared to be in shock, and didn't seem to register Bigby trying to pull her to her feet. He had forgotten how fragile mundies are. Perhaps he shouldn't have waited for her to take the shot.
Not that Bigby cared about her well-being, keeping this mundy alive was in his own self-interests. He could already see the deputy mayor, furious at him for keeping the matter a secret and allowing it to get this far. The wolf groaned. At least she isn't dead.