Author's Notes:
Special Thanks
to
jpz007ahren
and
tentaclesforever
for their uplifting comments. (Sorry mate, no tentacles for you in this novel. Maybe I'll name an octopus after your namesake or something). Same goes for the other reviews too.
As for the speed of chapter releases, I don't think I can go any faster; at least for now. You may have noticed that the quality of the chapters has increased from chapter 5 onwards. The complexity of the story has also increased more than I originally intended, and I am trying my best to make it read worthy, despite the lack of an editor. My speed may improve as I become more proficient at writing but do not expect sudden any sudden improvement.
Also, keep reviewing. Your feedback means a lot and it keeps me going forward.
Results of the polls:
Unsurprisingly, Elyssa and Jie Er top the polls. I was, however, surprised that Rebecca got only two votes. Poor Rebecca ☹. The best sex scene was Astrid's -- I had the most fun in writing that.
***
Over the next couple of days, Jie Er and Rebecca scoured the surrounding forests, whenever they could, for signs of an adult Quetzal. However, they did not even come across a feather of a Quetzal within a forty yonder radius of where Blaze found Sky.
The three of them postulated numerous reasons over why a Quetzal hatchling would appear out of nowhere, but none of them made much sense. Rebecca finally decided for herself that the world goddess, Hathor, had finally granted the angels a Quetzal they could tame.
Jie Er and Blaze were more suspicious, but without anything to focus their suspicions on, they had to give up on their contemplations.
"You know, Rin and Lin have experience in taming. As scouts, they've worked with puokai and dogs. Maybe they can give you some advice on Sky" Rebecca said that weekend, as they worked on Blaze's new room. They were extending the foundation of the house to the left of Jie Er's room.
Blaze nodded as he recalled the two purple haired twins he had met at the army camp.
Sky was currently locked up in her coop, glaring at Blaze for confining her. For a mere bird, she seemed to be quite expressive. She had not yet taken to the older angels and did not like it when they were close to Blaze.
She hadn't grown visibly over the past few days, but tiny hair like pale blue protrusions started sprouting over her head and tail. She was also pooping a lot and she liked to do it anywhere but her coop. Thus, she had been officially banned from entering the house.
Blaze had tried in vainto train her but pointing at the coop and saying 'poop' did not seem to be having much of an effect.
"How about I ask them to come over on the morning of Turdas or Fredas? They've been nagging me about the pool. We can let them have a dip after they help out with the training" Rebecca said to him.
"Sure. But, don't you have to be at the camp on weekdays?"
"Yeah, about that. We are being sent off to the TriSaw Ridge for a month. The demons haven't ceased their activity along the north western border and we have been asked to guard the ridge. We were given a few days off before we leave" Rebecca replied.
"Is it going to be dangerous?" Blaze asked, a little worried.
"TriSaw Ridge? Nah. It's just an energy stone quarry. Quite far from the border. They are afraid that the demons might send someone to sabotage it, so we are just going there to guard it"
"I guess I won't be seeing you for a whole month then" Blaze replied glumly.
"I'm sorry"
"We need to have a party before you leave. Let's have the twins over on both days" Blaze replied, trying to sound innocent.
"What are you planning?" Rebecca asked, unconvinced by his act.
"Oh nothing. Just a little bonding between the twins and their lieutenant. After all, you will be stuck together in some stupid mine for a whole month" Blaze grinned.
"Hmm. That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. A lieutenant does need to get to know her soldiers. What's the plan?" Rebecca replied with a gleam in her eyes, rubbing her hands together.
Blaze put an arm around her and started discussing his idea in hushed voices.
Jie Er watched the two conniving angels and simply shook her head. She couldn't say she wasn't a little envious. She had work on those days.
***
"It's really a Quetzal!!" Rin shrieked in delight, as soon as she spotted Sky. The little tyke charged at her from across the garden as soon as 'he' realized that a stranger had landed in his territory. Just because he let Jie Er and Rebecca live in his house did not mean it was welcome to other angels.
Blaze had been referring to Sky in his mind as a 'he'. Quetzals like angels were asexual and there were no gender pronouns on Azra-El, but Blaze had been longing for a 'bro'. He decided to designate the role to Sky.
The 'bro' bird lunged at Rin's ankles as soon as he reached her, but the angel deftly sidestepped and simply lifted the bird off the ground. Sky struggled and tried to nip at her fingers, but Rin held his shoulders in a way that neither his beak nor his claws could reach any part of her skin.
"queee queee" Sky complained at a laughing Blaze.
Rin, with her waist length and side-swept pale pink hair, was the more feminine looking twin.
She was wearing a gold lined skin tight white sleeveless top, with an open chest and a high collar. A long flowing skirt wrapped around her perky butt and was held low by an orange ribbon belt. The front of the skirt was open and revealed her thighs and knee-high white socks.
Lin was the tomboy twin with short scruffy orange hair. Blaze was pretty sure that the twins were both purple haired the last time he saw them, but they seemed to have dyed their hair or maybe it was their original color.
Lin was wearing a yellow long-coat dress that revealed her chest and stomach. Her low hanging dark purple trousers were skin tight and had only one leg. The other side was cut high up her thigh. A green belt and chain held the coat and pants together at her hips.
Although the way the two of them presented themselves was drastically different, they were still identical twins. They had gentle almond shaped green eyes with slightly upturned outer corners. They had soft button noses and cute pale pink lips with pretty smiles. Their faces were oval and rounded with a faint mongoloid resemblance.
"Are you sure she is tameable?" Rin asked Rebecca and Blaze, as Sky waged a war against his indomitable foe.
"Let me show you" Blaze replied, taking Sky from her hands. The bird clawed her way up his shirt and onto his shoulder. He hugged Blaze's face with a wing and snarled threateningly at Rin.
"He just needs to get used to other angels, I think. He doesn't hate aunty Jie Er and Becky anymore" Blaze explained, as he glanced at Lin who seemed to be keeping her distance from them.
"Oh, don't mind her. She seems to have a thing against birds" Rin said wryly.
