Chapter 10: Wild Instincts
The woods of Portland, usually a place of quiet solitude, now held a chilling secret. A mysterious murder, a cold case reopened, and the whispers of a wild Blutbad living in the wilderness. Nick, ever the compassionate Grimm, was determined to find the truth, to understand, rather than simply hunt. He believed the wild Blutbad girl was scared, not monstrous. Monroe, his reluctant guide, was doing his best to help Nick "civilize" her.
Adam, perched on a high branch, observed the scene with a mix of amusement and a rare, subdued contemplation. "You know, Ciri," he muttered, "this is like a very specific nature documentary. 'The Grimm and the Wild Wesen: A Study in Interspecies Communication.' Fascinating, in a very slow-burn kind of way."
[ New Wesen Type Discovered: Wild Blutbad. Information added to Library. ]
[ Wesen Status: Non-Hostile. Strategy: Observation/Protection. ]
"Seriously, Nick's trying to civilize a wild Blutbad," Adam continued, shaking his head. "It's like trying to teach a cat to do calculus. Noble effort, but probably futile. Humans and their inherent wildness, you know? You can take the girl out of the woods, but you can't take the woods out of the girl. Or something like that."
Ciri, ever the realist, scoffed. "Humans are inherently wild. They merely hide it beneath layers of… civility. This girl merely embraces her true nature. Why try to change it?"
"Because society, Ciri. Rules. Laws. Taxes. All the fun stuff. And also, because she's a danger to herself and others if she can't control her woge. It's a whole 'nature vs. nurture' debate, Wesen edition."
They watched as Nick and Monroe tried to communicate with the girl, offering food, trying to gain her trust. Adam's System was buzzing with data, analyzing the wild Blutbad's behavior, her instincts, her potential for integration into human society.
"Okay, Ciri," Adam whispered. "Our mission here is simple: ensure the girl's safety. If anyone tries to harm her, we intervene. Otherwise, it's strictly observation. No acid unless absolutely necessary. This is a 'character development' episode for Nick, and we don't want to mess with the plot too much."
They remained hidden, their enhanced senses allowing them to track the girl's movements, to anticipate any threats. When a local hunter, mistaking the girl for a dangerous animal, tried to corner her, Adam and Ciri moved. Not to kill, but to disorient. Adam used a subtle Aard Sign, a telekinetic whisper that sent a branch crashing near the hunter, scaring him off. Ciri, a blur of motion, created a diversion, leading the girl deeper into the woods, away from danger.
[ Kill Count: 0 Wesen. Level Up! Current Level: 2. Kills to Level 3: 4. ]
"Still no level up," Adam sighed. "Guess 'subtle intervention' doesn't count for much XP. The System is very literal about its 'kill count' philosophy." He then looked at Ciri. "You know, this whole 'feral children' thing? It's a classic pop culture trope. Tarzan, Mowgli, even Batman, in a way. Always raised by animals, always a little wild around the edges. It's like a universal archetype."
Ciri looked at him, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touching her lips. "So, a human raised by bats. He fights crime. Why not just… fly?"
Adam blinked. "Okay, that's a good point. Never thought of it that way. You're getting good at this, Ciri. You're almost fluent in 'pop culture sarcasm.'"
Nick, with Monroe's patient help, eventually managed to gain the wild Blutbad girl's trust. He saw her not as a monster, but as a scared, confused child. He learned that not all Wesen were evil, and that his role as a Grimm was not just to hunt, but to understand, to protect, and sometimes, to civilize. He still had no idea who the mysterious figures were who seemed to appear and disappear like ghosts, subtly influencing events, but he was starting to accept their presence, even if he didn't understand it. The world was getting stranger, but he was getting stronger. And he knew, deep down, that he wasn't alone.
Want to read more? I've written over 20 webnovels (and counting), and it takes a lot of energy, ideas, and time to keep them coming!If you enjoy my stories and want to support me, even the minimum $5 tier on Patreon unlocks a LOT more chapters and helps me keep going.
👉 Click here to dive deeper: patreon.com/TheFinex5More stories, more chapters — and yes, your support really makes a difference.