Disclaimer: This isn't mine, some of the featured wesen are my own creation, though.
Chapter 2: Fate sealed
Sean is well aware of the crucial moment when Veering's powers reveal his wesen side. A shudder goes through his body that even his iron control cannot repress. Renard prides himself on being strong willed, tough and practically unshakable but this feels like he is totally exposed, served on a platter in complete nakedness. Despite all this, though, he does feel no inclination to woge as he would have expected. He knows, although admitting to it is hard, that this has nothing to do with his own self mastery, it is something different... something he cannot place, yet.
"Veering! I repeat, put your hands behind your head and do not move." It is Nick, all professionalism even in face of that invisible force, that palpable tension which makes his hairs and every Grimm sense he possesses stand on end!
There's a moment of distraction, a split second when Veering's head whips around to Nick, to that newly perceived source of danger, then the man himself is forced to reveal his wesen side!
He growls deep in his throat.
"You! What are you doing here, working together with a filthy Zauberbiest? You should kill it, not grovel at its feet!"
Suddenly their suspect moves, nearly too fast to make out in the dark. Gunshots echo through the night but none hit their target. Veering is too damn fast! He leaps over boxes and other stuff, fleeing through scrubs, weaving around trees.
Renard takes up chase, moving fluidly like a magnificent creature of prey. For a short space of time the Grimm can only stare, then he shakes himself out of it, ready to follow his boss. Something stops him, though.
Call it Grimm instinct or the sixth sense of a Detective but Nick notices another living being just at the edge of his awareness. He whips around. Has there been some movement to his left?
Damn! It's exactly opposite of where the perp and Renard have run off to. Not an ideal situation considering police procedure. He notices movement again, however, and finally the shape of a human being is visible against pale moonlight. It bends down just now, takes up some item from the ground. The Grimm holds his breath, tries to ignore his quickly beating heart. Did it notice him? How could it not, he had been shouting out police orders! He strains to see what was taken up.
Moonlight catches on a silver pendant of some sort, a pendant speckled with tiny dark dots.
He knows what this is. Their vic's PM has revealed that a chain of some kind has been ripped away from around her throat and here a stranger picks up a pendant dangling from a thin broken chain. A pendant speckled with what surely is blood.
As Nick's expression darkens to a fierce scowl, as his instincts scream at him, that Veering had help from a second person, the Grimm in him comes to the forefront. Subconsciously moving into a slight crouch, ready to run, to fight, to purchase, he stares at the other creature until finally their eyes meet.
The stranger gives a slow head shake, familiar by now as movement accompanying a full woge. Skin looses colour, lips darken to absolute black and hands morph into claws! A low, vicious, throaty laugh is let out, eyes light up with evil intent before the unknown wesen rushes away into the night with Nick on hot purchase.
He is vaguely worried about the situation they have manoeuvred themselves into.
This could be a trap! This is a trap almost certainly!
Even knowing this, he's equally sure that he has to catch this man in order to solve the case! And so he runs!
GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM
Up ahead Nick can barely make out the dark shape of his target while he fights his way through the forest.
Damn it! Whoever this is, he seems to be much better equipped to run through this bleeding mass of greenery and branches than I am!
A particularly vicious hit in the face by one of the aforementioned branches takes his sight for a moment – enough time for spooky guy to vanish without a trace!
Damn it!
Again Nick internally curses as he slows down from running at full tilt. Gun at the ready he moves on, straining all his senses to perceive hidden danger. But in a nightly forest all kinds of strange noises and creepy shapes crop up, so it's nearly impossible to say what is natural and what a warning sign for an approaching creature. Adrenaline courses through his blood as Grimm senses take the lead.
He hears a distinctive noise to the left, turns that way lightning quick, and is completely caught off guard when he is attacked viciously from the right!
Only good reflexes safe his life when razor sharp claws lash out, going for his throat. He tilts his body back and to the side at a nearly impossible angle; feels something like knifes rip into skin and draw blood despite his effort. With a cry of pain he rolls into a crouch, away from his attacker, accidently dropping his gun in the process.
"You just sealed you death, foolish Grimm."
His words are a throaty drawl, delivered with dark amusement. Nick whirls around still crouching, heavy booted food shooting out in a kick at the wesen's kneecap. He's faster than his opponent has expected and hits his aim dead on. With a screech it staggers back, hindered but not quite felled. Anger and hot blood fuel the Grimm's next movements as he jumps up, follows and punches spooky guy with his fists! The paper white thing is far from defeated, though, and lunges at anything that gets into range of its claws.
They are moving away from the narrow path, locked in deadly battle, exchanging blows, wrestling for control. Nick's in luck, so far he hasn't sustained any other wounds apart from the one on his upper right arm and curiously that one doesn't hurt all that much. But his fortunate streak only lasts so long:
Spooky guy changes tactics. He feigns a lunge, only to punch the Grimm right into his stomach while he raises his arm in defence. All air is pressed from his lungs at the brutal impact. He staggers to the ground, gasping for breath, has to blink several times to clear his vision.
He sees it at the last possible moment: The wesen goes in for the kill, vicious already bloodied claws slashing down. Instead of rising in defence Nick lets himself fall back even further and gets up a boot as spooky guy is charging at him from above...
... He grabs its wrists just as those talons are inches from his throat and throws him far over his own body using his foot as leverage to push! He expects his opponent to crash down near him but instead of a muffled thud he hears a long drawn out screech. Nick rises quickly, whirls around...
...and finds himself inches from a precipice which goes down at least 15 feet!
His heart nearly stops in shock before beating in a ferocious staccato as if to compensate for its earlier near stop.
Whew, that's been a hair's width!
Spooky face has not been so lucky, apparently. Nick can make out his body far down on the ground, unmoving, limbs sticking out at odd, nausea inducing angles.
He stares down there for a long time before shaking himself out of his stupor. Taking stock of his injuries he finds that apart from that one set of truly nasty claw marks he's sustained only bruises – even if there's a lot of them.
His shirt sleeve is shredded impressively considering it has been only one lunge –and blood is flowing rather too freely for his liking – but still there is almost no pain.
Curious and a little disconcerting to be honest...
Something tiny catching on a ray of moonlight pulls him from his thoughts:
It is the blood speckled pendant on the broken chain! He picks it up, carefully, brings it near to his face for closer inspection...
And that's when a pained cry slices through the night! He would know that tone of voice anywhere! It's his Captain!
Sliding the pendant into an evidence bag and that into the back pocket of his jeans, he takes off in direction of the noise.
GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM
Finally the second chapter! This time luck was with our favourite Grimm, or wasn't it?