Mute - Revised (A Black Butler Fanfiction)

Chapter 7

Sebastian's POV

I follow the young master's orders, tailing Lady Mary-Clara until she reaches the stables. The stink of a newborn foal and its mother reaches my nose even from the shadows.

I see her breathe a sigh of relief when it becomes quite clear they aren't dead.

And then the pack of wolves surrounding the stables start to close ranks.

I see her head twitch as one of the wolves snaps a twig. She pulls out the pistol she used used on the Doorman. A six-shot revolver, the newest model.

Does she carry that everywhere?

The closest wolf runs at her only to slam into the doors. They all advance and start scratching at the door and making irritating growling noises.

I hear her moving thing around, probably piling things against the door. But they could always dig underneath the stable.

In all honesty, I'd love to be rid of these horrid canines.

So I pounced on one, slitting it's throat with one of the knives I'd snatched earlier, and leaping back into the shadows before those other beasts realized I was amidst them.

It toppled over, not a drop of blood hitting the ground. A clean cut, not a single artery or vein was opened. The other wolves noticed immediately and start howling, mourning their fallen comrade.

It takes a while, but they all finally go their seperate ways. I had guessed right: the dead one was the pack leader. They would all probably find a new pack to join.

Well, my work here was done. Mary-Clara would return to the mansion in the morning when she'd deemed it safe enough.

I headed back to the mansion, sensing a carriage pulling up to the front doors.

Mary-Clara's POV

I woke to a quiet dawn. And a foal sniffing my face.

I smiled at him. Him? I peeked under his legs. Yeah, him. He had the same walnut coat as Dahlia, but where her white blaze is is a dark black streak. My hand moved rythmatically over it, feeling the soft hairs bend under my palm.

I should probably give him a name. Maybe . . . I thought about Dahlia's name's meaning and smiled.

I traced Acteon on his back.

He licked my hand, so I think he approved.

I got up, dusting off my trousers and father's jacket. I slowly pulled the hay bales away from the door, opening it slowly.

Nothing!

I closed the stable door after waving goodbye to Dahlia and Acteon. As I walked I thought about what today would be like. I imagined Dana telling me my schedule. 'Well, first you must apologize as best you can to Lauren. Once that's done, you'll face interrogation by your Mother about last night. Then you'll be called horrendous names by your sister. And over dinner Ciel will propose to Carlotta and you'll tell this wretched tale to myself, who missed it all.' I passed under a tree, shivering in the sudden cold.

A wolf lunged from the bushes to my left, latching it's teeth onto my arm. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

Like always.

The wolf let go, backing away a few feet. Fire danced through my arm, warm blood dripping down my wrist and fingertips. I pull out my gun with my right hand, holding it only with one arm.

The wolf froze, it's mouth red with my blood. The wolf eyed the blood on my arm, then the gun. The blood. The gun.

Oh please leave. Please, don't make me shoot you.

The blood. The gun. The blood. The gun.

It takes a step forward.

The blood.

I take a step back.

The gun.

It lunges at me.

I pull the trigger.

The wolf dies instantly, a hole through it's head. But that doesn't stop its momentum. It crashes into me, knocking me off my feet and tumbling across the ground. I roll to a painful stop, hugging my wounded arm to my body. God, it hurts so much. All the pebbles on the ground get into the wound. This is not good. I have to stop the bleeding, too much blood lose equals death. But with what? I'm not taking off my trousers or-

Father's jacket. I have to use his jacket.

I hesitate, then struggle out of it, wincing when it gets stuck on the torn skin. Using my good hand and teeth I rip the fabric and tie it around the wound. Now I need to get back before any of it's friends smell the blood and come.

I pick up my pistol, holding it loosely in my right hand and cradle my bad arm to my stomach. I walk past the dead wolf's body, turning away at the sight of the wound.

I go slowly, much more alert than before. The pain in my arm keeping me focused.

I eventually make it to the mansion, climbing up the steps to the top. Lauren isn't there, now I feel really bad. I regret shooting at him like that. Sure, he's shot a gun before but he's never been shot at. To be honest, neither have I.

I push open the doors, freezing at the sight before me.

At least a third of the entire staff of butlers and maids working at the mansion are here, wearing boots and pants and hats and scarves. Some have small bags on them full of sandwiches and water. Each are holding their gun in their hand.

Dana is the first to notice me.

"MARY-CLARA! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?! YOU CAN'T GO AROUND SHOOTING AT PEOPLE, THAT'S NOT OKAY AT ALL! WHERE ON EARTH DID YOU GO??" she shouts, marching forward and grabbing me by the shoulder, her long hair freed from it's braids and pulled into a low ponytail at her nape. I have never felt so comforted to be yelled at by her.

I sign Stable at her as Henry, Grace, Clarence, Sarah, Joseph-Thomas and Ethel all gather around me.

She rolls her golden eyes. "I understand you wanted to be there for Dahlia when she had her foal but that's not an excuse to shatter a bloody window!"

I sign Wolf-Eat-Horse.

She sucks in a breath. "A wolf?"

I hold up my right fist, uncurling each finger one at a time until all my fingers are straight.

"F-five!? There was a whole pack of wolves?" I nod. She notices the blood-stained cloth around my arm.

"Wha - did a wolf attack you?" I nod again, wincing as she moves to take off the fabric.

Her body exhales, and she gives a kind of exhausted half-smile. "You are aware you risked your life for the sake of your horse and her unborn foal, right?"

I blink a few times and slowly nod, turning to the huge crowd before us. I point to them and throw a questioning look Dana's way.

She chuckles, "Well, I got back this morning and Lauren told me how you'd run away. The whole mansion knew of course, hearing the gunshot last night, we were all worried sick. We were just about to leave the mansion to look for you."

I stare at them. So many of them? They were going to leave to look for me? I sign Why to Dana, utterly confused.

"Oh MC," she sighs, "You spend so much time with these people, just being around us, that we consider you one of our own. To live in this wicked mansion without knowing you're just around corner, a smile on your face, would be terrible! These people care for you MC, we really do."

They all nod. I lunge forward and tackle her in a hug, trying to fight back tears. I don't need a fiance to love.

These people surrounding me. They love me.