I leapt to my feet and turned around, my hand grabbing at the axe on my waist.

The voice belonged to a tall man wearing basic black clothing. His long-sleeve shirt and pants looked like cotton, while his feet remained shoeless, his toes flexing into the dirt below. On his shoulders and back was a familiar red cloak, but one beyond the definition of torn. Each strand at the bottom threatened to lose its thread with each minor movement the man made.

He raised an amused eyebrow and ran his fingers through his short-cut hair. The snow-white locks stood out against his tanned skin. He had a handsome face, probably around his thirties, but his eyes spoke of an age beyond the mortal scope.

Most of the hunters I saw so far had either amber or red eyes when they showed strong emotions. But the man before me had eyes that blazed like the sun. Their orange-yellow glow was bright enough that I suspected they glowed, and I wasn't imagining it. He blinked slowly, the gold in his eyes shifting like living flames.

"You're welcome to try attacking me, pup. It wouldn't do much, but you can still try," he spoke again.

I eased my hand away from the axe. "Sorry, things have been a little crazy lately. Sorta jumpy right now," I replied.

"Not uncommon when faced with life or death situations." He turned and looked at the plate with the remaining steaks still steaming with heat. "Mind if I have one?"

"Oh, yeah, go right ahead."

He moved over and sat next to the fire on his own patch of grass. His eyes stared at the flames, and for a moment, I thought I saw them flicker a bright orange.

A smirk crossed his face, and he reached over to the plate and grabbed one of the steaks. He used his bare hand and pinched the meat between his fingers.

After turning it around, he sniffed it before cocking his head and taking a bite. He chewed the meat slowly while I stood there awkwardly, staring.

Is this his home? Did Neina send me into someone's room?

I decided to stop being a creep and sat back down. I tried my best not to stare and keep my head glued towards the fire, but it proved difficult. Eventually, he swallowed and slid the whole steak into his mouth.

My jaw dropped at the sight. The meat wasn't small by any normal standards, and he had swallowed the whole thing. With an exaggerated gulp, the meat slid down his throat and disappeared deeper inside him.

His smirk dropped, and he glared at the plate with the remaining steak. "Way too cooked."

The hell it is!

The steaks were medium, pink in the middle. And somehow, I had a strong feeling that medium rare would still be overcooked.

"Sorry?"

He laughed, a deep bellow that filled the room.

This guy is starting to freak me out.

He turned and smiled. "Sorry. It's been a while since I've had to interact with someone who doesn't know me. It's a nice change."

"Oh, Well, I'm glad I can help? My name is Cain."

I stuck my hand out, and he stared at it. My smile cracked a little, but I kept my arm extended. After six seconds too long, he reached over and clasped my wrist. The wrist grab surprised me, but I grabbed his in return, and we shook.

"You may call me…" he paused and turned his head to the sky before looking back down. "Just call me Grim."

"Like Grimm the Grimm?"

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"Sure, but my name has one m instead of two."

Ain't no way that's your real name.

I smiled. "Sure. Uh, am I intruding? Is this your room?"

Grim shook his head. "Not really. I do favor this room, though. What do you think?"

I scanned the surroundings; the place smelled nice, looked as bright as ever, and was peaceful. My eyes trailed the long trunk of a tree and continued till it reached the swaying blue leaves.

Wait…

It wasn't my imagination; the leaves were moving as if a breeze gently rocked the branches. None of the expected noise reached my ears, and when I tried to listen, all I heard was the crackle of the fire.

More alert now, I scanned the room further but couldn't find anything different.

Except for the now moving tree leaves…

I glanced towards the room's new occupant. He watched the fire with unblinking eyes; his body posture relaxed as he sat. I didn't notice at first, but after observing him realized he sat eerily still.

Despite the lack of movement, his cloak moved in an unfelt wind.

Who are you?

"Do you mind passing over the other steak? You can have half if you want."

Grim handed over the plate. "I'm good. Would you mind sharing some of the meat in the sack?"

I blinked. "Sure. Feel free."

He smiled, his long canines poking out from beneath his lips. He reached over and pulled the sack closer. When he opened it, he sniffed again and then stuck his arm deep inside. After rummaging for a couple of seconds, he pulled out exactly what I expected him to.

Four waxpaper-wrapped packages of meat plopped to the ground, and he set the sack to the side. Without waiting, he slid a finger under the knot of strings and curled. The strings snapped.

Butcher's twine fell to the ground as he tore open the package. The red and raw flank sat in the middle of the brown paper, and he picked the thing up. He sniffed the meat and smiled.

"Skál," he said before taking a massive bite of the meat chunk.

I watched as the myoglobin dripped down his chin. He chewed and took another bite, causing more juice to spill onto the dirt.

The sight looked rather monstrous, but he at least didn't wild out. Once he consumed the chunk, he reached down and grabbed another. This process repeated till only brown paper and broken strings remained. Without asking, he reached over and poured the pitcher of water over his face. After shaking his head, he sighed deeply and leaned back with his two arms supporting him from behind.

"Delicious, they gave you good cuts, probably too afraid to insult a Grimm with something lower quality," he stated.

"Did that… taste good? Usually, I have seasoning to help flavour the meat."

"Hmm," he remarked. "I suppose to many it may not. What about you? Care to give it a go?"

"Ah, no thanks. Raw meat doesn't really agree with my stomach."

He tisked. "Pity."

I offered a polite smile and joined him in staring at the fire.

He picked up a log and prodded the flames. A part of the wood caved in and sent up a small torrent of ash and embers. He watched the fire with singular focus and sat in silence.

Ten minutes passed, and I started to feel awkward. I didn't know what to say. I always had a select group of friends that I kept very small for reasons like this. It was hard to feel awkward when you have an extrovert who loves the sound of their own voice.

Damn, Jory would have loved to be here.

The thoughts of my best friend hurt something deep inside, and I shook my head. Something about his face stung my brain.

Nope, not now. I'll deal with it later.

Movement to my right made me shift my attention. For a second, I thought I saw Grim turn his head to stare at me, but when I looked over, he sat with his head towards the flame.

Something poked at my senses, and I felt a shift in the room. I looked to the trees and watched the leaves continue to sway and then back to the fire.

Aha! There!

The fire popped, and I caught the flames moving an inch to the right. Barely perceptible, but after waiting for another sign, the movement repeated. A slight breeze had begun to blow, and when I stuck my hand out, I felt it caress my fingers.

I looked around, but I couldn't spot anything else. Grim never looked away from the flames, his golden eyes matching the intensity of the fire.

"Hey, mind if I ask a question?"

He didn't look away. "Ask."

"Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm Grim the Grimm."

"Okay. But like, who are you really?"

"Does my answer not satisfy your question?"

No, obviously not. I'm getting tired of all the mysteriousness.

"I'm sorry, but you have a claim to a magical forest room, and your eyes look like magic. Nobody has eyes like that. None of their eyes give me the impression I'm staring at an ancient beast… not like yours."

My words sounded stupid to my ears, but they were all true. The odds of this guy being some average hunter were zero to none. And the longer I spent in the room with him, the more inhuman he seemed.

Instead of replying, he bellowed. His laugh roared through the trees, his broad smile revealing his sharpened canines in their full glory. He continued to laugh, and something pricked at my skin. Nothing physically assaulted me, but it was like his laugh carried a pressure that washed over me.

Almost like… Devon.

My cloak tightened, but a blur in the corner of my eye made me look up.

Staring from only inches away was Grim. His eyes felt like the sun, each swirl an explosion inside his iris that drew me in. And the void in the center of it all? Complete and utterly black.

I couldn't move. His eyes paralyzed me.

His smile widened until it split his face. "Tell me, pup, do you really want to know who I am?"