Big and Bad
The Untold Story of Bigby Wolf
---
Once upon a time in New York City, there was a sheriff who watched over a community of fairy tale characters known as Fables, in a small community known as Fabletown.
He didn’t realize it, but his life was about to change forever, whether he wanted it to or not.
And it all started with what should have been a simple job.
---
Chapter One
"Cross Your Heart, Hope to Die"
---
The Pine Barrens
New Jersey
1:38 A.M.
The Pine Barrens just screamed “haunted.” A massive forest of tall, thick trees that stretched out for miles, it was easy to get lost in. And despite its name, pine trees weren’t all that grew there; multiple other plants, from orchids to meat-eating plants, called this place home.
Oh, yeah. It was also the home of a very notorious cryptid.
The Jersey Devil was a popular creature over here, a myth started way back, before America was ever a country. A cursed baby born to the Leeds family in the little patch of land called Leeds Point, the creature was said to have sprouted wings and horns and flown off into the PIne Barrens, where it still lives to this day. There had been frequent sightings recently, by joggers or cryptid fanatics; it was all over the news. Blurry photos, shaky phone recordings...it was like the second coming of the Bigfoot hysteria. And that was a big problem.
Bigby Wolf took a drag on his cigarette, exhaling the smoke into the night sky. He would give the PIne Barrens this: the stars were gorgeous out here. At least, the ones he could see between the expanses of branches, anyways. Fabletown had great stars, too. Mundies all went and polluted the sky, made it hard to see anything but a handful of dim twinkling lights and, if you were lucky, a constellation or two. But out here, he could see so many stars. It was...beautiful, really.
Too bad he had to deal with a whole lot of ugly tonight.
To say Bigby was a not a fan of the Jersey Devil would be like saying that that pea under the mattress caused a minor inconvenience to the poor princess stuck sleeping on it. The guy was bad news, always had been. Scams, arrests, violence towards other Fables and even Mundies...and now he was going out of his way to be seen by everyone and their fucking grandmother. It was absolutely ridiculous. And of course, no one else was around to deal with the prick, so that left Bigby. Great.
He didn’t really know how long he was going to be out here in this forest. It’d already been, what, seven hours? Either Jersey was fucking with him, or Bigby was just lost. But knowing this guy, there was a good chance that there was a bit of both going on.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Smokin’ in the forest? Ain’t Smokey Bear ever teach you nothin’?”
Bigby froze, the taunting voice causing him to sneer. The shadow looming over him spread its wings, clearly an attempt to intimidate. Bigby wasn’t buying it.
“So, he finally shows his face.” Bigby turned, facing the un-Glamoured cryptid.
“And here I was starting to think all those recent sightings were just one big hoax.”
“Hey, I can’t disappoint my fans, now can I?” Jersey laughed, a menacing sound that would send a chill down anyone’s spine. All it did for Bigby was raise an eyebrow. “Us cryptids can’t be expected to stay out of the limelight forever, Wolf. We follow different rules, remember?”
“That’s true, but as a cryptid and a Fable you still fall under our jurisdiction, and just flying around wherever you want-”
“Woah, woah, woah. Hold on, I'm sorry. Did I hear you right?” Jersey put a hand to his chest, as if insulted. “Our jurisdiction? I think you mean Crane’s jurisdiction. Or Hell, even Snow’s. You’re just the Big, Bad Errand Boy.”
“You know what the fuck I mean, Jersey, stop fucking around.” Bigby dropped his cigarette to the ground, grinding it out with his heel. “The point is, you need to keep your little appearances to a minimum. The Mundies could find you out.”
“Have a little faith, sheriff! Christ! You think I just started this gig yesterday? I’ve been hangin’ around this joint for centuries! No one’s found me yet, and no one will.”
“You're so sure about that, aren't you... You go online recently? Your blurred out face is all over Mundy websites, and tabloids. I’m not saying stop completely, I’m saying that you need to slow down! There are more Fables than you at stake here.”
“You’re makin’ this sound like a matter of life and death, sheriff. Is this really such a big deal?”
“For fuck’s sake, Jersey!” Bigby could feel his blood pressure rising. He was remembering just why it was he hated dealing with Jersey so much. Stay calm, Bigby...he’s just trying to piss you off. Taking a deep breath, Bigby did his best to calm his nerves. “Would you please stop going in circles over this? I really don’t see how this is even an issue.”
“Huh? Oh, it ain’t.”
You had GOT to be kidding. Bigby gritted his teeth. “So why did you bother with all that shit? Just to annoy me and waste my time?”
“Heh...oh, you know…”
“To give ‘em a chance to catch up to us.”
“What are you-”
Sshnk.
“Guh-!” A cold pain rushed through Bigby, keeping him frozen in place. His mouth open in shock, he forced his head down, eyes fixed on the silver dagger pointing out of his chest. A woman’s cruel laugh sounded right in his ear, but it sounded so far away…
“Sorry, sheriff. But I’m afraid your troubles are worse than some silly cryptid sightings.” She pulled the dagger out, and Bigby fell to the ground. As his vision started fading, he watched as Jersey and the raven haired woman stood over him.
“Yeah...your life’s about to get a helluva lot shittier, Bigby. Try to get some sleep, yeah? You got a big day ahead of ya.”
And that was just what Bigby did.
---
White.
All he could see was white. All around him, all consuming. Bright, white light.
“...Wolf…”
Huh?
“...Fables…”
Was someone talking to him?
“...get up…”
But he couldn’t see anything…
“Wake up!”
He was yanked up, and reality came crashing down on the sheriff hard. He had been lying on a table, an oxygen mask on that was now violently ripped off. Someone shook him, a man, judging by the gruff English voice.
View attachment 3167
"Come on, Wolf! Hurry it up!"
A woman’s voice could be heard now, calmer and gentler, but with urgency.
View attachment 3168
"Wake up Wolf, wake up! You're the only one that can do this, you're our officer! You must protect the fables!"
What? Who were these people? He swore he knew them...but who were they?! God, his head was killing him...what the fuck? Why couldn't he see? Why couldn't he remember?!
He was shoved into some sort of office now. Everything was still so bright and blurred...he couldn’t see the man before him, or hear him, for that matter. He was saying so many things…
View attachment 3169
"...Do what you have to do, Bigby, but come back in one piece."
From what? Come back from what? What was he talking about?! Was this a dream? The afterlife, Hell, where was he? What the fuck was going on?
"Look, Wolf, they are really dangerous. You'll know when you see them because they have a big red cross on their faces.”
They? They?! Who the fuck were they?! Oh fuck, his head…
“Do not bite them! We are not sure on how the infection spreads. Take them down any way you can.”
What the fuck… “W-Wait…” He put up a hand, as if trying to pause the barrage on information, most of it he didn’t even hear.
The blur in the chair nodded to someone behind Bigby. He was grabbed by the collar again, pulled sharply to the right, towards a door with a strange symbol on it. Shit...why couldn’t he remember…
The door opened, and he was shoved inside. The white gave way to black. Black...and a red cross.
"HELLO SUNSHINE, I'M COMIN'!"
Fuck!
His instincts kicked it all at once, just in time for Bigby to grab the sledgehammer as it came right for his head. He yanked it away, kicking his opponent, who grinned maniacally at him, hands moving to his belt. Was he...unbuckling it?! What the fuck-
Take them down any way you can.
...shit.
“OOH, YOU’RE A FANCY ONE-”
WHAM!
Bigby winced as the blood splattered all over, the man...or thing, really, falling to the ground, head twisted in a horrible angle. Motherfucker... Bigby dropped the sledgehammer, staggering back, and how royally fucked up this all was flooded him. What the fuck was that thing? Why had it tried to kill him? And why did he have to kill it? He didn’t know, and he honestly wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. But it was clear he had a mission. Protect the Fables and survive. All right. Nothing he hadn’t done before…
A glow appeared behind him, the same symbol on the door. He still couldn’t recognize it. The man’s voice echoed in the room. "This is the last help we'll be giving you, Bigby. Good luck."
“Uh...thanks. I guess.” Not much else he could say, was there? Taking a deep breath that was more like a sigh, Bigby opened the door, and walked inside.
---
End Chapter One
The Untold Story of Bigby Wolf
---
Once upon a time in New York City, there was a sheriff who watched over a community of fairy tale characters known as Fables, in a small community known as Fabletown.
He didn’t realize it, but his life was about to change forever, whether he wanted it to or not.
And it all started with what should have been a simple job.
---
Chapter One
"Cross Your Heart, Hope to Die"
---
The Pine Barrens
New Jersey
1:38 A.M.
The Pine Barrens just screamed “haunted.” A massive forest of tall, thick trees that stretched out for miles, it was easy to get lost in. And despite its name, pine trees weren’t all that grew there; multiple other plants, from orchids to meat-eating plants, called this place home.
Oh, yeah. It was also the home of a very notorious cryptid.
The Jersey Devil was a popular creature over here, a myth started way back, before America was ever a country. A cursed baby born to the Leeds family in the little patch of land called Leeds Point, the creature was said to have sprouted wings and horns and flown off into the PIne Barrens, where it still lives to this day. There had been frequent sightings recently, by joggers or cryptid fanatics; it was all over the news. Blurry photos, shaky phone recordings...it was like the second coming of the Bigfoot hysteria. And that was a big problem.
Bigby Wolf took a drag on his cigarette, exhaling the smoke into the night sky. He would give the PIne Barrens this: the stars were gorgeous out here. At least, the ones he could see between the expanses of branches, anyways. Fabletown had great stars, too. Mundies all went and polluted the sky, made it hard to see anything but a handful of dim twinkling lights and, if you were lucky, a constellation or two. But out here, he could see so many stars. It was...beautiful, really.
Too bad he had to deal with a whole lot of ugly tonight.
To say Bigby was a not a fan of the Jersey Devil would be like saying that that pea under the mattress caused a minor inconvenience to the poor princess stuck sleeping on it. The guy was bad news, always had been. Scams, arrests, violence towards other Fables and even Mundies...and now he was going out of his way to be seen by everyone and their fucking grandmother. It was absolutely ridiculous. And of course, no one else was around to deal with the prick, so that left Bigby. Great.
He didn’t really know how long he was going to be out here in this forest. It’d already been, what, seven hours? Either Jersey was fucking with him, or Bigby was just lost. But knowing this guy, there was a good chance that there was a bit of both going on.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Smokin’ in the forest? Ain’t Smokey Bear ever teach you nothin’?”
Bigby froze, the taunting voice causing him to sneer. The shadow looming over him spread its wings, clearly an attempt to intimidate. Bigby wasn’t buying it.
“So, he finally shows his face.” Bigby turned, facing the un-Glamoured cryptid.
“And here I was starting to think all those recent sightings were just one big hoax.”
“Hey, I can’t disappoint my fans, now can I?” Jersey laughed, a menacing sound that would send a chill down anyone’s spine. All it did for Bigby was raise an eyebrow. “Us cryptids can’t be expected to stay out of the limelight forever, Wolf. We follow different rules, remember?”
“That’s true, but as a cryptid and a Fable you still fall under our jurisdiction, and just flying around wherever you want-”
“Woah, woah, woah. Hold on, I'm sorry. Did I hear you right?” Jersey put a hand to his chest, as if insulted. “Our jurisdiction? I think you mean Crane’s jurisdiction. Or Hell, even Snow’s. You’re just the Big, Bad Errand Boy.”
“You know what the fuck I mean, Jersey, stop fucking around.” Bigby dropped his cigarette to the ground, grinding it out with his heel. “The point is, you need to keep your little appearances to a minimum. The Mundies could find you out.”
“Have a little faith, sheriff! Christ! You think I just started this gig yesterday? I’ve been hangin’ around this joint for centuries! No one’s found me yet, and no one will.”
“You're so sure about that, aren't you... You go online recently? Your blurred out face is all over Mundy websites, and tabloids. I’m not saying stop completely, I’m saying that you need to slow down! There are more Fables than you at stake here.”
“You’re makin’ this sound like a matter of life and death, sheriff. Is this really such a big deal?”
“For fuck’s sake, Jersey!” Bigby could feel his blood pressure rising. He was remembering just why it was he hated dealing with Jersey so much. Stay calm, Bigby...he’s just trying to piss you off. Taking a deep breath, Bigby did his best to calm his nerves. “Would you please stop going in circles over this? I really don’t see how this is even an issue.”
“Huh? Oh, it ain’t.”
You had GOT to be kidding. Bigby gritted his teeth. “So why did you bother with all that shit? Just to annoy me and waste my time?”
“Heh...oh, you know…”
“To give ‘em a chance to catch up to us.”
“What are you-”
Sshnk.
“Guh-!” A cold pain rushed through Bigby, keeping him frozen in place. His mouth open in shock, he forced his head down, eyes fixed on the silver dagger pointing out of his chest. A woman’s cruel laugh sounded right in his ear, but it sounded so far away…
“Sorry, sheriff. But I’m afraid your troubles are worse than some silly cryptid sightings.” She pulled the dagger out, and Bigby fell to the ground. As his vision started fading, he watched as Jersey and the raven haired woman stood over him.
“Yeah...your life’s about to get a helluva lot shittier, Bigby. Try to get some sleep, yeah? You got a big day ahead of ya.”
And that was just what Bigby did.
---
White.
All he could see was white. All around him, all consuming. Bright, white light.
“...Wolf…”
Huh?
“...Fables…”
Was someone talking to him?
“...get up…”
But he couldn’t see anything…
“Wake up!”
He was yanked up, and reality came crashing down on the sheriff hard. He had been lying on a table, an oxygen mask on that was now violently ripped off. Someone shook him, a man, judging by the gruff English voice.
View attachment 3167
"Come on, Wolf! Hurry it up!"
A woman’s voice could be heard now, calmer and gentler, but with urgency.
View attachment 3168
"Wake up Wolf, wake up! You're the only one that can do this, you're our officer! You must protect the fables!"
What? Who were these people? He swore he knew them...but who were they?! God, his head was killing him...what the fuck? Why couldn't he see? Why couldn't he remember?!
He was shoved into some sort of office now. Everything was still so bright and blurred...he couldn’t see the man before him, or hear him, for that matter. He was saying so many things…
View attachment 3169
"...Do what you have to do, Bigby, but come back in one piece."
From what? Come back from what? What was he talking about?! Was this a dream? The afterlife, Hell, where was he? What the fuck was going on?
"Look, Wolf, they are really dangerous. You'll know when you see them because they have a big red cross on their faces.”
They? They?! Who the fuck were they?! Oh fuck, his head…
“Do not bite them! We are not sure on how the infection spreads. Take them down any way you can.”
What the fuck… “W-Wait…” He put up a hand, as if trying to pause the barrage on information, most of it he didn’t even hear.
The blur in the chair nodded to someone behind Bigby. He was grabbed by the collar again, pulled sharply to the right, towards a door with a strange symbol on it. Shit...why couldn’t he remember…
The door opened, and he was shoved inside. The white gave way to black. Black...and a red cross.
"HELLO SUNSHINE, I'M COMIN'!"
Fuck!
His instincts kicked it all at once, just in time for Bigby to grab the sledgehammer as it came right for his head. He yanked it away, kicking his opponent, who grinned maniacally at him, hands moving to his belt. Was he...unbuckling it?! What the fuck-
Take them down any way you can.
...shit.
“OOH, YOU’RE A FANCY ONE-”
WHAM!
Bigby winced as the blood splattered all over, the man...or thing, really, falling to the ground, head twisted in a horrible angle. Motherfucker... Bigby dropped the sledgehammer, staggering back, and how royally fucked up this all was flooded him. What the fuck was that thing? Why had it tried to kill him? And why did he have to kill it? He didn’t know, and he honestly wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. But it was clear he had a mission. Protect the Fables and survive. All right. Nothing he hadn’t done before…
A glow appeared behind him, the same symbol on the door. He still couldn’t recognize it. The man’s voice echoed in the room. "This is the last help we'll be giving you, Bigby. Good luck."
“Uh...thanks. I guess.” Not much else he could say, was there? Taking a deep breath that was more like a sigh, Bigby opened the door, and walked inside.
---
End Chapter One