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[This is a private RP between Aradia and myself. Please do not post here. Thanks.]

When the moon is high and all the world is blissfully asleep was the time Eden enjoyed most. When his dreams got too weary for him, he would wake up in the middle of the night to gaze at the moon and the stars. Nights were always the best. So quiet and peaceful. All the chattering females were in peaceful slumber, including Layla herself.

His crimson eyes gazed up at the crimson moon. How odd and rare. The moon was red, almost a diluted blood color. Usually it was a soft white light. Such a sight didn't happen on a nightly basis. But Eden somehow found comfort in the color instead of the usual light. Though red could represent blood among many other things, it could mean some bad omen happened. Especially in ancient times, those who had little understanding always feared a crimson moon. He didn't particularly enjoy others' suffering...but at the same time it made him feel at ease that he was not alone.

Large black wings expanded as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. His dark wings flapped as hard and quickly as they could as he took off. Until he reached a stable stream of air to glide on, he continued this pace. His dark feather-fur blended in with the almost pitch-black sky. The golden specs on his fur were almost like dots of stars. If it weren't for the light of the moon, he could almost blend in perfectly.

As he made his way across the sky, his crimson eyes would occationally glance down. If he could recall correctly, the oasis in which he met his hybrid friend, Zeus, was just ahead. He had hoped his friend would be there. There were certain things he needed a male to speak with. The others within the clan were reluctant to speak with him. And he was more than fearful to approach Legion, the clan leader and Layla's father for advice. The guy was not only gigantic, but seemed like he would tear Eden to shreds if he spoke of a relationship with his beloved daughter.

Needless to say, the guy was utterly confused as to how he should feel. He was happy the demoness accepted him, maybe even love him. But even so...he felt so...hollow inside. It was as if her feelings weren't enough. Was he just a gluttonous beast, then? He finally got what he searched and longed for, but he felt no joy out of it. Or at least, not the type of joy he thought he should feel. What was wrong with him? Was his insides so messed up he was incapable of feeling joy?

He sighed as he tilted his wings in preparation for descending. How awful. There was no Zeus there. In fact, he couldn't see anyone there. But maybe if he walked a little closer, he would find his joyful friend just ahead, waiting for him.

The angel's steps were heavy, almost as heavy as his heart itself. His crimson eyes glanced around without any sort of expectations. So far nothing. He would have to walk closer to find him, he thought.

Strange. That's too large to be Zeus. I remember Zeus to be smaller than that. And his colors are all wrong, too. Crimson, some browns... As he approached closer, he could see the shape more clearly. That was definitely no hybrid. The guy looked about his own size. Maybe a little larger. Was he sleeping? But who sleeps outside at night? Even if he was a stray dustling, he should be smarter than that.

Eden quietly approached the winged dustling, worry heavy in his heart. "Hey...Are you--" Before he could finish his sentence, he could clearly see it all in front of him. Scattered feathers with dried up blood. Some still had the vile crimson liquid on them. Not just that, but the creature himself had bits of missing feather-fur on him. Lines of them. Some seemingly straight, others stopped midway. They were everywhere. His breath seemed heavy, too, almost as if he had difficulty breathing.

Quickly rushing to his side, he shouted, hoping the poor guy would hear, "Hey! Wake up! Are you alright? Hey there! Come on!" He was afraid that touching him would cause too much pain. The poor guy looked like he had marks all over him, and blood seemed to cover most of his feather-fur. So, instead of touching him, the fallen angel pounded the sand around him in hopes of catching his attention. Not even I get treated this badly...

It took almost all night to wake the wounded sleeping beauty. A couple of times the Fallen Angel fell asleep from extreme fatigue. He was not used to staying up all night. But every time he fell asleep he woke almost instantaneously, afraid if he closed his eyes the fiery angel would decease. Where do angels go when they die? Eden hoped not to find out that answer through this poor stranger.

His claws contiously moved the sand, pawing at it, digging little holes, doing whatever he could to try to gain the attention of the badly wounded angel. Doing this all night had its consequences, of course. His hands were not only tired, but physically had scratches on them from the constant friction against the sand. They would heal, but they would also sting in the mean time.

For the longest time while trying what he thought were futile attempts, his thoughts drifted off to think of his beautiful demoness. Layla would certainly be unhappy with his disappearance. She was strong, though, she would manage on her own. Perhaps in the mean time she would find another male to mate with...That was a possibility. He had hoped not, though. He wanted her to be his alone...even if the thought seemed impossible.

Some fruit finally bared after all his efforts. The fiery angel came to, at long last. However, his condition didn't seem to improve. This would take time. Lots of time from the looks of it. The wounds weren't shallow at all. Some dug deep into the flesh and seemed as if it would burst out into crimson liquid at any given moment. There were some lighter scratches, the blood on those dried up already, leaving little bits of brown on the vivid colors of what was left of his feather-fur. He wasn't concerned about those, but some of the other ones seemed as if they needed some serious medical treatment. Human intervention with their medication. Some bandages, too, maybe. The thought of broken bones came across the fall angel's mind, too. But how could he manage all this? His hands weren't as skillful as those of humans.

The expression on his face seemed very painful to look at. Not only because of the physical pain the poor thing felt, but like there was something much deeper in the heart of matters. Something much more personal. Something that cut deep.

"You're...awake now? I'm...Eden. I just happened to uh...pass by here and saw you there. I'm not going to ask...'Are you ok?' because you obviously are not ok at all...But how do you feel? Blink once if you feel like you can at least stand up...Blink twice if you don't feel like you can...I think it's best if we move out of here soon...So we don't happen upon some hungry creature..."

Eden's thoughts of how he met Fenris was by pure chance. He flew out expecting to find the company of Zeus, the hybrid, but instead ended up finding a badly wounded Fenris, the angel. Though at the moment said angel didn't look too much like an angel right now. He looked worse than hell, as if he went through a slaughtering machine at the farmer's house and somehow managed to escape with his life barely intact.

For a while, he pondered their options. He could possibly build a mound around him, it would work temporarily, but when it came day time he'd bake like a cookie in an oven. Eden was a little familiar with the desert and how things worked. But his brain had a brain-fart moment. What other options were there?

A tunnel! Some creatures dwell underground to escape both predators and the heat. If Eden tried hard enough he could make a decent enough tunnel before day break, he hoped. His ruby eyes turned to the fiery creature, "What do you think of a tunnel? I'll try not to build it too far...just far away enough to escape the heavy scent of...blood. If I work hard on it, I think I can make it before day break. Then at night I can work on it some more...build additional tunnels...lead predators away from where our real home is...I think it could work." Despite his confidence, his tone of voice seemed rather unsure. He doubted his ability, even at such a desperate situation as this one. How pitiful.

There was a reason behind Eden's unfaltering kindness for the fiery angel. The feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and depression constantly swirled around the Fallen Angel's mind for the longest time now. And it wasn't until recently that the cloud of gloom started to drift away ever so slowly. While he was in the desert alone, wandering, he felt so utterly close to feeling so...hollow. Maybe that was how death felt, or at least close enough to it. Certainly, he wouldn't want to wish the same upon anyone else, especially if he could help in any way.

"Just...hang in there," He mumbled as he dug his claws into the cool sand. The fiery angel certainly didn't look too well. He seemed as if he would drift off into the stream of unconsciousness at anytime.

His pale hands continued to dig into the sand as rapidly as he could mange. For now all pain and fatigue was pushed aside for this important task. No one should feel this way physically or mentally--not the way this fiery angel should. He figured if he continued this pace continuously without any breaks in between they could make it by morning.

While he continued to dig, his mind blanked out temporarily. For one reason or another, his mind circulated on the thought of how he was rejected from heaven. He wanted to remember. Maybe there was a chance he could redeem himself. Perhaps even wrong his mistake. In the future, he hoped, he would not repeat the same mistake again.

How does one become branded as a Fallen Angel? His mind kept circling around.

Before he even realized, a peek of light snuck up on the couple. The hole Eden spent the entire night on wasn't very large, but large enough that they could go in one at a time. Despite the fiery angel's wounds, a tunnel was the best option.

Climbing his way out of the seemingly small tunnel, he asked softly, "Are you...feeling any better...now? It's not very...big...but you should fit...alright in...there?"

He would gather water at the fiery angel's request later. For now his main priority was to get him down safely into the tunnel. He realized the tunnel was a bit small for dustlings their size...but it was large enough with a little bit of room on both sides.

When the injured angel came tumbling down the hole, Eden was at a loss as to what to do. He wanted to stop his fall using his body, but that might hurt more than the fall itself. The Fallen Angel didn't want to touch his wounds, by his expression they already seemed pretty painful themselves.

The only thing he figured out to do was to extend his wings in hopes of softening the fall without hurting him too much. When his wings caught the weight of the angel, at first they extended back as if they wouldn't be able to hold his entire weight, but not too soon after they stopped softly.

"Are you...ok...? You were falling...pretty hard..."

Eden tried to make the cushioning as soft and painless as possible. From the sounds the other angel made, it didn't sound like it was a very soft landing. He was sure, however, it would've been softer than landing in the rough sand. Surely sand and wounds do not mix well.

A discontent and worrisome look appeared within his crimson eyes. He wanted to make the other as comfortable as possible, but he was having a hard time taking care of him and his needs. It would be easier to have another here with him to help care for the other. He could barely care for himself, let alone others. Though he felt as if he was obligated to, they were both angels after all.

"The water hole...is not too far...Just a few steps at a time?" He could feel the other's weight suddenly growing more heavy. Great, he passed out. How was he supposed to carry this poor injured creature as gently to the water as possible? It was inevitable he'd have to drag the other, but he didn't really want to. That might open up some more wounds. How he wished someone else was here with them.

The dark furred angel was unsure of what to do. He had never cared for an injured creature before, let alone one his size. The weight of the other against him wasn't very comfortable. Plus he was trying not to hurt the other too much while slowly leaning down to allow the other to rest a little more comfortably against his softer body.

He wasn't sure what Fenris was mumbling in his sleep, but it seemed pretty important since he mentioned it. The words had feelings of regret with a deep saddness lingering in them. He wanted to find this Toril for the other, but he wouldn't know where to begin. Perhaps he would ask once the other woke.

The night was moving along rather fast. More than likely within the next couple hours the sun would reveal itself. His tunnel system wasn't anywhere close to completion. Forget the tunnel, the original hole he was digging wasn't even all that great. They barely fit in there together, but much of their bodies were exposed to the elements. Especially from the neck to the head.