Alexis sighed and smiled a little, while holding a net tightly in his hands.

Another week. And I’m still alive.

The angel let out a small sad chuckle, because he considered that his situation was funny. In a weird way. There was no trace yet of his demon, nothing.

Maybe it was because he was being careful now; he was watching out for any feather he could drop. It kept his demon away, and so, helped him stay alive. But there was another reason.

Alexis frowned, wondering if she would be back at all. He had been leaving the feathers at the same rock, every day. But every time he came back from exploring, they were still there.

Maybe she was angry. He could not blame her for it. Though in his defense, he could say he had all the right to be wary. He had to be to survive.

Alexis pushed those thoughts away, again. He tried to focus on the good side of things. One, he was alive. Two, he had found a lake.

He huffed and pulled the net strongly, when he saw a shadow tangle into it. The lake was big and somewhat deep, with a lot of fish. The best was that it was not that far from his nest.

A small happy laugh escaped him, because he caught a fish in the net; it was plopping around in vain. It struggled, thrashing on shore, not managing to flee. He had to give her credit, it really was easier with a net.

Food was not a problem now. Fish tasted better than fruit, but he ate both things. It was a small good thing in his hopeless fate.

He grabbed the fish gently and carefully, to then let it drop inside a bag he had made a few days ago. Not without feeling slightly bad for it.

“Sorry…”

He felt pity, but he had to eat. He had to keep going. His situation was hopeless, but that did not mean he would not try to live for as much as he could.

He had caught two fishes already, enough for today. He was going to fold the net again and go back to his nest, but his eyes spotted something else tangled in it. Something that glinted subtly. His hand reached slowly for it, to then hold it in front of his curious eyes.

“A shell?”

He eyed it with a frown, not knowing if these things could be eaten. It could be unedible or forbidden by law.

After a minute he just shrugged and threw it into the bag. In his situation, he could not afford to care what would the priests think. It could taste bad, but he would not lose anything by trying it.

———————————-

Along the past days, he had tried many ways in which to cook fish. He first tried to mimic how Ayako did it; it was good, but.. not quite right. It was missing something. Just putting them near the fire on sticks was too simple. He knew that in some other way they could taste better. So he began to think, giving his nervous mind a distraction. If he thought of that, he could not ponder what his demon would do.

Under such conjectures, he cended up crafting something. He raised a flat thin rock above the ground, held up by three sticks he cut to support its weight. With everything tied up and fixed, it helped him cook his food without burning it.

Like the previous days, he neared the campfire calmly, comforted by the thought of a meal. He placed the shell on the stone, much like the fishes he caught. When the fire was lit, the heat below made the rock blaze; an improvised stove. The smoke also gave the food a better taste, something he discovered after his first failed attempts.

Tonight, he could not avoid smiling. He was keeping the fire up, watching out that the food would not burn. His wonder increased, because with the heat, the shell opened slowly, revealing the meat inside. It made his mouth water. His impatience grew with each second he waited.

Alexis ate the fish first, hungry after a whole day of walking and fishing. Once done, he grabbed the shell, in order to inspect it closely.

“Let’s see.”

It was not much, the meat inside was barely a bite. But when he did munch on it… Some rabbits yelped in the middle of the night, bouncing and running to hide, because a loud scream echoed through the woods.

“God, it’s fucking delicious!”

If fishes had a longer memory span, they would wish for a demon to find their new predator.

——————————————————–

The light of a candle lighted the room and desk, where multiple tools and books laid scattered. Cecilia raised the golden feather to her eye level, to then narrow her eyes at it in interest. Her question was bothersome, even if it was voiced quietly.

“Haven’t found it yet? These feathers are perfect. They ease the pain quickly and heal efficiently. We really could use some more.”

Ayako was sitting tiredly near the fireplace, with a cup of tea between her hands. She stared at the embers and let out a sigh, too tired of being questioned.

“No, Cecilia. I have not found the angel yet. I only find feathers.”

She lied. Again. Luckily for her, Cecilia always bought it. Though her insistence was tiring.

The girl of pearly hair smirked while she smashed the feathers in a bowl, mixing them with water and herbs to produce medicine. Her yellow eyes looked at the substance with fascination, while her voice was full of longing.

“It must be a sneaky one, or very fast! Be careful, you tend to find them quickly, and this time it’s taking you too long. It must be very clever.”

Or a complete moron with a lot of luck.

Although Ayako was angry, she still kept Alexis’ whereabouts unknown. He was different, sure, but he would not be safe around humans. Good angels were unheard of, and it would not matter the notion was discarded.

Greed would eventually fall upon him, and it would bring him more than trouble. Not due to her companions… Godric would never want to kill him, given that he would surely surrender many feathers willfully. It was the rest of the village what worried her. The whole region would know about him eventually. And then, word would travel far. Others could want more than what he could give.

She would not admit it, but she worried for the clueless angel.

——————————————————

 

Alexis growled and pulled at his net again. It was dragged onto shore, slowly. He let out a disappointed sob when he saw what was inside. He only had caught a fish. It was not what he wanted.

His eyes staredat the fish sadly. He grabbed it and let it fall gently into the water, freeing it. He had enough food, he did not need more. Somehow, he could not forget that mussel’s taste.

He cursed mentally; he glared at the faint shadows in the depths. By pure chance, he had managed to grab one single shell that day. It surely had unlatched from the bottom of the lake, where he could now see a group of them between sand and gravel. They were there, hard to see, but there. Deep in the lake.

They were out of reach; no matter how much he threw the net, no matter how he tried that it scratched the mussels, they would not come off. Not a single one.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have tried it after all.”

Now he really wished for them. He lamented being unable to have more.

There was not much he could do in these woods. He had no work, no more things to craft. He had already improved his bed with some wood he cut down, resigning himself to use that damn sword. After a while, he even made a chair.

At the moment he was building a small table, to kill time and stop eating outside by the fire. He could make stuff, he was capable… yet reluctant. The only thing that would truly keep him busy was building a cabin, but he wouldn’t do that. It could bring more attention to his clearing in the middle of the woods.

He was bored. So he was spending his time near the lake, trying in vain to catch something more, the only thing that would bring some joy to his doomed existence: food.

He groaned and scratched his hair in exasperation. He ended up dropping his net, because it was useless to try to latch the shells in it. It would be so easy if he could just grab them.

Grab them…

His eyes opened a little more, while his hand lowered, because an idea rushed into his mind. He glanced at the water, more intently.

He was not human. As much as angels tried to see themselves as holy wise creatures, they had the instincts of hunters. Just like the demons they despised with all their souls. They always tried to keep their nature suppressed deep inside. They spent centuries denying their deeper desires and acts, erasing every emotion that made them similar to humans or devils.

Alexis never liked to act that way. He never tried to hide his emotions or be cold, a living statue like the others were.

Now he could not stop looking at the possible meal; he did not notice how his wings shivered with anticipation. He could only think of how much he would like having some shells, enjoy some food.

He was so entranced by the thought that he could not ponder anything else. A choice was made blindly, without thinking twice. He jumped into the water after a deep intake of breath.

He had never swum in deep waters. He only went into the river sometimes, always taking into consideration how annoying it was to dry his wings afterward. If he went into the river, he always kept his wings above the surface. His feet always could touch the bottom near his nest, because the water was shallow. But he had to submerge them now to reach those shells, which were deep down.

He did not worry about breathing, because he had more stamina and strength than humans, even if it did not seem like it. As he floated down, he moved his arms and wings to push himself. His eyes glinted in the dim blue light of the water, full of optimism. All the fishes moved away while he made way slowly. He reached the bottom quickly, thanks to the fact that his wings weighted on him.

He smiled with confidence when he stepped near his objective. His feet brushed the sand and gravel, with slow but firm moves. He crouched besides some rocks and began to pick up shells, to then throw them into the bag tied on his belt. There were many, but he only grabbed a few, mindful of not taking too many. If he ate them all now, he could lack food later.

The angel nodded with satisfaction and patted his small bag. He had taken five shells, strong enough to pull them off the rocks barehanded. Once he made sure they would not slip out his satchel, he tried to swim up, because he would need air soon.

A frown grew on his face when he began to push with his legs and arms. He huffed silently, he struggled. Soon, his eyes widened with subtle fear, because he realized he had only managed to go up a single meter after a whole minute. Even if he pushed with all his might and his wings fought to aid him…

The limbs that had helped him sink, now kept him from swimming up. They were too heavy in the water. The feathers were soaked and dense. His wings moved too slowly to give any real push. He could feel how it all weighted on him. They were pulling him down, flowing slowly like seaweed. His muscles could not manage to make them move as fast as his arms and legs.

Alexis began to panic, finally seeing how stupid he had been to jump. He had thought he would be able to move somewhat, never having gone so deep. Angels never swam like this; they only had one sea in their world, and they never neared it.

He never saw this threat coming, because the elders never taught the lesser youth about this danger. It was not considered essential in their world. He would drown if he did not get out, now.

He growled without opening his mouth, glaring at the surface above. His lungs began to beg for air. And he still could not reach the surface, no matter if he had managed to gain some distance with his efforts. In no time, he would not be able to keep swimming.

His expression twisted slowly. His face lost some of its fear, to show more resignation instead. He understood he would not die because of a hunter, nor a demon, but for some simple shells.

He could only raise one arm weakly while he began to tremble, losing his drive and strength. In the end, he would not see that demon. It would surely laugh once it felt him gone. If the elders knew about this, they would laugh as well.

Maybe I should too…

He closed his eyes, feeling his mind grow foggy. Other than the slight panic and the painful burning for air…

This… feels calm.

He let himself sink again, surrendering to the tiredness. He floated there, unmoving. There was only one thought in his mind.

Alone…

His eyebrows twitched, like his wings did, when he heard a faint splash of water above. He did not think much of it, almost asleep. But soon, he felt something grab one of his arms.

Ayako winced when his eyes shot open, suddenly. The angel jolted as soon as she grabbed him. He tried to back away blindly, startled. She groaned, because he panicked for two seconds, opening his mouth to scream, dazed. He only managed to let out his much needed air, in a fearful reflex.

The hunter decided to stop him before he drowned himself. She slammed a hand onto his mouth and made him keep still. After a few seconds, in which he blinked dizzily, Alexis finally saw that it was her, and not something out to kill him. His eyes hinted sad confusion in between his tiredness, like if he did not understand why she was there.

She was by his side, grabbing his shoulders, beginning to pull him up. As much as thinking was hard and he was losing conscience, he knew something. He knew that she would not reach the surface if he did not help a little.

Both swam as much as they could. Alexis did so weakly, while Ayako made most of the effort. His wings still weighted them down, but she managed to reach the surface of the lake, seconds after he closed his eyes and went limp.

“Gah-ah!”

Her eyes widened, noticing that he did not breathe in like she did. He was not moving either. She quickly pulled him towards the shore, and then she let him drop down to check if he still lived.

There was a heartbeat; she heard it when she laid her head on his chest. But there was no breathing. He had been a long time in there. There was no doubt, he was not human. But still, it had been too much.

Ayako took a deep breath, remembering all that Godric taught her. They were the physicians of the village, and so, she knew what to do. Luckily for him, he woke up before she could try to revive him.

Ayako gasped, because Alexis jolted and bent onto a side suddenly, coughing loudly. He held himself and began to let out all the water he swallowed. She was only able to run soothing circles on his back with her hand, to try to calm him down.

She wanted to scream at him for doing such an idiotic thing. But as he cried and slumped, she decided it could wait.

———————————————

Alexis was still a little shaken. He was not talking much, quiet and timid. Ayako sighed and took off her long black cloak, which was dry, thanks to the fact that she threw it down before jumping into the water.

Once Alexis had recovered enough and his breathing became stable, she had helped him walk back to his clearing. The angel did not dare say a word while they made their way back to the cave. He was ashamed and tired.

Now he was sitting on his chair, in front of a fire she had lit. He only dared look up a little from the ground when she spoke directly and seriously.

“Your shirt is soaked. You’ll get sick wearing it.”

He finally spoke back, timidly, stammering due to his nervousness and the pain in his throat.

“I don’t think-“

“Alexis, for the love of… Ugh.” Ayako rubbed her fingers against her nose, exasperated. “I won’t look, and you have wings. Big. Wings. Need I say more?”

Ayako crossed her arms, refusing to glare while Alexis doubted. With a sigh, he finally agreed to take off his shirt, not before hiding between his big limbs. He knew that she would not accept complaints or excuses. She smiled kindly, seeing him obey and cover himself with his wings, which were a little less damp due to the fire.

“Good.”

Alexis did not move an inch as she approached, but he did shrink slightly when she threw her cloak over his shoulders. That made him stare at the fire, much more ashamed.

The human gave him space; she walked towards a rock, and then sat on it without word. Both stayed quiet for a long while. Until he broke the silence.

“Thanks, Ayako.”

She blinked in surprise, hearing her name. It was the first time he voiced it, ever since she told him. Her bafflement faded, replaced by a warm smile instead. Her gaze hinted care, even if she was tired. She could see the gratefulness in the sad eyes of the angel.

“No problem, Alexis.”

She had been right to worry. But she would never admit she did.

Alexis seemed to calm down a little more after a while, grateful for her silence and lack of scolding. He eventually looked at her, raising an eyebrow with a sad frown.

“How did you know I was drowning?”

Alexis  grew suspicious when she looked away suddenly, laughing in a nervous sharp manner.

“Know? I simply was around… and heard a splash of water.”

Alexis was not stupid.

“…”

“…”

He did not buy the blank smile she was trying to keep on her face. There was a sheepish look on her expression, one he had seen before, when she tried to hide why Lykaios helped her. He could sense her nervousness.

“You were spying on me.”

Ayako yelped a little and almost bounced on her rock. Her smile almost faltered too. She was quick to try to hide it.

“Me?! Spying on you? No way. Why would I want to stalk a dork like you? I was just searching for medicinal herbs and-“

“Those kinds of herbs don’t grow near the shore of the lake. If you were really gathering, you would have headed north, past the water.”

“How can you know…? I heard you fall from far away!”

Alexis’ eyes narrowed, finally seeing through her lies.

“If you had been far, you may have heard the splash. But it could have been an animal, no? You had to see me jump in; if not, you would have not thought I was below. I spent five minutes in there, enough time for you to think I would get out. But I didn’t.” He smiled a little smugly, seeing her eyes spell out the truth. “You worried after five minutes, knowing that even if I am able to stand more than a human, I still need to breathe. You saw me dive in!”

Ayako trembled, cursed and then tried to find another excuse. She found none. He smirked when she confessed reluctantly.

“Fine! I was spying on you!”

“Why? I thought you were angry!”

She held her hands together and averted her gaze.

“You still left feathers…”

He stared at her, unbelieving.

“You have been keeping an eye on me, all these days?”

She smiled sadly and nodded, a little ashamed.

“I admit it. I worried. You are a fool, but not a bad person. I could not leave you alone. What if that demon…?”

There was silence for a moment. Alexis smiled faintly, because he saw she really cared, not only about his wings. But his smile did not last long. Ayako began to laugh; her shoulders began to tremble too. She raised a finger to point at him, while she chuckled playfully.

“Really, I should have worried more about what YOU could do!”

“Not funny…”

She kept laughing, ignoring his unamused glare.

“What were you even thinking? Swim? With those wings?”

He fidgeted on his chair and answered nervously between some small growls.

“I did not know that would happen! I saw some shells, and I thought that-!”

“Almost drown, for some shells?! Oh my god, this is priceless. You really are weird!”

“Shut up!”

“Or what? Will you try to swat me with your wings?”

“I may!”

Alexis stood with a grumpy growl, wings already dry, more or less. But he halted, seeing her laugh more strongly, almost falling off the rock where she was sitting.

He slowly followed her gaze. He had moved his wings away from over his chest. And he had taken off his shirt a while ago.

While the angel blushed red, panicked, and held himself again with his wings, she finally plopped down onto the floor in a fit of laughter.

The human was weird. But he guessed they both were.

—————————————–

 

Alexis was more careful since he almost drowned. The moment was engraved into his mind, forever.

A sigh escaped him as he walked back to his den, with only one fish in his bag. He had not dared to even think of those shells again. He ignored their presence in the lake for days. They were delicious, and he had to forget about it, or else.

So much for the only thing that was good in here…

He finally jumped down the small ledge that led to his clearing from the lake, having been walking around the cliff to reach it. He intended to drop the bag inside and go straight for his bed, tired. The sun was already setting, and he was not in the mood for anything.

He really would have gone inside to call it a day, but something caught his attention. He halted at the mouth of the small cave, because he saw something that was not there before. There was something on the rock where he always left his feathers.

He approached slowly, confused. Where there had been golden feathers, there was now a bag, and a note. He took the paper first, and began to read silently.

“I will take them. I’m not angry, you aren’t either; even if you are quite grumpy. As payment…”

It could only be Ayako. With that notion, he left the note on the rock again. His hand reached slowly for the small bag. When he opened it, he stood there for a whole minute, staring at its contents.

“Y-you…”

There were other kinds of fish inside, not only from fresh water, but from the ocean. Furthermore, there were some mussels, from varying types and sizes.

Alexis just cried silently and held the bag close to his chest. He did not feel so alone now.