Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.
Author's Note: Hey yo. Last chapter came out WAY different than I had expected, but it was still fun, no? I should really be doing an assignment I have for Creative Writing, but I'm doing this instead! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am!
NeoNaoNeo
Chapter 9: Discovering Miracles
Angel sighed blissfully, looking up to the bright blue skylight, golden sunshine pouring in from above. The waltz shifted the book in his lap and laid his head on the couch's arm, stretching his wings lazily and basking in the warm light. Angel's eye had almost completely healed, the redness was gone, though two minute etches of the scratch remained. He looked at his book choice, continuing to read something he had picked out a few weeks before, but hardly understood a word in it.
"This book has lots of pictures, but hardly any story," Angel grumbled, flipping through the pages of the encyclopedia-like book, 'The Unabridged Edition of Raptors and Raptor Anatomy'. He had to admit though, the pictures were stunningly beautiful; hawks perched peacefully upon a branch, prey at hand; eagles standing watch over their eyries. He flipped through the pages when a certain picture in one of the later chapters caught his eye. It was of a peregrine falcon in the chapter "Raptors and Flight", wings proudly outspread. Angel noticed the bird's wings weren't unlike his own, long tapered feathers coming together at an obtuse angle. He took a sudden interest to the book, reading the introduction to the chapter aloud.
"'Flight: The act of flying. Flying is described in the dictionary as "moving through the air on wings, as a bird." But this movement is much more complex than any dictionary can make it out to be. Flight is not merely an act; it is an art. An art in which the raptors of the avian kingdom have perfected and use it to any possible advantage when performing an essential function such as hunting or enjoying the thermals brought by the afternoon sun.'" Angel read, every word said with interest. He had always wondered was his wings were for, and finally having found the answer, he was contented slightly.
But this bliss was short lived. He was curious about the sky Lenore had said lay high above that round skylight, but this small curiousity changed to a powerful craving, instantly making Angel somewhat restless to try his wings in a way he had never thought possible.
"What's wrong Angel?" Lenore said, stepping into the sunlit circle of light around the couch.
"Oh, hi. I-I was just thinking," Angel stuttered. Lenore walked over in her graceful, cat-like way, and examined the book Angel had in his lap.
"This again?" she asked somewhat sadistically. The waltz nodded. "What are you thinking about?"
"Flying," Angel murmured sheepishly, looking down at the book and shifting a wing.
"Not yet," Lenore scolded. "I still don't think you're ready for that kind of stimulation."
"W-why not?" Angel asked.
"You have plenty of time to worry about the world up there," Lenore said. "While you can, enjoy the world down here."
This answer didn't satisfy Angel's curiousity, but he said nothing and went back to the book, examining the text intently.
"That's a good pet," Lenore said in an approving way, glad for his quick, nonquestioning compliance. "Now, I'm going to be in the lab most the night. You can feed yourself, right?"
Angel looked up and nodded.
"Excellent, well, please don't disturb me." Lenore directed. "And if you set so much as one feather out of this wing, I can assure you a most unpleasent punishment."
This threat didn't dampen Angel's concotion of a plan to get outside. The waltz nodded, showing her he understood.
"Alright then," Lenore sighed and walked out of the library, tail following behind her gracefully. The waltz seemed to go back to his reading, though his mind was racing with the formulation of plans to escape momentarily, just to try out his wings. He decided it would be best to wait at least a half hour before making his grand escapade, since Lenore said she would be in the lab for most the day. So he would still have plenty of time for a good run around.
Angel laid back in the couch and looked up to the clock. 12:15. 'Okay, so at 12:45 I'll go out.' Angel told himself.
The waltz picked up his book to further investigate how this 'flying' was done, but not to much avail, the descriptions were mostly of the forces that went to work with this motion. Angel looked up to the clock again. 12:20.
"Aw...." Angel murmured. "Come on clock...hurry up..."
12:21.
Angel sighed again and leapt off the couch, beginning to walk in circles for a few minutes. He quickly turned around to read the clock. 12:25. The waltz groaned again.
Angel glanced around the library and stood up. "Well...I waited for a little while at least." Angel said, justifying his rebellious actions.
He had never been out of the western wing of the Desert Palace, having all the nessecities right there, but was baffled by the beautiful and ornate things that sat upon pedestals and adorned the walls. Marble statues, gorgeous paintings, every tapestry and piece of furniture meant to please the eye. The small waltz would have spent more time looking around but remembered why he had left his designated home in the first place and began frantically searching for a way out. The high ceiling was smooth, marbled black, illuminated by several anonymous blue lights coming down in beams. He looked from the ceiling to a spot on the floor where all the beams of light joined, a blue, mysterious looking pad glimmered in their illumination. The waltz examined it, eyes wide.
"Maybe if I---" he murmured and put a foot on it. The circle on the floor lit in response, but dimmed again when Angel removed his weight off it with a start. He looked at it again and put his foot down for a second try. It shone for a few moments, but did nothing more. The waltz shifted both feet onto the circle and suddenly felt a warm wind, carrying sand, blowing into his face. He did it!
"I'm outside!" he cried excitedly, looking at the beautiful shifting landscape, the dusty brown sand was terribly bright under the sun's blaring rays. Angel smiled. "Now I can try flying."
He looked up to the sky, several larger creatures were circling overhead, moving as easily through the air as Angel did on the ground. The waltz's eyes lit up.
'Maybe they'll play with me.' he thought.
"Excuse me! Hey, d-down here!" Angel said, waving his arms. "Could you teach me how to fly?!"
They creatures didn't respond, making Angel feel alittle left out.
'I guess I'm gonna have to learn on my own.' he thought and spread his wings. He remembered in the book that they said the hardest part was taking off, but they showed how the hawks did it, by jumping from a high place and flapping their wings. Angel looked around. 'No high places,' he thought. 'Maybe I can just do it off the ground.'
Angel hunched his shoulders, bringing his wings parallel to the ground and jumped, beating his appendages fiercely. Instead of feeling clumsy and awkward in the atmosphere, he acted as though he had known what to do the entire time, gaining altitude quickly and easily. The small waltz continued laboring his wings when suddenly he unwittingly headed right onto the edge of a thermal. His half spread wings were overwhelmed by the sudden pressure and muscles quickly released, causing the waltz to tumble over in mid-air falling from nearly forty feet. Angel cried out, but his instincts kicked in suddenly, pointing him in the right direction.
Away from the surface of the thermal, Angel forced his wings open once again, this time to their full extent, to slow his fall. He flapped again, now knowing to keep his wings completely spread at all times. The waltz was starting to get a feel for the air as he passed through the surface of the rising air current, spreading his wings straight from a flap to coast its surface. He laughed, the ground was far far below and dwindling as he treaded the thermal, coming closer and closer to the circling group of flying creatures, curious of their doings.
"Angel? Angel, I finished early and was wondering if you'd like to play a game," Lenore called, echoing eerily through out the grand hallways. She peered into the library, no Angel. She peeked in the kitchen and his room. No one there but Mogget, still healing from her previous wounds. "Pet? Where are you?"
Lenore went to the lavatory and knocked on the door, no answer. She grumbled and looked at the ceiling.
"That miserable little creature," Lenore growled, walking towards the teleporting pad.
"Hey! Do you guys wanna play?" Angel said, looking to the large, monstrous creatures that were circling above the desert. The Dragonflies, ragged, scaly skin a bleak white, several parasites lodged between skin fragments, narrowed their eyes, ready to attack. They looked more like dragons than dragonflies, with the exception of their fluttering insect wings. The monsters hardly took notice of Angel until he finally joined the circle, still asking for them to join a game. The swarm dove away from him.
"Where are you guys going?" Angel asked, folding his wings to follow them. Suddenly, a dragonfly attacked Angel from behind with a hungry viciousness, clawing at the small waltz with hooked talons and bony teeth. Unable to retaliate to the sudden attack, Angel began to fall, bearly hanging on to consciousness.
"Angel!" Lenore yelled from the ground, more angry than compassionate. "Get up and fight you treacherous creature!"
Angel couldn't make out the words of the comment, too stunned by the sudden attacks to figure it out. But he still forced himself awake to fight, given him an odd encouragement by the harsh order. The waltz once again spread his wings, righting himself in the air with a natural grace and began ducking and weaving through the dragonflies' assaults, manuevering as though he had known how to fly his entire life.
To Lenore's surprise, the waltz began laughing, enjoying this dangerous game. She narrowed her eyes.
"Angel! Fight them, stop playing!" Lenore growled.
He ducked through another barrage, folding and spreading his wings at split second notices. Perhaps it's about time I ended this game, he mused, quickly flapping upwards and avoiding the creature's jaws. Angel lifted his hands to the heavens, continuously flapping upwards, gaining more and more altitude. The dragonflies below screeched at each other and began swarming, buzzing upwards towards the waltz.
Angel looked up to the darkening heavens, heavy gray clouds closing in by the minute. 'I need more time,' he thought, the conjuration growing in the clouds, congrugated by the waltz's will. 'Just a little more!'
The dragonflies were gaining by the minute, Angel's flapping becoming slower and more forced.
"Damn him! Damn him!" Lenore snarled, narrowing her eyes at Angel. "If he had only listened, he's going to kill himself up there."
The dragonflies were only a few meters away. 'No! I need more time!' he thought, the powerful spell nearly complete. The insect in the screeched in triumph.
"Thundaga!" Angel roared, lightning tearing down from the clouds, striking the dragonflies down, nearly all killed instantly, vanishing into the Mist ridden air. The waltz panted, flapping in place as he caught his breath. Finally, Angel descended, going down to greet Lenore. With several beats of his wings he landed in front of his mistress, very embarassed.
"What did I tell you?" Lenore interogated.
"I was supposed to stay in the west wing," Angel responded.
"And what did you do?"
"I went out."
"Now tell me, why?" Lenore asked.
"I-I...I couldn't help it, I-I was just...I don't know," Angel said, looking up to the sky. "I wanted to fly. And if I'm gonna be punished for it---"
"I have to say, I AM impressed by the way you handled yourself up there," Lenore said. "And I have never seen the power of Thundaga manipulated in that fashion."
Rain started to pelt down from the clouds Angel had summoned up.
"And I've decided though you went against a clear order, I'm pardoning you from punishment," Lenore said. "Though I could just leave you out here in the rain."
"No!" Angel whimpered and ran up to Lenore, wrapping his arms around Lenore's legs.
"Just get off me," a very wet and annoyed Lenore growled. "Come along."
The two teleported back below the sands in a flash.
Author's Note: Hey yo. Last chapter came out WAY different than I had expected, but it was still fun, no? I should really be doing an assignment I have for Creative Writing, but I'm doing this instead! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am!
NeoNaoNeo
Chapter 9: Discovering Miracles
Angel sighed blissfully, looking up to the bright blue skylight, golden sunshine pouring in from above. The waltz shifted the book in his lap and laid his head on the couch's arm, stretching his wings lazily and basking in the warm light. Angel's eye had almost completely healed, the redness was gone, though two minute etches of the scratch remained. He looked at his book choice, continuing to read something he had picked out a few weeks before, but hardly understood a word in it.
"This book has lots of pictures, but hardly any story," Angel grumbled, flipping through the pages of the encyclopedia-like book, 'The Unabridged Edition of Raptors and Raptor Anatomy'. He had to admit though, the pictures were stunningly beautiful; hawks perched peacefully upon a branch, prey at hand; eagles standing watch over their eyries. He flipped through the pages when a certain picture in one of the later chapters caught his eye. It was of a peregrine falcon in the chapter "Raptors and Flight", wings proudly outspread. Angel noticed the bird's wings weren't unlike his own, long tapered feathers coming together at an obtuse angle. He took a sudden interest to the book, reading the introduction to the chapter aloud.
"'Flight: The act of flying. Flying is described in the dictionary as "moving through the air on wings, as a bird." But this movement is much more complex than any dictionary can make it out to be. Flight is not merely an act; it is an art. An art in which the raptors of the avian kingdom have perfected and use it to any possible advantage when performing an essential function such as hunting or enjoying the thermals brought by the afternoon sun.'" Angel read, every word said with interest. He had always wondered was his wings were for, and finally having found the answer, he was contented slightly.
But this bliss was short lived. He was curious about the sky Lenore had said lay high above that round skylight, but this small curiousity changed to a powerful craving, instantly making Angel somewhat restless to try his wings in a way he had never thought possible.
"What's wrong Angel?" Lenore said, stepping into the sunlit circle of light around the couch.
"Oh, hi. I-I was just thinking," Angel stuttered. Lenore walked over in her graceful, cat-like way, and examined the book Angel had in his lap.
"This again?" she asked somewhat sadistically. The waltz nodded. "What are you thinking about?"
"Flying," Angel murmured sheepishly, looking down at the book and shifting a wing.
"Not yet," Lenore scolded. "I still don't think you're ready for that kind of stimulation."
"W-why not?" Angel asked.
"You have plenty of time to worry about the world up there," Lenore said. "While you can, enjoy the world down here."
This answer didn't satisfy Angel's curiousity, but he said nothing and went back to the book, examining the text intently.
"That's a good pet," Lenore said in an approving way, glad for his quick, nonquestioning compliance. "Now, I'm going to be in the lab most the night. You can feed yourself, right?"
Angel looked up and nodded.
"Excellent, well, please don't disturb me." Lenore directed. "And if you set so much as one feather out of this wing, I can assure you a most unpleasent punishment."
This threat didn't dampen Angel's concotion of a plan to get outside. The waltz nodded, showing her he understood.
"Alright then," Lenore sighed and walked out of the library, tail following behind her gracefully. The waltz seemed to go back to his reading, though his mind was racing with the formulation of plans to escape momentarily, just to try out his wings. He decided it would be best to wait at least a half hour before making his grand escapade, since Lenore said she would be in the lab for most the day. So he would still have plenty of time for a good run around.
Angel laid back in the couch and looked up to the clock. 12:15. 'Okay, so at 12:45 I'll go out.' Angel told himself.
The waltz picked up his book to further investigate how this 'flying' was done, but not to much avail, the descriptions were mostly of the forces that went to work with this motion. Angel looked up to the clock again. 12:20.
"Aw...." Angel murmured. "Come on clock...hurry up..."
12:21.
Angel sighed again and leapt off the couch, beginning to walk in circles for a few minutes. He quickly turned around to read the clock. 12:25. The waltz groaned again.
Angel glanced around the library and stood up. "Well...I waited for a little while at least." Angel said, justifying his rebellious actions.
He had never been out of the western wing of the Desert Palace, having all the nessecities right there, but was baffled by the beautiful and ornate things that sat upon pedestals and adorned the walls. Marble statues, gorgeous paintings, every tapestry and piece of furniture meant to please the eye. The small waltz would have spent more time looking around but remembered why he had left his designated home in the first place and began frantically searching for a way out. The high ceiling was smooth, marbled black, illuminated by several anonymous blue lights coming down in beams. He looked from the ceiling to a spot on the floor where all the beams of light joined, a blue, mysterious looking pad glimmered in their illumination. The waltz examined it, eyes wide.
"Maybe if I---" he murmured and put a foot on it. The circle on the floor lit in response, but dimmed again when Angel removed his weight off it with a start. He looked at it again and put his foot down for a second try. It shone for a few moments, but did nothing more. The waltz shifted both feet onto the circle and suddenly felt a warm wind, carrying sand, blowing into his face. He did it!
"I'm outside!" he cried excitedly, looking at the beautiful shifting landscape, the dusty brown sand was terribly bright under the sun's blaring rays. Angel smiled. "Now I can try flying."
He looked up to the sky, several larger creatures were circling overhead, moving as easily through the air as Angel did on the ground. The waltz's eyes lit up.
'Maybe they'll play with me.' he thought.
"Excuse me! Hey, d-down here!" Angel said, waving his arms. "Could you teach me how to fly?!"
They creatures didn't respond, making Angel feel alittle left out.
'I guess I'm gonna have to learn on my own.' he thought and spread his wings. He remembered in the book that they said the hardest part was taking off, but they showed how the hawks did it, by jumping from a high place and flapping their wings. Angel looked around. 'No high places,' he thought. 'Maybe I can just do it off the ground.'
Angel hunched his shoulders, bringing his wings parallel to the ground and jumped, beating his appendages fiercely. Instead of feeling clumsy and awkward in the atmosphere, he acted as though he had known what to do the entire time, gaining altitude quickly and easily. The small waltz continued laboring his wings when suddenly he unwittingly headed right onto the edge of a thermal. His half spread wings were overwhelmed by the sudden pressure and muscles quickly released, causing the waltz to tumble over in mid-air falling from nearly forty feet. Angel cried out, but his instincts kicked in suddenly, pointing him in the right direction.
Away from the surface of the thermal, Angel forced his wings open once again, this time to their full extent, to slow his fall. He flapped again, now knowing to keep his wings completely spread at all times. The waltz was starting to get a feel for the air as he passed through the surface of the rising air current, spreading his wings straight from a flap to coast its surface. He laughed, the ground was far far below and dwindling as he treaded the thermal, coming closer and closer to the circling group of flying creatures, curious of their doings.
"Angel? Angel, I finished early and was wondering if you'd like to play a game," Lenore called, echoing eerily through out the grand hallways. She peered into the library, no Angel. She peeked in the kitchen and his room. No one there but Mogget, still healing from her previous wounds. "Pet? Where are you?"
Lenore went to the lavatory and knocked on the door, no answer. She grumbled and looked at the ceiling.
"That miserable little creature," Lenore growled, walking towards the teleporting pad.
"Hey! Do you guys wanna play?" Angel said, looking to the large, monstrous creatures that were circling above the desert. The Dragonflies, ragged, scaly skin a bleak white, several parasites lodged between skin fragments, narrowed their eyes, ready to attack. They looked more like dragons than dragonflies, with the exception of their fluttering insect wings. The monsters hardly took notice of Angel until he finally joined the circle, still asking for them to join a game. The swarm dove away from him.
"Where are you guys going?" Angel asked, folding his wings to follow them. Suddenly, a dragonfly attacked Angel from behind with a hungry viciousness, clawing at the small waltz with hooked talons and bony teeth. Unable to retaliate to the sudden attack, Angel began to fall, bearly hanging on to consciousness.
"Angel!" Lenore yelled from the ground, more angry than compassionate. "Get up and fight you treacherous creature!"
Angel couldn't make out the words of the comment, too stunned by the sudden attacks to figure it out. But he still forced himself awake to fight, given him an odd encouragement by the harsh order. The waltz once again spread his wings, righting himself in the air with a natural grace and began ducking and weaving through the dragonflies' assaults, manuevering as though he had known how to fly his entire life.
To Lenore's surprise, the waltz began laughing, enjoying this dangerous game. She narrowed her eyes.
"Angel! Fight them, stop playing!" Lenore growled.
He ducked through another barrage, folding and spreading his wings at split second notices. Perhaps it's about time I ended this game, he mused, quickly flapping upwards and avoiding the creature's jaws. Angel lifted his hands to the heavens, continuously flapping upwards, gaining more and more altitude. The dragonflies below screeched at each other and began swarming, buzzing upwards towards the waltz.
Angel looked up to the darkening heavens, heavy gray clouds closing in by the minute. 'I need more time,' he thought, the conjuration growing in the clouds, congrugated by the waltz's will. 'Just a little more!'
The dragonflies were gaining by the minute, Angel's flapping becoming slower and more forced.
"Damn him! Damn him!" Lenore snarled, narrowing her eyes at Angel. "If he had only listened, he's going to kill himself up there."
The dragonflies were only a few meters away. 'No! I need more time!' he thought, the powerful spell nearly complete. The insect in the screeched in triumph.
"Thundaga!" Angel roared, lightning tearing down from the clouds, striking the dragonflies down, nearly all killed instantly, vanishing into the Mist ridden air. The waltz panted, flapping in place as he caught his breath. Finally, Angel descended, going down to greet Lenore. With several beats of his wings he landed in front of his mistress, very embarassed.
"What did I tell you?" Lenore interogated.
"I was supposed to stay in the west wing," Angel responded.
"And what did you do?"
"I went out."
"Now tell me, why?" Lenore asked.
"I-I...I couldn't help it, I-I was just...I don't know," Angel said, looking up to the sky. "I wanted to fly. And if I'm gonna be punished for it---"
"I have to say, I AM impressed by the way you handled yourself up there," Lenore said. "And I have never seen the power of Thundaga manipulated in that fashion."
Rain started to pelt down from the clouds Angel had summoned up.
"And I've decided though you went against a clear order, I'm pardoning you from punishment," Lenore said. "Though I could just leave you out here in the rain."
"No!" Angel whimpered and ran up to Lenore, wrapping his arms around Lenore's legs.
"Just get off me," a very wet and annoyed Lenore growled. "Come along."
The two teleported back below the sands in a flash.