"But, why can't I come with you?"
Michael heaved another sigh, as he prepared himself to explain for the fifth time just as to why the fledgling could not join them, kneeling to pry her fingers off from around his wrist, ignoring his brothers when they laughed from behind his back, the fledgling looked up at him with wide pleading eyes.
"I've told you, little one, many, many times why."
Leaving her on her own with the caretakers in the guardian surrounded by other fledglings was not their first choice; there had been quite a few who had said they'd watch over her while they were away, but they had declined. It was good for her to be around those her own age every now and then and they had wanted the others to have the day of rest to themselves. Their fledgling could survive one day with the other fledglings.
He leaned forward to press a kiss to her temple "Be good." And left her standing there, surely with her little arms crossed, and couldn't shake the feeling of dread that filled him as they left her standing there behind them.
It shouldn't have honestly come a surprise to them when the four of them had returned to collect their charge from the caregivers watching over the young fledglings in the garden, to find the caregivers tied around a tree, and the fledglings running around amok.
Michael and Raphael knelt to untie them from their capture, Gabriel snorted as he crossed to kneel in front of their all too innocent fledgling sitting precariously on a rock munching on a peach.
"What did you do?"
She stopped chewing for a moment, looking up at him with wide round eyes, swallowing her mouth full of peach.
"Eat a peach, Gabe."
The Messenger snorted again, nodding towards the caregivers as they were aided to their feet, and then towards the wild fledglings being subdued by the cooling grace of the Morningstar, him humming them into silence until they curled up on the soft grass to nap.
"I can see that. Why were they tied up?"
"They said I couldn't have any peaches."
"So, you led a revolt against them?"
Their fledgling nodded, taking another bite, "Sure." He tilted his head as he watched the two caregivers wave in their direction "How did you manage to do it so efficiently?" his answer came in the form of his second stepping out from behind a tree taking a large bite out of a peach. Their eyes met, the Messenger slowly coming to stand back up, as they stared each other down. The young messenger turned and bolted, his master leaping over the stump their common friend sat on and chased after him, leaving the others in his wake shaking their heads in exasperation.
Akeelah shrugged, a tad smugly, and took another bite of her peach. At that moment, Joshua turned the corner, saw what had transpired, and wrapped his arms around his midsection as he bent over laughing.