Fables #48

In a small port town in Russia, Mowgli continues his search for the elusive Bigby Wolf by asking in a local pub. He pays for a sea captain's drink, who invites the westerner to sit. Mowgli shows a picture of Bigby, but the captain hasn't seen him.

Meanwhile, on the Farm, Snow White takes her kids Christmas pictures, so that their father gets to see how they've grown when he comes home. She also tells them it was time for them to make a group decision about flying and transforming.

Speaking of whom, in the Russian port town Mowgli finds that Bigby's trail has seemingly stopped. He never left, at least according to any trawler captains or air pilots. But then, Bigby was also a wolf, and Mowgli realizes as he stares into the mountain ranges that he may be asking the wrong people. Wolves. Mowgli knew the language they used quite well, having grown up among them, even if the ones in Russia were Mundy wolves. He finds a pack, surprising them that he knows their tongue. But they're unwilling to help, since he's a human. He's not one of them. Mowgli shouts a challenge for their leader, the alpha, to a duel for the right to join their society. The alpha, Tukar, tells Mowgli to meet him tonight at the council rock, so that he may rend and tear his flesh from his bones.

The Farm outlands see the children, led by Darien are out on a hunt to retrace the steps their mom took when she slew the terrifying Sher Khan. They wanted to find the old tiger's body, a task which would be easier, Connor says, if they could change into wolves. They get to the bottom of the High Hills, where the giant brothers and Clara once slept. Darien shushes the pack - he heard something, like a growl! They gather together under a ridge. Therese wonders, frightened, if it's Shere Khan's ghost, but Ambrose says there's no such thing, though Blossom was told by their Auntie Rose that his ghost does still haunt these hills. Suddenly, a tiger demon jumps out at them growling it's going to eat them up!! But actually, it was just Rose Red in a tiger mask and gloves, laughing herself silly at their little scared faces. The kids, all except Ambrose in varying levels of wolf form, aren't very happy with their auntie right now. But that's too bad, Rose told them, as the deal was they had to show they could stay in human form for a whole month without changing or flying to be allowed to leave the Farm. Their record so far is three days. It wouldn't do to have them fly away or wolf out in front of the mundies every time they get startled.

That night, Mowgli, the challenger, met the pack leader Tukar at the wolves council rock. To make it a fair fight, Mowgli drops his weapons of man, a knife and gun, and removes his clothing. Tukar then charges, Mowgli dodges and lands the first strike by punching the wolf. Tukar sinks his teeth into his arm as he lunges again, sending them both toppling over the hillside. Mowgli's injured but not beaten, not yet. He grabs the wolf's two front paws as the beast pounces, flipping Tukar over, breaking his front limbs, and cracking his back against a rock. Injured, Mowgli crawls over to ask the wolf if he still lived. Tukar replies that he did, but his back was broken. Mowgli offered to end his suffering quickly, which Tukar graciously accepted. With a hard twist, Mowgli snaps his rival's neck. He was the pack leader now. It was two weeks later, after seeking medical help in town, before he'd return to question the wolves.
Last spring, a giant wolf, who the pack deferred to as their God, led them in many hunts. He outran many preys, and on his own he killed dozens. That summer, the pack ate very well and grew strong. Then, one terrifying day the wolves huddled in their den as the winds outside blew wildly. When it finally died down, the God of Wolves had vanished with no scent or trace left behind. He never returned.

Over the next couple months, Mowgli retraced his steps through Russia, asking again at the hotels if a man matching Bigby's description ever stayed there, only to receive the same negative response. He called Prince Charming ready to give up before it suddenly occurred to him; he was tracking a man who could turn to a beast, but Bigby was not just man or beast. Mowgli returns to the port to hire a boat to take him to the Alaska side. It makes sense why the captains have never seen Bigby... one such as him wouldn't need a boat.