As soon as I hit air I tucked myself into a diving position. I needed to offer as little resistance as possible if I was going to catch up to Heather and somehow save us both from splattering on the ground far below us. “Get the veetol out of here and go back to Eden, you’re just a big target up there!” I called out to the pilot over comms. Then for the benefit of my grandmother and teammates, I added, “I’ll get Heather!”

As yet, I had no idea just how I was going to do that though. I hadn’t really thought this through when I had jumped. I had just acted because, even though Heather pissed me off sometimes, she was still our teammate and I didn’t want her dead. Now I just had to try to tune out the voices of my grandmother and teammates yelling in concern over the comms system and another flash of blue-white light. Those were distractions and right now I had a job to do so I needed to ignore everything that wasn’t of immediate concern.

I had almost reached Heather. Her weapon was slung over her shoulder in sniper rifle mode along with her pack and she was spread out enough that I was able to catch up. Close enough that I was now hearing her screams up close as well as on comms, damn that girl has a pair of lungs on her. I couldn’t really blame her though because the ground was getting closer with every second. I must have made good distance on my jump because I was between Heather and the wall of the building.

I was also close enough to grab my falling teammate and quickly wrapped my right arm securely about her waist, holding on tight as I reached behind my right shoulder for my claymore. As soon as I had my left hand on the hilt I sent the command for the magnet to release it. Then, in one quick motion, I swung the massive blade free and drove it into the wall of the building with all of the strength that I could spare.

By the spirits, that hurt! My shoulder wrenched painfully as the blade of my weapon was driven into the ancient stone wall and carved out a furrow downward as we continued to descend. I nearly let go of my hilt as I screamed out in pain and it was only through sheer force of will that I was able to continue gripping both it and Heather.

-= Alert! Minor damage has been sustained to your left shoulder. =-

We had slowed to a stop but we were still uncomfortably high off the ground. It was hard to tell how high in the darkness, even with my night vision. All that I could see was a mass of snow beneath us and indistinct rubble around that seemed too far down. I didn’t want to risk jumping or falling the remaining height without knowing how high we were, how much snow was down there to pad our landing, and what might be underneath said snow. There was also something moving down there, something big, but it’s attention seemed to be on the fleeing veetol.

Of more immediate concern was that the stone around where my weapon was wedged into the wall was coming apart, grey dust and little pieces working themselves loose to fall down on us as Heather suddenly realized that her fall had been halted. The building was ancient, I didn’t know how it had remained standing this long. If my sword didn’t work its way loose soon, my shoulder probably would, if the agony that was screaming through it was any indication. I was concerned about that and my NCI’s alert. “Yeah, no shit, Connie. How bad is it?” I groaned mentally.

My NCI was quick to reply. -= A minor sprain, Snow, but it could get worse if you continue to strain it. I have directed nanites to repair the damage but it will be more efficient if you can rest and keep your arm still for an hour. =-

“Give me a minute here,” I responded as I gritted my teeth and searched with teary eyes. There was an opening to our right, some kind of window if my guess was right and it was probably within reach. “Heather, window…” I managed to gasp out, swinging her in that direction. The strain that put on my shoulder wasn’t pleasant at all but at least Heather seemed to have realized that we’d stopped. At the very least she had stopped screaming and I was going to take her slightly panicked breathing as an improvement.

Whether she had heard me or not, Heather seemed to get the gist of the idea and reached out to grab the ledge of the opening once I had swung her close enough. She was starting to pull herself up to get inside but the process of getting her in position had loosened more stone around the blade of my weapon and it was starting to work its way free from my weight. It was as I was waiting for Heather to pull herself inside the building and hoping that my blade would stay dug-in enough for me to get a chance to do the same when I saw movement above us.

Autumn was running down the side of the building toward us and reached out to grab my now free hand as my sword began to get uncomfortably loose. “Gotcha, Snowy!”

A short time later the three of us were all somewhat safely gathered inside a small room that looked like it may have once been a living space and I was seated against the wall beside the window we had entered through. The interior of the room, and its contents, had been badly damaged by both time and the elements but from what was left of the furnishings it looked much like the living quarters at Eden Base. There was a doorway that led out into the rest of the building, what was left of the door that once stood inside littering the floor.

Still, I didn’t smell or otherwise sense anything that would be an immediate danger to us so I tried to reassure the others over comms that we were safe. “We managed to get into a room with Autumn’s help and Heather is safe and sound.”

-= Never scare me like that again! =- Karina’s voice half-shouted.

-= Are you crazy, Snow?! =- Lisbet quickly added. -= What were you thinking?! You could have been killed and I doubt that Heather would have done the same for you! =-

“I wasn’t thinking. I reacted because one of us was in danger, I would have done the same for any of you. I had a plan and everything worked out,” I offered in an attempt to placate them. I very carefully didn’t mention that my plan wasn’t even really formed until I had Heather in hand though.

My grandmother’s voice was somewhat calmer as she asked, -= Is anyone hurt? What’s your status? =-

“I took some minor damage to my shoulder while slowing our fall but Connie says that I should be good in an hour if I don’t move much and rest. And you, girls?” The last I asked of the pair of Fae recovering on the floor with me. Both of their hearts had been racing, probably from the excitement or a near-death experience, but they both seemed to be calming down now.

“I’m fine, I just had to run pretty hard to catch up to you two while trying to avoid any openings or that huge gash you made, Snowy,” Autumn reported.

Heather was looking at me strangely and once my gaze fell upon her she quickly tore her eyes away to look at the floor. “I’m… fine. You… umm… I mean… thank you.”

I could almost hear our trainer breathe a sigh of relief before she spoke again. -= Good. As long as you’re all okay, that’s what matters. Good work, Snow and Autumn. Hold your position, for now, we found a doorway into the building up here and we’re going to try to come to you. =-

-= That might take us a while, =- Lisbet added in concern. -= This building is old and I’m not sure how it has stayed standing for as long as it has. We’ll need to be cautious in case the floors are weak. =-

“How about the veetol, did it get out?” I asked.

-= I’m doing fine, Wing Commander. Not for lack of trying from whatever was shooting at us from on the ground though, there were a few close calls again while I was putting some distance between us but I think whatever it was has lost interest. It’s good to hear you girls are alright too; I was worried there. I’m on my way back to base now, as you ordered. I’ll update command on your status when I get there, Storm Wing. =-

-= Thanks, Raven. Don’t get shot down by anything else on the way home, we might still need you for extraction, =- my grandmother’s voice teased.

To my surprise, the pilot let out a throaty giggle in response. -= I’ll be ready, Abby. You Angels know how to show a girl a good time, I’ll give you that. This was much more fun than all of that sitting and waiting we had to do in the capital. Take care of yourselves out there, Raven out. =-

-= Snow, we’re tracking your location now and we’ll be down there as fast as we safely can. Keep an eye out for any Demons until we join you, girls. We are still quite a distance from our objective but we’re well into the ruins now and this is Demon territory, =- my grandmother cautioned.

“That’s what worries me,” I said with a frown. “I’m not picking up any Demon scents nearby in this building, only dust and mold.”

-= They’re probably smarter than we are and know this building is due to collapse, =- Karina put in bitterly. -= Maybe I should have just used my wings and followed the three of you down. =-

“They might be avoiding the area but it may not be because of the building,” I replied, frowning and trying to suppress a shudder as I looked toward the window beside me. “I saw something huge moving down on ground level while I was coming down and whatever was attacking the veetol was down there too. I can smell that thing, it’s the only living thing that I can smell besides us. I’m pretty sure it’s a Demon and something about it makes me want to be anywhere but here, it smells a lot like that Direwolf that I fought.”

-= Shit. Is it downwind or upwind, Snow? =-

Hearing our trainer and the oldest of all of the Angels curse was not remotely reassuring but after reaching out my hand and checking to be sure I quietly responded, “There’s a steady wind blowing toward us, Wingleader. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason that I’m picking up its scent this high up.”

-= Good, =- my grandmother replied with an audible sigh. -= Stay quiet and out of sight until we can join you. No speaking in more than whispers and do nothing that might make it look up. The sound of the veetol probably caught its attention and it saw the heat that the machine gives off. Maintain comms silence until then unless it’s an emergency. Once we’ve joined you I’ll brief you on what we’re probably dealing with. =-

“Yes, Wingleader.”- I confirmed as I shifted position to try and keep myself comfortable while we waited and my shoulder healed up. Then I thought to Connie, “Comms for Team Storm off.”

-= Affirmative. Would you like me to notify you once the repairs to your shoulder are complete? =-

“Yes, please. Thank you, Connie.” I opened my eyes as I felt a warm body snuggling against my uninjured side. I gave Autumn a tired smile and tried to enjoy the closeness, even as I became aware of Heather watching. Our eyes met and her pink ones looked away as her cheeks flushed.

“You should come to snuggle up too,” Autumn suggested so quietly that the sound probably barely carried to the new Fay. “It’s cold and none of us are going to be moving much. You should be getting used to it anyway since our people enjoy tactile comfort and you need to learn to be one of us or at least appear like it. This would be a good start.”

Heather hesitated but after a moment she nodded and got to her feet gracefully and without a sound. She leaned up against Autumn, not quite cuddling but close enough to share body heat, and then in a whisper, a single word passed her lips. “Why?”

“I told you, it’s cold and since I’m supposed to be teaching you to be Fay, I thought this would be a good start,” Autumn said just as softly, though her tone was teasing. I was pretty sure that she knew exactly what Heather was asking though, we both did.

Either Heather wasn’t familiar with playful teasing or just socializing with people in general because she sounded confused and a little frustrated as she quietly hissed. “No! I meant why did you both risk your lives to save me?”

“Well, there wasn’t much risk for me really,” Autumn whispered in reply, both answering and not answering her question. “It’s not like I was falling like the two of you and I was really just backing Snowy up. She was the one who reacted first and jumped right after you.”

I sighed and tried to shrug the whole thing off, mentally anyway since my shoulder still hurt. “It’s like Autumn just said, Heather. I reacted, I wasn’t thinking about it until I was trying to find a way to slow our fall, I just acted because you’re a member of this team. Even if that weren’t true, you’re a person and I would probably never stop hating myself if I could have saved you and didn’t try.”

“I… I don’t think that I could have done that,” I barely heard Heather say.

I shook my head and said as gently as I could, “We’ll never know, and you’re not me so why bother thinking of it that way? If our positions were reversed, it could be that you would have figured out a way to save me without thoughtlessly jumping out of a veetol without any kind of plan in mind. We’re different people; we think differently and have different strengths. I’m strong, durable, and I have a big ass sword that, honestly, is starting to grow on me after that little stunt. I don’t know you or your strengths that well yet but don’t dismiss yourself like that. I get the feeling that you’ve been dismissed a little too much while growing up. You don’t deserve that from yourself or anyone else.”

“But you could have died!” Heather hissed, trying to keep her volume down even though she was clearly stressed about it. “You just dove into almost certain death to save someone that you barely know, and… I haven’t been very nice to you. I probably would have deserved it.”

“Heather, we’re Angels. That’s the job; we throw ourselves into life and death situations to protect others. It’s what we signed up for. Yes, I’ll admit that you’ve been a bitch, but you don’t deserve death. You wanted to be an Angel so I think that you’re a good person deep down. We all just need to give you a chance, and that includes you,” I told her.

“We need to give you hugs too because obviously you never got enough as a child,” Autumn added bitterly as she wrapped an arm around Heather and pulled the other girl in closer to her. “You said that you were hidden away from the public, it sounds like you were lonely too. You’re Fay now though and if there’s one thing we’re good at, it’s showing love and affection to those that we care about.”

Heather seemed to stiffen for a moment before taking a deep breath and trying to relax as she said, “Before… before my sister was born, my mother was able to make more time for me. The story that the public was given when I was born was that I was frail and sickly. Mother would tell me stories about Angels at bedtime, it was the only time that we really had that was just the two of us. Most of those stories were about Archangel Abbadine. To me, she was the most amazing hero to ever live, and I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. When I figured out that you were the reason she left, that she had raised you, I was jealous… still am.”

“I never knew that hero even existed until Sira told me,” I countered sadly. “To me, she was my hero in a different way. I knew her as my aunt, the woman who raised me when I had nobody else. She taught me everything that I know, she took care of me when I was sick or feeling down about how wrong my body felt, and she tucked me into bed at night. She worked me harder than you could imagine growing up and taught me to be self-sufficient but she was always there if I needed to talk or to be told that I was being an idiot. She’s the closest thing to a mother that I can remember.”

“I… think I’m more jealous now. I wish that I could have had someone like that. The only one-on-one time that my mother really had for me between running the country was at bedtime but that changed when my sister was born. My governess was standoffish and never really spent time with me beyond our lessons or mealtimes and everything was on a schedule,” the former princess said with a sigh.

She sounded so wistful, but at least she was talking to us instead of giving us an attitude now. I tried to encourage that and work toward mending things between the two of us. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it worse. If it’s any consolation she set very high standards for me growing up. When she cares about people, she expects the best from them. She told me once that we live in a dangerous world and that the most that you can do if you truly care for someone, is to ensure that they can survive it. So, if she rides our asses hard in training it’s just her way of showing that she cares.”

“You know, Heather, you should think about the things that you’ve gained from this,” Autumn suggested. “Okay, sure you didn’t get the one-on-one training with Archangel Abbadine like you wanted but, she is the one training us. We’re her special project and that is really cool. Snowy also just proved that you have teammates that will do just about anything for you. Best of all though, you are Fay now. Your hair and eyes don’t make you an outcast among us, people like you are special to us. You can leave that old life that you hated behind and embrace being one of us.”

At the other Fay’s expectant look it took Heather a moment to realize that Autumn had meant that last part literally. “I… I’m not very good at that sort of thing.”

“Well, you’ll learn. I’m going to teach you all about being one of us,” the redhead vowed.

“You’ll be hugging everyone and running around naked in no time, Heather,” I joked.

“N-n-naked?” Heather sputtered.

“Just for that, you are getting lessons too, Snowy,” Autumn replied tartly, though she was grinning as she did so. “There’s more to being Fay than running around without clothes and snuggling.”

“That’s just most of it, right?” I prodded.

She responded with a raspberry and teased, “Or course not, there’s the sex too.”

Heather was silent at that, except for some slightly heavy breathing, and a look past Autumn showed that the pink-haired Fay was blushing and trying not to look at either of us. Finally, almost too silently to hear she whispered, “So you two really are…”

Now I found myself blushing at her assumption. I was still new to this body and, while I did find Autumn attractive, I didn’t think I would be ready for that kind of thing yet. Besides, there were the academy rules. Autumn was more serious though as she replied, “I see that you’ve heard those rumors about our people. You shouldn’t believe everything that you hear. I won’t be ready for that until I have found a mate, or mates, who I wish to spend my life with. So, no, Snowy and I are not bonded but I do find her very attractive. But then, I find you attractive too, I have a thing for headstrong, pretty, and confident girls, I guess.”

“I… umm... I mean…” Heather stammered uncertainly as she tried to look anywhere but at the redheaded Fay beside her. She had turned bright red by that point and could feel my face flushing as well.

“I have made you both uncomfortable, that was not my intent,” Autumn quickly apologized. “We do enjoy sex in all of its forms and, while we’re not shy about where or when we do it, it is not something that we do with just everyone like snuggling. It’s saved for mates, those who we choose to love. Love in any form is nothing to be ashamed of and sex is a natural expression of our feelings for those we choose to bond with. It is no different than hugging or kissing and it shouldn’t be shamed or forced to be hidden from the world, even though it is something that we reserve only for our bonded mates.”

“Really? I heard that the Fay are very indiscriminate about who they… umm…” Heather started to say before trailing off awkwardly.

“You heard wrong,” the other Fay stated simply. “Just because we’re not shy about doing it in public doesn't mean we’ll do it with anybody. Sex can lead to children after all and that is a blessing and responsibility that should be shared between mates or mate-groups who love and trust one another and will show that same love to a child. We take that very seriously; children are a blessing. Same-sex couples or groups may invite someone who they really trust to join them if they want a child but that is the only reason for coupling with someone other than a mate. Even if they don’t become a part of an official bonded mate-group the other biological parent is still deeply involved in the life of the group and the child and that requires love, respect, and trust.”

“Wait, mate-groups? But that’s…” Heather trailed off uncertainly.

“Uncommon among Humans in Misota? So are same-sex pairings. Or were you going to use the word ‘immoral’?” Autumn asked knowingly. “We’ve heard such things from Humans passing through our lands. Morality is rarely simple yes or no answers. Often the people who say such things are the same ones who think that Seed-borne should be killed just for existing, and that makes me doubt their morality. We cannot do anything about how others think, only about what is in our own minds and what is right and wrong for us. When the old world fell we cast aside our humanity and created our own culture, morals, and beliefs on what felt right to us, not what we had always been told was right.”

“We Animen did something similar, though not quite to the extent that you or the Devilkin did,” I contributed with a nod. “For us, it was more about being true to our animal natures and living off the land.”

The copper-haired Fae smiled and nodded. “Our peoples are not so different, Snowy. I think of being Fay as living honestly and in harmony with nature, both in the sense of the natural world, and our own nature as individuals. Most Humans that I’ve met are quick to shame my kind for our ways. They hide their true feelings and look down on others for who they love, how they dress, and how they choose to live their lives when they should be more concerned with themselves and their own behavior.”

I sighed and nodded. “You weren’t there when I first met Taddick. I… he just… we used to get Human traders in the village sometimes, they were like him. They thought that I should just try harder to be a man, like they knew better than me who I should be. They tried to make me ashamed of who I was inside.”

“Yeah, I heard that you used to be… in the wrong body. That’s humans for you, we… they throw about plenty of shame for others to bear and try to keep as little as possible for themselves when they have to look in the mirror. I guess that I did that too. I‘m sorry, I’ve been a bitch to all of you, especially Snow,” Heather offered uncertainly as she lifted a lock of her pink hair. “My mother called this a blessing but it never felt that way. They kept me hidden away and it was like they were ashamed of me. That made me ashamed of myself and I took it out on others.”

“Yeah, you were a bitch. At least you’re being honest with us, and yourself now. I might make a proper Fay out of you yet,” our redheaded companion said with a grin.

Heather shook her head. “I don’t know about that, I’m a city girl and I probably know less about nature than I do about honesty. I don’t know if I can just change myself like that. I’m not used to being close to other people, and most of this conversation has left me feeling awkward and embarrassed, especially the stuff about nudity and mate bonds and stuff.”

“People are always changing, Heather,” I told her honestly. “And we all just went through a pretty massive life change already when we took the Elixir. It sounds like you’ve been needing some changes in your life anyway, just try to keep an open mind and see these as positive changes. This is a chance to be that brave Angel that you dreamed about being and you might love being a Fay once you get used to the idea. Think of it as self-discovery. Find yourself, be that person, and we’ll do our best to support you.”

“Well… Autumn might have been right about one thing at least; I think that I need more hugs. Sitting close like this… it’s not so bad.”

Autumn wrapped her arms around us to hold us close but she was careful not to jostle my shoulder. “There is no shame in companionship, Heather, it brings people closer together. There is no shame in nudity either, it is our natural state, it is how we enter the world and our lives. You can still wear clothes, but being comfortable with yourself means being comfortable in your own skin. Clothes don’t make you who you are, you do and you don’t need some silly frock to express yourself.”

“I’m pretty sure that you said there was more to being a Fay than just cuddling and nudity,” I quipped.

“Aye, there is,” she agreed with a giggle, “those are the nice parts though. As I said, it’s about complete honesty and being one with nature, especially your own nature. Be true to yourself, Heather. Your feelings are natural things. Feelings should be shown honestly, especially love and friendship. Even when they are not always positive be honest with yourself and others about them. You’ve already got that part down I think, and there is no shame in that. Express your positive feelings too though and communicate with us, none of us has a mind-reading gift. Fay are not afraid to show the world who we are and we make no apologies for it unless we genuinely feel bad for making someone uncomfortable. Complete honesty can be too much for people of other Races sometimes and all types of relationships must be nurtured, like any growing thing.”

We just snuggled quietly after that, each lost in our thoughts as we waited for our trainer and teammates to join us. My shoulder was fully healed by the time that they had woven their way through level after level of the building that we were in; navigating carefully through hallways, down from one floor to the next, and around spots where Lisbet thought that the floors might be prone to collapse. Finally, the three found us, and my grandmother carefully moved toward the window to gaze at the ground below through the scope on her weapon.

She scanned around for several minutes before letting out a whispered curse. “Shit. It’s damn near impossible to see with its fur blending in with the snow. I was really hoping that I was wrong.” She motioned for me to come to take a look and I did so. It was hard to make out details until it moved but it resembled a massive white wolf with a pair of large curved horns on its head and blood-red eyes.

I thought that it was big when I was falling but this thing’s size made the Direwolf that I fought look like an infant. It looked considerably less deadly, but I knew better than anyone that looks can be deceiving. “What is that?” I asked as quietly as I could.

“It’s a Fenris. I’ve never fought one before, no Angel has. The only information we have on them came from the files on different Demon types that Eden Base was studying for their research on how to fight them. They see heat, their other senses are very acute, and their hides are thick and were tough to penetrate with conventional weapons at the time. Hopefully, ours can do better. It was probably what was firing those bursts of energy at the veetol too. They’re extremely territorial; they kill and eat other Demons or anything else that wanders into their territory,” she explained in a whisper.

“So, what’s the plan?” Karina asked hopefully.

“It’s time for trial by fire, girls. I was hoping to at least give you girls with gun modes some target practice out here before getting into a fight. There is no way that we’re getting out of that thing’s territory without a fight though and I’d rather that it’s on our terms,” our trainer told us candidly. “Snow, come up with a plan while I give Heather a sniper lesson. We need to attack it before it attacks us.”