Chapter 17: Taming the Beast and Shifting Assumptions
The woods had become a classroom, albeit a very dangerous one, and Monroe was the reluctant teacher. He moved with a quiet patience, leaving trails of food, making soft, guttural sounds that seemed to resonate with the wild Blutbad girl. Nick, a study in bewildered determination, watched, trying to reconcile the snarling beast he'd glimpsed with the timid, terrified creature Monroe was slowly coaxing out of the shadows.
Adam, observing from a discreet distance with Wanda, couldn't help but make a mental note. "See, Nick? This is what happens when you skip the 'Wesen Whisperer' elective in Grimm school. Good thing Monroe's here. He's basically the Dr. Dolittle of the supernatural world, but with more clocks and less singing."
[MISSION COMPLETE: Wild Blutbad girl integrated. Murderer apprehended. Reward: 175 System Points. New Skill Unlocked: 'Instinctual Control' (Passive - aids in managing primal urges).]
[GRIMM INSIGHT: Wesen are not inherently evil. Prejudice can blind judgment. Host's influence successful in promoting understanding.]
Wanda, meanwhile, was a silent, ethereal presence, her powers a gentle balm on the tense atmosphere. As Monroe slowly approached the girl, Wanda extended her hand. A faint, almost imperceptible crimson glow pulsed outwards, creating a calming aura around the wild Blutbad. The girl, who had been tensed and ready to bolt, visibly relaxed, her eyes losing some of their feral intensity. It was just enough to allow Monroe to get a little closer, to offer her a piece of dried fruit.
Adam, not to be outdone, subtly "misplaced" a small, leather-bound journal near where Nick would eventually search. It contained obscure Grimm lore on specific vocalizations and scents that could soothe agitated Blutbaden, a technique long forgotten. Nick, finding it, would later use a particular low hum that seemed to resonate with the girl, further calming her.
"Looks like our boy Nick is getting some unexpected 'downloads' from the universe," Adam murmured, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Or, you know, from me. Same difference."
The process was slow, painstaking. Days turned into nights. But gradually, miraculously, the wild Blutbad girl began to respond. She learned to accept food from Monroe, then from Nick. She started to mimic human sounds, her eyes losing their wildness, gaining a flicker of understanding. Nick, watching her transformation, felt his own assumptions about Wesen begin to crumble. She wasn't a monster; she was a victim. A scared, traumatized child.
The investigation into the original murder, the cold case that had led them to her, continued. And as Nick and Hank dug deeper, the truth emerged. It wasn't the wild girl. It was a human. A hunter who had stumbled upon her, terrified by what he saw, and had lashed out. The irony was almost too much for Adam to bear. The human, the supposed "victim," was the true monster.
"See, Nick? Sometimes the scariest monsters are the ones without the fur and fangs," Adam mused, watching the human perpetrator being led away in handcuffs. "Prejudice. Fear. Those are the real killers. And they don't even need a woge to do it."
With the murderer apprehended and the wild girl slowly integrating, Adam felt a profound sense of accomplishment. One hundred and seventy-five System Points. And a new skill: 'Instinctual Control'. Not bad.
Later, back in the Library, Adam and Wanda debriefed, a rare moment of quiet reflection.
"She is… changing," Wanda said, a soft smile on her face. "She will be safe now."
"Yeah, thanks to us. And Monroe. And Nick, who's slowly but surely becoming less 'shoot first, ask questions later' and more 'empathize first, maybe shoot later if absolutely necessary'," Adam replied, a genuine warmth in his voice. "This is what it's all about, Wanda. Not just stopping the bad guys, but understanding the grey areas. And helping the ones who fall through the cracks. Even if they're, you know, feral werewolves."
He looked at the new skill in the System. 'Instinctual Control'. "Hmm. Might be useful. For Nick. Or, you know, for me, when I'm resisting the urge to make a terrible pun at the worst possible moment. The struggle is real." He stretched, a satisfied sigh escaping him.
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