The Angel's Plight

Azreal stood before me, but looked nothing like he did when I had run into him the evening before. He had changed drastically. The night before, and in the run in I had with him as a child, his eyes had been calm, almost emotionless. At this moment in time, all I saw was bloodlust and the desire to kill. They glowed in the dark night, reflecting the light from the snow around us. His pure white wings stood out from the background raised in a threatening manner behind him. Lazily, he flapped slightly, sending a gust of wind my way causing me to close my eyes for a moment.

I took one step back as my eyes closed; falling backwards over a stump located in the middle of the clearing he had landed in. Scrambling to my feet as he watched me, I positioned my blades in front of me. My mind and body were screaming for me to take a defensive stance, and I couldn’t fight the instinct to do so. Crouching slightly with my blades held menacingly in front of me like claws, I watched him.

He was smirking at my reaction, fighting a feral laugh at my falling. “Eleanor,” he growled in what seemed to be his attempt at a ‘sing-song’ voice. “Are you afraid of me? Do I scare you?” He took a step forward, shifting his wings in a position that would allow him to spring in the air at a moment’s notice. Giving me a feral grin that looked as if he was trying to bear his teeth at me, he stepped forward again.

He had his hands held out in a harmless manner, but his body language said otherwise. All alerts in me were screaming that he meant to kill and was merely toying with his victim.

Eyeing him warily, my chest heaved in fear. I was finding it difficult to breathe, since the fear of him was starting to overtake my senses. If I didn’t calm down, I knew that I was going to pass out, that would make it so I stood even less of a fighting chance and I couldn’t’ allow that. I took a deep, calm breath, trying to think of those that I knew I had to protect. The knowledge that I was responsible for their wellbeing tonight instantly calmed me.

Something wasn’t right with the man before me. I could not figure out what it was. Perhaps this is why he has one of the highest positions of the Purifiers. He was lenient with me before, perhaps he decided I was too much of a liability for his success in his Immortal world.

Keeping my eyes trained to his movements, I allowed myself to survey my surroundings. I knew the clearing we were in for I had been here many times. The children and I had come out here on little adventures to learn about nature numerous times. It was supposed to be safe from Purifiers since they avoided flying over our home area, but, staring at the man before me, I realized that it was no longer safe.

The surrounding trees seemed miles away even though I knew that they were less than twenty feet from the position I was standing in. If I could somehow get him slightly away from me I could make a break for the trees. That’s where I would have the best advantage. My small form moved easily between the branches while his wings would slow him down. He wouldn’t be able to fly above and see me either since the tree covering was so thick and it was so dark out.

I stepped back slowly, hoping he hadn’t realized what I was planning on doing. I needed to escape this Purifier so I could return home and warn my family that our hiding spot could be in jeopardy.

“Azreal,” I said nonchalantly, trying to distract him enough that my plan would work. “What’s wrong Azreal? Why are you different?” I allowed some of the fear I was suppressing to seep into my voice, letting him feel some predatory glee in causing me to panic. If he thought I was too afraid, he would suspect me less capable of forming a logical plan. Focusing hard, I allowed my muscles to shiver slightly, knowing he was perceptive enough to notice and assume it was from fear.

“I’m not different; I just realized what a mistake it was to leave a parasite like you live. I was foolish, and I am going to correct the wrong that I made last night, and all those years ago, you parasite,” he growled lowly. I saw his muscles tense in anticipation of the pounce he was about to make and prepared to run for my life.

In a matter of an instant, he sprang for me as I jumped towards the woods. My feet hit the ground near the trees hard and kept pounding as I started to sprint to my best chance for escape. His wing beats followed the pattern of my feet; blowing gust through my hair and sending an unnerving chill down my spine.

I ignored the feeling it was causing as I burst through the tree line, cutting my arms on some scraggly branches that were sticking out. I felt small trickles of blood drift down my arm, but ignored them and kept running through the dark, dodging trees and bushes as I went.

I heard a strangled gasp behind me and risked a glance. Azreal’s wing had gotten caught, and I could see a small red stain coating the pure feathers. He cursed and pulled it roughly away from its captive spot. Folding them tightly behind his back, he began pursuing his prey again.

I kept running, knowing the area I was in by heart and knowing that I had to lead him away from my home so that he didn’t find it. I leapt over a small tree stump lying in the middle of the snow ridden ground, landing hard on the other side. Pushing off from there I continued on, adrenaline keeping me at top speed.

His footsteps sounding loudly behind me as did his cursing. He was having trouble because of his height and his wings.

A sudden gust of wind sent me stumbling to the snowy ground. I pushed myself up and looked around, there was nothing in sight. Above my head, I heard Azreal’s wings beating against the air angrily. He was now hovering over the trees, trying to find me. Not taking any chances, I took off once more; the sudden relief of him not being behind me fueling my attempt to flee.

I soared over the fallen branches, dodging obstacles with renewed fervor. I could escape, I knew it. I heard him above me, following the noise I made in my retreat. His growling clued me into his whereabouts in the sky as did he harsh beat of his wings.

“Eleanor! Come out of there where I can see you,” he snarled above me. I ignored him and kept moving. “The elder Immortals know about you and your little humans, my dear Eleanor. Let me put you all out of your misery,” he cooed once more trying to draw me out.

I hesitated in my steps, his words striking a cord. If he knew about them, the elders likely did, which meant my family was in danger. I had to get back to them, but how could I when he was following me so closely? Shaking my head, hoping he was only playing mind games, I continued once more, him pursuing.

Further and further I travelled from my home, going deeper into the woods than I had ever been before. The area around me was becoming more tangled and menacing. I had to slow my pace in order to keep myself upright.

Roots stood above ground and the trees leaned at deadly angles. It looked like the forest of the dead. With my current luck, it probably was the forest of the dead. I sighed, listening for my pursuer. He was still up there. I had already run at least a couple miles and the adrenaline rush that had been keeping me going was starting to fade away. My pace slowed as my muscles started to cramp, but I kept pushing myself forward.

After about another hour of moving, I collapsed at the base of an ancient tree. Part of it had been hollowed out, and I made my way to it to use as a make-shift hideout. I could still hear him above me, but didn’t know how long it would take him to realize that I wasn’t running anymore. I had gotten at least five miles distance between myself and my home, likely more.

Pulling myself into the hole was a struggle with my stiffening muscles, but somehow I managed, pulling my knees up to my chest and leaning my back against the ancient base. It was dark inside the hollow, and there seemed to be just enough room for a person my size.

Realizing that I should probably defend myself if he decided to land, I positioned my blades in front of my knees, ready to strike if necessary.

I heard a rustle in the trees and prepared myself for the onslaught that was inevitably coming. From in my tree I heard his wings ruffle as he pulled them to his back and heard him shift around, looking for me.

My eyes closed for a moment against my will, I had to force them open. I held my breath as I waited for him to discover my location, trying to stay as quiet as could be.

“Eleanor, where are you?” he called out from nearby, his voice echoing eerily in the deserted woods. He called again and again, moving closer to my hiding spot each time. Out of frustration I heard him lift a log from its spot on the ground and crash it into a tree close to me. I let out an unintended gasp and his rampage stopped.

“I found you little one,” he called as he stalked towards my hiding spot. “Oh you think you’re just so clever hiding from me, but you aren’t. I will always find you.” He paused as if in thought, then corrected what he said, “I’ll always find you now, you’ll be dead soon anyway.”

Hands grasped the entry way into my hole and his face appeared through the darkness, watching me thoughtfully. I stared in fear, holding my blades and once again resigning myself to fight. He smirked slightly before reaching in and roughly grabbing my arm, dragging me out of my hole and causing my blades to fall.

“Now, you useless wretch, I’m going to kill you. I’m going to make you suffer for every agonizing moment that your kind has existed on this planet. This is my world, our world, and you are just a parasite that has infested what was once beautiful.” He threw me to the ground and retrieved my fallen weapons.

I struggled to stand, but his heel slammed my body back into the snow, causing me to sink slightly. While still holding me down, he straddled my waist, gingerly playing with the edges of my blades.

From my position below him, I could the injuries caused by my pursuit. His wings were coated with dried blood, destroying the pure image of the angel he was supposed to be. He glanced down at me, his eyes filled with hatred, and grabbed my face. His fingers dug into my cheeks and I knew that they would likely leave bruises.

“You are the filth of this world. I am going to purge this planet of you,” he sneered as he dropped my face and positioned my blades above my heart. It throbbed in my chest, anticipating the pain that was to come. I watched the Immortal above me, not wanting to close my eyes as I faced my death.

“Stop!” I heard from above my head. I struggled with the urge to look, fighting it down in order to keep an eye on my captor on me. “You leave my little Eleanor alone!” The voice sounded familiar, but at that point I couldn’t think coherently enough to place it.

The angel above me laughed as he plunged the blade into my heart.