[color=007FFF][center][b]Abel Fulgurate, Grimm Studies[/b][/center][/color]

Though Abel could have done without the longwindedness and the self-exhortation, he tried his best to be attentive to Port's story.   At his age, and in his line of work, the professor could only have been a remarkable huntsmen.  Abel knew from experience more than book-learning that the bodies of slain Grimm dissolve into smoke within minutes of their demise, making memory the only way to archive a hunter's greatest conquests.  As he listened, the guardian decided that he wanted his own story to progress similar to Port's: old, and alive, and full of grand memories.  His face darkened, however, and he stared at the desk as he considered the path before him.  [i]I'll need a whole lot more than rage and muscle to survive what's coming.[/i]

He perked up slightly when Port asked for a volunteer.  From within the cage that was pushed into the room there came a furious clamor, a cacophony of enraged snarls and little shrieks that carried with them a tinge of familiarity.  [i]Where have I heard those shrieks before...?[/i]  Abel racked his brain trying to figure out what the thing was based on its sound, but came up empty-handed.  That, and a flurry of hands into the air -though not all of them sincere- made him reconsider volunteering.  He watched the kid called Lloyd as Port selected him.  When the late arrival had made his way to the floor, tonfas at the ready, Port obliterated the cage's lock and released its seething occupant.

“What?!”  Abel was nearly speechless.  How the hell had they captured a Wendigo, especially a cub?  Abel shifted slightly in his seat, rather glad that he had not volunteered.  Back in Pallisade, the only knowledge of Wendigo came first-hand, but that in itself was tricky, since they tended not to leave survivors.  The words of a fellow guardsman echoed in his mind: [i]If one decides that it wants to kill you, your fate is almost decided.  They'll stalk you for days, waiting for the perfect chance to pounce and tear you to pieces.  If you're too well protected, they'll keep you from sleeping with their haunting howls and cries, and then consume you when you're too tired to stand.  They can climb trees and stone walls, cut through solid wood with their scythes, and who knows what else.  Do you know what 'Wendigo' means, Abel?  The darkness that devours.[/i]

But this one was only a cub.  The realization came a couple of seconds late, and Abel allowed his tension to fade.  Adults were apex predators, but cubs were just awful balls of fur and claws—or so he hoped.  He watched intently, focused on learning as much as possible from Ben.