gweiloken

Fallen Wings Chapter XIII (Blood in the Moonlight)...

The fiery eyes approached the beast at blinding speed. Everything was a blur except for the target. "EMELIA", a might roar lashed out. The beast turned and then dove to get away from the pursuit of the fiery eyes.

***

A shout rang out over the nighttime sky. "Did you hear that guys?" I was sitting bolt upright as I asked the question. The others were soon behind me in my sitting position.

" I heard it." John said as he shot out of the tent. I followed behind him to see where it came from. Paul followed next, with Jennifer and Dennis close behind. None of us had to worry about what we were wearing, we always slept in the clothes that we hadd worn the day before, even our shoes. It made things easier when we got up the next morning.

John was looking all around as I got out of the tent, trying to see where the shout came from." It sounded like it said Emelia's name. " I said, as I to was looking around for the culprit.

" Look, up there." Jennifer was the first to see it. " It's Emelia and something is chasing her." We all could see the sight now. Emelia was being chased by something a slight bet bigger than her. It looked just like her, large wings and the body of a man.

" That must be Azel." Paul said. " We have to help her."

" How?" Dennis said with panic in his voice. " She is way up there. There is nothing that we can do. We can't fly."

" Let's try to draw his attention. Ron see if you can get the fire lit again." John said as he ran off towards the brush that covered the ditch. I ran over and fished my matches out of the tent and went to work getting the fire lit again. It didn't take long since it was still warm and dry from the fire we had put out, maybe ten minutes earlier, but it wasn't very strong.

" Dennis, Jennifer, Paul, see if you can find any small branches to put on this to build it up." I was fanning and blowing the fire keeping it up until we could have more fuel for it. Everyone scattered and I found a few small twigs nearby to put on it. It flared up a little higher, but it still wasn't even enough to cook a hotdog on. Jennifer was the first one back, and she had three good branches with her.

" Here, put these on." Jennifer said as she sprinted back over to me. They were good dry branches. I broke them in half over my knee and started putting them on as Dennis and Paul came back with a few more. After getting all the branches on the fire, it roared to full strength.

***

Emelia dove as she saw Azel heading for her. She spiraled towards the ground just escaping Azel, she felt the feathers of Azel's wing as he passed by her at full speed. She quickly pulled out of her dive a few feet above the tree line and turned to find him. He hovered about twenty yards in the air from her. She could see a sinister smile on his face. "Azel, it is over. I will have my revenge, for you killing Gibrel."

" I don't think so Emelia. This is my playground and you will not spoil my fun." Azel said with a twinge of delight in his voice that he had angered Emelia. " He had a powerful voice that had confidence behind it.

Emelia thrust her wings back and launched herself towards him. Azel flipped over backwards as Emelia flew right over top of him. He then went in pursuit of Emelia following her everymove as if it was choreographed. Dipping and diving, spinning and looping. He followed everymove as if he was thinking of them before she was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash. He stopped his pursuit to see what it was. "Ah, it seems your little friends have heard us playing. Time for a little fun." Azel then charged for the source of the flash. Emelia didn't notice that Azel had dropped his chase until he spoke out his words. When she heard them, she was struck with complete horror. She knew what was coming next.

***

John came running out of the brush with something in his hand and yelling. " Everybody, get down!" I was already squatting next to the fire, but everyone else was standing around me. Then out of nowhere a gust that was very similar rose up, and knocked the gang down, except Dennis, he was launched up into the air and fell near the big tree that the tent was under. Emelia landed skidding across the ground towards Dennis, coming to a halt a foot from him. John yelled again, "Ron, here, catch." he tossed something in air in my direction. In mid flight I realized what it was. John and I had taken old long sticks and made makeshift spears out of them. We had hidden them in the underbrush near the ditch in the small crawl trail. John was always the one to be on top of things. I caught the spear and stood up. I had thought the gust had come from Emelia, but I was wrong. Emelia was not looking at Dennis, she was looking beyond where we were and at something behind us. I turned to see it, John came sliding up next to us. Standing about ten feet behind where Jennifer and Paul were not getting up from the ground, was another angel. he stood about a foot taller than Emelia and had straight long black hair. He was only wearing a pair of tattered jeans. His body was lean but full of muscle. His wings were folded up behind him and were scraping the ground. He had an intense look in his eyes, but a slim smile crossed his lips. His head was cocked to the left and he was staring at us with his hands down to his side.

" Are you kiddies ready to play?' He spoke with a very powerful and frightening voice. Jennifer and Paul scattered when they heard the voice. They had not yet turned to see him, until they got behind John and I with our spears.

Emelia was the first to speak up. " Azel, you have caused enough trouble. This ends now, just us."

" Fine, I will finish with you, and then play with them. Come dear." Azel spoke still with his head cocked he rasied his left arm and gestured with his finger for her to come to him.

Emelia bounded over us with a small flap of her wings, she now stood face to face with Azel. Azel stood still relaxed as if Emelia meant as little as the mosquitos flying around. With one quick movement Azel opened his wings fully, and bent down and spun, whipping his wings toward Emelia as if to cut her down. Emelia reacted and jumped up, just missing being hit by his powerful wings. She hovered above him for a brief second before he reached up and grabbed one of her feet and pulled her down. He slammed her to the ground in one ferocious movement. She struck the ground with a sickening thud. Paul without thinking ran towards them, He bulled into Azel's back and bounced off. Azel slowly spun around to see what the annoyance was. " I said I would play with you later." He said with an angry tone. He grabbed Paul by the neck and lifted him and threw him into some palm froms hear by.

"Paul!" I screamed out as he went flying. I found myself with spear in hand running at Azel. I had no idea what I was doing. Instincts just took over. I could hear Azel laughing as Paul could no longer be seen. He didn't see me coming at him. I had my make shift spear leveled at his side. I went into a baseball slide and took out his legs, as my spear entered his side, atleast that is what I thought it did. The entire mass of his body came crushing down on top of me. I could hear a primal scream of pain. I couldn't tell if it was from Azel or myself. Pain shot though my body from his weight collapsing on me. I could hear Jennifer and John scream out. Azel rose off of me in a quick movement and was standing above me. He picked me up and threw me backwards. I saw Jennifer run up to him and punch him in his side as I was in mid-flight. I slammed into something and slid down in a heap. There was a new pain now, in my back and in the back of my head. everything was begining to blur now. I saw Azel turn to Jennifer, she was screaming something, but I could not make it out. Azel opened his mighty wings and looked ever more intimidating standing over Jennifer, she started to stumble backwards to get away from him. Emelia came flying in from nowhere and grabbed Jennifer and lifted her into the sky. John ran over with his spear and stuck it into Azel's side as he was distracted, by Emelia saving Jennifer. Azel screamed in pain and John took his ax out of his belt loop and hacked at Azels wing. Azel screamed again, and then turned and grabbed John with both hands by the head. He lifted John up, as John was kicking and swinging his arms trying to make contact with anything. Azel rolled his neck and then twisted his arms wrenching John's neck in an awkward motion. John's body went limp suddenly, and Azel tossed him aside like a twig. I saw Azel take the spear from his side just before darkness over took me.

***

Jennifer was standing under Azel when she felt arms grab her and then she was lifted into flight. She turned her head and saw the face of Emelia. " Thank you, I thought he was going to kill me."

" You are welcome, but you are not safe yet." Emelia said in her smooth voice. " I will put you down were you will be safe, but I have to stop Azel before he hurts more of you." Emelia landed just beyond the clearing she looked around to survey the situation." There, over there, that is your friend Ron. He is hurt you need to go help him, as long as you stay quiet you will stay safe from Azel, He will be busy with me. I am going to end this now." With that Emelia took off in flight and bulleted towards Azel.

Jennifer ran over to Ron, he looked in bad shape. He was slumped down at the base of a large pine tree. Sitting with his head on his chest and his hands in his lap. "Ron, are you ok?" There was no answer. Jennifer touched the back of Ron's head to try and shake it. She felt something warm and sticky. She pulled her hand away and saw blood on her hand in the moonlight. She wanted to scream, but she remembered what Emelia had said. " Stay quiet" Jennifer kept mumbling frantically to herself. She looked around to see what was happening. She could see the tent in the clearing, and Azel standing there looking around. He was about 30 yards from where she was. Emelia swooped out of the sky from behind Azel and struck him with all her force. They went tumbling in the dirt and over the fire, spreading burning branches and twigs everywhere. When everything settled Emelia was standing above Azel. The tent started to go up in flames. and a few of the brush around the clearing was sparking up as well. Emelia spread her wings and arched back and let out a scream.

Jennifer witnessed this all from her position. She turned her attention back to Ron. "Ron, come one get up. We have to get out of here. Come on." Jennifer started shaking Ron by the shoulders, slamming him back and forth into the tree desperately trying to wake him.

***

Azel saw Emelia arch back and go into her war scream, when her head was fully raised to the sky, he quickly swept her legs out from under her, throwing her to the ground. Emelia fell on one of her outstretched wings, and a loud snap could be heard. I new scream was coming from Emelia now, one of pain. Azel got up slowly, knowing that he had the advantage once again. Blood was streaming from his side where John had stabbed him with the spear, and you could now see that his right wing had a huge gash at the base where it meets his back. He tried to stretch his wings out but could not move the right one. Azel knew that it would take a great deal of time to heal his wounded wing, but time was something he didn't have right now, and Emelia was laying in front of him, with her own injured wing.

" Play time is over dear." Azel said to Emelia " You will see your precious Gibrel soon." Azel kneeled down over Emelia pinning her arms down with his knees.

***

I started coming to, something was shaking me and I could hear something, but couldn't make it out. My vision was still blurred, but I could make out a shape in front of me, then it hit me and everything cleared in an instant. Jennfer was directly in my face screaming my name and shaking me. " What, what. I'm o.. owe." I felt the sharp pain in the back of my head and in my back. I felt around me to see what I had hit, and felt the base of a pine tree.

" Come on, you have to get up. Emelia is in trouble and we have to get out of here." Jennifer was panicked I could see it on her face.

Another realization hit me. It was the last thing that I saw before going out. Azel tossing John's limp body to the side. I shook off Jennifer and stood up. I couldn't feel the pain anymore. I looked around and saw Azel kneeling on Emelia, it looked like he was talking to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dennis come barreling out of the brush with Paul following close on his heels. They slammed into Azel together knocking him off of Emelia. She quickly scrambled to her feet. She shook the dirt off of herself. Paul and Dennis ran back into the brush as quickly as they had ran out. Emelia walked over to Azel and punched him, sending him backwards in my direction. I reached to my side, and pulled out my fake Rambo knife and ran towards Azel as fast as I could. Emelia kicked Azel in his chest and he flew back towards me again, sending my target closer to me. I was about fifteen feet from him. I took a few more running steps and leaped at Azel, plunging my knife deep into his neck. I dropped off of him as he staggered forward. He turned to me. He had a look of pure hatred on his face now, gone was the relaxed look of whimsey. He dropped to his knees, and when he did I saw Emelia standing directly behind hiim. She now had her own intense look. She grabbed Azel's by the top of his wings, and pulled as hard as she could. I saw Azel's right wing come off and fly through the air and drop to the ground, the brush was starting to catch fire now from all the branches that had been strewn about from Emelia and Azels fight in the fire. Azel collapsed on the ground screaming in pain. Emelia stood over him and placed her foot on the middle of his back, and grabbed his remaing wing and pulled again with all her might. She was struggling to rip the last wing. I ran over and grabbed ahold as well. I could feel it tear away from the flesh of his back. Emelia and I fell back as the last tendrils of skin and muscle tore away.

Azel was as good as dead now. His reign of terror was over. The brush was burning around us, as we stood staring at Azel's squirming body. Jennifer came walking up, and then Paul and Dennis came out from the hideout in the brush that had not yet caught on fire. I quickly looked around, "Where is John". I spotted his lifeless body laying on the ground, not far from where I saw Azel toss him. I ran over to him. He was laying on his stomach, but his head was turned in an unnaturaly way. His eyes stared up at me with nothing in them. I dropped to my knees, lost...