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  'Good shot,' Flasheart roared with delight.

  'I told Mrs Mutton you'd say that,' his son laughed.

  'Lady Whitehorn was always too snooty anyway,' Flasheart laughed.

  He had of course just heard of the infamous 'uncle in the pond' incident.

  A magnificent change had come over the wolf since discovering Freddy's identity. His air of melancholy had dropped away and the sorrows of the last six years seemed to weigh only lightly upon his heart. Freddy had quickly related to his father all of his adventures leading up to and following his Transwolfation.

  Flasheart had been able to shed some light on his poodle status. The aunt's poodle, Dripsy-Wimpsy, had bitten Freddy's mother when she was pregnant.

  'Somehow you must have canine as well as Wolfen and human blood,' his father said. 'I've never heard of it before, but there can be no other explanation.'

  'Why did it have to happen to me?' Freddy whined.

  'Don't be too upset about it,' Flasheart decided. 'We wouldn't have found each other again otherwise.'

  'Yeah,' Freddy yapped, 'but I'd still rather have been a fierce wolf when I found you.'

  'Being fierce is not the same thing as being brave,' his father advised and gave him a friendly nudge on the ears. Freddy was knocked right over by the force.

  'If you were a wolf you'd be too big to escape.' Flasheart stood up. 'Freddy, you have two ruthless enemies: Cripp and Hotspur. But you must go – for me, for Batty, but most of all for the werefolk of Britain. If Cripp finds the Wolfen Names we are all lost. You are the only one who can save them.'

  'Stinky feet!' Freddy gulped.

  'Now escape,' Flasheart roared. He dragged his chain over the floor towards the farthest and darkest corner of the dungeon. There he pointed at a square hole in the stone floor. It was like the one in Freddy's old cell, only this one was half the size and didn't have a grate over it. It was just big enough for a small poodle to slither down.

  Looking down into the small black hole, Freddy felt terrible about leaving his father. He remembered his own earlier escape plan and a cheeky idea started to form in his head.

  'Dad,' he said quickly, 'would you be able to break my chain? So I can transform back?'

  Flasheart gave a chuckle.

  'Of course I could, Freddy. I am a great and powerful beast, remember,' the wolf replied. You can begin to see from whom Freddy had inherited his vanity. 'But if you transform into a boy you will be trapped too. You won't be able to fit down the drain and the door is bolted on the outside.'

  'But I won't transform, not straight away,' Freddy woofed excitedly. 'I have Cripp's Moonstone ring inside me. It's brilliant.' He told the wolf his plan.

  'There is too much danger of meeting Cerberus,' Flasheart said doubtfully.

  'I am not leaving you here,' Freddy yapped crossly. 'I can let you out and still save Batty, I know I can.'

  The wolf looked immensely proud of his son.

  'Then we have to act quickly.' The huge wolf rose and padded softly over to the poodle. He carefully placed his great fangs around the Moonstone chain.

  'It will work, won't it, Dad?' Freddy said softly. 'The ring in my stomach will stop me from transforming?'

  'I hope so, otherwise, we are all lost,' the wolf replied, his green eyes glinted.

  'Tails crossed then,' Freddy decided. With a last chuckle the wolf bit down on the chain. For a second it tightened horribly around Freddy's neck, then it shattered. The chain and its Moonstone clattered to the floor. Freddy felt a great surge of relief.

  'Ha-ha-hardy-ha,' he yapped triumphantly. 'Oh wait, oh no! Oh no!' he cried in a panic.

  'What, Freddy? Are you transforming? Quickly, pick up the Moonstone again.' The wolf looked urgently on the floor for the chain as Freddy rolled around. Then with a cheeky yip the poodle jumped up again.

  'Only joking,' he laughed.

  'Not funny, young pup,' the wolf growled angrily.

  'Sorry.' Freddy tried his best to look genuinely sorry. The wolf was not convinced but was still in a good enough humour not to mind much.

  'Well now,' he said, 'time to go.'

  Freddy took a large gulp for courage and put his nose down the drain. Ignoring the nervous feeling in his stomach, he slid down into the dark.

  The narrow tunnels were pitch-black and there was revolting slime all over the floor. The ceiling dripped oily black water and several of the tunnels were alive with rats. They scurried and leapt over each other to escape the approaching dog.

  Freddy couldn't find the smells he was searching for. He did, however, find the exit, where the drain ran out of a large hole in the fort's high wall. It was about ten feet above the ground outside and would have been easy enough to jump from, except that it was sealed with a heavy iron grille. Not even Bruno would be able to break a hole in it. The only way out of Coldfax was through the front door. Freddy smelt the cold night air and could see the moon high in the sky. It made his Fangen blood tingle – how he wanted to run across the night under those warm moonbeams.

  Ahead of him, a dark shape was panting in the shadows.

  'Arrgggh!'

  Freddy nearly jumped out of his skin as the dark shadow screamed in terror.

  'Bruno?' he yipped into the gloom.

  'Stinky?' a gruff voice replied with relief. 'I thought you was the ghost hound.'

  'I thought you were Cerberus,' Freddy laughed. For once the two dogs were pleased to see each other.

  'I'm off to save Batty,' the boxer barked. 'We thought you was a goner.'

  'Change of plan. We can't get out that way,' Freddy replied. 'Come on, we have to run.'

  Hamish nearly dropped St John's ear when he saw Bruno's head emerge from the open grid. He was lying across the spaniel's head and holding his ear to ransom in his mouth.

  'Look who I found,' Bruno gruffed. 'Stinky.'

  Hamish jumped up with astonishment when the poodle's curly pink head emerged next.

  'Freddy! How? What? When? Where?' he woofed. St John instantly jumped up in outrage and opened his muzzle wide to woof. It was immediately clamped shut again by Bruno's heavy paw.

  'One woof, Champion, and not even Cerberus will save you,' the boxer hissed. The spaniel glared with hatred but sank down again sullenly.

  'I came out through the drain,' Freddy yipped.

  'What about the ghost hound? Did you see him?' Hamish asked eagerly.

  'He's not a hound, he's a wolf.'

  'A wolf?' the dogs howled in dismay.

  Freddy had no time to waste.

  'I've something important to tell you. I know you won't believe a word of it but just listen anyway. Then when it happens you'll know what to do. Agreed?' He looked at the two dogs. They nodded their ears.

  'Now, I've told you before that I'm a wolf.'

  Hamish and Bruno immediately raised their hairy eyebrows at each other. Freddy was right, they weren't going to believe a single word, but he took a deep breath and began.

  'Well, I'm a wolf who is really a human boy ...'

  Hamish and Bruno snorted, honked, hooted and laughed out loud. Freddy ignored them and ploughed on right to the end of his plan.

  'Now, here are the things you have to remember. When I am a boy, I won't understand you and you won't understand me. The wolf will understand me but not you. I won't understand him and neither will you. Do you understand?'

  'No, lad,' Hamish replied.

  'Not a woof,' Bruno sniggered.

  St John looked up from under Bruno's paw and rolled his eyes at their stupidity.

  'Oh, never mind. Look, when I'm a boy just follow me. It will work, I promise! Hamish, can you run on your sore paw?' Freddy looked with concern at the injury that Cerberus had given the terrier.

  'No chance, lad. You'd best leave me behind and just think of finding that brave lass in time,' the old dog said nobly.

  'No, we're not leaving any dog behind in this terrible place.' Freddy shook his head.

  'When I give you this signa
l' – he balanced on his hind legs, held up his front paws and winked – 'organise the dogs into two groups. Bruno, you lead the fast ones and we'll go and find Batty. Hamish, you bring the others to meet us near the House of Howls, in the woods of the Red Wolf. Do you know it?'

  The other two dogs looked at him in dismay.

  'Aye, but Freddy, that's an unnatural place ...'

  'Yeah, it's my home,' the boy interrupted. 'It's where Cripp will have taken her. We have to go now, so are you ready?'

  'Are we ever!' Bruno cried.

  Freddy walked towards the drain in the centre of the floor. He looked back at the cell door. There was the thirty-centimetre gap at the top. He was going to escape from Coldfax and what was more, he was going to help his father escape too.

  'Now, I'm just going back down in the hole for you know what. Don't worry, I can fit through this drain again as a boy – it's bigger than the wolf's one. Okay?'

  Hamish and Bruno looked at each other and shrugged. In a second the crazed poodle had jumped down the drain once more. He had a big job to see to. Hamish and Bruno politely turned their backs to the hole and the terrier began to murmur softly.

  'Just tell me if I have this right, lad ... Freddy will have a poo, and so will remove the ring of moon from his bowels.'

  'That's right,' Bruno nodded.

  'Then, he will magically transform into a human boy and release us all from Coldfax?' Hamish looked at his cell mate.

  'Here we go,' Freddy's voice called up.

  The two dogs looked at each other and collapsed with helpless tears of howling laughter. The poor pup was totally and utterly unhinged.

  'Ha!'

  They turned towards the open grate to see the head and shoulders of Freddy Lupin, human boy, emerge with a smile of triumph. He punched the air.

  'The Plan Master!' he whispered in delight.

  All three dogs yelped and jumped in the air with fright.

  'My hairy ears!' Hamish croaked.

  Bruno threw back his head and howled in confusion.

  'Shush, shush, you'll fetch Cerberus,' Freddy whispered urgently.

  His hair, no longer curly, stood on end as ridiculously as ever it had. It wasn't black, however, but a most putrid shade of pink. His happy green eyes sparkled as he grinned.

  'Ha-ha-hardy-ha,' he laughed, climbing out of the drain. The dogs backed away suspiciously.

  'Come on, boys, it's me.' He held out his hands for the dogs to smell.

  Hamish and Bruno inched forward nervously, sniffed, looked at each other and sniffed again. Freddy laughed. He saw their tails wagging madly and understood; they were laughing too.

  Now – escape!

  Freddy stuck first his nose, then his ear through the iron bars of the cell door. As far as he could tell Cerberus wasn't around, but he needed to act quickly. He caught a glimpse of St John sneaking to the back of the cell. He was not to be trusted. In a second Freddy had dropped the outraged spaniel into the drain and replaced the iron grate. They heard the Supreme Champion fall with a gentle splash into the slime below. He howled in fury. The other two dogs wagged their tails merrily.

  'Here I go,' Freddy whispered.

  He placed a foot on the lock and heaved himself up the iron bars. His head and shoulders touched the ceiling. Freddy's whole plan hinged on his being able to squeeze through the gap. It was tight and awkward, but his head and shoulders went through, then his arms and chest.

  'Farts!' Freddy grunted. He was balanced in a most precarious position. He was nearly upside down with his chest and head dangling outside the bars. His bottom and legs were wedged against the ceiling.

  If he was lucky he could just about nudge his way out...

  'Oh no, oh no ...'

  He crashed onto the corridor floor with a heavy thud but managed not to groan. He turned and saw Hamish and Bruno's beaming smiles and wagging tails. He was out!

  'So far, so brilliant,' he whispered. He gave them a grin and began creeping down the corridor. Despite the noise, the dogs in the other cells seemed to be fast asleep. Freddy held his breath as he tiptoed along the walkway to the Commander's office. To his left was the main iron door, through which he and Batty had entered on their first day. In it was a smaller wooden door, like a large cat flap.

  'Ho ho, Cerberus!' Freddy laughed. This was obviously how the guard dog came and went. There was a bolt on the flap, which Freddy quickly locked.

  He felt less nervous now that Cerberus had been dealt with so easily. Slowly he opened the office door and peeped inside. The room was dark and silent, but from beyond another door came the sound of a television. With his heart beating fast, Freddy reached for the light switch and turned it on.

  'So far, not so hard,' he laughed to himself with relief. 'Now, the keys! Where are the keys?'

  Freddy opened and closed drawers and cupboards, but he couldn't find any keys. He turned to face a painting on the wall, a cutesy picture of fluffy puppies flopped onto flowers.

  'Why would a mean old lady who hates dogs have that on her wall? Unless ...'

  Freddy reached up and pulled aside the painting. Behind it was a hidden cupboard.

  'Unless it's a sick joke,' he smiled as he saw a large bunch of keys. They each had a cell number fixed on them with sticky tape. There was also a larger, older, heavier key with no label, and with it a much smaller one.

  There was a heavy thump from outside followed by an almighty roar of anger.

  'Great howls,' Freddy cried. 'Cerberus.'

  The wolfhound had not been pleased to discover his door was locked by running headlong into it. Freddy heard a door click behind him and felt a rush of panic. He turned to see the Commander point at him and scream. Freddy ran and fell over a small table with a crash.

  'A burglar boy. A naked burglar boy,' she gasped.

  'Naked?' Freddy cried, looking down in horror. He quickly snatched up a cushion and covered himself. He had spent so long as a dog he had completely forgotten about his clothes.

  'Please don't panic. I'm not a burglar, I'm a poodle,' he protested, trying to calm the frantic woman.

  'I'm calling the police,' the Commander cried before racing back into the other room and slamming the door closed. Freddy jumped into action and wedged a wooden chair tightly under the door handle.

  'That should keep her in. Now I'm going to end up in human jail!' he muttered to himself.

  He looked down the long corridor. The coast was clear. He could see all the dogs' muzzles poking through the bars on either side. He began to run down towards the far end to the dungeon door. By now all the dogs were awake and alert and volleys of barks followed as he passed. Unknown to him, the word was spreading. Hamish and Bruno barked to their neighbours and they to theirs.

  'He's the poodle.'

  'The pink one?'

  'A boy?'

  'And a wolf.'

  'How?'

  'No-one knows.'

  Freddy reached the door that led down to the dungeon. As he did he heard a mighty crash behind him and turned in terror to see Cerberus at the far end of the corridor. The wolfhound saw the boy with the pink hair, smelled the air and understood. St John had been right. He gave a savage grin.

  'Great bubbling farts!' Freddy gasped. He turned to try the large old key in the lock, but in his panic dropped it. The dogs began to bark in warning as Cerberus ran past them towards Freddy. The cries were almost deafening but above them all Freddy could hear the hideous scrape of claws on stone behind him.

  Freddy reached for the key.

  With a roar of hatred Cerberus leapt into the air.

  Freddy turned the lock and slipped through the door just before the wolfhound slammed into it. The force of the dog's body banged the door closed and threw the boy down the slippery cold stairs. He landed with a groan at the bottom, the keys still clutched tightly in his trembling hand.

  'So far, so terrifying,' he squeaked in relief and dragged himself shakily to his feet.

  Freddy found a light switch
in the dark stairwell. A weak yellow glow illuminated the solid door that led to the dungeon below. Freddy tugged at the bolt with all his might.

  The wolf beyond gave a low growl.

  'Don't worry, Dad, it's me.'

  The bolt shot open.

  'Ha-ha-hardy-ha,' Freddy cried in triumph and pushed open the dungeon door.

  There, blinking in the light, stood his father, his tail wagging proudly. Now Freddy could see how badly the wolf had suffered. He was still huge, but thinner than he should have been. Strong streaks of grey lay in what had appeared to be a jet-black coat. Freddy knew he had been right in refusing to leave his father behind.

  'So far, so great,' Freddy walked forward nervously. The wolf lunged and Freddy gave a cry as he was pushed to the ground. The wolf's fangs reached for him ... Flasheart licked his forehead and with a heavy paw ruffled his hair. The wolf gave a deep rasping laugh.

  'Very funny!' Freddy said grumpily, but then laughed too.

  They were interrupted by the sound of distant sirens.

  'The police!' Freddy cried. 'We have to go, Dad.'

  He walked to the wall where the wolf's heavy chain was padlocked to a metal ring. With a silent prayer Freddy tried the smaller key. Perfect! He laughed with relief and the wolf howled loudly as the huge padlock fell easily to the floor. With some difficulty Freddy pulled the chain out of the hoop on the wolf's collar, and at last Flasheart was free. He scooted around the small room, flexing his stiff muscles.

  'Dad, Cerberus is outside waiting for us,' Freddy whispered nervously. 'Do you understand?'

  The wolf flicked his ears. Yes.

  Freddy looked at his father with concern. He was bigger than Cerberus but thin and who knew how much weakened by his years in the dungeon.

  The wolf pushed Freddy aside with his muzzle and nodded urgently at the door. Freddy reached forward and opened the upper door quickly.

  Hamish and Bruno were straining their muzzles through the bars of their cell to see.

  Cerberus was standing and glaring at the door – waiting, just waiting. He knew there was no other way out for the poodle-boy and he was going to tear him limb from limb. An extra worry heightened the tension among the dogs. They all knew that beyond the door the ghost hound stalked. Poor Freddy poodle-boy. He had to come out and face Cerberus soon, or else stay below with a hellhound.