I am headed north, toward Portland. There's no telling what awaits me when I arrive.
Ricky says the Grimm lives in a castle, but I don't believe him. I haven't quite gotten over the fright he gave me. Ricky is the Stangebär that joined with me and Bergen's crew. I thought he had left with everyone else, so when I moved on by myself, I kept assuming every rustle I heard was the Mauvais Dentes.
I had just passed the sign declaring that I was "Leaving Salem", when I saw a shadowy figure in the trees.
I immediately dove for cover like Oliver had taught me. The person emerged from the foliage and searched carefully. I moved around behind it. Would this be the confrontation with my predator? I crouched down, then when the man flinched, I sprang.
"Look out!"
I had to react quickly—and the Wesen dodged as well—when he woged and his skin bristled with quills!
Needless to say, he introduced himself and begged me to take him along. I tried to remind him of what Bergen had said, but Ricky insisted. He claims he wants to meet the Grimm. He says that the Grimm could exorcise a Hexenbiest, and that he knows everything there is to know about Wesen, and he has all the weapons and the potions and such. I'm not sure if I believe everything Ricky says, but it will be good to speak with someone who knows what he's talking about, at least. And if I can find him before the Mauvais Dentes decides to strike, so much the better.
My hands are shaking now but at present we are safe. I must write what happened.
In the midst of writing the above, our adversary struck! Ricky got in it's way just in time, so it got a mouthful of spines instead of me. We ran without stopping. We reached a highway and followed that till we got to the city. The Mauvais Dentes seemed to have given up, or at least melted back into the shadows.
"See how dangerous it is?" I tried to tell Ricky as we walked into town. "We're not even armed! Our only weapon is speed, and something tells me we didn't just outrun a Mauvais Dentes."
He shook his head, "I'm staying with you. I want to meet the Grimm."
We arrived at a street with a few small shops.
"What city are we in?" Ricky asked.
"I have no idea," I admitted. Now that we were in someplace more populated, I attempted to make my ruffled clothes more presentable. I straightened my shirt, and a small card fluttered out. I picked it up.
It was a message of two words: "Follow her", signed "SG."
"The Mauvais Dentes must have dropped this during one of his strikes," I surmised, since I doubted anyone else wanted us to follow "her," whoever she was.
"Who is SG?" Ricky wondered.
I shrugged, "Someone from Salem, I guess. Maybe—" I stopped. "Yes! SG might be the initials of the Hexenbiest I ticked off."
We stopped in a local cafe for some food.
"We will need to keep our eyes out for anything suspicious," I had to state the obvious to Ricky. "We still don't know what the Mauvais Dentes looks like as a human."
Ricky nodded, and began glancing paranoid eyes around the room.
I shook my head, "I seriously doubt he's here." I stopped talking and we ate in silence. Instinctively I began eavesdropping on any conversations I could hear.
"...Nobody in Portland wants that. I'm thinking of making a trip out to Tigard to check..."
"...Excited to see how it turns out! It's so great..."
"... and all, but then Cheryl told me about his..."
"...as it should be; I don't want to think how the others will react when I tell..."
"...told them about it? I hear we have someone on the inside."
My ears latched onto the conversation. Two men sipping tea at the far wall. I wondered if I'd heard them right.
"What could they do?"
"I hear one of them's a Grimm."
"A G—are you sure that's just tea you're drinking, my friend?"
"Think of the advantages!"
"Think of the risk!"
"He may be a powerful ally."
"Who pissed off dozens of even more powerful enemies! No, it's too much. I'll solve this my own way." With that, the speaker stood up and walked away.
I seized the moment and walked over to the table.
The man looked up as I sat down.
"Can I help you?" he asked politely.
I decided not to bandy around the bush. "You can tell me what you know of this Grimm I couldn't help overhearing you talk about," I answered.
"You heard that?" he gasped with wide eyes.
I saw the furtive movement of his hands. Was he some sort of timid or scavenging Wesen, like a Maushertz or Eisbieber?
He glanced toward the door, "I think I should go—"
"Wait!" I caught his wrist, and felt the woge happen under my fingers. I looked at him.
"You're a Genio Innocuo," I murmured.
He blinked at me with his tortoise-like eyes. "You aren't Wesen! How could you—are you a Reaper? A Royal? Please don't hurt me!"
I shook my head, "No, I'm none of that. I won't hurt you. I'm a—" I saw the wonderment in his eyes and knew that he had figured it out, so I didn't have to confess right there. "One of those, too. I'm looking for the other one; do you know where to find him?"
The Genio glanced around the room. "My name is Kyle. Let's not talk in here. Come with me. We can talk at my house."
I caught Ricky's eye and nodded to him. He slowly and reluctantly made his way over to us.
"My name is Brooke, and this is my friend Ricky."
Kyle nodded to him. "Follow me. It's not safe here."
We walked northward through the city.
Kyle talked softly as we walked.
"Why do you seek the Grimm?"
"I am one myself," I reminded him, "but I have been raised by Wesen my whole life. I am hoping that he will teach me the things he knows, and answer the questions I have." I glanced at him. "Do you know him? Are you his assistant?"
Kyle shook his dark head quickly. "No; I have only heard about him. But what I have heard is truly amazing. They say he can identify Wesen species on sight."
I pondered this; I had to wait for Wesen to woge in order to see what they were. I could not imagine seeing Wesen as their creature natures as a normal thing.
We had not gone two blocks before the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight and I stopped in my tracks. Were we being watched? I glanced around: there was an autobody shop, and an ECE administration building, but I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Thinking back now I remember that two men came out of the coffee shop we had just left, and again I had the strange feeling, but I still did not know what prompted it at the time.
"What is it?" Kyle asked.
I shrugged and kept walking. "Nothing, I guess."
We turned the corner and traveled three blocks west. The big house on the corner had a "For Sale" sign in the yard.
My neck tingled again. I heard the bark on the large tree in front of us crack. I looked up.
"Guys, look ou—"
The Mauvais Dentes struck, baring his saber fangs. I picked up a fallen branch and tried to shove him with it, to give Kyle and Ricky time to get away.
He snarled at me with a gleam in his eye that said he knew exactly how to get me.
What he hadn't reckoned on was my two friends wanting a fight. Ricky came charging out of the bushes in full woge, head down, spines bristling. The Mauvais Dentes grappled with him, while I jabbed and smacked with the branch. Finally, the Mauvais Dentes got in and lifted Ricky completely off the ground and threw him into a nearby thicket.
"Brooke!" I heard Kyle cry, and turned just in time to see a pair of long-bladed shears sail through the air. A weapon! I caught them and flourished the twin blades at the Mauvais Dentes. He pretty much ignored the danger and reached toward my face with his long claws. I stabbed his soft belly, but he dodged out of the way before I could do much damage. He rolled into a bush and I lost sight of him. I tried to stand and listen, while at the same time using my eyes still to search the shifting shapes and shadows. I stood in the shade of the spreading tree and waited for some sign of where he was waiting. Something tapped my shoulder. I looked over. A red stain was in the process of spreading over my shirt. I turned my eyes up, dreading what I would find.
The Mauvais Dentes, side bleeding, sat on the branch above me. He dropped toward me. I was sure it would be the last thing I'd ever see. He landed with his claws in my shoulders. Now my own blood mingled with his on my shirt.
"Hey!" a voice hollered.
The Mauvais Dentes looked toward the newcomer. He was not very tall, but strong-looking, with dark hair and light eyes—and a pistol trained on the Mauvais Dentes.
He cocked the gun. "Get away from her," he ordered the Mauvais Dentes.
The Wesen did so—and leaped straight for him. Now the man and the Mauvais Dentes grappled with each other. I struggled to my feet and picked up the shears. I had to marvel at the skill of my ally; he really knew hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. Where did he come from?
I watched carefully for opportunities to help. Whenever I had a clear strike, I stuck the blades in and snipped. Together, we succeeded in bringing the monster down. The man forced it to it's knees and slapped handcuffs on his wrists. He nodded at my shears.
"Slit his throat," he said.
My stomach turned only a little bit as I opened the bloody instrument and drove it into our enemy's neck. His monstrous face changed back into that of a scruffy, unkempt man.
My world began to tilt, but then I felt strong hands on my elbows. At first I thought I couldn't breathe, but I realized instead that I was sobbing.
"Are you okay?" he asked me.
I gulped back the sobs and fought to relax my breathing.
"Yes." My voice sounded strangled still.
"Who are you?"
Before I could answer, Ricky emerged, covered in blood. "Kyle's hurt!" he cried.
"I have to go," I murmured, and ran away from the stranger. I knew better than to be completely rude. I looked over my shoulder at him. "Thank you," I called over my shoulder, and then I disappeared into the thicket to find my friends.
When I looked back, the man was gone, and so was the body.