Hi Everyone!

First Supernatural story, it's an AU and I hope you enjoy. It might be confusing sometimes, especially that there are demons before there are humans, but it's AU, so... yeah

I don't own anything !

Warnings: Violence

Have fun!

War was many things.

It was bloody.

It was destructive.

It was hopeless.

But no matter what tales were told to the younger generations, it was never glorious.

Castiel was forced to realize those facts very early on in his life. When he was only a tiny seraph he was told stories about archangels destroying evil with their almighty power and heaven's host supporting them in their battles. Listening to their heroic deeds made him eager to be a soldier as well. To fight in the name of God. To destroy evil and protect his brethren and father“s creation. Spurred on by his believes he trained hard and stayed loyal like every other angel. Improving his skills day after day made him proud and he cherished the bond between him and his fellow soldiers, build solely on trust and friendship. The prospect of their first fight enticed feelings of adventure and they stormed into battle with blind ambition.

Oh how naive all of them had been. Ignorance was their downfall and as Castiel watched his brothers and sisters die one by one he understood. These stories about glory and victory he had been told were just that, fairy tales, not more, not less. He had fought till he was the last one standing, demons circling him and licking their lips, thirsty for his blood. Going down fighting he had been convinced he was about to die as one demon managed to clamp its sharp teeth around his throat, while others tore at his limbs and wings.

Till this day he remembers the sound of Gabriel's horn breaking through the sky, followed by the battle cries of a thousand angels ready to be led into war. The demons around him had cried out in agony when a blinding light had smitten their beings back to hell. No words could describe the relief Castiel had felt when that previously destructive light engulfed him, soothing his pain and chasing away the darkness. Never before had he experienced such calm and inner peace as he did in Lucifer's arms. The Morning Star himself had carried his dying grace back to heaven, making it possible for the young angel to let these past days of fighting and losing go, relying fully on the security he received in his brother's arms.

Never again did Castiel fly into battle as careless as he did that day. He owed that much to his fallen brothers and sisters. He also never forgot that he was saved by an archangel and later cared for by that same graceful being. He owed the Morning Star his life. And a lot more.

Now, a few centuries later, not many things had changed. War was still ugly. Evil still threatened God's creations and no matter how many battles were fought and won there was still another creature lurking in the dark. However, as Castiel observed this new creature roaming earth he couldn't help the feeling of dread spreading through him. This might be a new kind of evil they had never dealt with before. A couple individuals had been sighted already, which was the cause for Castiel's mission to study this new danger and estimate its power.

Since his first battle, in which he had fought as a mere foot soldier, Castiel had earned quite a reputation as a skilled warrior, which granted him permission to complete simple missions on his own. Although he tried to ignore his fellow brethren whispering behind his back he was aware of the fact that Lucifer wasn't innocent in this increase of independence. The archangel had taken a liking to the little seraph since he had saved him. Castiel wasn't sure why exactly he attracted the archangel's attention, he was neither remarkably funny nor very wise, if at all he was very quiet. Every word was chosen carefully and therefore not shared mindlessly. Every so often the Morning Star would seek Castiel's company. Either to talk or to simply sit together in silence. On a few occasion he insisted on watching Castiel exercise his fighting skills. Understandably the angel would struggle with keeping his composure and not show his nervousness under Lucifer's scrutiny during those training sessions. He was after all being watched by one of heaven's most fearsome warriors. The other angels judged their peculiar relationship and Castiel knew he had to prove his worth every time he received a mission. The last thing he wanted was for other angels to accuse him of bribing Lucifer into supporting him

Shaking his head to clear it Castiel returned his attention to the creature below him. He was currently hiding on top of a cliff, the thing crawling over the wasteland underneath him. It didn't really have a discernible form, most of its body was made of thick black goo that seemed to be moving constantly. The only recognizable parts were sharp teeth that adorned its mouth and a pair of white eyes, although the later was mostly covered by the black goo. Castiel couldn't say if it had legs, because at least the number of limbs it used to walk changed minutely, looking different every time. Right now it was lazily creeping forward, leaving trails of its dark slime that clung to the vegetation like glue. For hours it hadn't done anything else The whole time he had watched the creature nothing worth his attention happened and he had to report to his superiors soon. However no matter how harmless it seemed, Castiel could feel its darkness, his grace recoiling from such a vile being.

A sudden movement caught the angel's attention, his feather rustling slightly as he sensed a pure living being, one of his father's creations. It was a rabbit hopping out of its lair to look for food, its nose quivering as it took in its surroundings. Deeming it safe it moved towards a few strands of dry grass, carefully nibbling at them. The rabbits ears twitched rapidly, listening to the slightest of sounds to detect danger in time. A warm feeling of awe filled Castiel, to watch father's creation was one of his favorite things to pass time. Even the smallest and weakest animal spoke of God's glory. His wonder was cut short when he heard a shrill shriek come from the gooey thing. It had noticed the rabbit and was suddenly crawling towards it with a speed Castiel wouldn't have believed possible a minute earlier. Several limbs had detached themselves from the body and were now used to cross a long distance in just a few seconds. The ends of the limbs moulded into sharp claws and they tore through the ground, dirt flying through the air. Realizing its inevitable death the rabbit's fight or flight instinct took over and it dashed towards its lair. The creature was still a couple feet away when the rabbit managed to reach its lair. Castiel released the breath he had been holding, only to gasp in shock as the creature shrieked again before digging its claws into the earth right at the rabbit's lair. Within seconds it started digging as if its life depended on it. Mud and stones flew around, but the thing kept up its desperate search. Only a few moments later on limb rose from the mess, holding a shredded rabbit in its claws. Without waiting the creature opened its jaws impossibly wide and consumed the rabbit in one bite.

Castiel flinched as he felt not only the rabbits life diminish but its very essence as well. God's creation differentiated itself from everything else in this world, because not only was it granted life, it was gifted with energy, with an essence that lived on long after the life disappeared. It was nothing compared to an angel's grace or a demon's dark power, it was pure and innocent, nothing to use for fighting, destroying or killing. What was shocking about this creature was not that it killed the rabbit, life was finite after all, but the fact that this monster consumed the essence as well. The Seraph knew he had to report that to his superiors immediately, he was convinced that nothing had ever threaten father's creation like this monster. The fact that there were several individuals roaming earth made it a more pressing matter.

The angel's attention was once again caught as another shriek tore out of the creature's mouth. It didn't appear to be satisfied, instead it seemed as if this small meal only spurred its hunger. With renewed vigor it continued digging, determined to scavenge the whole burrow. Several rabbits were pulled out and consumed like the first, a few still alive and twitching, high-pitched screaming tortured the angel as he was helplessly watching the massacre. His orders had been clear, especially about attacking the creature directly. Castiel knew that without knowing its true capabilities and without backup it could be suicide to attack. Particularly after watching its destructive nature.

Castiel sighed. The thing appeared to be done, all of its limbs had been pulled out, leaving behind a muddy and bloody mess. The creature was covered in blood as well, the angel wondered how it was possible to create such a bloodbath with just a few small rabbits. Even after such a feast the beast was restless, as if its hunger was infinite once awakened. The angel decided to watch it a couple more minutes before he returned to heaven. He needed every useful information he could get. Especially weaknesses were important and could be crucial in a fight against it. Watchful eyes followed the creature as it started to move forward again, albeit slowly. This time it didn't look like mindless wandering, more like it was purposely searching its surroundings. The angel could only guess that it wanted more food.

Staying true to his words Castiel prepared to return to heaven after a while, he had a lot of new informations and observations that needed to be reported immediately. He spread his dark wings, quickly rising a couple of feet and ready to take off towards home. A sudden pull however stopped the young seraph's momentum. Pain radiated through his left wing and after a moment of shock he became aware of the claws piercing the soft muscle. Castiel was pulled backwards within seconds and the sensation of falling engulfed his mind, almost missing the fact that the monster had crawled up the cliff, open mouth awaiting its next meal. Ignoring the blood and pain pulsing out of his wing Castiel turned towards the creature mid-fall, his angel blade gliding into his palm effortlessly. The claws stayed put and kept pulling the angel down, but Castiel was already swinging his knife with deadly accuracy. The beast roared in anger and confusion when its limb was severed, never before had it experienced resistance from his prey. Castiel used those precious seconds of irritation to gain altitude, determined to escape. An angry roar was Castiel's only warning before several limbs shot upward again, claws outstretched to catch the small angel. Clearly having underestimated its prey the monster growled and shrieked in anger when the angel deflected its claws with his blade, quickly changing strategy and attacking the seraph from several angles.

Castiel was having a hard time getting away from the black goo, several globs were already adorning his body, irritating his skin like acid. No matter how many limbs he destroyed they always came back, sometimes twice as many as before. When the monster started attacking from different sides Castiel knew he had sold the creatures intelligence short, it was able to analyze his tactic quickly and make up a new way to attack. Several claws managed to grab him before he was able to sever them, leaving behind gory flesh wounds that his grace was trying to heal desperately. However the black slime seemed to not only burn him but slow down his healing ability as well. He was running out of time fast, the creature had already blocked his way upward and his advances became quicker and more accurate with every passing second. Frustrated by the lack of harm he did Castiel looked for any other weakness he could use to kill the beast. Looking down he saw its huge white eyes, now free of any black goo staring menacing at the angel. Castiel decided it was his best shot at defeating it.

Folding his wings close the angel let himself fall, targeting the monsters head underneath him. A confused shriek was the beast's first reaction, obviously not expecting this turn of events. One limb targeted the falling angel, but Castiel blocked it easily, cutting through the slime. Just a couple feet above the head he curbed his freefall, spreading his wings to catch his momentum and to twist his body just right. The blade was stabbed through the right eye with lethal precision, the beast howling in pain and annoyance as Castiel continued slicing downward along its back before landing semi-graceful on the ground. His wings whirled up a cloud of dust, briefly obstructing his view. A bone-jarring cry tore through the dirt and Castiel was able to make out the beast on top of the cliff, clawing at its own head in agony. Not waiting for another chance Castiel took flight, his own wounds bleeding and aching terribly. He didn't want to bet on his attack actually working. Although being slower than usual due to his injuries the young seraph passed the writhing monster, undeterred by its angry screams and flew towards heaven.