Blood & Carrots - Celestial Ep. 02

Welcome back, my lovely reader~

If this is your first visit to the Blood & Carrots series,

STOP

go read the first one then 'Silverpaw' next, to get the best experience. This is a direct sequel and I

STRONGLY

recommend reading the first ones so you're not lost. Yes, my writing wasn't as polished back then, but you seriously do yourself a disservice if you move forward without knowing the story of the first two.

Take your time, I'll wait for you to catch up. :3

♥

And with that out of the way...

Well, we've seen some familiar faces in some new places, haven't we, my lovely reader? You'll be seeing a few more familiar faces this episode as well so I hope you're looking forward to that!

Our lovely angel-fox has already had some interesting developments befall him, but there's much more to come. Some drama, a little pain, and perhaps some romance?

For now, we'll check back in on the next day. Did I mention there is boy love in this story? Ah yes, this tale runs the gauntlet of emotions and love! Heh, well let's jump right in shall we? <3

—♥—

Episode 2:

Why do you make my heart race?

Morning came and I gave Ezekiel his medicine. The lion snarled and moaned about how he'd never drink another drop of mead again if the gods would take mercy upon his aching head. I simply smiled, having heard the proclamation many times over the years.

Bringing him some food and water, I saw him off as best as he could be in his current condition. We were celestial, so his body would purify what remained within a few hours and he would be fine.

Moving to Toroah's door, I felt my stomach twist in a knot at the idea of seeing him again. My hand hesitated to knock for a moment before I swallowed down the lump and tapped on the door in as polite a manner as I could.

"Enter." Toroah's voice called out, the tone sounding proper and business-like. That should have been my warning, but I still gave a startled bark when I saw Hagen standing there to the side of his desk.

The ram had his hands folded in front of him and met my eyes with his darker ones, the look in them a cold fire of anger. I straightened and slammed my fist into my chest in a proper salute, speaking out dutifully, "Sirs!"

"At ease, Knight." Hagen sneered the words and Toroah frowned at him before nodding at me.

"I've spoken with Commander Hagen and your infraction is officially struck from the record. I have also counseled with him on the use of violence against our brothers and sisters," Toroah spoke the words in sharp, pointed tones.

Hagen showed his teeth as he met my gaze. "Though we are technically of similar standing, I will respect the High Commander's orders. Please accept my apologies for yesterday, Knight."

I gave a frown and shook my head. "Sir, you were simply doing what you felt was proper, I am in no way deserving of an apology, sir!"

"Do not placate me, fox." Hagen snapped his teeth together and glared upon me, I frowned and felt my tail thrashing about, feeling irritation build in me when I was earnest in my statement.

"I was serious, sir." I shifted my gaze to Toroah and hesitated before calling out, "Permission to speak freely, sir."

"Granted." Toroah nodded and I couldn't help but see the corners of his mouth curl in a smile.

I shifted to look the ram straight on, my hands resting on my hips in a defiant posture. "You're a pain in the tail at times sir, but I'll tell you here and now, I'm not placating anything. You infuriate me at times, but I've never questioned that your methods weren't at their core, for the greater good of our unit."

Hagen lifted his chin, as if accepting my explanation, then cut his eyes over to the rabbit. "Well, it is no longer your unit to show concern over."

I felt my blood run cold at the words, the thoughts of demotion or court marshal floating right to the surface. Toroah seemed to sense my concern and spoke out gently, "Nothing to fear, Knight, you are simply being transferred to a new unit, mine to be exact."

My tail stiffed and I slacked my jaw slightly, shaking my head a few times before looking at the rabbit. "W-What? Sir, I was not aware you had a personal unit under your command."

"I will take my leave." The ram grumbled as he started walking out of the office, giving me a sideways glare as he passed by me, even as I offered the formal salute upon his exit.

Once the door closed, Toroah gave a frustrated sigh and slumped down into his chair. "At ease, for the love of the gods, at ease, Ryder," He groaned the words and rubbed at the side of his head, both his ears curled downward.

"Yes sir, I mean Toroah." I took a seat, then frowned as I tried to process things. "What is- What is going on?"

He met my eyes and offered me a gentle smile. "Everything happens for a reason, Ryder. We are all connected."

"Yes, you told me that yesterday too, and I still don't understand what you're getting at." I frowned as I rested my hands in my lap, my head aching slightly to wrap my thoughts around all this happening at once.

"Call it manifest destiny if you will. I believe you have great things ahead of you, young fox, and I mean to see it set into motion." He gave me a simple nod at the words.

My ears folded and I shook my head. "With all due respect, Toroah, sir. I'm nothing special, I'm just a soldier that wants to leave the world a better place than I found it. If you're seeking some hero, go look to Ezekiel or Rachel, both of them are fine candidates for the role."

The rabbit shook his head as if that was enough to explain the situation and then spoke out pointedly to me. "You are hereby assigned to my personal vanguard and ascend to the rank of Knight first class."

I barked out in shock and rose from the seat, putting my hands on his desk as I glared upon him. "Toroah! Y-you can't just change my rank like-" I winced and snapped my teeth together, snarling as I felt my wings take on a few more inches of growth. The few centimeters I took on with each promotion of rank were agonizing enough, but to take on that much at once left my head spinning.

I collapsed on a knee, bracing one hand on the surface of the large desk as I panted out from the pain, wincing as I tried to fold the larger wings back into a normal resting position, the muscle and joints in them feeling sore as if I had flown for a day straight.

Once composing myself I looked over my shoulder, seeing a faint bit of blood along some of the new growth, knowing I'd need to change my robes once I left here. Slumping back in the chair once more, I gave a weak pant before speaking out, "What is this all about, Toroah? There are more worthy and powerful knights that deserve it."

The rabbit offered me an apologetic smile for the pain, then put a finger to his cheek as he spoke out, "Let's call it a... hunch."

"A hunch?" I laughed out bitterly and winced as I worked my wings a little, trying to ease the stiffness in them. "Look, sir. Ezekiel or Rachel would deserve this more. They are much better knights than I."

"They say humility is one of the foundations for greatness, Ryder." The rabbit quipped back with another playful smile.

"They say a lot of things, sir. It doesn't make them accurate." I grumbled as I stood from the chair to fully extend the wings a few times, still trying to get the ache out of them.

"I thought you would be happy with your promotion." He hummed out gently.

"Not if I didn't earn it! Not when I know how much harder others have worked before me, like Rachel and Ezekiel!" I barked the words and clenched my teeth, glaring at the rabbit now.

"Such devotion and love for those two. I'm a little jealous if I'm being honest." Toroah hummed the words and offered me that dazzling smile that made my heart leap.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat and calmed the butterflies in my stomach before forcing a glare on the rabbit once more. "Toroah, sir! Is this some convoluted game you're playing? I'm no simpleton, I can tell we are showing interest towards one another, but I'll not disrespect all the effort and sacrifice those around me have done, certainly not if it is just a- a... plot device to get something out of me!" I barked the words in anger, folding my arms, feeling straight-up foolish for saying them. I never in my entire existence had felt I was anything desirable, so to now stand here and accuse an Archangel of essentially stacking the deck to sleep with me, just sounded laughable.

Apparently, it was as laughable as I thought because Toroah simply gave a soft hearty laugh, one that came straight from the belly when one was thoroughly amused by something. It took him a few moments to compose himself, still giggling from time to time as I shrunk back to the seat, my cheeks burning and feeling very, very foolish right now as I jerked my gaze to the floor.

"Ryder, do you like me?" He mused the question, showing me a gentle smile.

"Uh... I can't deny your company has been very... comfortable, like Rachels..." I muttered the words while still blushing, then clenched my teeth, realizing I had spoken what I was thinking about the vixen.

The rabbit grinned and shook his head, his large ears wobbling where they curled slightly at the tips. "What I desire and what I feel is the proper course of things, are two very different roads, my brother."

I blinked a few times then nodded. "So, what is it-"

"Tell me about Rachel." Toroah hummed the words at me, and I could tell they were not an order.

I felt myself squirm slightly in the seat at the thought of explaining, then just spat it out. "She's a fox like me, really pretty and strong. Her eyes do this thing where they get flecks of gold in them, and it makes my heart just melt when I stare into them. We both kind of have feelings for each other, but, well you know... no fraternizing in-unit."

"But, you're no longer in that unit, Ryder." Toroah cooed the words with amusement.

I barked at that, at the realization as it slapped me right in the face. "Ah! Y-You're right, I'm... I'm not!"

"So, I guess that opens your horizons a bit now, doesn't it?" The rabbit showed me a grin, folding his arms on the desk.

I swallowed hard at the thought of her, at the thought of getting to know her better, maybe even kissing and touching her for more than brief fluttering moments. My eyes shifted to him, seeing him sitting there, looking proud of himself, like some kind of cherub.

"Sir, you still haven't really explained how I should look at all this between you and... me?"

"Well, you're the only one under my command directly. This means you only answer to me, or the other Archangels in emergencies, do you understand?"

"I do sir, yes." I nodded and folded my hands into my lap, seeming to finally be composing myself.

"Rest assured, Ryder. I feel our chemistry, but it had nothing to do with my decision, I would have made this choice, even if we seemed to be like oil and water as it were."

I felt a little relief in my heart, knowing this wasn't just some glorified means of getting something out of me. With a nod, I looked up at him and tilted my head. "So what are... we?"

"A good question, I've not found myself interested in someone in decades. Perhaps we will just see where things go. For now, I have orders for you."

I hesitated before calling out, "Sir, y-you're not going to-"

"Put your mind at ease, my brother. I would never use my orders like that." Toroah smiled and stood, putting a hand on his hip as he moved over to withdraw a large rolled-up map, then came back over to roll it out over his desk.

"I assume you're up to speed on geography?" He pushed a finger down onto the map of the world.

"Yes, sir. That area was rife with the Mongol subjugation a few decades past. Lots of bloodshed, but also newfound stability came from it."

He nodded and met my eyes. "Our followers are being preyed upon in this area right here, vampires."

"Savage monsters," I snarled in response.

"Not quite... they are civilized and we believe they've integrated into one of the societies."

I gave a surprised look. "Vampires can be civilized, sir?"

Toroah offered me a chuckle. "Yes, my brother. Only when a vampire fully gives in to their bloodlust, do they become a mindless beast. That's not to say you should trust one, but you can certainly speak with them and treat them as if they were another mundane."

"Fascinating... so why don't we just talk to them and ask them to, you know, stop murdering our flock?" I tilted my head with a frown.

"You see, Ryder, that's the reason I chose you. You think outside of the norm, and that is always useful, or deadly... we will see." Toroah hummed the words as he rolled the map up and put it away.

The rabbit flicked his ears up and his tone shifted to one of command, "Get cleaned up, adorn your armor, and seek out those two vampires."

"Two?" I huffed out as I stood.

"Correct, we know it's two of them, a male and female by what the fleeting glimpses the mundane saw before death indicated. I wish you to use caution though, one of them did something we've not seen before."

I frowned and tilted my head, listening as he continued. "We saw flames on him, and I mean to say... he summoned them, it appears, so do be careful."

"Flames? That is bizarre, are you sure this is something I should be doing alone sir? I am no coward, but you also send me to battle with a foe wielding powers we've never seen before."

"I told you to seek them out, not wade into battle. We are not mindless killers, Ryder. Solve the problem and protect our flock, that is your orders," Toroah spoke the words with surprising heat in his voice and I gave a salute.

"Get changed, you leave within the hour." He nodded and I saw him flourish a hand, a gate snapping open that led straight to my quarters where a bath had already been drawn for me.

"Yes, sir." I gave another salute and stepped through the gate, feeling it holding open as I glanced back curiously. "Uh... Toroah?"

The rabbit showed me a playful smile. "Can I not watch you bathe? Pity..." He hummed the words and I watched the gate snap closed, feeling my heart thumping hard at the gesture. I realized a few moments later it was probably made to lighten the mood before I left, but it left the opposite reaction to my body all the same.

—♥—

Celestial Cadet:

Cadets are the starting position of all celestials after initiation. They are wingless and often assigned to protect various mundane settlements. A single cadet may be the lone protector of a small village, while up to a dozen may be assigned to sprawling cities.

Though wingless, they still have the ability to return to the celestial realm with some effort of concentration, taking flight into the heavens before entering an adjoining gate. Cadets make up the bulk of the celestial military, with those that distinguish themselves moving to knighthood and earning their wings.

—♥—

Once I arrived in the mundane realm, I took flight just as soon as the sun was over the horizon. I didn't think the few inches my wings took on would make much of a difference, but they felt stronger and lighter. My flight had improved tremendously and I could cover much more area in shorter times now.

Like many of my kind, with a simple focus, I could detect the presence of demonic or undead energies at short ranges. However, for longer-range searches, we usually would employ ritual prayers to focus. In this case, Toroah had given me a blessing that allowed me to hone my focus towards just the undead.

It took several hours but eventually, I found two undying energy sources on the move through the plains. Narrowing my focus I quickly made my way to them. My first reflex was to strike right away, catch them unaware and give myself the advantage, but then I thought about what Toroah had told me, thought about how they weren't all mad.

I let my curiosity get the better of me, a decision that probably saved my life that night, now that I look at it in hindsight. Landing right before the two vampires, I snapped my wings along my back, my silver longsword drawn as I pointed it towards them. "Abominations, I'll have you halt your steads right there, if you please!"

The two figures were no doubt male and female, one was a fox like myself, with snowy white fur that reminded me of the kind Toroah sported. The female was smaller, a sheep it appeared, with curled horns that were smaller than Hagens, and thick wooly hair that was pulled back in a large braid. The fox already had drawn a sword in response and I could see blue flames drifting off his ears. Clearly, these were the ones I was searching for.

"At ease my brother, no need to jump straight into the fray just yet." The sheep called out in a surprisingly calm and confident tone. The fox gave her a nod as he put the sword away, his flames dying out.

"Out with it, angel. Why do you appear before me and my brother, we have done nothing wrong by your laws, other than existing I suppose." The sheep spat the words out, clearly showing her large canines, the gesture a proclamation that she wouldn't hide what she was.

I felt a chill roll up my spine as I stared upon them. The fox may have had those strange flames, but this sheep was clearly the stronger of the two of them, stronger than any I'd seen before, even I could sense that. Reinforcing the grip on my blade, I cocked my head to the side as I spoke out, "Our flock has been preyed upon by your kind in this region, a male and female, the male wielding unearthly fires. Do you deny this?"

"I do," She spoke out precisely. "I've not harmed the fur or hair on a single one of your flock in this region, and I can say I've not taken the life of an innocent mundane in well over a century."

My eyes widened at her proclamation and I shook my head. "H-How is that possible? You need their blood to live. You can't expect me to believe these falsehoods you are feeding me."

"Believe it or not, that is of little concern to me, celestial. We have ways of feeding without murder or maiming." The sheep showed a proud grin and flourished her hand. "Why, some welcome it, they find the embrace invigorating, they get the pleasure from it, we get the hunger quelled, an amicable arrangement if I do say so myself."

I shook my head again, finding the whole thing hard to believe, then pointed my sword at the fox that was still growling at me and had a hand on his own blade. "What of you, fox? Do you perpetuate this falsehood as well?"

"Do not disrespect my lady, celestial. I am younger than she but I have not killed a mundane in years since she took me under her protection, but if you try to lay a finger upon-"

"Enough, brother. We will not toss around idle threats." The sheep huffed the words out then met me with a hard look, her dark brown eyes showing a fierce overwhelming will to them that made my very knees shake. "I've grown bored with this, we are not the monsters you seek, quite the contrary, as our aims appear to be one and the same."

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously, shifting the blade back towards the sheep, snarling more at myself than the duo as I felt my hands shaking from the sheer will she was pushing down upon me. It still felt unbelievable I was even having a conversation with two abominations.

"Hmph... though I'm loath to trust any of your lot further than I can hurl one of you, and mind you I can toss one of you quite a distance, but that is beside the point." The sheep put her hands on her hips while sitting atop the primitive horse, poking her nose into the air. "We also seek the ones you do. You may not believe this, but we have a council in place, we have laws, and we don't take kindly to the senseless killing of your 'flock'."