"Wha- what is this?!" the voice of Ryan filled Pearls ears awaking her from her deep slumber and making her sit up rubbing her eyes.
"Ryan, shh to early.." Pearl mumbled as her tail swished next to her on the bed making her look at it and curse under her breath. Quickly she cast a glance at him to see that he was pressed up against the wall next to the door looking like death warmed over. ~Shit I forgot to lock the door and now he saw~ She thought as her wolf ears flicked backwards on top her head and her tail fur prickled.
"What are you?" Ryan asked as he plunged his hand in his pocket dreading the worst Pearl stood slowly and raised her hands in front of her.
"Easy Ryan please don't do anything rash I will explain it to you but come from the door after you close it." She said slowly as she took a deep breath and willed her ears and tail away to ease him.
Slowly he calmed down enough and walked over to her, with the door now closed sat next to her his eyes studying her movements. Pearl sighed she had hoped to keep this hidden from the normal humans longer then this but forgetting to lock the door last night had messed her plain up big time. After explaining herself, her race, and birthplace she noticed that Ryan had gone back to his normal self as he was lying on his back on her bed looking at the roof with his head resting on his folded arms.
"A demon. Really? You don't look or act like one though that would explain all your growling and love for spicy food." He mused in disbelief as he glanced at her out the corner of his eye. He looked her up and down seeing just a normal teen girl in a pretty blue dress that had red trim and grey fringes around the sides. Pearl nodded as she tied her long brown hair back with a matching red ribbon.
"Yeah I guess so, but what did you come here in the first place for?" She asked as she looked out the window watching as Finny played with Pluto in the yard.
"Oh yeah! I wanted to ask you if you wanted to help me with the horses." Ryan said as he jumped to his feel making her spin to face him with a grin.
"So a ride then? Never rode before but I am willing to try if it helps around here." Pearl said with a nod as she trotted to the door and opened it.
Slowly the two walked to the yard chatting as they passed by the rooms until they arrived outside on the solid slab of cement. Pluto's howl drew their attention to him as Finny rode him around making the ground tremor slightly with the demon dog's pounding paw-steps. Ryan then lead the way to the small building where the horses where tacked up and ready to go smiling he turned on his heel to face Pearl.
"Lady's first, but if I may suggest you take the stallion? He is easier to ride for first timers then the mare." Ryan said as he walked over and took the horses rains leading them out for her to mount.
"Fine, we're taking the forest path I take it?" She asked once atop the stallion watching as Ryan easily took his place on the mare and headed towards the sea of trees.
With a curt nod he headed down the path leading Pearl to follow as her horse throw a fit not wanting to do as she ask of it. Suddenly Ryan's scream filled her ears from up ahead making her horse brake into a run towards the sound as if it was worried for the caretaker who had went ahead of them. Pulling the horses head down and in she lifted her nose up and scented the air as the horse pranced under her protesting her actions, with a loud growl Pearl dismounted allowing the stallion to race ahead towards the screaming Ryan.
~This scent it seems faintly familiar for some reason. ~ She thought as her skin rippled signaling that her true form took over her human one leaving a huge wolf in her place. Her ears perked when she heard a snarl from up ahead where Ryan had been screaming before with fear making her hair stand on end she raced forward leaving burned grass in her wake. Soon she saw why he had stopped yelling and she froze seeing the horses laying on the ground covered in claw marks and staring wide-eyed at the huge black wolf who had Ryan pinned beneath it, its dark blue paws on his chest and its muzzle lowered close to his face. Pearl growled drawing the black wolf that had dark blue point's attention to her as she approached slowly walking around the wolf until it backed away from the now knocked out man.
Swiftly Pearl jumped forward standing over Ryan and snarling at the wolf her blood red eyes narrowed as the smoke from the charring ground rose to circle her paws as the flames moved to form a protective ring around Ryan. The wolf watched as Pearl walked toward it her fangs bore as she growled her tail up over her back.
"Back off Mutt!" Pearl snarled to the wolf making it perk its ears in surprise.
"You..Who are you? Your in my territory!" The black wolf asked with a growl as it lifted a blue tipped paw to point at her.
"This is not your land it belongs to Earl Ciel Phantomhive! As for me I am Pearl who are you mutt?" She answered in a light bark her ears shooting back as the smoke flowed up her legs to form a cloak of sorts around herself.
"I am Sapphire and I am not a mutt!" The wolf growled as blue flames started licking at her paws showing her anger and making Pearl blink in shock.
"You're a demon!" Pearl growled locking eyes with Sapphire.
Before anymore could be said the sound of Ryan awaking drew the wolves attention to him. Sapphire snarled as she leapt at the man only to have Pearl tackle her to the ground mid-leap making Sapphire land hard on her side with Pearl on top of her snarling. Ryan blinked at the two huge wolves and backed away slowly towards where the horses now stood, slowly the two wolves separated and Pearl backed away to Ryan's side and looked at him her eyes locking with his for a little before letting out a low yip as if telling him to flee. The man mounted the mare and took the stallions rains and slowly rode away knowing that she would hold the other wolf back for him to get away but not wanting to leave her.
"How dare you look away from me!" Sapphire snarled as she rushed forward and bit Pearl's front left leg making her whine in pain.
Pearl yelped as the other she-wolf bit into her leg harder and tugged it out from under Pearl making her fall on her belly snarling. Sapphire released Pearl's leg and backed away snarling as smoke willowed up from the burning ground around where Pearl laid her ears back. Pearl struggled but managed to get to her paws holding her hurt leg off the ground as the other wolf rushed at her again. Pearl tried to dodge away from Sapphire's next bit but only managed to turn her self so that her hind leg took the blow knocking her to the ground as the bone in her leg crunched under the force of the bit. Sapphire's attack was meant to take out her enemy's last front leg but her fangs had found another target, Pearl's right hind leg.
This had taken away her ability to move and left the demon wolf laying on the ground in pain on the edge of blacking out from blood loss deciding that was enough to teach the girl not to mess with her Sapphire turned and left with a huff. Pearl growled in rage as her eyesight blurred in and out making it hard for her to judge her surroundings. Struggling Pearl attempted to stand only to fall down a few times making pain rocket though her body as it protested, but after laying and resting a short time she was able to force herself to stand. Slowly turning her head Pearl looked around the edge of her vision ebbing from color to black as her head whirled from the amount of blood she was losing, with a loud growl she started walking trying to keep as much weight off her bad legs as she could.
As she walked small droplets of crimson formed a trail behind her, fearing this could lead the other demon to her she kept walking. Her legs kept protesting her moving them and kept shooting pain though her body until at last her mind gave in and she fell to the ground. Her eyes quickly lost their color as a small pool of blood formed around her hurt legs, before she knew it her mind faded making the last thing she realized was her body tingling as her fake human form came forward.
The sound of footsteps came to her ears as her mind slowly awoke; her body was numb from the cold of the forest. Hands lifted her from the ground making her body warm at their touch, her mind whirled and her eyes slowly fluttered open to see the worried face of Sebastian looking down at her his eyes watching her as he walked. Pearl grinned slightly her mind still whirling with pain as her limbs started to heal themselves, the pain of the healing made her grit her teeth as she tried moving bad arm away from her rescuer's grasp only to have it seized lightly as the white gloved hand grabbed her hand forcing her to keep it still.
"Stay still and try pushing off the healing I know it's hard but if it mends now it might hurt more later." Sebastian said as he looked at her arm.
Her elbow was straight and if it mended that way it would have to be re-broken to be set right. Swallowing at the idea of it she rested her head against his chest not daring to look at her leg, it was at this time that she noticed the gentleness that he was giving her. He was not known for his caring nature but yet here he was carrying her in the night from the woods he even held her like he was trying to keep the pain at bay. He was holding her like some piece of glass and she hated it, Pearl was not one who liked being looked down upon and yet she did not mind it much now if it was him but it did make her feel useless and like a burden.