The demon huntress (unedited)

Black beautiful creatures

The black, filthy monster sniffed me for a moment, as if trying to understand something. "Back off you fucking shit" I shouted helplessly, knowing I couldn't fight it without my power. But to my surprise it obeyed, retorting back a few steps in complete obedience. Before my brain could register what happened I found Keenan jumping from atop the cliff with his huge body holding his sword with both hands, a thud of steel digging in flesh, a high growl and a huge splash of blood that interred my eyes, mouth and nose, and the beast was dead as the rocks beneath us.

"What took you so long, I thought you ran!" I cried getting up. The pain in my right arm was unbearable. He ran to me, taking my face in his hands, "are you alright, I'm so sorry I was held back by another one, I think there are even more in the woods. Look at me straight can your breath, do you have any pain in your chest" he blurted out with horrified panic "I'm so sorry you were under my protection, I should've..."

I put my hands over his lips and rolled my eyes "you sometimes forget I'm not a princess, you should see me after my wounds heal I killed two of these alone at the same time" he widened his eyes "you did what! Why didn't you report this, these are non-earthly creatures, it's not normal to have them here"!

I got up to my feet wincing "yeah, and you would've believed me, all the elites though I was a crazy murderer. Do you think they would have believed that I saw one of the wicked seven? You would've just used that against me, Keenan, and you know it"!

"Fuck" I cursed as the pain came burning down my arm. "We should talk about this later, let us take you to safety first" We climbed the slope, or rather he half carried me half dragged me up, we walked slowly and cautiously, but as we came to the corpse of that strange dead creature and the smell of death penetrated our noses, we heard small moans coming from its direction

"Do you think it's still alive" I said, going forward, he held my arm tight "are you crazy do you want us to get killed today, what if another one is there, and we can't see it" he hissed in my ears. I looked at him defiantly, "I'm not leaving an injured animal alone. You can go if you want" breaking free from his grasp, I walked with deliberate steps toward the dead animal. Keenan heaved a sigh and came beside me holding his sword. "I did something wrong in my past life, and I'm being punished by you, I suppose" he said dramatically.

As we grew closer, the smell of death was unmistakable, but with it came the voice loud and clear. There they were two small cubs with small wings huddled together under their mother's wings. I gasped as I saw them. I blinker a tear away as I came closer to them. Their eyes were still closed, but they were moving, trying to nudge their mother. When I came closer, the backed away from me sniffing at the air with fear "it's fine darlings mommy is here" I found myself whispering with warmth I never knew I had in me. I sat down, taking them in my arms.

They were heavy and as black as night, with beautiful fur and spiky wings. I found a tear betraying me and running through my bloody cheeks. I embraced them, and they cuddled together in my lap. They lost their mother the same way I lost my son. My heart ached, and I hated myself and hoped Keenan couldn't see my tears through the dark night that had fallen. To my surprise, he sat beside me in silence patting their fur, "what are you going to call them" he said, looking into my eyes. "I don't know I don't think I can raise anything as beautiful as them to be honest." the thought of departing with them filled me with pain and grief "I will help you, I will raise on, and you can raise the other, they remind me of myself a little" he said uncertainly. I smiled at him, wondering if he was really a bad person after all.

"What in the seven deep hells is that!" Tam yelled as soon as she entered my room the next morning. When I gave her, a weak smile that I knew resembled a child who peed on their mother's favorite seat kind of guilty smile. "You are kidding right" she looked in utter shock, her gaze transfixed at the two small cubs laying on the bed beside me deep a sleep, then she spun to see Keenan setting on a couch in the far corner of the room, with a huge bowl of milk, his hair ruffled like he was in some battle. "You!!!" She yelled again that made the cubs wake up with a purr, spreading their wings and yawning, they got to their feet, licked my hands and jumped one after the other to Keenan to drink from the huge bowl. They rubbed their heads onto his feet and swayed their pointy arrow – like tail in the air. "Fuck... are these wings....but these are manticores... these are unearthly creatures, what the fuck! Did you finally go to hell and come back with these" she said faintly, throwing her body on the bed with a thud.

"Come on Tam, they are cute, look at them, they are orphaned, and they just lost their mother, a Cerberus killed them" I replied, rubbing my neck, as I told her the whole story of the previous evening and how me and Keenan climbed through the palace walls, so the servants won't see the two cubs and get scarred, she remained utterly and completely silent. "You realize Arik will kill you if he knew you let an unearthly creature into the palace, forget Arik, the elites will diffenetly ask for you to hand them in. Duke Keenan, aid me up here! You know the rules! How can you help her do such a thing, do you want her to go to jail!" Keenan opened his mouth to protest but then looked at the door and his eyes went wide with horror, "grandma".

There she was, the high counselor with her steely sharp blind eyes peering right at the cubs. I closed my eyes shut, she must have heard Tam yelling, she was living just on the end of the same floor I was in. What would she do to my little cubs, I haven't even named them yet, will they kill them. I stood up in front of her, hiding the cubs from view, "I dare you to harm them" I growled as she pierced me with a shocked look. As if the cubs sensed the tension in the air, they came to my feet, baring their teeth and spreading their wings in a failed attempt to make themselves look bigger than they are. I heard Tam and Keenan's voices saying something about respect and jail and the high counselor, but my ears were buzzing with anger and fear as I felt her power surging and wrapping me.

"They are my children now, and I dare you to even touch them" that was when she smiled, kneeling down and snapping her figures at them. As though in a trance the came forward smelling at her figures "would you do anything for them Layla" she said amused "I could help you with the elders, I could make it legal for you to own them... but it's difficult, you know this must have a price" it was maddening really how someone can be so warm and cunning at the same time. The cubs seemed relaxed around her, then rubbing at her feet and snapping their tails playfully. "Yes, I will do anything".