"Stop!" they each turned from one another at the sharp cry, spinning in surprise at the sudden voice, their argument forgotten in the moment that they were caught "Just stop!" All four sets of eyes widened at the sight of the little fledgling standing just on the inside of their garden's gate, little eyes wide as she stared at them, tears making them sparkle in the light of the onset evening. "Stop fighting! Stop it! Stop!" There was no words they could say, "This is how it all started! I remember! There was so much yelling! No more!" Before any one of them could think about stepping forward, the fledgling turned, throwing the gate open, and bolted from their garden. The clashed against the catch, bouncing back open with the force enacted upon it, and some turned to look at them in surprise at the sudden turn.
"What…What were we even fighting about?" the Messenger asked the question they were all thinking, unable to tear his wide eyes away from the swaying gate, and none of his brothers answered as none of them even knew anymore. They followed at a sedated pace, closing the gate softly behind them when they exited, and eyes turned to watch them walk passed in surprise and shock. None had heard them argue since they'd returned. It was frightening to see, seeing on how it had started the downfall all that time ago, and it hurt to see it in their eyes as they passed.
Even if she didn't know it, they each know where she would go, where she always disappeared to when she got so upset.
Joshua regarded them with saddened, but harsh eyes, "You must learn that all things have consequences."
"We didn't know she was there."
"Little ones are usually in places they are not thought to be." He nodded in the direction they knew to look in "One must always be cautious when they are more then not around." They ducked under the Gardeners stern gaze, thanking softly as they passed for him granting them entrance "Just fix the damage you have caused. That little fledgling has seen more than she tells anyone. Even me." He held up a ripe peach for the Healer to take "And I always provide her favorite treat." His old guardian smiled at him as he took the peach from his grasp, curling his fingers around it, stepping onto the path that led to their clearing.
There she sat, her back to them, folded up on herself. Her shoulders shook with the force of her cries, fingers digging into her robe tightly, face buried in her knees. They exchanged careful looks and stepped further into the clearing.
Lucifer stepped on a small twig and it snapped.
"Go away."
"I can't."
She shot a watery glare at him from over her shoulder and turned back around again.
"We are so sorry, little one."
Michael sat a few paces behind her, folding his legs in the grass, and leaned forward on his elbows. The others followed after her, sitting at his shoulders, around in a half circle. She ignored them for the first few moments, possibly fifteen minutes, until her cries silenced and she rubbed at her face with the back of her little hands.
"Why did you have to fight?"
"Because we are dummies." The others turned to send a glare to the Messenger at his confession, and she spied it from over her shoulder, a soft wet giggle floated around them. "Big dumb dummies."
"Yea, you are."
While they were not on board with being called 'big dumb dummies' they would take any name if it meant she talked to them again. Slowly, the time passing by as the sun started to set, casting an orange hue over the sky, the fledgling turned to look at them.
"Don't do it again." She wiped at her eyes again, "When you guys fight bad stuff happens and then you all go away and I don't wanna lose you."
Lucifer sighed deeply, reaching a hand out for her, which she stared at for a moment before crawling up to take. She allowed him to guide her forward, crawling on her knees, and to be pulled into his lap.
"I can't promise we won't fight ever again." He curled his arms around her tightly, "We're brothers. Brothers do that." He looked up to see the others nod to his statement, "But we will never go away, not again, it's a sad history that we have. But we learn from our pasts. And it is not one we will relive."
It seemed to appease her, even she and Zaves had arguments, but they always made up in the end. She rubbed her face into the folds of his robes and nodded, curling in close, looking up when the Healer held out a ripened fruit.
"Peach?"