It opened its mouth and its long, sharp claws extended forward. This alone was enough to make her scream. Luckily, she managed to dodge it, colliding with the rough pavement as a result. The pipe slid off her sweaty palms, echoing roughly as it skidded on the rough floor.

The beast dove fast and she moved as well. She dared hope she was going to make it for a split second when it got her and trapped her with its furry body. She felt its teeth graze the skin of her left leg and tear through her pants. Valeriana hissed, pulling back her feet and kicking the creature—as many times as it took until it backed down. It released a pained, dog-like whimper mixed with snorts as it was thrown off.

“Get away from me, you savage beast!” she hollered.

The thief stood cradling his arm and started running.

“Hey!” Valeriana yelled after him. “Bastard.”

“I’m out of here!” he screamed.

“Damn you! At least get me the damn pipe! Ungrateful jerk!”

Her cries fell on deaf ears. The coward ran as though his rear was on fire. The wolf paid no heed to their exchange and snapped its jaws around her foot, its narrow-edged fangs punching holes through her shoes. It tightened its hold around her and pulled her back.

“I said—aaagh!” Sharp teeth penetrated her skin, causing pain to shoot up her leg.

She desperately reached out for the pipe, but her fingertips wouldn’t come in contact with it. Feeling hopeless, she grabbed a small rock she managed to grope and hurled it towards the pog. It hit the beast on the nose, causing it to momentarily be stunned.

Wasting no time, she laid hands on the weapon. She preyed on the beast's current state and pulled herself to her feet. It took a few moments to realize that the foot it got was bleeding, soaking her socks with a sticky wetness that made her cringe.

“My favorite shoes! Dumb dog—pog!” she muttered.

She limped, holding the pipe in front of her defensively. The pog shook its big head and turned to her, baring its teeth.

“Oh yeah, come at me now, you mangy mutt. Let's see who's boss.” Her hair came loose from the ponytail, her bangs falling free and covering her line of vision. She absentmindedly blew at them, keeping her eyes trained on her assailant.

The beast leaped for her without hesitation. Valeriana blocked its teeth with the pipe, letting it gnaw on the piece of metal as they both fell. The girl landed on her back, the pog's heavy body on top of her.

She could see the inside of its mouth as it salivated. She huffed, her face twisting in disgust.

It swiped its paws—whatever they are. Valeriana tried to push it away but its weight and strength proved hard to fight against.

“Ow! Ouch!”

Its sharp nails scratched her chin and tore the sleeves of her clothes, grasping at her flesh and burying themselves until about an inch deep.

“Wretched human.”

She blinked and looked at the wolf with wide eyes. “What in the—help! Help! Someb—”

A flash of blue landed from above as though a God-sent blessing, just in the nick of time. Valeriana caught sight of the woman as she drew on the blade sheathed around her waist. She sent up a prayer of thanks to the heavens and breathed out a sigh of relief—which turned into a squeak when the beast yapped.

“So this is where you’ve been.” The woman brandished the sword she held and pointed it at the beast.

Valeriana readdressed her gaze to the newcomer and the demon did as well. It jumped and got off her to face the woman, seeming to regard her with more importance.

“Come,” the woman said.

The pog pounced and Valeriana clamored to stand. Its teeth grazed at the woman’s royal blue coat while its claws tore at the shoulder pads. Grunting, the stranger threw the demon off her and tugged briefly on the high lapel, frowning at the loose buttons and the stained cravat.

Valeriana took notice of the weird uniform, feeling her brows pucker at the strange sight.

The lady's movements were a dangerous flurry of attacks that appeared as a blur. She brought her sword down fast, letting it slice through the air with a whistle. The demon showed resistance and managed to fully evade her first attempt, but she was able to land a strike the second time she struck. It backed away, wounded.

She swung towards it again with finality and the weapon cut the beast in half. Valeriana struggled to breathe as the creature released a tormented roar. It slowly vanished; golden embers carried away by the wind.

As it burned and was reduced to nothingness, the lady turned to Valeriana. Her eyes were sharp and cautious as she gave her a once over, her chest heaving. The tension and ominous feeling dissipated as soon as the beast was gone.

“Oh my god,” she said. “Oh my god. That wasn’t normal. Did that thing just burn off?”

A flash of suspicion crossed the woman’s eyes but was replaced with concern as soon as she saw the blood on Valeriana’s clothes.