Alice

Shun and Tristan were locking in a fierce battle in the sky. Both of them were twisting and turning in the air, and it looked like a fight crossed between a wolf with a large predatory bird. But all my mind could really scream was Shun's alive! Shun's alive! Tristan's Clan started to figure out they could attack without their leaders permission, and one dove down at Thatch. Bad idea. Thatch easily took care of the Fallen who was much smaller than him. More followed in their dead comrades steps.

Mason and Nathan stood close to me while fighting off any attackers. I was grateful they were on my side, but I knew they were keeping me safe for Shun. I looked back up at the sky. Shun's wing had just sliced into Tristan's leg. Blood fell from the wound and down to the street, and I could hear Tristan curse at Shun. The Fallens around me were holding up pretty good, but when I looked above us and saw a black cloud of wings, I wasn't so skeptical on how we were really fairing.

A high pitched scream came from somebody, and I turned to see Fiona pierced by a small, black dagger right through her stomach. Her body collapsed to the ground and she didn't move or make another sound. Her death had caused a distraction for most of the Clan that heard her. Those who hadn't kept on fighting. Two more went down as they tried to avenge Fiona's death. I glanced back up to the fight taking place in the sky, and looked just in time to watch Shun take a punch to the face. He must have been temporarily knocked out because he started to fall from the air, but quickly regained his flight.

Tristan started to fly upward to the barrier between Earth and the Realm of Angels. Shun shot up after him, and was steadily gaining on him. Something fell on my foot, and I looked down to see Nathan's body. He was bleeding heavily, but wasn't dead. Out of instinct, just as I had done with Shun, I tried to patch up the wounds as quickly as I could.

But I wasn't fast or effective enough because he died before I could wrap up his wounds. I dragged his body off to the side and out of the way of the fighting Clans. When I was about to go back to Mason for safety, one of Tristan's Clan dropped down in front of me. I stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. The eyes he had, looked like the eyes from the Fallen that dove into my room at Murucho's and was looking for Shun.

I was sure this was the same Fallen. He flashed a white smile as he reached his hand down to grab me, but Ebony jumped between us and sliced his neck open with her wing. She made sure he was dead before asking me, "You ok, Alice?" I nodded my head and she escorted me back to where Mason was. It was obvious that around Mason was the safest place to be during this carnage.

I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do. I wasn't strong enough to fight any of these huge Fallens, and I had none of their weapons. Mason cried out and I saw a black arrow stuck into his leg. His hands clenched around where the spearhead penetrated his flesh. In front of us was a lightning yellow eyes Fallen holding a black bow. One of those angel wing made weapons.

He drew another arrow to finish off the defenseless Mason, but Thatch stepped in just in the knick of time. He had somehow gotten his hands on one of the other Clan's swords, and had stuck it right between the yellow eyed Fallen's wings. He dropped to the ground and Thatch walked over to Mason and yanked the arrow out. Mason cried out and was asked by Thatch, "Can you walk?"

Mason nodded his head and stood on his hurt leg, but only put half of his weight on it. My eyes fell on the black bow, and black sheath of arrows. I hadn't ever had much practice with any form of weapons, but I was sure the bow couldn't be that difficult. I dove for it, and took the sheath from the Fallen's arm and the bow from his limp hand. I wasn't paying attention and the black arrows fell out from the sheath. Quickly, I picked the up and stuck them back into the holder and ran back to the center of Shun's Clan.

Staying low, I counted the arrows, and saw I had over ten. That was good. I had enough to get in some practice and then help get into the fight. I fitted one of the arrow notches onto the string and rested the end of it on my index finger. The bow itself wasn't heavy at all, and I thought it was because of the angel wing component that made up half of the weapon. I pulled the string back.

Now that was heavy. I forgot that bows had a draw pull of certain weights. The heavier, the faster the arrow shot. This had to be a draw pull of over fifty pounds. I found myself a target. It was one of Tristan's trying to throw Ebony to the ground. I decided I deserved to repay her for helping me earlier when I had gotten Nathan's body out of the way.

I found enough strength to pull the arrow back, and let the string go. The arrow shot right through her attacker's head, and he fell to the ground. Ebony looked around for what had taken him down, and she saw me giving her a thumbs up. She smiled and mouthed a thanks to me before going onto the next Fallen.

Shun

A kick here, a punch there. Neither me nor Tristan had pulled our weapons. We were too caught up in our fight to even remember them. I had remembered mine a few times, but forgot when I got a knee into my sore ribs or a punch to my back. We both had slashes all over us from where our own, and each others wings caught us.

I gained some distance from him, and was going to ram my shoulder into his stomach, but he moved and I was sent flying into the barrier that was right above our heads. The barrier that kept Fallens out, sent shocks of electricity throughout my body. I finally broke free from it, and kept myself in the air but was in a complete daze. I couldn't of told anyone the day or time if I had to. When I came to, I was faced with Tristan spinning and his wing about to slash into my body.

I dove down and he just did miss me. He drew his sword and said, "I'm tired of horsing around! It's time I finish my job!" He stuck the tip of the blade into the barrier above him, and lightning sparked from where it had pierced it. He was breaking through the barrier. He wasn't joking about it when he said that was his plan. I looked down and saw the remainder of his Clan looking up and cheering him on. Below them, I saw what was left of mine. I made out Alice, Mason, and Thatch's figures easily.

Bodies from both sides littered the streets. I couldn't let Tristan do the same thing to the Realm, no matter how I felt about the injustice they had done to me. I rammed my body into his, and his hand slipped from the handle of the blade. The sword was still stuck in the gray barrier though, and lightning continued to slash out at us. I quickly drew the sword I stole, but it was kicked from my hand and fell to the ground hundreds of feet below. "Now neither of us have any weapons!"

Tristan was close to going over the deep end. He was aggravated from all the time he had wasted hunting for my Clan and fighting me. But I knew this was a good thing. Anytime somebody fought angry, they weren't thinking clearly. Although it did give them a deadly edge if they got a hold of you.

He bared his teeth and came at me. I didn't escape his attack this time, and he grabbed my arm and threw me back onto the barrier. Not only did the shock get me, but a bolt of lightning also got me when I broke free the second time. I felt smoke rising from singed skin, hair, and feathers. And before I knew anything, the two of us were locked in a fight again.

Alice

Whatever was going on there with Shun and Tristan, didn't look good. Lightning was whipping out from the barrier, and I saw it at one point catch Shun. Things weren't going well up there. I assumed the lightning was because of a break in the barrier. My hand tightened around the black bow in my hands, and I darted for the nearest building. I heard Mason yell at me, "Alice! Stay near us!"

I swung open the glass door of a banking building, and ran up the two or three flights of stairs and onto the roof. The wind was wild and untamed up there. I knew this little increase in height wouldn't of made much of a difference, but it was the best I could do. Mason was yelling for me to go back into the building and get off the roof. He had a strong looking female Fallen giving him trouble at the moment.

I didn't think he was any position to be distracted by whether I was on a roof or not. My hands were sweating around the bow as adrenaline flooded my body. I was sure I could do this, but the odds of the arrow making its way all the way to the barrier were slim. I stuck an arrow on the string and positioned myself in an archer's stance. The wind kept my hair out of my eyes, and I knew it would either slow the arrow down or give it leverage. I placed the notch up to my cheek and closed one eye.

I hoped my one shot target practice was good enough to make a hit on Tristan. All I needed was Shun to stay out of the way for a few seconds to give me a clear shot. But that was easier said than done as Shun was in front of Tristan as they were locked in another fight.

I gripped the bow tighter, and waited for the minute Shun got out of the way. He finally was pushed aside, and I had a clear view of Tristan although the two were still locked in combat. I took a deep breath and let go off the arrow. It was up to fate to guide it up there for me. I watched as the thin black stick disappeared into nothing, and not a second later, both Shun and Tristan started plummeting to the Earth.

Shun

I was looking face first with the ground closing in on me, and Tristan was the same way. I tried to move my wings, but it was useless. I forced myself to turn and see what had happened, and was greeted with a gaping hole in my right wing. What had done this?

It looked like I had been shot. I looked over at Tristan. His eyes were shut, and a long black arrow had pierced him right where his heart was. That arrow had gone through my wing and hit him. I tried to catch air again, but it was pointless. My wing was too damaged to fly.

And if I survived this fall, then the odds of me being able to fly again were slim. I kept trying out of instinct, and this time felt the bones in my wing grind against each other. That arrow had cut a major bone in half. The ground was closing in, and I hit it with a force that knocked me out before the rest of my body touched it.

Alice

I had hit Tristan, but why was Shun falling as well? I could tell that Tristan wasn't trying to catch air, but Shun was. Why couldn't he. I saw they were plummeting towards the ground around the Bay City park. They both disappeared behind a building, and the fighting below me had ceased. Every eye was looking where the two Clan leaders had fallen. I saw the two Clans running in the direction Shun and Tristan fell. All fighting was put aside now with the concern of their leaders taking over.

I ran back down the stairs and followed the way they all had taken off in. I jumped over the bodies of Fallens that had been slaughtered, and was fairly far behind the others. When I caught up with them, they were all circled around something in the park. Tristan's Clan was on one side, and Shun's was on the other. It was strange how much they dwarfed Shun's Clan.

I pushed my way through Thatch and Ebony, and was left breathless. Tristan was laid out on his back with a thin line of blood coming from his mouth, and the arrow stuck clean through his heart. I had killed him. My eyes fell on Shun, who was laid on his stomach. A large hole was in his right wing, and the black feathers were matted with red and sticky blood. I had shot Shun in the process of killing Tristan.

I dropped down to my knees beside Shun. There were no other external wounds other than what Tristan had given him in their fight. I saw Shun's chest moving and he let out a cough. He pushed himself up on his hands and knees, then leaned back and sat on his shins. He coughed again as he was retaining his breath. Shun then winced in pain and latched his hand onto the back part of his shoulder where the wing connected to his back. He saw the bow in my hand and raised an eyebrow.

He said to me with a grin on his face, "Nice shot." I blinked in surprise. He wasn't angry about me shooting him and almost killing him? Maybe he was being sarcastic about my shot. There was a sigh of relief from Shun's side of the two Clans. Mason ran over next to me and started inspecting Shun's wing. Somebody from Tristan's side did the same. He turned to the others behind him and slid his thumb across his throat. Signaling he was dead. Mason touched where the hole was in Shun's wing.

Shun cried out in agony at the lightest touch. I heard Mason say under his breath, "Damn this looks bad. I don't think even Bertha could of fixed this." I then remembered Bertha. None of us knew where she was. We sure could use her right about now. A tall, dark and slender Fallen walked out from the Clan we were just fighting with. He introduced himself to us. "I'm Paul. I was the second in command under Tristan."

That meant he was now the leader. He had dark auburn hair and almost maroon colored eyes. I could see in the faces of Shun's Clan that we all thought that he was going to finish the fight right then and there. But he shocked us all when he held out his hand to Shun for him to shake. Shun observed the hand and Paul's face.

Paul said, "I'm in charge of the Clan now, and things are going to be different. The majority of us never agreed with Tristan's motives, but we had to or be killed. I'm going to keep the Clan, but lets agree to go back to coexisting. Shake on it?" Shun smiled and took his hand and did one quick shake. Mason and Thatch helped Shun to his feet and helped take him off towards the tenement building.

A few of the others from both Clans stayed and collected their dead. Tristan's, I mean, Paul's Clan lost the most Fallens. Everything started to return to normal. People all of a sudden started to come out of their houses and went on with life like nothing had ever happened.

It was like they had been frozen during the entire thing. I saw up, Ebony removed the sword from the barrier and broke it in half on her leg. She dove behind the building before anyone could see her. I was about to go back into the tenement building, when I spotted somebody standing in the alley next to the building. It was Kiba.

He wore a sly grin and said to himself, "Looks like I'll have to make things interesting again or else I'll get bored again." He turned to me and winked. He said to me, "Don't worry, your roll in all of this isn't over quite yet little Bondage." He vanished into the alley, and I scurried inside. Not wanting to stay around to see what he meant.

check out my profile for a poll and the cover for the story! it's really simple but really good in my opinion. please share your thoughts of turning this into a trilogy. and read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~