FHC B3 Chapter 52: Before Mourning

Whispers, screams, the vibrant blood on my claws.

They chose death, a mortal’s folly. They chose the life of prey, a life in the light.

But now they rest on the cold ground, the black seed against their back.

Rip and claw, flames and agony.

I burn, I revel, I feast in their name.

Even the meek is pack. Even the traitor returns to the earth.

Another scream, another morsel to stew in my belly.

I avenged you, I remembered you.

To the Eternal Hunt, oh wayward Grimm.

I sat up and coughed, the taste of ash and blood on my tongue. Freki raised his head and whined before sniffing the ground.

“Freki, don’t lick that,” I coughed, trying but failing to clear my throat of the sticky feeling clinging to my lungs.

He sniffed and growled, flames licking the pavilion floor.

My hand reached for my axe but I stopped as I caught why Freki was agitated.

Where I had coughed and spat up what I thought was mucus, a faint puff of smoke wafted into the air, the dark grey streaks dispersing before it reached more than a few inches.

What the hell?

Instead of grey or green saliva, the ground sported a black stain that hissed and bubbled while the edges burned with embers. The embers faded as quickly as the smoke, appearing and disappearing in a roiling wave.

The scratching feeling overwhelmed my reflexes, and I spat again. This time, I watched the grey-red liquid land and catch fire before it turned black. The faint smoke rose up, lighter than the first but still noticeable.

I closed my eyes and pictured my core.

Crap.

The bead of flame had broken containment and was fighting back. My mana swirled around it, attempting to contain the destruction with the lava.

Trying and failing.

With some focus along with ignoring the scratching feeling in my throat, I forced my will through the core. The mana came under my control and I swarmed the bead, crushing it down till the fire receded into the bead.

A sigh left me and the scratching in my throat was absent.

“Are you okay?” Alice asked.

I blinked as I opened my eyes and found hers hovering around my nose.

“I am now,” I answered. She backed away and I accepted the flask she tossed my way. “Another dream, woke up with my throat itchy.”

She waited till after I downed a good third of the water before pointing to the black stain. It was little more than a half circle the size of a coin, the black liquid having burned away.

“This?”

“I think my blood and something from Grim’s little present.”

The memories were already fading. The cloying smell of blood and viscera in my nose and the salty blood on my tongue were little more than afterthoughts. As I breathed, the more my brain caught up and returned to normal.

I’m starting to think these dreams aren’t so random.

It was another dream that held memories that felt targeted to my situation. But like the rest, it came and went and left me with nothing of use.

Alice nodded and downed the rest of the water. Freki nudged her arm and she pressed her hands through his fur.

“How does it feel?”

“Freki?”

“With the new cold resistance. Do you just feel Freki’s heat?”

“Not really. It’s there and I can recognize it, but it’s not exactly cold. More of a sensation. The heat tickles.”

“I’m pretty sure Freki can regulate it somewhat. Not sure on that, but the cold is soothing.”

She nodded and stared off into the distance. I gave her some time and washed first, returning to find her in the same position.

I conjured flames to dry my hair and sat down, accepting Freki’s tail smacking my legs as he adjusted to shove his body atop of us.

“You know, for a wolf, you’re pretty friendly.”

“Wulf.”

“It’s funny. I used to think you and Adeline were the weird ones.”

I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”

“Perspective,” she sighed. “For monsters who are supposed to be a pack, we are solitary.”

“Oh.”

“We see it every day, despite the Warren being more populated than I’ve ever known, Grimms stick to what they know. Even us. We’re another pair who try to stay away from the others.”

“Alright.”

“Eli had Devon, but he was another oddity. He went out of his way to know everyone, to always smile and make friends. I asked him why, and he told me it's because we’re a pack. That we should always have each other’s backs at the end.”

“And what was your response?” I asked after she didn’t continue.

“That he was weird and needed a bath.”

There was a smile ghosting her lips, but it quickly faded as she finally looked down. Freki pressed his snout into her chin and she smiled, patting his back a final time before standing.

“I still find it strange, to talk when you don’t need to. To fill a void when silence is peace. But I think he was right.”

I stood up with her and watched her move toward the river. “But?”

She paused and turned around. “Maybe he was right. Partners in combat, another member of the pack. No more lies, no more betrayal. Soon we face war, and we barely knew each other's names. If we fall, there should be those who mourn the loss. ”

“Alice?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

She smiled. “I am me. Today is the day I mourn. Tonight is reserved for anger. We will bury my brother and find the truth even if we have to pry it from Devon’s chest.”

As she said those words, her breath escaped as a flood of cold air. It billowed up her face and across her cheeks, sending loose strands of hair tumbling upward. Despite the mana radiating from her skin, her eyes were calm; determined.

“I’ll have Freki grab a leg. He won’t escape this time.”

Alice nodded and walked away, heading toward the river to bathe.

Freki sniffed the air and snorted flames, releasing a quiet growl. I patted his head and he delved into my shadow, leaving me alone as I watched Alice’s form retreat deeper into the forest.

—-----

We exited through the Whisper Tunnels. Alice led the way, continuing her march as entered a dark tunnel filled with sparse torchlight. The more we walked the more I examined our surroundings, and found it wasn’t only the lack of light that made the hallway darker.

The very stone itself was nearly pitch black rather than the blends of grey and brown rock the rest of the Warren contained.

I kept silent despite my curiosity; Alice hadn’t said a word after getting ready. Once she slotted her axe into its sheath, she had been solely focused on getting us to wherever it was she wanted to go.

It was not that surprising when she led us down a dead end. Alice pushed her hand against the wall and muttered a phrase. The stone wall glowed in my sight and became transparent.

She rushed inside and I followed after. Once I was across the secret wall’s boundary line, the stone solidified and the room snapped into view.

Torches ignited in a wave that covered the room and revealed its contents.