Chapter 7: The Forest's Fury and a Grimm's First Moral Test
The air in the woods was thick with the scent of pine, damp earth, and something else – something primal and unsettling. Nick and Hank were deep in the Oregon wilderness, tracking the missing young woman, their investigation leading them straight to the Jägerbär family. Nick, still reeling from Aunt Marie's death, was a coiled spring of grief and burgeoning Grimm instincts. He saw the subtle signs, the broken branches, the claw marks, the unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him this was no ordinary missing persons case.
Adam and Wanda, meanwhile, were operating on the fringes, their presence as subtle as a whisper in the wind. Adam, with his Library's vast knowledge, was a walking cheat sheet for the supernatural.
"Alright, System, Jägerbär weaknesses. Anything that makes them less 'hunt the human' and more 'cuddle with a teddy bear'," Adam mentally commanded, his eyes scanning the dense foliage. "Non-lethal methods preferred. We're trying to save a life here, not start a new season of Grimm: Bear Hunter Edition."
The System delivered: certain high-pitched frequencies that disoriented them, specific plants that caused temporary paralysis, even ancient Grimm techniques for creating a "fear scent" that would send them scattering. Adam found a particular, pungent herb that was known to cause a temporary, overwhelming nausea in Jägerbär.
"Perfect," he murmured. He pulled out a small, pre-prepared satchel from his pocket – a little something he'd whipped up earlier, just in case. He subtly dropped it near a game trail he knew the Jägerbär would use, letting the wind carry the scent. "Let's see if our furry friends enjoy a little motion sickness with their morning hunt."
Wanda, meanwhile, was a ghost in the trees, her powers a silent symphony of influence. As the Jägerbär closed in on their human prey, her hands subtly moved. A thick branch, seemingly brittle, snapped with a loud crack, diverting one of the hunters. A sudden, inexplicable gust of wind swirled, kicking up leaves and dust, momentarily blinding another. Then, a momentary flash of light, like a camera flash, flared deep in the woods, disorienting the lead Jägerbär just as it was about to pounce.
"What the…?" Nick muttered, seizing the unexpected opportunity to tackle the human victim out of harm's way. He looked around, bewildered by the sudden environmental anomalies. "Did you see that, Hank?"
Hank, equally confused, just shook his head. "Must be the wind, Nick. Or… I don't know, a really aggressive squirrel."
Adam, watching from a distance, chuckled. "Aggressive squirrel. Yeah, that's what we'll go with. Wanda, you're a master of the 'aggressive squirrel' maneuver. Keep it up."
Wanda gave him a small, almost imperceptible smirk. She was getting the hang of this. It was like a dangerous, high-stakes game of charades, where the stakes were human lives and the clues were invisible magic. Her powers, once a source of chaos and pain, were now a tool for subtle, precise intervention. It felt… good. Purposeful.
Nick, now face-to-face with the woged Jägerbär, struggled with the moral implications. This was a "tradition," a "ritual." But it involved human sacrifice. His police ethics clashed with his burgeoning Grimm instincts. He had to stop them, but how? He couldn't just shoot a bear-man. Or could he?
The Jägerbär, disoriented by Wanda's subtle interventions and the pungent scent Adam had left, stumbled. Nick, seizing the moment, used a forgotten Grimm technique – a specific pressure point on the neck, a move he'd seen in one of Aunt Marie's journals, a move he didn't even know he knew until it just happened. The Jägerbär roared, then collapsed, temporarily incapacitated.
[MISSION COMPLETE: Human victim saved from Schlacht. Reward: 75 System Points.]
[TIMELINE INTEGRITY: Maintained. Subtle intervention successful. Nick Burkhardt's moral compass reinforced.]
Adam felt a surge of satisfaction. Seventy-five System Points. Not bad for a day's work. And the human was safe. Nick had made the right choice, even if he didn't know how he'd made it.
"See, Wanda? Chaotic good, baby. We saved the day, reinforced Nick's moral compass, and didn't even have to break out the heavy artillery," Adam said, nudging her. "He thinks it was luck. We know it was just… us. Being awesome. And subtly manipulating the universe."
Wanda looked at the subdued Jägerbär, then at Nick, who was now helping the traumatized victim. A faint smile touched her lips. "It feels… right."
"Yeah, it does," Adam agreed, a rare moment of genuine sincerity in his voice. "Now, about those System Points… I wonder if the shop has anything for, say, enhanced stealth. Because if we keep doing this, we're going to need to be even more invisible. Or, you know, get a really good alibi." He grinned. "Time to go debrief in the Library. I'm thinking a nice cup of tea and a discussion about the ethics of interfering with ancient, murderous traditions. Riveting stuff."