The Girl Who Fell From the Heavens

Yula Bares Her Fangs

"Jesper, Yula, would you mind going to the market to pick up some ingredients for dinner?" Jesper's mother asked.

"No problem, Mother," said Jesper.

Yula merely nodded in affirmation.

The two went to the market, where they bought some vegetables. As they shopped, Yula noticed some children chasing each other around the marketplace. She tugged on Jesper's sleeve.

"What is it, Yula?" he asked.

"Why are those children chasing each other?"

"They're just playing. You know, for fun."

Yula did not know. Her mother had mentioned "fun" before, but Yula was unsure that she had ever experienced it. It was like hurt. She would not know it if she experienced it.

After that, they returned to Jesper's home and helped on the farm. They mostly grew wheat, and they had a few cows. Yula wanted to kill the cows and eat their meat. They smelled like the steak she had had at the inn and while not up to her usual standard it had been quite good. Jesper forbade her from harming the cows, however. He said they were just going to take their milk. After watching Jesper, Yula was allowed to try milking the cows. The udder felt strange in her hand, but she successfully milked a couple cows.

Afterwards, they ate dinner and went to sleep.

Yula was awoken by a banging at the house's front door.

"Ugh, who is it at this hour?" asked Jesper's mother. Yula was unsure of who she was talking to.

Yula quietly slipped out of bed without disturbing Jesper and left the bedroom. She made her way to the front door. She hid behind a wall as she listened to the conversation between the visitors and Jesper's mother.

"Who are you?" Jesper's mother demanded.

"I am Sir Jiro Stone of Igiri," said a man's voice. "These are my comrades. We have reason to believe that you are harboring a dangerous creature and have come to retrieve it."

Dangerous creature? Was he talking about the cows? Oh. Oh! Yula wasn't sure how to take that. Was she dangerous? She didn't feel dangerous.

"I assure you, we are not," said Jesper's mother.

"We tracked the creature here. We know it's here."

"Well, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Enough of this," said another man's voice, accompanied by the sound of a sword drawing. "Tell us where it is!"

Yula was there in less than a second, between Jesper's mother and the man who had drawn his sword. She placed her right hand on the man's chest. The man stank of fear, of something more. She noted that there were archers fanned out around the house, including one in the tree in front of the house.

"Yula, where did you come from?" asked Jesper's mother.

"Over there," said Yuka, tilting her head in the direction she had come from.

"T-t-the monster!" exclaimed the man.

"What's going on?" asked Jesper from behind. Yula turned her head to see him.

"These men apparently want Yula," said Jesper's mother.

"Did her hair and eye color not strike you as unusual?" asked Sir Jiro.

"Not enough to label her a 'dangerous creature.'"

"Hands off my comrade!" yelled a third man.

He drew his sword and made to cut off Yula's arm from below, but his blade shattered on impact. Bum-bum bum-bum bum-bum bum-bum bum-bum.

"I don't like the sound of your heart," said Yula, and she lightly pushed on the man whose chest she had a hand on. The man went flying about fifty feet before hitting a tree and stopping. He fell to the ground.

There was the twang of many bows firing and seven arrows hit Yula square in the chest, breaking and splintering on impact. The third man stumbled backwards and tripped. Jiro merely drew the massive sword on his back and struck at Yula. Yula put out a hand to stop the blade. She succeeded, but received a small cut in the process. She stepped back out of the swords reach and regarded her hand. There was a hot sensation coming from it. Was this hurt? She didn't like it. The cut rapidly healed itself, leaving her hand only slightly bloodied.

"Hmmm" said Jiro. "If Kajakan can be blocked so easily, you must be not be a demon. Still, you are dangerous. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

"You tried to kill me and Jesper's mother," Yula growled out, baring her teeth.

"I'll take that as a no."

The bows twanged again and seven more arrows bounced uselessly off Yula. Yula removed her cloak and threw it to Jesper.

"Jesper, hold my cloak," she said. "I don't want it to get ruined."

Yula's true form was revealed as she stepped out of the house and she bent over to that her palms were on the ground while also staying on her feet. Her behind was slightly in the air as a result.

"Your dress isn't hiding anything from that angle!" Jesper exclaimed.

Yula launched forward, past Jiro on her right, sending him flying as a result. She leapt into the air and struck the archer in the tree with her claws, tearing the left half of his torso off. Yula then launched to the right. She tore into the first archer on that side as she tore off his head with her fangs. She bisected the next one, then ripped out the heart of the one after that. She repeated this process with the archers on the other side, except she ripped off the head of the last one with her fangs. She carried it to Jiro in her mouth and dropped it at his feet.

"She's a demon!" exclaimed Jesper's mother.

Jiro swung his sword down at Yula. Yula casually sidestepped the attack, then clawed his left hand from his knuckles to his shoulder, giving him long, shallow cuts. Jiro tried to recover with a horizontal slash, but Yula easily leapt over the attack and kicked Jiro in the face, sending him flying into the tree. He landed on top of the man Yula had pushed earlier.

Then, Yula walked back towards the hosue. Jesper's mother blocked her path at the door. Yula felt the pain that she was familiar with. Nonphysical pain. She felt her heart skip a beat and she averted her eyes.

"I just want my cloak," she said.

Jesper threw it to her over his mother's head. She caught it easily and put it on, the magic of the cloak obscuring her true features again.

"Jesper..." said Yula.

"We don't harbor demons here," said his mother.

"Good-bye, Jesper," said Yula.

"Yula, wait--"

"Jesper! Don't talk to her!" exclaimed Jesper's mother.

Yula walked up to the recovering Jiro.

"Where would you take me?" she asked.

"Igiri, the capital of this kingdom," Jiro replied. "You would be treated well."

Yula nodded.

"Let's go," she said.

Jiro and the other men stood and dusted themselves off. Jiro asked Jesper's mother to give the archers a proper burial and he led Yula to their horses. There was a carriage for Yula. Yula got in and they left. Yula let herself drift back to sleep.