In a world where everyone can pilot a Grimm, people who can’t are discriminated against and live in slums. But one day, a mysterious black market Grimm is released that responds only to those who can’t pilot.

It was called the "Dumb Grimm" and it was said to have no battleworthiness whatsoever, and yet, slum-dwellers were going crazy over it. It was a short, stumpy Grimm with bright red fur and a dumbfounded expression on its face. In flight, it left a bright red trail behind it that smelled like strawberry shortcake. When it fought, it only fought back if provoked, otherwise it just stood there and stared blankly at its opponent. Everything about it was ridiculous, and that's probably why everyone who didn’t have access to a Grimm was so obsessed with it. Exiles, like myself, were forced to live in slums on the outskirts of Reime City because we were born without the correct genetics to pilot a Grimm. As a child, I was laughed at and called a defect. My parents were shamed by their families and friends, and in my worst memory, a bunch of kids my age followed me home from school and threw rocks at my head until I bled, all because I wasn’t lucky enough to have a loyal Grimm by my side. Everyone who could pilot had some kind of happy ending, at the very least a steady job as a hunter and a place in society to call their own. While us exiles were forced to live in squalor. But the Dumb Grimm gave us a glimmer of hope. It was the first Grimm to respond to those who couldn’t pilot, and while it certainly wasn’t strong enough for battle, it was so beloved that cities like Reime passed laws allowing exiles to purchase them as pets. My best friend Amelia and I had saved up for months to buy ours, and when the day finally came, we were so excited we couldn’t sleep. The store we bought him from was a black market one, run by some kind of shadowy underground group, but the Grimm was sccommended, and the price was so low it had to be genuine. When we finally brought him home, Amelia and I sat on the floor of the slum and stared at him in wonder. He didn’t move when we brought him home. He just sat on the shelf we put him on, staring blankly at the wall. “Do you think he knows we’re excited for him?” I asked Amelia. “He’s gotta, right?” Amelia said. The next day, when we woke up, Dumb Grimm was sitting right next to us, staring at us with his dumbfounded expression. He didn’t move or do anything else, but we didn’t care. Having him next to us just felt good, and we kept him with us constantly. A week passed, and nothing unusual happened, and we had almost forgotten about the Grimm except when we looked at it, until one night, a loud crash echoed through the slums. I looked outside my window to see a large house across the alley crashing to the ground. It was one of the rich neighborhoods, where the hunters lived. I watched in confusion as the house fell further, and a large piece of the front wall was blown out of place, revealing a room inside. Inside, I saw a hunter, standing over a body, his sword raised in the air. The hunter seemed to notice me staring at him through the hole he blew into his own house, and he stood up straight, holding his sword in both hands. I was shocked into silence, and I think Amelia was too, as neither of us moved or said a word. The hunter turned away from his house, and I saw he was standing right next to a large, black Grimm. This Grimm was unlike any I had seen before. It was about three times the size of a normal Grimm, and its fur was long and straight. The fur on its torso shone in the light of the moon as if it was wet, but I couldn’t see any water on it. Its wings were long and thin, almost like a bat's, and its eyes glowed red. It seemed to be staring at me, Amelia, and Dumb Grimm. The hunter held his sword up in preparation to strike, but I didn’t care, and neither did Amelia, because I wanted to look at the black Grimm more, so I stepped out of my window. Hunter! Hunter! I wanted to shout, but I was frozen in place. The black Grimm was so beautiful, it looked like a queen or a princess or something like that, so unlike any Grimm that hunted with the humans. It took a slow step forward, and the hunter raised his sword, ready to strike. “I said, hunter! Hunter!” I shouted, waving my arms wildly. The hunter finally noticed us and spun around to face us, his sword still raised in preparation. I couldn’t help but stare at his Grimm. The Grimm had moved closer to us, but it didn’t look threatening at all. In fact, it seemed just as interested in us as we were in it. “Hey. Is everything okay?” The hunter asked, lowering his sword, but I could still see the tension in his body. “W-what happened to your house?” I stuttered. “I don’t think I was meant to say that out loud.” He replied, looking around nervously. “What do you mean?” I asked, confused. “Nevermind. Just…just go back inside.” The hunter said. “But your Grimm is so beautiful! I’ve never seen one like it.” I said, not taking my eyes off the Grimm. The hunter sighed, and he looked almost…sad. “That’s because you’ve never seen a real Grimm.” He said, looking away from us. “Wait. So this isn’t your Grimm?” I asked, my mind reeling. The hunter hesitated, then looked back at me. “No. I didn’t mean it like that. She’s a…a friend.” He said. “But you tried to kill her.” I pointed out. “She?” The hunter asked, then he looked down at his Grimm. “She? What’s her name?” I asked, not sure why I was curious, but I couldn’t help myself. “I call her Zara.” The hunter said, then he looked around nervously again, before turning to Zara. “Zara, please.” He said, “I have to go. Zara, you should come with me.” Zara the Grimm didn’t move, she just kept her blank stare on Amelia and Dumb Grimm. “She’s not listening to you.” I said, not taking my eyes off Zara. “She never listens.” The hunter replied, then he looked at me and Amelia, “I have to go. But I want you two to come with me.” “W-why?” I asked, but before he could reply, Zara’s voice cut in. “Why would they come with you? I won’t let you take them.” She said. I was shocked to hear a Grimm talk, but then I looked at Amelia, and she had the same shocked expression. The hunter looked at Zara with a strange look in his eyes, and then he looked away from her. “No, Zara. You’re not thinking clearly. I can’t take you with me where you are.” He said. “Then why are you trying to take her away from us?” I asked, pointing at Amelia. “I’m not!” The hunter exclaimed. “Yes I am! But you’re not doing it right, you’re being too slow!” Amelia replied, before turning to me, “I’m sorry. I’m so excited to meet a new Grimm I forgot myself.” “It’s okay.” I replied, smiling at her, “I’m excited too. And this Grimm is really beautiful.” Amelia smiled back at me and nodded. “You’re right. She is beautiful. I wonder what her personality is like.” Amelia asked. “I don’t know. Hunter, do you know?” I asked the hunter. “Zara?” The hunter asked, “What’s your personality like?” “Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank.” Zara replied. “See? She’s blank. There’s nothing there.” The hunter said, then he turned to leave. “Wait! Hunter, don’t go!” I shouted. He stopped and looked back at us. “Why should I?” He asked. “Because we want to come with you.” I replied. The hunter was silent for a moment, then he shook his head. “Why would you want to come with me? I’m not even sure where I’m going.” He said, “And I’m definitely not going to risk taking you two with me. You’re not even licensed to be out of your houses this late.” “I know, but I don’t care.” Amelia said. “Yeah.” I agreed, “We want to go with you because we think Zara is beautiful.” Zara, the black Grimm, looked happy at my words, and the hunter looked…sad? “Zara, what should we do?” He asked. “I don’t know.” Zara replied, “I’ve never had friends before.” “You…you want us to be your friends?” I asked, surprised. “Yes. I want you two to be my friends.” Zara said, then she looked at us and smiled. Amelia and I smiled back, then we nodded our heads at Zara, and Z

In a world where everyone can pilot a Grimm, people who can’t are discriminated against and live in slums. But one day, a mysterious black market Grimm is released that responds only to those who can’t pilot.

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