[Original] Swan Angel
Title: Swan Angel
Genre: Supernatural/Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 1100+ words
Rating: G
Summary: Chad went to the park to feed the angel.
Author's Notes: Because the presence of angels should be as frightening as the presence of demons. If I can find the rest of the story in my head (and learn more about what being in a small-time rock band is like), I'll almost certainly expand this.
Swan Angel
***
He went to the park to feed the angel.
Well, Chad mostly went to talk to the angel, but he figured talking to it would go better if he brought some bread. The angel was less likely to peck him with its evilly sharp beak, for one thing.
The geese and the ducks wanted some bread, too, so he was down to only a single piece of bread by the time he found the angel. It was grazing in the grass near the edge of the lake, white swan feathers brilliant in the sunlight. It was the biggest bird in the park, a third again as large as the covey of black swans. He had no idea how people could look at it and not realize it wasn't a natural animal.
Of course, all mute swans looked like that.
Chad tore a piece of bread off the slice and held it out to the angel. It eyed him before taking the bread from his hand. While the sun set, he tore the rest of the bread into chunks, slowly hand-feeding the angel.
"Sorry," he said when he ran out of bread. He held up his empty hands to show them to the angel. "I fed most of it to the geese and ducks. Figured they needed food more than you did."
The angel looked at him disdainfully, then jabbed its beak into the side of his leg.
"Ow! Well, they do. You don't actually need to eat- Ow!"
People left the park as dusk deepened until Chad and the angel were the only two by the lake. He closed his eyes in expectation.
The radiance still almost blinded him. It dimmed quickly with the rustle of feathers, and he opened his eyes to see the angel shrouded in wings of brilliant white feathers. The massive wings from its back covered its body, while smaller wings shielded its face and feet. Not a lock of hair or an inch of skin showed from behind the screen of feathers.
Chad let his eyes slide past it to look out at the lake. He couldn't look at the angel without remembering the first time he saw it, unshrouded, ichor staining its wings, sword flaming, face-
His mind shied away from remembering the angel's face.
"I brought some books on musical notation," he said. "Well, I left them in the car, but I couldn't just lug them out to the lake, y'know? It'd look weird."
The wings around the angel's head flicked lower and back up. Chad took that for a nod.
"I'll put them out when I leave, then maybe next time, we can try making music. If you can write it, I can figure out what sort of instruments-"
Feather tips brushed against his throat, before the wing folded down again to conceal the angel's body.
He gulped. "I know you sing. Well, I think I know you sing- You wrote that you sang. But, look, I don't think human voices can do angelic music. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I think instruments would probably get the sound better."
The rustle of the angel's wings sounded like very soft wind-chimes. Chad didn't remember the wings making any sound when he first saw the angel, but maybe it had been there under the screaming.
"Anyway," he said after a long pause, "This is all theoretical. It doesn't matter until we've got some music I can actually read. Unless you've started being able to talk again in the last week...?"
The angel shook its head, bits of radiance shining out from behind feathers.
"Didn't think so. So the first thing to do is to get the music together. Then we worry about how to play it." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping the angel agreed with him. It was lost, not fallen (he thought, he hoped, he had no idea), and it deserved a chance to get home as much as anyone else. Maybe moreso than some.
The angel stepped forward, and Chad tensed. He couldn't help it. Feathers rustled, and he gulped, eyes darting as he looked for a way out.
He didn't even know if he wanted a way out. Everything was screaming at him to run, but this happened every damn time the angel got close in this form. Even though the angel hadn't yet given him a reason to be afraid of it.
Massive white wings spread, and bronze arms wrapped around Chad. The smaller pairs of wings still concealed the angel's face and feet, and clothing that might have been white if it had been next to anything but the angel's wings covered most of the angel's skin.
The angel hugged him. Chad let out a relieved sigh and leaned into the hug, listening to the eerie silence of the angel's lack of breathing.
"It'll be okay," he said. "We'll work this out, make this music happen. You'll get home."
Radiance shone as the wings concealing the angel's face shifted, and Chad squeezed his eyes shut. Softness, softer than his oldest and most well-worn t-shirt, brushed against his face. The inside of his eyelids blazed red like it was a sunny day out.
With a soft chime, the radiance cut off. Chad sagged in the angel's arms, opening his eyes to see its face once more concealed behind white wings.
"I have no idea where you learned about humans, but you don't always have to say 'thank you' with a hug," he said.
The angel's feathers shifted, chiming merrily.
The sound made Chad's heart soar, and he smiled up at the angel. "You're welcome."
It continued to hold him, and Chad felt his skin begin to tingle. He gritted his teeth, knowing what was coming. He could take it.
When the first spark of pain exploded underneath his skin, the angel's feathers rustled like leaves. It pushed him away, and he stumbled back. His shirt scraped against his skin, and he hissed in pain. He knew when he undressed later, the place where the angel had held him would be as red as a bad sunburn and hurt just as much.
"You don't have to-" He started to say, and the angel's feathers rattled. "-Or maybe you do. But, you know, it's not that bad. I've been hurt way worse."
The angel became a swan, and Chad sighed.
"I'll get the books then," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets again. "You be safe."
The swan looked at him oddly and stalked towards the lake. It slipped into the water regally, a bright spot in the darkness. Chad watched it glide on the water until it disappeared out of sight.
"Bye," he whispered. "See you next time."
-End-
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Genre: Supernatural/Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 1100+ words
Rating: G
Summary: Chad went to the park to feed the angel.
Author's Notes: Because the presence of angels should be as frightening as the presence of demons. If I can find the rest of the story in my head (and learn more about what being in a small-time rock band is like), I'll almost certainly expand this.
Swan Angel
***
He went to the park to feed the angel.
Well, Chad mostly went to talk to the angel, but he figured talking to it would go better if he brought some bread. The angel was less likely to peck him with its evilly sharp beak, for one thing.
The geese and the ducks wanted some bread, too, so he was down to only a single piece of bread by the time he found the angel. It was grazing in the grass near the edge of the lake, white swan feathers brilliant in the sunlight. It was the biggest bird in the park, a third again as large as the covey of black swans. He had no idea how people could look at it and not realize it wasn't a natural animal.
Of course, all mute swans looked like that.
Chad tore a piece of bread off the slice and held it out to the angel. It eyed him before taking the bread from his hand. While the sun set, he tore the rest of the bread into chunks, slowly hand-feeding the angel.
"Sorry," he said when he ran out of bread. He held up his empty hands to show them to the angel. "I fed most of it to the geese and ducks. Figured they needed food more than you did."
The angel looked at him disdainfully, then jabbed its beak into the side of his leg.
"Ow! Well, they do. You don't actually need to eat- Ow!"
People left the park as dusk deepened until Chad and the angel were the only two by the lake. He closed his eyes in expectation.
The radiance still almost blinded him. It dimmed quickly with the rustle of feathers, and he opened his eyes to see the angel shrouded in wings of brilliant white feathers. The massive wings from its back covered its body, while smaller wings shielded its face and feet. Not a lock of hair or an inch of skin showed from behind the screen of feathers.
Chad let his eyes slide past it to look out at the lake. He couldn't look at the angel without remembering the first time he saw it, unshrouded, ichor staining its wings, sword flaming, face-
His mind shied away from remembering the angel's face.
"I brought some books on musical notation," he said. "Well, I left them in the car, but I couldn't just lug them out to the lake, y'know? It'd look weird."
The wings around the angel's head flicked lower and back up. Chad took that for a nod.
"I'll put them out when I leave, then maybe next time, we can try making music. If you can write it, I can figure out what sort of instruments-"
Feather tips brushed against his throat, before the wing folded down again to conceal the angel's body.
He gulped. "I know you sing. Well, I think I know you sing- You wrote that you sang. But, look, I don't think human voices can do angelic music. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I think instruments would probably get the sound better."
The rustle of the angel's wings sounded like very soft wind-chimes. Chad didn't remember the wings making any sound when he first saw the angel, but maybe it had been there under the screaming.
"Anyway," he said after a long pause, "This is all theoretical. It doesn't matter until we've got some music I can actually read. Unless you've started being able to talk again in the last week...?"
The angel shook its head, bits of radiance shining out from behind feathers.
"Didn't think so. So the first thing to do is to get the music together. Then we worry about how to play it." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping the angel agreed with him. It was lost, not fallen (he thought, he hoped, he had no idea), and it deserved a chance to get home as much as anyone else. Maybe moreso than some.
The angel stepped forward, and Chad tensed. He couldn't help it. Feathers rustled, and he gulped, eyes darting as he looked for a way out.
He didn't even know if he wanted a way out. Everything was screaming at him to run, but this happened every damn time the angel got close in this form. Even though the angel hadn't yet given him a reason to be afraid of it.
Massive white wings spread, and bronze arms wrapped around Chad. The smaller pairs of wings still concealed the angel's face and feet, and clothing that might have been white if it had been next to anything but the angel's wings covered most of the angel's skin.
The angel hugged him. Chad let out a relieved sigh and leaned into the hug, listening to the eerie silence of the angel's lack of breathing.
"It'll be okay," he said. "We'll work this out, make this music happen. You'll get home."
Radiance shone as the wings concealing the angel's face shifted, and Chad squeezed his eyes shut. Softness, softer than his oldest and most well-worn t-shirt, brushed against his face. The inside of his eyelids blazed red like it was a sunny day out.
With a soft chime, the radiance cut off. Chad sagged in the angel's arms, opening his eyes to see its face once more concealed behind white wings.
"I have no idea where you learned about humans, but you don't always have to say 'thank you' with a hug," he said.
The angel's feathers shifted, chiming merrily.
The sound made Chad's heart soar, and he smiled up at the angel. "You're welcome."
It continued to hold him, and Chad felt his skin begin to tingle. He gritted his teeth, knowing what was coming. He could take it.
When the first spark of pain exploded underneath his skin, the angel's feathers rustled like leaves. It pushed him away, and he stumbled back. His shirt scraped against his skin, and he hissed in pain. He knew when he undressed later, the place where the angel had held him would be as red as a bad sunburn and hurt just as much.
"You don't have to-" He started to say, and the angel's feathers rattled. "-Or maybe you do. But, you know, it's not that bad. I've been hurt way worse."
The angel became a swan, and Chad sighed.
"I'll get the books then," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets again. "You be safe."
The swan looked at him oddly and stalked towards the lake. It slipped into the water regally, a bright spot in the darkness. Chad watched it glide on the water until it disappeared out of sight.
"Bye," he whispered. "See you next time."
-End-
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