Hello, all. I know I promised to update quicker, and then I slack off for a very long time. At least three months, to be slightly exact. I'm sure you're all ready to either have my head on a stick or kill me in some terrible way. I have three reasons I haven't updated: 1) High school - I recently had a lot of projects due (four subjects! In the same week!) and I can't be expected to devote all my time to this story, however nice that may seem. 2) Writer's block. After the last chapter, I lacked inspiration and really didn't know where to go from there. But after listening to random songs, I got an idea and now I'm back to get this story back on track. I really would like to finish this story, too. And my last reason, reason number 3) Real life in general has been bugging me, and I'm a slight addict to online RPGs. But I'll try to balance my time. Anyway, read this new chapter, and I've already started typing the next one, so I might be able to get it up tomorrow!

Summary: Kurt is a Fallen, an indescribably beautiful race of demon–angels. Kitty is a fledgling priestess with a hidden power. Kitty knows that Kurt isn't her enemy, but can she prove it?


Fallen Angel

11. The Valley of Mists

Kitty plunged into the icy cold water, sinking a bit, water filling her mouth, before the current picked up the pace and she was thrown to the surface. She spat out the water, taking in deep gulps of air to remind herself that she wasn't going to drown, trying in vain to see if anyone was near her, but the darkness appeared absolute, and she couldn't even see the river's shadows dancing on the walls; she splashed about, spluttering as the fast-moving water threatened to drag her down again.

"Kurt! Sparks!" she yelled, trying to find her friends. "Kurt! Sparks! Are you there?"

Her ears picked up the sounds of splashing nearby, and even in the darkness of the river, with constant waves crashing into her and water going everywhere, Kitty could still make out the glowing eyes of Kurt.

"Kurt!" Seeing him, she half-swam, half-floundered over to him, latching onto him like he was the last thing on earth and she wasn't ready to die yet. He looked surprised to see her, exclaiming, "Kitty! You're okay!"

She was saved from answering by a wave coming up and dousing them both, leaving the two Fallen speechless for a moment.

Kitty then remembered Sparks; after a rather turbulent ride down a small waterfall and shooting off into the darkened cavern through which the underground river raced, she questioned, above the roar of the water and through chattering teeth, "H-have y-y-you s-seen Sp-Sparks?"

The blue-furred Fallen shook his head sorrowfully; Kitty nodded slowly, hoping that wherever she was that the part-fairy Fallen was all right.

Kitty's eyes perceived a change in the light; the river was becoming more violent again, and she could see a circle of light that was rapidly filling her vision. The roar of the cold waters was growing yet again in volume; Kitty knew what to expect now. Another waterfall was coming, and the girl knew it was going to be a big one. With their feathers soaked, neither she nor Kurt would be able to take off from the top of the waterfall.

The roar seemed to cease for a moment—Kitty and Kurt were suspended at the top of the waterfall, staring down into a misty, forest-filled valley. The sun was beginning to rise over the edge of the mountains. It made for a rather pretty view, but then gravity kicked in, and down the two Fallen plummeted, into the waiting pool below.

Kitty hit the waiting, tranquil waters with a large splash; she could see the sun's brightness reflected through the clear water. She pushed to the surface; already feeling dead tired from the icy underground river, and the pool at the bottom of the waterfall was surprisingly warm… She let her eyes fall closed…


Only to be woken up some seconds later, Kurt's worried face flickering in her vision. His mouth was moving, and as she watched him, words trickled into her ears.

"…Kitty! Are you all right?"

She mumbled something unintelligible, taking the offered hand and climbing to her feet. "Where…are we…?" Kitty murmured, her eyes flicking around tiredly to look at the tropical forest.

"I'm not sure, but…" Kurt's reply made her begin to get suspicious.

"But…?" she prompted.

Kurt's golden eyes darted to the lush scenery around them. "This place is ancient," he whispered, and at the back of her mind Kitty vaguely wondered how he knew. His next words, however, made her re-think her last thought.

"This place…I know I've never been here before, but…it seems…sort of familiar…"

"Kurt, do you know where we are?" Kitty looked around slowly at the serene beach they had landed on. She spotted a nearby boulder and climbed to the top, looking around, trying to figure out where she and Kurt had landed.

She could see the mist falling over the forest; she could look back and see the waterfall churning over the cliffs; she could see the river winding its way through the trees; and she could see another sheltered cove, where she could see—

"Kurt!" she yelled, and in an instant the Fallen was sitting next to her, having teleported up. "What is it? What do you see?" he asked wildly, his logic reasoning that Kitty had seen something dangerous, a potential enemy, or even the one that they had been avoiding for so long—Fervior.

"Look!" She pointed out what she had seen, watched his eyes grow wide, as he saw what she had seen.

Sparks.

Kurt grabbed her hand, and the forest disappeared in the blink of an eye.


Kitty and Kurt hit the white sand as quietly as possible, with barely a ruffle of a few grains of sand. Sparks was sitting on a small rock near the shoreline, her white eyes fixed on nothing, her head turned towards the water.

Kitty moved forwards, and the fairy girl swiveled her head towards the beach. "Kitty. Kurt. I was wondering when you'd come."

"Sparks!" Kitty hugged her friend, happy that she'd made it out alive.

"Enough already," the redhead grumbled, and Kitty released her.

Kitty asked, "Do you know where we are?" remembering that Kurt had thought the place looked familiar, but he had told her he had never been here before, nor seen it either; and maybe Sparks knew, or had been here before…?

"This is the Valley of Mists," Sparks explained, her voice quiet. "I have not been here in a very long time, but the sounds are enough to go on. The Valley of Mists is an ancient place, said to be the birthplace of the Fallen, and longtime home of the oldest fairies."

"The Valley of Mists…" repeated Kitty; it certainly suited the strange ethereal place the threesome had washed up in.

She walked over to the edge of the forest, peering through the foggy tree trunks, watching in rapt fascination as butterflies of all colors danced through the trees, brilliant colors flashing in the dim light.

Slowly, without really realizing it, she stepped through the boundary of the trees, boots sloshing through the small layer of mud and water that made up the forest floor; vaguely hearing Sparks and Kurt's voices following her; but her eyes were focused on the pretty, shining creatures that wove in and out of the trees… A hand grabbed at her shoulder and she turned slightly, looking into the shocked golden eyes of Kurt. His voice reached her ears, dimly.

"Kitty! Snap out of it!"

Kitty shook her head slowly; the colorful butterflies were calling to her, waiting for her… Kitty couldn't hear Kurt or Sparks anymore, their voices had faded to background noise, a blurry static that she paid no heed to; she took a couple steps forwards, the flaring colors of the bugs spinning across her eyes, her thoughts…

She faintly heard her own voice, but it seemed so far off, so unreal compared to the butterflies lighting up the forest in swarms of color—brilliant reds, radiant oranges, bright yellows, vibrant greens, shimmering blues, and flashing violets.

"Pretty…pretty colors…"

Is that my own voice echoing in my ears? she wondered idly.

Random, fuzzy words reached her ears:

"…said something…"

"…been spelled…"

"…the amount of…"

"…unnatural…"

"…her eyes…!"

She took more steps forwards; the butterflies were swarming around her; distantly she felt the hand on her shoulder leap back, and the colors of the butterflies' wings filled her vision.

Kitty reached out one hand, as a dazzling golden butterfly landed on her hand. A smile slowly crossed her face, and she again heard the fuzzy noise that the words had faded into.

The noise sounded again, sounding a bit clearer in her ears, but no random words were deciphered from the static-filled voices.

Suddenly the butterflies were fleeing like seeds on the wind; the flashing colorful creatures were retreating back into the depths of the misty forest; Kitty soon found out why.

Driven deep into the trunk of the tree just inches from her, still quivering, was a spear, tipped with a sharpened arrow-like point, a single feather tied around the arrowhead.

And standing in front of her; no, looming over her was an angry-eyed fairy.


Yup, a cliffhanger. If you want to flame me for not updating, go ahead. I'll be surprised if any of my original readers are still watching this story. You can go ahead and yell at me if you want. I really will try to have the next chapter up by tomorrow, but I may go to see a movie, and we're eating dinner at a friend's house, so that may complicate things. At least expect another chapter sometime this weekend. If any of you readers out there are still waiting for me, my utmost apologies for not updating. I don't deserve reviewers like you. But still, please tell me what you think. Reviews are like precious treasures.

~Shadey