top of page

Mr. Grimm's Outdoor Adventure

By Sarah Eriksen

Copyright 2018

    

    Mr. Grimm finished eating the bright, sweet, crunchy round shapes in the bowl in the warm kitchen. He sat back and licked one bright paw and swiped it across his face to get rid of any trace of his breakfast. The male guardian had fed him, given him a decent amount of attention in the form of scratches in the acceptable spots, and then disappeared for the day. This routine suited Mr. Grimm just fine. He had plenty of free time to explore the borders of his domain.

    He finished washing his face and strolled over to the door leading outside. A quick blink and he was on the other side. He sat at the top of the stairs and surveyed his territory, his ears swiveling and picking up the sounds of the woods. His nose twitched as the breeze brought a multitude of scents to him. Nothing unusual this morning. Living with guardians, one could never be too cautious. He frequently chased smaller creatures away from his new home.

    He casually strolled into the yard, feeling the warmth of the sun against his blue fur. His explorations could wait for a moment. He stretched his wings out and slid his belly onto the grass, flattening his body and soaking up the sun. His eyes drifted mostly closed and a faint rumbling purr emanated from his chest as he basked in the warm rays and slightly drifted off.

    A faint rustling sound made him perk up and lift his head. A leaf had fallen a few feet away from where he was sprawled. He debated pouncing on the offending object that had disturbed his rest for a moment before deciding his course of action. He tucked his wings back and gathered his feet under him, staying crouched down. He leapt forward abruptly and landed on the leaf, batting at it and flipping it up in the air. He pounced again as it landed and bit at it savagely. In moments he had annihilated it.

    His nap disturbed, it was time to check outside of the yard to make sure nothing had invaded his territory. He jumped to the top of the tall fence with a small thrust of his wings, landing lightly on the narrow boards. He walked to one of the fence posts and sat down, wrapping his fluffy tail around his feet and folding his wings against his back. His keen eyes surveyed the woods outside the fence. They were a never ending source of adventure for him. The creatures that lived on this world were fun to hunt, and enough otherworld creatures showed up to keep his skills sharp.

    A strong breeze ruffled his fluffy blue fur, bringing an unfamiliar scent to him. It was faint, but the wind could carry scents from far away. He debated on heading out to investigate. The sun was a warm thing inviting him to be lazy, but this was also a potential threat. He made his decision and jumped off the fence and headed out into the woods. He turned invisible as he stalked silently through the underbrush. He knew the dangers of the human world. Grimalkins were akin to cats on this world, but humans no longer understood them as they drifted away from magic and myth into more scientific ways.

    He followed the scent on the breeze, pausing every now and then to pick up the trail. It grew stronger and he could see another fence in the distance. Whatever this new creature was, it was on the other side. He slunk closer, belly to the ground. Something was running around. He eyed the fence, it was sturdy with no way to look through it. He took a running leap and climbed his way up a tree and settled on a branch high up enough to see the new threat.

    A puppy was running around in the yard. Mr. Grimm knew what dogs were, but hadn’t encountered one yet. It was a remarkably uncoordinated creature, full of energy, and clearly unable to put that energy to any kind of good use other than running in circles. He gazed at it with a disapproving growl. That caught its attention. It looked up, sniffing the air, then started up a racket. It would seem that it could sense his location once it knew something was there, even if it couldn’t see him.

    Mr. Grimm walked down the branch and jumped to the top of the fence, watching the puppy follow his movements. He walked the entire length of the fence, enjoying the frustrated barking. He sat down on a post and started grooming his paws and face, deliberately ignoring the dog and making it bark even louder. The dog’s human came to the door and called to it, clearly trying to figure out what had made the animal so upset. Mr. Grimm flipped his tail and watched as the owner looked around in confusion and then brought the puppy into the house, where it proceeded to bark at the glass door.

    Mr. Grimm sat for a moment longer, only deciding to leave because there was a hint of rain on the breeze now, and he disliked being wet. He would return though. This promised to be an entertaining endeavor. At least when there were no other pressing matters to take care of.

Mr. Grimm Vs. The Pixie

By Sarah Eriksen

Copyright 2018

     The faintest of sounds made Mr. Grimm pause in the meticulous grooming of one brilliant white paw. He faded from sight, his furry blue striped ears twitching as he tried to pinpoint the sound. The guardians he had adopted were below him, watching the box with the sounds and moving images. Normally he would be gracing them with his presence and allowing them to show their appreciation by giving him treats and attention.

     But he was a grimalkin, which meant he was nothing if not unpredictable. So instead, he was upstairs on the female guardian’s bed. His ears rotated again and he heard the faint sound from further below in the male guardian’s room. He rarely spent time down there, preferring the presence of the female, but had of course thoroughly explored his entire domain when he had arrived.

There it was again, the faintest of rustling steps in the basement. The sound was very out of place inside this house. Having a grimalkin on the premises guaranteed that there were no small rodents and very few, if any, bugs or spiders. This was also a guardian’s house, smaller creatures from other realms would normally avoid it. Unless something was here that was up to no good.

     Mr. Grimm’s furry body unwound from the pile of blankets on the guardian’s bed. He crept to the edge, ears swiveling at each strange rustling sound from below. He leapt silently to the floor, staying invisible and stalked out of the room and down the stairs. He stopped and observed the guardians, they were relaxed and focused on the strange box. They were unaware of what was below. It was up to him to protect them it would seem.

     He prowled down the hallway and slipped through the closed door leading below. He crouched in the shadows at the top of the stairs and listened to the sounds. Something was moving around. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air, separating out the familiar smells from the invader’s intrusive scent. His mouth opened slightly as he both smelled and tasted the air, his ears flattening in disgust. Pixie. He hated pixies. Useless, small, noisy things that always caused trouble. They weren’t even good for eating, not enough meat.

     He folded his wings tightly against his back and slipped silently down the stairs, moving slowly, belly low to the ground. His invisibility would work against the pixie, but that didn’t mean that he was going to let his stealthy attack skills get rusty. He crouched under a table at the bottom of the stairs. The male guardian’s room wasn’t cluttered, it was rather sparsely furnished and very spacious with few places for an intruder to hide.

     Mr. Grimm surveyed the room, eyes and ears easily locating the pixie. It was near the guardian’s bedside table. Only maybe a foot tall, and very skinny with abnormally long arms compared to its humanoid looking frame. It wasn’t clear what it was up to, but it didn’t matter. It had invaded his domain. That was an unforgiveable trespass, and he would send a warning to its people to never come near his home again.

     As soon as he sighted the pixie his body tensed, his back feet twitching as he devised his attack plan. He moved forward a few quick steps, his furry tail lashing in anger. He was only a few feet away from the intruder. His butt wiggled as he shifted his hind legs into position to spring. Time seemed to come to a stop as his focus narrowed. A few more wiggles and minute adjustments and he pounced.

     His white paws grabbed the pixie as his body weight hit it, pinning it to the table as he became fully visible again. He gave it no chance to fight back and immediately bit down on its neck hard enough it shrieked, but not hard enough to kill. Yet.

     He lifted the troublesome pixie and jumped to the floor, holding his head high as the pixie struggled in vain. He proudly carried his catch upstairs and down the hallway, making note of the guardians paying attention to him. They would surely reward him for this later. He reached the door and stared at it, blinking through the barrier. Such strange things, but they did seem to keep out quite a few intruders.

     He disappeared into the woods nearby and crouched down, setting his prey on the ground and pinning it with fully extended claws from both front paws. He hissed at it as it screamed shrilly. Its scream became a whimper as it understood the meaning behind that hiss. One quick bite and the pixie was dead. He batted at it with both paws and flicked it through the small rip in the barrier it had come through.

     He had successfully defeated the intruder, protecting his home and guardians. He put on a burst of speed and ran back to the house, slowing down and walking stately into the room. The male guardian was suitably attentive. Mr. Grimm allowed him to shower him with affection, and rewarded him by laying on his lap for the rest of the evening.

bottom of page