START OF CHAPTER ONE

Inverness, Seventh Column study...

Welsha shifted in her seat, waiting for the two to come back. They'd dropped her off here and then left. While she liked silence, this was starting to get a bit ridiculous. After what seemed like forever, Church walked in, alone.

"My apologies, Tex usually does this, but she's busy. So, I'm taking her place. I'm just going to ask some rudimentary questions and then you can begin. Just a reminder, this is a volunteer service, you don't have to join if you don't want to." Church stated, sitting down across from her.

"I understand." Welsha responded.

"Good. Now, on to the questions. One, do you have any family, and if not, what happened to them?"

"I have an adoptive brother. We live alone. I don't have any other family, as my mother, father, and baby brother were killed during a Grimm attack when I was four. I was trapped inside the ruins of my room for four days, and that's when the Sect showed up and took me in." Welsha said with a tired voice, like she had sung the same tune thousands of times before.

"My condolences." Church muttered, writing notes down on his notepad.

"It's fine. I got over it long ago."

"Well, next question. What is your blood type?"

"O."

"Great. Next question. How do you feel about killing Grimm?" She mused the question over, even though it was a strange one.

"I think...It's a necessary evil. Grimm want to kill us and we have to kill them in order to survive."

"Okay. Say you didn't have to kill them. Would you still feel that way?"

"Would you kill a harmless beast? Would you feed a full man?"

"Point taken. Next question. Ugh. How do you feel about the new leader?" Welsha smiled at the groan and giggled.

"Oh boy. Can I skip this one?" No one appreciated the new leader, and everyone knew it. In fact, if the new leader died the next day, no one would care. They'd probably be happy, because then they could elect a proper leader.

"Sure. Next question. How do you feel about Fauna?"

"I don't have anything against 'em. They're just people like you and I. You've got one in your group, right?"

"Yes. Her name is Terracotta. Terracotta Jones. Sweet girl, real good at killing Grimm. She'd make a good apprentice to your brother."

"I'm not so sure about that. He's never seen a Faunus in his life."

Brafez walked down the cobblestone hall, passing a truck filled with crates of all sizes. He saw the man on the side and waved, Brazeazel waving back. He was an escort for the truck, and helped unload the crates into the Farm.

The Farm was an experimental facility, where all sorts of inhumane and unethical experiments went down. It was a recent addition, and had been constructed by the new leader in order to "learn more about our enemies". They captured Grimm out in the wild and brought them back to experiment on them. The stench of burning Grimm was strong in the air around the Farm, but Brafez had grown used to it during the past few months. How they kept the Grimm alive in captivity was unknown, but it was astounding. That was the only reason why the Atlas Council had allowed the Farm to exist.

Brafez kept walking alongside a wrought iron fence, separating him from the Farm by a few inches. The fence was imbued with burn dust, and while Brafez could control it, he'd rather not go inside there. The place gave him the creeps, and he often questioned what the hell he was doing just being in the vicinity of the Farm. He kept walking for a few minutes, leading away from the Farm.

When he reached a tall heavy door, he pulled it open and walked inside, entering the civilian quarters. A girl waved at him, and he waved back. The girl's name was Katie, and she was kind enough. Katie was very polite, a well-mannered girl in every sense of the word. She wouldn't turn down the opportunity to help anyone.

Brafez considered her naive, that she thought she could help everyone. He never voiced his opinion, though. He didn't want to have to explain that the world didn't work that way, that it was a very cruel world they lived in. That was not a lesson taught, it was one learned. He had learned it well. Katie threw him a cookie from a half-eaten bag, flashing him a smile. Brafez smiled back and took a bite, silently slipping back into his brooding thoughts.

He walked on autopilot until he reached the door of his and Welsha's apartment, opening it and walking inside. The comforting sounds of Classical music reached his ears and brought a true smile to his lips. He was very fond of classical music. His scroll buzzed against his hip, so he picked it up. It was a message from Rogii, the bounty master. He gave out jobs from all over Remnant to Sect members, be it clearing out a local Grimm infestation or helping to enforce the law in the settlements beyond the pale of the Kingdoms.

Brafez opened his scroll, reading his next assignment. "Thanks Rogii." Brafez muttered, smiling and plopping down into an armchair. His next assignment would be to escort a trading caravan through the desert out in Vacuo, and help keep bandits away. That side of the sand was void of Grimm life, and his name was enough to keep any miscreants out of their hair. This would be easy enough. He'd have to thank Rogii later.

Another message appeared on his scroll, this time from Welsha.

'I got in.'

'Good.' He replied. 'I'm happy for you. Next assignment came in.'

'What is it?'

'Escort assignment. Vacuo. No Grimm in sight. I need to thank Rogii.'

'Nice! Stay safe! I'll be home later tonight.'

'Oh.' Brafez smirked, typing back. 'You're meeting with Samantha again, aren't you?'

'N-No. Shut up.'

'Never. Enjoy your date, nerd.'

'It's not a date! We're just friends.'

'Right. And I can feel pain.'

'Ha ha. Very funny. Eat something, will you? I don't want anything to happen like last time.'

'Not hungry.'

'Brafez.'

'What? ;)'

'(;_;)'

'(:-:)'

'What are we doing?'

'I don't know. Later Sis.'

'Later. Eat something!'

'Bye!' Brafez smiled as he turned his scroll off, just to mess with her. He knew how much it bothered her. He groaned and stood up, looking at the fridge. He should eat...

The doorbell rang, and Brafez started walking towards the door. A few feet away he was slammed into the wall, claws wrapping around his throat. He barely felt it, mostly because of congenital analgesia, but also because he was too busy wondering if his coagulants still worked. When he looked at his attacker, he saw a black mist, behind it a giant twisting orb of black fluid. It was the figure from before, black fire leaping off its shoulders. It was getting harder to breathe every second, and Brafez saw only one end in sight.

Then he blinked and he was standing in the hall, still a few feet from the door. He checked his neck, and felt no claw marks on the skin. The doorbell was still ringing. He filed the incident away and opened the door, revealing Katie dressed in a white nightgown and holding a pillow.

"Hi Katie. Sleepover?" Brafez asked, looking at her hazelnut eyes. She had very luminous eyes.

"Yep!" Katie responded with a smile. He opened the door further and let her in, the girl rushing past him and into the living room. Brafez shut the door behind him and checked his scroll, a countdown on the screen. It was for when he needed to take more coagulants, when the first two lost effectiveness. When he looked up, he was socked square in the face with a pillow, complementary of Katie. "Got you!"

One pillow fight, six hours, four movies, and several bags of popcorn later, Katie was fast asleep, resting her head on Brafez's shoulder. He liked her, but she'd eat him out of house and home. He looked down at her sleeping face and smiled, a tinge of comfort warming his heart. It was a shame that most Exterminators rarely died in bed, because in several years he was sure Katie would be a fine, tried and true friend. Perhaps even more. But with recent events, he doubted that he would live to see it.

He picked her up like a sleeping princess and carried her out into the hallway, walking to her apartment door and knocking. Katie's brother, Marcus, opened the door, taking Katie in his arms and thanking Brafez before shutting the door. A hushed breath sounded to Brafez's right, and he took out Fenrir with haste.

"Please, Exterminator, let us talk." The white cloaked woman said, holding out her hands to show that she was unarmed. Brafez did not lower Fenrir. She had an unearthly feel about her.

"Then talk. I have had a good night, but my caution is not lowered." Brafez responded, yanking out Fenrir's grip and transforming it into a long-axe.

"Very well, Rasputin. I am here to protect you. The figure that which you have seen before is trying to kill you. You know what I am talking about."

"The Grimm?" Brafez inquired, lowering his axe lightly.

"Yes. It is an ancient being. I will not be able to protect you all the time."

"So, you were the reason why I survived the direct attack. I don't trust you, and don't expect me to. Tell me your name."

"My name is Summer Rose. She is coming. Watch the shadows." With that, the woman in white disappeared, leaving Brafez to his devices. He pulled out his scroll and contacted Welsha, who responded a few minutes later.

"Yeah?"

"Welsha, I need you to look up a name."

"Uh, right now? Sam and I are at-"

"Not right now. It can wait. The name is Summer Rose."

"Sure, I'll look into it. Talk to you later, kay?"

"Thanks. And Sis?"

"Yeah?"

"Enjoy your date."

"You little-!" Brafez shut off his scroll, smiling in spite of recent events. The next day would bring stranger things to light.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

A.N. Who is attacking Brafez? What does Summer want? Is Welsha on a date? Find out, on the next episode of WOLF!