Please. Just, please, be there.

He could hear the water. It had been a comforting sound some time ago, but now it made him dread. He dreaded it was a lonely place again.

He kept going; he did not stop for a second. He was heading directly for his old refuge. It was the only other place he could head to. Ayako had never told him where her cabin was. He only knew it was somewhere in the south. She had always refused to clarify its exact location, because she feared that if he ventured into human territory, he would be found. She had forbid him of going south, of leaving these woods.

If I only knew where she is…

This place was his only option. Uriel could have fled here, where he thought he would not seek him. It was improbable, but possible.

Alexis landed some distance away from the clearing; his wings were exhausted. He forced himself to keep walking the rest of the way; he pushed away angrily every branch or bush to reach it. He would not stop until he arrived.

He took a deep breath, because he was near. It only took him a couple of minutes. He finally set foot in his clearing.

He did not keep on moving. His whole body stood frozen, his amber eyes watched tiredly and sadly. He glanced at every part of his former hideout from the path he had come from. He could see his cave, how the curtains he made were rotten and fallen. The interior of the cave was full of dust and mud. His garden… was dead, because no one took care of it in his absence. The clearing was empty, his old tools were scattered where he left them, rusted.

There was no one there. There was no trace of those violet eyes, not even at the top of the waterfall.

“N-no-”

He walked blindly towards the cave, slowly. Once near, he laid a hand on the rocky wall, to lean against it and cry. He clenched his teeth painfully with a grimace, unable to ignore the noose in his throat, the burning in his chest.

I have no right to cry.

Even if he felt alone again… he wasn’t. And it was not something good. He barely got time to react to the other’s presence.

Alexis gasped when he heard a loud hiss in the air. He turned around sharply, just in time to see an arrow fly directly towards his chest.

“Ah-h!”

He barely dodged it. He collided fiercely with the rocks behind him; the arrow sunk into the rocky wall and pulled him with it. The shot had pinned him efficiently. It had pierced his clothes, just over his shoulder; it clawed at his skin and ripped some feathers off his wing.

He moved his head to look at the bolt with a scared heave, and then reached quickly with a hand to try to pull it off and get free. And for that reason, he did not look at the distance, from where he had been shot at.

Ayako smiled with an angered and satisfied grin. She moved out of the shadows, with strong but sneaky steps. Her icy blue eyes were fixed on the angel, who was now pulling at the arrow, with force and panic.

Alexis halted for a moment, because he heard the sound of something metallic. He looked away from the arrow to glare at his attacker. He remembered those three hunters; he could imagine anyone wanting him dead, anything… except her. His wings shivered and visibly dropped once he saw her. Ayako had moved away her crossbow, only to unsheathe one of her sharp daggers.

“A-ay-?”

“Alexis…” Ayako took an offensive stance, and spat the next words with rancor. “You tried to kill him.”

His name was spoken like if she didn’t know him. She really didn’t, not anymore. And Alexis soon realized it in her gaze. His eyes opened with horror. He only saw pure hate and disgust in those blue eyes. All directed at him.

She knows.

Alexis let out a silent yelp when he saw her raise her dagger and dash forward, fast. He pulled again to free himself, because he knew he would have her at his neck in seconds. She growled in anger when he managed to rip his shirt off the bolt and move away; he dodged her slash of dagger by inches, she almost cut his arm.

The angel raised a hand up while he backed away at the same time. His wings were flapping strongly, allowing him to jump far from every stab she was trying to give him. His voice was full of confusion, sorrow, realization and disbelief at once.

“Wait! L-let me-!”

He could not say more. He huffed dizzily when she tackled and pinned him against a tree. He just froze, because she raised the dagger over him with an enraged yell.

“Let you what?!” Alexis wanted to scream… but not for his own life. “Let you take me for a fool, like you did with Uriel?!”

Alexis felt a shiver, because he saw her tremble. Some faint violet flames tangled in her eyes. And she did not seem to notice, no matter how much her voice shook.

“You damn l-liar!”

She would have ended the angel right then and there. But she did not. Alexis growled and slammed a hand around Ayako’s wrist strongly; he halted her hand, just in time to stop the stab of her dagger. The point of the sharp weapon was now inches away from his chest, shaking, pressured to sink in. He huffed and began to push it far from him, slowly, because Ayako still had his other arm and hand pinned against the tree. Both struggled, one to kill, the other to get free.

Ayako let out a grunt when Alexis managed to overpower her, thanks to the fierce shove his wings gave her. He sent her backwards, down and along the ground.

He had never fought. He had never wanted to. Not even if he was stronger than humans. He was not weak. He really had not wanted to struggle, but he had no choice. Ayako would not listen to him, not when Uriel didn’t want her to do so. He would have no chance to explain himself; every thought she had of him was gone. Those violet glints were familiar to him. There was nothing left. He saw it in her eyes; he heard it in her voice.

Alexis panted and laid a hand on his chest, just now realizing he had pushed her off. Meanwhile, Ayako stood up from the ground with a curse, pissed off. He did not have much time to ponder on how he had pushed her, none too gently. The only thing clear to him was the fact that she would not believe in him, much less now with his push. She would not buy it if he told her he did not want to fight.

Ayako let out a furious cry and ran towards him again, never tiring.

“Fuck!”

He ended up using his own bracelets to block her slashes of dagger. He could only move away his wings every time she tried to stab them. She knew what he was trying to do: gain distance, to flee. And for that reason, she was not letting him move away. Each time he jumped far, she lunged and forced him to move his wings in an angle that wouldn’t let him fly. She did not show doubt; she did not cower or halt when he tried to speak.

“Please! Stop!”

“And let you find him?! In order to finish the job, huh?!”

If those daggers were not in between them, it would look like they were entranced in a dance. Both were dashing side to side, near each other. Alexis was moving and dodging around her; he kept leaning to a side a millisecond before every stab. Ayako’s long cowl was twirling, with every sharp move she made, to follow and keep him in sight.

Both were too entranced with the other to hear the growls in the distance.

A huge animal was running fast through the woods, following the scent of the human. He had heard Ayako’s call, but she had not waited for him to arrive. His’ tails were flowing around the trees; his claws were scratching the ground with every jump he made. His fangs were showing, ready. He was worried, wondering why she had not waited for him where she used the whistle. He could not imagine either what had made her call. She had not needed him since Uriel stopped being a menace.

Why would she come back here?

He did not care. He only cared about reaching her, to aid her.

Lykaios growled loudly and jumped off a ledge. He knew she was right there, because the leather armor she wore always smelled of fresh herbs. He landed into that clearing, and then stood upright to glare ahead, tails ready to lash.

His red eyes filled with disbelief when he saw the scene before him.

Alexis snarled… and dropped low; he took drive with one of his legs. Ayako screamed when a strong kick struck her off balance. He swiped his leg against her feet and made her fall sideways. Lykaios felt horror when he saw her tumble and hit her head against the ground, while two wings flapped strongly.

Alexis stumbled when he backed away, he cried when she fell. Before he took flight… his amber eyes met with the bloody eyes of the lynx. He shuddered; his hands trembled when a loud and furious yowl echoed through the clearing. He saw Lykaios there, and noticed how his claws twitched, how his tails shook and grew.

The big lynx leaned down to pounce… But by the time he slammed his claws down and tried to bite those wings off, the angel had already jumped into the air and out of his reach. He roared and opened his jaws up, seeing Alexis fly and flee. He lost sight of those wings over the waterfall, in the sky.

His blind rage only faded when he heard an annoyed whimper.

“I- I should have kept using the… crossbow.”

Lykaios bolted for her quickly, and then used his tails to help her stand carefully.

“Ayako…” His eyes lost their fury and bloodlust, and filled with the most genuine care instead. “What has…?”

Ayako looked up to the sky. She cried silently and furiously, without losing her firm expression. Her voice sounded hurt, if he could define it that way.

“He has tried to kill Uriel.”

Those tails hugged her more tightly, because she closed her eyes with resignation and defeat. Lykaios glared intensely at the golden feathers on the ground, thoughtful.

Her sorrowful words were the only thing he needed to know. He only cared of one thing, what she cared for. Alexis had crossed the line.