sheriffwolf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sheriffwolf) wrote2014-05-22 09:25 am
sheriffwolf) wrote2014-05-22 09:25 am
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Name: Cath
DW username: Ranchangrnl
E-Mail: chiralcath@gmail.com
IM: calciumthorium (AIM)
Plurk: chiralcath
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name:Bigby Wolf aka. The Big Bad Wolf
Series: Fables (Vertigo Comics)
Timeline: Post Episode 3 of “The Wolf Among Us”, a video game prequel to the start of the comics
Canon Resource Link:
Bigby Wolf (The Wolf Among Us) http://fables.wikia.com/wiki/Bigby_Wolf_(Video_Game)
Bigby Wolf (Comic) http://fables.wikia.com/wiki/Bigby_Wolf_(Comic_Series)
Character History:
Bigby is well known to most in the mundane world. He is the Big Bad Wolf from the storybooks, the ultimate villain that parents use to scare little children into keeping in line. The truth isn’t much different. Bigby was the wolf that terrorized the Fables, eating Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother, blowing down the houses of the Three Little Pigs. These days, however, Bigby is the Sheriff of FableTown and tries to put his wicked past behind him by policing the Fables in the mundane world and protecting those from the truly evil characters. It’s hard work as Bigby still can’t shake the fear and loathing that surrounds him but that doesn’t mean he stops trying.
A child of the North Wind and a white wolf named Winter, Bigby was one of seven pups and the runt of the litter. His siblings teased him for his size, calling him big and bad, which was where his name originated. Abandoned by his father, Bigby was left alone after his mother’s death which hardened him to the world around him. He vowed to live up to his name and set off to become a bigger and badder version of himself.
Bigby attacked animals and humans alike, gathering a reputation of a merciless killer. When the Adversary’s armies arrived, Bigby refused to join. He would follow no master but himself. He travelled throughout the kingdoms, thwarting the Adversary’s plans. In his travels he came across a witch who had found a portal to the mundane world (our world). He followed her inside and marked the path so that he would be the only one to lead others away from the Adversary. The cost of payment, however, was a bite of their flesh to ensure there were no spies from the Adversary (for they tasted terrible). It was here that Bigby first crossed paths with Snow White.
Snow White and her sister Rose Red were prisoners of goblins when the party strayed near the Wolf’s path. Bigby rescued them, killing the goblins and releasing their chains. The other prisoners fled but Snow and Rose Red stayed. Snow White took up a sword to protect them from Bigby which amused him. He offered to take them through the portal in exchange for a taste of their flesh. They agreed and it was this bite that seared Snow’s scent into his mind, making it a scent he could never forget.
Bigby eventually stayed in the mundane world after helping other fables escape from the Adversary. Once on the other side of the portal, Bigby decided not to feed on those that he helped crossover. He lived in the forests of central Europe until Snow sought him out. She offered him an opportunity to live with other Fables in a new town created in New Amsterdam. She brought with her a dagger that would give Bigby the ability to transform into a human, hiding his true wolf form. Bigby agreed, mostly because it was Snow who asked. He had tried to forget how she tasted but failed, finding himself drawn to her scent. Bigby followed Snow to the small town in the New World and became the Sheriff of Fabletown, a position he holds to this day.
At the start of “The Wolf Among Us”, Bigby is called to check out a disturbance at Toad’s apartment complex. It starts off simple enough and it’s fairly clear that Bigby is used to these sorts of calls. The Woodsman is shouting and beating someone in his room. He is drunk according to Toad and these outbursts are growing far more frequent. Bigby enters the room to find the Woodsman arguing with a woman. Bigby throws himself in the middle, protecting the woman, and eventually beating the Woodsman in order to subdue his rage. The Woodsman seems determined to rehash old wrongs, reminding Bigby what had happened the last time they clashed. Bigby struggles to control his temper as a hint of the inner wolf rushes to the surface once the Woodsman gets the upper hand. The woman saves Bigby from transforming into the wolf by putting an axe in the Woodsman’s head. Not to worry - they are Fables and while that stopped the Woodsman for the moment, he will eventually heal and have a raging headache for his troubles.
Bigby thanks the woman, who introduces herself as Faith, and asks her a few questions about what she is doing with a creep like the Woodsman. During their encounter it’s clear that Bigby has a soft side. He expresses a desire to help and gives her what money he has to help pay the debt that the Woodsman owes her and her pimp. He wants to do right but it’s clearly very difficult for him to express himself and he clumsily tries to offer her protection. Faith finds his offer sweet and tells him what little she can, however her “lips are sealed”. As they depart, Faith kisses Bigby’s cheek and confesses she can see that beneath his brutish, rough exterior he has a kind heart and “isn’t as bad” as the others say he is.
Bigby returns to The Woodlands, the apartment complex where he lives “in the smallest, shabbiest apartment”. The Woodlands is the center of Fabletown in New York where the mayor and council live and work. Snow White controls the Woodlands and acts as Assistant to the Deputy Mayor Ichabod Crane. The Mayor, Ole King Cole, has been missing for some time now. Ichabod has stepped up and taken control of keeping Fabletown running but it is difficult for him. Many are upset with what is left to slip through the cracks such as the disappearance of less desirable Fables and the expense of buying glamors that hide the non-human Fables behind a human face. When a non-human Fable is unable to purchase the glamors they are required to confine themselves to their rooms or be sent to The Farm - an area in upstate New York set up to house Fables without human forms..
Bigby steps into his apartment to find Colin, one of the Three Little Pigs, lounging in his favorite chair. There is a begrudging friendship that is seen between them. Bigby kicks Colin from the chair and scolds him for leaving The Farm. Colin counters by telling him that The Farm is like a prison and he’d rather risk being seen by mundies (ordinary people) then to stay there for long. Bigby tells him that he’s going back but he isn’t in any hurry to shuffle him off and instead flops in his chair, hoping to get a few moments rest. Colin doesn’t buy Bigby’s act. He flatly tells Bigby that he’s intentionally pushing others away - letting the Fables fear him rather than see him as a changed wolf. He also hints at the reason why Bigby stays at the Woodlands. Colin has seen how Bigby looks at Snow White and even if she doesn’t see it, it’s pretty clear he is sweet on her. Bigby brushes Colin’s comments aside. He knows what he’s doing and he doesn’t need anyone else. He’s the Sheriff and that’s all he needs to focus on.
Not long after Bigby closes his eyes is there a knock at the door. Bigby opens the door expecting to see Faith and is surprised to find Snow White instead. She hurries him outside where something serious has happened: a severed human head has been placed on the steps of the Woodlands. Bigby is saddened to find that it is Faith. After some careful searching, Bigby discovers a ring inside of her mouth wrapped around the ribbon that he had seen tied around her neck earlier. He comes to the conclusion that someone placed her there intentionally. Her head is a message, although, he isn’t certain who the message is for.
Together, he and Snow head down to the central offices in the Woodlands where all artifacts and storybooks from the Homelands are kept. Snow tells Ichabod about the head and he quickly begins to place blame on Snow and Bigby for shirking their jobs. He commands that they get to the bottom of this before leaving for a “massage”. Bigby is happy to get rid of him. Ichabod is an asshole and Bigby doesn’t like or trust him. Using the available storybooks, Snow and Bigby discover that Faith is from the Fable known as Donkey Skin. Using the Magic Mirror, Snow and Bigby track down Faith’s husband - Prince Lawrence. Bigby decides to visit Prince Lawrence since the mirror showed a large knife covered in blood on the floor. Snow is determined to come along and there is little Bigby can do to dissuade her. Before leaving, Toad calls for Bigby and asks if he can come by the apartments once more. Someone is rummaging up in the Woodsman’s room and Toad needs Bigby to help kick whoever it is out. Bigby says he will be there as soon as he can and leaves with Snow close on his heels.
The two head to Prince Lawrence’s townhome in a nicer part of town. The door is locked and there is no answer when Bigby knocks. He and Snow crawl in through an open window to discover a horrific scene: Prince Lawrence has committed suicide.During their search, Lawrence slowly comes back to life, startling Snow White. He doesn’t have much memory of what happened only that he attempted to shoot himself in the heart, overdose on sleeping pills and slit his wrists. He is disoriented and depressed - apologizing for allowing his wife to turn to prostitution to help pay the bills. Bigby hesitates telling the Prince that Faith is dead and he’s spared from making a terrible situation worse when someone tries the door. Snow and Bigby decide to hide in the closet and ask Prince Lawrence to play dead. Whoever is out there may have had a reason to hurt Faith and both Snow and Bigby need to know what is going on. Once inside the closet, the two watch as a short, fat man waddles in and begins rummaging around. Bigby leaps out and chases the man (who is surprisingly spry) through a few apartment buildings before cornering him panting and out of breath.
The man is Tweedle Dee. Bigby demands to know what is going on but Dee is evasive, dodging Bigby’s questions until his brother, Dum, arrives. Dum sneaks up behind Bigby and smashes him on the head, knocking him to the ground. Snow finds him in this pitiful position and tells him that the two Tweedles kicked him a few times before heading off in the car. Bigby groans and pushes himself up to his feet, making a mental note to pay the Tweedles back when the moment arises. He and Snow then head to Toad’s Apartment, hoping to find something that will lead them to the identity of the killer.
At Toad’s place, all is quiet. If there had been someone rummaging about in the Woodsman’s apartment they were long gone. Bigby and Snow head over to Toad’s flat and hear a young boy crying. Bigby knocks on the door and notices that the lock is broken. Someone has kicked in the door but Toad waves it off, saying that it has been busted for some time. Toad’s demeanor is strange to Bigby - he’s jumpy and seems far too uncomfortable for someone who had called asking for help. Snow goes into Toad’s son’s room (TJ) and lets Bigby talk to Toad, hoping to get some answers. After some dancing and lightly veiled threats, Toad finally comes clean. One of the Tweedle brothers was at the apartment earlier looking for something. The man had seen Toad spying on him and had broken into rough Toad up and threaten to kill TJ should Toad ever tell Bigby what had happened. Bigby asks why would the Tweedle brothers want to search the Woodsman’s place when TJ confesses that his father has stolen a fur coat from the upstairs apartment. On inspection, the coat is really the skin of a Donkey: a possession of Faith’s. Toad tells Bigby that if he’s looking for the Woodsman he might want to try the Trip Trap bar since the Woodsman is a regular. Bigby thanks Toad and TJ for the information and leaves, heading to track down his one and only suspect The Woodsman.
Snow offers to share a taxi with Bigby as she’s headed back to the Woodlands to do some more research. Inside the taxi the two share a few awkward silences. Snow is frustrated with the way Fabletown is running and she tells Bigby that she hates feeling helpless. Bigby reassures her that he’s certain she can change things for the better. He trusts her to fix it and besides, they had all been through much worse. It’s a rare moment between them, one that neither of them experiences very often. As the taxi stops in front of the Trip Trap, Snow stops Bigby and asks him to be careful. He returns the sentiment and watches as the taxi pulls away, carrying Snow back to the Woodlands.
Inside the Trip Trap, Bigby is given an icy greeting. The bartender Holly denies knowing the Woodsman and makes it very plain that Bigby is not welcomed. The only other customer at the bar is Grendel and he isn’t any warmer. Luckily he doesn’t have to depend on their information. As Bigby is sitting at the bar, the Woodsman exits the bathroom. Bigby begins to ask him about Faith but the Woodsman is still focused on the past. He talks about Red Riding Hood and how he intended to rob her when he burst into the cottage only to find Bigby there instead. Bigby listens and feels sorry for the guy - he knows what its like to be seen as the villain. Now the roles are reversed and he isn’t immune to the absurdity of it all. He tells the Woodsman about Faith and just before Bigby learns any information, Grendel stands up and begins to shout at Bigby. He insults Bigby as a lapdog who only does what his “bitch” Snow White tells him to do. Bigby snaps and punches Grendel which causes the glamour to wear off. Grendel transforms into a large ogre and attacks Bigby, throwing him around the bar. Instincts kick in and Bigby loses his control, transforming into a werewolf. He turns the table on Grendel, slashing his face and chest before cutting into his right arm. Holly (who is really a Troll) pleads with Bigby not to hurt him any more. Bigby hesitates - he could rip Grendel’s arm off - but he shows mercy. He steps back and puts distance between himself and Grendel, trying to calm himself down. Holly and the Woodsman stare at him in fear and Bigby knows that he fucked up. He tells the Woodsman he is under arrest and takes him back to the Woodlands.
As Bigby nears the building he is suddenly aware of the sirens and the blue and red lights of mundy police cars. He handcuffs the Woodsman to a light pole and slips past the yellow caution tape before anyone can stop him. There on the steps of the Woodlands is another female severed human head: Snow White.
Seeing Snow’s disembodied head is like a punch in the stomach. Bigby feels numb and unable to really talk beyond a few sarcastic grunts. When the mundy detectives take him in for questioning he sits back, chain smoking his Huff and Puff cigarettes, trying to get his mind to wrap around the fact that Snow is dead. He doesn’t think on it for long - he doesn’t really want to think about it. It’s easier to focus on what is happening in the moment rather than on Snow’s glassy eyes. His haze is broken when the mundy detective begins to clutch at her ears and begging for “it” to stop. He is shaken, uncertain what is happening when he hears the others in the police department drop unconscious. The door to the interrogation room enters and Ichabod Crane walks in carrying a box of evidence from Snow’s murder. He tells Bigby he used a memory erasing spell - “powerful and effective” - to keep the mundy detectives away from Fabletown business. Bigby leaves with Crane, not really happy that it’s him who broke him out of prison but grateful all the same.
On the ride back to the Woodlands, Crane tells Bigby that they discovered the Woodsman handcuffed to a light pole. Bluebeard, he says, is down in the basement interrogating him. Bigby doesn’t say much, preferring to keep his own thoughts but knowing Bluebeard is involved does not lighten his mood. Crane arrives at the Woodlands before he gets too involved with sharing his feelings about losing Snow. Bigby is barely listening, besides. The only thoughts in his mind are focused on getting the Woodsman to talk.
Bluebeard is preparing to torture the Woodsman when Bigby and Crane arrive. Bigby pointedly tells Bluebeard to back off - this is his investigation and he’ll get the information out of the Woodsman however he sees fit. The Woodsman is a broken man and Bigby uses that to his advantage, taking a gentler hand than Bluebeard. Eventually, the Woodsman tells them that Faith wasn’t supposed to be at his apartment the night Bigby walked in on them. He had been sleeping with Lily, Holly’s sister. That was why he was so rough with Faith. The Woodsman swears to Bigby that is all he was involved with - he never killed anyone, especially not Snow. Bluebeard is unconvinced and pushes Bigby out of the way so he can beat a better answer out of the Woodsman. Bigby isn’t going to put up with Bluebeard and grabs him, instigating a scuffle that is only broken up when an unexpected person walks into the basement: Snow White.
Bigby is shocked to see her standing there unharmed. She, on the other hand, is pissed that they were torturing a prisoner for information. Bigby follows her out of the basement towards the offices trying to explain that he thought that she was dead. Snow is obviously shaken and snaps at him that she doesn’t need him to worry. She’s going to get to the bottom of this and no one, not even him, will stop her. Bigby tells her that he already thought he lost her once and he can’t take losing her again. Snow bites back, telling him she isn’t his to lose and she’s been doing just fine on her own for centuries. It’s difficult for Bigby to hear but he shakes off the insult to focus on the investigation. If the body wasn’t Snow then it was a damn good likeness. Luckily, Snow has found someone who claims to have seen the body being dumped.
Toad’s son, TJ, was out for a night swim when he saw the body with cinder blocks tied to her ankles being tossed into the river. He was frightened but he heard a voice. Bigby thanks TJ, tucking that bit of information away for later. Snow then takes him to see the body - a surreal experience for both of them. The body is strangely like Snow’s with a few differences. Bigby discovers a wooden tube in the girl’s pocket. Inside is a lock of Snow’s hair and a picture of Snow White. It’s a glamour made on the black market. Once the tube is broken, the glamour fades leaving behind the body of a troll. Bigby immediately recognizes the body as being Holly’s sister, Lily. He and Snow decide to head back to the Trip Trap bar to inform Holly of her sister’s remains and to find a little bit more information about Lily’s murder.
Holly and Grendel are both at the Trip Trap bar when Bigby and Snow arrive. Joining them is Jack Horner, a regular customer of the bar. He runs his mouth about the body found in the river, accusing Grendel and Holly of being cowards in front of the Big Bad Wolf. Bigby keeps his temper and gently tells Holly that the body found in the river was in fact her sister. Holly asks the others to leave and tells Bigby that her sister was a prostitute who worked for Georgie at the Pudding n’ Pie. If anyone would know what happened to her sister perhaps it would be Georgie.
Snow thanks Bigby for being so kind to Holly. The two separate with Bigby heading to the Pudding n’ Pie while Snow and Holly head back to the Woodlands to collect Lily’s remains.
The Pudding n’ Pie is a strip club that caters to all tastes and interests. Bigby is not impressed when he walks in and is a bit disgusted at the way Georgie speaks to the topless woman attempting to pole dance. Georgie is uncooperative, finding more fun in poking at Bigby and asking him if he is interested in getting rough with some of the girls. Bigby is not at all amused and threatens to trash Georgie’s club if he doesn’t help him discover who Lily’s last trick was. After a few smashed signs and cigarette machines, Georgie finally produces a little black book with a room number where Lily met her anonymous john. He protests that he doesn’t know anything more than that and begins to call the offices at the Woodlands to lodge a complaint. Meanwhile, Bigby uses this opportunity to sneak backstage and talk to the girls.
Nerissa is the topless dancer Georgie was being cruel to. Bigby finds it hard to remember her but she lets him know she was once known as the Little Mermaid. He asks her about Lily and Faith but the only words she can say about either of them are “My lips are sealed”. Bigby notices that these are the same words that Faith had said to him before she died. He asks Nerissa why everyone keeps saying that phrase and she struggles, trying to spit the words out but only ending in “Lips. Are. Sealed.” Bigby is about to give up when Nerissa asks if he would like to buy a room with her. Skeptical but curious, Bigby agrees. Nerissa hands him a key to the Open Arms and tells him it’s up to him to learn anymore information. Bigby thanks her and heads next door to the hotel.
The Open Arms is a seedy looking place where rooms are rented by the hour. It’s clear what the rooms are used for and little is left to the imagination as he walks down the hallway and the moans drift through the walls. Bigby is surprised to find Beauty behind the desk. She begs him not to tell Beast about her job. Bigby agrees, finding it easier to stay out of Beauty’s business. Besides, it’s not as though she is a prostitute and she could help him out with some information. Bigby asks Beauty to take him to the room. On arrival, Bigby finds the room locked and Beauty’s master key does not work which is strange. Bigby is just about to decide whether he should kick the door down when Beast appears behind them.
Beast is confused and jumps to conclusions, thinking that Beauty is cheating on him with Bigby. Both Beauty and Bigby try to deny what clearly looks bad, however, Beast is not listening. Like Bigby, his transformation into the Beast can be triggered by extreme emotions. He lunges at Bigby and the two fight, throwing each other into the wall. Bigby has had about enough and picks up Beast, ending the fight by launching them both through the door of the locked hotel room. Once inside, they both try to shield Beauty by what they find but it is too late. She sees the giant blood stain on the bed. This is where Lily was murdered last night.
Bigby asks Beast to wait out in the hall and keep others from venturing out into the crime scene. Bigby searches for clues and finds disturbing evidence that the murderer had a violent obsession with Snow White. The bed is decorated to look like the glass casket Snow was placed in after she died, a mundane storybook with Snow’s story, a replica of Snow’s storybook dress torn to shreds, and an apple placed to recreate the poisoning scene. A few items seem out of place, however. The butt of a Huff and Puff brand cigarette is left in the ashtray (“I thought you were the only one to smoke that crappy brand,” Beauty asks. “Apparently not,” Bigby replies.) Photos of Snow and Bigby walking around Fabletown together. The violent nature, the cigarette and the photos make Bigby uneasy. A terrifying theory begins to form - one he doesn’t want to admit - but the final picture brushes all of those sick thoughts aside. It is a picture of Snow dressed as she does in the storybook with flowers around her and Ichabod Crane leering down, his hand sliding up Snow’s leg. Bigby sees red. Crane is the john with the Snow fetish. Which means that Crane must be Lily’s killer!
Bigby immediately storms out of the Open Arms hotel, snapping at both Beast and Beauty. Snow is in trouble. If that bastard Crane hurt Lily then perhaps he’ll go after the real thing. Beauty warns Bigby to take care when breaking the news to Snow. There are things she doesn’t talk about and this... Beauty trails off but she doesn’t need to continue. Bigby knows the things that Snow keeps quiet and it’s part of the reason why he is so angry with Crane. Bigby reassures Beauty that he will be as gentle as he can be before heading off. Beast had said that Snow was with Holly and the others beneath the bridge attending Lily’s funeral.
Bigby arrives in the middle of Snow’s eulogy. She is unharmed and shakes her head at him, indicating that now is not the time to speak. Bigby waits, knowing that interrupting her would be rude. Besides, he doesn’t sense any danger and just seeing Snow is enough to cool his rage to a simmer rather than a boil. Once Snow is finished she approaches Bigby which catches the attention of the others. Holly is angry that Bigby is there and orders him to leave. Bigby reassures her that he’s only there for Snow which does little to ease Holly’s rage. He is a magnet for trouble, she says, and she wants him gone before anymore misfortune occurs. Bigby agrees and steps aside with Snow, giving Holly and the others some space.
Snow asks Bigby what he discovered at the Open Arms. Bigby does his best to break the news to Snow gently but even that is not enough to keep Snow from the shock. She is disgusted, repulsed and asks Bigby how he can be sure Crane was behind all this. Bigby tells her that Crane took photographs but spares her from the actual evidence. Bigby assures her that he is on his way to the Woodlands now to arrest Crane for murder. Snow wants to go with him but is asked to stay behind to finish off the funeral. Bigby tells her to take her time, he will wait until she is finished. Snow looks grateful and heads back to the funeral to complete the ritual.
Bigby stands back, looking for a way to slip away quietly when two figures stop him. It’s Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum each with a shotgun in their hands. Bigby growls at them for causing trouble at the funeral and tries to figure out a way to keep this scenario from growing messy. The Tweedles tell him they’ll play nice as long as Bigby makes a deal with them - stay away from Crane and they’ll leave everyone alone. Bigby is not into making deals especially at gunpoint and warns them to fuck off while there is still time. At this point their interaction is causing a commotion. Holly, Grendel, and the others at the funeral walk over to see what the problem is. No one is really surprised to see Bigby in the middle of a fight. Bigby steps towards them, putting distance between himself and the Tweedles. He doesn’t make deals with thugs. Holly and Grendel have had enough and transform out of their glamours. The Tweedles threaten them with their shotguns but it’s too late - Grendel and Holly charge. Holly is shot in the chest while Bigby launches at one of the brothers trying to get the shotgun away. Grendel attacks the other and is treated to a few blasts in the torso. Bigby knocks the shotgun out of the Tweedles hands and stumbles back. Before he can right himself he is treated to his own shotgun wound to his right arm and shoulder just before the Tweedles flee, leaving the funeral in chaos.
Back at the Woodlands, Dr. Swineheart (who is Fabletown’s resident doctor) finishes patching Bigby up. Snow is not far away but her attention is drawn to the Magic Mirror. Crane had been watching Bigby while he was in the Open Arms hotel and smashed the mirror so that no one could follow his movements. The only reason Snow and Bigby were aware of this is because Bufkin, the drunken Flying Monkey who acts as the chief historian and librarian in Fabletown, had been drinking in the rafters. Once Bigby is patched up Snow approaches, asking the doctor if he will be alright. Dr. Swineheart says that Bigby will be fine as long as he takes it easy which they all know is unlikely to happen. Bigby asks about the others and the doctor informs them that they will pull through as well. The doctor then leaves Bigby with the advice to “eat more chicken” as his blood pressure is through the roof. Bigby smiles and promises to try.
Once the doctor leaves there is an awkward moment between Snow and Bigby. He quickly puts his shirt back on and they discuss their options. Bufkin is trying to piece the magic mirror together so that they can view where Crane has gone. Snow asks if Bigby really thinks that Crane is the killer and Bigby isn’t sure, however, he is the only lead they have. Snow then asks Bigby a personal question, one he really doesn’t have an answer to. She asks if deep down inside he likes it when all of Fabletown goes to hell. Bigby stays quiet because he honestly doesn’t know. A part of him wants to deny the rumor but still another part says that it would be a lie. When shit goes bad he’s useful and it takes his mind off of how he’s utterly failing at doing any good. He wants to protect Fabletown, wants to protect them because Snow wants it, but he knows that he’s constantly struggling to keep his inner wolf from breaking out.
Before Bigby can think of an answer Bufkin announces there is a problem. It seems that Crane has taken one of the pieces of the Magic Mirror. It will regenerate, eventually, but no one knows how long that will take. Snow is frustrated and suggests that they look for Crane the hard way - rummaging through his desk. She storms off to get started while Bigby asks Bufkin if he had seen anything of use while he was up in the rafters. Bufkin admits that he overheard Crane calling someone and that he needed to see “his witch”. It’s not a lot to go on but it’s enough so that when Bigby stumbles across a torn page in a book of magical items he suspects that Crane is going to the witch for that - a ring of some sort.
Snow and Bigby are interrupted by Bluebeard. He storms into the Business Office and demands to know who elected Snow and Bigby in charge. Bigby growls at him declaring that he can handle this investigation. Bluebeard snorts and points out that there are two bodies and Crane is missing. If this is handling the investigation, Bigby is doing a bang up job. Snow stops their bickering by offering a lead - Bigby could go to the Trip Trap and visit Holly. She may not have burned all of Lily’s things and one of them could lead to Crane’s witch who was most likely supplying the glamour of Snow. Bluebeard scoffs and says that the better option is to check out the Tweedles offices. They are up to something and seem to have some allegiance to Crane. Perhaps there is something in their office that will lead Bigby to Crane’s location. Bigby promises that he’ll check out both locations. Bluebeard agrees but he won’t sit idly by while Bigby goes on a wild goose chase. He is going to go up to Crane’s penthouse at the Woodlands. This is very strange to both Bigby and Snow - why would Bluebeard care where Crane is? What does he have to gain from any of this? Bluebeard demands to know where Bigby will investigate first. Bigby thinks for a moment and as much as he wants to follow Snow’s hunch, he doesn’t trust Bluebeard as far as he can throw him. Bigby tells Bluebeard that he will search Crane’s apartment.
In Crane’s apartment, Bigby finds evidence that Crane has been embezzling money from Fabletown for years along with a love note for Snow. Bigby is disgusted and continues searching. As he opens Crane’s bedroom only to find the window open and Jack Horner leaving with a giant duffle bag. Bigby grabs him and throws him against the wall. He demands to know what Jack is doing. Jack hems and haws, going on about how Crane owes him and he’s going to resell some things in the Lucky Pawn, a pawn shop the Crooked Man owns. Bigby opens the bag and finds glamour tubes - the same glamour tubes that Lily had used to look like Snow. Bigby roughs Jack up a bit before he finally spills the name of the witch that has been making the tubes illegally: Aunty Greenleaf. Jack doesn’t know the location of the witch but Bigby decides to pay a visit to Holly to look through Lily’s belongings. Perhaps she knew where to pick up the glamour tubes.
Bigby lets Jack go and heads to the Trip Trap bar. Inside, Bigby finds Grendel and the Woodsman. Grendel is doped up on painkillers and surprisingly genial to Bigby when he walks in. The Woodsman is concerned, urging Gren to stop drinking. Gren doesn’t want to hear it and orders the Woodsman out of the bar. Bigby watches all of this, knowing that Gren is still distraught over Lily’s death. He asks Grendel where Holly is. Gren tells him shes in the back and sleeping but Bigby can head on back, not that it really matters. Bigby for once takes the gentle approach and slips quietly into the back room. He finds Lily’s box of items beneath Holly’s bed. Holly wakes as Bigby looks through the items. She asks Bigby if he even cares about any of them in Fabletown. Bigby tells her that he does and it’s not as though he is anything like those that live at the Woodlands - he grew up on the outskirts of town, hated by everyone. Holly smiles at that and tells Bigby that she’s counting on him to avenge her sister. Bigby promises to do everything he can.
Inside Lily’s box Bigby finds an address book with Aunty Greenleaf’s apartment. Bigby calls Snow and lets her know that he found the information they needed to locate Crane’s witch. Together, they meet up at Aunty Greenleaf’s place, determined to catch Crane and arrest him.
Bigby knocks on the door and a little girl greets them. Bigby smiles when the girl asks him his name and replies that he is the Big Bad Wolf. The little girl laughs and begins to ask Bigby all about his relationship with the Woodsman. Bigby continues, telling her they can re-enact the story. He has a weak spot for little kids and finds he can be rather charming when given the right motivation. Snow reminds him why they are there and he immediately returns to business, asking to look around the girl’s apartment. The little girl looks worried - her mother is out and she isn’t supposed to touch anything. Bigby senses that something is very strange as he checks the room. He can smell Crane’s aftershave but there is no sign of him anywhere. The little girl grows more and more nervous, asking them to leave before her mother returns. Bigby finds one of the carved glamour tubes on a workbench. The little girl seems to panic when he picks it up. He reassures her that he only wants to inspect it and removes the cap of the tube. A green light surrounds the girl and she suddenly transforms into an older woman: Aunty Greenleaf.
Bigby is angry, not liking the fact that he was tricked by the witch. He demands to know what game Greenleaf is playing to which the old crone refuses to say, giving only cryptic statements such as Bigby has “no idea” the powers at work. Snow is furious and fed up with Greenleaf. She notices a large tree inside the apartment and orders Bigby to burn it as punishment for the illegal glamours. Aunty Greenleaf pleads with Bigby not to burn the tree - it is a magical tree and how she creates her glamours but Snow is determined. Bigby can tell that Snow is frustrated and scared. He understands why she would take such an extreme measure as to burn the tree down. He would do worse if he had discovered that someone was making glamours of him and prancing around Fabletown. Still, he can see how panicked Aunty Greenleaf is and he still remembers the little girl. Bigby refuses to burn the tree and instead hires Aunty Greenleaf to be one of the witches who produces legal glamours. In return, Greenleaf tells Bigby and Snow that Crane had been in the apartment to get a magical ring which he believed to be able to break enchantments. The ring had lost its power long ago but Crane was determined. Greenleaf tells them that Crane was headed to the Pudding n’ Pie to use the ring on the girls there. Bigby thanks Greenleaf for the information and he and Snow head out, hoping to catch Crane at the Pudding n’ Pie.
When they arrive at the strip club there is a noticeable commotion going on in the back. Bigby storms past Georgie and opens the door to find Crane shaking Nerissa (the Little Mermaid) frantically, demanding that she talk to him. Bigby grabs Crane and pushes him off of Nerissa, throwing him against the wall. Crane is shaking and begins to babble that he didn’t do it, he isn’t responsible for the girl’s deaths, that if only the ring would work the girls at the strip club could tell them. Bigby slaps Crane - he’s heard enough. He and Snow arrest him for the misappropriation of funds and lead him out of the club and out into the alleyway.
Outside, the alley is blocked by two cars. Bigby stands in front of Snow, protecting her from whatever is about to happen. The two Tweedles get out, each holding shotguns pointed menacingly at Bigby. A tall woman steps out of the second car and asks that Bigby turn over Crane. Bigby is not interested in dealing with the Tweedles and refuses, demanding to know who the woman really is. She introduces herself as Bloody Mary and it’s clear to Bigby that the woman had left sanity behind her a long time ago. She informs Bigby that her employer, the Crooked Man, has business with Crane and that Bigby should be a good little puppy and not interfere. Bigby growls and refuses a second time. Bloody Mary has out lasted her patience and she instructs the Tweedles to shoot Bigby.
Bigby is hit in the shoulder and he stumbles backwards, hitting the brick wall behind him. He can barely hear Snow call his name as he pushes himself back up to his feet. Instinct is guiding him now and his transformation begins to take shape. The Tweedles look uncertain and take aim once more, shooting Bigby in the chest. He stumbles but remains upright, his brown hair thickening and turning black - his eyes yellowing. The Tweedles shoot him again and hit Bigby once more in the torso but he keeps going, anger and rage consuming him.
He is completely unrecognizable now, more like his former self then Sheriff Wolf. Bigby lunges at the Tweedles, picking them up effortlessly and tossing them aside. As each one tries to struggle, Bigby claws them, punching them into the wall. Bigby finally picks up Dee and pins him, his claws at his throat. Raw emotions pulse through him and the last shred of his humanity disintegrates as he sinks his razor sharp claws into Dee’s flesh and rips out his throat.
Bigby tosses the body aside and turns towards Bloody Mary. She smiles at him mockingly before raising her gun at him and shooting. It strikes Bigby in the side and causes him to cry out, falling to his knees. She shot him with a silver bullet, essentially incapacitating him as much as if he was a real werewolf. Mary reaches into the car and pulls out the Woodsman’s axe, scraping it against the ground as she approaches Bigby. He is too injured to do anything but lie there and watch as she lifts the axe over his head, aiming for his throat.
Snow cries out and rushes to his side. Bigby tries to tell her to run away but she is too stubborn. She promises to give Crane up if they let Bigby live. Mary looks over to the second car. A hand reaches out and gives her a wave. Mary tells Snow it’s her lucky day and grabs Crane, ushering him to the car. She laughs mockingly, telling Snow that Crane is no killer unlike Bigby. She says there is a new leader in Fabletown and it is “out with the old and in with the new”. Mary shoves Crane into the car and drives away. Bigby is left unconscious on the ground, bleeding in the pouring rain as Snow kneels beside him.
Abilities/Special Powers: Bigby is the Big Bad Wolf of legend. He can transform into a werewolf and full wolf at will however, he generally controls himself. The only time he cannot resist the urge to transform is when he loses his temper. The transformation happens in stages depending on how angry or threatened he is feeling. The first stage turns his eyes yellow, his facial and body hair thickening, his canines protruding from his mouth, and his feet and hands springing claws. The second stage takes the transformation further with hair covering his entire body as he loses his human appearance, his arms and legs lengthening. The final stage has him transformed into a large, black wolf. No longer does he look human. He is an apex predator and ruled by canine instincts.
He also has control over the North Wind which is where the “Huff and Puff and Blow Your House Down” comes from in the story of “The Three Little Pigs”. Because Bigby is a Fable he is able to regenerate and heal faster than normal humans or mundies. Bigby has been shown to be able to survive a variety of long distance falls out of windows, repeated shotgun blasts to the chest and abdomen, and pierced with a silver bullet. This doesn’t mean he is incapable of dying, but, being the Big Bad Wolf allows him to live through nearly anything except, perhaps, decapitation.
Third Person Sample (Based on Hunger Event)
Bigby woke with a gnawing ache in his belly. The hunger was on him and it hadn’t been this bad since he was last in the Homelands. He sat up in his bed, his stomach growling loudly. The sound was vicious and he groaned, standing up with a grimace. His mouth salivated and he licked his lips over and over again, the need growing with every tick of the clock.
Hungry. It was the only thought on his mind as he paced, wearing a hole in the floor of his room. It would pass just as it always had but the desire to sink his teeth into warm flesh had never been this strong before. At first, it was normal foods: salted pork, bacon, a nice big juicy steak, but the more he focused on food the more dangerous his cravings became. The steak became raw sirloin, dripping with blood; the bacon became a large slice of pork belly, the short stubby hair of pig skin clinging to the top. The saliva was dripping down his chin now and he constantly rubbed his hands against his mouth like an addict fighting the urge to smoke just one more hit.
The sensation was so terrible that Bigby hardly recognized he was changing. His eyes began to yellow, his hair thickening over his arms, chest and face. He had to get this under control. The only answer was to risk venturing out into the hallway and head down to the kitchen. Keeping himself cage was simply whipping him up into a frenzy. It was better to satiate his desire with something safe then to tempt him with a taste of his old diet..
Bigby struggled to keep the wolf in check as he opened the door. He stepped out into the hallway and breathed in deeply. The scents of all the residents of the mansion came crashing over him. It overwhelmed him and he stumbled, falling to his knees. The smell was cloying, teasing and sensual. The growl came from his chest this time and the hunger gripped him hard. The scent of a young girl lost down a rabbit hole came hard and fast. Bigby was powerless to stop from giving in and losing himself in the idea of the hunt - for he would hunt her down. His lust for blood was far too strong to keep himself from doing anything less.
Bigby pushed himself to his feet and fixed his tie, the wolf in control behind yellow eyes and large, canine teeth. “Oh yes, my dear,” he growled. “All the better to eat you with.”
First-Person Sample:
[The screen is clouded over with smoke. It takes the video camera (old, 1985 model) some time to pull the figure behind the fog into focus. Bigby squints at the machine, a cigarette hanging from his lips as he pokes at the exposed mic.]
Tap. Tap. Tap How the hell does this thing work?
[The camera fights to focus once again. Bigby’s scruffy facial hair zooms into view before fading back, his face once again filling the screen. Bigby is unsuccessfully playing with the zoom feature. The screen shakes and a soft curse drifts through the scene although it’s difficult to tell exactly what was said. Bigby sits down in a chair opposite the camera, his elbows on his knees. He stares silently at the screen, his fingers moving periodically to his mouth and back, puffing on his cigarette before tapping the ash. Puff. Tap. Puff. Tap. After a few silent moments, Bigby clears his throat.]
My name is Sheriff Wolf. I’m currently working on an investigation. If anyone has any information regarding ...
[A slight pause as he’s thinking through his words carefully. If there are mundies watching then they will think he’s crazy. Can he deal with crazy? Strike that - does he want to deal with crazy?]
[continues] a woman named Snow, Faith, or Bloody Mary [this name is said through clenched teeth] please contact me. You don’t want me to find you first.
[The camera shakes again as Bigby sits up and reaches across the screen. The picture flickers once before the image goes black.]
Re-App
Third Person Sample:
Snow was here.
Every since he was confronted with her scent it was all he could think about. It was strange - he hadn't realized how much he was addicted to her scent until it was gone. Mary Margaret had been a lovely distraction but now he was faced with the real thing. And the shitty part of it all, she was just as cold as ever.
Not that Bigby had expected anything different. This was Snow he was talking about after all. No matter what he did, it wasn't good enough. No matter how many times he saved her or fixed her problems, she would always see him as Sheriff Bigby. The only thing they had in common was their dedication to Fabletown - nothing more, nothing less. Back home he was used to it, but here in Wonderland, things had changed. He had changed. And she... she was the same and it bothered him in ways it never had before.
How terrible would it be if he confessed his feelings? It's not as though it was a new development. Ever since he tasted her he knew there was something special. He couldn't escape her, even when he isolated himself in the Black Forest. She still found him and he couldn't say no - couldn't deny her any request. Wonderland had made him see just how lonely he truly was and how much he needed her. If only she saw things the same way.
First Person Sample:
[The video opens on a cloud of smoke. It's pretty obvious whose video this is. Bigby leans forward across a desk and grins - strange, as he rarely ever smiles.]
After months of researching, I've finally decided on a location for the Sheriff Station. First floor next to the front door of the mansion. You'll see a sign indicating the office. Hours are from ten until four Monday through Friday. Anyone who is interested in joining the Wonderland Force is welcome to sign up in the office.
Anyone with an open case, please feel free to come by and file a report. It will be a bit slow until the force begins to gather people. Remember, this is all in an attempt to keep some order in the chaos that Wonderland breeds. It only works if you want it to.
I'll be in the office today at 9:45.
[Bigby reaches over and turns the video off.]
DW username: Ranchangrnl
E-Mail: chiralcath@gmail.com
IM: calciumthorium (AIM)
Plurk: chiralcath
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name:Bigby Wolf aka. The Big Bad Wolf
Series: Fables (Vertigo Comics)
Timeline: Post Episode 3 of “The Wolf Among Us”, a video game prequel to the start of the comics
Canon Resource Link:
Bigby Wolf (The Wolf Among Us) http://fables.wikia.com/wiki/Bigby_Wolf_(Video_Game)
Bigby Wolf (Comic) http://fables.wikia.com/wiki/Bigby_Wolf_(Comic_Series)
Character History:
Bigby is well known to most in the mundane world. He is the Big Bad Wolf from the storybooks, the ultimate villain that parents use to scare little children into keeping in line. The truth isn’t much different. Bigby was the wolf that terrorized the Fables, eating Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother, blowing down the houses of the Three Little Pigs. These days, however, Bigby is the Sheriff of FableTown and tries to put his wicked past behind him by policing the Fables in the mundane world and protecting those from the truly evil characters. It’s hard work as Bigby still can’t shake the fear and loathing that surrounds him but that doesn’t mean he stops trying.
A child of the North Wind and a white wolf named Winter, Bigby was one of seven pups and the runt of the litter. His siblings teased him for his size, calling him big and bad, which was where his name originated. Abandoned by his father, Bigby was left alone after his mother’s death which hardened him to the world around him. He vowed to live up to his name and set off to become a bigger and badder version of himself.
Bigby attacked animals and humans alike, gathering a reputation of a merciless killer. When the Adversary’s armies arrived, Bigby refused to join. He would follow no master but himself. He travelled throughout the kingdoms, thwarting the Adversary’s plans. In his travels he came across a witch who had found a portal to the mundane world (our world). He followed her inside and marked the path so that he would be the only one to lead others away from the Adversary. The cost of payment, however, was a bite of their flesh to ensure there were no spies from the Adversary (for they tasted terrible). It was here that Bigby first crossed paths with Snow White.
Snow White and her sister Rose Red were prisoners of goblins when the party strayed near the Wolf’s path. Bigby rescued them, killing the goblins and releasing their chains. The other prisoners fled but Snow and Rose Red stayed. Snow White took up a sword to protect them from Bigby which amused him. He offered to take them through the portal in exchange for a taste of their flesh. They agreed and it was this bite that seared Snow’s scent into his mind, making it a scent he could never forget.
Bigby eventually stayed in the mundane world after helping other fables escape from the Adversary. Once on the other side of the portal, Bigby decided not to feed on those that he helped crossover. He lived in the forests of central Europe until Snow sought him out. She offered him an opportunity to live with other Fables in a new town created in New Amsterdam. She brought with her a dagger that would give Bigby the ability to transform into a human, hiding his true wolf form. Bigby agreed, mostly because it was Snow who asked. He had tried to forget how she tasted but failed, finding himself drawn to her scent. Bigby followed Snow to the small town in the New World and became the Sheriff of Fabletown, a position he holds to this day.
At the start of “The Wolf Among Us”, Bigby is called to check out a disturbance at Toad’s apartment complex. It starts off simple enough and it’s fairly clear that Bigby is used to these sorts of calls. The Woodsman is shouting and beating someone in his room. He is drunk according to Toad and these outbursts are growing far more frequent. Bigby enters the room to find the Woodsman arguing with a woman. Bigby throws himself in the middle, protecting the woman, and eventually beating the Woodsman in order to subdue his rage. The Woodsman seems determined to rehash old wrongs, reminding Bigby what had happened the last time they clashed. Bigby struggles to control his temper as a hint of the inner wolf rushes to the surface once the Woodsman gets the upper hand. The woman saves Bigby from transforming into the wolf by putting an axe in the Woodsman’s head. Not to worry - they are Fables and while that stopped the Woodsman for the moment, he will eventually heal and have a raging headache for his troubles.
Bigby thanks the woman, who introduces herself as Faith, and asks her a few questions about what she is doing with a creep like the Woodsman. During their encounter it’s clear that Bigby has a soft side. He expresses a desire to help and gives her what money he has to help pay the debt that the Woodsman owes her and her pimp. He wants to do right but it’s clearly very difficult for him to express himself and he clumsily tries to offer her protection. Faith finds his offer sweet and tells him what little she can, however her “lips are sealed”. As they depart, Faith kisses Bigby’s cheek and confesses she can see that beneath his brutish, rough exterior he has a kind heart and “isn’t as bad” as the others say he is.
Bigby returns to The Woodlands, the apartment complex where he lives “in the smallest, shabbiest apartment”. The Woodlands is the center of Fabletown in New York where the mayor and council live and work. Snow White controls the Woodlands and acts as Assistant to the Deputy Mayor Ichabod Crane. The Mayor, Ole King Cole, has been missing for some time now. Ichabod has stepped up and taken control of keeping Fabletown running but it is difficult for him. Many are upset with what is left to slip through the cracks such as the disappearance of less desirable Fables and the expense of buying glamors that hide the non-human Fables behind a human face. When a non-human Fable is unable to purchase the glamors they are required to confine themselves to their rooms or be sent to The Farm - an area in upstate New York set up to house Fables without human forms..
Bigby steps into his apartment to find Colin, one of the Three Little Pigs, lounging in his favorite chair. There is a begrudging friendship that is seen between them. Bigby kicks Colin from the chair and scolds him for leaving The Farm. Colin counters by telling him that The Farm is like a prison and he’d rather risk being seen by mundies (ordinary people) then to stay there for long. Bigby tells him that he’s going back but he isn’t in any hurry to shuffle him off and instead flops in his chair, hoping to get a few moments rest. Colin doesn’t buy Bigby’s act. He flatly tells Bigby that he’s intentionally pushing others away - letting the Fables fear him rather than see him as a changed wolf. He also hints at the reason why Bigby stays at the Woodlands. Colin has seen how Bigby looks at Snow White and even if she doesn’t see it, it’s pretty clear he is sweet on her. Bigby brushes Colin’s comments aside. He knows what he’s doing and he doesn’t need anyone else. He’s the Sheriff and that’s all he needs to focus on.
Not long after Bigby closes his eyes is there a knock at the door. Bigby opens the door expecting to see Faith and is surprised to find Snow White instead. She hurries him outside where something serious has happened: a severed human head has been placed on the steps of the Woodlands. Bigby is saddened to find that it is Faith. After some careful searching, Bigby discovers a ring inside of her mouth wrapped around the ribbon that he had seen tied around her neck earlier. He comes to the conclusion that someone placed her there intentionally. Her head is a message, although, he isn’t certain who the message is for.
Together, he and Snow head down to the central offices in the Woodlands where all artifacts and storybooks from the Homelands are kept. Snow tells Ichabod about the head and he quickly begins to place blame on Snow and Bigby for shirking their jobs. He commands that they get to the bottom of this before leaving for a “massage”. Bigby is happy to get rid of him. Ichabod is an asshole and Bigby doesn’t like or trust him. Using the available storybooks, Snow and Bigby discover that Faith is from the Fable known as Donkey Skin. Using the Magic Mirror, Snow and Bigby track down Faith’s husband - Prince Lawrence. Bigby decides to visit Prince Lawrence since the mirror showed a large knife covered in blood on the floor. Snow is determined to come along and there is little Bigby can do to dissuade her. Before leaving, Toad calls for Bigby and asks if he can come by the apartments once more. Someone is rummaging up in the Woodsman’s room and Toad needs Bigby to help kick whoever it is out. Bigby says he will be there as soon as he can and leaves with Snow close on his heels.
The two head to Prince Lawrence’s townhome in a nicer part of town. The door is locked and there is no answer when Bigby knocks. He and Snow crawl in through an open window to discover a horrific scene: Prince Lawrence has committed suicide.During their search, Lawrence slowly comes back to life, startling Snow White. He doesn’t have much memory of what happened only that he attempted to shoot himself in the heart, overdose on sleeping pills and slit his wrists. He is disoriented and depressed - apologizing for allowing his wife to turn to prostitution to help pay the bills. Bigby hesitates telling the Prince that Faith is dead and he’s spared from making a terrible situation worse when someone tries the door. Snow and Bigby decide to hide in the closet and ask Prince Lawrence to play dead. Whoever is out there may have had a reason to hurt Faith and both Snow and Bigby need to know what is going on. Once inside the closet, the two watch as a short, fat man waddles in and begins rummaging around. Bigby leaps out and chases the man (who is surprisingly spry) through a few apartment buildings before cornering him panting and out of breath.
The man is Tweedle Dee. Bigby demands to know what is going on but Dee is evasive, dodging Bigby’s questions until his brother, Dum, arrives. Dum sneaks up behind Bigby and smashes him on the head, knocking him to the ground. Snow finds him in this pitiful position and tells him that the two Tweedles kicked him a few times before heading off in the car. Bigby groans and pushes himself up to his feet, making a mental note to pay the Tweedles back when the moment arises. He and Snow then head to Toad’s Apartment, hoping to find something that will lead them to the identity of the killer.
At Toad’s place, all is quiet. If there had been someone rummaging about in the Woodsman’s apartment they were long gone. Bigby and Snow head over to Toad’s flat and hear a young boy crying. Bigby knocks on the door and notices that the lock is broken. Someone has kicked in the door but Toad waves it off, saying that it has been busted for some time. Toad’s demeanor is strange to Bigby - he’s jumpy and seems far too uncomfortable for someone who had called asking for help. Snow goes into Toad’s son’s room (TJ) and lets Bigby talk to Toad, hoping to get some answers. After some dancing and lightly veiled threats, Toad finally comes clean. One of the Tweedle brothers was at the apartment earlier looking for something. The man had seen Toad spying on him and had broken into rough Toad up and threaten to kill TJ should Toad ever tell Bigby what had happened. Bigby asks why would the Tweedle brothers want to search the Woodsman’s place when TJ confesses that his father has stolen a fur coat from the upstairs apartment. On inspection, the coat is really the skin of a Donkey: a possession of Faith’s. Toad tells Bigby that if he’s looking for the Woodsman he might want to try the Trip Trap bar since the Woodsman is a regular. Bigby thanks Toad and TJ for the information and leaves, heading to track down his one and only suspect The Woodsman.
Snow offers to share a taxi with Bigby as she’s headed back to the Woodlands to do some more research. Inside the taxi the two share a few awkward silences. Snow is frustrated with the way Fabletown is running and she tells Bigby that she hates feeling helpless. Bigby reassures her that he’s certain she can change things for the better. He trusts her to fix it and besides, they had all been through much worse. It’s a rare moment between them, one that neither of them experiences very often. As the taxi stops in front of the Trip Trap, Snow stops Bigby and asks him to be careful. He returns the sentiment and watches as the taxi pulls away, carrying Snow back to the Woodlands.
Inside the Trip Trap, Bigby is given an icy greeting. The bartender Holly denies knowing the Woodsman and makes it very plain that Bigby is not welcomed. The only other customer at the bar is Grendel and he isn’t any warmer. Luckily he doesn’t have to depend on their information. As Bigby is sitting at the bar, the Woodsman exits the bathroom. Bigby begins to ask him about Faith but the Woodsman is still focused on the past. He talks about Red Riding Hood and how he intended to rob her when he burst into the cottage only to find Bigby there instead. Bigby listens and feels sorry for the guy - he knows what its like to be seen as the villain. Now the roles are reversed and he isn’t immune to the absurdity of it all. He tells the Woodsman about Faith and just before Bigby learns any information, Grendel stands up and begins to shout at Bigby. He insults Bigby as a lapdog who only does what his “bitch” Snow White tells him to do. Bigby snaps and punches Grendel which causes the glamour to wear off. Grendel transforms into a large ogre and attacks Bigby, throwing him around the bar. Instincts kick in and Bigby loses his control, transforming into a werewolf. He turns the table on Grendel, slashing his face and chest before cutting into his right arm. Holly (who is really a Troll) pleads with Bigby not to hurt him any more. Bigby hesitates - he could rip Grendel’s arm off - but he shows mercy. He steps back and puts distance between himself and Grendel, trying to calm himself down. Holly and the Woodsman stare at him in fear and Bigby knows that he fucked up. He tells the Woodsman he is under arrest and takes him back to the Woodlands.
As Bigby nears the building he is suddenly aware of the sirens and the blue and red lights of mundy police cars. He handcuffs the Woodsman to a light pole and slips past the yellow caution tape before anyone can stop him. There on the steps of the Woodlands is another female severed human head: Snow White.
Seeing Snow’s disembodied head is like a punch in the stomach. Bigby feels numb and unable to really talk beyond a few sarcastic grunts. When the mundy detectives take him in for questioning he sits back, chain smoking his Huff and Puff cigarettes, trying to get his mind to wrap around the fact that Snow is dead. He doesn’t think on it for long - he doesn’t really want to think about it. It’s easier to focus on what is happening in the moment rather than on Snow’s glassy eyes. His haze is broken when the mundy detective begins to clutch at her ears and begging for “it” to stop. He is shaken, uncertain what is happening when he hears the others in the police department drop unconscious. The door to the interrogation room enters and Ichabod Crane walks in carrying a box of evidence from Snow’s murder. He tells Bigby he used a memory erasing spell - “powerful and effective” - to keep the mundy detectives away from Fabletown business. Bigby leaves with Crane, not really happy that it’s him who broke him out of prison but grateful all the same.
On the ride back to the Woodlands, Crane tells Bigby that they discovered the Woodsman handcuffed to a light pole. Bluebeard, he says, is down in the basement interrogating him. Bigby doesn’t say much, preferring to keep his own thoughts but knowing Bluebeard is involved does not lighten his mood. Crane arrives at the Woodlands before he gets too involved with sharing his feelings about losing Snow. Bigby is barely listening, besides. The only thoughts in his mind are focused on getting the Woodsman to talk.
Bluebeard is preparing to torture the Woodsman when Bigby and Crane arrive. Bigby pointedly tells Bluebeard to back off - this is his investigation and he’ll get the information out of the Woodsman however he sees fit. The Woodsman is a broken man and Bigby uses that to his advantage, taking a gentler hand than Bluebeard. Eventually, the Woodsman tells them that Faith wasn’t supposed to be at his apartment the night Bigby walked in on them. He had been sleeping with Lily, Holly’s sister. That was why he was so rough with Faith. The Woodsman swears to Bigby that is all he was involved with - he never killed anyone, especially not Snow. Bluebeard is unconvinced and pushes Bigby out of the way so he can beat a better answer out of the Woodsman. Bigby isn’t going to put up with Bluebeard and grabs him, instigating a scuffle that is only broken up when an unexpected person walks into the basement: Snow White.
Bigby is shocked to see her standing there unharmed. She, on the other hand, is pissed that they were torturing a prisoner for information. Bigby follows her out of the basement towards the offices trying to explain that he thought that she was dead. Snow is obviously shaken and snaps at him that she doesn’t need him to worry. She’s going to get to the bottom of this and no one, not even him, will stop her. Bigby tells her that he already thought he lost her once and he can’t take losing her again. Snow bites back, telling him she isn’t his to lose and she’s been doing just fine on her own for centuries. It’s difficult for Bigby to hear but he shakes off the insult to focus on the investigation. If the body wasn’t Snow then it was a damn good likeness. Luckily, Snow has found someone who claims to have seen the body being dumped.
Toad’s son, TJ, was out for a night swim when he saw the body with cinder blocks tied to her ankles being tossed into the river. He was frightened but he heard a voice. Bigby thanks TJ, tucking that bit of information away for later. Snow then takes him to see the body - a surreal experience for both of them. The body is strangely like Snow’s with a few differences. Bigby discovers a wooden tube in the girl’s pocket. Inside is a lock of Snow’s hair and a picture of Snow White. It’s a glamour made on the black market. Once the tube is broken, the glamour fades leaving behind the body of a troll. Bigby immediately recognizes the body as being Holly’s sister, Lily. He and Snow decide to head back to the Trip Trap bar to inform Holly of her sister’s remains and to find a little bit more information about Lily’s murder.
Holly and Grendel are both at the Trip Trap bar when Bigby and Snow arrive. Joining them is Jack Horner, a regular customer of the bar. He runs his mouth about the body found in the river, accusing Grendel and Holly of being cowards in front of the Big Bad Wolf. Bigby keeps his temper and gently tells Holly that the body found in the river was in fact her sister. Holly asks the others to leave and tells Bigby that her sister was a prostitute who worked for Georgie at the Pudding n’ Pie. If anyone would know what happened to her sister perhaps it would be Georgie.
Snow thanks Bigby for being so kind to Holly. The two separate with Bigby heading to the Pudding n’ Pie while Snow and Holly head back to the Woodlands to collect Lily’s remains.
The Pudding n’ Pie is a strip club that caters to all tastes and interests. Bigby is not impressed when he walks in and is a bit disgusted at the way Georgie speaks to the topless woman attempting to pole dance. Georgie is uncooperative, finding more fun in poking at Bigby and asking him if he is interested in getting rough with some of the girls. Bigby is not at all amused and threatens to trash Georgie’s club if he doesn’t help him discover who Lily’s last trick was. After a few smashed signs and cigarette machines, Georgie finally produces a little black book with a room number where Lily met her anonymous john. He protests that he doesn’t know anything more than that and begins to call the offices at the Woodlands to lodge a complaint. Meanwhile, Bigby uses this opportunity to sneak backstage and talk to the girls.
Nerissa is the topless dancer Georgie was being cruel to. Bigby finds it hard to remember her but she lets him know she was once known as the Little Mermaid. He asks her about Lily and Faith but the only words she can say about either of them are “My lips are sealed”. Bigby notices that these are the same words that Faith had said to him before she died. He asks Nerissa why everyone keeps saying that phrase and she struggles, trying to spit the words out but only ending in “Lips. Are. Sealed.” Bigby is about to give up when Nerissa asks if he would like to buy a room with her. Skeptical but curious, Bigby agrees. Nerissa hands him a key to the Open Arms and tells him it’s up to him to learn anymore information. Bigby thanks her and heads next door to the hotel.
The Open Arms is a seedy looking place where rooms are rented by the hour. It’s clear what the rooms are used for and little is left to the imagination as he walks down the hallway and the moans drift through the walls. Bigby is surprised to find Beauty behind the desk. She begs him not to tell Beast about her job. Bigby agrees, finding it easier to stay out of Beauty’s business. Besides, it’s not as though she is a prostitute and she could help him out with some information. Bigby asks Beauty to take him to the room. On arrival, Bigby finds the room locked and Beauty’s master key does not work which is strange. Bigby is just about to decide whether he should kick the door down when Beast appears behind them.
Beast is confused and jumps to conclusions, thinking that Beauty is cheating on him with Bigby. Both Beauty and Bigby try to deny what clearly looks bad, however, Beast is not listening. Like Bigby, his transformation into the Beast can be triggered by extreme emotions. He lunges at Bigby and the two fight, throwing each other into the wall. Bigby has had about enough and picks up Beast, ending the fight by launching them both through the door of the locked hotel room. Once inside, they both try to shield Beauty by what they find but it is too late. She sees the giant blood stain on the bed. This is where Lily was murdered last night.
Bigby asks Beast to wait out in the hall and keep others from venturing out into the crime scene. Bigby searches for clues and finds disturbing evidence that the murderer had a violent obsession with Snow White. The bed is decorated to look like the glass casket Snow was placed in after she died, a mundane storybook with Snow’s story, a replica of Snow’s storybook dress torn to shreds, and an apple placed to recreate the poisoning scene. A few items seem out of place, however. The butt of a Huff and Puff brand cigarette is left in the ashtray (“I thought you were the only one to smoke that crappy brand,” Beauty asks. “Apparently not,” Bigby replies.) Photos of Snow and Bigby walking around Fabletown together. The violent nature, the cigarette and the photos make Bigby uneasy. A terrifying theory begins to form - one he doesn’t want to admit - but the final picture brushes all of those sick thoughts aside. It is a picture of Snow dressed as she does in the storybook with flowers around her and Ichabod Crane leering down, his hand sliding up Snow’s leg. Bigby sees red. Crane is the john with the Snow fetish. Which means that Crane must be Lily’s killer!
Bigby immediately storms out of the Open Arms hotel, snapping at both Beast and Beauty. Snow is in trouble. If that bastard Crane hurt Lily then perhaps he’ll go after the real thing. Beauty warns Bigby to take care when breaking the news to Snow. There are things she doesn’t talk about and this... Beauty trails off but she doesn’t need to continue. Bigby knows the things that Snow keeps quiet and it’s part of the reason why he is so angry with Crane. Bigby reassures Beauty that he will be as gentle as he can be before heading off. Beast had said that Snow was with Holly and the others beneath the bridge attending Lily’s funeral.
Bigby arrives in the middle of Snow’s eulogy. She is unharmed and shakes her head at him, indicating that now is not the time to speak. Bigby waits, knowing that interrupting her would be rude. Besides, he doesn’t sense any danger and just seeing Snow is enough to cool his rage to a simmer rather than a boil. Once Snow is finished she approaches Bigby which catches the attention of the others. Holly is angry that Bigby is there and orders him to leave. Bigby reassures her that he’s only there for Snow which does little to ease Holly’s rage. He is a magnet for trouble, she says, and she wants him gone before anymore misfortune occurs. Bigby agrees and steps aside with Snow, giving Holly and the others some space.
Snow asks Bigby what he discovered at the Open Arms. Bigby does his best to break the news to Snow gently but even that is not enough to keep Snow from the shock. She is disgusted, repulsed and asks Bigby how he can be sure Crane was behind all this. Bigby tells her that Crane took photographs but spares her from the actual evidence. Bigby assures her that he is on his way to the Woodlands now to arrest Crane for murder. Snow wants to go with him but is asked to stay behind to finish off the funeral. Bigby tells her to take her time, he will wait until she is finished. Snow looks grateful and heads back to the funeral to complete the ritual.
Bigby stands back, looking for a way to slip away quietly when two figures stop him. It’s Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum each with a shotgun in their hands. Bigby growls at them for causing trouble at the funeral and tries to figure out a way to keep this scenario from growing messy. The Tweedles tell him they’ll play nice as long as Bigby makes a deal with them - stay away from Crane and they’ll leave everyone alone. Bigby is not into making deals especially at gunpoint and warns them to fuck off while there is still time. At this point their interaction is causing a commotion. Holly, Grendel, and the others at the funeral walk over to see what the problem is. No one is really surprised to see Bigby in the middle of a fight. Bigby steps towards them, putting distance between himself and the Tweedles. He doesn’t make deals with thugs. Holly and Grendel have had enough and transform out of their glamours. The Tweedles threaten them with their shotguns but it’s too late - Grendel and Holly charge. Holly is shot in the chest while Bigby launches at one of the brothers trying to get the shotgun away. Grendel attacks the other and is treated to a few blasts in the torso. Bigby knocks the shotgun out of the Tweedles hands and stumbles back. Before he can right himself he is treated to his own shotgun wound to his right arm and shoulder just before the Tweedles flee, leaving the funeral in chaos.
Back at the Woodlands, Dr. Swineheart (who is Fabletown’s resident doctor) finishes patching Bigby up. Snow is not far away but her attention is drawn to the Magic Mirror. Crane had been watching Bigby while he was in the Open Arms hotel and smashed the mirror so that no one could follow his movements. The only reason Snow and Bigby were aware of this is because Bufkin, the drunken Flying Monkey who acts as the chief historian and librarian in Fabletown, had been drinking in the rafters. Once Bigby is patched up Snow approaches, asking the doctor if he will be alright. Dr. Swineheart says that Bigby will be fine as long as he takes it easy which they all know is unlikely to happen. Bigby asks about the others and the doctor informs them that they will pull through as well. The doctor then leaves Bigby with the advice to “eat more chicken” as his blood pressure is through the roof. Bigby smiles and promises to try.
Once the doctor leaves there is an awkward moment between Snow and Bigby. He quickly puts his shirt back on and they discuss their options. Bufkin is trying to piece the magic mirror together so that they can view where Crane has gone. Snow asks if Bigby really thinks that Crane is the killer and Bigby isn’t sure, however, he is the only lead they have. Snow then asks Bigby a personal question, one he really doesn’t have an answer to. She asks if deep down inside he likes it when all of Fabletown goes to hell. Bigby stays quiet because he honestly doesn’t know. A part of him wants to deny the rumor but still another part says that it would be a lie. When shit goes bad he’s useful and it takes his mind off of how he’s utterly failing at doing any good. He wants to protect Fabletown, wants to protect them because Snow wants it, but he knows that he’s constantly struggling to keep his inner wolf from breaking out.
Before Bigby can think of an answer Bufkin announces there is a problem. It seems that Crane has taken one of the pieces of the Magic Mirror. It will regenerate, eventually, but no one knows how long that will take. Snow is frustrated and suggests that they look for Crane the hard way - rummaging through his desk. She storms off to get started while Bigby asks Bufkin if he had seen anything of use while he was up in the rafters. Bufkin admits that he overheard Crane calling someone and that he needed to see “his witch”. It’s not a lot to go on but it’s enough so that when Bigby stumbles across a torn page in a book of magical items he suspects that Crane is going to the witch for that - a ring of some sort.
Snow and Bigby are interrupted by Bluebeard. He storms into the Business Office and demands to know who elected Snow and Bigby in charge. Bigby growls at him declaring that he can handle this investigation. Bluebeard snorts and points out that there are two bodies and Crane is missing. If this is handling the investigation, Bigby is doing a bang up job. Snow stops their bickering by offering a lead - Bigby could go to the Trip Trap and visit Holly. She may not have burned all of Lily’s things and one of them could lead to Crane’s witch who was most likely supplying the glamour of Snow. Bluebeard scoffs and says that the better option is to check out the Tweedles offices. They are up to something and seem to have some allegiance to Crane. Perhaps there is something in their office that will lead Bigby to Crane’s location. Bigby promises that he’ll check out both locations. Bluebeard agrees but he won’t sit idly by while Bigby goes on a wild goose chase. He is going to go up to Crane’s penthouse at the Woodlands. This is very strange to both Bigby and Snow - why would Bluebeard care where Crane is? What does he have to gain from any of this? Bluebeard demands to know where Bigby will investigate first. Bigby thinks for a moment and as much as he wants to follow Snow’s hunch, he doesn’t trust Bluebeard as far as he can throw him. Bigby tells Bluebeard that he will search Crane’s apartment.
In Crane’s apartment, Bigby finds evidence that Crane has been embezzling money from Fabletown for years along with a love note for Snow. Bigby is disgusted and continues searching. As he opens Crane’s bedroom only to find the window open and Jack Horner leaving with a giant duffle bag. Bigby grabs him and throws him against the wall. He demands to know what Jack is doing. Jack hems and haws, going on about how Crane owes him and he’s going to resell some things in the Lucky Pawn, a pawn shop the Crooked Man owns. Bigby opens the bag and finds glamour tubes - the same glamour tubes that Lily had used to look like Snow. Bigby roughs Jack up a bit before he finally spills the name of the witch that has been making the tubes illegally: Aunty Greenleaf. Jack doesn’t know the location of the witch but Bigby decides to pay a visit to Holly to look through Lily’s belongings. Perhaps she knew where to pick up the glamour tubes.
Bigby lets Jack go and heads to the Trip Trap bar. Inside, Bigby finds Grendel and the Woodsman. Grendel is doped up on painkillers and surprisingly genial to Bigby when he walks in. The Woodsman is concerned, urging Gren to stop drinking. Gren doesn’t want to hear it and orders the Woodsman out of the bar. Bigby watches all of this, knowing that Gren is still distraught over Lily’s death. He asks Grendel where Holly is. Gren tells him shes in the back and sleeping but Bigby can head on back, not that it really matters. Bigby for once takes the gentle approach and slips quietly into the back room. He finds Lily’s box of items beneath Holly’s bed. Holly wakes as Bigby looks through the items. She asks Bigby if he even cares about any of them in Fabletown. Bigby tells her that he does and it’s not as though he is anything like those that live at the Woodlands - he grew up on the outskirts of town, hated by everyone. Holly smiles at that and tells Bigby that she’s counting on him to avenge her sister. Bigby promises to do everything he can.
Inside Lily’s box Bigby finds an address book with Aunty Greenleaf’s apartment. Bigby calls Snow and lets her know that he found the information they needed to locate Crane’s witch. Together, they meet up at Aunty Greenleaf’s place, determined to catch Crane and arrest him.
Bigby knocks on the door and a little girl greets them. Bigby smiles when the girl asks him his name and replies that he is the Big Bad Wolf. The little girl laughs and begins to ask Bigby all about his relationship with the Woodsman. Bigby continues, telling her they can re-enact the story. He has a weak spot for little kids and finds he can be rather charming when given the right motivation. Snow reminds him why they are there and he immediately returns to business, asking to look around the girl’s apartment. The little girl looks worried - her mother is out and she isn’t supposed to touch anything. Bigby senses that something is very strange as he checks the room. He can smell Crane’s aftershave but there is no sign of him anywhere. The little girl grows more and more nervous, asking them to leave before her mother returns. Bigby finds one of the carved glamour tubes on a workbench. The little girl seems to panic when he picks it up. He reassures her that he only wants to inspect it and removes the cap of the tube. A green light surrounds the girl and she suddenly transforms into an older woman: Aunty Greenleaf.
Bigby is angry, not liking the fact that he was tricked by the witch. He demands to know what game Greenleaf is playing to which the old crone refuses to say, giving only cryptic statements such as Bigby has “no idea” the powers at work. Snow is furious and fed up with Greenleaf. She notices a large tree inside the apartment and orders Bigby to burn it as punishment for the illegal glamours. Aunty Greenleaf pleads with Bigby not to burn the tree - it is a magical tree and how she creates her glamours but Snow is determined. Bigby can tell that Snow is frustrated and scared. He understands why she would take such an extreme measure as to burn the tree down. He would do worse if he had discovered that someone was making glamours of him and prancing around Fabletown. Still, he can see how panicked Aunty Greenleaf is and he still remembers the little girl. Bigby refuses to burn the tree and instead hires Aunty Greenleaf to be one of the witches who produces legal glamours. In return, Greenleaf tells Bigby and Snow that Crane had been in the apartment to get a magical ring which he believed to be able to break enchantments. The ring had lost its power long ago but Crane was determined. Greenleaf tells them that Crane was headed to the Pudding n’ Pie to use the ring on the girls there. Bigby thanks Greenleaf for the information and he and Snow head out, hoping to catch Crane at the Pudding n’ Pie.
When they arrive at the strip club there is a noticeable commotion going on in the back. Bigby storms past Georgie and opens the door to find Crane shaking Nerissa (the Little Mermaid) frantically, demanding that she talk to him. Bigby grabs Crane and pushes him off of Nerissa, throwing him against the wall. Crane is shaking and begins to babble that he didn’t do it, he isn’t responsible for the girl’s deaths, that if only the ring would work the girls at the strip club could tell them. Bigby slaps Crane - he’s heard enough. He and Snow arrest him for the misappropriation of funds and lead him out of the club and out into the alleyway.
Outside, the alley is blocked by two cars. Bigby stands in front of Snow, protecting her from whatever is about to happen. The two Tweedles get out, each holding shotguns pointed menacingly at Bigby. A tall woman steps out of the second car and asks that Bigby turn over Crane. Bigby is not interested in dealing with the Tweedles and refuses, demanding to know who the woman really is. She introduces herself as Bloody Mary and it’s clear to Bigby that the woman had left sanity behind her a long time ago. She informs Bigby that her employer, the Crooked Man, has business with Crane and that Bigby should be a good little puppy and not interfere. Bigby growls and refuses a second time. Bloody Mary has out lasted her patience and she instructs the Tweedles to shoot Bigby.
Bigby is hit in the shoulder and he stumbles backwards, hitting the brick wall behind him. He can barely hear Snow call his name as he pushes himself back up to his feet. Instinct is guiding him now and his transformation begins to take shape. The Tweedles look uncertain and take aim once more, shooting Bigby in the chest. He stumbles but remains upright, his brown hair thickening and turning black - his eyes yellowing. The Tweedles shoot him again and hit Bigby once more in the torso but he keeps going, anger and rage consuming him.
He is completely unrecognizable now, more like his former self then Sheriff Wolf. Bigby lunges at the Tweedles, picking them up effortlessly and tossing them aside. As each one tries to struggle, Bigby claws them, punching them into the wall. Bigby finally picks up Dee and pins him, his claws at his throat. Raw emotions pulse through him and the last shred of his humanity disintegrates as he sinks his razor sharp claws into Dee’s flesh and rips out his throat.
Bigby tosses the body aside and turns towards Bloody Mary. She smiles at him mockingly before raising her gun at him and shooting. It strikes Bigby in the side and causes him to cry out, falling to his knees. She shot him with a silver bullet, essentially incapacitating him as much as if he was a real werewolf. Mary reaches into the car and pulls out the Woodsman’s axe, scraping it against the ground as she approaches Bigby. He is too injured to do anything but lie there and watch as she lifts the axe over his head, aiming for his throat.
Snow cries out and rushes to his side. Bigby tries to tell her to run away but she is too stubborn. She promises to give Crane up if they let Bigby live. Mary looks over to the second car. A hand reaches out and gives her a wave. Mary tells Snow it’s her lucky day and grabs Crane, ushering him to the car. She laughs mockingly, telling Snow that Crane is no killer unlike Bigby. She says there is a new leader in Fabletown and it is “out with the old and in with the new”. Mary shoves Crane into the car and drives away. Bigby is left unconscious on the ground, bleeding in the pouring rain as Snow kneels beside him.
Abilities/Special Powers: Bigby is the Big Bad Wolf of legend. He can transform into a werewolf and full wolf at will however, he generally controls himself. The only time he cannot resist the urge to transform is when he loses his temper. The transformation happens in stages depending on how angry or threatened he is feeling. The first stage turns his eyes yellow, his facial and body hair thickening, his canines protruding from his mouth, and his feet and hands springing claws. The second stage takes the transformation further with hair covering his entire body as he loses his human appearance, his arms and legs lengthening. The final stage has him transformed into a large, black wolf. No longer does he look human. He is an apex predator and ruled by canine instincts.
He also has control over the North Wind which is where the “Huff and Puff and Blow Your House Down” comes from in the story of “The Three Little Pigs”. Because Bigby is a Fable he is able to regenerate and heal faster than normal humans or mundies. Bigby has been shown to be able to survive a variety of long distance falls out of windows, repeated shotgun blasts to the chest and abdomen, and pierced with a silver bullet. This doesn’t mean he is incapable of dying, but, being the Big Bad Wolf allows him to live through nearly anything except, perhaps, decapitation.
Third Person Sample (Based on Hunger Event)
Bigby woke with a gnawing ache in his belly. The hunger was on him and it hadn’t been this bad since he was last in the Homelands. He sat up in his bed, his stomach growling loudly. The sound was vicious and he groaned, standing up with a grimace. His mouth salivated and he licked his lips over and over again, the need growing with every tick of the clock.
Hungry. It was the only thought on his mind as he paced, wearing a hole in the floor of his room. It would pass just as it always had but the desire to sink his teeth into warm flesh had never been this strong before. At first, it was normal foods: salted pork, bacon, a nice big juicy steak, but the more he focused on food the more dangerous his cravings became. The steak became raw sirloin, dripping with blood; the bacon became a large slice of pork belly, the short stubby hair of pig skin clinging to the top. The saliva was dripping down his chin now and he constantly rubbed his hands against his mouth like an addict fighting the urge to smoke just one more hit.
The sensation was so terrible that Bigby hardly recognized he was changing. His eyes began to yellow, his hair thickening over his arms, chest and face. He had to get this under control. The only answer was to risk venturing out into the hallway and head down to the kitchen. Keeping himself cage was simply whipping him up into a frenzy. It was better to satiate his desire with something safe then to tempt him with a taste of his old diet..
Bigby struggled to keep the wolf in check as he opened the door. He stepped out into the hallway and breathed in deeply. The scents of all the residents of the mansion came crashing over him. It overwhelmed him and he stumbled, falling to his knees. The smell was cloying, teasing and sensual. The growl came from his chest this time and the hunger gripped him hard. The scent of a young girl lost down a rabbit hole came hard and fast. Bigby was powerless to stop from giving in and losing himself in the idea of the hunt - for he would hunt her down. His lust for blood was far too strong to keep himself from doing anything less.
Bigby pushed himself to his feet and fixed his tie, the wolf in control behind yellow eyes and large, canine teeth. “Oh yes, my dear,” he growled. “All the better to eat you with.”
First-Person Sample:
[The screen is clouded over with smoke. It takes the video camera (old, 1985 model) some time to pull the figure behind the fog into focus. Bigby squints at the machine, a cigarette hanging from his lips as he pokes at the exposed mic.]
Tap. Tap. Tap How the hell does this thing work?
[The camera fights to focus once again. Bigby’s scruffy facial hair zooms into view before fading back, his face once again filling the screen. Bigby is unsuccessfully playing with the zoom feature. The screen shakes and a soft curse drifts through the scene although it’s difficult to tell exactly what was said. Bigby sits down in a chair opposite the camera, his elbows on his knees. He stares silently at the screen, his fingers moving periodically to his mouth and back, puffing on his cigarette before tapping the ash. Puff. Tap. Puff. Tap. After a few silent moments, Bigby clears his throat.]
My name is Sheriff Wolf. I’m currently working on an investigation. If anyone has any information regarding ...
[A slight pause as he’s thinking through his words carefully. If there are mundies watching then they will think he’s crazy. Can he deal with crazy? Strike that - does he want to deal with crazy?]
[continues] a woman named Snow, Faith, or Bloody Mary [this name is said through clenched teeth] please contact me. You don’t want me to find you first.
[The camera shakes again as Bigby sits up and reaches across the screen. The picture flickers once before the image goes black.]
Re-App
Third Person Sample:
Snow was here.
Every since he was confronted with her scent it was all he could think about. It was strange - he hadn't realized how much he was addicted to her scent until it was gone. Mary Margaret had been a lovely distraction but now he was faced with the real thing. And the shitty part of it all, she was just as cold as ever.
Not that Bigby had expected anything different. This was Snow he was talking about after all. No matter what he did, it wasn't good enough. No matter how many times he saved her or fixed her problems, she would always see him as Sheriff Bigby. The only thing they had in common was their dedication to Fabletown - nothing more, nothing less. Back home he was used to it, but here in Wonderland, things had changed. He had changed. And she... she was the same and it bothered him in ways it never had before.
How terrible would it be if he confessed his feelings? It's not as though it was a new development. Ever since he tasted her he knew there was something special. He couldn't escape her, even when he isolated himself in the Black Forest. She still found him and he couldn't say no - couldn't deny her any request. Wonderland had made him see just how lonely he truly was and how much he needed her. If only she saw things the same way.
First Person Sample:
[The video opens on a cloud of smoke. It's pretty obvious whose video this is. Bigby leans forward across a desk and grins - strange, as he rarely ever smiles.]
After months of researching, I've finally decided on a location for the Sheriff Station. First floor next to the front door of the mansion. You'll see a sign indicating the office. Hours are from ten until four Monday through Friday. Anyone who is interested in joining the Wonderland Force is welcome to sign up in the office.
Anyone with an open case, please feel free to come by and file a report. It will be a bit slow until the force begins to gather people. Remember, this is all in an attempt to keep some order in the chaos that Wonderland breeds. It only works if you want it to.
I'll be in the office today at 9:45.
[Bigby reaches over and turns the video off.]