Judgement
(By "Just had ta figger somethin out about Michelle and Gabriella" Zarla)

"Michelle. Gabriella."
The two bowed respectfully, although inwardly they were trembling. What they had done had brought this upon themselves, but this did not mean that they did not fear the consequences. They were frightened, for once in their existence. They knew of the Creator's anger when slighted.
Whatever punishment they were going to receive was not going to be pleasant.
"You know why I have brought you here."
Michelle looked about her with her beautiful light blue eyes, the color of the sky after rain. She wondered why they were being so shamed as to have to stand before everyone she knew. All the others were gathered around them in a circle, with the creator before them. Why did they have to be here, watching them?
Michelle looked at her companion. As usual, she could read none of the emotions on her face, only the worry hidden within her amber eyes. A few strands of her light blond hair fell in front of them, which she distractedly brushed away with a thin, soft hand. Gabriella looked at her for a few moments, and their eyes met. Within that moment, the two shared all of their emotions.
It was the same for both sides.
"Would you like to admit your crimes as if you still had honor, or would you prefer me to remind you?" The creator narrowed her eyes at the two.
Michelle and Gabriella knew better to reply. Instead they cast their eyes downwards, watching the shadows of their large wings move with each beat. Again the two locked glances.
What do we do?
Michelle waited for a mental reply from her companion. She knew that Gabriella rarely spoke, even through telepathy, but she expected at least some words from her now.
Endure.
"How about you, Gabriella? Why don't you tell us all what it is you've done?"
It was a cruel challenge. Almost nothing could make Gabriella speak. There was no way that she would speak now, particularly on such a delicate subject.
"Hmm? Have you forgotten?"
Finally, Gabriella shook her head back and forth, causing her short blond hair to wave back and forth slowly in the air. She closed her eyes.
"Are you ashamed?"
Michelle couldn't bear to see her being attacked like this. She decided to speak. "Mistress-"
"Don't speak unless I speak to you!"
The voice of the creator in anger caused her to wince, trying to block the rush of power with her arms. She had not intended to hurt her. She was merely showing her power. But she knew that at some point she would. How could she protect herself then?
She took the hint and stopped speaking, and the creator turned back to Gabriella, who was looking at Michelle with concern.
"Don't think me a fool. I know about your reluctance to speak. That doesn't mean you can't, however. I demand you to tell me what you have done wrong."
Gabriella paused, apparently gathering her words. She again joined glances with Michelle.
Are you going to tell her?
Gabriella simply turned back towards the creator, her white wings blocking her away from Michelle.
"We..." Gabriella's voice as almost painful to hear due to it's beauty. Almost as if happiness and joy could speak, joined with the euphoria of life. Those who heard her could rarely stay angry. Could rarely even stay sad. She didn't speak often. "Took upon ourselves duties that belong only to you."
This apparently had taken physical effort for Gabriella to say, and she leaned back slightly afterwards, her wings beating faster to support her momentarily weakened body. The Creator, however, seemed pleased.
"Good. So you do remember. Michelle, why don't you elaborate?"
Michelle sighed deeply, preparing herself. She again met glances with Gabriella and heard no words, only felt the fear and weak encouragement that she was feeling. She took a deep breath.
She couldn't bear to raise her eyes to the Creator's face, guilt crashing over her. "We destroyed things that you have created without purpose."
"And?"
Michelle sighed again. In truth, there was a purpose, but she could never explain why she and Gabriella had to do what they had done. There was no logical motive that would appease the Creator. Their motive was not even logical. "We...destroyed morals and emotions among humans."
This caused some muted whispering from those around them.
"What could make you think you have more of a right to govern the humans then I do?" The Creator was beginning to get angry. "What could possibly give you that idea?"
The two remained silent. There was no answer to that question.
"Michelle. Gabriella."
Both looked upwards at their creator.
"As you know, there was one who betrayed me before. I took care of her. But what you have done is much worse then she. Therefore, your punishment will be greater then hers."
They knew exactly who she was speaking of. The silver-hair. She had been thrown out, with the promise of coming back, of regaining her wings, after she had learned her lesson. Trembling, the two turned towards eachother. Would they...?
"Listen."
The two turned back to her.
"As punishment, Michelle and Gabriella of the morning and evening stars, you are banished."
Before they could even muster the appropriate shock to this, she continued to speak. "Forever."
This caused another stir among those around them, shocked at such a hard sentence.
"Mistress-"
"Silence!"
Michelle reluctantly retracted her words.
"You have proven yourself unworthy of my presence and unworthy of the gifts I have given you."
At that moment, both of their wings stopped working. They fell to the ground with a cry of shock. The large, feathered wings were lying limp, useless.
She's going to take our wings...
Gabriella looked upwards. The feeling of horror filled Michelle, and she trembled.
A pain shot through both of them with the speed of lightning bolt, causing them to scream. A veritable hailstorm of feathers rained down around them, and when they looked back, they could see why. Their wings...
"Mistress, please...!" Michelle held out her hands towards the Creator, who regarded her silently. She stared at her own hands in shock as her fingers began to lengthen, claws ripping themselves out of her fingertips painfully. Her voice was a strangled noise between the once bright and happy tone it once had and a dark, emotionless scream. "Please, forgive us! We have served you well for countless years! Doesn't that count for anything? Mistress! Mistress, please!"
No response.
The bones that remained of their wings began to thicken with muscle and flesh that was beginning to grow over the structure. Painfully, white skin began to spread between the bones that once supported the feathered wings.
With a sharp snap, their legs reformed, bending backwards at the ankle. One of the bones from the fracture protruded right at the heel, causing another scream of pain. Fangs grew from within their mouths. There was no blood. They did not bleed.
"Your colors shall show the world of your crimes." The Creator finally spoke again. "Michelle, your eyes will be the color of the blood you have spilled. Your hair the color of the tears wept by those passed. Gabriella, your eyes will be the color of fear, of hatred towards you, and your hair will be the color of the vegetation you have destroyed. You'll lose all appearance of normal life, doomed to a never-ending life-within-death. No one will be able to kill you, you will endure your miserable lives forever, thinking of what you have done. You will forever have the appearance of those serving the dark one. You'll never be able to join the world of humans nor animals, but doomed to be alone forever."
Again murmuring from the crowd at the harshness of the sentence. As horns formed on the sides of their heads, the healthy color of their skin began to fade, changing until it was almost the color of death. Their feet became layered with a strange hybrid of fur and scales, stopping where the bone remained revealed. Michelle looked at her long black hair and found the color slowly being leeched from it, fading it into an unnatural blue...
She turned to her companion, and found her short hair had become a sick, bright green, her eyes glowing an unnatural yellow color. The shock that both had at the others appearance was painfully evident in both of their eyes. In great pain, the two kept their gazes locked, sharing their pain easier then enduring it alone.
"And as your final punishment, you shall be seperated, never to find one another, but doomed to look for someone like you, which shall never happen. Now, stand."
The two, fearful of what may happen if they disobeyed, stood unsteadily on their new, malformed legs, wincing silently at the pain that still rushed through them. Those around them gave cries of horror and of hatred, hating the form they had instantly. The form of the personal servants who followed the dark one, Oyans.
Why had their Creator doomed them to this...? This punishment was far more severe then their actions had warranted...
"I will cast you from my presence and you will never return. I bid you farewell."
She raised a hand.
Michelle realized something. With this horrific, hideous form, she could never be accepted anywhere. She would be eternally alone. The only person who could share her fate was Gabriella, and the Creator was going to separate them...?
Why? Wasn't this enough? Why? WHY!?
She felt a strange resolve grow within her. She met gazes with Gabriella.
I can't be alone. I can't. I must be with you. You're the only one now who would stay with me, not forsake me, in this form. We can not seperate.
There was no worded response from her companion, only a feeling of relief.
The Creator moved her hand, and the two felt an overwhelming force, much like wind, tearing at them instantly. To both, it was painfully clear that the wind was blowing the two of them in opposite directions.
Michelle folded her wings, to reduce air resistance, and leaped for Gabriella. The wind tried to force her back, but Gabriella jumped as well. The two met in the air, holding eachother tightly, wrapping their wings around eachother. Gabriella clung so tightly to her companion that Michelle could feel...
Blood?
"Let go!"
The Creators anger was enough to make the force of the wind painfully strong.
"No!" Michelle shouted angrily, keeping her eyes closed. Her once joyful voice was gone, replaced with a harsh, angry, dark voice.
"You'll never be able to keep your grip on the journey to earth." The Creator seemed deeply annoyed. "Go ahead and try, if you want. You WILL be separated."
No.
Michelle was glad to hear Gabriella's voice within her mind, agreeing with her. She responded.
If we're going to be demons, we could at least be demons together.
They closed their eyes as the force became too strong, knocking them off their feet and whirling them away. It was as if being in a tornado, with the wind pulling at them from every direction. Everything was pulled away from them, any momento they had of their previous life, the two necklaces that showed the symbol of the region they controlled, even some of the clothes they were wearing. Through it all, the two clung to eachother, unwilling to let go for anything. The tornado ripped at them, battering the consciousness from them, but they refused to let go.
They would never let go.

~~~

Gabriella opened her now yellow eyes, seeing a strange world that was different shades of blue on different sides, spinning the entire while.
Instantly knowing that one was ocean, one was sky, and that they were falling towards the ocean, she spread her wings.
The new, webbed wings were strange to maneuver and caused her to waver slightly. She couldn't control these as she normally could.
She noted that Michelle was still holding onto her.
"I knew it. I knew we could survive together." She thought to herself.
They were falling rapidly towards the ocean. Gabriella kept her wings straight outwards, trying to use the wind to keep them aloft. All the abuse her body had just suffered was enough to make flying a great effort. She struggled to keep herself going, coasting and angling towards the beach nearby.
It was a sharp angle, but they did eventually make it to the beach, landing with more force then either would have liked. A storm of sand was thrown up as the two crashed into the beach.
Gabriella shook some sand off of herself and stood unsteadily, still unused to her legs. She looked around, squinting against the sun's bright light. She shook some loose sand from her hair, brushing herself off. She stared at her own limbs with shock and hatred. This wasn't what she was supposed to look like. She wasn't supposed to look like this. Why...
She nudged Michelle, feeling a transfer of energy go between them. Michelle groaned and slowly pulled herself upwards, sand dripping off the areas between her wings. He voice was now emotionless, a sharp contrast to her old one.
"Where are we?"
Gabriella shrugged, her wings feeling strange. These wings were heavier then their old ones. Michelle stood and joined her.
"We survived. I knew we would."
"Together." Gabriella's voice was so harsh and cracked that it shocked both of them. Gone was the happiness, the joy that once had been the essence of her voice. She held her throat in surprise.
Michelle sighed deeply. "Our fall has caused more damage then we thought. Our wings are even more distorted then before."
Gabriella looked at Michelle's wings and, sure enough, instead of the white that had once been there, there was dark grey, splotched with white, as if it was still trying to come through. She sighed.
"What do we do?"
Gabriella looked towards the sky, rubbing at her eyes. She shrugged again.
"I can't believe this..." Michelle shook her wings, then began running her claws through her hair, trying to get the remaining sand free. She tried to force anger into her voice, but it refused to take on any emotion. "Did what we do really deserve this? This..this is..."
Gabriella sighed and began walking down the beach. The sand didn't support her feet very well and she tripped and fell, sending sand flying upwards again.
Michelle helped her up, still trying to force rage into her voice. "This is unbelievable. The silver-hair destroyed an emotion as well as us, and she wasn't cursed like this."
Gabriella met eyes with Michelle again, preferring telepathy to actual conversation. At least in telepathy, her voice still retained some of the joy it used to have.
We did more then destroy an emotion.
"I know..." Michelle stared at the sky, trying to remember how it felt to be in her normal body, not this horrible monstrousity. "I know...but did we really deserve this...?"
Gabriella shook her head.
Michelle sighed, spreading her wings and flapping them experimentally for a few moments. Finding the sand flying away from her in drifts, she let her wings beat faster until she was able to rise into the air. Gabriella soon joined her.
"There must be some way we can get back in her favor. There has to be a way for us to redeem ourselves. She couldn't have meant it when she said forever. There was to be a way back to what we used to be."
Gabriella nodded.
"Maybe she wants us to help humans." Michelle looked at a nearby town. "If we offer out services to that town, maybe after a period of time we will have atoned and will return."
Gabriella nodded again.
The two rose higher into the air, spiraling towards the town, unaware of the frightened eyes that watched them.

~~~

"Demons!" The small boy shouted, running through the streets. "Demons are coming! Everyone, hide!"
"Demons? Are you serious?" A person who was standing against a lamp-post laughed. "There's no such thing."
"I'm dead serious!" The boy pointed towards the beach where he had come. "There are real, live, demons heading THIS WAY!"
"Yeah, right kid." The guy waved him off. "There's no such thing."
The two creatures that alighted near the edge of town soon changed his thoughts. Stammering in fright, he backed away. They were real demons, right down to the horns...
"We have come to help you." The long blue-haired one spoke. Or so it seemed. Her mouth didn't move. Her voice seemed to come from her chest. The man lost all courage that he once had and ran away, screaming loudly.
Michelle got the impression from Gabriella that this most likely was not supposed to happen. There was also a strong sense of misgiving.
The two waited patiently as all the windows and doors were slammed shut, leaving the two alone on the street. Finally, one person approached them carefully. He was carrying a series of balls on his belt...what were they called?
"I'm the resident guard of this town!" The man called to the two of them. "Get out of here now!"
"We have no wish for violence." Michelle held out one of her hands. "We wish to help you in whatever way is necessary."
Another person, who was behind the man, closed his eyes. "They're hideous..."
"We don't need help from demons!" The man grabbed one of the balls. "Get out of here!"
"We are not demons." Michelle wasn't sure how to explain herself. "This is not our true form. We-"
"That's it! Go, Incinerator! Take care of them!"
He threw the ball and it burst open, revealing a large red dragon with a flaming tail. Michelle exchanged glances with Gabriella.
Pokémon. A Charizard.
The two simultaenously rose into the air as the Charizard breathed a wall of fire at them. The heat washed over the two, making them feel slow and clumsy.
What do we do?
Gabriella didn't respond with words, but Michelle knew exactly what she meant.
I hope this works...
The two evaded the dragon's next attack and backed away, each building power within them.
"Incinerator, flamethrower! Burn them from the sky!"
The dragon roared loudly and rose into the air to join them, coming at the two with fantastic speed.
The red aura that was once subtle was now blindingly bright as Michelle raised her hand. Within moments, a large collection of the energy hovered above her palm. She threw it towards the Charizard. It hit it directly in the chest, knocking it to the ground as if she had with a large sledgehammer.
"Incinerator!" The guard's voice was laced with worry. Michelle turned to her companion with a smile.
"So it does still work."
"I'll get you yet." The guard seemed furious at the defeat of his Pokémon. "Go, Reaper! Tear them down!"
A green creature emerged from the next Pokéball, hovering above the ground with almost no effort.
Gabriella's voice came into Michelle's mind.
Scyther-
That was all that came. With terrifying speed, the Scyther had rushed into the air, flying directly for Gabriella. Surprised at it's speed, she ducked out of the way, but the Scyther's blades were too close to be avoided. One of her wings suffered badly, a hole torn through the flesh in between. There was a cheer from the ground.
"Gabriella!"
Gabriella said nothing, only slowly sinking downwards due to her handicap. Before Michelle could muster the energy she had collected before, Reaper was on her. It hissed in her face, slashing at her shoulders with it's claws. Cold fury burned through her as pain was inflicted on her body. She watched her own blood fall, which made her even angrier. She threw the Scyther away from her, watching it slam into the roof below, while she looked towards Gabriella.
"Are you okay?"
Gabriella nodded, but pointed to her shoulders. Michelle wasn't sure of the damage, but her wings were still functioning. She guessed from Gabriella's expression that it was fairly bad.
Then there was a look of surprise on Gabriella's face. Confused, Michelle waited for an explanation.
Behind you!
Michelle couldn't turn in time. The Scyther's blades tore through her back, paralyzing her. Unable to work her wings, she plummeted towards the ground. The pain she was feeling was shocking. She had never felt pain to this extent before.
She was aware of Gabriella diving towards her, then giving a mental cry of pain as the Reaper did it's damage to her as well.
Spreading her wings as her last effort, Michelle tried desperatly to get some kind of wind as leverage. Fortunately, there was still some backdraft from the Charizard's massive Flamethrower. The wind caught beneath her wings and she began coasting away. She felt something heavy collide with her back and hoped that it wasn't the Scyther.
Let's leave.
Michelle was thankful for that at least. Gabriella's arms draped down around her shoulders, but her wings were folded so they did not impede hers. So Gabriella had thought ahead as she had collapsed.
Michelle could still feel the Scyther lashing around them, so fast she could not see it move, only feel the small cuts it left over both of their bodies. She hoped that it would end soon, that they would leave the outskirts of the town, and the abuse would stop.
"You better go!" The guard shouted after them. The Scyther's attacks had stopped...he must have recalled it. "Don't you ever come back! We don't need your kind to curse our town!"
Michelle closed her eyes, sighing deeply. She thought to Gabriella, not sure if she could hear her or not.
This is going to be more difficult then we thought. This appearance we have been cursed with is making this more difficult then it normally would be.
Michelle tried to control her strange wings, but found they weren't as responsive as they should have been, injured as she was. Therefore, she had no way to avoid the tree.
Staring upwards from the branch she had landed on, she found Gabriella directly above her. Their eyes met.
We might as well stay here for the night.
She nodded and closed her eyes, glad to give her strange new body a rest.

~~~

"I've never seen something like that before..."
Michelle struggled to wake her body. She had never truly slept in her form and she was unaccustomed to waking up truly. She was disoriented, tired, weak, and dizzy. Most likely from blood loss, she guessed.
"It must be some new kind of Demon Pokémon..."
Michelle opened her eyes, squinting harshly against the bright sunlight of day. She had forgotten how bright it was. She had loved the sunlight before, but now it seemed to almost burn her very skin.
The creator's torments were oh so subtle. She had made one of the few things she loved something she could not stand to be near. If Michelle weren't already fearful of repercussions from the Creator for misbehavior, she would have cursed her.
"I don't have any demon Pokémon...they're always helpful against the psychic types...think we can catch it?"
Some Pokémon responded with it's call, thus prompting whoever was speaking to move towards the tree the two had remained suspended in. Michelle struggled to move her body, but found it did not respond to her. Moving her eyes at least, she could see that the robes she had once been wearing had been ripped to shreds, almost. Gabriella had suffered much the same. She was still asleep. Or pretending to be.
"Okay then, go Chris! Sing it to sleep for me!"
Gabriella's eyes finally fluttered open. When Michelle met her gaze, she shared the intense feelings of confusion, worry, and anger that were running through her now misshapen body. Struggling, she finally was able to move from her station in the tree. Unbalancing herself, she fell to the ground, not attempting to break her fall in the least.
She was tired, so tired...her body still hurt and so did her heart. She was tired...
The thud she made must have caused whoever was speaking to pause, as did whoever they were talking too. Michelle could feel Gabriella's concern for a few moments over her welfare, but she wasn't injured from her fall.
"Good job, Chris. I didn't even hear you."
"Chanseeeyyy..."
"You didn't...? Then...how..."
Michelle pushed herself upwards, forcing her body to work despite the racking pain it caused her. She levered herself until she was able to lean against the trees large trunk, not out of breath despite all of the effort she had just exerted. She looked at the boy in front of her, who seemed young and foolhardy. There was a small, young Chansey near him, apparently that was "Chris".
Michelle didn't want to deal with this right now. She tried to speak, her voice marred and slurred from her bodies inertia. "Leave...us..."
The boy was holding out a small machine in his hand. It was beeping frantically.
"Demon...demon...no known record...no record of new demon..."
"That's very strange...it almost sounded like words, didn't it, Chris? I think it's a...a Livas...that's what it sounded like it was saying, anyway."
Michelle cursed her inability to speak, trying to stand. Her body refused to respond. Apparently it had not yet learned how to wake when she desired it to. The Chansey was hiding behind the boy, apparently knowing something about her that he did not.
"Chansey chans..."
"Okay, Livas, I'm going to catch you!" The boy tried to sound confident. He took one of the Pokéballs from his belt and raised it above his head.
There was a flash of green, black, and grey as Gabriella descended from above, landing in front of Michelle. She spread her wings silently, as a gesture of protection.
"Oh, there are two of you!" The boy tried to conceal his surprise. "I guess coloration must vary between members of the species. Well, don't worry, I won't hurt you. I just want to train you."
Gabriella's lack of speech made any kind of verbal reply nonexistant. Now that her beautiful voice was gone, she was even more reluctant to use any words. Michelle could sense the disgust and anger in her heart, however. While Gabriella distracted the boy, she attempted to stand. Her body was just beginning to respond to her. She managed to raise herself to a kneeling position.
Gabriella shook her head.
"Don't make this difficult." The boy warned, pointing to the Chansey that was hiding behind him. "I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to, but I will fight if you won't co-operate."
"Chans chaaaans?"
"Well, yes, they already do look fairly injured, but still..."
Gabriella shook her head again, extending her hand towards Michelle without taking her eyes off the boy. He remained holding the ball above his head, waiting for the correct time to throw it and capture his "prey".
I'm having trouble moving...apparently sleep has made this body slow and unresponsive. What shall we do?
Gabriella didn't respond. As soon as Michelle touched her hand, she felt a tingle of energy run through her, energizing her enough to move somewhat freely. Gabriella likewise suffered a loss of mobility, but she remained standing bravely. The two flared their wings, trying to intimidate the boy.
"Okay, you asked for it! Chris..."
"Chans!" The Chansey refused to go forward. The boy turned to face it.
"C'mon Chris, it's just another Pokémon!"
"CHANS!" The Chansey pointed behind him. Gabriella was racing towards him at a phenomenal speed, her claws extended. Her lack of sound made the effect all the more eerie. Terrified, the boy threw the first thing he had in his hand.
The Pokéball.
It struck Gabriella in the forehead, causing her to pause for a moment.
Instantly there was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling, as if something was pulling at her entire body. Every hair on her head felt as if it was being tugged in one direction, her claws felt as if they were being pulled out. Shaking her head vigorously, she tried to shake off the strange device that hovered above her, crackling it's strange red energy around her. That must have been what was pulling at her...
Michelle was quick. She raced to where the ball was and with a swift movement of her clawed hands dashed it to the ground. The Pokéball fell in fragments, soon joined by the surprised and recovering form of Gabriella.
"I've never seen...a Pokémon do that before..." The boy was backing away, frightened of what he now saw to be two very dangerous individuals. Chris backed with him, keeping behind his legs. "Maybe...I'll leave you two alone..."
Michelle helped Gabriella to her feet, feeling a strange sensation while touching her body, then turned towards the boy. Sensing that his death may be emminent, he tried to run.
Michelle raised a hand, energy collecting around it in a familiar scarlet hue. She aimed for the boy. Although he was running, it would be easy enough to destroy him entirely...
Gabriella placed a clawed hand on her compatriots arm, shaking her head. Michelle stared at her for a moment, then lowered her hand, letting the energy flow back into her.
You're right...we have to learn to live with humans...We cannot kill them, no matter what they do to us...
Gabriella spread her wings, beating them in a desperate effort to get off the ground. There was a hollow whistling noise through the hole that was punched in one of her wings. Michelle gently stopped her, then began walking, staring at the sky.
It appears that it may rain.
Gabriella nodded.

~~~

The two were weak, disheveled, and injured when the storm finally broke above them. Having no shelter, the two only cowered on the ground, unable to shield themselves from the cold watery onslaught.
This never happened before. We were never forced to be subject to such things as this. Why did Wyv and Aira colloborate to create something that has no purpose? Beings such as they should know better...
Gabriella shook her head, water dripping off her hair in small crystal like droplets, tinged with the green light that refracted of her wet hair at every lightning crack. She ventured to speak telepathically, the first time she had done so for a while.
This must have a purpose. It nourishes the life of Tryka's earth with Aira's water. This is for the overall benefit, despite the discomforts it has now.
Michelle was slightly surprised at her companions somewhat long statement, but did not show it.
You are right. There is a purpose in everything...except...
Gabriella waited for her to continue.
I don't see why the Creator had to turn us into such twisted parodies...the servants of Oyans...why such a torment as this? We were her chosen, she loved us...why were we turned into something that not only we but all hate?
It must have seemed odd, the two blurs of color in the grey and black landscape. No sound escaped the two as the rain slashed around them. It stung their now-sensitive skin, causing a new and uncomfortable sensation.
Gabriella could only shrug in response. Her injured wing, the one with the hole, had been left to drag at her side. Her momentary attempt at flight had injured it again, and now she could not even move it. She closed her eyes, shivering despite herself. It was not the cold that made her perform such a function, but rather the strange tingling sensation the rain left on her wounds.
Michelle chanced a look at the sky, blinking furiously as a raindrop landed within her eye. There was no shelter for miles around...if only there was some way to stop this infernal rain...
She spread her wings, having an idea. Unlike her feathered wings, off which water rolled as if it had never touched, the rain thudded into the skin between the bones of her wings almost painfully. She lifted her wing above Gabriella, stopping the rain that was falling on her. Gabriella, without looking at Michelle, raised her one good wing so that it covered Michelle. The two sat in silence, now with some semblance of shelter, while the storm raged around them. It was as if the Creator's punishment had not been enough...Wyv and Aira had to wreak their own.
The two clung to eachother as the wind roared by them, the thunder boomed above them, lightning struck close to them, and water lashed through them. They could only endure...there was no other option...

~~~

Exhausted, the two managed to awake the next morning to a relatively clear sky, only a few clouds marring the bright blue above them.
Michelle groaned softly as she pushed herself upwards, the water that had collected within the area of skin on her wings making her heavy. She exerted a great deal of effort and finally lifted her wings free, throwing water all around her. Standing uneasily, she looked around. There didn't seem to be anything within sight.
She touched Gabriella, noting the wound on her wing slightly healed as she did so. Likewise, there was an area on Michelle's wing that was feeling increasingly thin.
Gabriella stood, shaking herself briskly. Water flew everywhere, including on Michelle. Michelle did not say anything, only shaking herself as well.
"We survived again." Michelle's voice still felt strange and new.
Gabriella stared directly at her, her yellow eyes reflecting no emotion.
We have a bad habit of that.
Michelle didn't expect an explanation and she didn't get one. The two continued walking, feeling slow and lethargic from such exposure to cold and harsh conditions for so long. Although they did not feel any response to changes in temperature, it still affected their bodies. It was hard for them to move for some time, and whenever they chose to stretch a limb, there was a cracking noise from the bone moving. It didn't seem to hurt, rather reducing the pressure that had been building in their joints from such a long lack of significant motion.
The wounds that Reaper had left on them were healing, albeit slowly, into thin white scars. No doubt they would disappear in time...
"What do we do?" Michelle decided she might as well try and get used to her audible voice. She was going to have to use it and she didn't want it to sound as rough as it had before. "Human society will never accept us...we resemble too much Oyans' kin. Nowhere will they accept us. We are outcasts..."
Gabriella didn't say anything, although this was expected.
"Because of this, there...there is no way to regain her favor..." Michelle narrowed her eyes at the sun. "We cannot redeem ourselves if we can not make amends to what we hurt. They will not let us near them to try...there really is no way for us to save ourselves..."
That was what she said.
Michelle started at Gabriella's sudden speech, then recovered. She sighed as she stared at the sky, wondering what was going on in the world she had been thrown from.
"There must be someplace where we can stay...a place where none will attack us..."
Gabriella touched her shoulder, unintentionally scraping her flesh with her claws. Neither seemed to notice, although inwardly both felt pangs of emotion. She pointed to something in the distance.
"A cave...yes, we can reside there for a time." Michelle knew that she meant "until the end of our lives, whenever that is", but she couldn't bear to say it. Saying it would awknowledge the fact that there was no hope for them. That possibility was too depressing to bear. "You have sharp eyes."
Gabriella nodded noncommitedly.

~~~

The dark of the cave was a welcome solace from the burning brightness of the sun. Michelle remained near the cave opening, staring out at the world in front of her, warmed and lit by the sun's rays...
Once I used to control those rays...She thought to herself. That was my domain, my control. I directed the light, I could make it stop or go when I pleased...I surved Lunos and Saphs' joint creation...a thing of both heat and light...I was given the honor of controlling it's power...
She looked at her clawed hands in disgust. And here I am now...what am I? Some dark, miserable, monsterous parody of Oyans' servants...forced to skulk in the cold dark instead of bask in the warm light as I should be...where I was meant to be...
She turned her eyes skyward, as if almost a plea to the Creator. Why? I can understand everything...but why...did you have to turn what I love against me...why the sunlight? Why must it hurt me? Why must you torment me like this? Is not my misshapen body enough for you?
She lashed out in anger, striking her claws against stone. They left three uneven gashes in the rock, sparks flying for a few moments. Michelle stared at the damage she had done for a few moments, then with some quick movements changed the random clawmarks into a glyph of Tryka.
I do not wish to anger any more then I already have. Michelle held her hand against the stone. It felt...different. She wasn't sure how. She didn't know that what she was feeling was cold. You, Tryka...you have always been good to me. You have been good to us all, to allow us to dwell on your substance. You, alone, seem to be the only one who does not continue to torment me and my companion.
The rock underneath her claws seemed to vibrate softly for a few moments, as if in recognition of such praise, but stopped soon thereafter. Michelle sat back, glad for support from at least one of the beings she had once served and worked for.