Song: Severed - The Decemberists
He opened the doors and instantly I was met with the deafening snarling, barking and growling of the three Hellhounds.
I froze.
They were bigger than I remembered and much louder. They nipped at each other, their huge white teeth and jaws snapping loudly with each empty bite. All three rolled in the dirt in front of us as they played, picking up black sand and rock from the ground and into the cold air.
As normal as the sight may have looked like if they were regular sized dogs, there was no doubt that the hounds in front of me were vicious, deadly animals.
I felt small, so small and insignificant watching them. I could feel the fear constricting in my chest.
Vy stood on the steps leading up to her home with her arms crossed, dressed in similar clothing to mine. No long red dress, no bangles on her wrists, no jewelry - she was preparing for them too. The smile on her face was different than the one I'd seen the day before. There was no malice, no hate only amusement as she watched them play on the black ground.
Julian chuckled as he approached her. "You let them go?"
How could he approach them so indifferently given that they had already attacked him before?
Vy nodded, her black curls bouncing as she did. "I thought they needed to let some of that energy go before we tried to make it to the Gates."
Suddenly, one of the hounds stopped. It placed its nose in the air as the others stopped too.
Vy laughed. "They spotted your pet, Julian."
The three of them looked over in our direction and stared me down. The growls that erupted from them could have easily had made anyone run in terror.
"Shh," Vy said pleasantly. She seemed pleased with their reactions. "It's all right, my loves."
I watched one of them curl its lip as it continued to growl.
She turned to me, her eyes challenging. "Would you like to touch one of them?"
I heard Julian scoff as he walked past me to Vy. "Are you ready?"
Her green eyes moved to Julian. "Of course, love. We're just waiting for you and your pet."
I didn't pay attention to the nickname, I only focused on the three larger than life hounds in front of me. "Let's get this over with."
They listened to Vy, watched her intently, moved with her hand gestures. It was such a drastic change from the night before.
But they definitely didn't like me.
Anytime I moved slightly closer they would either growl or bark. But at least they didn't attack or seem to move to do it.
Vy smiled at me but it was not at all friendly. It seemed to freeze my core. "Don't worry, they're under my control at the moment."
Julian moved with me as I approached Vy, placing himself between me and the hounds. "Remember the plan," he told me.
A large shadowed chain appeared around each of the hounds' necks, the end of which was held by Vy. She turned to us. "As soon as we stop, set up the barrier - they won't be easy to control afterward."
I nodded as Julian took my hand. He placed his hand on Vy's shoulder.
She shook her head and rolled her shoulders as she let out a long breath. "Get ready."
We spectered into darkness. It was the worst that I'd ever felt even as a human. I felt as if I was being ripped apart, the air sucked out of my lungs. I could hear the hounds whining all around us and unlike other times when the world was spinning - all I could see was the everlasting darkness.
