My words caused the group to pause for a moment. They looked at me, questions forming in their minds. I could sense the shock radiating from Seth, Rory, and Bridget, who were fidgeting beside me. They took a step back, with Casper following them, his ears alert and directed toward me.
Arden looked me over once more. It took all my willpower not to turn and shun away under her eyes. She then smiled, her lips curled in amusement. "Alright, you will show me what you can do." The angel turned. The other Warrior Angels moved out of their way as Arden began to take off her armor.
I stayed still, unable to register what she was doing. She began to remove her chest plates, wrist and leg armor, and everything else. The angel shooed the others behind me with his hand, "step over to the side. Do not engage."
I heard them shuffle away, turning over to the side of the trees where I stayed standing in the middle of the clearing. Arden finished undressing; she was now wearing what was hiding underneath her armor. She had a tight turtleneck that was black with some tight leggings that were colored gray, glistening in the sun. She wore no jewelry; only the flapping of her cape was the last to take off. She put it down on top of her armor, turning her gaze over to me with a sly smile.
I gulped.
"Do you know how to use a sword?" She came over, stretching out her arms where fingerless gloves lay attached to her shirt.
I didn't know how to respond. My hands felt clammy as I attempted to grab onto something and calm my racing body. I knew the answer was no, but why was I nodding my head like an idiot? I had never used one before, yet something in my mind said otherwise. It was following the low pounding that was threatening to crash me.
The large warrior held her hand out, having another warrior hand her two Branchies in the same hand. She came forward, placing the sword out for me to take. I knew if I hesitated she would use that against me, so I took it in my grip.
Surprisingly, it was lighter than it appeared. The colorful dullness of the metal and gold reflected back at me, allowing me to see my own reflection in the blade, which looked sharp enough to cut through the air. I glanced back up at Arden. The angel dug her feet into the dirt a few meters away from me. Her wings were folded back, and she stood perfectly upright, creating a flawless line with her body.
I followed her lead, using my hands to grasp the Branchie. For some reason, even though the handle was thick, it fit perfectly in my grasp. I tried to think about something else, though the image of the Branchie being in front of me brought a sense of comfort.
That was wrong. It shouldn't do that; it was a weapon. So why did it feel so right?
"Go on." Arden caught my attention back to her, "you wanted to show me. So show me." Her eyes glistened, and the feathers on my back bristled slightly at the action of her cold-looking eyes on her carefree face.
Right. I did this, so I need to get over myself and do it.
I don't know what I wanted to show her, but everything felt oddly right; like it was meant to be there. Knowing that the weapon in my hands could cause damage if I wanted it to scared me.
My eyes looked to the side, catching the other Warrior Angels watching from the side next to Bridget, Rory, and Seth. Casper was cowering under Seth's feet, his eyes glued on my own.
I turned my full attention back to Arden. She looked bored, eyes and body waiting for me with zero anticipation. What else did I expect?
I needed to do something. I need to show her what I can do.
My feet sank into the dirt as I pulled the sword back, leveling it with my eyes. Arden's eyebrows shot up in surprise at my unusual actions. I heard giggles nearby, and the others snickered at my peculiar move. But it felt right to me.
Arden let out a sigh, pulling the Branchie back before she bolted forward. I half expected that, enabling my feet to stand up from the ground and throwing myself off and out of the way. I could feel the dirt pick up from her powerful movement; it hit the side of my body before I could jerk out of the way again.
She was fast, but I knew what to expect from this towering angel. I did see her fight with all of the other Warrior Angels, and she won against all of them. So how was I able to win this?
Did she expect me to? Or was she using me because she didn't want me in their group?
It didn't make sense. I know I put myself in this situation, but Arden was the one who chose to do this, and she was not holding back.
I felt a slight sting on my side. I got distracted while dancing with the warrior, and she took advantage of that moment to kick me forward, sending me a few feet away. I could feel the first itch on my skin and the sudden loss of breath that made me sweat for a moment.
Her loud steps and thick voice came forward. "Don't expect me to go easy on you."
That sounded familiar; I had heard that before, but where...
The sudden spike of pain in my head warned me not to pry, so I held back. I gripped the dirt before pushing myself up. I shot a glare at the large angel, steadying the Branchie in my hands as we faced off. She swung her weapon, nearly slicing my hair in half if I hadn't ducked out of the way. Seeing an opening, I wound the weapon back in my hands to get a firm grip before thrusting it toward her chest.
She threw her Branchie down, stopping the sharp end from coming into her chest. She was stronger, throwing me back along with the Branchie with one hard shove. I slid on the ground, finding my feet before running up once again. Arden took the defensive route, ducking and pulling her body away from my swings.
I felt the air through my hair, the soft wind throwing me down a loophole of memories. Memories I was too busy to try and remember.
She soon grew tired, throwing her legs down into the dirt, the Branchie clasping my own as it swung towards her face. I leveled with her, looking down at her sharp blue eyes and strong smirk.
I knew she was strong enough to thrust me back. But she didn't; instead, the warrior used her strength to grapple the Branchie in my grasp with her own. She kneeled into the dirt, digging up the ground before she threw me next to her. I rolled onto the ground, unable to grasp anything before she came right on top of me.
I used my legs, thrashing back down to dodge and toss myself away from the blade's end. She was faster than I was. The tossing of white feathers flew all around us, landing on the ground and onto my face for a moment of distraction.
I couldn't even brush them away before Arden saw an opening and hit. It took the wind out of me once again, slowing my movements enough for the Branchie to ride dangerously close to my face. I felt the sting before I could do anything else.
It cut right through and air and sliced cleanly along my cheek, the blood that stuck into my skin and my gasp came up short. Arden pulled the weapon back, winding her leg before she thrusted into my stomach. I couldn't stop myself from rolling away, feeling the bursting pops of pain all over my body. My ribs felt crushed, and my blood felt like it was consuming me.
I halted my rolling, struggling to stand and breathe. My vision blurred from tears, so I relied on my hearing. I could faintly make out Arden's footsteps, the warriors' gasps, and Rory shouting something.
"Stop! Enough, let her be!"
"You are not allowed to interfere-"
Seth and Bridget began to yell out to me, Casper's yelps coming up pained and short. I heard the Warrior Angels speak to them, telling my friends that it was okay and that I couldn't be hurt.
But I could feel it. I could feel the pain, and it came in fast and hard, along with the steps of the large warrior becoming soft and short. I risked a glance, holding onto my chest as my eyes glanced around the surroundings. I caught sight of Arden, her hair rushing around in the wind. But I couldn't find the Branchie; I had nothing to defend myself with.
Instead of waiting for her to come attack me, I piled up my strength to throw at her. She was distracted by what had happened with everyone else, so she didn't catch me before I had already landed on her. She swung the Branchie, only clearing the wind just above my ears that rang with the sound. I bolted off the ground, kicking up at her exposed chest as she was sent to the ground.
I could see her getting ready to stand up; she was unable to feel anything, so I went back down harder. I could hear an intake of breath, a slight squeeze of a gasp. Soon, I was back on top of her, my feet and hands digging into the ground as I leveled with her eyes.
I could see the anger, shock, and utter bewilderment on her face when she looked back at me. She still held the weapon while I restrained her with my sweaty, clammy hands and trembling fingers. She gazed deep into my eyes, making me freeze and feel uncomfortable and shaky.
But it also gave me a sense of power.
The feeling of something hot and wet on my face made me blink out of my craze; blood fell from my face and onto Arden's cheek. Her eyebrows shot up, panting in astonishment. I could feel the slight pressure of her movement; the momentary shock was wiped off her face with a low glare.
Her hand shot out, and the Branchie fell from her grip as she took hold of my tunic. Throwing me down under her, the angel's arms trapped me on the ground, her face just inches from my own with eyes looking for something.
I felt hot, my breath was coming up short at the brutal strength she pushed onto me. She was strong, almost crushing me with the grip on my chest; I had to gasp, ruffling my hands up to grip and attempting to wiggle free.
Even with my squirming, Arden never looked away from my face. Her eyes were glued to my cheek, and the pain was slightly numbed by my pumping heart.
"You're hurting her! Get off!" Rory yelled out, pushing through the angels to get my attention.
Arden took her eyes off me, looking up to Rory in shock. The other warriors looked back at me while I lay on the ground helpless. Arden stood up, finally allowing me to breathe in the air I was desperately craving. I coughed a few times, hearing some clunks and heavy steps moving away.
Rory was by my side, helping me get to my shaking feet. Seth and Bridget came over just behind them, with Casper sniffing me with his big nose. His ears flattened with the dirt and mud all over my clothing. Bridget held something out to my face, the small cloth covering the cut on my face.
It stung a little, but I allowed her to press it down with her worried, big eyes looking up at me. Seth had me by the shoulder, making sure I didn't slip since my legs were shaking from holding up my weight. Rory was still pressed to my side, though they were glaring daggers at Ardens back.
The tall angel didn't turn to return the glare, walking over to put on her armor while the other warriors came over with questions. My ears quivered at the words, the shock, and complete disbelief at the realization that I could actually feel pain.
It wasn't normal. I wasn't normal.
"Let's go, I don't like these angels.." Bridget pulled me up, allowing me to hold my ground before turning towards the trees. The others stayed glued to my side, walking me out of the forest before we were stopped by a strong voice.
"Wait."
It was Arden, the tall angel caused all of our attention to fall on her. Her eyes were on me, even with my body sagging in Rory's arms. Her lips lifted, a sly smile catching the end of her lips. "I look forward to seeing you again, Vienna."
"What..?"
"I like what you showed me," Arden said, placing her helmet back on as she turned her back. "I believe you now understand it. Keep it up, and you just might be with us."
Seth made a huff, pushing Rory forward to take me along with them. They began to bicker, saying such and such about the Warrior Angels.
"Man, I really don't like those guys!" Rory shook their head.
"They look down on everyone; they don't even care about anyone." Seth agreed, bumping into Bridget to nod along. "You shouldn't listen to them, Vienna."
"Why did you even want to fight with them? To show what?" Rory tried to talk to me, only I turned my head away from them. They kept going, "Arden has never been defeated even when she faced all of the Warrior Angels."
"Trust us, Vienna." I caught a glimpse of a soft look from Bridget, who stared up at me. "Being involved with the Warrior Angels isn't worth it."
The worry in her voice made my skin crawl. I couldn't understand why I felt so strongly about their ideas, but they seemed to have a point. They had been in this place longer than I had, so there was no reason for them to lie. I clenched my fists together and nodded in agreement as we left the clearing.