Opening File: The Shepard Family

For many centuries the Shepard family was considered to be one of the most powerful and influential families in the Old Country. The Shepherds were among the best warriors that had protected many villages, travelers and even castles from the Grimm and many others threats. It is believed their influence was so great that they directly served alongside royalty and perhaps that is the reason why they began to die out. Nearly a century ago the Shepard family started to drastically decrease in number with many dying in freak accidents or being killed by mysterious attackers.

Finally the remaining Shepherds were attacked in their home village by Grimm led by what only could be described as a monster, a beast with the body of a Man, the head of a Wolf looking more like a Dragon and its form so dark it could also be mistaken for a Grimm. This demon was known to many as the Wolf but a few sources claim it had a name: Fenrir. Leading the Grimm across the Old Country, this beast had sworn to not stop until the entire Shepard family was destroyed. On the day it attacked the Shepherd village it believed it would be victorious.

But the Shepard family would not be defeated so easily.

They fought with all they had and more and on the eve of its victory the demon faced down the Son of a Shepard, his body scarred and bleeding from days of fighting until it was just down to the two of them. The boy prepared himself, ready to die in the name of his ancestors and village and with only a pitchfork defeated the demon, sending it crawling back into the Pit of Hate from whence it came.

But when the sun rose there were no cheers of victory nor a feast held in honor of the brave warriors for the village had burned to the ground and its people nearly all gone.

The Son of a Shepard, no longer a boy, now a man with only his Nana left the Old Country and moved to a new country to continue the ways of his family and find a new flock to protect.

Close File

Xxx

"Innocence is often considered the greatest treasure of all. The reason why: it's because it allows to have a better view of the world not tied down by greed, hunger, fear and hate. It can been as the only silver lining in a dark cloud when everyone else has given up and if you give it up as well the world just becomes a darker and colder place. Some say that innocence should be let go as you grow old and mature but if we let ourselves become jaded, bitter and broken what really makes living all that worth it?" TOM said as the file closed from his screen. "Don't be afraid to say you still believe in things like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. Sometimes just believing in one thing that represents all that is innocent and pure can make all the difference."

Xxx

After the meeting with the Tribunal things had pretty returned to normal in the Santana household, despite the appearance of their new guest.

Danielle Fenton-Phantom, the girl that the eldest daughter in the Sanban family had found buried alive and brought home for help remained had been discovered to have a great power that had led her to almost be captured and killed by the Fallen. Her history was enough to make Genki go before the Tribunal and ask their permission for the girl to remain in her care after she had been examined by Sensei Splinter. Security had been doubled as a result in case that the Fallen had decided to send someone to capture or kill the girl along with Kuki and her sister. Speaking of Kuki and her sister, the two girls were both curious about the girl who would be staying with them for an undetermined amount of time, especially Kuki who knew much about Danielle thanks to the power of her Semblance.

And nearly a week after she had been found Danielle finally woke up.

It started off as a normal day, the maid coming in to check on Danielle and had just finished changing her clothes when the girl began to stir. The maid stepped back, watching as Danielle slowly opened her eyes, flinching from the bright light shining down on her face from the window.

The maid quickly brought up a pager. "Genki-sama, the girl has awoken."

"I am on my way."

Nodding she put the pager away and looked back at the bed, seeing Danielle was completely awake now and looking around in curiosity.

"Um...Hello?" Danielle offered, seemingly confused and trying to understand where she was which was understandable.

The door opened and Genki walked in, greeting Danielle with a kind smile and spoke in clear English. "Hello, Danielle. I am glad to see you have woken up. My name is Genki."

"Danielle...Oh right, that's my name." Danielle muttered in realization, surprised by how the woman seemed to know her.

Genki raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember who you are?"

"Yes, I know my name is Danielle...I know a bit about myself but I am having a hard time remembering...How I got here." Danielle said, trailing off a bit.

"What do you remember?" Genki asked gently.

"Well, my name is Danielle, I know that. I think I have a cousin named Danny, which is kind of funny since we both kind of go by the same names." Danielle started, chuckling a bit which earned a small smile from Genki. "I...can't seem to remember anything else. I can't recall who my parents might be or what had happened before I woke up here."

"I see. Well, Danielle my daughter found you unconscious and heavily injured. Our doctors examined you and found you had suffered a bit of brain damage which is perhaps why you are having memory troubles." Genki said, quickly offering up an explanation but made a note to inform Sensei Splinter later.

The spirit that had been used to remove Danielle's memories of her traumatic encounter with Moloch should have only removed the mental torment Moloch inflicted on her and nothing else but it seems more than just those memories had somehow been removed. It seemed Danielle did not remember her origins or that she was in an entirely different dimension now which would be troubling given that they only meant to remove the memories of her torture by Moloch and yet easier to help her adjust to life in this new dimension.

"So, I was hurt?" Danielle asked.

"Yes, we do not know by what but we are glad to see you are awake now." Genki answered, her smile remaining to reassure Danielle. "But since you seem to have trouble remembering your family perhaps it would be best if for now you remain here."

"Uh...Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden." Danielle looked out the window. "And by the looks of it, I'm not in America anymore am I?"

Genki nodded, seeing Danielle had retained basic knowledge of the world, even if it wasn't the one she lived in. "You are Japan now, Danielle. Tokyo to be more exact."

"Really? That's kind of cool." Danielle looked back with a smile. "I kind of always wanted to travel around the world and see all the amazing sites out there."

"I imagine anyone would. As for being a burden it's no burden for you to stay. My daughters would love to have a friend around them most of the time." Genki said, waving off Danielle's polite manners and seeing the girl was genuine about not wanting to cause trouble. "It wouldn't be right to just send you away, especially since they have wanted to meet you since my eldest, Kuki found you and brought you home."

"Oh..." Danielle looked very surprised and slightly embarrassed now. "Well, I would like to meet them too. It wouldn't be nice to not meet the girl who found me and probably saved my life."

"I can't imagine it would." Genki nodded, glad to see Danielle was adjusting so well.

She seemed like an ordinary girl despite her origins and it didn't take much skill to see she was also a very kind girl that would more than likely get along with both of her daughters.

In fact she even acted more like a real girl when her stomach rumbled, causing her to look even more embarrassed while Genki chuckled. "Perhaps while you are meeting my daughters I'll to it that launch is arranged."

"Thank you..." Danielle replied timidly.

"Sayoko, please help Danielle get cleaned up. I am sure lunch will be ready by the time she is done." Genki said, glancing at the maid who bowed.

"Yes, Genki-sama." The maid replied as Genki left the room and turned to Danielle as she climbed out of the bed, a little shaky since she had been unconscious for nearly a week. "Come with me, Danielle-san. I will have a bath drawn up for you in the moment."

Danielle nodded, smiling a bit as she followed the maid into the bathroom, wondering what she would be in for during her time here.

Xxx

When Muriel went upstairs to check on the poor girl she had found buried alive in her garden she was greeted with the surprising sight of seeing the girl sitting up on the bed, staring at her with confusion and apprehension, her hands gripping the sheets used to cover her slightly.

Muriel quickly smiled kindly to keep the girl calm. "Ah, you are awake. I am so glad to see this."

"Th-thank you." The girl stuttered slightly. "Where am I?"

Muriel could tell the girl was afraid which was understandable, given that she had been buried alive. "You are in my home, resting in a spare bed made for you in a room that unfortunately does not have much to offer."

The only other object in the room was the computer that Courage liked to use for making stories to entertain Muriel who loved reading them.

"I suppose it's better than waking up in the middle of the desert with the sun burning you alive." Muriel continued, keeping her distance to not scare the girl.

"Wh-what?" The girl looked out the window. "You live out in the desert?"

"It's called Nowhere, part of Kansas and it does more than live up to its name." Muriel remarked, seeing the girl push the covers off a bit, showing the aqua blue pajamas that Muriel had replaced her dirty and torn outfit with. "Far out with very few towns and communities, along with fewer places where the ground is fertile enough to grow plants and hold water. Do you remember why you are here?"

"I..." The girl brought a hand to her head. "I was somewhere else and I was fighting."

Muriel frowned, seeing that the girl may have been more injured than she thought. "Don't strain yourself, dear. Let it come to you. When we found you, you were wearing a brooch with a bird on it. A raven I believe."

"Raven..." The girl uttered, closing her eyes. "Yeah, that's my name."

"Raven." Muriel repeated, smiling softly. "I guess your parents had a fondness for birds."

"Yeah, my mother did at least." Raven opened her eyes. "I feel strange..."

"Strange? Are you all right?" Muriel took a slow step forward. "Do you feel ill?"

"No, not that. I feel..." Raven looked at her hands. "I feel like something is off but I don't feel bad or anything like that."

"I see." Muriel knelt down next to girl. "Perhaps in time whatever you believe to be missing will come back."

"Thank you." Raven said, offering a small smile before her stomach rumbled, causing her to blush in embarrassment.

"I believe someone is hungry." Muriel smiled kindly. "Wait here. It's only noon but I believe brunch is in order. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all. How does bacon and eggs with some toast sound?"

Raven's stomach growled slightly louder, making her blush grow more red. "I think it sounds good."

Muriel chuckled, standing up. "Wait here, Raven. It's best to save your strength and try to move after you've eaten. I'll leave some clothes for you to change into while I get some food ready."

As Muriel moved down to make some food for her guest Raven looked out the window, seeing the sunny skies and wondered to herself how she got herself into this mess. And yet wondered if she was not simply imagining things and making it more complicated for herself.

Xxx

The stormy weather over Peach Creek had cleared, revealing a sun and blue skies on the next day but for several residents it might as well be as turned as dark as a starless space.

Ed's younger sister, Sarah had disappeared into the sewers after being attacked by...something.

Rescue parties had been called in, searching the sewers day and night but no sign of Sarah had been found. Ed had completely cut himself off, hiding in the basement while his mother closed herself into her bedroom. Rolf was not much better, hiding in his house while everyone else was trying to help with the search.

BANG!

"Rolf!"

Well, almost everybody.

Rolf didn't even blink as Eddy knocked down the door to his house and stomped inside followed by Johnny and Nazz, looking angry. "Yes, three haired Ed-boy?"

"I know you know what attacked Sarah down there." Eddy accused. "What was that thing because it was not a Grimm."

"No, it was much worse than a Grimm." Rolf turned away. "A demon."

"What do you mean, Rolf?" Nazz asked.

"...Back in Rolf's home country, there was a demon. A beast, with the body of a man but with the head of a wolf that looked more like a dragon. Rolf's family, great Shepard's who protected our flocks began to die off because the beast swore to wipe out the line of Shepherds forever. First it came after our flock and then us." Rolf lifted his shirt, revealing the scars. "It left its mark on Rolf as Rolf fought it."

"My Glob." Nazz covered her mouth. "It killed your family, didn't it?"

Rolf nodded, lowering his shirt. "And all of Rolf's village but we fought back and the beast was thought to be slayed by Rolf's hand."

"And now it's here." Eddy spoke up. "It's after you and it killed Sarah didn't it?"

"Yes, Ed-boy. We do not speak its name in the language of Rolf's country but in your tongue it would be called...Fenrir." Rolf explained. "Powerful as a Grimm but not mindless and possesses a soul of its own and a ferocious hunger. It does not just eat the flesh of its prey but also the souls. Nothing to bury, nothing to pray for safe passage into the Netherworld."

"Now you are pulling our legs." Eddy scoffed, turning to the door. "All I know is that my best friend lost his sister because of a mess you made years ago and now you are making up stories so we don't blame you."

"Eddy!" Nazz admonished.

"No, Ed-boy speaks the truth." Rolf stood up, picking up a pitchfork. "Rolf took the Shepard's oath to protect all innocence and failed to kill the beast that is Rolf's sworn enemy. Rolf will not make that mistake again."

"So...What do we do?" Johnny asked, holding Plank close.

"Rolf knows the beast will wait, seek out new prey under Rolf's protection and devour them. Rolf will find the coward's sanctuary and slay it once and for all." Rolf said, moving towards the back room to grab his armor.

"By yourself? Rolf, I know this is personal for you but you can't just do this alone. We need Huntsmen here to kill this thing." Nazz said, following after the Son of a Shepard.

"No, Go-go Nazz-girl. To bring more warriors will allow the beast more numbers to pick off and more strength to muster. Rolf must face the coward alone." Rolf said, quickly changing into his armor. "For the honor of Rolf's ancestors Rolf shall not fail."

"She's right about one thing: you ain't doing this alone." Eddy said, crossing his arms. "I won't lie, I hated Sarah. She was a spoiled brat who should have been spanked years ago but she was still Ed's sister and Ed's heartbroken over it. I am not letting this freak get away with it."

"Ed-Boy, perhaps you did not hear a Son of a Shepard," Rolf exhaled heavily. "Rolf will not have your deaths on-"

"Rolf, try telling that to Ed with a straight face." Eddy cut him off. "Look him in the eye and tell him he can't take down the thing that ate his sister. Do that or shut up and tell us where we're going to find this thing."

Rolf wanted to do just that, but thought about how he would have felt if someone had kept him from facing Fenrir after the massacre of his village. That pain, the resentment that built up with every day that Rolf knew Fenrir still lived while his loved ones didn't...how much worse would it have been if he had not been allowed to face his enemy and bring justice to them?

"...Rolf is going to regret this." He finally gave in and beckoned for them to follow. "Come, let us collect Thick Headed Ed-Boy, and then..." He snatched up his pitch fork and cracked the base of it against the floor. "We hunt a monster."

Xxx

"How long does this usually last?"

Abby didn't take her eyes off the book she was reading when Wally walked up to her and asked his question. "Depends."

"On what?"

"On you letting them concentrate." Abby said as she turned a page.

The subject of the conversation(mostly one-side on Wally's side) turned out to be Nigel who was in a game of chess with his father, both of them staring down their pieces that remained on the board. The purpose of the game was to show the importance of planning strategically as a Hunter since it took more than strength, having a weapon and a Semblance to be a skilled one. It was something Monty worked to show both Nigel and Abby, challenging them to games of chess at times to test their tactical skills and patience. Neither one of them had yet to beat Monty at the game but they were making progress.

Wally sighed and sat back down in front of the TV. "Wasn't exactly seeing this of how my weekend was being spent." He picked up the remote and flipped through the channels. "There's not even anything good on about a Grimm attack or one of the big heroes taking out some bad guy."

Nigel moved a piece, smirking a bit. "Check."

Monty remained silent as he looked over the board, seeing Nigel had tried to box his king in. It seemed like Nigel was about to finally win against his father but Monty showed no signs of distress as he observed and calculated his next move.

Just as Wally seemingly found something to watch the screen suddenly turned to static. "Hey! What the crud?!"

The static suddenly showed some sort of green skinned lady dressed oddly. Her image was distorted for a second but quickly cleared up.

"This is Peridot transmitting on all from abandoned crystal system colony planet Earth, to Yellow Diamond. My mission has been compromised, my escort and informant are gone and I am now stranded! Please send help!"

"What the Glob?" Wally whispered in confusion.

Behind him Abby had put her book down while Monty and Nigel had halted their game, watching as the image repeated itself. Wally changed the channel but it was the same on all channels. "Just who is this green broad?"

"Not sure but she seems pretty scared." Abby commented, looking back at Monty. "Think she's a Huntress?"

"I am not sure but I will need to call our cable company." Monty said, standing up and walking to the stairs. "Sorry, Nigel old boy. We'll have to postpone the game until later."

"Okay, but remember I am close to beating you." Nigel called out confidently.

"How can you tell?" Wally walked over to the chessboard. "What's the point of moving these pieces around? They can't even fight like real Huntsmen."

"Wally, wait-" Nigel was cut off as Wally brought a karate chop down on the table, sending the chess board and pieces flying across the basement. "NO! I was winning!"

"Actually," Abby said as she picked her book back up, smiling at bit at the devastated Nigel. "He'd have had you in five moves."

Xxx

The strange message was not just being played in GrimmFall.

"Okay, thanks." Steven hung up, turning to the Crystal Gems who were watching Peridot's message on Steven's TV. "Ben says it's on his TV too."

"But where could Peridot be broadcasting a signal that strong?" Pearl asked.

"There's only one place." Garnet said stoically.

Xxx

Connie watched as Peridot's message replayed itself on her wrist communicator over and over again. "She found the Communication's Hub."

A call on another channel, a Gem channel caught her attention and she quickly answered. "Peridot, is that you?"

"Yes, it is me." Peridot answered. "I located the Communication's Hub but it had been destroyed by those Crystal clods. I had to spend the whole day rebuilding it but in the end I managed to repair enough of it to send a distress signal."

"I just saw it. Do you think Yellow Diamond will receive it?" Connie replied.

"Given my efforts to repair the hub the chances are very high but we must have a back-up strategy in case it is received too late. If help does not arrive we must attempt to repair the Homeworld Warp Pad."

"Can it be done? We don't have any robonoids with us." Connie pointed out.

"I am...Not sure but we have little choice in the matter. The Cluster will emerge shortly and if we are on this planet when that happens we will be destroyed with it. Activate your beacon and I will meet with you before heading to the Warp Pad."

"Understood." Connie ended the call.

"What will you do?"

Connie looked back to the little blue bird that spoke, Beatrice. "I have mission to carry out."

"A mission, you say. Are you sure that is all there is?" Beatrice questioned. "Can you truly leave behind this world, the world you are from?"

"I was not made here."

Beatrice shook her head. "But it is the world where your ancestors lived before they were stolen by Gems, who scoffed at their existence and feared them for their power."

"They wanted to share their glory with us." Connie retorted.

"They wanted to destroy the world and remake it in their image." Beatrice calmly replied. "There was nothing glorious in stealing children from their families."

Connie started walking, refusing to hear another word while Beatrice simply watched.

"Leaving home can be easy at times. It's coming back that is the hardest."

Xxx

Far below the surface the doors opened, disturbing him as he continued to heal inside the healing tank he had been placed in. His red eyes narrowed as he saw it was Edwards who walked up before the tank and bowed. "My Lord Diagon. I come with important news."

"Speak." He replied through the breathing tube placed over his mouth.

"The green Gem that came to Beach City has sent out a distress signal to the Gem Homeworld, it's completely disrupted all Earth signals." Edwards reported. "We have tracked this Gem's movements and discovered something in the location known as the Kindergarten that you will want to see."

Edwards then brought his tablet and tapped the screen, activating the wall monitor and allowing his master to see all the information that had been downloaded from the Kindergarten, especially on a special weapons project known as the Cluster.

"This..." Vilgax looked over the Cluster data and seemed to grin behind his breathing mask. "This is better than I could have hoped. All this time the Gems had hid this weapon away and I never noticed."

"What is your command, my lord?" Edwards asked.

"Begin finding a way down to this Cluster. Such a powerful creature should only be controlled by me." Vilgax ordered. "Obviously it cannot be allowed to destroy this planet but it represents a great opportunity for me. For now it must be contained."

"As you command, my lord." Edwards bowed before Vilgax dismissed him.

Once he was alone Vilgax began considering the possibilities of having a weapon that could destroy entire planets under his direct control. It might allow him to finally take his revenge on Tennyson, retrieve the Omnitrix and then finally conquer the universe.

And the best part is he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty at all.

Xxx

I suppose everyone reading this would be surprised that I updated again so soon. The reason being is that for the last week and a half I had been on vacation and couldn't take my laptop with me. Luckily I was still able to write up more chapters so when I finally got back I got a few ready. Now onto the Hurricane Sisters from the last chapter. I wondered if anyone would recognize them especially if we all remember Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Both sisters are based off the Parachute Lady and the Storm Goddess that appeared on Courage, looking very much like they could be twins. Their first names come from the names of their voice actors while their last name, Monroe was inspired by the last name of Ororo Munroe AKA Storm of the X-Men. Glad you guys liked their characters.