TALES FROM THE WILDS: Wolves Part I
Before we settle into our story…
You will need to be informed that you’ve been lied to. We as children are protected from life because it is comfortable, and we change the stories too mystical and outrageous. Seal the lips telling them and hide the fates of the men and women behind mystery to protect the mind and the general public. These tales stay cloaked in mythic so many can die and live with sense of safety, and so the creatures of the night may stay in nightmare. It’s such tales that sometimes find themselves in memoirs like this where myth meets reality and the veil rips. The dust is settling and the veil is torn, you’re just lucky enough to get a glimpse into something that will never see the light of day past this very moment.
10/ 6/ 1849, Outskirts of Baltimore: “We find ourselves far from our homes in search of creature that comes in the night, Swiftly taking victims leaving no trace. Wilhelm and I haven’t seen anything like it, It’s completely unlike the lycanthrope of Germany. It’s smarter. Much smarter, I fear we’ve stumbled onto something we are very unprepared to face.” End of entry.
The forest lay silent cloaked in snow and the light of the moon, pale and blue, we begin to focus in and the world slowly closes in. Focus now on a man crouching, dark brown coat with a shotgun by his feet, he rummaging through his pack in search of his kit.
“Despicable, I thought these creatures would have some decency leave something other than the blasted hood. It would certainly make hunting the damned thing much easier.” Jacob sighed, standing over the torn remains of a blood red hood. There was a rustling of the bushes and a quick and swift entrance of Wilhelm Grimm, shorter, lighter haired, black coat and rucksack on his back. “ I can’t seem to find any signs of the girl and there hasn’t been any other signs of struggle, what do you think it could be?”
“There’s only one thing it can be, if it were a Lycan we would have at least had something more to work with. No, this is something different smarter.” Jacob stood up examining the cloak.
“Jacob, I think we need to head back into the city, we have no idea what we are trying to kill and we do not need it killing us before hand.” Wilhelm, generally didn’t venture too far into much of the unknown as his brother did. After being hexed by a witch burdened him with a severe illness that left him weakened his entire life, he tended to stick with inventions than the detective work his brother performed. Him found himself here because they were good at hunting as a team and riding whatever hellish evil found it’s way too far into the day. Waiting for a response Wilhelm couldn’t shake the most acute feeling. “fine.” Jacob broke his focus and gestured to gather the limited equipment.
The Silence broke with each step the brothers made back to safety, anxiety and uncertainty spiked the duo didn’t know where to begin. As the reach the cobblestone paved streets of Baltimore the inn peaked into view, Braziers lit with the fire roaring faintly they entered. A man, who appeared drunk, laid sleeping in the corner by the fire, Wilhelm stared at the man for a brief moment and continued, the innkeeper was no where in sight, the room doors shut, and the bar closed. They continued to their room and a deafening silence followed the door closing, the man whom laid sleeping rose blood splatters covered his cloak, he stumbles to his feet and stuffs a little book into his pocket.
The brothers lay wake, a single candle illuminating the hard wood room. Beds paralleling each other covered in simple white patterned covered sheets, and wall paneled with a single window facing the outskirts of town and the forest to follow. In the middle stood a desk and chair with the candle atop, Jacob sat writing in a small book, While Wilhelm laid looking up counting the wood knots.
Finally Jacob whispered, “I’m not sure what to expect, hell, I’m not even sure we’ll be able to find it or even survive.”
“You shouldn’t talk like that, besides you’ve got me.” Wilhelm, spoke in a slightly dishearten tone.
“Well I know that but still it was stupid to come so soon.”
“Bah, you’ve said before ‘a good friend doesn’t let you do stupid things alone’, and I’m your brother so quit, I may not be much help but I’m here”
“I just hope we can find it and kill it fast enough before it can take another.” Jacob sat back, In that very moment a large thud echoed through the inn. Wilhelm sat up immediately and they stared at each other.
“Do you think it found us?” Wilhelm spoke in a hushed voice.
“Maybe, did you notice anything on the way back?” Jacob sat unmoving.
“That man.”
“What?”
“There was a man laying in the corner near the fire.”
“Oh, He wasn’t moving when we got in but I assumed he was just passed out drunk.”
“Why would the innkeeper allow him to stay? Also, The innkeeper was no where to be found, and despite the fire this place has been giving off generally creepy vibes.”
“Well you could have said something sooner!” Jacob exclaimed as he quietly mouthed the statement as best as he could. His gestures filling the air.
Jacob predominantly stayed focused on a single topic intensely and ignored much of everything else until he found a solution or conclusion. His brother had to be eyes and ears at these points in a moments notice, because Jacob tended to drift and Wilhelm had picked when it happens. At this point in time, a tremendous slam hit the door and the room shook, another followed and the door began to crack.
“It found us.” Wilhelm began to panic.
“Quick! Grab the weapons!” Jacob dove for the packs under the beds, tossing Wilhelm’s inventions up the revolving shotgun and hidden “pistol blades”. These curious inventions are supplied by no other than Wilhelm Grimm, because he tended to nothing else but tinker with what he already knew, weapons. After being crippled by the hex and bedridden for four years, Wilhelm had plenty of time to perfect his killing concepts and weapon effectiveness. Jacob managed the find and hunt the witch with Wilhelm’s inventions, and promptly slay her. That, however, is a story for another time. After a third blow the hull of the door cracked, and the creature shoved and arm through clawing at the brothers.
“Hah!” Wilhelm quickly slashed at its arm, it shrieked.
“Well at least we know silver can still hurt the thing.” Jacob quickly exhaled and broke the door into the second floor hallway. It was bleak and short dark, dried, sunken wood panels and oil lanterns on both sides. It stood at the end of the stairs staring, Jacob flung up the gun and shot, It reacted faster and darted down the stairs. Jacob and Wilhelm followed in earnest.
“At least we aren’t dead yet, and We’ve found it. maybe.” Wilhelm panted trying to catch his breath.
“Focus on killing it, we can talk later” Jacob quickly began searching what now seemed like a dungeon, the fire was dying and a strange cold filled the room. They searched and this time they knew they were being watched, patiently staring the brothers stood waiting.
Another shriek and it burst through the inn keeper’s room door and sprang at them, startling Wilhelm pushing him into the wall disorienting him, and ripped the shotgun from Jacob breaking his arm then swiftly throwing it and him over the bar. Then It began its pursuit of Wilhelm.
Confused with vision blurred, Wilhelm found it hard to make out the noises around him, he could barely make out where he was at the moment as well. A blurred figure slowly began stumbling toward him shoving whatever obstruction and toppled furniture out of the way. Jacob began yelling to gain a grasp on his brother attention and force him back into consciousness. Wilhelm shook his vision clear but he was too late. It finally reached it’s target.
He struggled but the thing was much stronger than he, although he looked human not beast nor serpent. It lifted him up pushing him upward against the wall trapped.
“what are you?” Wilhelm asked.
“there are some secrets that do not permit themselves to be told.” It spoke back.
“Ah, A poet I see, I’d ’ve never had thought there would come a day I would see
this.” Wilhelm spat out.
“The day has yet to come and the light is dying, our time will soon be upon the likes of man once more.”
Those words echoed in Wilhelm’s mind and he became paralyzed with fear, as the creature continued to speak, Jacob caught his eye. Moving slowly into position Jacob began to align a shot, and it alarmed Wilhelm further and he began preparing pistols. The trick they had performed before on the more intelligent half-human creatures, this thing they may have never seen before but it bled, and if it could bleed it could die. Jacob and Wilhelm swapped positions but the plan was still the same, divert attention and rip it’s heart out. As the creature began to finish and tighten its grip around his neck slowly killing him, a shot was fired and it dodged quickly turning to Jacob.
“You’re dead.” Jacob said staring down the creature. The creature lunged and quickly Wilhelm shot every round he had into it’s back. It stood motionless staring at Jacob, he stared back and shot it through the heart. It collapsed and a book fell out with the name “Edgar” written on the inside of the front cover.
