Housepets: Grim's Awakening
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:14 am
HOUSEPETS: GRIM'S AWAKENING
by Hanku
Warnings: This is a fanfiction written in the Housepets Universe, and therefore will obviously contain characters, subjects, themes, and even a few scenes directly from that universe. Naturally I don't own any of it, and I've written this purely for my own amusement.
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Prologue – My Name, Is Grim
Darkness...
Never-ending darkness that surrounded him from all sides, that trapped, contained, protected and sustained him all at the same time. Darkness that was thicker than the strongest blood, yet also lighter than the gentlest breeze.
He didn't know why he was here in the darkness, constantly floating amidst it. All he knew was that it was his choice to be here, that for a reason he didn't understand he'd chosen to remain within the never-ending darkness. He'd chosen to be deprived of sight, feeling, and left alone in the darkness with silence and his thoughts.
Yet his thoughts were boring and pointless, considering the darkness around him. Constantly searching his seemingly empty mind for answers, answers to why he'd agreed to remain within the darkness, alone.
Or, at least he believed he was alone. He couldn't see anyone of course, and he couldn't feel anything, not even his own body. The darkness contained only silence and his thoughts, but that didn't stop the odd voice that echoed inside him.
He didn't know where the voice came from, only that it echoed randomly for apparently no reason whatsoever. It always spoke the same things, never changing, always repeating the same things in random orders that he didn't understand.
'I've sealed the gate...'
Those were the words he heard the most often, full of sorrow and regret. He didn't understand what the voice spoke about, but it was impossible not to feel the sorrow and regret in the voice, sorrow for what he'd done, and regret for having to do so.
'My power is weakening, this body is not long for the world...'
This sentence was one of the rarest, something he only heard a few times. He didn't understand this sentence either, but it was spoken by the same voice, a raspy echoing voice. The voice always seemed pained when it spoke this sentence, but it also seemed pleased at the same time.
'I cannot stop what is to come...'
These words were the very first he'd ever heard spoken, and that had been the one time he'd heard them. He had never since heard them spoken, and hadn't truly been paying attention the first time it happened.
'Prolong, prolong the opening, that I can do...'
This was the only thing he truly understood, it was spoken by the same voice, and always accompanied by the same image. A lone figure shrouded in shadows standing in front of a magnificent golden gate, starring up at what appeared to be a glowing orb of flames.
He understood this sentence more than any other, for how could he not understand something he remembered so vividly. He didn't know if the image was from his memories, if he'd witnessed or experienced it, but he knew it was important.
Still nothing really mattered well he was locked away inside of it, locked away for who knew how many years, how many centuries. He'd long since lost track of how long he'd been contained, how long he'd only had the darkness and the voice to keep him company.
It seemed like forever, but in truth he had no idea.
'The gate must not be opened, for it will bring about the beginning of the end!'
In the darkness he found himself shocked beyond belief, that voice...it wasn't the same. The voice that had just echoed through his mind, it was not the one who had spoken every other word he'd ever heard inside the darkness.
CLICK
Inside the darkness he blinked, that sound, he was sure that hadn't just been inside his mind. But that didn't make any sense, he'd never heard anything within the darkness before...he must have just imagined it.
…
!BOOM!
Suddenly everything changed, the sound of a loud explosion echoed not only through his mind, but clearly throughout the darkness that surrounded him. Just as the click had been heard by his ears and not his mind, the explosion had obviously somehow affected the darkness as well.
He didn't understand, why was he suddenly hearing things? Turning he looked around him inside the darkness, struggling to understand what was happening to the never-ending emptiness that was his home.
...Wait...
Eyes wide he looked down at himself, his eyes that had seen nothing but darkness for years, taking in a vague shadowy form. For a moment he could do nothing but stare in shock, he didn't understand what was happening, but he knew for a fact that something had changed.
He could see himself! He could feel his body!
“I”
His eyes widened and he looked around him in shock, his mind struggling to keep up with the changes and events happening to him. One minute he'd been floating in the darkness, but now he could see himself, feel the ground beneath him, and hear what sounded like giant footsteps.
“AM”
He felt a massive displacement of air, and heard the sound of feathers moving through the air. He didn't know what to do, all he could remember was the darkness, the silence, the emptiness. Now though everything was changing, and all he could do was stay unmoving with wide eyes.
“FREE”
!VOMV!BOOM!CLISH!FOOSH!
The ground under him began to shake and change, pieces of it being ripped into the air, and he found himself dropping down to a knee. All around him the blackness began to crack, faint spider-like lines appearing all around him.
White began to seep into the darkness, and within seconds he could see everything around him. The darkness that had been his home, appeared to be some sort of tree. He'd been trapped inside of a tree, but now it was breaking away around him.
CRACK
Eyes wide he starred in shock as the tree exploded around him, moonlight pouring down from the moon above him, illuminating him. Moonlight flickered and for the first time in who knew how long, he was able to see himself, and everything around him.
A beautiful forest surrounded him on all sides, tall trees with brilliant leaves, wind that flowed through them, a lush forest that he could tell was full of life. Above him was the hanging moon, surrounded by bright flickering stars.
The sound of running water caught his attention, and he turned to stare into the water. His reflection stared back at him, and for a moment he could do nothing but stare in shock. After so many years, it was odd to see himself, hell, everything was pretty odd at the moment.
He was a black wolf, thick feral black fur covered his entire body, and his tail was bushy and hanging unmoving behind him. His eyes seemed to glow an eerie electric green, and flickered with a hidden emotion he couldn't place.
He also couldn't help but notice the multiple scars that covered his body, the most noticeable one cutting through his right eye. His body appeared to be otherwise fine, he stood at five feet nine inches and was built somewhat athletically, with a thin layer of easily noticeable muscle.
He was wearing a long black trenchcloak, that reached all the way down to the ground, and a pitch black collar with a silver skull hanging from it. Reaching up he turned the skull over, and was disappointed to find the information missing.
“What the heck is going on?” he whispered questioningly.
Immediately after hearing his own voice he felt his eyes go wide, his voice, it almost perfectly matched the voice that had spoken to him for so long in the darkness. His voice was only slightly more smooth, with less of a raspy quality.
“What the hell,” he growled, “Nothing makes any sense.”
/ / /
“You don't need to do this,”
Turning he looked over at the beautiful green dragon, her eyes glowing powerfully, yet filled with an incredible amount of worry. Smiling softly he waved his paw, and a perfectly black rose appeared hovering in front of the dragon's eyes.
“I need to do this, I'm the only one who can.”
Smiling reassuringly he turned away from the dragon, his footsteps echoing loudly as he walked away across the marble white floor. Behind him he heard a soft crying begin, and he clenched his fist and continued to walk forward.
No matter how much he wished it could be different, he was the only one strong enough. The only one among them that had the strength, the power to protect...everything.
“Goodbye...” he whispered gently as he walked past a large open gate of gold.
“No...not goodbye,” whispered the Dragon, “See you soon...Grim.”
/ / /
Eyes snapping open he stared at his reflection in the water, his worried confused expression replaced by one of faint understanding. He didn't know everything that had happened, but he was obviously the one who'd spoken inside the darkness, he'd locked himself away to protect.
All his fear and worry faded away, and he knew that he had been released. Whatever he'd been sealed away to stop, had obviously broken free, and he'd been released at the same time. He didn't know what the future would bring, or what he was going to do, but he knew two things for sure.
He was a protector, and he had a name...
Grim.
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
Chapter 1 – I'm...Different
It had been a half-hour since Grim found himself released from the darkness, he'd immediately started wandering his surroundings to see if he could find anything. He'd been hoping to find a clue to exactly why he'd sealed himself away, who that odd dragon had been, and who had been the cause of his release.
He hadn't found anything though, instead he'd ended up becoming lost in the middle of a seemingly massive forest. Even with his heightened wolf hearing, he could only make out the sounds of un-intelligent forest animals.
At the moment he was following his nose, which had picked up the faint scent of raw meat. He hopped that it was coming from the dinner of a Feral in the forest, and not the dead meal of a dangerous un-intelligent predator.
“ALL HAIL THE OPENER!”
Grim's ears twitched, and he immediately turned in the direction the loud group shout had come from. He made his way through a large group of trees, over another small stream, and past a large bush wall before finding himself standing at the edge of a clearing.
His eyes immediately caught sight of a small campfire, which was surround by Ferals on all sides, all of them looking towards a figure sitting in a large chair made of interconnecting wood. He walked a little closer, and was able to make out exactly who was sitting in the chair and seemingly being worshiped.
A young looking rabbit was sitting in the chair, his white fur illuminated by the firelight. It only took Grim seeing the young rabbit's eyes to know that this rabbit wasn't Feral, the fear and worry in the rabbit's yellowish-green eyes was unmistakable.
Glancing at his surroundings he wondered just what was going on, as far as he knew Ferals didn't allow Pets to stay with them, and they normally kept apart. Maybe his knowledge had changed since he was locked away, he didn't even have most of it after-all.
Grim didn't know why his memories were locked away, or why he barely knew anything. All he knew was that the longer he walked around awake, the more knowledge he seemed to remember. So far it had been pretty basic things, like social statuses, the state of the planet he remembered, how humans and pets lived together, oh, and he also apparently knew Martial Arts.
Deciding that he might as well see if he could do anything, Grim made his way directly towards the campfire. His footsteps echoed loudly against the grass, his time in the darkness, plus his missing knowledge having removed most of his natural wolf-like instincts.
Heads turned towards him, but most of them turned away the second they saw his collar. As he got closer to the camp though, and made his way around the group of Ferals towards the rabbit sitting in the chair. He found three large Ferals standing in his way, one bear, and two wolves who were all snarling.
“No...PETS!” the bear practically spat the word out, “May approach the Opener of Ways.”
Grim stared into the bear's blue eyes and wondered what he should do, he found himself contemplating his options. He could easily make his way around the bear, he was obviously faster than the bulky predator, but the two wolves would easily stop him. He could try and reason his way through, but he had no idea what to say.
Finally Grim decided on an option, closing his eyes he breathed in and focused on the faint knowledge of martial arts he'd received. Immediately his entire stance and demeanor shifted, changing from relaxed and unconcerned, to cold and dangerous.
Everyone in the camp noticed the change, and a few of them grew worried when they noticed how perfect the black wolves stance appeared to be. Their worry only increased though when Grim's eyes opened, the electric green having turned icy.
“Step aside,” intoned Grim his voice cold.
The bear opened his mouth to speak, only to stop when he locked eyes with Grim. He suddenly found the air around him having become heavy and suffocating, and aura of deathly malevolence having appeared out of nowhere around the black wolf.
The two wolves had no idea what to think, one second the black wolf had appeared to be easy prey, and than his entire aura had shifted. The friendly, yet lone-wolf like feel had disappeared, and been replaced by the emotionless rage of an Alpha.
“Let him through,” snapped one of the wolves, the other rapidly nodding in agreement.
The bear immediately did so, stepping aside the two wolves flowing seamlessly behind him. Grim watched them return to the ground with the mob around the campfire, and he turned back towards the rabbit.
He found himself starring into two terrified eyes, and he quickly forced himself to relax and return to normal. He noticed how everyone around him instantly relaxed, and the rabbit's face seemed to regain color, and found himself blinking. Was his 'presence' truly so terrifying, his knowledge of martial arts hadn't said anything about it effecting someone so badly.
Deciding to worry about it later, he walked forward until he was directly in front of the rabbit, who titled his head to look up at him. Grim smiled to try and make himself look even less threatening, but the sight of his sharp teeth seemed to put the rabbit even more on edge.
“Sorry if I scared you,” said Grim softly, “I just woke up in the forest, and I have no idea where I am, or how I got here.”
“Oh,” said the rabbit blinking.
Grim stared at the rabbit's face, and found himself wondering if all rabbits looked so cute. He found himself drawn in by the rabbit's eyes, and it took him a moment to regain awareness of the situation around him.
Realizing the rabbit appeared to be waiting for him to say something, he quickly thought about what to say. He didn't want to freak the rabbit out by talking about the darkness, but he didn't want to lie unless absolutely necessary.
“I was wondering if you could point me to a nearby town or something,” asked Grim carefully, “I seemed to be missing some memory, and want to go visit a Vet for a checkup.”
“No problem,” said the rabbit nodding, “I'm Zach, and I live in the town right beside the forest.”
“Convenient,” chuckled Grim, “I'm Grim...and I have no idea where I live.”
Zach blinked a few times shocked, he couldn't image not remembering something so simple like where he lived. Speaking of that, Mr. Arbelt was probably worried about him for having disappeared so suddenly.
Marvin and Tiger didn't seem to really care if he disappeared, but Mr. Arbelt had been really kind and nice to him. He couldn't believe he'd been considering leaving and becoming Feral, he liked being a Pet, but things had just been so difficult lately.
“Sometimes the things right in front of us, are the easiest to miss,” said Grim softly.
Zach's head snapped up, and he stared at Grim for a few seconds. It was almost like Grim had known exactly what he was thinking, but something like that was impossible...wasn't it? Yet, what reason could Grim have had to say something like that otherwise.
“Are you psychic like Tarot?” questioned Zach
Grim blinked.
“Um,” he paused and blinked a few more times, “I don't think I am...but if I am, I likely wouldn't remember.”
Zach stared at Grim in complete dumbfounded shock, and than started to laugh. He should have known Grim would say that, how was he supposed to know something like that when he was having Amnesia-like problems.
“Come on,” said Zach pushing himself to his feet, “Let's get you to the Vet, and hopefully fix some of the holes in your memory.”
Zach walked away from his chair, Grim slowly following behind him, his longer legs easily allowing him to keep up with the rabbit. But they both suddenly found their path blocked, the mob of Ferals that had been sitting down were all suddenly standing in front of them.
“Don't leave!”
“Stay Opener!”
“Blessed be the Opener of Ways!”
“Don't Abandon us Opener of Ways!”
Grim watched as Zach seemed to fold in on himself, and he could tell the young rabbit was beginning to panic. Before he even knew what he was doing he'd stepped forward, putting himself between the mob of Ferals and Zach.
He found himself slightly surprised as all the Ferals stepped backwards, their faces, muzzles and beaks flickering with faint fear as they stared at him. Once again he found himself wondering how powerful his 'presence' was, but he knew this wasn't the time to contemplate it.
“Zach and I are leaving,” he said trying to keep his voice cold, “Move aside.”
The mob of Ferals immediately parted like the red sea, and Grim had to bite his muzzle to stop himself from laughing out loud. Instead he struggled to keep and annoyed, cold look on his muzzle as he gently pulled Zach to his side and began walking. When they reached the edge of the mob, he heard a loud voice shout out.
“There's only one of him! Don't let him take the Opener of Ways!”
Grim swore mentally as he spun around, pulling Zach with him so he was behind him. Grim found himself faced with a mob of Ferals, all of whom appeared ready to attack him at any moment. He noticed faint glints within the mob, signaling the extending of claws and talons as the Ferals prepared to charge.
“Zach, run to the trees,” said Grim softly, “I'll be right behind you.”
Zach hesitated and opened his mouth, only for it to snap closed as Grim's presence flared to life. It was right then that he knew Grim would easily be able to handle the Ferals, seeing Grim's claws extend only served to strengthen that belief.
“I'll wait for you,” said Zach resolutely before he turned and began running.
Grim glanced behind him at Zach's fleeing form, and than turned to face the Ferals who had started rushing towards him. Holding his paws open, and making sure his claws were ready, he shifted his body lowering as he entered a stance he couldn't remember ever using, yet felt like something he'd been doing all his life.
The Ferals reached him, lashing out with claws, hooves, talons, and various other limbs. He struggled not to let his eyes widen or his presence vanish as he moved, his body flowing around attacking limbs and bodies like water. His arms and paws slapping away any attacker's limbs as they closed in, and his entire body moving as if it had done this countless times.
Within seconds Grim was in the middle of the mob of Ferals, not a single scratch on his body, and the Ferals had stopped attacking. All of them were starring at him in shocked awe, and he found it difficult to not let his muzzle shift with the same emotions.
He had no idea how he'd done that, but he knew that he could easily do it again. It appeared that the scars that covered his body weren't just decoration, he'd obviously fought in his past, and learned a great deal in order to not gain anymore scars.
“Leave Zach alone,” growled Grim, “Now go back to your campfire.”
Grim lifted his paw and pointed a claw at the campfire, the Ferals around him immediately disappeared to whence they'd come. Breathing out deeply he retracted his claws, and let his presence vanish to wherever he was calling it from. As he did so it happened, another flash of knowledge ripped through his mind.
Presence ('Fighter's Resolve''Killing Intent''Spiritual Pressure')
The physical and mental manifestation of a Warrior's Resolve to fight, often represented by an invisible pressure or horrible feelings. It is possible for a presence to become visible, or even to take shape by those good at sensing them.
The burst of knowledge faded away, and Grim blinked a few times as he regained awareness. Looking around him he noticed a few Ferals looking at him, and he leveled a glare at them well growling. They immediately turned away, and Grim let out a soft sigh of relief.
Turning he headed towards out of the clearing, immediately catching sight of Zach hidden behind one of the trees right at the edge. He made his way towards the young rabbit, who hearing footsteps spun around to see who was approaching. A wide smile spread across Zach's face, and he heard the rabbit let out a sigh of relief.
“You aren't hurt,” said Zach relieved.
“It'll take more than a few Ferals to hurt me,” said Grim smiling before he frowned, “Though I have no idea why I would need to know how to fight like that...”
Zach's smile faded away as well, he'd almost forgotten about Grim's memories. It wasn't common for a Pet to loose there memories, but it was often considered a very serious insure. What if a Pet forgot something like their Owner needing medicine, or something equally important.
“Let's get to town and get you to the Vet then,” said Zach trying to keep cheerful.
Grim nodded, and he followed Zach as they headed out of the forest.
/ / / / /
District Court
Joel sighed softly as he walked down the hallway, one of the Court Employes walking ahead of him, and two guards trailing behind him. He couldn't believe his life had taken this turn, this had been the last thing he wanted when joining PETA.
He'd really thought that PETA was a respectable company, truly trying to free Pets from Human ownership. That was all he wanted, to let Pets know that they didn't have to be treated like lesser beings, that they could remain in the wild, be Feral without anyone judging them.
He didn't want to shove his beliefs down someones throat, but that had been what PETA had done. He'd thought that all Pets wanted to be free, but he was ashamed to admit that he'd never even asked a Pet what they wanted.
His own Pets had always wanted to be free, and that had only enforced his belief that it was common among Pets, and they were just to scared to speak it. But that dog, the one they had kidnapped and tried to set free. He'd been happy with his life, and they'd tried to ruin it because they believed that they knew better than anyone else.
He supposed he deserved to be here, to be sentenced for a few months in prison. Maybe once it was over he'd settle down somewhere without Pets, in one of the few human only locations left in the world. It was obvious Pets liked their status, and he didn't want to try and influence anything anymore.
Suddenly they stopped, and a guard opened a nearby door. Joel didn't even wait to be told, he walked past the guard and turned into the room. Holding up his hands he let the guard unlock his cuffs, and than looked towards the Court Employe.
“Your Lawyer will be arriving shortly with a change of clothes for you,” said the Employe before closing the door.
Joel sighed and lowered his head, he wish that this wouldn't be put off any longer. All he wanted was to get his jail-time over with, and than put all of this behind him. Let the anima...Pets do whatever they wanted, and he would leave them alone, and they would leave him alone.
“Good Morning, Joel.”
Joel blinked and wondered who was in the room, his Lawyer wasn't supposed to have arrived yet. Turning around he felt his eyes go wide, and his head lifted up as he stared into the air above him in complete silence.
For a few moments he couldn't even think properly, and than he began to take in the situation. Resting on the ground in the room with him was a massive Blue Gryphon, an animal that was a myth and couldn't possibly be here.
A moment later he said the only thing he could think of, “You're not my Lawyer.”
The Gryphon chuckled and spoke, “Oh come ON, is that your best line?” the Gryphon's voice echoed the humor in it impossible to miss, “You're supposed to say something like, 'So we'll be switching to an insanity plea?'”
Joel stared up at the Gryphon, he wasn't sure what to say or do. He hadn't decided if this was a figment of his imagination or not, he was honestly hoping it was, but his luck hadn't been doing that good for the last few months.
“I've been watching you Joel,” spoke the Gryphon, “I'm disappointed to say you've been a very naughty boy,” the Gryphon snapped his fingers and Joel felt an odd shift in equilibrium before shrugging it off as the Gryphon continued, “You blame animals for your problems, and than take out your hurt feelings on them, continuing to do so, despite all the pain it's caused you in return.”
Joel winced slightly, and began to think this Gryphon really was an illusion. It spoke about things he'd never admitted to anyone, and it wasn't like an animal could read his mind or anything, so that meant it had to be a figment of his mind.
“The cycle must stop,” said the Gryphon, “A six month stint in jail won't help you come to terms with your feelings, or your broken conscience.”
Joel sneered, “Okay Mister Figment, I see where this is going,” he laughed coldly, “You're going to 'Teach me a Lesson' about how I'm a mean ol'sourpuss and the world is built on the backs of rainbows and unicorns.”
Joel laughed coldly again, and glared up at the Gryphon.
“So by spending time as the very thing I'm biased against, I'll come to a greater understanding of peace, love and solar power or some other junk,” Joel didn't stop as he let out his aggression using heavy sarcasm, “Then, as though it had taken only one night, I wake up teary-eyed and newly compassionate, without ever truly knowing if what I experienced was real or a dream!”
Joel crossed his arms and snapped, “So let's get this hallucination over with!” he stared up at the Gryphon and growled, “Are you going to change me into a dog or what?”
The Gryphon chuckled and looked at him pointedly, “On the ball today, aren't we?”
Joel looked down at himself, his eyes immediately went wide. He was shorter than before, his hands had turned into paws, he had a muzzle now, he could even feel himself panting softly, he had definitely been turned into a dog.
How was this possible, nothing like this should happen in a hallucination. Had he somehow passed out and started dreaming without noticing, or had he already died and gone to hell? None of this made sense, so it couldn't be happening.
Despite all this Joel couldn't help but notice one thing, “AAAH! I'M NAKED!”
/ / / / /
Vet's Office
Grim sat calmly on the table in the middle of the Vet's office, his long legs hanging off the edge and his sharp eyes scanning the room. He had no memories of vising a Vet before, but he must have some point in his lifetime, especially if he was a Pet.
Speaking of that, Grim reached down and grabbed his Skull tag once again. He couldn't help but wonder why it had no information on it, if he was a Pet, and he must have been since he was wearing a collar, than his owner should have written information on the tag.
Turning it over Grim found himself blinking, it wasn't empty anymore...
Pet-Name: Grim
Nickname:- - - - -
Owner: Undecipherable Writing
Address:Blacked Out
Grim stared at the information for a few minutes, it appeared he didn't have a nickname, which wasn't odd considering his short name. He apparently had an owner, but the writing was too faded and scratched for him to make out. It was the same with the address, only it had apparently been purposely blacked out where the other had faded with time.
Grim looked up as the door opened, and his eyes tracked a older woman as she walked into the room. She was wearing a plain grey shirt, and a long black blouse, followed by the fairly common white doctor's coat.
“Good Morning,” said the woman brightly as she picked up Grim's chart, “Hmm,” she hummed as she flipped through it, “According to this you have pretty major memory loss, and the only information you were able to provide was your name.”
“I'm afraid so,” said Grim, “Any idea what could have caused my memory loss?”
The woman walked over to Grim, and he sat patiently as she began to work over him with her hands. Testing to see he had enough meat on his bones, making sure none of his bones were broken, checking his ears and eyes, making sure his claws extended and retracted properly, and a whole bunch of other basic things.
“From what I can see you're perfectly healthy,” said the Doctor, “Healthier than any wolf I've ever seen, it's quite something.”
“So that leaves no explanation for my memory,” mumbled Grim unsatisfied, “Any idea if it might return naturally?”
“I can only speculate,” warned the Doctor, “But that sounds like a possibility, come back in a week if you haven't regained any memories, and we'll run a few tests.”
Grim nodded and hoped off the table, smiling at the Doctor he turned and headed out of the examination room, leaving her behind to write some things down on his chart. He quickly made his way to the lobby, where he found Zach waiting for him patiently.
As he made his way over to Zach, he suddenly felt a chill go up his spine. Spinning around he looked towards the door, watching with sharp eyes as it opened and a Pet and his Owner walked in. His eyes took to the two in, something about them causing his mind to scream out at him.
The Owner appeared to be an older gentleman, and was wearing a buttoned coat, hat, and holding a cane that he barely appeared to be leaning on. Grim didn't know what it was, but everything about this old man was causing him to feel danger. He knew that despite appearances, this old man wasn't someone to be messed with.
His eyes took in the Pet next, and once again his senses screamed out. It wasn't danger they sensed though, this time his senses told him something wasn't right. The light brown and white Welsh Corgi wasn't what he appeared to be, Grim didn't know how he knew, but he knew without a doubt that something was wrong.
/ / /
Grim stared out across from himself, all around him was a beautiful field. He knew that it wasn't right though, all his senses were screaming at him that it wasn't right. The only problem was, that he had no idea what to do about it.
“Sometimes your eyes will deceive you,” spoke an elderly voice that echoed all around him, “But you aren't normal Grim, and your senses will always perceive The Truth.”
Grim didn't bother trying to locate the voice, he knew better than that by now. He'd been training for months, and whoever was teaching him never actually appeared. Yet he could always senses them, which meant that they had to be like him, different, to be able to hide so easily at all times.
“How do I see it then, The Truth?” questioned Grim
A chuckle echoed.
“Do not see with your eyes Grim,” answered the voice, “See with everything else...”
/ / /
Grim clutched his head and whimpered softly, that had been a memory, and not just knowledge like he was used to. But what had that elderly voice meant, that he wasn't normal? Also, why in the world had he been training, and what had he been training for?
But that feeling from the memory, it was the same thing he was feeling right now. Which meant that his eyes were deceiving him, he needed to somehow look past what he could see, if he wanted to truly see The Truth.
Grim slowly allowed his eyes to close, and focused on his senses, or more specifically, the sense that was screaming at him something was wrong. Slowly the darkness of his eyelids began to change, vague shapes, lines made of different colors began to appear.
It amazed him and shocked him at the same time, and within minutes he could see everything that was around him, even though his eyes were closed. The first thing he noticed was the lines of Pets and Humans, were brighter than the lines of the surrounding objects. The second thing he noticed, was the lines that made up the old man, where overlapped by a massive connection of lines making up some type of massive bird. Equally shocking, was the image of a human overlapping the Corgi.
Grim opened his eyes, and stared at the old man and dog. He wondered why they were hiding themselves like that, why would a massive bird want to appear human, and why would a human want to appear as a dog.
His though process was lost though, as a paw started shacking his shoulder. Pushing the odd occurrences and his thoughts aside, Grim turned and found himself looking into the concerned face of Zach. Quickly he gave the young rabbit a reassuring smile, and Zach smiled back gratefully.
“So what did the Vet say?” questioned Zach
“She thinks my memory will return on its own,” answered Grim pleased, “Which I can't wait for, not knowing anything about myself is rather annoying.”
Zach chuckled.
“Oh,” Zach blinked as he stopped chuckling, “Where are you going to stay?”
Grim stared at Zach for a few minutes, and than found himself slapping his forehead in frustration. He'd been so busy wanting to get his memories back, that he hadn't even thought of what he'd do if he didn't get them. At the moment he had no idea who his Owner was, or where he lived, leaving him practically alone in a place he didn't even know.
“You can stay with me,” said a voice from behind them.
Grim and Zach turned around, and found themselves faced with an old man. Grim's eyes narrowed slightly, as his senses blocked something invisible from touching him. Before he could say anything though, Zach had nodded, patted him on the shoulder and said.
“That's fantastic, see you later Grim.”
Grim watched Zach go, and turned and growled at the old man, “What the hell did you just do..bird...”
The old man's eyes widened, and he stared at Grim for a few minutes, yellow eyes glowing brightly. Grim once again felt odd invisible things hit his senses, only to be blocked, batted aside, and shattered before they got anywhere near him.
“You're quite an interesting wolf Grim,” said the old man, “What exactly are you?”
Grim wondered what to say, he wasn't even sure what a truthful answer would be. It was obvious that he wasn't a normal Pet, yet anything other than that he didn't know. Maybe Zach had been right, perhaps he was some type of Psychic?
Finally he decided on an answer, “I'm...Different.”
The old man grinned, “I see,” he mumbled before speaking, “I'm Pete, and you'll be staying with King and I.”
Grim stared at Pete for a few moments, he wasn't sure what he should do. On one paw, he had no idea where this town was, when his memories would return, or if he could even find somewhere else to stay, not to mention what this Pete was capable of. Yet his own senses seemed to protect him, so he would be somewhat safe.
“Fine,” said Grim softly.
Pete laughed...
by Hanku
Warnings: This is a fanfiction written in the Housepets Universe, and therefore will obviously contain characters, subjects, themes, and even a few scenes directly from that universe. Naturally I don't own any of it, and I've written this purely for my own amusement.
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
Prologue – My Name, Is Grim
Darkness...
Never-ending darkness that surrounded him from all sides, that trapped, contained, protected and sustained him all at the same time. Darkness that was thicker than the strongest blood, yet also lighter than the gentlest breeze.
He didn't know why he was here in the darkness, constantly floating amidst it. All he knew was that it was his choice to be here, that for a reason he didn't understand he'd chosen to remain within the never-ending darkness. He'd chosen to be deprived of sight, feeling, and left alone in the darkness with silence and his thoughts.
Yet his thoughts were boring and pointless, considering the darkness around him. Constantly searching his seemingly empty mind for answers, answers to why he'd agreed to remain within the darkness, alone.
Or, at least he believed he was alone. He couldn't see anyone of course, and he couldn't feel anything, not even his own body. The darkness contained only silence and his thoughts, but that didn't stop the odd voice that echoed inside him.
He didn't know where the voice came from, only that it echoed randomly for apparently no reason whatsoever. It always spoke the same things, never changing, always repeating the same things in random orders that he didn't understand.
'I've sealed the gate...'
Those were the words he heard the most often, full of sorrow and regret. He didn't understand what the voice spoke about, but it was impossible not to feel the sorrow and regret in the voice, sorrow for what he'd done, and regret for having to do so.
'My power is weakening, this body is not long for the world...'
This sentence was one of the rarest, something he only heard a few times. He didn't understand this sentence either, but it was spoken by the same voice, a raspy echoing voice. The voice always seemed pained when it spoke this sentence, but it also seemed pleased at the same time.
'I cannot stop what is to come...'
These words were the very first he'd ever heard spoken, and that had been the one time he'd heard them. He had never since heard them spoken, and hadn't truly been paying attention the first time it happened.
'Prolong, prolong the opening, that I can do...'
This was the only thing he truly understood, it was spoken by the same voice, and always accompanied by the same image. A lone figure shrouded in shadows standing in front of a magnificent golden gate, starring up at what appeared to be a glowing orb of flames.
He understood this sentence more than any other, for how could he not understand something he remembered so vividly. He didn't know if the image was from his memories, if he'd witnessed or experienced it, but he knew it was important.
Still nothing really mattered well he was locked away inside of it, locked away for who knew how many years, how many centuries. He'd long since lost track of how long he'd been contained, how long he'd only had the darkness and the voice to keep him company.
It seemed like forever, but in truth he had no idea.
'The gate must not be opened, for it will bring about the beginning of the end!'
In the darkness he found himself shocked beyond belief, that voice...it wasn't the same. The voice that had just echoed through his mind, it was not the one who had spoken every other word he'd ever heard inside the darkness.
CLICK
Inside the darkness he blinked, that sound, he was sure that hadn't just been inside his mind. But that didn't make any sense, he'd never heard anything within the darkness before...he must have just imagined it.
…
!BOOM!
Suddenly everything changed, the sound of a loud explosion echoed not only through his mind, but clearly throughout the darkness that surrounded him. Just as the click had been heard by his ears and not his mind, the explosion had obviously somehow affected the darkness as well.
He didn't understand, why was he suddenly hearing things? Turning he looked around him inside the darkness, struggling to understand what was happening to the never-ending emptiness that was his home.
...Wait...
Eyes wide he looked down at himself, his eyes that had seen nothing but darkness for years, taking in a vague shadowy form. For a moment he could do nothing but stare in shock, he didn't understand what was happening, but he knew for a fact that something had changed.
He could see himself! He could feel his body!
“I”
His eyes widened and he looked around him in shock, his mind struggling to keep up with the changes and events happening to him. One minute he'd been floating in the darkness, but now he could see himself, feel the ground beneath him, and hear what sounded like giant footsteps.
“AM”
He felt a massive displacement of air, and heard the sound of feathers moving through the air. He didn't know what to do, all he could remember was the darkness, the silence, the emptiness. Now though everything was changing, and all he could do was stay unmoving with wide eyes.
“FREE”
!VOMV!BOOM!CLISH!FOOSH!
The ground under him began to shake and change, pieces of it being ripped into the air, and he found himself dropping down to a knee. All around him the blackness began to crack, faint spider-like lines appearing all around him.
White began to seep into the darkness, and within seconds he could see everything around him. The darkness that had been his home, appeared to be some sort of tree. He'd been trapped inside of a tree, but now it was breaking away around him.
CRACK
Eyes wide he starred in shock as the tree exploded around him, moonlight pouring down from the moon above him, illuminating him. Moonlight flickered and for the first time in who knew how long, he was able to see himself, and everything around him.
A beautiful forest surrounded him on all sides, tall trees with brilliant leaves, wind that flowed through them, a lush forest that he could tell was full of life. Above him was the hanging moon, surrounded by bright flickering stars.
The sound of running water caught his attention, and he turned to stare into the water. His reflection stared back at him, and for a moment he could do nothing but stare in shock. After so many years, it was odd to see himself, hell, everything was pretty odd at the moment.
He was a black wolf, thick feral black fur covered his entire body, and his tail was bushy and hanging unmoving behind him. His eyes seemed to glow an eerie electric green, and flickered with a hidden emotion he couldn't place.
He also couldn't help but notice the multiple scars that covered his body, the most noticeable one cutting through his right eye. His body appeared to be otherwise fine, he stood at five feet nine inches and was built somewhat athletically, with a thin layer of easily noticeable muscle.
He was wearing a long black trenchcloak, that reached all the way down to the ground, and a pitch black collar with a silver skull hanging from it. Reaching up he turned the skull over, and was disappointed to find the information missing.
“What the heck is going on?” he whispered questioningly.
Immediately after hearing his own voice he felt his eyes go wide, his voice, it almost perfectly matched the voice that had spoken to him for so long in the darkness. His voice was only slightly more smooth, with less of a raspy quality.
“What the hell,” he growled, “Nothing makes any sense.”
/ / /
“You don't need to do this,”
Turning he looked over at the beautiful green dragon, her eyes glowing powerfully, yet filled with an incredible amount of worry. Smiling softly he waved his paw, and a perfectly black rose appeared hovering in front of the dragon's eyes.
“I need to do this, I'm the only one who can.”
Smiling reassuringly he turned away from the dragon, his footsteps echoing loudly as he walked away across the marble white floor. Behind him he heard a soft crying begin, and he clenched his fist and continued to walk forward.
No matter how much he wished it could be different, he was the only one strong enough. The only one among them that had the strength, the power to protect...everything.
“Goodbye...” he whispered gently as he walked past a large open gate of gold.
“No...not goodbye,” whispered the Dragon, “See you soon...Grim.”
/ / /
Eyes snapping open he stared at his reflection in the water, his worried confused expression replaced by one of faint understanding. He didn't know everything that had happened, but he was obviously the one who'd spoken inside the darkness, he'd locked himself away to protect.
All his fear and worry faded away, and he knew that he had been released. Whatever he'd been sealed away to stop, had obviously broken free, and he'd been released at the same time. He didn't know what the future would bring, or what he was going to do, but he knew two things for sure.
He was a protector, and he had a name...
Grim.
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
Chapter 1 – I'm...Different
It had been a half-hour since Grim found himself released from the darkness, he'd immediately started wandering his surroundings to see if he could find anything. He'd been hoping to find a clue to exactly why he'd sealed himself away, who that odd dragon had been, and who had been the cause of his release.
He hadn't found anything though, instead he'd ended up becoming lost in the middle of a seemingly massive forest. Even with his heightened wolf hearing, he could only make out the sounds of un-intelligent forest animals.
At the moment he was following his nose, which had picked up the faint scent of raw meat. He hopped that it was coming from the dinner of a Feral in the forest, and not the dead meal of a dangerous un-intelligent predator.
“ALL HAIL THE OPENER!”
Grim's ears twitched, and he immediately turned in the direction the loud group shout had come from. He made his way through a large group of trees, over another small stream, and past a large bush wall before finding himself standing at the edge of a clearing.
His eyes immediately caught sight of a small campfire, which was surround by Ferals on all sides, all of them looking towards a figure sitting in a large chair made of interconnecting wood. He walked a little closer, and was able to make out exactly who was sitting in the chair and seemingly being worshiped.
A young looking rabbit was sitting in the chair, his white fur illuminated by the firelight. It only took Grim seeing the young rabbit's eyes to know that this rabbit wasn't Feral, the fear and worry in the rabbit's yellowish-green eyes was unmistakable.
Glancing at his surroundings he wondered just what was going on, as far as he knew Ferals didn't allow Pets to stay with them, and they normally kept apart. Maybe his knowledge had changed since he was locked away, he didn't even have most of it after-all.
Grim didn't know why his memories were locked away, or why he barely knew anything. All he knew was that the longer he walked around awake, the more knowledge he seemed to remember. So far it had been pretty basic things, like social statuses, the state of the planet he remembered, how humans and pets lived together, oh, and he also apparently knew Martial Arts.
Deciding that he might as well see if he could do anything, Grim made his way directly towards the campfire. His footsteps echoed loudly against the grass, his time in the darkness, plus his missing knowledge having removed most of his natural wolf-like instincts.
Heads turned towards him, but most of them turned away the second they saw his collar. As he got closer to the camp though, and made his way around the group of Ferals towards the rabbit sitting in the chair. He found three large Ferals standing in his way, one bear, and two wolves who were all snarling.
“No...PETS!” the bear practically spat the word out, “May approach the Opener of Ways.”
Grim stared into the bear's blue eyes and wondered what he should do, he found himself contemplating his options. He could easily make his way around the bear, he was obviously faster than the bulky predator, but the two wolves would easily stop him. He could try and reason his way through, but he had no idea what to say.
Finally Grim decided on an option, closing his eyes he breathed in and focused on the faint knowledge of martial arts he'd received. Immediately his entire stance and demeanor shifted, changing from relaxed and unconcerned, to cold and dangerous.
Everyone in the camp noticed the change, and a few of them grew worried when they noticed how perfect the black wolves stance appeared to be. Their worry only increased though when Grim's eyes opened, the electric green having turned icy.
“Step aside,” intoned Grim his voice cold.
The bear opened his mouth to speak, only to stop when he locked eyes with Grim. He suddenly found the air around him having become heavy and suffocating, and aura of deathly malevolence having appeared out of nowhere around the black wolf.
The two wolves had no idea what to think, one second the black wolf had appeared to be easy prey, and than his entire aura had shifted. The friendly, yet lone-wolf like feel had disappeared, and been replaced by the emotionless rage of an Alpha.
“Let him through,” snapped one of the wolves, the other rapidly nodding in agreement.
The bear immediately did so, stepping aside the two wolves flowing seamlessly behind him. Grim watched them return to the ground with the mob around the campfire, and he turned back towards the rabbit.
He found himself starring into two terrified eyes, and he quickly forced himself to relax and return to normal. He noticed how everyone around him instantly relaxed, and the rabbit's face seemed to regain color, and found himself blinking. Was his 'presence' truly so terrifying, his knowledge of martial arts hadn't said anything about it effecting someone so badly.
Deciding to worry about it later, he walked forward until he was directly in front of the rabbit, who titled his head to look up at him. Grim smiled to try and make himself look even less threatening, but the sight of his sharp teeth seemed to put the rabbit even more on edge.
“Sorry if I scared you,” said Grim softly, “I just woke up in the forest, and I have no idea where I am, or how I got here.”
“Oh,” said the rabbit blinking.
Grim stared at the rabbit's face, and found himself wondering if all rabbits looked so cute. He found himself drawn in by the rabbit's eyes, and it took him a moment to regain awareness of the situation around him.
Realizing the rabbit appeared to be waiting for him to say something, he quickly thought about what to say. He didn't want to freak the rabbit out by talking about the darkness, but he didn't want to lie unless absolutely necessary.
“I was wondering if you could point me to a nearby town or something,” asked Grim carefully, “I seemed to be missing some memory, and want to go visit a Vet for a checkup.”
“No problem,” said the rabbit nodding, “I'm Zach, and I live in the town right beside the forest.”
“Convenient,” chuckled Grim, “I'm Grim...and I have no idea where I live.”
Zach blinked a few times shocked, he couldn't image not remembering something so simple like where he lived. Speaking of that, Mr. Arbelt was probably worried about him for having disappeared so suddenly.
Marvin and Tiger didn't seem to really care if he disappeared, but Mr. Arbelt had been really kind and nice to him. He couldn't believe he'd been considering leaving and becoming Feral, he liked being a Pet, but things had just been so difficult lately.
“Sometimes the things right in front of us, are the easiest to miss,” said Grim softly.
Zach's head snapped up, and he stared at Grim for a few seconds. It was almost like Grim had known exactly what he was thinking, but something like that was impossible...wasn't it? Yet, what reason could Grim have had to say something like that otherwise.
“Are you psychic like Tarot?” questioned Zach
Grim blinked.
“Um,” he paused and blinked a few more times, “I don't think I am...but if I am, I likely wouldn't remember.”
Zach stared at Grim in complete dumbfounded shock, and than started to laugh. He should have known Grim would say that, how was he supposed to know something like that when he was having Amnesia-like problems.
“Come on,” said Zach pushing himself to his feet, “Let's get you to the Vet, and hopefully fix some of the holes in your memory.”
Zach walked away from his chair, Grim slowly following behind him, his longer legs easily allowing him to keep up with the rabbit. But they both suddenly found their path blocked, the mob of Ferals that had been sitting down were all suddenly standing in front of them.
“Don't leave!”
“Stay Opener!”
“Blessed be the Opener of Ways!”
“Don't Abandon us Opener of Ways!”
Grim watched as Zach seemed to fold in on himself, and he could tell the young rabbit was beginning to panic. Before he even knew what he was doing he'd stepped forward, putting himself between the mob of Ferals and Zach.
He found himself slightly surprised as all the Ferals stepped backwards, their faces, muzzles and beaks flickering with faint fear as they stared at him. Once again he found himself wondering how powerful his 'presence' was, but he knew this wasn't the time to contemplate it.
“Zach and I are leaving,” he said trying to keep his voice cold, “Move aside.”
The mob of Ferals immediately parted like the red sea, and Grim had to bite his muzzle to stop himself from laughing out loud. Instead he struggled to keep and annoyed, cold look on his muzzle as he gently pulled Zach to his side and began walking. When they reached the edge of the mob, he heard a loud voice shout out.
“There's only one of him! Don't let him take the Opener of Ways!”
Grim swore mentally as he spun around, pulling Zach with him so he was behind him. Grim found himself faced with a mob of Ferals, all of whom appeared ready to attack him at any moment. He noticed faint glints within the mob, signaling the extending of claws and talons as the Ferals prepared to charge.
“Zach, run to the trees,” said Grim softly, “I'll be right behind you.”
Zach hesitated and opened his mouth, only for it to snap closed as Grim's presence flared to life. It was right then that he knew Grim would easily be able to handle the Ferals, seeing Grim's claws extend only served to strengthen that belief.
“I'll wait for you,” said Zach resolutely before he turned and began running.
Grim glanced behind him at Zach's fleeing form, and than turned to face the Ferals who had started rushing towards him. Holding his paws open, and making sure his claws were ready, he shifted his body lowering as he entered a stance he couldn't remember ever using, yet felt like something he'd been doing all his life.
The Ferals reached him, lashing out with claws, hooves, talons, and various other limbs. He struggled not to let his eyes widen or his presence vanish as he moved, his body flowing around attacking limbs and bodies like water. His arms and paws slapping away any attacker's limbs as they closed in, and his entire body moving as if it had done this countless times.
Within seconds Grim was in the middle of the mob of Ferals, not a single scratch on his body, and the Ferals had stopped attacking. All of them were starring at him in shocked awe, and he found it difficult to not let his muzzle shift with the same emotions.
He had no idea how he'd done that, but he knew that he could easily do it again. It appeared that the scars that covered his body weren't just decoration, he'd obviously fought in his past, and learned a great deal in order to not gain anymore scars.
“Leave Zach alone,” growled Grim, “Now go back to your campfire.”
Grim lifted his paw and pointed a claw at the campfire, the Ferals around him immediately disappeared to whence they'd come. Breathing out deeply he retracted his claws, and let his presence vanish to wherever he was calling it from. As he did so it happened, another flash of knowledge ripped through his mind.
Presence ('Fighter's Resolve''Killing Intent''Spiritual Pressure')
The physical and mental manifestation of a Warrior's Resolve to fight, often represented by an invisible pressure or horrible feelings. It is possible for a presence to become visible, or even to take shape by those good at sensing them.
The burst of knowledge faded away, and Grim blinked a few times as he regained awareness. Looking around him he noticed a few Ferals looking at him, and he leveled a glare at them well growling. They immediately turned away, and Grim let out a soft sigh of relief.
Turning he headed towards out of the clearing, immediately catching sight of Zach hidden behind one of the trees right at the edge. He made his way towards the young rabbit, who hearing footsteps spun around to see who was approaching. A wide smile spread across Zach's face, and he heard the rabbit let out a sigh of relief.
“You aren't hurt,” said Zach relieved.
“It'll take more than a few Ferals to hurt me,” said Grim smiling before he frowned, “Though I have no idea why I would need to know how to fight like that...”
Zach's smile faded away as well, he'd almost forgotten about Grim's memories. It wasn't common for a Pet to loose there memories, but it was often considered a very serious insure. What if a Pet forgot something like their Owner needing medicine, or something equally important.
“Let's get to town and get you to the Vet then,” said Zach trying to keep cheerful.
Grim nodded, and he followed Zach as they headed out of the forest.
/ / / / /
District Court
Joel sighed softly as he walked down the hallway, one of the Court Employes walking ahead of him, and two guards trailing behind him. He couldn't believe his life had taken this turn, this had been the last thing he wanted when joining PETA.
He'd really thought that PETA was a respectable company, truly trying to free Pets from Human ownership. That was all he wanted, to let Pets know that they didn't have to be treated like lesser beings, that they could remain in the wild, be Feral without anyone judging them.
He didn't want to shove his beliefs down someones throat, but that had been what PETA had done. He'd thought that all Pets wanted to be free, but he was ashamed to admit that he'd never even asked a Pet what they wanted.
His own Pets had always wanted to be free, and that had only enforced his belief that it was common among Pets, and they were just to scared to speak it. But that dog, the one they had kidnapped and tried to set free. He'd been happy with his life, and they'd tried to ruin it because they believed that they knew better than anyone else.
He supposed he deserved to be here, to be sentenced for a few months in prison. Maybe once it was over he'd settle down somewhere without Pets, in one of the few human only locations left in the world. It was obvious Pets liked their status, and he didn't want to try and influence anything anymore.
Suddenly they stopped, and a guard opened a nearby door. Joel didn't even wait to be told, he walked past the guard and turned into the room. Holding up his hands he let the guard unlock his cuffs, and than looked towards the Court Employe.
“Your Lawyer will be arriving shortly with a change of clothes for you,” said the Employe before closing the door.
Joel sighed and lowered his head, he wish that this wouldn't be put off any longer. All he wanted was to get his jail-time over with, and than put all of this behind him. Let the anima...Pets do whatever they wanted, and he would leave them alone, and they would leave him alone.
“Good Morning, Joel.”
Joel blinked and wondered who was in the room, his Lawyer wasn't supposed to have arrived yet. Turning around he felt his eyes go wide, and his head lifted up as he stared into the air above him in complete silence.
For a few moments he couldn't even think properly, and than he began to take in the situation. Resting on the ground in the room with him was a massive Blue Gryphon, an animal that was a myth and couldn't possibly be here.
A moment later he said the only thing he could think of, “You're not my Lawyer.”
The Gryphon chuckled and spoke, “Oh come ON, is that your best line?” the Gryphon's voice echoed the humor in it impossible to miss, “You're supposed to say something like, 'So we'll be switching to an insanity plea?'”
Joel stared up at the Gryphon, he wasn't sure what to say or do. He hadn't decided if this was a figment of his imagination or not, he was honestly hoping it was, but his luck hadn't been doing that good for the last few months.
“I've been watching you Joel,” spoke the Gryphon, “I'm disappointed to say you've been a very naughty boy,” the Gryphon snapped his fingers and Joel felt an odd shift in equilibrium before shrugging it off as the Gryphon continued, “You blame animals for your problems, and than take out your hurt feelings on them, continuing to do so, despite all the pain it's caused you in return.”
Joel winced slightly, and began to think this Gryphon really was an illusion. It spoke about things he'd never admitted to anyone, and it wasn't like an animal could read his mind or anything, so that meant it had to be a figment of his mind.
“The cycle must stop,” said the Gryphon, “A six month stint in jail won't help you come to terms with your feelings, or your broken conscience.”
Joel sneered, “Okay Mister Figment, I see where this is going,” he laughed coldly, “You're going to 'Teach me a Lesson' about how I'm a mean ol'sourpuss and the world is built on the backs of rainbows and unicorns.”
Joel laughed coldly again, and glared up at the Gryphon.
“So by spending time as the very thing I'm biased against, I'll come to a greater understanding of peace, love and solar power or some other junk,” Joel didn't stop as he let out his aggression using heavy sarcasm, “Then, as though it had taken only one night, I wake up teary-eyed and newly compassionate, without ever truly knowing if what I experienced was real or a dream!”
Joel crossed his arms and snapped, “So let's get this hallucination over with!” he stared up at the Gryphon and growled, “Are you going to change me into a dog or what?”
The Gryphon chuckled and looked at him pointedly, “On the ball today, aren't we?”
Joel looked down at himself, his eyes immediately went wide. He was shorter than before, his hands had turned into paws, he had a muzzle now, he could even feel himself panting softly, he had definitely been turned into a dog.
How was this possible, nothing like this should happen in a hallucination. Had he somehow passed out and started dreaming without noticing, or had he already died and gone to hell? None of this made sense, so it couldn't be happening.
Despite all this Joel couldn't help but notice one thing, “AAAH! I'M NAKED!”
/ / / / /
Vet's Office
Grim sat calmly on the table in the middle of the Vet's office, his long legs hanging off the edge and his sharp eyes scanning the room. He had no memories of vising a Vet before, but he must have some point in his lifetime, especially if he was a Pet.
Speaking of that, Grim reached down and grabbed his Skull tag once again. He couldn't help but wonder why it had no information on it, if he was a Pet, and he must have been since he was wearing a collar, than his owner should have written information on the tag.
Turning it over Grim found himself blinking, it wasn't empty anymore...
Pet-Name: Grim
Nickname:- - - - -
Owner: Undecipherable Writing
Address:Blacked Out
Grim stared at the information for a few minutes, it appeared he didn't have a nickname, which wasn't odd considering his short name. He apparently had an owner, but the writing was too faded and scratched for him to make out. It was the same with the address, only it had apparently been purposely blacked out where the other had faded with time.
Grim looked up as the door opened, and his eyes tracked a older woman as she walked into the room. She was wearing a plain grey shirt, and a long black blouse, followed by the fairly common white doctor's coat.
“Good Morning,” said the woman brightly as she picked up Grim's chart, “Hmm,” she hummed as she flipped through it, “According to this you have pretty major memory loss, and the only information you were able to provide was your name.”
“I'm afraid so,” said Grim, “Any idea what could have caused my memory loss?”
The woman walked over to Grim, and he sat patiently as she began to work over him with her hands. Testing to see he had enough meat on his bones, making sure none of his bones were broken, checking his ears and eyes, making sure his claws extended and retracted properly, and a whole bunch of other basic things.
“From what I can see you're perfectly healthy,” said the Doctor, “Healthier than any wolf I've ever seen, it's quite something.”
“So that leaves no explanation for my memory,” mumbled Grim unsatisfied, “Any idea if it might return naturally?”
“I can only speculate,” warned the Doctor, “But that sounds like a possibility, come back in a week if you haven't regained any memories, and we'll run a few tests.”
Grim nodded and hoped off the table, smiling at the Doctor he turned and headed out of the examination room, leaving her behind to write some things down on his chart. He quickly made his way to the lobby, where he found Zach waiting for him patiently.
As he made his way over to Zach, he suddenly felt a chill go up his spine. Spinning around he looked towards the door, watching with sharp eyes as it opened and a Pet and his Owner walked in. His eyes took to the two in, something about them causing his mind to scream out at him.
The Owner appeared to be an older gentleman, and was wearing a buttoned coat, hat, and holding a cane that he barely appeared to be leaning on. Grim didn't know what it was, but everything about this old man was causing him to feel danger. He knew that despite appearances, this old man wasn't someone to be messed with.
His eyes took in the Pet next, and once again his senses screamed out. It wasn't danger they sensed though, this time his senses told him something wasn't right. The light brown and white Welsh Corgi wasn't what he appeared to be, Grim didn't know how he knew, but he knew without a doubt that something was wrong.
/ / /
Grim stared out across from himself, all around him was a beautiful field. He knew that it wasn't right though, all his senses were screaming at him that it wasn't right. The only problem was, that he had no idea what to do about it.
“Sometimes your eyes will deceive you,” spoke an elderly voice that echoed all around him, “But you aren't normal Grim, and your senses will always perceive The Truth.”
Grim didn't bother trying to locate the voice, he knew better than that by now. He'd been training for months, and whoever was teaching him never actually appeared. Yet he could always senses them, which meant that they had to be like him, different, to be able to hide so easily at all times.
“How do I see it then, The Truth?” questioned Grim
A chuckle echoed.
“Do not see with your eyes Grim,” answered the voice, “See with everything else...”
/ / /
Grim clutched his head and whimpered softly, that had been a memory, and not just knowledge like he was used to. But what had that elderly voice meant, that he wasn't normal? Also, why in the world had he been training, and what had he been training for?
But that feeling from the memory, it was the same thing he was feeling right now. Which meant that his eyes were deceiving him, he needed to somehow look past what he could see, if he wanted to truly see The Truth.
Grim slowly allowed his eyes to close, and focused on his senses, or more specifically, the sense that was screaming at him something was wrong. Slowly the darkness of his eyelids began to change, vague shapes, lines made of different colors began to appear.
It amazed him and shocked him at the same time, and within minutes he could see everything that was around him, even though his eyes were closed. The first thing he noticed was the lines of Pets and Humans, were brighter than the lines of the surrounding objects. The second thing he noticed, was the lines that made up the old man, where overlapped by a massive connection of lines making up some type of massive bird. Equally shocking, was the image of a human overlapping the Corgi.
Grim opened his eyes, and stared at the old man and dog. He wondered why they were hiding themselves like that, why would a massive bird want to appear human, and why would a human want to appear as a dog.
His though process was lost though, as a paw started shacking his shoulder. Pushing the odd occurrences and his thoughts aside, Grim turned and found himself looking into the concerned face of Zach. Quickly he gave the young rabbit a reassuring smile, and Zach smiled back gratefully.
“So what did the Vet say?” questioned Zach
“She thinks my memory will return on its own,” answered Grim pleased, “Which I can't wait for, not knowing anything about myself is rather annoying.”
Zach chuckled.
“Oh,” Zach blinked as he stopped chuckling, “Where are you going to stay?”
Grim stared at Zach for a few minutes, and than found himself slapping his forehead in frustration. He'd been so busy wanting to get his memories back, that he hadn't even thought of what he'd do if he didn't get them. At the moment he had no idea who his Owner was, or where he lived, leaving him practically alone in a place he didn't even know.
“You can stay with me,” said a voice from behind them.
Grim and Zach turned around, and found themselves faced with an old man. Grim's eyes narrowed slightly, as his senses blocked something invisible from touching him. Before he could say anything though, Zach had nodded, patted him on the shoulder and said.
“That's fantastic, see you later Grim.”
Grim watched Zach go, and turned and growled at the old man, “What the hell did you just do..bird...”
The old man's eyes widened, and he stared at Grim for a few minutes, yellow eyes glowing brightly. Grim once again felt odd invisible things hit his senses, only to be blocked, batted aside, and shattered before they got anywhere near him.
“You're quite an interesting wolf Grim,” said the old man, “What exactly are you?”
Grim wondered what to say, he wasn't even sure what a truthful answer would be. It was obvious that he wasn't a normal Pet, yet anything other than that he didn't know. Maybe Zach had been right, perhaps he was some type of Psychic?
Finally he decided on an answer, “I'm...Different.”
The old man grinned, “I see,” he mumbled before speaking, “I'm Pete, and you'll be staying with King and I.”
Grim stared at Pete for a few moments, he wasn't sure what he should do. On one paw, he had no idea where this town was, when his memories would return, or if he could even find somewhere else to stay, not to mention what this Pete was capable of. Yet his own senses seemed to protect him, so he would be somewhat safe.
“Fine,” said Grim softly.
Pete laughed...