Gershwin calmly washed his hands and face in the sink and patted himself dry. I had known what he was capable of but never seen it before first hand. Growing up he had always been so patient with us, so loving. Maybe this was why, he got all his anger out elsewhere instead of bringing it home.

"I'm sorry." Gershwin said. "I should have let you confess your sins before I dealt with the priest. It was selfish of me to deprive you of that."

I finally found my voice. "That's alright. I…" Words failed me. I looked down at the shredded remains of the priest. How could someone so devoted to God do this to one of his servants? And why?

Gershwin noticed my discomfort and put a hand on my shoulder. "The priest was a bad hund, an evil hund. He hid behind the robes of a priest like a hunter hides behind a blind. It is good that he is dead, now he can't hurt anyone else." He paused. "How did things go with the grim?"

I looked down at my mud covered clothes. "He's free. I had a run in with a Gravekeeper but it let me go, eventually."

"So we both did good deeds today." Gershwin smiled. "Now come, we need to meet up with Sacher and plan our next moves."

We made our way from the church to the tram. The heavy rain washed the worst of the mud off of me but I was going to need another B.A.T.H. and a change of clothes when we got to where we were going.

We sat in silence, the soft drip of rainwater from our fur reminded me of the blood on Gershwin's hands. The soft rocking of the tram tried to lul me to sleep but I fought it. I was tired, bone tired. The stench of death and blood was all around me, it smothered me like the mud from a grave.

Eventually I couldn't keep quiet anymore. "Why did you really kill the priest?" I asked.

Gershwin sighed. "Let me tell you a story and I'll ask that you don't interrupt me until I'm finished. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded, wondering where this was going.

"Once there was a little girl named Yesenia, she was a Katzen. Her parents came to Döbi as refugees after the cataclysm. They worked hard, integrated, even joined the local church. She was baptized by the priest and raised in the faith." Gershwin looked into the distance as he spoke, like he was playing it all back in his mind.

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"She was a happy child. She listened to her parents and studied hard in school. She wanted to be a nurse or a doctor so she could help people. Then the Reformation came and things got bad for the Katzen in Döbi."

He shook his head. "Her mother wanted to leave but her father told them that there was no need to worry. He kept saying that until the day he disappeared. They tried to flee but it was too late, the borders were closed. So they went to the only place they knew would be safe, the local church."

"But it was a trap. The priest took them in and promised to keep them safe as long as the mother did everything he asked. And he was not kind to her. He beat her, starved her, raped her. Then when he was done he sold them both to me for the reward money."

"The mother didn't last long in the camps. I think one of the other prisoners stabbed her over a loaf of bread." Gershwin wiped away a tear. I had never seen him cry before and it was unsettling. Even when he was hanged that ever present smile of his had never left his face. But now something dark was brewing inside of him.

"When Yesenia came to me she was troubled. That sweet little Katzen child was gone and what I found was a beast consumed with anger. She was angry at her father for leaving them, angry at God for forsaking her. So I made her a promise."

"I told her that God loved all his children, Katzen and Hund alike. I said that all this suffering had a purpose, that her parents had been martyrs. I explained to her that I was trying to make the world better and I needed her help to do it. I promised that I would make her strong, and that one day she would have her revenge. I gave her my promise before God that I would help her."

He turned to me. "Then the war ended, the priest fled to Möhi, and I was executed. But a fragment of me lived on in that little Katzen and when I woke up I knew that it was time to fulfill my promise. So hate me if you must, be disgusted at me if you will. But understand that I keep my promises."

I looked away. Who was I to judge? I had burned those gangsters alive, copied myself over to an unwilling host, stolen lives and futures. I was an evil spirit risen from the grave to feed on blood and misery.

"I forgive you, father." I told him, not sure if I meant it but knowing it had to be said. "You were just doing what you thought was best."

He patted me on the shoulder. "Thank you. You're the best son a father could hope for and I'm so happy we're together again. Now, let's show these gangsters how we do things in Döbi." He smiled. "Look out Möhi, the Braverhunds are here to set things right!"

He lurched forward and swung from the handrail like an acrobat before dancing back to his seat.

I shook my head and laughed. We weren't going to make it. We were just two ghosts facing down an entire syndicate. I had gotten lucky before but it wouldn't hold. The whole city would be against us. Every cop and politician who was getting paid off would band together to protect their interests. We couldn't fight them all.

The best thing I could do was run. But I was done running and I was done hiding. I had chosen to fight. At least then I would leave my mark on this place instead of dying as some anonymous Döbian. I would make them look at their scars and remember the name Braverhund. I was going to make them bleed.