"Dear child, I will tell you of a tale, one as old as the forest around our home. This story is a story of change, loss, and worst of all, sacrifice." an old woman said, one that had long forgone the color of her hair, and the sight in her eyes. Her wrinkled face twisted as her lips curled into a fierce smile. "The story of Girahold, the protector of this village, or, the once protector. For many, many years, this creature, unknown to be a Grimm at the time, kept this village safe, though nobody could say why."
The woman paused and her words were interrupted by a flash of fire, a memory of destroyed buildings, and the smell of ash and blood in the air. Pain existed in the areas that were not already numb and tingly, and the world was half hidden, as a thick liquid caused an eye to be closed.
"For unknown reasons, this Grimm kept away threats, scaring away other creatures that would have otherwise torn our settlement apart. But, at one point, this beast turned on us. They rampaged, and killed whoever got close to it. At first, we appeased it with sacrifices, mostly the elderly and the feeble, but even they did not satisfy the creature for long. After some months passed, we gave it the young and the innocent, hoping to stay the creature's rage ever longer. Soon after, it continued its attacks and killings. Our men and women were not soldiers or Huntsmen, no, they were farmers, fisherfolk, and leaders. We had no such ability to fight off a monster this strong, and the closest Huntsmen were many miles away, protecting their homes and cities. We were left to fend for ourselves, so what did we do, you may ask? Well, little one, we did the only sensible thing. We locked it away to the best of our ability."
Again, the words faded, and the sounds of panting breaths, shallow, quiet, and feeble, filled the air. One hand after the other dug its claws into the snow, pulling a body along behind them. The half-visible world blurred and went dark several times as the owner crawled along the blood-drenched mud and powder. Bodies lay scattered around them, and the screams of the remaining occupants of the village filled the air. Mixed in with the surrounding chaos was a wicked cackling, a laugh as evil as they come. It was aged, old, and most notably, recognizable.
"We locked our village gates, fortified our walls, and warned against any sort of travel into the woods. The strongest of us cut down trees and built barricades along the entrance into the beast's nest, and the preventative methods appeared to be working. For a large amount of time, we neither heard nor saw any sign of the creature's existence, and we thought that we were free at last. This was when I was but a girl, youthful, and whole. For my life, dear child, ever since hearing this story from my mother, I lived in constant fear and anticipation of the day this beast would return, and I have no doubt that it will. I can feel it in my bones. My whole body shivers with the beast's aura, and I can see through its eyes, feel its desires. I know it wants out, and I know that it is hungry. Any day now, dear Petal, mark my words, we will all meet our final end."
The old woman's wheezing cackle blended with the agonizing screams that roared through the village, and as a single open eye glanced upwards, there was the old woman, held tightly in the arms of a monstrous shadow. The creature had skin as dark as oil, eyes as scarlet as blood, and veins that resembled lava running along its body. The gaping maw of the beast was white as marble, and had dozens of serrated fangs that partially protruded from the reptilian snout that it possessed. It walked on its hind legs as its lanky arms grasped the woman, and its white claws, now stained red, dug into her flesh. Still, the woman guffawed mercilessly, leaving a haunting sensation to rise within a crawling youth that was now frozen in fear. Spines of white and black were erected at random intervals along the Grimm's body, and some would even shift every so often, retracting and reappearing somewhere else on the body. Both the elderly woman and the large beast holding her glanced to the left.
"Petal, my dear grandchild, today is the start of a new beginning. Today… marks the start of a new ending." said the old woman, and the Grimm's mouth moved with the words the woman spoke.
There was a cracking sound as the monster's grip tightened, and the old, frail woman broke under the strength. Her lifeless body was dropped in the crimson-stained snow, and that was when the remaining eye, the one that looked at this dreaded sight with grief and anger, grew blurred from tears instead of fading consciousness. The stomping footsteps rattled the earth below as the towering beast moved away, walking in the direction of the village exit, and that was the last thing that the single eye saw before everything went dark.
Days, months, and even years passed since the attack, and the sounds of chirping birds and creaking tree limbs filled the air. Branches broke underfoot as clawed hands swatted at the low hanging arms of the surrounding trees. All around were the constant obstacles of overgrown nature, and even some man made constructions that had all but rotted to dust over the dozens of years since their creation. A booted foot stomped on a sturdy log and the body it belonged to stepped over the fallen stump, while the arms continued their brushing away of the heavy vines and other flora that blocked their path. Eyes narrowed as their owner neared a massive gate made of aged logs that were now in a state of complete disrepair. There were two gigantic doors that were left there to keep the creature behind it from getting out, though one was now lying on the ground, wrapped in foliage and eaten away by the many scavenging creatures that infested the earth it had been consumed by. The other was still hanging by a single hinge, creaking as it swayed with the minimum breeze that carried through the swaying branches above.
Golden eyes narrowed sharply as the round, black pupils thinned into vertical slits. The yellow of them began to glow brightly as their owner flexed their clawed hands. Dark black hair, spiky, and tied into a short ponytail, fell in front of those glowing eyes, bristling in the faint gusts so that the fringe would cover the eyes in random intervals. They stepped past the destroyed gate that was originally fastened to trees on either side, and entered into a massive clearing of forest. The trees had been pulled away, and the surrounding fence could be seen all around, forming a circular shape. In the center of the clearing was a massive hole, one that granted entrance into a tunnel that was presumed to go hundreds of feet below the planet's surface. At once, as the glowing eyed traveler neared the entrance, a deep rumbling shook the ground at their feet. The traveler's black hair stood on end as black markings ran along their body, starting at a circle-shaped point in the center of their forehead, which grew three thorns from it, two on the sides, and one that ran down the length of their nose, stopping at the tip. Their cheeks gained three black stripes on each, on their neck were several more stripes on either side, down their spine was a singular, darker one, and along their ribs were a handful more, resembling a tiger of some kind. A swaying, thin tail of dark black color bristled and waved slowly behind the traveler as they lowered their body, taking a stance to prepare for the coming creature.
Their body was petite in stature, and though they were a girl, they had too little chest to tell the difference of their gender if they were wearing a large enough shirt. Her mouth opened and four sharpened canines reflected the light of the peeking sun that managed to push its way past the bundled trees that blocked most of the sky from sight. The girl was wearing a blue cotton tunic that was slightly oversized, a pair of brown trousers, and some leather boots that lace up the sides. She wore a leather band around each wrist, and around her neck, though it was tucked under the shirt she wore, was a silver chain that carried a lone, matching ring. Within seconds, the rumbling grew stronger and a massive figure appeared from the hole, standing on two legs, and looking every bit as terrifying as it was when the girl was a young child, crawling around in the snow that was tarnished with the blood of her people. The dozens of white spires retracted and appeared again in different parts of the creature's pitch black body as the aged crimson eyes scanned the area. Eventually, they found the girl and narrowed in what she took to be recognition.
"Do you remember me?" she asked, her voice quiet, yet utterly fierce.
The beast responded with a low, guttural growl, before turning to face the hole again.
"Stop!" she screamed, charging at the monster.
In seconds she shortened the gap between them, and leaped once she was close enough to reach it. Her blade-like nails dug deep into the beast's cold flesh, and black vapor poured out of the fresh wounds. It howled as it reached for her body. One clawed hand latched around her waist, pulled her free, and threw her aside. The girl struck a tree and slid to the ground, clutching her ribs as a yellow aura crackled around her. Her dark markings faded slightly but remained visible as she rose to her feet. The beast was now looking at her, and she saw a familiar look in their eyes.
"Petal, my dear grandchild, today marks the start of a new beginning." she heard the old woman say, and she almost thought she saw the beast's jaws move with it, as if it was the creature that was speaking.
"You're right, Grandmother, it is." Petal stated, coldly, opening her hands so that her claws glistened in the low amounts of sunlight that reached them.
She charged rapidly, kicking up snow and dirt behind her as she sprinted towards the beast. In defense, it swung a massive arm at her, which she stepped aside, dodging the blow. Due to the massive size of the beast, as it was easily four times her small size, it could not recover quickly enough to stop her attack. Petal leapt and spun, driving her foot into the stomach of the monstrous Grimm. They remained that way for a second as all of the powerful force she put into the hit coursed through the massive body. It quickly left the ground and was sent flying towards the barricade dozens of feet away, as Petal flipped backwards and landed on all fours. Her glowing yellow eyes seemed to glow brighter and the marks on her skin darkened once more. She kicked off and broke into a four limbed sprint, running like the cat she resembled, and reached the beast just as it hit the wall. The entire fence creaked from the weight and when her foot connected once more, it broke from the ground. The beast crashed through the wooden logs, and she flipped backwards again.
As the beast growled quietly, it slowly and clumsily struggled to its feet. While it was doing so, Petal lifted up one of the pointed logs that easily outsized her, and threw it at the monster, causing it to punch straight through its chest. Petal panted heavily as she dropped to her knees, and her markings began to dim again, this time growing so transparent that they were almost unnoticeable.
"That was for my home." she hissed, panting, and leaving small puffs of visible breath behind every word.
She looked up for a second in relief and accomplishment, but then heard a loud creaking, causing her to glance ahead again. Before she could move, before she even knew she had to move, a white thorn struck her right shoulder. She was lifted off of her knees by the force, spun in the air, and landed on her side in the snow. The yellow aura appeared again before quickly shattering, and blood seeped from her wound into the snow, leaving a pinkish color behind as steam rose from the freezing ground. She bit her lip as her hands took in fistfuls of stained snow. Petal felt the rumbling steps of the monster, and knew without looking that it was growing closer. Her golden eyes ceased glowing as she closed them tight, and all of her dim markings faded completely now. She lowered her forehead so that it was touching the snow and waited for the final blow, as that was all she could do. She was out of power, and her injured shoulder was burning with an unbearable pain.
The steps stopped and she could sense the monster's large arm reaching for her. Just before it made contact, something whizzed over her head and there was a loud crash behind her. When Petal turned her head, she saw the beast standing over her, a gaping hole in the right side of its body. Another glowing blue light struck it and the rest of the right side was obliterated. The monster fell backwards and then Petal could hear steps approaching from in front of her this time. Out of the shadows came a single figure, one that was in the shape of a man, and carried a bow in his left hand. He was wearing a brown leather shirt, padded in the shoulders and stomach, a black cloak that was draped around him, and a pair of dark black pants. His hair was straight as could be, tied into a tail, and what remained loose draped down past his ears, shielding them from the frosty air. She gave him a curious look as he walked past her. Petal's eyes followed his gait as he reached the monster, and when he did, he held his bow up above what remained of the smoking abomination.
"Petal." she heard in her mind, and while it resembled her grandmother's voice, it was distorted in a way. "I'm sorry." she heard, just before the man drove the sharpened tip of his bow into the beast's chest, right where a heart would be on a living creature.
The monster faded away into black smoke and the man turned to face Petal. "You're crying." he muttered, softly, as he slung the metal bow over his shoulder. He moved to her and knelt down, helping Petal into a sitting position. His hand glided over her shoulder, which was now free of the thorn, seeing as it faded with the monster that had spawned it. "Are you okay?" he questioned.
She couldn't find an answer. Instead, she shook her head in a childish manner, one that matched her true age more than her actions during the fight ever would. Tears ran down her cheeks for multiple reasons. There was relief, a sense of justice, pain, and some form of rest, now that she had accomplished her goal, a goal she had carried with her for the three years since her village had been eradicated by this Grimm. The man's thumb gently wiped away the tears and he was soon dabbing her face with a clean cloth he had pulled from a pocket in the cloak he wore.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"T-ten." she replied, softly.
"Ten." he repeated, grimly. "What is a child like you doing out here?" he then inquired, pulling another cloth from his pocket and tying it around her wound.
She winced at the sudden pain and pressure, hissing under her breath as the man tightened it into a knot. She looked and saw that it was a red scarf, or a piece of one that was torn off of the whole.
"I… I wanted to kill it." she replied, quietly.
"Well, it was a valiant effort." he said, laughing nervously. He then turned and showed his back to her. "Climb up, I'll carry you back to town." he said, kindly.
At this offer, she grimaced and struggled to her feet. "I can walk." she stated, confidently, though she stumbled as she took a step.
"You lost a bit of blood, just let me help you," he said.
Reluctantly, she gave into his persistence and climbed onto his back. She was about four feet tall, maybe an inch or two shorter, and he was a little over six feet, but still, she knew it looked odd. However, Petal couldn't deny that it was comforting, and mainly relieving to have some sort of help. He walked through the forest, being extremely careful to not let her crash into any of the surrounding flora. After a while, the exhaustion from the fight, the pain of her wound, and the relieving end of her vendetta, all combined with the subtle rocking of the man's steps to help lull her to sleep.