It was a short transition from archangel Gabriel to the Pagan god, Loki. Though it had been quite obvious that Gabe's pranks had become less light hearted affaires and had slowly been turning into much more dangerous risks.

Other angels had been injured before, even a few humans. Random spurts of holy fire summoned by Gabe had caused many close calls, and angels sent down to Earth without any means of returning to heaven was a specialty of Gabriel's.

Though he seemed void of empathy towards his brothers and sisters who he toyed with, he did care for one angel. This angel was young, a fledgling, and Gabe fussed over him like any perfect older brother would. He had white wings that clashed sharply with his untidy mess of dark brown hair and blue eyes that shone with intelligence and curiosity. He had been named Castiel which meant 'To fall from God' and Gabriel hoped that the meaning was not a foreshadowing of things to come.

Castiel loved Gabriel as much as he loved watching the humans from above. His eyes would widen when one of them would wake up and emerge from the houses that they had constructed themselves, go out and care for the animals and tend to the land that surrounded their homes. The reason for this love, Gabriel could never place.

"Gabriel?" Cas looked up at his brother with a questioning tilt of the head.
"What is it, Kiddo?" Gabe answered, looking down.
"Why are humans... Unusual?"
Gabriel laughed at the question. "Believe me, I've wondered that since their creation."

He returned to looking down at the world, a wide smile plastered his face. Gabriel smiled down at him and sighed contently.

..-oO0Oo-..

"Gabriel, don't be stupid!" Shouted Efram as a circle of holy fire roared to life and sealed off any means of getting away.
Gabe had chosen this heaven carefully: The eternal tuesday afternoon of a 40 year old autistic man who drowned in a bathtub. Castiel favored this heaven. But he wasn't around right now.
Perfect.
"Let me out! Now!" He was getting frantic as Gabriel just circled around the outside, analyzing the situation. A wild smile on his face as the Efram looked for a way to get out.
"Why should I let you out? Aren't you having fun?" He smirked.
Efram sighed slightly and put his face into his hands. "You are quite different from my brother, Loki."
He stepped forward and the fire exploded upwards, Efram stepped back in shock as he stared at Loki, wearing the skin of his brother.

One way to describe this was a split personality, Gabriel, archangel of the Lord, was into pranks but he would never put anyone in danger... Sometimes. Then there was Loki, god of mischief, and the polar opposite to Gabe, he loved destruction, mischief. Danger and death. He was brutal and to the point.

"Not a fan of dangerous situations, are we?" Loki said with a smirk. His white robes of heaven flickering to green robes of his alter ego. His smile flickering from something playful and fun into something twisted and psychotic.
"Brother, get a hold of yourself." Efram said, a slight catch in his voice. "You need to keep hold of your emotions. Ever since God left you have been slipping-"
"Our father doesn't care for us!" Loki roared, his personality flicking to the archangel for a second.
Efram looked down, eyes refusing to meet his brothers.
Silence fell in for a few tense seconds until it was broken by the crunching of leaves on the grass.
"Gabe!" Came a shrill voice, Cas had returned.

Gabriel stared at his younger brother as he came to a stop and stared intently at the flames as they burned a black circle into the grass.
Efram shared a look between Castiel and Gabriel. "Brother, let me out, Castiel has never seen you act like this. Don't let him see Loki, he's young. It'll scare him." He reasoned.
Cas seemed enthralled by the warmth of the flames, edging a little closer.
"Gabriel." Efram tried.
Gabe payed no attention, he was lost in his thoughts.
Castiel still got closer.
"Brother, snap out of it. Let me out." Efram said through gritted teeth.
Gabriel turned to him, robes turning green.
Castiel's eyes grew wide as he looked at his older brother...
What used to be his brother.
"Gabe?" Cas said, his voice unsure and trembling.
Loki circled around and faced Cas, looking down at the small angel.
"Hello there, baby brother." He sneered, crouching down.
Cas stepped backwards with tears brimming his eyes.
"You're not Gabey." He whined.
"Of course I'm not," Loki laughed.
At this Cas shuffled back.
And back.
And back.
And into the flames of holy fire...

An inhumane scream split through the air. The fire had brushed Cas' back. Scorched and pained, he stumbled away with tears staining his cheeks and face pale with terror.
The fire extinguished immediately and Efram disappeard along with it. Leaving Castiel and a white robed Gabriel behind.
"No, no, no, no, no. Cassie! I didn't mean it! Are you okay?" He ran over to the small angel. "Please tell me you're okay!"
Cas was on the floor, shoulders shaking in silent tears.
"Gabriel..." He choked out. "My back... My wings..."
Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, his face panicked. "It's okay buddy, I'll fix this. Hold still." He knelt down and clicked his fingers. Cas' back arched for a moment and then relaxed.
"It doesn't hurt anymore." He whispered, though his face still ashen. Gabe sighed in relief, he was okay, no damage...
That was until Cas gasped and Gabe followed his eyes, over his shoulder, to a set of darkening feathers on his back.

The once pure white feathers were darkened in places, a sooty grey colour was spreading over them. Fading each second, like the life was leaking out of them. Cas stared in hopeless horror as his wings became as black at the night that was closing in on the Earth below.
He flapped them once at prove to himself that they still worked, then he let out a small whimper.
"My wings..."