Just a note before I begin: someone asked why I suddenly switched the demons' town's name from "Dämonburg" to "Daemonburg". It was just out of laziness—it means the same thing. In German, "ä" means the same as "ae", except it's easier to type "ae", so I did.
Oh, and a heads-up on this chapter . . . from here on out there might be some innuendo (well, there is in this chapter, but it's not bad), but it gets worse in later chapters as the characters' relationships mature. I'll always give y'all fair warning before I spring that on you, though.
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Creeping through town, Kitty made her way cautiously to the stables. Inside, she saw the six horses of Daemonburg, unharmed by the Massacre, standing in a huddle together around the hay. She singled out one couple, a black stallion and a white mare, and took two halters from the pegs by the door to catch them.
Minutes later, Kitty emerged with the horses following behind, and no demons in sight, oddly enough. She jumped and startled the horses as the drums at the barn started beating loudly, calling all the residents to the barn. Moving hurriedly now, Kitty took a long length of leather cord to use as reins, tying them to the stallion's halter. She used a large rock to clamber onto his back, gripping his warm, supple sides with her legs to stabilize herself.
"C'mon, Sofi," Kitty murmured, tying the mare's lead rope to her left knee. "Let's go, Cottle." She addressed the stallion. With a nudge of her heels, he started to walk, steered by Kitty.
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The barn was buzzing with the babble of excited demons when Kurt and Julia walked in, hand in hand. Depositing Julia with a friend, Kurt made his way to the platform at the head of the congregation, standing with Silke and Heiko. Heiko announced the couples being married, and Kurt felt a sense of bored and despondent detachment as he watched the demons march up to the stage.
"Demons Carl and Helle, do you acknowledge and understand—" Silke started to speak the marriage vows, when Kurt cut her off.
"Listen!" He held his hands out for complete silence. All the demons heard it: a faint, hoarse shout, then a much, much clearer gunshot. Kurt leapt off the stage and galloped out of the barn, flying down the streets as fast as he could, heading towards where he knew the sound had come from. Five hundred feet down the street was Johannes's hut, where a requisitioned rifle lay discarded at the door. It was silent.
He jumped onto the roof of the nearest hut and stood for vantage, startled into stumbling by the sudden jump of several large animals. His stallion, Cottle, and Julia's mare, Sofi, were in full flight, piloted by a one-armed rider. They were moving at a blazing speed, and disappeared from Kurt's sight within two seconds of his spotting them, dashing chances of recovering the very valuable horses.
Narrowing his eyes and baring his fangs in anger and frustration, a rough scream tore up his throat, echoing all the way down the narrow strip of field, carrying its owner's sense of fury clearly.
Instantly, Julia appeared at Kurt's side. "What happened?" She asked.
"Kitty stole Cottle and Sofi . . . and escaped. Johannes is dead." Kurt ground out, his rage rendering him nearly incoherent. Julia snarled fiercely and swore colorfully.
"Look on the bright side. At least that wench is gone for good now, done polluting our community." Julia said harshly. Even though Kurt was seething, he disliked the jibe on Kitty. However, he didn't protest his fiancée's statement. He figured that if Kitty was gone, he should really start caring the most about Julia, seeing as they were going to spend the rest of their foreseeable lives together.
Kurt nodded, but couldn't help but bare his fangs, lips twitching, as he stalked to the edge of the roof and jumped down. He reached up and caught Julia around the waist, placing her gently on the ground. Julia straightened the hem of her dress and took Kurt's arm as they 'ported back to the barn.
Heiko and Silke gave Kurt questioning looks but did not say anything, merely resuming the ceremony as if nothing had happened. On the stage, Kurt arranged his features into a carefully schooled mask of indifference, hiding the alarming chaos of emotions roiling beneath the surface.
He was upset that Kitty had left, fled like a criminal, becoming a criminal in the process. It was a dramatic and disturbing exit, one meant to infuriate and defy. Obviously, taking Kurt and Julia's most prized possessions was defiance, killing Johannes was a statement. Of what, though, Kurt had no idea.
Now that Kitty was gone, though, Julia took center stage and commanded all of Kurt's attentions. He knew that he couldn't give her all that, though, because he still loved Kitty. Julia would not accept that. The she-demon was dangerously possessive and ambitious, the reasons she had survived the fighting ring so well, but those traits translated badly into civilized life, making her overbearing, contemptuous, and snobbish now that her status was being elevated by marrying Kurt.
As the ceremonies marched forward, Kurt recited his required lines with impassivity, and eight couples were married before noon. The meeting disbanded after that point, and Kurt itched to summon Logan, the odd little master of the guards, and track down Kitty, though there was a big celebration in the square that called for Kurt's presence.
Torches had been mounted and lit on the building fronts, and a large bonfire burned brightly and intensely, and the band was playing. A small choir had been assembled and accompanied the raucous and joyful music, the community blissfully unaware of the murder of Johannes and the "repossession" of two horses. The newlyweds were dancing, spinning, casting whimsical shadows swirling, distorted, across the building fronts. Kurt could feel none of their happiness.
Julia crept up behind the tall, scarred demon, snaking her hands around his waist and tail around his ankle. "What's the matter, Kurti?" She cooed in his ear, standing on tiptoes to rest her chin on his broad shoulder. Kurt uncrossed his arms, smoothing the fraying edge of his bandage, and turned towards Julia, wrapping his arms stiffly around her.
"Nothing, love." He answered, hearing how forced his tone sounded and knowing Julia wasn't convinced. She quirked a thin eyebrow at him, pale gold eyes twinkling as she looked up at him with adoration . . . or was it obsession?
Everything about the she-demon in Kurt's arms seemed delicate and fragile, the angles of her face, the pale color of her eyes and fur, the thinness of her limbs, the narrowness of her tail barb, the tininess of her two-toed feet, hidden in leather moccasins, and the slenderness of her six long fingers. She was the antithesis of Kitty, who was delicate in a different way, but not fragile. It was like comparing a china doll to a rag doll. Julia would snap if Kurt bent her too far, but Kitty would flip over backwards and pop right back up, smiling, rosy-cheeked, blue eyes sparkling, chocolate hair, all so wonderfully exotic in the demon community.
And as Julia played with him, Kurt knew that his pretty little rag doll was out in the woods, on her own, upset and torn up with no one to help her. The thought made his stomach lurch and he had to suppress a heavy sigh.
Suddenly, though, he had to actively respond when Julia leaned into him and pressed her lips to his. Even though he tried to act like he was interested, he couldn't muster the energy and pushed Julia away. She looked confused and lost, like a puppy, until a flash of anger overtook her features and suddenly transformed the china-like beauty into tight-lipped, thin anger and clear jealousy.
"I know you're thinking about her. You always do. You need to stop thinking about her." Julia said curtly, eyes narrowing as Kurt responded almost sluggishly.
"I can't help but think about her, Julia, you don't know her like I do; you don't have a history with her like I do. The fact that she's gone now just makes me worry more." Kurt said almost apologetically, closing his eyes and cringing slightly as he saw Julia's hand rise, prepared for the stinging slap placed soundly on his cheek.
When he dared to look again, Julia's anger was tainted by tears welling in her eyes. "Come back when you've thought about that." She demanded, marching off. Kurt was left standing here, slightly open-mouthed, arms hanging by his sides in confusion, wondering what he had done wrong. Was it wrong to care about other people? Was it wrong to say anything about caring for other people? Apparently Julia thought so.
Kurt tilted his head back and sent a silent prayer to any divine authority that his married life wouldn't be this confounding . . . and trying.
Weaving through the crowd to find Julia, Kurt only did so because he knew he had to. If they weren't engaged, then Kurt would've gone and got Logan and a horse and set out to track Kitty before rain washed her scent and any tracks away. He found Julia talking with another she-demon, and his fiancée was gesturing angrily, stomping her foot occasionally, and crossing her arms. Cautiously, he approached and touched her on the shoulder.
She yelped then immediately rounded on him. "What? What do you want?" She spat, glaring at him.
"I only wanted to see if you're alright," Kurt said hesitantly, not knowing if that would set her off again.
"Oh, I'm just fine," Julia said scathingly, her razor-edged voice dripping sarcasm. "Just leave me alone, will you!" With that, she stormed off again, leaving a hurt and even more confused Kurt in her wake. Helplessly, he looked to Julia's friend for aid.
"Well, don't just stand there, go after her, man!" The friend said expectantly, giving him a look.
"But she said she wants to be left alone," Kurt said, flailing in the face of this complex emotional problem.
"That's what she said, but what she meant was that she wants you to come after her. You know, prove you're really devoted and romantic." The friend pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kurt's face scrunched as he tried to figure why a woman would say something and mean the exact opposite thing without using any sarcasm.
At that moment, Kurt felt an overwhelming urge to just throw his hands up in defeat and just go dance, but he trudged forth with his fiancé-ly duties, rather unwillingly.
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Kitty was chilly and hungry, but preoccupied with too many things to fish the jerky out of her pack and nibble on the cold, dried meat. Cottle, Kurt's midnight stallion, was willing and obedient to Kitty, patient with her fumbles and slips, just like Kurt was. Kitty had began to think of Cottle as Kurt, and often would just stand and wrap her arm around his neck, burying her face into his warm, satiny neck to stem the tears that would flow at the thought of Julia.
Speaking of the devil, Julia's white mare, Sofi, was the nastiest, bitchiest creature Kitty had ever met, apart from Julia herself. At the moment, Kitty was angry and frustrated at the mare because she wasn't hobbling correctly. Hobbling is the practice of tying a horse's legs so that it could only walk a few steps and not run away during the night; it was practiced by the demons because they couldn't erect fences to hold the horses in a pasture. Kitty picked it up when Kurt taught her all she knew about horses.
Sofi threw her head in the air, resisting Kitty. "Sofi—you!" Kitty shouted in frustration, smacking the mare as hard as she could, shaking her stinging hand angrily. Kitty turned her back, appearing to give up. Sofi cautiously lowered her head and immediately Kitty whirled around, grabbing the mare's long forelock and yanking her head down to Kitty's eye level.
"Listen, mare. I'm not going to tolerate your antics any longer. Get your head down and let me hobble you, or God help you, I will . . . rip your tail out." Kitty bit out, tugging on the horse's hair. Suddenly, Sofi decided she wouldn't tolerate Kitty and reared up.
Kitty dove out of the way to avoid being hit by the flying hooves of the vindictive animal. Suddenly, a harsh bray and sharp squeals met her ears and she looked up from the dirt to see Cottle, who had been standing by and observing the struggle, going after the recalcitrant Sofi.
He lunged with white teeth bared, eyes rolled back and ears pinned. Sofi freaked out, throwing her head in fear as perfect half-moons of scarlet appeared on her knees and hocks, drawn by Cottle's teeth. Her legs gave way and she fell to the ground heavily, black dirt staining her white coat.
Cottle stood over her, glaring down on her as she froze in fear. Kitty watched in rapt fascination—the action was so human. A few moments later, Cottle lifted his head and turned towards Kitty, taking a gentle expression as he walked to her and pushed his soft muzzle into her neck. Kitty grabbed his neck as he raised his head, pulling her to her feet. She had no doubt in her mind that Cottle and Kurt were the same spirit.
Cottle wheeled around on Sofi as she raised her head from the leafy forest floor, and she immediately lowered it again. Kitty was able to easily tie a halter around her face and pull her upright and hobble her. Cottle, as usual, gave her no trouble.
The fiasco with the horses taken care of, Kitty now turned her attention to the cats in her pack. The mother had woken and was wriggling out of the drawstrings. Kitty grasped the cat gently around her middle and pulled her from the pack, taking the kittens out gingerly, digging around for the jerky and water canteen to feed the mother cat.
"You know, you need a name," Kitty said lightly as the cat licked her fingers after inhaling the jerky. "I'll call you Mutti, because you're the momma cat." Kitty used one finger to stroke the kittens' backs. "You're going to be Nebbi," she told the small, black kitten, "and you're going to be Trots," she said to the bigger, tabby kitten.
As if in response to their new names, the kittens stirred and opened their tiny pink mouths silently. Mutti immediately came to them and snuggled with them.
Satisfied all her animals were cared for, Kitty pulled her blanket from her pack and wrapped it around herself. Sleep was elusive and hard-earned, but when she fell into its hold, nightmares unwrapped themselves and flicked past her mind's eye, torturing her.
Julia and Kurt stand at the altar, dressed in a white gown and a tuxedo, the human priest reciting holy vows. Two words echo down to Kitty, standing at the doors to the chapel.
"Any objections?"
Kitty wants to shriek, to run to them and destroy the she-demon, but she is frozen, unable to protest, to object, to move. With whispered words, Kurt and Julia seal their combined fates with a deep, passionate, hot kiss.
Now the images before Kitty are positively pornographic, but she still cannot escape, forced to watch, voyeuristically, the consummation of the very marriage she hates.
Every time Kurt's lips grace Julia's skin, Kitty feels hot needles of envy and rage stab through her skin. Every time one of them moans or whines, Kitty wants to throttle Julia. Every twist and thrust of their bodies makes Kitty hope Julia will break her back. When they collapse into sleep, Kitty wants to steal the pillow and smother Julia's porcelain, cerulean face.
Once again, Kitty is subjected to a round of graphic views inside a maternity ward where Julia is spread-eagled on a table, hugely pregnant, Kurt holding her hand as she receives injections and words of encouragement from the human doctors and nurses. Each gasp that passes Julia's dry lips, each groan of pain and concentration, each look of pride and love traded between the two demons chips away at Kitty.
The newborn baby's shrieks tear at Kitty's ears; it is covered in blood and fluids, eyes screwed shut, fists and feet and stubby tail flailing. Kitty can't turn away, though she tries, as Julia brings it to her breast and coos lovingly at it, Kurt's eyes filled with tears of overjoyed pride.
It shouldn't be her.
It should be me.
I should be there!
Kitty woke from her terrors and found herself in the exact position she fell asleep in, but her blanket soaked through with sweat, hair plastered to her forehead. She pushed herself upright and breathed heavily through her nose, telling herself it was only a dream. But somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that Kurt loved Julia more than he loved her, and it pushed her over the verge.
"It should be me!"
Her raw scream echoed through the woods, startling the horses and cats. Tears still blurring her vision, Kitty began to pack up, replacing her blanket and cats, un-hobbling the horses and clambering onto Cottle's back, seeking the warmth and protection he brought.
As they rode, Kitty reprimanded Sofi harshly for every misstep and wrong movement, pinned ear and flicking tail. Though she knew it was wrong to take her anger out on the animal, Kitty couldn't help but equate Julia to Sofi, like she equated Kurt to Cottle. When she stopped at a large stream to let the animals drink and refill her canteen, it was only for Cottle's benefit. When she avoided rocky and muddy sections of land, it was only for Cottle's benefit. When she slowed up from the canter for a breather, it was only for Cottle's benefit.
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The day after the first weddings dawned crisp and beautiful, as befitted an early fall day. Kurt was in a remarkably good mood, recovered from the drama of the night before. He had to corner Julia as she played hard-to-get, then coy, but she wouldn't listen to anything he said or did unless it was a kiss. Forcing the memories out of his head, Kurt rubbed his eyes and pulled on a shirt and proper pants, walking through the quiet streets to the building adjoining the barn, greeting everyone he saw cheerfully.
In the auxiliary building, which was most often used as a storage house and kitchen, Kurt found a decent breakfast of smoked turkey and horse milk, with some horse cheese as well. As he finished the cheese and downed the cup of milk, though, he was forcibly reminded of the two horses stolen by Kitty.
His stomach jumped at the thought and Kurt thought he was going to lose his breakfast for a moment, but he kept it down. Between Julia's ridiculous jealousy and his lingering feelings for Kitty, he was torn between an obligation and a love. He wasn't sure if Julia would still be mad at him, or if he would ever even see Kitty again. But if he did see Kitty again, would she still be bafflingly angry at him?
Sighing and running a hand through his hair (it needed a cut, Kurt thought absently), the demon left the auxiliary building and crossed the square to check the wedding dates. Julia's and his wedding was today, much to his panic. How had that crept up on him? He wasn't ready at all; he still wanted to think it over!
And right on cue, Julia teleported into the square, spying Kurt and skipping over to him. She read the notice around him, eyes widening in excitement. "It's today! Did you know that?"
"No," Kurt said, nodding his head numbly. Julia bounced up and down, almost glowing.
"Wow, I completely forgot. Looks like you did too. Man, I've got to go get ready!" Julia squealed, pecking Kurt on the cheek before disappearing in a sulfur cloud as quickly as she had arrived. Kurt was left standing in a daze. Last night she was in a sulky funk, today she was hopping around like a . . . well, Kurt honestly didn't know what to compare his fiancée to. Whatever it was, though, would have to be a very fickle beast, indeed.
As he walked back to his hut, elation shattered like glass on rocks, he compared Julia to Kitty. Where Julia was fine and delicate, Kitty was rather on the wiry side, but more robust than the she-demon; beautiful in a different way. Julia's moods swung like the pendulum of a clock, tipping from anger to despondency to joy faster than Kurt could keep up. Kitty generally didn't move from emotion to emotion as quickly, but her feelings were intense and slow-burning—that woman could hold a grudge, as Kurt knew full well.
If he were to ever see Kitty again, doubtless she would still be mad at him, probably call him a dog again, but then she would warm up to him; he knew she would. She couldn't stay mad forever.
So for the first time ever in his life, Kurt, the 20-some-odd year-old battle-scarred demon leader, was experiencing teenage angst, on a life-tipping scale.
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Love? Hate? Please, I need to know if I should continue in this new fashion. I've got a great many things planned for this story, and I might insert a few chapters about those six years I time-jumped a few chapters ago.
Should Julia and Kurt have a baby together?
Should Kitty be found by humans?
Should there be another battle?
Does anyone know what Kitty's animals (Cottle, Sofi, and the cats) stand for?
Please review!
