Death's Foe
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Darksiders or Darksiders 2. Its on my wish list but so far it does not look promising.
Death opened the portal once more onto the landscape of another realm where he and his brothers and sister lived when they were not acting as the Council's puppets. He regarded the angel that gently guided the young girl by her shoulders out onto the grassy hilltop. Oreila turned to face Death with a smirk on her face, "This is a rather lush and beautiful place for Death to reside, don't you think?" He leveled a burning gaze at her for a moment. "Follow the forest path until you get to the glen, my brothers and sister will meet you there. Leave the other inhabitants of this realm alone in the meantime woman."
She turned to say something only to find herself about to talk to empty air. She sighed and grasped the girl's hand and pulled her gently along with her as she started off down the trail. She passed the time by talking to the still silent girl, "You know just who does he think he is? He should know better than to give me that stupid line about 'do as I say woman', as if I were some silly little human woman."
The girl regarded her with amusement, "I don't mean anything like that, but would you be able to take care of yourself right now?" The little girl rolled her eyes before giving an exaggerated shake of her head to the negative. Oreila snorted softly and gave the young girl an affectionate squeeze.
She watched the dappled shadows of the forest for any signs of danger but saw nothing. She could feel the essences of many living things around them but nothing felt threatening. It was a short walk before they found themselves in the glen Death spoke of and she saw the girl's face brighten with a smile. There were tall flowers in varying hues blanketing the ground and several smooth rocks dotted the landscape, perfect for sitting or lying on. The young girl started pointing and pulling at her guardian's hand.
Oreila sighed and released her grip while motioning for the girl to go play as she rested against a rock. She was not aware of Death's pet that stayed behind to watch over them, as Dusk stayed hidden in the shadows of the trees. Death could go about his business and watch them until his family arrived to retrieve them.
She watched the girl running among the flowers, picking handfuls of them. Finally the young girl brought them back to her and placed them at her feet. "Do you know what I used to do with flowers when I was a little girl?" The girl plopped down at her feet and shook her head animatedly. "Okay watch me."
Oreila picked out several handfuls. She carefully used a fingernail to cut a slit in the stems before threading them together to make a chain. She made three of them and then braided them together before carefully tying them at the back. The young girl never took her eyes from her as she worked. Finally she placed the finished product on the girl's head. "What shall I call you, since you haven't given me your name young one?"
Smiling brightly the girl pointed to the flowers atop her head. "Well I can't call you flower or petal…so pick a flower you like and I shall name you for it." The girl stuck her tongue out in concentration before bouncing up and running across the field, her hair streaming out behind her. Oreila watched her go and she came racing back with an armload of flowers.
She recognized them the moment she saw them but held her tongue as the young girl held her hand up before she could speak. It was several minutes later when the girl crawled forward on her knees with a perfect flower circlet in her hands and placed it on Oreila's head. "So you like Morning Glories? I shall call you Gloria then, does that suit you?" Gloria clapped her fingers together and gave a small squeal.
They were completely unaware of several observers in the shadows until Gloria stopped smiling and began pointing. Oreila was on her feet in a heartbeat, only to be confronted by two unicorns, their coats gleaming silver in the sun. She lowered her wings and watched the two lovely creatures move further into the glen.
She motioned the girl to be still as she approached the animals, which at first were skittish but then slowly calmed and allowed her to approach. She led the animals back to the girl. She sat back down and the two large animals lay down next to them. "Go ahead, they both said they would love to have their manes decorated with flowers." The little girl clapped her hands and busily started weaving flowers into the manes of the two unicorns, one of which laid its head in Oreila's lap.
Finally done with the unicorns the girl began weaving flowers into the mane of ebony hair that flowed out across the rock Oreila was propped against. All the time Death watched this in amazement and anger, because the wench had not obeyed him, but yet he found the scene fascinating and lively. He relayed the images to his brothers and sister, warning them not to startle the protective wild beasts, nor the girl and her guardian.
Oreila was watching the girl once again dancing about the glen with the unicorns when three oppressive auras caught her attention. Suddenly three riders broke from the other side of the glen and she called Gloria back to her side as the unicorns swiftly moved back to her side as well.
She carefully sized up the three of them, and knew them quite well, though War she liked least of all. War, Strife, and Fury finally reached them and was giving the cowering child hard stares, as if already judging her. She hissed warningly and flared her wings slightly to allow Gloria a place to hide. "Do not scare the girl. She has been frightened enough in her young life."
"We were only trying to get a look at her, angel and nothing more." Oreila turned her gaze to Strife. "Well for starters White Rider, remove your masks so that she can see your face and know you are not some monster come to snatch her up. Also be kind, she is still but a youngster with growing to do."
The three removed their masks, and she felt Gloria relax a bit behind her, "Gloria, come out and meet our new friends." Shyly the girl stepped from behind her and was introduced. She smiled warmly at them before making an ill-advised move to pet Ruin, War's horse, before she could be stopped. The beast snorted and stomped a foot warningly, before Oreila shot him a glare and a thought that had the brute lowering his head to be petted by the child.
"You seem to have a way with the beasts, angel." She snorted sharply before glaring up at Strife, "I am the enforcer of Justice and my given name is Oreila, use it rider."
"I hate to be the one to break up the love fest but we have a little jaunt through the woods and it is getting late, boys." Fury chimed in. "Okay so which one of them is riding with whom?"
Oreila motioned for the two flower bejeweled unicorns and they came trotting to her. Carefully she placed Gloria on the young female, "She will not let you fall Gloria; so hold a handful of her mane and you pull to whatever side you want her to go to." The little girl nodded and made a slow turn around the glen. Oreila nodded in satisfaction before turning to the larger stallion at her side.
The three riders watched in fascination as the feral unicorn bowed to his knees to allow the angel to bestride his back before carefully climbing to his feet. She loped him around the glen, guiding him with her thoughts or some other unseen means. She stopped beside them, the young girl at her side. "Well let's get on the way then, I don't want to be caught in the woods after dark."
They all turned their mounts back down the trail and disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Death still watched through the eye of his father that Dusk carried about in his beak. Follow them, my friend. Make sure the New Dawn does not get injured by that reckless fool of an angel.
