Heaven was quiet, as usual, and Cas and Balthazar were sitting together in Eden. The two had been running around, making a raucous as usual, for some time now but had become tired of their game a while ago and were now sitting under one of the many trees, catching their breath. Eden had quickly become their favourite place to go and they often spent time there with Gabe. Today, however, Gabe had something to do so they were alone. Gabe had been nervous about leaving them alone but Balthazar had managed to convince him that they would be fine together. After all, he couldn't bother Michael and Raphael again could he? Despite Balthazar's promise that he would keep Cas amused and out of trouble for the day, they were getting bored of just sitting around, doing nothing, and they were trying to think of what they could do to entertain themselves without annoying the older angels. Suddenly, Balthazar bolted upright, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "What is it Balthy?" Cas asked, curious as to why his brother looked so excited. Cas didn't bother sitting up, the heat making him feel tired.
Balthazar turned to Cas and said, "I've just thought of something to do."
Cas looked at Balthazar, titling his head slightly and sitting a bit more upright, excited at the possibility of adventure and fun, "What is it?" he asked.
"How about we fly down to Earth spy on the humans," Balthazar said with a wide smile. Seeing Cas' hesitation Balthazar quickly said, "It'll be good practice for your flying and you'll get to see my favourite place." Balthazar watched Cas' face closely, hoping that he would say yes. Balthazar hadn't been to Earth for so long and he was longing to go back there again. Besides, Gabe had never said they had to stay in Heaven.
Cas considered what Balthazar had said for a second before nodding. Balthazar quickly jumped to his feet unfurling his wings and lifting into the sky. Cas followed him, a bit shaky at first but he quickly straightened, and Balthazar marvelled at how quickly his little brother had learnt to fly. He was sure that when he had first started he had taken much longer. Cas was going to be a natural when he started training, he thought to himself.
Before long they arrived at an area that they could fly to Earth from. There was only one of these Heaven to earth portals opened, to Balthazar's knowledge anyway, because apparently Michael didn't want angels going down to Earth. Especially when human-angel relationships were already so flaky. Balthazar felt a stab of worry about whether Cas could endure the warp speed flight to Earth, recalling how badly he had managed when he had first done it. And he had been a lot more experienced than Cas was. As if sensing his worry Cas looked at Balthazar and said, "I'll be okay Balthy. I'll just hold onto you."
Balthazar nodded not being able to resist against both his yearning to visit Earth again and Cas' puppy eyes. Cas grabbed onto Balthazar's arm as they both lifted into the air. Balthazar pumped his wings powerfully and angled himself towards the direction of Earth before he tucked his wings behind him and shot down towards Earth, first making sure that Cas was holding tight onto his arm.
Wind raced through Balthazar's hair and pounded through his ears. He felt Cas' grip tighten on his arm. Around him bright colours flashed. Brilliant blues and greens. Vibrant pinks and oranges. Deep reds and purples. All the colours that you could imagine and more were surrounding them, creating a beautiful rainbow which stamped itself into Balthazar's mind.
Suddenly his vision was filled with a blinding white, the sign that they were about to exit the portal and reach Earth. He quickly snapped his wings open and yelled, "Spread your wings Cassie!", hoping his younger brother could hear him over the roar of the wind in their ears. Suddenly, they were out of the roaring wind and in the middle of a clear blue sky. Balthazar fumbled a bit as he tried to regain his balance and quickly grabbed Cas. To his surprise Cas already had his wings flared out around him, flapping them desperately in an attempt to keep airborne. Balthazar was impressed. Cas had managed to make the flight from Heaven to Earth and had still been able to fly when he arrived on Earth.
Slowly Cas released his hold on Balthazar's arm. His eyes widened in awe at the landscape spread out in front of them. Unlike Heaven it was messy and chaotic but beautiful and peaceful. In front of them they could see wide fields of bright green, dark green forests, winding blue rivers and crudely built, red-brown houses. Balthazar let out a shaky sigh of relief that both of them had made it safely and allowed himself a smile as he reabsorbed the beauty of Earth. Looking at Cas, Balthazar saw that he looked slightly shaken and pale but excited nonetheless. Nudging his brother gently, Balthazar said, "C'mon Cassie. Let's go find some humans to spy on." Cas nodded and followed his brother towards the ground, eager to get out of the air and give his wings a break.
They swiftly landed in an open field surrounded by trees, Cas stumbling and nearly falling over as he landed. Balthazar landed only slightly more elegantly in his haste to keep up with his younger brother. As soon as they had tucked their wings behind them, Balthazar hid them from view with his grace. He didn't think humans would take kindly to two young boys walking around on their own with wings sprouting out of their back. Together, they set off towards a patch of evergreen trees with Cas running ahead and Balthazar walking contentedly behind him, taking in the beauty of Earth on all of its glory. Cas was amazed with all of the new objects around him and was constantly asking Balthazar what they were. In fact, Cas' constant curiosity about everything around him almost made Balthazar regret bringing his younger brother to his place of sanctuary and peacefulness.
Balthazar looked towards where Cas was and saw that he was following something, instead of stopping every couple of metres to look at something new. Balthazar hurried up to him, curious as to what had captured his little brothers' attention. As he got close he saw that Cas was staring with wonder at a small yellow and black insect which was resting on a pink flower.
Cas looked up at Balthazar and asked, "What's this Balthy?"
Balthazar smiled and replied, "It's a bee Cas, remember?" he paused as if thinking before saying, "Did you know that bees aren't meant to fly?"
Cas looked up at him, his eyes wide, and shook his head. Balthazar grinned and said, "Well, you've learnt something new today." Balthazar suddenly realised something, "would you like to keep looking at animals instead of trying to find people Cas?" he asked, hoping his suspicions were correct. Cas nodded vigorously a grin on his face. Balthazar smiled fondly at his younger brother as he ran off to explore.
Not too long after, Balthazar saw that Cas was beginning to tire. Not wanting him to be too exhausted to make the flight back Balthazar suggested that they head home. Cas nodded and grabbed onto Balthazar's arm as they lifted into the air before beginning the flight home. Balthazar was slightly disappointed that he wasn't able to show Cas some of his favourite spots but there was always next time.
Gabe had returned from his work and was trying to find his younger brothers. He remembered Balthazar saying that they might go to Eden and stay there for the day. He headed over there and tried to find them but they were nowhere to be seen. Gabe told himself not to worry, they had probably just become bored and wandered off, but he couldn't get rid of the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.
He then headed to their nest but again it was empty with no sign that the angels had been in it. Gabe was starting to panic now but he still tried to reason with himself that they must be somewhere in Heaven. He checked all of their favourite places and when they weren't there he checked the rest of his home.
By this point Gabe was in a state of utter panic. He didn't know what to do and he hadn't found his charges anywhere. He rushed towards Michael and Raphael's office, barging in on them. They both looked up in surprise. "What's wrong Gabe?" Michael asked, worried at seeing his brother so panicked, "Why are you so worried?"
Gabe frantically said, "I can't find Cas and Balthazar. They've disappeared! I've looked everywhere. Can you please help me find them?"
Michael and Raphael instantly stood up and rushed towards the door. Missing fledglings was an urgent matter especially when both of the fledglings were still quite young. Together they rushed out and proceeded to search Heaven for the angels. Not finding them, they met together and exchanged worried looks which conveyed their thoughts. None of them realised that they were standing under the portal to Earth until a brilliant white light and roaring wind came over them, causing them to scatter.
Cas and Balthazar exited the passageway between Heaven and Earth but as they did, Cas lost his grip on Balthazar's arm. Balthazar yelled out in shock as he saw his younger brother lose control and start falling, his wings flared out uselessly behind him. Underneath them, the three archangels watched as the horrifying scene unfolded, unable to do anything to help their youngest brother.
Cas tumbled towards the ground, falling without control. Balthazar quickly flew after him in panic, trying to catch his youngest brother, before he hit the ground, but he knew that it would be too late. Cas slammed into the ground, crumpling into a heap but not before Balthazar heard a sickening snap of bones followed by a heart-shattering scream which pierced the silence of Heaven.