My head slightly ached when I woke myself up, the pit of my stomach feeling somewhat cramped. Was I still tired after sleeping? That was strange-
How did I fall asleep?
"What?" I looked down at Casper, who was snoozing near my legs, his wings tucked snuggly against his back, "How did I go to sleep?" I held my head, trying to understand how I ended up back here in my cove. Had I passed out again?
There were no thoughts, no memories—nothing at all. The last thing I remembered was speaking with Janus. She had shared some information that only addressed my questions, leaving many others unanswered. I wondered if Janus actually knew the answers, but she must have.
"Did I fall asleep with her..?" My face heated up at the thought, and I got slightly embarrassed at the realization of what I might have done. Casper whined and nudged his snout between my hands so I could pet him. I did so, sighing and laughing to myself for overreacting at the thought. "I should apologize. It gives me time to go and see her again as well."
The thought of seeing Janus again made my heart spike; it excited me. I tossed the blanket off, found my feet, and stretched my wings out as I reached for the door. Casper was right on my trail, following between my legs, his body jumping up in excitement.
When I left the room, I turned to my side to see a group of people. Before I knew it, I was pulled into a sudden hug with strong arms. Rory's red hair covered my face, making me yack out when they held tightly to me.
"We were so worried for you!" They cried out, keeping me in a tight hold.
Bridget and Seth came up behind them, Seth hugging me and Bridget patting my shoulder with a gentle, concerned smile. "We all were. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Ah, I am.. but-" I tried to move, feeling slightly annoyed. "I will be suffocated if they continue."
"Right.." Bridget giggled, tugging at Rory. The redhead cried, trying to fight back, but ended up grabbing onto Seth just beside me.
"Hey-" They both yelped when falling onto the floor, Seth falling right onto the other whose back was against the ground. The blonde blushed, glaring at the angel, "you-"
Rory surprised him by pulling him into a hug while he was still on the ground. Seth stopped talking, remaining upright with his elbows resting on the ground as Rory hugged him tightly. The blonde glanced at us and received a shrug from Bridget in return.
"Right.." He sighed out loud, slowly lifting themselves from the ground by holding Rory's back.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Bridget came back to me, her eyes searching my own.
"Yes.. yeah, I am," I took a step back, Casper stopping my movements when I felt him just behind my legs. I gave a glance to him before turning my attention back to the others who had all their eyes on me. "I just blacked out, I wasn't in pain or anything."
"Are you sure?" Bridget put a hand on my shoulder. "You looked like you were in pain when you were out."
My body flinched at that. I don't remember feeling any pain during that memory. It's strange… Still, I held myself together by reassuring my friends that I was fine. I should be fine. Nothing bad happened while I was out, and I knew they wouldn't be able to help me.
Rory came back over to my side, their eyes slightly puffy. "We were worried for you, idiot..!"
"Rory-" Seth tried to step in, only the redhead ignored him.
"I have never seen an angel experience pain. I've never seen what pain actually looks like, and—" they began to panic, their eyes wide and hands trembling slightly at the thought.
Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arms over their shoulders and pulled them into a hug. Rory stiffened before they cried once again while squeezing me back. I took a look over their shoulder to peer at the other two, who exchanged confused glances. I guess Rory isn't usually like this?
I pulled away, wiping the tears from the angel who sniffed away their pride. "Trust me. I didn't feel it that much.. I wasn't hurt."
"But you know how it feels..."
"..." My gaze slightly flickered, I wanted to say something to try and counter that but I had no idea what to say. "I do.."
Rory huffed, crossing their arms before stepping away. "I'm sorry. I got a bit emotional.. never seen something like that up close."
Bridget came to their side, rubbing Rory's arm with a sympathetic look in her big eyes. The redhead calmed down, sighing at the touch, along with Seth, who was standing close to their back, his wings slightly over their back to bring warmth to the trembling being.
"Guess you're not as strong-headed as you make it seem." Seth nudged them, giggling lightly.
Rory made a sound, glaring at him with a smirk on their face. "Don't tempt me, blondie.."
Seth calmly responded, prompting the redhead to pounce on him with playful tickles. They playfully bickered back and forth while Bridget giggled nearby. I approached her, tucking my wings down slightly to get a better view of her face. "Bridget?" I asked. She looked up at me and smiled. "Thank you for calling the goddess over for me."
"What?" Bridget tilted her head.
"The Gate Goddess, she was the reason I came back to my senses. You called her over, right? Or was it one of them-"
"She came over on her own Vienna."
My heart spiked, my face warming up. "What?"
Bridget covered her mouth with a soft laugh. " She just appeared out of nowhere when we managed to take you out of the water. It looked like she could sense that you were in distress and came over as soon as you were on land. I knew the goddesses could monitor us, but I didn't realize to what extent."
She shook her head, raising her eyes back to me before her smile stopped. She took in my face, her face dropping.
"She.. just came without being told?"
"I-I guess?" The tiny angel shrugged, trying to read my expression. "She really cares about you more than I have seen her care for any other angel." She scratched her head, "I mean, cares about everyone here. But she doesn't follow us and touch us as much as she does with you. If that makes sense?"
It doesn't.
"I suppose it does," I replied, turning my head away as I spoke. Bridget laughed and suddenly pulled the two angels apart, who were still arguing. I looked up at the sky, humming thoughtfully after learning more about the goddess. I wanted to know everything about her, the goddess who cared so deeply for me. It felt strange, though. Who could care so much for someone like me?
"Ok, guys, enough," Bridget finally spread them apart, glaring at them. "I think we should go somewhere to release all your energy."
"How about we go see the Warrior Angels?" I suddenly butted in, stepping forward with Casper jumping up to follow.
Rory exchanged a glance with Seth. "I like that idea, but they are a lot when training, and after what happened-"
"I want to, though," I stood back off the wall, looking back at everyone who started to follow. "If we could go together..?"
"Of course," Seth nodded, landing a arm around Bridget and Rory. "Let's go, guys."
I could see the unease on Bridget's and even Rory's faces. They were unsure about this, especially with Seth pulling them along to lead the way. I stayed a little behind, ensuring that my hand was gently grazing Casper's head while he yipped for my attention and the pets around us.
"This isn't a good idea, Seth.." I could slightly make out Bridget's whisper.
"Hate to agree, but I do too," Rory whispered as well.
I noticed Seth shook his head at their concerns. "It's not gonna go bad as long as we make sure she is safe. She might like this subject, so she will have fun and not think about whatever is causing the.. pain."
"I do hope she doesn't feel that again.." Rory shivered, "it didn't look nice…"
"We will make sure Vienna is fine, Rory," Bridget nudged them, trying to ease them with a gentle smile.
"That's the spirit!" Seth said aloud, turning to catch my eyes watching them. "Come on, Vienna, let's race there!" He let go of the angel before sprinting off into the winding, tree-infested forest.
I bolted right after him, passing the two with Casper right behind me.
"Oh, you're so on, Blondie!" Rory jumped up and dashed after us, along with Bridget, who made a strained, annoyed sound as we ran off. They took off into the trees, the leaves falling between our movements like the strong wind as the sound of pounding feet and fluttering wings grew just behind me.
Rory ran past me, skipping over to Seth, who was only a few feet from me. They jumped, overstepping all of us with their hands up in the air. They even had the decency to turn and give us a tongue before running faster and out of view. Seth called out in anguish, using his wings to speed up quicker. But Rory was faster.
I could hear Brigets struggling for breath just beside me. I fell behind so I could stay close to her. "Come on!" I waved, flapping my wings to shower her in feathers.
The tiny angel brushed one off her forehead, her wings fluffing up with affection as she sped up to stay side by side with me. Before we knew it, we entered the same large clearing that the Heaven Wolves were.
We burst into the clearing, wincing silently as the sun beat down on us in the open. Rory and Seth were already there, arguing about who had won. Rory insisted they had won, while Seth tried to tackle them to the ground. Casper yipped excitedly, his tail wagging wildly as his eyes searched for mine.
He looked to be asking for permission to go off. I looked around to see if I could find the Heaven Wolves. I caught them near the same end where the dens were before. They were lazing around, so it seemed fine for Casper to run off.
I nodded to him, watching the pup jump into the sky, his wings flying up to lift him into the air. His legs turned into his body, making him zoom past us. That caught the two eyes; they turned to us when Casper passed them, his tail hitting Rory as he did so.
"Took you guys long enough," Seth stretched, his wings spreading out again to hit Rory as it did so. The redhead hissed at him along with Casper, who ignored both of them and instead bolted back into the air. "We've been waiting here for forever."
"Yeah, right. We were right behind you." Bridget nudged him playfully.
"Sure you were~"
"Stop hitting me!" Rory jumped Seth from the side, ruffling his hair in their grasp. The blonde tried to fight back, but it was clear Rory had a good hold on him. "Pay for it, you blondie!"
They continued to bicker, with Bridget trying to pull the two apart while my gaze wandered elsewhere. I initially watched Casper fly around, but soon my attention landed on a group ahead. I knew exactly who they were; my breathing hitched, and my hands felt warm at the sudden sight. Even with their armor on, I recognized the prominent figure among them.
I shouldn't get cold feet now. I chose to come here to release our energy and distract my mind from what had happened, so getting scared is not allowed.
Building up my confidence, I motioned for Casper to follow me as I made my way over to the group. They were training, the tallest angel watching over with a keen eye under her helmet. I could hear the step pattern behind me, along with an uneasy voice coming to my senses.
"Vienna? Are you sure about this..?" It was Bridget, making her way over to me with shaky hands.
I tossed a glance behind me, watching as the other two were soon behind me as well. I didn't understand what the tiny angel was getting at, but she seemed nervous. "Why?"
"The Warrior Angels. I don't think they like to be interrupted.."
"Which is why they train here and away from everyone." Seth bumped in, trying to stop us from moving forward. "We can just watch from afar, no need to interrupt-"
I sped up, hearing Seth and Bridget hiss at me to stop. But it was too late.
I was close enough to gain the Warrior Angels's attention. Arden was the first to turn; her eyes were almost black in the shadows of her mask. I stopped only a few feet from the large angel who towered over all of us.
Casper whined, tucking his tail back as he stared up at the warrior. The other soon came behind the Chief of the Warrior Angels, staying close behind her. They set down their wings and put their swords away with keen eyes, watching us; some even took off their helmets to give us their full attention.
I waited, watching the others, before my sight landed on Arden. The tall woman tilted her head; she soon pulled off her helmet and threw her head back to brush the hair from her face. Her sharp blue eyes found mine, leveling with mine, and made my back stiffen.
I don't know what it is about her, but she makes me tremble.
I tried to brush that fear off, finding my voice in my throat to speak. To see my reason for being there in the first place.
"Sorry for interrupting, but I would like to speak to the one in charge of the Warrior Angels?"
I knew who it was; her eyes were watching my own with intense interest I just wanted to ask, to hear her say it to my face.
Arden smirked, her lips parting with the scar slightly tilting upward.
"You're looking at her." Her voice was deep, brooding, and smooth, carrying a thick accent. I had to stop myself from flinching at how straightforward she was. It had a hard edge that made me think I was speaking to an older man, yet there was also a softness in her tone, a gentle undertone that highlighted her feminine appearance.
Alright, enough daydreaming about the tall angel's voice. I had a reason for speaking to her, and I don't know what the outcome might be.
"I would like to know if I can join."
There was silence; it stretched on like a long, winding river. I could feel the shocked and confused eyes watching me from behind, but I couldn't look away from the blue eyes looking down at me. The other Warrior Angels looked at one another; uncertain of the idea, they were hesitant.
Unlike Arden, the large angel let out a low and loud chuckle. I flinched, finding her snickering just above me with low and steady eyes. I was tempted to defend myself, but I didn't know why she was laughing in the first place. I had an idea, and it made something inside me boil.
Her hand wiped down her mouth, eyes steadying themselves back onto me. Unwavering as, my feet felt planted into the ground.
"Join? You want to join my group?"
"Is there any other group I could join?" I looked around, knowing what I would find before I turned back to her. "I don't see any other group that plays in your field."
"Do you like our field?" The tall angel tilted her head down, leveling with me. "You don't have to like it. You have to do it."
What? That made no sense. I shook off the thoughts, trying to find my voice to defend myself in some way. But what was I meant to say? I didn't understand this angel.
"You do not understand." Arden moved away, reading my thoughts. "As I thought, come back if you find the reason-"
"I have a reason!" I shouted out, feeling my wings fluff up from my adrenaline. Casper yelped slightly, looking up at me along with the three angels who were still quiet behind me. "I have a reason; I want to help and protect."
"You think that is a reason?" An angel scoffed behind Arden, looking down to find my gaze.
"She doesn't understand." Another one with a silky accent said from behind.
"Then tell me, so I can." I forced their eyes back on me, drawing their attention from the tall angel who was about to leave. She turned back, her wings growing rigid against her back.
"I shouldn't have to tell you anything."
I hid a growl from coming up my throat, crossing my arms together. "Then can I show you?"