The Shadow of Herr von Fell

As the group found a greater abundance of buildings around them, some in the progress of being built, Alexander began to realize that he was no longer in the Oshawa he had always known. In his short time in Canada, Quebec Castle had been the only part of Oshawa he had ever known, full of trees and grass! There were trees and grass here too, but not as much as on the estate.

For a moment, a feeling of fear washed over the caracal. Eyes wide and ears back, he looked back and forth as he stopped walking. Hippolyta took notice and gently stroked his back, saying: "It is alright. We're right here with you." Alexander continued walking, his ears fully erect and his head looking back and forth as he walked with his human friends. He would not be taken off-guard he would be ready for any ambush from Ahab… Whatever Ahab was.

As they made their way to Filcher's shop, the five paused as they saw an old circus poster, a few months old at the most, upon the wall of a building. It was for the Herr Ludwig von Fell Circus and immediately mixed expressions of fear and hatred appeared upon the countenances of the two adolescents and the three children. Alexander looked up and saw a man on the poster wearing a long, bright red coat with black trousers and a top hat of the same colour. The man was portrayed with an athletic build, a square jaw, black hair and coal black eyes. Upon his face was a mustache, a handlebar like Captain Smith's, yet as different. Over his right eye was worn a monocle and upon the left side of his cheek was horizontal scar as if something had slashed him. Yet nothing attracted Alexander's attention more in how the man was portrayed than the colour of his skin for this man was unnaturally pale.

The poster said "Come to the Herr Ludwig von Fell Circus! See Otto the liger, Muzaffar the black leopard and many another wild beast brought back from the wilds by greatest hunters of them all: Herr Ludwig von Fell!"

It had been Herr von Fell who had previously owned Roxana. When Captain Smith had rescued her from the circus, she had been derma and cartilage, unable to expire properly and if not for the Herr, she never would have had such a temperament. Roxana had improved, returning to a healthy weight and could breathe properly once more, but her temperament still remained. It was hoped that given time she would come around.

"Big game hunter, circus owner, ringmaster, animal tamer, friend of Theodore Roosevelt, the magazines and newspapers should include what Uncle Kull knows about him." Commented Alan.

"I don't think anyone would care that he is responsible for the deaths of his father, two of his brothers and cousin." Replied Gemma. "All anyone would care about is that he killed some Germans."

"He isn't human!" Agatha exclaimed, taking a step back from the poster. "He is a devil, if not the Devil!"

"I hope we don't see him on our quest to get the Holy Grail back!" Ian uttered, swallowing nervously as he looked upon the cold blue eyes of the poster's depiction.

All this Alexander listened to, the information that Captain Smith had learned he had heard before, yet hearing what Agatha and Ian said brought a new perspective. They were scared of him and he understood why. Even from the depiction on the poster, Alexander could tell there was something unnatural about Herr von Fell, but he was unsure if it was just the poster or if he actually was that pale. Were his eyes actually that dark a black or were they a simply a dark grey? Would that he knew, all that he knew was that he wondered if Herr von Fell was someone they would encounter, same as Ian did.

As the group continued on their way to Filcher's shop, Alexander paused and looked back at the poster. The coal black eyes of the eerily pale man were staring at him, even if they should have been staring forward rather than downward. There was just something not right about it. Like the man depicted was not truly mortal, but something otherworldly.