A snuffling around her ears pulled Arienette back to consciousness. She would have screamed if her throat didn't still hurt so badly. When she opened her eyes, there was a big brown eye right beside hers and a wet snout against her ear. Arienette jumped and scrambled away her back bumping against a tree. Blinking to clear her vision, her eyes focused on an enormous black dog.

Arienette blew out a breath, "Just a dog. He's just a dog."

The dog snorted at her and turned, tromping off in the opposite direction. Arienette rubbed her temples, trying to orient herself. A voice kept echoing in the back of her mind: I love you Arienette. Come back here on Samhain in one year, I'll be waiting for you. She couldn't place the voice, but it had the same accent as hers when she heard it in her own ears. The world swam when she got to her feet, and she gripped the tree behind her for support. She leaned for a moment, glancing around at the ground underneath her. She kicked up a rock from up from the ground and smashed it against the trunk until a portion of the bark fell away. She scraped the rock against the bare spot, gouging a scar into the tree. If she needed to come back to this exact in a year, at least she'd be able to tell where she needed to be.

"Um, hey, who are you?"

Arienette whipped around, producing a bubble of black demon-flame in her palm, "Where did you come from?"

The man in front of her held his hands up and backed up several steps, "Whoa! Only you can prevent forest fires! How about we douse the weird…magic palm fire, sparky?"

He was handsome enough, tall and lean with a smattering of black hair across his chest and down the center of his stomach. He had huge brown eyes and curly black hair with the remnants of some lighter color on the ends of one side that was a huge, messy puff that kept falling into his eyes. He looked innocent enough, his mouth hanging open in surprise standing back defensively.

"Tell me who you are and I won't level this forest to ash," Arienette threatened.

Behind the other man, Arienette heard a growl. Not an animal growl, no it didn't have that sort of depth, it was a more human sounding thing. Growing up around demons, and being one herself, made that a familiar noise.

"Dean," the dark-haired guy said. "Take it easy."

Dean emerged from the shadows of a huge tree, a hulking blonde well over six-foot tall with broad shoulders and a lean build. The growl was coming from deep in his chest as he approached the other man.

"Who's this?" Dean asked.

"Who the hell are the two of you," Arienette demanded, the fame in her hand growing larger.

"Listen, let's all calm down okay," the first guy said. "Let's start with names, huh? My name is Seth and this is Dean. What's your name?"

"Arienette. My name is Arienette Westfall."

"Arienette, okay good, that's good," Seth said, "How about lets put out that fire then? We kinda live out here and we'd like to keep it not charred."

Still cautious, Arienette waved her hand and extinguished the demon flame, "You live here? Where is here?"

"It's our own little slice of paradise," Dean snarked, "I can tell you're not from here though, are ya?"

"I'm from another realm, it seems," Arienette glowered at Dean, "Where we have respect for people who are obviously lost. It's clear wherever I am no such thing exists."

"Will you relax," Seth elbowed Dean in the midsection before turning his attention back to Arienette, "Don't mind him. He's a little weird around new people."

"There was a dog around when I woke up," Arienette said, "Do you frequently have strays here?"

"Where's a stray?"

Another man appeared from the same direction that Dean had. If Dean was tall, this man was a giant. He was almost half a foot taller than Dean with long black hair and suspiciously familiar dark brown eyes. His bare chest and arms were covered in colorful tattoos. Frightened, Arienette produced another, much smaller ball of demon-flame at his appearance.

"Goddammit Baron," Seth groaned, "We just got her to put the first one out!"

Dean started growling again, but Baron only laughed, patting him on the shoulder, "Calm down, bro. She's like four feet tall, I'm sure she's harmless."

The ball of demon-flame grew again, swelling with Arienette's irritation, "You have no clue what I'm capable of!"

"And you have no clue what we're capable of little lady so I suggest you watch who you're throwing threats at," Dean said, "You're on our turf and you're the one standing there with a big ball of hellfire that we don't know where the fuck it came from so excuse the fuck out of us if we're a little hostile!"

Stunned and a bit ashamed of herself, Arienette extinguished her demon-flame again, "You're right, I'm sorry. This is your land and your home and I shouldn't be so aggressive. You'll have to understand though, this is a foreign place for me and I'm faced with three very large men whom I don't know, who are threatened by my magic."

"We are not threatened," Dean grumbled.

"I'm gonna ask a question that obviously hasn't been answered yet," Baron said. "Why the hell is your creepy magic hand fire black?"

"It's demon-flame." Arienette said.

The guys looked between themselves, each sporting a confused expression. Together they all said: "What?"

"Demon-flame," Arienette said, "Does this realm not have demons?"

"Demons? You mean like hell, fire, and brimstone? Like Lucifer's minions and shit?" Dean asked.

Arienette made a disgusted face, "Absolutely not. Most of us are a great deal more civilized than that. Where I'm from there's a monarchy among demons, a king or queen rules us. I think I was close to the king…but I can't remember why."

"Sweet, a demon chick with amnesia," Baron rolled his eyes, "The day keeps getting better and better!"

Seth groaned, "God, this is how I know the two of you are brothers."

"You're brothers? Does your family breed giants or something?" Arienette asked.

Dean cracked a crooked little smile, "Is that another weird race of monsters we don't know about?"

"Not all demons are monsters."

"Yeah and not all politicians are crooked," Dean rolled his eyes, "I've never been where you're from but it sounds like you guys are still operating in the Stone Age. Do you even have electricity?"

Arienette mashed her lips together in a thin line. Maybe the place she came from was a little more old fashioned than where these boys lived, but that didn't make it any less of a home. Noticing the crinkle in her brow and the stern set of her mouth, Baron laughed outright, while Seth and Dean at the smallest shred of decency to try and hide their chuckles.

"Listen, I don't know what rift in the time warp you fell through, but things are a whole lot different here," Baron said, "But I mean... come to think of it, how the hell did you get here?"

"I was sent from my home for protection," Arienette said, "I don't remember who sent me, or why they thought I needed protection but I remember a man with blue eyes and a voice telling me that I needed to return to this place on Samhain in one year and that he'll be waiting for me. I don't know who that man is or why it's his voice I hear...but he must be important."

"Maybe he's your boyfriend," Seth said.

"I have no mate," Arienette frowned.

"Whoa, talk about old fashioned. Mates? Jeez," Baron said, "What's up with your life?"

"Technically we're not that far-"

Dean elbowed Seth in the chest, knocking the air out of him in a loud whoosh. Arienette raised an eyebrow and even Baron cast an annoyed look at Seth. Arienette looked between the three men, confused and a bit unsettled. Neither of them seemed to want to elaborate on Seth's half-finished thought. The three of them stood awkwardly, scuffing their bare feet in the dirt.

"Can I ask a question now? Why is it that the three of you are out in the middle of the woods, barefoot and shirtless like it's a summer afternoon?"

Seth shrugged, "We're earthy."

Arienette gave him a look, while Baron snickered. Dean didn't seem to be paying attention; his eyes were narrowed and his shoulders stiffened. His nostrils were flared and his upper lip started to curl in a look that Arienette could only describe as deep-seated disgust.

"We need to get out of here," Dean murmured, "Like now. What are we doing with demon girl?"

Seth was immediately on high alert, triggered by Dean's sudden agitation. He sniffed the air a few times and his face shifted into a similar expression as Dean's.

"I guess she's coming with, no sense in leaving her here," Seth said.

"Whatever's happening, I don't like your reactions to it," Arienette said, "I have no idea where I am and nowhere to go but if you don't want me around just be honest and I'll survive."

"We're not leaving you out here with this garbage roaming around," Baron said, "How fast can you run?"

"Fast," Arienette said.

"Let's test that," Baron said, "Seth you take the front, I want her in the middle of you and Dean, and I'll take up the rear. We've got five miles, chick, I hope you've got strong legs. Let's move!"

Seth and Dean nodded, and Seth grabbed Arienette gently by the wrist and tugged her into motion behind him. His bare feet were flying across the ground before she could blink and pushed herself with a little flare of magic to keep up with him. She could hear Dean behind her and Baron thundering along a little further back. She could vaguely make out the sounds of other footsteps and a few yelling voices but the pounding of her own feet and the screaming of the air in her ears drowned out most other sounds. Seth was nearly a blur in front of her as he broke a sudden left turn that had her reeling to catch up.

"Almost there," Dean yelled from behind her.

Had nearly five miles passed already? It seemed impossible, but Arienette had never moved her body quite so fast. Low-hanging branches whipped at her cheeks and a time or two she swatted away rogue leaves that slapped against her eyelids, trying to blind her. Seth veered right, up a slight incline and slowed to a stop at the top of the small hill. Dean drifted to a halt beside him, neither of them even out of breath. Arienette gulped air as fast as it would expand her lungs; this was a feat she hoped not to repeat anytime soon.

Baron joined them just moments later, his lips curled and snarling down the hill. Dean moved to join him, the muscles in his shoulders bunching up tight, like an angry dog growling at its prey. Arienette inched closer, even as she heard Seth's small noise of protest. Nearly fifteen feet back and away from the hilltop where they stood, Arienette saw three people. One blonde man, who's build was almost like Seth's, but a bit smaller. A girl with snarled black hair, pale like moonlight with her teeth bared. The other man was comparable in size to Dean, but more muscular, with long black hair and an intricate black tattoo on one arm.

The black haired man's eyes met hers, and for a split second, Arienette swore she saw black bleed into the whites of his eyes. He made a gesture, and the girl let out a frustrated scream but took off like a shot in the opposite direction. The blonde sneered up at them and followed their obvious leader in retreat.

Woozy, Arienette turned to Seth, "What the hell was that?"

She never heard Seth's answer. The world around her went black and she felt herself falling. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.