He had the upper claw.

His nails were now bloody, his eyes extremely sharp. Slowly, his steps were nearing the figure that was attempting to back off. To no avail. Another swipe of mace, upwards. A useless move; he finally kicked it out of his grip, making it fall next to a corpse.

Uriel took another step forward, the angel took another backwards. It could not fly anymore, he had broken one of those white wings, now red. A growl escaped him as he waved off a stream of fire it tried to send him, as it fell backwards.

And he… enjoyed seeing it cower. Not with the same fear he had once seen in amber eyes, innocent and lacking any will to struggle. No, this thing still was kicking, raw hate in its eyes as it tried to keep some distance, hands as flaming as his claws. The angel kept piercing him with a vile outraged stare, even when trying to retreat.

There was no fear of death, only dishonour.

For this thing was still looking at him like he was the one to cower, like a worm. There was pure pride, even if he cornered it against a broken wall when he punched away one swipe of a fiery hand.

He grabbed its neck, his eyes fixing impossibly on its scowl as he pressured, his other claw stabbing through the only wing that still thrashed. Right then, he took a breath and began to pressure his nails.

And yet…

Uriel’s eyes softened, for a moment remembering. The touch of those white feathers was so different… and still, it made him falter for a second. His nails twitched slightly back, recalling the touch of golden feathers, once, against a wall too. Cornered, so easy to tear that throat out… end an angel.

He faltered, as he did that day. And this angel did not give him the same contemplation or wonder. There was only malice.

The demon heaved, for the angel did not stand by idly under his doubt. His fangs showed in pain when the angel punched too, flaming, releasing his wing as he bent slightly.

Ariel gasped, stopping pushing stone to free Lykaios. She had dashed to help him get free as her father fought, for she had not been able to cast her own flames through theirs. And now she trembled, seeing that he had lost the drive he had seconds ago. Even Lykaios shivered as the roles were reversed, now Uriel the one to fall back, the angel standing tall once more.

“Uriel!”

Ariel dashed, Lykaios finally broke the beam that pinned his hind leg. They ran, seeing that monster grasp the mace once more, lunge over him.

And Uriel only sat there, pondering how at reach the kill had been, how he could have torn that neck in one simple slash.

So easy…

And he had not been able to. Even though he had many reasons to do so and his body had that strength.  As that figure swung down, he could still see all the hurt he caused to another one, how he twisted bright smirks into tormented sneers.

There was a loud echo. Ariel stopped running, Lykaios halted. Blue, red and violet eyes widened, the mace falling. But not with the force needed to kill.

Uriel finally began to breathe in, panting, his tail curling away just in time to avoid being crushed under the weight of the angel, who tumbled down to the ground, dead.

The three demons froze… for the gunshot was followed by the sound of more firearms, pointed, not too far.

The three trembled and looked back, shivering as a group of soldiers crept closer from the distance, their aim on them.

But they were not shooting, not yet; even if they could see that thought in some of their eyes. They dared not move as the human squadron ventured into the wrecked town, as they examined and tried to pull survivors from the ruin.

The humans glared them down, a captain from Feiren eyeing the surroundings with confusion and bafflement. He regarded their presence with distrust, but not spite.

They had expected other humans seizing their land… not angels.

——————-

 

“Why do you falter now?!”

He could hear the calls, the mockery; steps scouting the balconies, where they had entered. Now many wings were opened by them, waiting for them to try to leap and escape.

“Come and show me that desperation again, it’s the only thing you can wield! Unless you want to die cornered like an animal, like him! And soon, her!”

Alexis jumped two steps of stairs at a time, Aurora following close, never letting go of his hand, even though he was accidentally pressuring on her nails and getting small cuts.

“You can’t hide! Not here, not out there! None of you!”

The tunnels were close now. He could see the glints, light peeking and sinking into the stony rooms, not from the balconies. There was less blood down there; the angels had lunged from above.

But the few that remained were descending, with that horrible voice.

“The coast is ours! No angel shall rest now, not until all of you are dead!”

The gates of hell had opened in this land, a hell from which he had escaped from.

And truthfully, as he ran, he could not tell if it would make any difference to be in the opposite edge of the world. That portal was now in dangerous hands, insurance for their bloodlust.

He wanted to say many things. Yell back to that monster. Whisper to her. Reach for and mourn the one he owed everything to. But right then, while he fled again… he really just wished to hide. Find somewhere to hide, for all around him was falling upon them.

Two pillars in his life had already crumbled. He was too complacent to see the fall of the last one. But he knew, could not possibly ignore, that the rest could soon follow.

I can’t lose more. No more.

Those words echoed and stabbed as he gasped, two wings emerging ahead, from a turn. Aurora saw first, and let go of his hand. The angel clad in heavy armour heard the arrow fly. It collided with his sword, his judging eyes fixing on them, black wings subtly tensing.

Alexis pulled at her, both snarling and dodging down some stairs as fire greeted them.

A yelp escaped him when they reached the end of the stairs, for another soldier bolted into their sights, long axe held tight, between them and the only path.

“Fuck!”

He was fast to raise up his sword, while she took a step back, no space in between to aim.

The wingless angel ducked twice, two swings that could have either beheaded him or cut his arm as he moved his sword. He could not turn to look back when he heard a pained heave at the stairs, right after an arrow had been let loose.

While he struggled, Aurora glared at the stairs, sure that the angel that had tried to descend them was now reconsidering doing so, thanks to a nice gap on a wing. And so she turned, ready to pierce the ones that dashed near her father as well.

However, a snarl escaped her, for the tunnel was narrow… and she could not be sure she would not pierce him.

“Move!”

“Kind of… difficult!” He huffed and stopped another swing, his arms feeling extremely tired. “I can’t jump over you or give him my back!”

Not that he would let this bastard near her in the first place.

“I can’t shoot at him! I need-!”

Those words seemed to make the soldier’s eyes glint. And it made Alexis shiver. Subtly, ever so subtly, the bastard leaned back, giving him some space. But a space that would be deadly, there was murderous calculation in those eyes.

He had dealt with axes before and with murderers. There was no mistaking the motion, the clear intention of hauling the axe into the air… over him. Past him. Into her.

Aurora’s wings tensed, her fangs showing as she saw it too. She welcomed it, for it would leave the soldier unarmed, perhaps allowing Alexis to push past and leave him in between for her to shoot.

It was not a risk he allowed or even considered.

Her blue eyes narrowed as she heard a heave, tearing of flesh. There was no need for her to shoot… for he had moved indeed.

Alexis panted with wide eyes while she stared at his sword, sunk past the chest plate, those arms up enough for him to take advantage of that opening. There were stronger instincts than demonic or angelic ones.

His shoulders trembled when he sneaked a glance into those eyes, which gave him one last shocked and judging look. And then he let his sword slide out, the angel falling at his feet with a gaping wound.

And he just kept himself there, hands on his sword, staring down with multiple raspy breaths, now seeing why three hunters had wished to rip his wings while he lived. His amber eyes lidded slightly as he saw those feathers lose some colour.

“I-“

There was no time to ponder what he had just done. He could not reflect on any regret or gratification.

“They are down here!”

“Shit!” Aurora cursed, hearing the angel she had shot call from above the stairs, revealing their position to Einar and his troops. “Let’s go!”

An open path, bloody, but open.

She did not reflect on how he barely could hold his sword in his shaky grip while she pulled at him. He did run, but did so tiredly, not really seeming to register his own steps.

But he still knew he had to run behind her, at all costs.

What he had just done… she could have; easily, and surely, if her eyes had seen him bleed.

As the light finally greeted them, at the end of one of those huge tunnels, he stared down at one of his hands. His next haunted frown was regretful, but clarity set in.

With a deep breath, he hastened his pace, even beginning to pull at her more. Somehow, even if he hated to have spilt blood, he was glad to have been the one to do it. He had to.

Their figures were seen from above, multiple angels snarling in the heights of the fortress as they spotted them running through the fields below, now distant.

At the feet of the ancient temple, a silver winged angel gazed upon the corpse of one of his men. He regarded the sight with a lean of head, his eyes quick to roam onto the far distance, where the breeze flowed… and where he could chase one who could not take the same flight through it.

His wings opened to cut the wind, angry to see such contest in him.

———-

 

“I-!” She called, her claw shooting ahead to point into the distance. “I see them!”

Lykaios fastened his pace, uncaring that he had two on his back, quite heavy, not as light as the one who would caress his mane in the past.

“Faster!”

“I am as fast as I can be!” He threatened Uriel for such growled order, glaring fiercely at him with his red eyes. “Why don’t you jump off and run yourself, you foo-?!”

That’s exactly what he did. Lykaios huffed as Uriel stood on his back and used that motion to leap multiple feet ahead, even dropping to his four to dash once he hit the ground.

He did not have Lykaios’ stamina to keep the same speed for long. But he did not need to. His violet eyes narrowed, fixing, seeing them there, running downhill towards the woods from where they emerged. Just a field of distance; Aurora finally had ground to dive, take off. He saw her grasp Alexis once again, letting him hang by her claws; his feet kicked against the ground to help them forward, for they did not take off from the same height the peak had provided them before.

They were close, out of that dreadful fortress… and there was only one reason why they were running like this.

Alexis snarled, seeing Uriel growl and take haste ahead; he did not need to look back to know what lurked behind them.

“Go back!”

He yelled and pleaded, but his demon only lunged more furiously. Instead of bolting away, he swung a claw, finally reaching their side. Alexis heaved as Aurora let him go to the ground, only Uriel preventing an arrow from striking them from above.

“Move!”

He pushed both blonds, Lykaios finally reaching them. Then, he bared his claws, setting the grass under his feet on fire, invoking as many flames as he could. Just as two angels landed in front of them, both snarling when they found themselves blocked from their targets.

By the time the two soldiers extinguished Uriel’s flames with their own, a beast was running away, fast, unhindered by the weight of three, shadowed by bronze glints over it.

Alexis held a hand over his chest, slightly slumping over Lykaios’ mane. He dared not breathe much as a question pierced him, voiced dreadfully, anxiously.

“Where’s Angus?!”

He did not have the heart to look at Ariel, not only because his whole body hurt. Uriel’s claws seemed to hold him tighter, his grip on him perhaps the only thing that kept him on Lykaios’ back.

His demon whispered, knowing well that there was only one reason why he was not with them as they ran.

“Alexis…”

“He-“ Lykaios did not protest or growl when the angel clawed on his fur, his amber eyes closing painfully. “I wasn’t there.”

Ariel dared look up. Aurora was silent, but there were tears falling over them, her wings looking tired even if they still batted down strongly.

Lykaios huffed, his claws slammed sideways to dodge, yet another arrow striking near them.

Not far, two cold eyes narrowed, silver wings batting strongly. High over the fields, he glared at the forests ahead, capable of spotting the big demon that carried what he wished to see dead. They were getting away, now already inside the small woods, headed for that village.

“Get them.”

The three angels who flew at his sides dashed down, obeying their general without doubt. Einar flew with confidence, knowing their wings were always faster, always stronger. And he had commanded multiple men into that town… where they surely would be spotted and hindered.

He whispered, advancing calmly, his hand holding embers he had sent onto the eyes of his worst enemy not long ago.

“I will have your head on a pike too… sooner or later, parasite.”

He smiled, seeing three of his men finally dash close enough. At reach, right there, nowhere to hide or duck, not even with those tall trees around them.

They would have been stricken… if not for the loud echo that shot through the woods.

The silver winged angel gasped, seeing one of those angels drop from the sky, left behind quickly. The other two seemed to falter, flap their wings to stop their drive.

Many figures dashed, going past that huge feline, holding firearms, yelling as they aimed at his men. The five they chased dashed through a human squad, which was nearing the fields and fortress, reacting to the attack of that town.

His gratified expression faltered, as he realized none of the angels he sent to that place could possibly have allowed these troops passage. Because they had been killed, by simple humans.

And his rightful prey was getting away thanks to them. Escaping his grasp once more, again.

A furious scream escaped him as he dawned on the fact that he needed to flee himself, feeling the eyes of those beings below him take aim. The shots echoed, but none struck him as he bolted towards the coast, where he had sent most of his men.

In the distance, two amber eyes did not react to the ire of that echoing yell. He was being led away into hiding, between many things that wanted them dead; with each moment, fewer shadows that would conceal them.

The angel fell silent, unable to let out a single whisper while they retreated to where they had come from, his hopes shattered.

There was no home or safety where he could lead them.