He could hear them, closer.

“Now, strike, Alexis. We both want her to be safe.”

His red eyes filled with dread as he halted sharply, his claws at the edge of the cliff. He saw clearly the figures below, his fur shivering as he heard her roar.

“Don’t you dare!”

The lynx growled above in the shadows, as the angel neared the two demons, sword in hand. Ayako did not have time to call in fright, one of his tails pushing her to the ground first, forcefully and with sudden urgency.

The sword rose.

“I’m sorry!”

The weapon fell down, directed fiercely towards Aeronwen’s flesh… The runes glinted, a blinding light engulfing the air. The blade and flames descended on the two demons… However, before that weapon could touch her, Uriel felt something latch around him. In a slowed moment, he felt it pull, his claws loosing hold of her. As he fell back, he had time to catch a glimpse of what had hurled him: he saw the tail that had flung him back release its hold on him, to join the others tangling around Gwen, grasping her in his place. Those red eyes gave him a subtle penitent glance, their demonic reflexes allowing them to meet gazes in such a fast instant. As he hit the ground, Lykaios tensed firmly where he had stood, her limbs under his control.

Alexis wheezed when he saw Lykaios dash onto them; he shivered in the second that Uriel was pushed away strongly. His hands were unable to stop the swing of sword or the runes from setting aflame. Aeronwen screamed when the blade pierced her shoulder. The golden fire engulfed her body instantaneously.

Everything happened fast. Alexis cowered and grimaced when he heard her howl loudly, almost to an earsplitting point. The flames crawled over her furiously, causing her to trash wildly and blindly in between the blinding light. Her gaping maw sharpened, while her arm twisted and deformed to be able to reach him. She whipped that claw up, to rip him in half with a raging slash. In reflex, he raised his own arm as he leaned back, to brace himself for her slash.

He did not need to shield himself. He heard another voice scream.

Alexis panted and lowered his hand; he saw Lykaios there, pulling at that deformed arm with a tail, to stop her from lunging and striking with her last bit of strength.

Both Uriel and Alexis stared with horror, seeing both demons burn and howl in agony. Aeronwen’s expression was one of pure rage and torment; all her body was jolting while the golden fire crawled on her flesh. However, there was a trace of satisfaction in her gaping eyes, because she could hear Lykaios scream as well. The blazes fed on demonic flesh… and his tails were touching her when she lit aflame.

Lykaios opened his mouth and raised his head up to wail in pain, the flames engulfing the ends of his long tails, slowly creeping through their length. However, no matter the ache, he did not let go of her. Even though it was unbearable, he kept her still, as she clawed blindly, anything at reach, in a raging outburst.

Alexis and Uriel were dazed by what was happening; their eyes shined with the reflection of the blinding fire. They were not able to react. Not until they heard her.

They both gasped and got out of the daze when Ayako’s scream echoed. She had recovered a little from the push been given, and had run to reach them. She was now frozen in horror, watching as Lykaios burned. She could see how the flames crawled up his long tails… how they neared his body.

Uriel finally stood from the ground, sharply. He cursed, because he understood perfectly Lykaios’ motivations. His own claws and arms would have lighted aflame in a second, if he had been holding her directly. The lynx had lunged and taken his place, saved him from an inevitable death. He growled and began to run towards Lykaios, angry and grateful at once. He did not hesitate, his hands moved up to try to grab the lynx, in a blind attempt at saving him.

“Don’t, Uriel!”

The demon halted dead on his tracks, because an arm came down swiftly in front of him and blocked his way. He saw his angel there, panting after having bolted to stop him.

“Don’t touch him!”

“But-!”

“You will burn too!”

Alexis gave Uriel a gentle shove, to keep him away from the glow. The angel clenched his teeth and snarled, seeing one of the two burning demons crumble down.

Lykaios was breathing heavily on the ground, dazed by the agony. He closed his eyes, and then made his tails let go of her. Aeronwen’s loud screech was slowly dying; her figure had crumbled to the ground, jolting. Half of her face and head was now gone and reduced to ashes. Her body was a mass of blisters and boiling red sap. Her deformed claw gave a last and weak hit against the ground, while her remaining eye twitched and gazed for the last time. She gave a last glance to those horrified blue eyes… and then stopped crawling weakly towards her. She succumbed to the mortal spell, which would soon leave nothing of her flesh.

Soon, it would consume him as well. The Lynx let himself collapse. His muzzle was twisted with agony, while his burning tails quivered behind him. It was the only thing he had let the flames touch, and yet it was enough to mean his doom. His claws were piercing and clawing at the ground, as the fire crept up. It was crawling through his flesh, making way towards his back, soon to devour his whole being.

It was for her sake. For them. They were everything she needed. If one died, she would too. Both would have been gone forever, they would have left her behind and alone. He would never regret his own demise, if it meant her welfare.

Soon I will-

The air swished near him.

Lykaios let out a guttural roar when he felt a strong cut, the warm feel of his blood. Uriel heaved and dashed forward to get a hold of him, seeing his chance right there. Both demon’s rolled on the ground after such tackle, away from the flames, which quickly found no more flesh to extend onto.

Alexis panted and cringed, having cut through the mass of scorching limbs, right before their connection on the lynx’s back. He severed his tails, right where the flames had not reached yet. He sliced his flesh with precision, without word. The sword did not shine, because he had no intention to end the demon.

Those red eyes cried and unfocused while two strong claws pulled at him, away from the flames. They had finally crept all over; the fire consumed everything it could, but he was not near anymore to be touched. He lied still on the ground near Uriel, while the golden fire licked the air to find more flesh. The glow found nothing but ashes; there was no more demonic blood that it could reach, and so, it began to fade and die in hunger; only leaving cinders behind.

The three panted for air. The angel was staring blankly at the remains of what had been flesh. A lynx was whining and curling on itself in pain. While a demon tried to process the idea that he was not dead.

Alexis opened his mouth to speak, turning to face both demons. He wanted to ask if they were alright; as little sense that made right now. He moved his lips, but he only huffed when something tackled him fiercely, all of the sudden. Uriel relaxed, because it had been Ayako who had taken Alexis down to the ground in a tight hug. She sobbed loudly, while the blond stuttered nervously.

“Aya…?!”

“Oh god, thank you! I thought he would burn alive!” She gave Lykaios a quick condemning glance, after she swallowed some of her shock. “Why did you-? You could have died! Just like-! Like…”

She did not know why she felt so relieved that Alexis’ demon had not died. She did not realize it fully, but she felt extremely grateful to Lykaios, even if it had been precarious.

Lykaios let out a growled huff and gave her a look, while she gazed down tiredly in troubled thought.

“If I had not, they would be gone.”

Alexis sighed when the hunter’s hold loosened; her eyes stared at the ground, mournful. What had been Lykaios’ tails… was only ash now.

Ayako slowly raised her gaze, and looked at too many things at once. At the angel, who seemed to close his eyes and breathe in deep relief. At those fearful violet eyes, which belonged to the tall demon that trembled under her gaze…

She wondered why she did not regret that Alexis had not taken down his demon. If he had killed, he would have gone home; he was an angel.

Somehow, even if she mourned Lykaios’ loss, she was glad that he had jumped in between. No one had died; no one but that beast, now erased for good. Her ashes were being dusted away by the soft wind.

A calm silence fell around them; a moment in which they contemplated how broken the clearing had been left. There were withered plants everywhere, nothing looked salvageable from the slashes those thorns had given, and the fall of that demonic tree had left the cliff in ruins. Alexis would have to squish his way through debris to enter his cave. On the other hand, there was something that made all that less dreadful, something quite relieving.

Ayako whispered, somewhat disbelieving.

“She is gone.”

Her expression gained serenity, clarity. Alexis gulped when Ayako stood away from him, to give Uriel a more firm stare.

With the menace now gone and the certainty that Lykaios’ wounds were not fatal… She could think. And that terrified Uriel. Her icy eyes were narrowed, with faint weariness. Alexis raised a hand up nervously and opened his mouth, but he ended up keeping quiet. Neither the angel or demon knew what to do; they did not know if to run or speak. Ayako knew well that Alexis was an angel… and now she had seen Uriel.

Those violet eyes looked down with slight apprehension, because she took a step closer to him. He trembled when her lips parted, when he heard her voice, directed to him, after all this time.

“…First things first.” Her voice flowed unhurriedly, thoughtfully. He got ready for anything she could say. “Thank you.”

He had expected many things; but not that. His eyes blinked, while his claws latched together in his usual nervous tick.

“Huh-?”

She frowned and nodded back to Alexis and Lykaios, while she placed a hand on her chest, to show honest gratefulness.

“Thanks for your help.”

Ayako could see him fidget and shiver, while his tail moved nervously behind him. Even if he was tall and imposing, he looked to be the most scared of the three.

She was grateful. And yet, there was something she could not ignore… Her worried and grateful frown turned into a weary grimace, gradually, after she took a deep breath. Alexis cringed when she looked a little down, to Uriel’s neck. Her icy eyes filled with anger when she saw what he was wearing there, a necklace full of golden feathers.

“I am grateful. But that doesn’t mean I trust you yet, demon.” Uriel flinched and tensed when Ayako pointed a finger at him, with an inquisitive and firm tone. “Are those his feathers?”

Uriel’s mouth opened, leaning slightly away from her prying stare; he found himself raising his claws in from of him, in a defensive and nervous stance. He was at a loss of words, because she was far more intimidating that any demon could ever be; at least for him. He blinked when he saw Alexis peek behind her; he was moving a hand along his own neck, shaking his head in negation. He was sweating, clearly panicking, and signaling him to say no.

Alexis face palmed when Uriel opened that mouth of his.

“…Yes.”

Neither of us is good at lying, are we?

While the angel groaned silently… Ayako’s expression gained slight animosity. Her eyes narrowed, and her stance became more tense and aggressive, subtly. She could not avoid thinking the obvious.

Was he the one who…?

Uriel sighed and stood firm, remaining solemn as she asked again.

“Did you keep him prisoner?”

Alexis’ head wiped upwards when he heard her ask that. He peeked even more behind Ayako’s shoulder, without her seeing him, and began to mouth words to yell silently at Uriel, who could see him. He waved his hands side to side to signal no once more; he begged his demon to have a trace of common sense.

Uriel could not lie to her, or to himself.

“In a cell…”

Alexis raised his hands up and clenched his teeth in anger, glaring at the clouds in exasperation. He wished to smack his demon’s head, before Ayako would.

Ayako snarled, finally glaring up at Uriel with resentment. Her fists clenched, because she remembered those black bracelets that Alexis wore. Something in her… something made her feel dismayed. And she let herself fall into the sudden depression that flowed in her. Her next words were not a question.

“You tore his wings away.”

It was an accusation.

Ayako was surprised when Alexis dashed in between them with his arms outstretched; he gently pushed her a little away from Uriel, with a panicked and anxious look in his eyes.

“No, he did n-!”

“I did.”

Uriel had closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame; he admitted his crime, the one that still haunted him and made him wish he died with the descent he suffered one night.

Alexis groaned loudly this time; he almost clawed at his eyes as he shook angrily. He slowly turned and stopped looking at Ayako, in order to look up at his demon with what was left of his patience.

“No… You. Did. NOT!”

Ayako was a little lost, because Uriel growled and returned Alexis’ firmness and exasperation. He leaned downwards, to argue face to face with the angel.

“Yes. I. DID.”

She stood mouth agape, baffled. Alexis raised a finger and stood on his tiptoes, to point angrily at Uriel’s face, not intimidated at all by those fangs inches away from his eyes. He yelled, trying to make his point get through that thick horned skull.

“No; you didn’t! Uriel, maybe it was your fault, but you were not the one who clawed them off!”

“Still, you lost them because of MY doing, and you know it! Stop denying it!”

“I don’t deny it! I’m just saying that you were not the one who cut them! I’m still bitter and angry as hell, but I know that I can’t place all the blame on you!”

“But who is at fault?! Who made you end up like that?! Had I not…! Had I not done what I did, you would still have them!”

“Hey!” Both blinked and turned their heads to look at her. Ayako was taping a foot on the ground with her arms crossed, clearly annoyed with their ramblings. “Did HE rip your wings or not?”

“Yes, I did!”

“Fuck, no!”

Lykaios let out a long exhale and plopped his muzzle down, because he was unable to scream at them both like he wanted to. Ayako did not know that he knew them already.

Alexis pulled at his hair with one hand, while he lowered the other in front of him, to try to explain himself, with all the nervousness and anger he felt.

“Look, Aya! He won’t do shit to me, alright?!” He gave Uriel a slight push with a hand, yet his demon only frowned sadly, with a nervous sway of tail. “See?! Harmless! He won’t rip me apart, not even put a claw on me! He wouldn’t, not even if I threw a rock at his head; something I can swear I have done already!”

Ayako raised an eyebrow at the taller male, not entirely sure. She ended up relaxing somewhat, because if Alexis was lying, she would know; those thick eyebrows were not trembling. Even more, Uriel was only holding his claws together, looking away in shame.

He really does look harmless… at least by his side.

“But then, why does he have that trinket? Why don’t you have wings anymore?”

Feathers… tied up into a necklace. At first glance, it could seem like if Uriel wore it like a trophy. So Alexis ruffled his hair and looked up in deep thought. He was thankful that Uriel kept quiet this time, to let him explain, to not tell any lie or truth of what she did.

The demon let the sly angel think, to protect the human they cared for. Those amber eyes narrowed, like if he saw something she couldn’t. He spoke sadly, he told half the truth; he kept enough inside to save Uriel from her hate, and to keep Ayako from feeling guilty.

“Ayako, this is not easy to explain…When I fell, some time ago, he did chase me. He kept me away, instead of killing me.” Before Ayako could say anything, he fastened his words. “O-one day, I ran away, fled. And due to that… another devil found me. I lost my wings then; almost my life as well. But Uriel saved me in time; I was his angel, at the mercy of another demon. You know how demons feel sometimes, he was furious.”

Alexis smiled sadly; he could see how those violet eyes were looking at him subtly, full of remorse.

The angel’s voice was full of forgiveness… Which Uriel did not feel like he deserved. His angel could so easily blame him, and he would accept it. He wanted Ayako’s anger and hate deep inside, but Alexis was shielding him from it.

“After that, he let me go. He felt guilty about what happened, to me, his angel. We are bound, if it makes any sense to you. I was… I left him behind; but he has kept an eye on me, just in case. That was why I lived here alone; and why he has shielded us both.”

Violet and amber eyes met again, both speaking without words. Her blue eyes lost all anger. She could see the bond between them, their sorrowful trust. She could not see any blame in Alexis’ eyes, nor any ill intention in Uriel’s ones. There was only care and guilt.

They did not see any violet glint in her gaze. And it was something that hurt and relieved their broken hearts at the same time.

There was silence. The four of them refrained from speaking, because they needed a moment of tranquility, to process everything. They needed to understand that there was no danger; in too many meanings.

She knew enough. All that had happened did not matter now. She did not want to deepen their sorrow by asking questions right now; unknowing of the fact that she was the one spared from grief.

Silence… There was silence until a loud growl echoed.

The three looked at Lykaios awkwardly, while the lynx blinked, baffled as well. The growl had been too high pitched.

“That wasn’t me, you fools!”

All stood deadpanned.

If it had not been Lykaios, then…

Alexis’s eyes shot open. He jolted up into the air and slammed his hands on his head, because he understood who had growled like that.

“ABBY!”

The human and the two demons watched in awe how Alexis almost flied his way towards his ruined nest. He began to search frenetically through debris and dust, to find the small rabbit.

“Ab-?!”

He heard another grumpy growl. He gasped and looked at his garden’s remains. Near the broken plants, there was a hole on the cracked cliff.

Alexis dashed fast, seeing his little friend there. Abiel was stuck in the hole; it seemed that he had tried to hide there, with his stilts, which he could not bend like his real paws. He had broken them as he pressured, and ended up hanging there, because he could not use his stumps to back away. His tail and back were peeking, while he kicked blindly. He had surely tried to hide from that monster, at any cost.

“Don’t worry, Abby! I’m getting you out!”

Both Ayako and Uriel exchanged glances while the angel panicked around, mumbling nonsense as he pulled at Abiel nervously.

Uriel sighed and scratched one of his horns, because Ayako was giving him a long stare. A glance that was full of wonder. He could see her beautiful eyes, and he knew that something deep inside of her mind was pounding. He could see no hate, only apprehension.

It was going to be a long night.