Angelic Death
He fell through the air without a sound. His wings were beginning to tatter and burn. He hit the ground with such brute force that the sound could have been heard for miles.
He stood on weak legs and swore to the gods for the curse they had bestowed upon him. The retched demons they were shown clearly this day. It dawned upon him that now he was the demon to be hated and hunted by all of humanity. As I was in life so am I in death. On his weakened lags he wandered through the forest half stumbling half crawling. He heard a noise it didn't sound far. It sounded almost like… no it was. It was water, fresh water. He ambled towards it slowly. He must have become unconscious at some point in time because when his eye's opened it was dark. A boy stood before him no more than 14 years of age by the look of it.
"Ok mister lets get you some water. You look like you need it bad." The boy went to the stream and pulled out something from his pocket he dipped it in the stream and came back to him a moment later. "Here ya go drink all ya want"
Centuries later he stood on the forest tops. Sound erupted in his ears the sound would have been nothing to the ears of a human at this distance but still he heard it as clear as if it were right next to his ear. It was the sound of a twig snapping under pressure and voices that of children, a boy and a girl.
"Allan you have no idea where we are do you?" asked the girls voice as Noel glided across the tree tops as if gravity were nothing. He caught sight of the children a moment later. The girl was a little shorter than the boy and had brown hair, and from what he could see blue eye's.
"Of course I do," the boy replied but the look on his face betrayed him severely. The boy had brown hair and hazel eyes but a second later they turned green. Interesting Noel thought to himself. The girl was fighting to stifle a laugh and holding her hand up to her face trying to hide the grin that now graced her face.
"Knock it off Haley it's not funny we could be lost out here for days on end," Allan snapped with a look of discomfort.
"Well aren't we little Mr. Grouchy," she snapped back "if you had let me lead in the first place this never would have happened now would it have Mr. 'I'm a big strong man I can do it by myself' phooey" she said with a look of distaste.
"Fine" Allan said trying to keep his temper in check and failing miserably, "you want to lead then do it!"
The question was rhetorical but Haley answered "Fine" throwing her hands in the air "I will."
"W…w…well to bad, because John told me to look after you so that makes me the leader." said Allan sticking his tongue out at Haley.
Noel laughed silently to himself. You see life hasn't changed much since you've been gone, he thought to himself still laughing silently. Sound once again erupted in his ears but this spurred the children as well; it was the sound of a roar. Then of a man yealling, taunting his kill.
"This will be fun" Noel said to himself once again gliding from top to top defying gravity an evil grin spreading across his face.
"What was that" Allan yelled ducking down as if about to be hit.
"Who cares," said Haley in a more than slightly sarcastic voice.
"Well for one I do somebody could be in trouble. Lets go check it out"
Noel stalked his pray like that of a skilled predator. Silently laughing, anticipating the hunt. Again a roar sounded Noel took his chance and lunged at the man from the tree tops ripping the blade out of his fingers. Noel picked the terrified man up and slammed him against a tree feeling the body go limp and lifeless. Plunging his hand into the man's chest he ripped out his heart. The wild cat he had been attacking ran off through the trees.
"Tonight the wolves can feed on your unholy ness" he said spitting on the heart with a look of disgust.
Allan stood with a look of amazement, awe, and horror all in one, Haley on the other hand just wore the look of horror unconsciously reaching for the dagger on her side. She was too late for Allan had already lunged, but to no avail. Noel hurled him through the air with a twitch of his hand.
As Allan hit the ground Noel looked at the frightened Haley "You've no need to worry child I intend no harm to come of you or your …pet," he said looking at Allan.
"No harm? What the hell was that? You hit him out of the air like he was nothing more than a fly!" she said still reaching for her dagger.
"Excuse me but who attacked who, just out of curiosity because I seem to have it in my head that he attacked me," Noel said.
Allan tried to lung again but noel caught him out of the air with almost no effort at all.
"You know that's really beginning to grow annoying," Noel said looking Allan dead in the eye.
This time it was Haley who lunged stabbing her dagger through his chest.
"Ok I say I'm not gonna hurt you and then you go and do something like that," Noel said pulling the blood stained dagger out of his chest, "it's just not sane. Ok I'm gonna put him down and maybe we can talk about this." Noel said calmly. Slowly lessening his grip on Allan's throat he let him drop to the forest floor. Allan sweat drenched and fearing he might need a new change of under garments soon looked from Noel to the blood stained dagger lying not three feet away. He grabbed it and lunged a third time, this time though he hit nothing but the tree to the other side of Noel.
"Are you finished yet?" asked Noel
"WHAT??? You expect to talk to us…"
"You," Noel said cutting her short. "I expect to talk to you. I think the boy is a little slow. After all he lunged at me twice and still didn't learn to stop it. So I expect to talk to you." He said this calmly and coolly as if nothing at all had transpired here. He placed his hand over the dagger and it went flying to the palm of his hand. He flipped it to where the blade was in his hand and offered it to Haley. She reached for it hesitantly then snatched it quickly from his hand expecting him to do something to her for her reaction. He didn't.
"M... me what ever, you expected to talk to me after I just saw you rip a guy's heart out?! What do you think I am crazy?!?" she said breathing heavily after finishing that short little outburst.
"Well it has crossed my mind but I'm guessing that was a rhetorical question???" Noel said with a smirk on his face.
"I've known you for five minutes and in that five minutes I've seen you kill a guy, I've seen you almost try to kill Allan, and I've seen you pull a dagger out of your chest that would have killed any other man. Yet now you're acting as if nothing happened. From the looks of it I'd say you're the crazy one." She leaned on a tree and slowly slid down it until she was sitting on the forest floor. "This has got to be the worst day of my life." She said placing her face in her hands.
Allan crawled to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder "It could be worse," he said gently "we could have all this happen and end up looking like that guy by the end of the day." She smiled at this but only for a moment.
Noel walked over and kneeled down beside them. "I'll take you to the nearest town. There you can take up night in one of the inns. The Red Dragon's World is the name. Ask for Michael then tell him that Noel sent you." He stood up and ushered the children up as well. "Wrap your arms around me and hold on tight" They did so and just as they got a hold he jumped. So high in the air that not even the biggest of eagles could reach them. Then came the decline faster then anything they had ever experienced they fell to the earth. Noel extended his torn and burnt wings. They weren't much for flying anymore but for gliding they were excellent.
They reached the outskirts of the town at most fifteen minutes later. The town was surrounded by forest. "Now I can't go with you into town for obvious reasons. Remember the Red Dragon's World ask for Michael." At this he ushered the children into the town and off he went into his undying exile.
Michael. The only friend Noel had made in hundreds of years. Michael saved his life that day in the forest. He took him to a hut in the forest told him they were the only two who knew about it and that he could stay there as long as he wanted. He never fully repaid Michael for saving his life but he had plenty of time still for that.