FALLEN ANGEL: MARRIED TO THE DEMON KING

 Arella stepped out of the shimmering portal, holding just a small travel case in her hands. She had been dropped off in the middle of a forest. All around her was green, green, and more green. The air smelled damp and earthy. In the distance she could hear the chirping of birds and the occasional rustle of leaves. She turned back to the shimmering portal. It had already began to close.

Castiel's eyes on the other side were drooping down at the sides, and his lips were pursed in a very straight line. "Take care of yourself sister, I will try to appease mother…" anything else he might have said was muffled, as the golden glow of the portal slowly closed in front of her.

Arella gripped tightly onto her travel case, and slowly turned around. Her boots squished into the soft muddy ground. She looked down at her muddy shoes. The mud was so deep it almost seemed that she had been dropped off in a swamp.

"Fantastic," she muttered to herself. Digging herself out of the mud, she dragged herself to harder ground. She brushed dust off of her robe although it did little for the mud stuck to her shoes and to the hem of her clothes. "banished to the human realm, and they do not even have the decency to drop me off somewhere civilized."

The human realm had not changed in her opinion. When she was a low tier one angel she had been dispatched to a rural village in the human realm. There she had been hailed as a saintess and had spent a majority of her time healing illnesses and making holy water for the sick. It had not been her favorite experience, but it was all part of her job.

The human realm, as always, was far too humid for her liking. The trees stretched up towards the sky in an uneven patchwork of green. A cool breeze brushed her cheeks and she raised her hand to pat her already sweaty cheek. It was peaceful for sure, but it was not enough of a distraction from the fact that she had been banished down to earth.

She looked back, fluttered her wings, before tucking them neatly behind her.

"Well, Arella," she spoke up to herself, "time to figure out where civilization starts."

As she trudged through the forest, dodging low hanging branches, hopping over roots and slashing some hanging vines with her long sword, her thoughts churned. Her mother had not just sent her to the human realm as punishment, it was a demotion. To angels, ranks and reputation meant everything, and her exile was a clear declaration to all that she was a failure.

The unfairness of it all burned her chest. Her mother was very unfair. It was not like she had meant to set Gariel's wings on fire. It was not also like she had wanted to set flame monsters on them. She blamed it all on Abaddon and his stupid face.

Even if her temper occasionally got the better of her, her actions had always been driven with good intentions.

Mostly.

Yes.

She definitely blamed it on Abaddon and his stupid face.

So lost in her thoughts, she did not notice the snapping twig until it was too late. A low growling brought her out of her thoughts. She whirled around, her instincts all but shouting at her to run. Her eyes roamed the area, up and down, looking for the cause of the sound.

She saw it a few seconds later.

A pair of glowing eyes watching her from the shadows, "Who's there?" she demanded. She snapped her fingers twice, and a small orb of light quickly glowed in her palm. It illuminated the forest around her and was just enough light to illuminate a hulking shape that was crouched just beyond the tree line.

It was much bigger than she was, and if it was not for her light, she would have missed it.

The creature stepped into the light, and a clearer sight of it made Arella's stomach drop. It was a beast straight from the nightmares that a human would have. It had six legs, fure the color of ash, and jagged claws that looked like they could carve through stone. Its teeth glinted as it snarled, saliva dripping from its jaws.

It was disgusting to look at.

Arella instinctively stepped back, her hand tightening around the hilt of the blade she had been carrying around to cut vines that came in her way. The creature's glowing green eyes became brighter as it tracked her every movement. The way it snarled grew deeper as if it realized that she was going to use her blade.

"Great. Just great," Arella's grip did not loosen, as the only thing keeping her from falling to her knees was the grip on her sword, "first day in the human realm, and I am already going to be a demon's snack. Mother would be super proud. What an achievement. Can't even keep myself alive for five minutes."

The beast lunged at her, without any warning, its claws directed straight for her torso. Arella barely managed to sidestep, her long sword flashing as she slashed at the beast. Her blade managed to just barely draw some blood, causing the creature to howl as a shallow cut formed along its shoulder.

Still, it was not deterred, if anything, the pain seemed to enrage it. It landed on its feet, and lunged again, "Persistent little thing are we?" She gritted her teeth as she dodged another swipe of its claws. It moved faster than she anticipated, even on its disgusting six legs.

She had to appreciate it though. It was a smart creature. It circled her, looking for an opening. This made it hard for her to predict its next move, while still keeping it away from her blade. Not to mention with how uneven the forest floor was, just one wrong step could send her sprawling straight into the creature's mouth.

How she had managed to keep a hold of her travel case to this point was beyond her understanding. Perhaps she had underestimated the gruesome training her father and older brother had put her trough when she was still a low tier angel.

The beast seemed to tire of their back and forth, as it directly attacked once more. This time, she feinted to the right, drawing it closer, then lashed out with a precise arc of her blade. This time, her strike connected solidly, cutting through its thick fur and drawing a spray of dark red blood.

The beast let out a roar, staggering back, but did not retreat. Instead, it lowered itself back onto the ground, poising its hind legs as it prepared to pounce again.

"Why won't you just stay the fuck down." Arella grunted, frustrated. She dropped her travel case, and snapped her fingers on both her right and left hand at the same time. The creature let out a blood curling screech as the point where her blade had drawn blood began to burn. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and disgusted Arella to the point where she had to turn her head to the side and let out the contents of her stomach.

This was why she wanted an office job. Her stomach was too weak to handle things like this.

She wiped her blade clean on a patch of moss, "Glad that worked out well for me," she looked up at the dark night sky. "If you're looking down at me at this moment mother, feel proud that I did not die in five minutes." She sheathed her sword, "and also," she raised her middle finger to the sky.

She picked up her travel case, and turned to leave. However, a low whimper stopped her in hre tracks. She froze, and her grip tightened on both her case and her sword. Slowly, she turned to look at the creature.

It was still alive.

The massive body that had seemed very threatening to her just a few minutes prior looked… smaller now. Its terrifying snarls had been replaced by pitiful whimpers and those glowing green eyes had dimmed. Their eyes met and the creature looked at her with some sort of desperation.

"Come on, don't look at me like that," Arella crouched down, tilted her head slightly and stared at the beast, "You tried to eat me, remember?"

The creature didn't move, its gaze fixed upon her. Now that they were not fighting, she could see that its fur was matted, patchy even. There were a lot of places where it was just skin, no fur. It ribs were even visible. It wasn't just injured, it was starving.

She looked back at the dimming green eyes, "Mother is so going to kill me for getting a pet demon." She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Why do I always end up dealing with strays. Why can't it be Castiel for once in his life. Has he no compassion?"

She scooched closer, still in her crouching position, with her hand tightly gripping her sword. She let go of her travel case, and reached out to the injured creature. The creature flinched, but did not attack. A faint light emanated from her palm as she channeled a small amount of healing energy into it.

"Don't make me regret this," she watched as the wounds, both those she had inflicted and those she had not, closed.

The creature's breathing steadied, and its whimpers quieted down. When she pulled her hand away, those green eyes looked at her with something she could only say was gratitude.

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome or whatever." She stood back up, picking up her case in the process, "this doesn't mean we're friends though. I mean, you did just try to eat me."

The creature slowly got back on its feet. It wobbled slightly, but managed to stay upright. It did not turn away to leave, nor did it try to attack – it simply stood there, watching her with those green eyes.

"Go on now." She waved the hand holding her case, "Shoo. Get out of here, before I change my mind."

The creature, to her surprise, did not leave. Instead, it followed her as she began her walk to civilization. It never got too close, but it didn't stray far behind either.

"You have got to be kidding me" she muttered, glancing over her shoulder at the beast. "You're not supposed to follow me, now shoo."

The beast tilted its head, as if it was thinking her words through. Then, as if it came to a decision, it let out a low huff.

"Fine," Arella waved her sword, "Do what you want. But if you so much as think about eating me again, I'll be the one turning your pelt into a rug or a fur coat. Got it?"

The creature let out another huff, which she interpreted as agreement.

"Why doesn't this ever happen to Castiel? Compassionless angel." she grumbled to herself before turning back to the creature with a smile. "Now, what should I call you, I can't very well call you creature in my head every time."