A Glimpse at Humanity Through Annael (3/3)
Title: A Glimpse at Humanity Through Annael
Series: Notes Tied to Balloons
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Castiel and Anna(el)
Genre: Family, Adventure
Summary: As a fledgling, Castiel had a very big, very interesting family. Each story will stand on its own and will consist of three chapters. Third story's up: Angels, especially soldiers, are not supposed to play games. But some rules are worth breaking.
Click here for the other siblings: Balthazar, Joshua
You used to talk to me like
I was the only one around.
You used to lean on me like
The only other choice was falling down.
You used to walk with me like
We had nowhere we needed to go,
Nice and slow, to no place in particular.
.
I used to reach for you when
I got lost along the way.
I used to listen.
You always had just the right thing to say.
I used to follow you.
Never really cared where we would go,
Fast or slow, to anywhere at all.
.
Used to - Daughtry
Castiel did not care who saw him, he just wanted to find Anna.
“Anna? Anna? Anna!”
He kept flying, no longer conscious of direction or speed. He kept flying until his wings gave out and he plunged into a meadow of dandelions. The white seeds exploded all around him, and he wished they kept on falling until Heaven could not see him anymore. Anna, where was she? Where was his sister? He needed her; he did not want to be alone right now.
“Anna?”
Castiel was crying now, tears in the form of light spilling from his eyes. He should not cry, he was not supposed to cry, none of them were. Crying meant he was feeling, and feeling meant that he would fail as an angel, which would just affirm what the others had said. He should not give into emotions, yet he wanted nothing except to submit to them. He was to be a soldier; he should be in control, unconquerable -
…he was so scared, so humiliated, so confused, so demoralized, he felt so much and - Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna…!
“Shhh. Hush, Castiel. Hush, brother. I’m here now; I’m here. Shh, it’s alright. I won’t leave you.”
Gradually, Castiel became aware of Anna’s presence enclosing him. He later gathered that he was trembling, and that where his tears had hit the ground, cornflowers - the same blue as his eyes - sprung up in their wake. He did not care, he just buried himself into Anna’s essence and clung to her as more light trickled from him.
Anna ran a hand soothingly along his back and placed her head on top of his. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Shhh… Just let it all out.” she cooed.
Let what out? Castiel did not understand but he just held onto her tighter and hoped that he was not being told to really do anything.
“Would you like to tell me what happened?” Anna asked softly.
Castiel stiffened and the light spilling from him became thicker and hurt more.
“Shh, it’s alright if you don’t want to say anything. Right now, you’re safe. Nothing and no one can harm you while I’m here.” comforted Anna. She shifted in her place, and for a moment, Castiel feared that she was going to leave him. Instead, it was the opposite.
Anna began wrapping herself around him, Grace, light, wings... but what surprised him the most were her arms going around his form and pulling both of them closer together, more than her wings and Grace ever could. It was strange, it was such a... physical thing to do. Angels did not do this thing to each other much, this act of touching. It was labelled as a human habit; angels had their Grace to make contact with one another, and for a long time, Castiel had believed that it was enough to sustain their bonds.
Now, however, he was starting to understand why humans did it so often. He also wondered why it could not be the same for angels.
“Castiel,” Anna began softly, holding him tighter. “Do you know what this is called, what we’re doing?”
He knew this, he knew the term, but vaguely. Castiel lifted his head to look at Anna. “An embrace?” he tried.
Anna gently smiled and dusted the dandelion seeds off his head. “Yes, but it’s such a heavy word, at least to me anyway. The humans call this a hug, which is like an embrace except without all the weight surrounding it.” she replied.
Castiel sensed the flow of his tears discontinue as he absorbed this new term. Hug.
“Why do humans hug?” he asked diffidently.
“They do it for a lot of reasons. They hug because they want to cheer up someone who’s sad, or they hug to make themselves even happier. And sometimes they do it because they really love someone and they want to let that person know how much they matter to them.” Anna explained, running her fingers through his wings in a calming manner.
Hearing those words, Castiel tilted his head. “Am I loved, sister?” he asked.
Anna stared straight into his eyes and playfully rubbed the top of his head. “Of course! You’re my brother! And besides, who could possibly not love you?” she laughed, though she was genuine with her words.
He knew that Heaven was built on the foundations of their Father’s love, and as a family, he knew that a connection with his brothers and sisters could not exist without love, but it was actually nice to hear it. Most of all, it was nice to hear it directly at him.
Then, Anna leaned forward and tenderly placed her mouth on the side of Castiel’s face.
“What was that?” he inquired bemusedly.
“That’s a kiss.” answered Anna brightly.
“A... kiss?”
“Uh-huh. It’s another thing the humans do. But they don’t do it to just anybody; they only do it to the ones who are the most special to them, someone they’re really close to and really love.” She started dusting the rest of the dandelion seeds off him as Castiel just stared at her with wide eyes. “I love you, alright, brother? So whenever you have a bad day, just come to me and we’ll make it better, okay?” she said sweetly, kissing him again on the top of his head.
Castiel nestled into Anna’s light and he had never felt safer in his existence. He wished all of his siblings displayed as much as affection to one another. Before he was aware of it, he opened his mouth and muttered, “Some of the angels in my garrison ridiculed me during practice.”
The red light of Anna’s Grace flared, almost threateningly. “They did?” she remarked tautly.
Castiel went on, no longer so heavily burdened somehow. “They called me a freak because I showed far too much interest in humanity and their ways. They said I was defiling the title of an angel because I’m stooping down to the humans’ level. After that, they called me weak and a traitor, then knocked me down and broke my practice-blade in front of me.” he recalled.
Anna’s light brightened considerably, the warmth of her aura suddenly becoming boiling hot before cooling off a while later. “They have no right to do that.” she said quietly, but Castiel did not miss the frightening edge to it. She then turned to him. “Give me their names, Castiel. I’ll teach them a lesson.”
He recognized that tone; that was the tone Zachariah used when he was about to punish somebody, and no one wanted to deal with his punishments. “Anna, no, please. Don’t hurt them.” said Castiel.
“Brother, they mocked and hurt you. They deserve something just in return.” Anna pointed out, getting up.
Castiel helplessly plopped onto the ground but held onto the tips of Anna’s wings just as she was about to leave. “Please, Anna; don’t hurt them. They’re simply confused; they don’t know all the good things humans do.” he tried to reason. “And they’re my brothers - our brothers. I love them too and I’m tired of seeing our family get hurt all the time.”
Anna stared at him for a long time, until eventually her posture relaxed. “Okay. You’re right. But I still would like to talk to them some time, and that includes convincing them to forge you a new practice-blade. What they did to you was very mean.” she said.
Smiling, Castiel went forward and hugged her. “Thank you, sister.” he said.
There was a slight hesitation before Anna chuckled and hugged him back. “You’re welcome. And whenever you’re ready, you can tell me their names, okay?”
“Okay.”
They soon settled back into their place on the meadow when Anna perked up, clearly sensing something. “Castiel, what you told me, were those really everything they said and did to you?” she asked.
Castiel felt his wings go stiff for a brief moment. “It’s not important.” he mumbled.
“So they did do something else.” Anna affirmed.
He ducked his head and avoided her gaze. “It’s not important.” he repeated.
“Castiel,”
“...they said my wings are ugly.”
Anna sighed and Castiel found the courage to slowly look up. “I ought to make my talk to them sterner; that insult is just pushing things too far. Next to the Grace, the wings define an angel and hold their dignity; no one should dishonor that.” she said.
She motioned to her side and when Castiel looked, there were multiple jars and brushes on the ground.
“Would you like to help me blow some dandelions? Just enough so we can have a clear circle,” Anna asked.
Castiel had no clue what she was planning; albeit, he trusted her and set himself to work. Now, he was no stranger to blowing on dandelions, but he had never seen this many seeds floating in the air before. There were so many seeds overhead that it was hard to believe they all came from just a small patch. In awe, he watched them get carried away by a breeze and suddenly he felt small simply by looking at them all; but, for once, that was alright since he felt like he could stare at them forever.
“Lie down, brother.” whispered Anna, guiding him to lie down on a bare stretch of grass.
He found that it was even better to watch them while lying down. It was like watching a show perform endlessly for him.
“Now close your eyes.” she said.
That managed to snap Castiel out of his daze. Close his eyes? He had never done that before. A hint of fear began making itself known to him.
“It’ll be fine. I promise.” Anna assured.
Just like that, Castiel obeyed. Everything became dark at once; he was not used to not seeing any color, shape or detail. He was scared; he wanted to open his eyes now.
“Relax, Castiel. I’m still here. Keep your eyes closed.”
Anna. Anna was there, and she was stretching his wings out on the grass for some reason.
“Shh... Relax, relax. Now, tell me, what are the things you like?”
The things he... liked? He did not understand.
“For example, uhhm... Do you like the stars?”’
Castiel thought about it. “Yes.” he replied.
A moment afterward, he felt something small, light and wet being dragged along his wing. Castiel got very startled.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just picture the stars in your mind.”
Castiel did, if only to distract him from whatever Anna was doing. Then, the dark gradually lit up with stars. He was amazed at such a feat; he never realized how well his imagination worked when he had his eyes closed, like putting pictures on a blank slate.
“Do you like thunder storms?”
“No.” came the immediate answer.
“How about flowers?”
Castiel could have imagined any flower, from the biggest ones to the kind that was the most fragrant. Instead, his mind instantly went to the flowers Anna had put into his crown. “I like flowers.” he replied idly.
“Okay. What else?”
He thought about it. “I like bubbles, and nice fluffy clouds.” he said. He thought a little more. “And frogs and tigers.” he added with a bit of a laugh.
Anna giggled beside him. “They certainly sound familiar.”
Castiel laughed again, a tad louder this time. “And... I like spending time with you.” he said.
“You’re so sweet. Don’t ever change, brother. Alright, just a bit more and I’m done.”
“Done with what?” he asked.
“Just a few - Okay! You can open your eyes now!”
Castiel did as he was told and found himself face to face with a smiling Anna. He then noticed that the jars had been opened, and inside each of them was a different colored liquid. “Anna...?” he began.
The smile on Anna became more radiant. “Look at your wings.” she instructed excitedly.
He turned to his side and was shocked at what he saw: his right wing had been transformed into something similar to a canvas. There were pictures of stars near the edges of his wing, and they glowed and shined just like the real ones. At the bottom were flowers, exactly like those on his crown. Within the border of stars and flowers were intricately placed clouds and bubbles that seemed to be moving upward. And at the very center of it all, was the picture of a hopping frog.
When Castiel looked at his left wing, everything was the same, except that in the middle there was a pouncing tiger.
“Flip your wings over to the outer layer.” said Anna.
Castiel brought his wings around himself and saw that the other side was colored in a way that resembled the sky when sunrise came, with blues, pinks, oranges and purples mixing splendidly together. He studied his wings wholly one final time, though that hardly changed how amazed he felt.
“There. Now no one can say that your wings are ugly.” proclaimed Anna proudly.
Castiel touched the surface of his wing, as if to ensure that the colors and pictures were really there. “Anna... it’s so beautiful. Thank you.” he said.
“They won’t last forever, unfortunately. Paint has a very short lifespan after all. So you might as well make the most of it.” said Anna. Suddenly, her grin returned and before Castiel knew it, he was being taken to a different location.
“Where are we going?” inquired Castiel.
“A place to test the endurance of the paint on your wings.” Anna answered happily.
O_x
“Anna, I’m not certain about this.” Castiel voiced out his concern.
“It’s like I told you: just scoop a handful, compact it and then throw it at your target. Namely me.” Anna explained.
With insecurity, Castiel stared at the abundance of snow around them, then at the short snow wall he had constructed in front of him, which Anna said should act as his defense barrier. “Is this combat truly necessary?” he asked.
“Just because I said we’re going to have a snowball fight doesn’t mean we would actually fight. Think of this as a combination of your practices and our games.” laughed Anna.
Castiel timidly looked down and did not say anything.
“Come on, brother! Snow is extremely rare in Heaven! In a while, it will all melt and we can’t play anymore.” said Anna.
That was what he was hoping for. He did not want to get hit with snow.
Suddenly, a snowball hit his wing, with enough force to make Castiel stumble.
“Anna!” he whined.
“It looks like the paint is holding up. But just to make sure...” Anna hurled a snowball at his other wing. This time, Castiel fell back onto a deep pile of snow. When he popped his head out of the mound, Anna threw another snowball and it landed squarely on top of his head.
Castiel struggled out of the snow, just in time to avoid another snowball, and hid behind his barrier. He needed to act; he did not want to keep getting hit. Thinking fast, he scooped some snow, moulded it and threw it at Anna.
The snowball hit her straight in the face. Castiel stared at the reality of that for a few moments in silence before succumbing to a fit of laughter.
Then Anna hit him in the face in retaliation. Castiel wiped the snow off him and saw that Anna was now the one laughing. Determined not to let her get the best of him, Castiel quickly scooped more snow and prepared to launch.
For the longest moment in Heaven’s history, the firing of snow was exchanged in lightning-quick precision as two angels ultimately became covered in a thick layer of snow.
Inevitably, within a short time, the snow started to melt away. Castiel had his last snowball in his hand, raised and ready to throw. He was putting a smidgeon of his Grace into it to prevent it from melting. He watched as both his and Anna’s barriers liquefied, and while his protection was ebbing away, so was his sister’s, and the second her wall dissolved enough, Castiel would throw his final snowball at her.
Except that Anna was not there, even as all traces of snow melted away.
Castiel lowered his snowball and carefully approached Anna’s site. Where was she? Could angels melt like snow? Had Anna melted?
“Boo!”
Castiel was caught so off-guard that he jumped and somehow his snowball landed on top of his head. Turning around, there was Anna - un-melted and smiling - and Castiel could not help but glare at her somewhat; as a result, the snowball on his head liquefied and water ran down his face.
Anna giggled and wiped the moisture off him as an act of apology. “Brother, I just received a message and I have exciting news!” she exclaimed.
His frustrations with the snowball fight forgotten, Castiel tilted his head in interest and waited for Anna’s revelation.
“Zachariah is no longer your superior.” said Anna.
Castiel’s eyes widened at that. This was indeed great news! But then, he realized another factor. “So who will be my superior, as well the others’?” he asked.
“You’re looking at her.” Anna declared proudly, smile brightening.
Castiel’s mind briefly went into a state of shock. “You’re my superior now?” Even as he said it, he found it hard to believe. This was too good to be true!
“You might’ve heard some whispers circulating that someone was trying to usurp Zachariah’s position. And I believe I mentioned the last time we met that I had an important matter to attend to,” said Anna, and all of a sudden things fell into place for Castiel and he was unable to resist grinning and hugging his sister.
“I’ll do things differently, I promise that. But don’t expect you and the other angels can just goof off whenever you want. I’ll still demand discipline and respect, Castiel.” she said, her tone a mixture of lightness and seriousness.
Castiel stood back slightly. “Cas.”
“What?”
“Cas. I don’t mind if you call me that.” he remarked.
Anna considered him for a long time before she gave him her warmest smile yet. “That’s good to hear. What made you change your mind?” she asked.
For a moment, Castiel did not say anything. “I don’t know. I’m just… okay with it now.” he said.
It was not much of an answer, because honestly Castiel did not have a real one. Maybe he was comfortable around Anna now, enough that he wanted to confide something to her, something secret only they can share and understand, like their own language. Maybe it was also because he admired his sister so much that he wanted to be like her, even in the littlest of ways. Regardless, Anna chuckled, took his hand in hers and started leading them forward.
“So Cas,” she began. “Have you ever jumped in a puddle before?”
“Not yet.” Castiel replied coyly, knowing what to expect next.
They were now walking across the ground where the snow used to be, only now there were puddles.
“How about we spend a few minutes here, before we alert the others and announce the change in leadership?” Anna asked.
Castiel giggled and stepped into the nearest puddle. Like with most things Anna had made them do, he failed to see the point of this undertaking. It was so insignificant compared to the roles and obligations assigned to angels. Jumping into puddles would not honor their Father’s will, it would not banish malevolence, it would not preserve the balance of life, and it would not make a big impact on time and dramatically change lives.
After feeling the water splash at his wings on his first jump, he was fine with that.
O_x
“Anna, I don’t know what to do. Please tell me what to do.”
“Like the old days? No. I’m sorry. It’s time to think for yourself.”
Fin (for this mini-story).
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the hint for the next character! :D
*drum-roll*
The next character will be... an archangel! Place your bets! XD
Series: Notes Tied to Balloons
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Castiel and Anna(el)
Genre: Family, Adventure
Summary: As a fledgling, Castiel had a very big, very interesting family. Each story will stand on its own and will consist of three chapters. Third story's up: Angels, especially soldiers, are not supposed to play games. But some rules are worth breaking.
Click here for the other siblings: Balthazar, Joshua
You used to talk to me like
I was the only one around.
You used to lean on me like
The only other choice was falling down.
You used to walk with me like
We had nowhere we needed to go,
Nice and slow, to no place in particular.
.
I used to reach for you when
I got lost along the way.
I used to listen.
You always had just the right thing to say.
I used to follow you.
Never really cared where we would go,
Fast or slow, to anywhere at all.
.
Used to - Daughtry
Castiel did not care who saw him, he just wanted to find Anna.
“Anna? Anna? Anna!”
He kept flying, no longer conscious of direction or speed. He kept flying until his wings gave out and he plunged into a meadow of dandelions. The white seeds exploded all around him, and he wished they kept on falling until Heaven could not see him anymore. Anna, where was she? Where was his sister? He needed her; he did not want to be alone right now.
“Anna?”
Castiel was crying now, tears in the form of light spilling from his eyes. He should not cry, he was not supposed to cry, none of them were. Crying meant he was feeling, and feeling meant that he would fail as an angel, which would just affirm what the others had said. He should not give into emotions, yet he wanted nothing except to submit to them. He was to be a soldier; he should be in control, unconquerable -
…he was so scared, so humiliated, so confused, so demoralized, he felt so much and - Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna…!
“Shhh. Hush, Castiel. Hush, brother. I’m here now; I’m here. Shh, it’s alright. I won’t leave you.”
Gradually, Castiel became aware of Anna’s presence enclosing him. He later gathered that he was trembling, and that where his tears had hit the ground, cornflowers - the same blue as his eyes - sprung up in their wake. He did not care, he just buried himself into Anna’s essence and clung to her as more light trickled from him.
Anna ran a hand soothingly along his back and placed her head on top of his. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Shhh… Just let it all out.” she cooed.
Let what out? Castiel did not understand but he just held onto her tighter and hoped that he was not being told to really do anything.
“Would you like to tell me what happened?” Anna asked softly.
Castiel stiffened and the light spilling from him became thicker and hurt more.
“Shh, it’s alright if you don’t want to say anything. Right now, you’re safe. Nothing and no one can harm you while I’m here.” comforted Anna. She shifted in her place, and for a moment, Castiel feared that she was going to leave him. Instead, it was the opposite.
Anna began wrapping herself around him, Grace, light, wings... but what surprised him the most were her arms going around his form and pulling both of them closer together, more than her wings and Grace ever could. It was strange, it was such a... physical thing to do. Angels did not do this thing to each other much, this act of touching. It was labelled as a human habit; angels had their Grace to make contact with one another, and for a long time, Castiel had believed that it was enough to sustain their bonds.
Now, however, he was starting to understand why humans did it so often. He also wondered why it could not be the same for angels.
“Castiel,” Anna began softly, holding him tighter. “Do you know what this is called, what we’re doing?”
He knew this, he knew the term, but vaguely. Castiel lifted his head to look at Anna. “An embrace?” he tried.
Anna gently smiled and dusted the dandelion seeds off his head. “Yes, but it’s such a heavy word, at least to me anyway. The humans call this a hug, which is like an embrace except without all the weight surrounding it.” she replied.
Castiel sensed the flow of his tears discontinue as he absorbed this new term. Hug.
“Why do humans hug?” he asked diffidently.
“They do it for a lot of reasons. They hug because they want to cheer up someone who’s sad, or they hug to make themselves even happier. And sometimes they do it because they really love someone and they want to let that person know how much they matter to them.” Anna explained, running her fingers through his wings in a calming manner.
Hearing those words, Castiel tilted his head. “Am I loved, sister?” he asked.
Anna stared straight into his eyes and playfully rubbed the top of his head. “Of course! You’re my brother! And besides, who could possibly not love you?” she laughed, though she was genuine with her words.
He knew that Heaven was built on the foundations of their Father’s love, and as a family, he knew that a connection with his brothers and sisters could not exist without love, but it was actually nice to hear it. Most of all, it was nice to hear it directly at him.
Then, Anna leaned forward and tenderly placed her mouth on the side of Castiel’s face.
“What was that?” he inquired bemusedly.
“That’s a kiss.” answered Anna brightly.
“A... kiss?”
“Uh-huh. It’s another thing the humans do. But they don’t do it to just anybody; they only do it to the ones who are the most special to them, someone they’re really close to and really love.” She started dusting the rest of the dandelion seeds off him as Castiel just stared at her with wide eyes. “I love you, alright, brother? So whenever you have a bad day, just come to me and we’ll make it better, okay?” she said sweetly, kissing him again on the top of his head.
Castiel nestled into Anna’s light and he had never felt safer in his existence. He wished all of his siblings displayed as much as affection to one another. Before he was aware of it, he opened his mouth and muttered, “Some of the angels in my garrison ridiculed me during practice.”
The red light of Anna’s Grace flared, almost threateningly. “They did?” she remarked tautly.
Castiel went on, no longer so heavily burdened somehow. “They called me a freak because I showed far too much interest in humanity and their ways. They said I was defiling the title of an angel because I’m stooping down to the humans’ level. After that, they called me weak and a traitor, then knocked me down and broke my practice-blade in front of me.” he recalled.
Anna’s light brightened considerably, the warmth of her aura suddenly becoming boiling hot before cooling off a while later. “They have no right to do that.” she said quietly, but Castiel did not miss the frightening edge to it. She then turned to him. “Give me their names, Castiel. I’ll teach them a lesson.”
He recognized that tone; that was the tone Zachariah used when he was about to punish somebody, and no one wanted to deal with his punishments. “Anna, no, please. Don’t hurt them.” said Castiel.
“Brother, they mocked and hurt you. They deserve something just in return.” Anna pointed out, getting up.
Castiel helplessly plopped onto the ground but held onto the tips of Anna’s wings just as she was about to leave. “Please, Anna; don’t hurt them. They’re simply confused; they don’t know all the good things humans do.” he tried to reason. “And they’re my brothers - our brothers. I love them too and I’m tired of seeing our family get hurt all the time.”
Anna stared at him for a long time, until eventually her posture relaxed. “Okay. You’re right. But I still would like to talk to them some time, and that includes convincing them to forge you a new practice-blade. What they did to you was very mean.” she said.
Smiling, Castiel went forward and hugged her. “Thank you, sister.” he said.
There was a slight hesitation before Anna chuckled and hugged him back. “You’re welcome. And whenever you’re ready, you can tell me their names, okay?”
“Okay.”
They soon settled back into their place on the meadow when Anna perked up, clearly sensing something. “Castiel, what you told me, were those really everything they said and did to you?” she asked.
Castiel felt his wings go stiff for a brief moment. “It’s not important.” he mumbled.
“So they did do something else.” Anna affirmed.
He ducked his head and avoided her gaze. “It’s not important.” he repeated.
“Castiel,”
“...they said my wings are ugly.”
Anna sighed and Castiel found the courage to slowly look up. “I ought to make my talk to them sterner; that insult is just pushing things too far. Next to the Grace, the wings define an angel and hold their dignity; no one should dishonor that.” she said.
She motioned to her side and when Castiel looked, there were multiple jars and brushes on the ground.
“Would you like to help me blow some dandelions? Just enough so we can have a clear circle,” Anna asked.
Castiel had no clue what she was planning; albeit, he trusted her and set himself to work. Now, he was no stranger to blowing on dandelions, but he had never seen this many seeds floating in the air before. There were so many seeds overhead that it was hard to believe they all came from just a small patch. In awe, he watched them get carried away by a breeze and suddenly he felt small simply by looking at them all; but, for once, that was alright since he felt like he could stare at them forever.
“Lie down, brother.” whispered Anna, guiding him to lie down on a bare stretch of grass.
He found that it was even better to watch them while lying down. It was like watching a show perform endlessly for him.
“Now close your eyes.” she said.
That managed to snap Castiel out of his daze. Close his eyes? He had never done that before. A hint of fear began making itself known to him.
“It’ll be fine. I promise.” Anna assured.
Just like that, Castiel obeyed. Everything became dark at once; he was not used to not seeing any color, shape or detail. He was scared; he wanted to open his eyes now.
“Relax, Castiel. I’m still here. Keep your eyes closed.”
Anna. Anna was there, and she was stretching his wings out on the grass for some reason.
“Shh... Relax, relax. Now, tell me, what are the things you like?”
The things he... liked? He did not understand.
“For example, uhhm... Do you like the stars?”’
Castiel thought about it. “Yes.” he replied.
A moment afterward, he felt something small, light and wet being dragged along his wing. Castiel got very startled.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just picture the stars in your mind.”
Castiel did, if only to distract him from whatever Anna was doing. Then, the dark gradually lit up with stars. He was amazed at such a feat; he never realized how well his imagination worked when he had his eyes closed, like putting pictures on a blank slate.
“Do you like thunder storms?”
“No.” came the immediate answer.
“How about flowers?”
Castiel could have imagined any flower, from the biggest ones to the kind that was the most fragrant. Instead, his mind instantly went to the flowers Anna had put into his crown. “I like flowers.” he replied idly.
“Okay. What else?”
He thought about it. “I like bubbles, and nice fluffy clouds.” he said. He thought a little more. “And frogs and tigers.” he added with a bit of a laugh.
Anna giggled beside him. “They certainly sound familiar.”
Castiel laughed again, a tad louder this time. “And... I like spending time with you.” he said.
“You’re so sweet. Don’t ever change, brother. Alright, just a bit more and I’m done.”
“Done with what?” he asked.
“Just a few - Okay! You can open your eyes now!”
Castiel did as he was told and found himself face to face with a smiling Anna. He then noticed that the jars had been opened, and inside each of them was a different colored liquid. “Anna...?” he began.
The smile on Anna became more radiant. “Look at your wings.” she instructed excitedly.
He turned to his side and was shocked at what he saw: his right wing had been transformed into something similar to a canvas. There were pictures of stars near the edges of his wing, and they glowed and shined just like the real ones. At the bottom were flowers, exactly like those on his crown. Within the border of stars and flowers were intricately placed clouds and bubbles that seemed to be moving upward. And at the very center of it all, was the picture of a hopping frog.
When Castiel looked at his left wing, everything was the same, except that in the middle there was a pouncing tiger.
“Flip your wings over to the outer layer.” said Anna.
Castiel brought his wings around himself and saw that the other side was colored in a way that resembled the sky when sunrise came, with blues, pinks, oranges and purples mixing splendidly together. He studied his wings wholly one final time, though that hardly changed how amazed he felt.
“There. Now no one can say that your wings are ugly.” proclaimed Anna proudly.
Castiel touched the surface of his wing, as if to ensure that the colors and pictures were really there. “Anna... it’s so beautiful. Thank you.” he said.
“They won’t last forever, unfortunately. Paint has a very short lifespan after all. So you might as well make the most of it.” said Anna. Suddenly, her grin returned and before Castiel knew it, he was being taken to a different location.
“Where are we going?” inquired Castiel.
“A place to test the endurance of the paint on your wings.” Anna answered happily.
O_x
“Anna, I’m not certain about this.” Castiel voiced out his concern.
“It’s like I told you: just scoop a handful, compact it and then throw it at your target. Namely me.” Anna explained.
With insecurity, Castiel stared at the abundance of snow around them, then at the short snow wall he had constructed in front of him, which Anna said should act as his defense barrier. “Is this combat truly necessary?” he asked.
“Just because I said we’re going to have a snowball fight doesn’t mean we would actually fight. Think of this as a combination of your practices and our games.” laughed Anna.
Castiel timidly looked down and did not say anything.
“Come on, brother! Snow is extremely rare in Heaven! In a while, it will all melt and we can’t play anymore.” said Anna.
That was what he was hoping for. He did not want to get hit with snow.
Suddenly, a snowball hit his wing, with enough force to make Castiel stumble.
“Anna!” he whined.
“It looks like the paint is holding up. But just to make sure...” Anna hurled a snowball at his other wing. This time, Castiel fell back onto a deep pile of snow. When he popped his head out of the mound, Anna threw another snowball and it landed squarely on top of his head.
Castiel struggled out of the snow, just in time to avoid another snowball, and hid behind his barrier. He needed to act; he did not want to keep getting hit. Thinking fast, he scooped some snow, moulded it and threw it at Anna.
The snowball hit her straight in the face. Castiel stared at the reality of that for a few moments in silence before succumbing to a fit of laughter.
Then Anna hit him in the face in retaliation. Castiel wiped the snow off him and saw that Anna was now the one laughing. Determined not to let her get the best of him, Castiel quickly scooped more snow and prepared to launch.
For the longest moment in Heaven’s history, the firing of snow was exchanged in lightning-quick precision as two angels ultimately became covered in a thick layer of snow.
Inevitably, within a short time, the snow started to melt away. Castiel had his last snowball in his hand, raised and ready to throw. He was putting a smidgeon of his Grace into it to prevent it from melting. He watched as both his and Anna’s barriers liquefied, and while his protection was ebbing away, so was his sister’s, and the second her wall dissolved enough, Castiel would throw his final snowball at her.
Except that Anna was not there, even as all traces of snow melted away.
Castiel lowered his snowball and carefully approached Anna’s site. Where was she? Could angels melt like snow? Had Anna melted?
“Boo!”
Castiel was caught so off-guard that he jumped and somehow his snowball landed on top of his head. Turning around, there was Anna - un-melted and smiling - and Castiel could not help but glare at her somewhat; as a result, the snowball on his head liquefied and water ran down his face.
Anna giggled and wiped the moisture off him as an act of apology. “Brother, I just received a message and I have exciting news!” she exclaimed.
His frustrations with the snowball fight forgotten, Castiel tilted his head in interest and waited for Anna’s revelation.
“Zachariah is no longer your superior.” said Anna.
Castiel’s eyes widened at that. This was indeed great news! But then, he realized another factor. “So who will be my superior, as well the others’?” he asked.
“You’re looking at her.” Anna declared proudly, smile brightening.
Castiel’s mind briefly went into a state of shock. “You’re my superior now?” Even as he said it, he found it hard to believe. This was too good to be true!
“You might’ve heard some whispers circulating that someone was trying to usurp Zachariah’s position. And I believe I mentioned the last time we met that I had an important matter to attend to,” said Anna, and all of a sudden things fell into place for Castiel and he was unable to resist grinning and hugging his sister.
“I’ll do things differently, I promise that. But don’t expect you and the other angels can just goof off whenever you want. I’ll still demand discipline and respect, Castiel.” she said, her tone a mixture of lightness and seriousness.
Castiel stood back slightly. “Cas.”
“What?”
“Cas. I don’t mind if you call me that.” he remarked.
Anna considered him for a long time before she gave him her warmest smile yet. “That’s good to hear. What made you change your mind?” she asked.
For a moment, Castiel did not say anything. “I don’t know. I’m just… okay with it now.” he said.
It was not much of an answer, because honestly Castiel did not have a real one. Maybe he was comfortable around Anna now, enough that he wanted to confide something to her, something secret only they can share and understand, like their own language. Maybe it was also because he admired his sister so much that he wanted to be like her, even in the littlest of ways. Regardless, Anna chuckled, took his hand in hers and started leading them forward.
“So Cas,” she began. “Have you ever jumped in a puddle before?”
“Not yet.” Castiel replied coyly, knowing what to expect next.
They were now walking across the ground where the snow used to be, only now there were puddles.
“How about we spend a few minutes here, before we alert the others and announce the change in leadership?” Anna asked.
Castiel giggled and stepped into the nearest puddle. Like with most things Anna had made them do, he failed to see the point of this undertaking. It was so insignificant compared to the roles and obligations assigned to angels. Jumping into puddles would not honor their Father’s will, it would not banish malevolence, it would not preserve the balance of life, and it would not make a big impact on time and dramatically change lives.
After feeling the water splash at his wings on his first jump, he was fine with that.
O_x
“Anna, I don’t know what to do. Please tell me what to do.”
“Like the old days? No. I’m sorry. It’s time to think for yourself.”
Fin (for this mini-story).
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the hint for the next character! :D
*drum-roll*
The next character will be... an archangel! Place your bets! XD