The Grim Lost

THE PRELUDE

The moon shone a pale white light in the night. A dark red pool of blood sat in the shadows as its source continued to make it bigger, dripping from above. An angel patched her wounds with leaves of arsenic. She had not only lost the battle, but her heart and will as well. She no longer had the strength to move on from an injury of this magnitude. All hope was lost on her. Her mind and body told her this was the end, but her spirit and soul struggled for her to keep fighting. It was pointless to keep going. As she closed her eyes and leaned against the tree she felt a strong pair of arms envelop her and take her away. Her physical form was lifeless and as still as a statue. Her skin was as cold as ice. Yet the muscular vise-like grip surrounding her cold form was warm and a little bit comforting. She was now at war with herself. Her mind, soul, body, and spirit bit and tore at each other in an internal battle. Neither side won but neither side lost either. In a continuous raging storm they fought. The angel's skin was as pale as the full moon shining down on it. She opened her ocean blue eyes and gazed in wonder at her savior. Her salvation was a boy with eyes as dark as milk chocolate. She couldn't see his hair from this angle. He looked down t meet her gaze. She saw the love and concern in his eyes. But who was this boy? The angel started sitting up only to have him stop her with a look. His arms tightened around her. Her eyes widened. Her savior opened his mouth and his lips formed two words, "Not here."

It was apparent why he had said that. They were over three thousand feet in the air and her wings weren't exactly in any condition to fly at the moment. She remembered the long jagged red scars trailing along her entire wingspan. He landed in a tall tree, carefully laying the angel down and addressing her wounds. As he unwrapped the arsenic leaves from her arms and legs he saw the physical injuries she had inflicted on herself. She saw those marks as nothing but reminders of the emotional pain she couldn't escape. The wind picked up speed and they could hear the far off howl of a wolf. The boy stood up, shook out his wings against the wind, and began to howl. It was a sound that was happy and sad all at once. The angel watched her savior with complete and utter serenity etched into her facial features. She was perfectly calm. She wasn't frightened at all. It seemed to the boy like she had expected him to do something such as this. Who was she? What was she? The boy had neither of those answers. All he knew was that he had to keep her safe from any possible harm, even if it meant his own death. She must be protected at any and all costs. The angel was that important to him.

It didn't really matter what she was or where she came from. All that mattered was he loved her. It was strange for him. Having this strong of feelings for someone he just met. How was this even possible? They didn't even know each other's names. The angel noticed his brooding mood. It was clear in his eyes that he was unfocused. She tentatively reached out a long, cold, pale hand and rested it on his warm wrist. He realized his hand was in a fist and attempted to relax it. The look in her eyes told him everything was going to be okay. His wings were so large they could wrap around both the angel and the boy to keep them warm against the freezing cold wind. The angel's scars began to bleed once more as the would were uncovered the boy picked some more arsenic leaves, put a healing enchantment on them, and applied the leaves to each and every one of her hideous hate markings. She hissed as the leaves stuck to her skin. Effectively gluing the healing enchantment in place so it could work its magic. The angel went to scratch at the leaves but was stopped by the boy. "Don't. Please."

She saw the sad, pleading look and relented. She instead laid down, curled in a small ball, and watched the starry night sky. She stared at the moon in particular. It was a full moon. As the clouds moved away from the mon a loud ripping sound echoed out from where the boy was standing. The angel closed her eyes as a large, black wolf erupted in a tangle of fur, teeth, and claws. Heavy breathing and a soft growl sounded next to her ear. The wolf that was a boy laid down next to the angel. She put her arms around him and pulled him as close as possible. Her scarred wings covered them in a warm feathery blanket. As the last tendrils of consciousness slipped away, the angel sighed to the wolf, "I love you."