Chapter 2: Camping- For Nephilim
We made tents from the dripping wings of Angels all around us. Well, the others did. I prefer to lay out under the stars, or the dust-choked sky I guess, and not be confined. As I lay down, resting my hands behind my head and looking skyward, I heard the light snores that denoted War falling asleep, the easy breathing of Strife's slumber, and the restless turning of Fury. I do not sleep, always feeling as though something was always watching me. Insomnia was one of the things I had been cursed with upon my birth to the First Ones.
"Fury, if you don't quiet down, you will wake Strife," I said lightly, letting her know I was aware she was awake. Fury huffed and crawled out of her make-shift tent and shuffled over to where I lay. She sat next to me and leaned over, resting her head on my extremely narrow, and uncomfortable, stomach. She ran her index finger around my chest idly, looking at me with eyes full of questions.
"Why did Absolom go on a rampage as he did? Why did we have to slaughter our kin?" her voice was so full of sadness, it could only be for one reason.
"You fear you will be alone for eternity." It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway. Fury, contrary to what most seem to believe, the Charred Council included, was in fact a woman in every sense of the word. She yearned for love, or at least companionship, and wanted to be able to search for what she felt would be her true love. But with only three other males of our race alive, it made it rather difficult, or so I would imagine. Even before we had become the horseman, I had never taken interest in the females who seemed to constantly throw themselves at me with the Nephilim.
It wasn't that I had no desire, it was just that I was more focused on my goals than finding any form of affection. That had only become more demanding when we had become warriors for the balance. I sighed.
"Fury, I do not know the answers you seek. You know I have never been particularly good with these things, nor have I shown interest in them." I felt her head nod slowly, her hair rubbing on my stomach as something warm dripped onto my chest. I looked own to see Fury's eyes closed, a few tears dripping out.
"Yes, I know," her eyes opened. "Death... would you... hold me?" I nearly choked on my own spit. "War and Strife do not interest me. I have always admired you, even when we fought alongside Absolom, but I knew you held no interest in anyone in that way. Only recently, after War rode, did I realize it was more than admiration. Angels are too soft, and Demons are too cruel. Only a Nephilim or a Man can truly please a Nephilim in any way. Mankind is technically extinct, and of the Nephilim, only the four of us remain. Please, Death?" I heard the plea in her voice, and saw the desperation in her eyes. A plea to not be alone anymore, a desperation for companionship beyond that of a fellow Horseman. A sigh escaped my lips and flowed around my mask. I looked her. She seemed to think I was about to say no, so she started to rise, tears falling in rivulets. That settled it. I had never seen Fury cry, I had never seen her so vulnerable or weak. I rested a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at me dolefully.
Without a word, I pulled her to me and lifted my mask, planting a light kiss on her lips. She stiffened in shock slightly before she melted into it. Strife would say this was wrong, that we were Horseman, and siblings, that we must put our duty first, but it's not like the four of us were actually related. The only two of us who shared any blood at all were myself and War. He was a Younger, but we were quite literally brothers. Strife was from another of the First Born, and Fury was directly form Absolom, though not a First.
Fury leaned forward, molding her body to mine, somewhat awkwardly, and forcing me to lay on my back. She tried to deepen the embrace, but I pushed her back. She whined lightly.
"Fury, we must ease into this. I am not sure I am... quite ready to do anything like this," I said quietly. She looked crestfallen, but nodded slightly and kissed me once more before replacing my mask and resting her head on my chest.
"I understand, Death. I will wait." she ran her hand lightly over my chest, listening to my heartbeat.
It was going to be a long night.