Gabriel's Tale

Four angels of death bring war upon earth. Outcast from their lives. Will the four of them bring about the end of the world or eternal peace.

Prologue

As the bright amber sun begins to set in the late autumn sky. The full harvest moon begins to rise, its redness, unmistakable. The light from the moon is dimmed by the glow of my camp fire. I sit here... Alone.. Wet and cold from the past days of rain.. I keep asking myself "Why I had left", and each time I remember why.. "They all betrayed me. Everyone. Even my own parents. I've always been better off by myself.. I don't have anyone or anything to answer too. My food is easy to come by. But, oh how I wish I had real food. What I wouldn't give for a hot bowl of soup right now. I have been counting the nights since I have left.. and the longer I am away from human kind the more the days and nights blear together. It's been about four months since I left home. If my counting is correct, Christmas is three days away. My 18^th birthday. And I shall spend it alone. If loneliness had a degree.. this is the worst of all. Spending such a moment in your life alone, cold, and hungry.. No friends.. no family, no one who cares weather you live or die. There is no one on this earth that would take me.. I have become a monster in my own skin." I pull out a photograph from my worn leather bag. "This is all I have left of them." I hold the photo of my family in my hands. My mother, father, brother, and twin. The faded colors drifting in the fire. As I look at the photo.. A look of anger comes crossed my face. "Who needs them. They all betrayed me, they wanted me dead." With that I throw the picture of my family into the flames and sit there with my chin in my knees watching the photo burn. "Everything that I touch, everything that I hold dear, gets destroyed. No matter what it is, or what I do." As I recall what got me to where I am right now. I grab a charm around my neck. "This is all because of you. You made this happen to me! Because of you I watched my friends die. One by one.. they were killed off like flies. All because I found you. Why couldn't I have left you in the water where I found you?" With tears in my eyes. I stand up.. holding the charm in my hand. "You are all I have left now." I hold the charm close to my heart, and as the tears on my face hit the ground I yell out in anger. The birds in the trees flew away, and I hit my knees crying. "Why? Why did you come to me? Why must I carry this burden alone?... Who am I kidding, I'm talking to a rock." I stand to my feet, put the fire out, pack up my things and leave. As I begin to walk.. I see the outline of an old church. With its large towers. As I get closer I see that it had been abandoned for quite some time.. The windows were broke and some boarded up. I push the large doors open and shut them behind me. "This will be a perfect place for me to stay.... For now."

Gabriel's Tale

There are none of the likes of us in this world. Sophie The Cunning, Elisabeth The Brave, Caddi The Strong, and I, Gabriel The Wise. We are an elite force of outcasts. Outcasted by the society that we are sworn to protect. We are outcasted because we are not of the norm. They see us as unfit for a normal life. Each of us have unimaginable powers that make each of us unique This tale is our story. But I'll save those for another time.

Let me take you back.... Four centuries ago... Before the war started.....

My name is Gabriel Wolfbane Phoenix. I am sleeping inside an abandoned church when all of a sudden I hear footsteps outside of the doors. I jump to my feet and hide behind the pulpit. The footsteps grow louder and louder until the church doors creak open. I peak around the corner of the pulpit to see who was there. Three girls, each wearing dark capes. I think to myself, "Great, another band of bountyhunters trying to kill me" The footsteps stop in the middle of the church. "This looks like a good place to sleep." The voice was soft and calm. I wait a moment before I let them know they weren't alone. "Who are you and why have you come to this place?" My voice booming and echoing around the old church. I hear the sound of a bow creak and a sword begin to unsheith.

"I've been waiting for a fight. Haha" I think to myself as I kick the pulpit at the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. My eyes turn red as I move through the dust like it wasn't even there. One of them fires an arrow that grazes my left ear. I hear a sword unsheith. The unmistakeable tang{whizz?} of the steel slicing through the air. The sword is swung toward me as I grab the person's arm, squeezing until they release the sword. As the sword clangs on the ground, I wrap my thick hand around her delicate neck. Her dark green hood falls off, letting her long curly blonde hair fall loose. Our eyes meet, the terror in hers saying enough. "Who are you!? Why have you come?!" I yell as I pick her up off of the ground. Her grey-blue eyes showing the fear inside of her. She starts coughing and sputtering. I drop her and she crumbles to the floor. I turn my body sideways. "I never fight a woman." My eyes turn back to normal and the dust starts to clear.

Still coughing, she wipes her lips with the back of her wrapped hand. She wobbles to her feet, her commrads joining and helping their friend up. "What... What are you?" She asks, stumbling as she walks forward toward me. She holds her shoulder which was damaged by the pulpit. "I want to know who you are? Why are you here by yourself?" She asks as she keeps walking toward me. She gets so close to me that i can feel her warm breath on my cold skin.

"I want to help you." She says in a soft voice as she reaches to put her hands around my face. As she reaches for my face I let out a slight growl. She backs off and says. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know." She reaches for my face again. I turn my back and start to walk away. "I've been alone for so long. You can't help me. No one can. Just leave before you get hurt too." I say as I walk away. "Come on Caddi. We can't help him." One of her friends say as they tug on Caddi's arm. "No... Wait." She walks up to me. She turns me around and puts her hands on my face. I lift my arm to swat her away but then I felt something inside of me. Like she was reaching inside of me. My body starts to shake.

My eyes turn from a snowey white to a gold-green. She lets go of my face. "What did you do to me?" I ask her as I hit the floor. My body curls up into a ball on the dusty floor. With my knees tucked under my chin I lay on the floor. "The same thing you did for me." "WHAT!?!?!" Her friends yell the question in unison. "How do you know him?" The one asks. "When did you two meet?" The other asks. "I'll answer you girls later. First we have to get him some warmth. Sophie, can you get me my sleep roll from my bag? Elisabeth, can you heat up some water? We need to get him warm before he freezes." She says as she opens the bed roll that is handed to her. She unbottons the bone buttons and wraps it around me. My vision becomes fuzzy and I start to feel cold. I start to shiver and shake. "What do we do?" One of the girls asks. "The only thing we can do." Caddi says as she takes off her cloak to reveil her full body. Her clothing is light and thin. She squeeses herself into the bed roll with me, her warm skin pressing against mine.

"What are you doing?" One of her friends asks. "This is the only way to keep him warm. His body is shutting down and it can't keep itself warm. This is the only way to warm him up." She says as she wraps her arms around my body and holds it close. "I know this feeling. But where is it familar?" I ask myself. She puts her warm, soft hands on my face. "Stay with me. Come on. Stay with me." She says as I black out.

- The Awakening -

My eyes flutter open and my vision slowly returns. I awake to find myself wraped tight in a bed roll next to a small fire. I wasn't at the church anymore. "Where am I? How did I get here? What happened to me?" I ask myself out loud. I try to sit up, but there is a sharp pain in my shoulder. I can't even push myself up. "Hey look. He's awake." A female voice says. I blink my eyes, and when I open them back up I'm surrounded by three women. "How are you feeling?" Caddi says gently, leaning over me. "Why can't I move?" I ask in a raspy voice. "You have been out for some time now. We thought you would never awake again." The one on the right says. "Let's help you up." The other says undoing the bone buttons on the bed roll.

As I sit up I see that my entire torso is wraped from the top of my neck to my belt line. "What is this for?" I ask kinda shocked that it was there. "Oh. That reminds me. I need to see if you've healed yet." Caddi says as she wiggles her way behind me and starts to unwrap my bloody bandages. The dark crimson stripes of dried blood almost make me gag. It takes a long time but she finally gets to the last layer. "Now this might hurt just a little bit. It looks like the blood dried the bandages to your skin." She says as she gentaly peels them off. The sound of the bandages pulling at my skin is sickening and painful. She pulls the last bit off my left shoulder. She gasps as the bloody bandages fall to the ground. She skidders back.

"Oh you big baby. It's just a little blood." One of the girls says as she reaches for a wet peice of cloth. The bucket of cold water quickly turns red. "Ouch! That hurts.... and it's cold!" I say as she wipes off the last of the blood from my shoulder. "Wow. Now that is a cool looking scar." The one says. "What is it?" I ask, wanting to know. "Here. Let me draw it on the ground for you.... It looks like that." She says as she moves away from the shape drawn into the earth. It is a double heart. One interlocking the other.

I start putting my cloak on. "OW!" I yell grabbing my should and falling to my knees. " Here. Let me help." Caddi says with a cheerful smile. I scrunch my face as she gingerly slides the sleeve of my cloak on. "Thank you ladies for your hospitality." I say with a bow as I sart to walk off. "Where do you think you are going?" One of them asks as I stop. "I apologize, but I can't stay with you. Goodbye." I start walking and I fall to my knees again. "You aren't going anywhere my friend. Not until you are better. Come on, let's get you some food." Caddi says as she helps me up.

"No. I must leave. Bofore it's too late." I say trying to fight the girls off my arms but my body couldn't handel the exersion. I was exhuasted. "What are you trying to run from?" Caddi asks me as she and the other two girls help me back down to the sleep roll. "Who are your friends here? I don't believe we were properly introduced." I ask changing the subject. "I'm Sophie." Her black hair cut short and her slender body glowes next to the fire. I put her around 14-16 years of age. "I'm Elisabeth. With an S not a Z." She says with a smile. Her stocky build and long fire red hair is casting a shadow over me. "And I'm Caddi." Her hair is long, curly and blonde. Her build is, not stocky, but not small either. It is right in the middle. I giggle quietly as I stare at her curves, not completely aware of myself from being unconceious. Her eyes a bright blue-grey, glowing in the firelight. "My name is Gabriel." I say as i fall back to the ground with a grunt. "You never answered my question. What are you running from?" Caddi asks.

I sit up and stare at my worn hands. "Eliza, Matthaius, Hannah and Thomas, Kloe' and John. All of them, and so many more. I've watched them die. One by one. Each of them taking their last breath looking into my eyes. Asking my the same question.... Why?... My family tried to murder me. My own twin tried to stab me. I couldn't keep living with people. Everyone I became close with ended up dying." I close my eyes. "I'm better off alone." I stand up and start walking away. I turn my head around and look at the three girls. "Thank you." "Wait!" Caddi yells as she jumps to her feet and wraps her arms around my neck. "You're not going anywhere mister." She says with a smile.

"We each have a past that we are running from. But I think that we were all destined to meet and bring the world new hope." Elisabeth says as I sit down next to the fire."I was one of six sisters. Each looked alike but me. I was the different from them in every way. But no one even noticed I even exisited. I was forgotten about for many years. I just left. I was tired of it. And then I found Caddi and Sophie here and we became friends fast." Elisabeth says with a smile. "I don't remember anything from my past. I woke up locked in a cell somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. The walls were falling down around me so I Just starting running. Next thing I know, Caddi is staring over me, making sure I was ok." Sophie says.

"I'd rather not talk about myself." Caddi says as she puts her head down. "You were abandoned by your lover and your family cursed you when they learned what you where." I say as I look into her eyes. "No. Your family was killed. In a raid of the Northern Plain. Right?" I ask with a knowing look. "How did you know that?" She asks, a little annoyed. "I was there. I was fighting to protect that village. That is where I used to live." Both of us look at each other. And then it hits us. "IT WAS YOU!" We both yell at each other at the same time. Pointing at eachother.

"That young boy was you? I had never seen so much raw power in my life. the ferocity and anger behind your eyes. You took them on with your bare hands. And then.... You got hit. You went down. I rushed over to you and held you up. I was looking into your green eyes. I had never seen eyes like yours. They were so bright. You said something. What was it?.... 'Sorry, I failed you.' I think it was. I held you as the light left your eyes. Your blood covered my hands. But how are you here?" She asks with a question on her face. "Yeah Gabriel. How is it that you are here?" Sophie and Elisabeth both say at the same time.

All three of them get as close to me as they can. "What happened to you?" They all ask at the same time. I stand up and turn my back to them. "Do you really wish to know the answer?" I ask in a tone that frightens them. Caddi nods her head. "Very well then" I say.

- The Beast I Became -

"I awoke, blood streaming down my eyes and the smell of fire was thick in the air, and smoke was heavy the air. It seemed as though time itself had slowed down. A soldier came running at me, but it was like he was in slow motion. I just walked past him like he wasn't even there. I countinued to walk. My own blood running down my lips. I felt - nothing. I was empty. I picked up a sword from the ground and slashed through anything that got in my way. And I just kept... walking. My eyes begun to blur. I was just.. there. I looked over at a building that the sodiers were starting to burn and saw a young girl, this i presume was Caddi. Her face was so scared, tears running down her cheeks, covered in ash and blood. All of a sudden, everything went black. I woke up on a freshly dug grave. It had my name writen on the rugged stone. I picked up the sword that was laid next to the stone-" "What happened to you?" Elisabeth interupts. "I ran and ran. And I haven't stopped running since. I have spent countless moons alone. I detached myself from my emotions and became an animal. I hunted and chased my food. I became a monster in my own skin. I had forgotten who I was. I remebered my family, how they left me alone to die on this forsakened world."

"And then you girls found me. I don't know what Caddi did to me, but she helped me become my old self again. But I can still taste it, my own blood dripping down my lips. I can still feel the deaths of my loved ones scarred into my hands. My friends died because of me. The reason those soldiers came to our village is because they were after that stone. I had found it in a cave not far away from our village. As soon as I put it on I had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. That is all that I have left in this world." "That's not true," Caddi says with a smile. "You have me," she says, her eyes bright and full of love. Her arms wrapping around my neck. "And you have us too," Sophie says joining Caddi, Caddi secretly blushing. She lets go of me and backs away alittle. "What do you have on your back?" She asks as large white wings unfold from my back. "I am alone in this world," I turn around and look at the three girls. The look on their faces said it all. "Thank you for healing me, but you are nothing like me." Before they could say another word, I take off. Leaving them in a cloud of dust. "GABRIEL!!!" Caddi yells after me. I keep going up until I found a peak.

I land on the icy peak of the frozen mountian top. The artic wind howls at me from below. The sandlike snow blasting my face. Refreshing. I feel the anger of the past building up inside of me. A loud ringing started in my ear and I heard a voice inside of my head, and all my muscles go stiff. "They'll never understand you.... They see you as a threat and a monster.... Everyone in this world deserves to die..." The voice says to me. I struggle against the stiffness of my muscels. "Not today," I say as I break free from the voices grasp. I look up and see the glorious full moon in the sky. "I curse you to the darkest of places, to the very depths of the forever sea. I banish you from this body, and from those who come near. You no longer have me in thy grasp. Begon demon of the dark." I look into the brightness of the full moon... and just stare.

- Who Is On Whos' Side? -

I silently fly back down from the icy peak, landing quietly behind some trees. My wings fold themselves against my back. I stand there listening to Caddi and her friends talk around the fire. "I knew he wasn't going to stay," Sophie says as she sits next to Caddi. Her face emotionless, her eyes dry and focused on the flickering flames. Silent. Elisabeth sits next to Caddi and says. "He was rather handsome though, don't you think? His short black hair, bright green eyes, cute upturned nose. He was fine. Maybe.... Oneday we'll meet again." "I doubt it. He hates us. He hates everyone and everything. He is wanted in six of the eight kingdoms. People are afraid to even mention his name. We're better off without him," Sophie says as she puts another log on the fire.

The howl of a wolf comes from near by. "Did you hear that?" Elisabeth asks. The three of them stand up to be greeted by a large wolf. It was bigger than a man, and hungry for blood. "Those girls are no match for her," I whisper to myself. The three of them slowly back away as the wolf approaches them. It lunges at them and as it does, I jump from behind the bush and make contact with the beast in the air. "Not today," I say as I shove the feirce animal back. With a snarl it snaps at me. I hunch down and growl back at the animal. "Come and get me you pup," I say with my fists curled. The beast growls at me and lunges at me. While the creature was in mid air I step toward it and land a bone-cracking blow to it's chest.The cracking of bones resignated with a single howl. The beast slumps to the ground and exhales its final breath as blood begins to pool around it.

The three girls stand there with their weapons drawn staring at me. Their mouths gaping. I look at the beast lying on the ground and then back at my bloody hand. I look down awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Sir," said Sophie half-angerly, half-smirkly. Caddi was also looking down at her feet, not daring to say anything.

"Well, this is awkward," said Elisabeth. "Anything you'd like to enlighten us about?"

"No," I say simply. Walking over to the dead wolf corpse, kicking it in the side. "Scum," I say barely audible. "Your daddy will pay for this one day."

"What are you muttering about?" asks Sophie, raising an eyebrow.

"This filth is one of the offspring of Ulfric, the King of the Wolves, Lord Under the Moon," I say gravely.

"Wait, Wolferick? Wolferick the Wolfe? Seriously???" exclaims Elisabeth.

"No, no, no, ULFRIC," I say, laughing.

"Ohhhh, Haha, I see. But he's dead now, and we can turn our attention to more personal matters," says Elisabeth cheerfully

"Yes, indeed," says Sophie. But Caddi couldn't keep quiet any longer. Bursting out in tears, with an expression of utmost anger, lunges at Gabriel. They were so close, she could count every freckle and whisker on his face.

"HOW DARE YOU?! How could you just leave like that, after all those years? Do you have any idea how much hurt you caused? Do you have any clue how much we struggled? How you could have helped all the rest of the village recover? How many people you could have saved? How you could have healed my heart? But no. You were too selfish to think about anything but yourself, and how miserable for yourself you felt. You could only think of yourself. Then you came back to me after how many years, giving me hope. Giving me feelings again. Then you shattered them all and broke me again, leaving, thinking you would never come back. I hate you. It was a mistake falling for you so many years ago, and holding onto those feelings. You jerk!! Get out of here, I never want to see you again. Ever. I hate you Gabriel Wolfbane Phoenix!!!" Caddi finishing as she sobbing, bumping into Gabriel's shoulder, and ran off into the shadows.

I run after her. Listening to her sob. She falls to her knees in a pile of snow. "Just, get away from me. You monster."

Not saying a word I fall on the ground next to her and wrap my arms around her. "I am sorry," I whisper in her ear. She lays her head on my chest and sobs. I put my hands on her face and wipe her tears away. I gently kiss her soft lips. They are so soft and warm. As I pull my face away from hers I grin at her.

"It's ok now. I'm here to protect you, and I'll never leave you again," I say with a smile.

Elisabeth and Sophie come running up and see us kneeling in the snow with my hands on her face.

"Well, this is a little awkward," Sophie says with a chuckle.

Author's Note

Unfinished and unedited. I have tried and tried again to rewrite this story. The original is on faded notebook paper. I can't seem to ever get it right, so it has been abandoned for now.