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.