This is my first story ever. I'm nervous, but I enjoy writing. I saw Azazel in the new movie and loved his character, but felt like he needed to be expounded on a bit. So I thought I'd give it a shot. I seem to have a weakness for men with sharp teeth and pointy tails.

Please enjoy reading.

PS, I'm going to throw in appearances of other well-known X-men characters in here, so have no fear and have fun with it!

I do not own any characters, plotlines, or idea of "X-Men" in any way. They belong to their respective owners and creators.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Angels. Heavenly beings created by God to serve and carry out his commands. Flawless, terrifying creatures that have caused mortals to faint, tremble, and even beg for their lives, as evident throughout the ancient written texts. They were some of the most powerful beings, below only God himself. Such raw strength, mystery, and intensity behind these mighty beings...can you even fathom?

Yet, here we are, in this modern day and age, with these same "angels" captured in glass, stone, and paint, set on our shelves, posing in our fountains, and hung on our walls for all to see. Some, their faces round and innocent, occasionally graces with serene, patient smiles, as if they were created simply as fragile, delicate little things to be admired and enjoyed- pleasing to the eye and giving off the feelings of comfort.

Oh, they are far from comforting creatures. These supernatural anomalies, those who were appointed as deadly protectors of the Garden of Eden, never to let a mortal enter after sin had tainted their souls; the same creatures that once swooped over Egypt to claim the souls of the firstborn not marked under the protection of God; the hosts that terrified the lowly sheepherders with the news of the Jewish Messiah; all this has somehow escaped the forgetful minds of the modern day flocks, who have ground off the reverence and fear and molded the creatures called "angels" into mantlepiece pets.

Yet...there were times in his own mind where he also had let his mind wander to the more modern definition of angels, despite that fact that he of all people knew better. A tiny sliver of his consciousness wanted to think of angels as creatures of beauty of comfort. He was the one who mocked anyone who thought angels were dainty little things, but at the same time, he couldn't think of another name to describe the beauty he saw... Her. It was Her that caused him to rethink his theory for a split second. She was the paradox that made him rethink the fact that angels were supposed to instill fear. She was...angelic. And for once, that was not a bad thing. But somehow, that made it all the more terrifying.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Are you worried about police showing up?"

"Pfft. No. If they do, we all have lots of places to hide what shit we don't want seen. It's not illegal for us to be here, they just want us to think it is. Besides, I can't imagine a scenario where a cop would want to intentionally touch a hippie. We're a filthy breed of people."

Short bursts of laughter peppered around the fire pit at the comment. The flames were lit in the middle of a rock circle, plenty of people having helped and gathered around. Guitars were in hand, being gently strummed, and food, various pipes, papers, and other articles were being passed around. The crickets were becoming more vocal as the sun hovered over the treeline in the distance, threatening to disappear for the night as the camp got themselves settled comfortably for the night. The girl who issued the remark leaned back against the fallen log and gave a lop-sided smile to no one in particular. The boy who had asked the question shifted uncomfortably from his seat in the dirt.

"Don't let Lowen fool you, Kaye," a soft-spoken blond smiled at the nervous look on his face. "Police usually leave us alone, and not all cops are out to get us. They just don't understand our lifestyle. People fear what they don't understand." Grunts of agreement all around.

"Ain't that the truth..."

"Here here!"

Another snort.

"Sounds like we're in the same category as mutants," Kaye mused out loud. Lowen scowled in his direction, the setting sun catching her eyes, causing her pupils to become smaller, making the green background they had rested upon look vivid and dangerous.

"You're not a traveler just yet, so don't be using 'we' so lightly," she grunted. A few pairs of eyes glanced around at each other, sharing a hidden message.

"I know, but seriously," the boy, Kaye, continued, oblivious to the dangerous dip of Lowen's eyebrows. "It seems like you guys are in the same category as mutants! I mean, you seem to have the same problems with law enforcement, and the same struggles. I wonder if there's such a thing as a mutant caravan...?" he trailed off.

"Why the FUCK would you even compare the struggles of mutants to travelers?" Lowen snapped suddenly, startling a few people out of their quiet contentment with the fire. Kaye looked taken aback as stunned, awkward silence settled around everyone.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it travelers were mutants or anything," Kaye fumbled, trying to calm the unexpected attack of anger. Lowen's breathing became louder as the boy continued to try to make amends. Alarmed murmurs from the others began to invade his ears. "I only meant that you guys and mutants are kinda' in the same boat, you know, being kinda' the outlaws and all that..."

"Kris," a dread-haired brunette whispered urgently. "get Spooky over here," he ordered.

"Spookyyy!" the little blond started to get up and yell over her shoulder. Lowen clenched her teeth, the blond seeing her muscles bulge from where they rested over the log.

"Travelers may have run-ins with the law and are given shit, I'll give you that, but there is no amount of comparison between mutants." Her voice was eerily even and laced with coiled rage that threatened to release itself at any moment.

"Spoooookyyyyy!" Kris called louder, slight fear complimented the urgency in her voice.

"You can pay your fines and tickets, quit traveling, and blend back into 'normal' society," Lowen continued, a hiss working its way into her words. "but you can NEVER be accepted as normal when you're a mutant FREAK." Kaye recoiled, his mouth open slightly as he stared at her, nervous at her show of anger.

"I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like..."

"Lowen! Do you want a banana?" came the casual voice of a boy who stepped seemingly out of nowhere and into the light of the fire. Lowen whipped her head around to face him. He was wearing only filthy blue jeans and a leather cord necklace with a tooth hanging from it. His scruffy, dark hair stuck up in random patches, making it look like he had just gotten up. He grinned impishly at her, triumphantly holding up the previously mentioned banana. The pissed off look didn't leave Lowen's face. Darkness was settling around the trees, causing deep shadows to fall across her features.

"Spooky," she growled. "why the hell do you think...?"

"I have some strawberries, too," he interrupted casually, without noting the panicked looks on the faces of their campfire comrades.

"Really? How'd you manage that?" Lowen asked curiously, all signs of malice leaving her voice and face without warning. The heaviness around the pit lifted, cuing up the guitarist to resume a simple tune as Lowen lifted herself up to follow the boy offering the berries.

"Doc traded to me for some coffee grounds and my black bandana," he explained as the pair walked through the trees and followed the path into the darkness. Poor Kaye was left embarrassed and ashamed, still not understanding what he had done to set her off. He was new to traveling and hadn't gotten the chance to find out what made his fellow gypsies tick. Kris smiled at him and patted him on the arm in a reassuring gesture.

"It's okay. You didn't know. It's nothing weird, she's just a little sensitive to the issue of mutants and prefers not to talk about it if she can help it. You did nothing wrong." Kaye nodded, not quite convinced enough to not feel completely guilty about it.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Lowen was tailing Spooky at a steady gait, not thinking about anything in particular except about how she loved fresh fruit, especially berries. She let her mind wander as they passed fireflies casting their green light onto the foliage and then extinguishing themselves only microseconds later. She vaguely wondered if she could catch an army of fireflies in a jar and have them light up the dark path for her...

While musing over this thought, she collided heavily with Spooky's back.

"Dah! You oaf! Why'd you-?"

"You. You lost your temper," he said stoutly, turning to face her with his arms crossed. He wasn't angry, this much she knew, but she could tell he wouldn't tolerate outburst like that. Not in front of other people. Her mouth opened then shut quickly as she set her lips in a straight line and lowered her eyelids.

"I know," she said. He frowned at her.

"And?" he asked.

"And what?" she asked right back.

"I'm not going this route," he answered back firmly. They stared at each other for a moment, neither one budging an inch. Lowen scrunched up her nose in frustration, but Spooky simply waited. She finally put down her walls and threw her hands up.

"What do you want me to say? The kid started talking about the plight of mutants like he had any clue as to what he was talking about! It pisses me off! That shit's not table talk, Spooky! You and I both know that, and it makes me sick hearing it from the mouth of someone who's...who's..." she spat, clearly annoyed to the point of being angry.

"Normal?" Spooky finished softly for her. She growled an incoherent exclamation of disgust and frustration and plopped herself onto a stump, setting her elbows on her knees and holding her chin in her palms. Spooky paused for a moment to study his friend. She had a stick stuck in her knit hat and small leaves in her snarled brown hair. The smudges of dirt on her light green, strappy dress marked tell-tale signs of someone who was used to getting dirty in the forest. Her gray, fleece-lined cloth boots slumped sadly around her ankles, even though she has tied them to stay mid-calf. He noted the part sad, part angry look on her face. He'd come to know that expression very well.

"Aren't your legs cold in that dress?" he asked. She lowered her eyelids and proceeded to roll her eyes towards the upward branches.

"Oh please, you know I'm fine as long as my feet are warm. And I'm sure you didn't drag me away from my spot that I know someone is going to steal before I get back just to lecture me on my fashion choices." She sighed, slightly exasperated. Spooky nodded and bumped her over slightly to sit next to her.

"Lo, I know how it is, I'm not in the same situation as you, of course, but there'd be no way that you would come at me with the 'you-have-no-idea-what-any-of-it's-like' mentality just because I'm not a mutant, would you?" he chided. She sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing between her eyebrows as if she had suddenly gotten a headache.

"Spook, that's different... I've know you since the beginning of high school. We're friends, and we know what each other's been through..."

"Then you probably remember my feelings as the only stepchild among four other children who were clearly treated different than me?" he interrupted. She became quiet, so he continued. "The same thing, even though it's not the same thing," he explained. "I felt like I was the freak. I was ostracized from my family after that. My own mother began ignoring me. So, eventually, I left. And now, here we are." He did a grand gesture with his arm at their surroundings. Without shifting her position, she darted her eyes to meet his, giving him a hard look. He shrugged. "Long story short," he finished. More silence. He waited patiently.

"I'll go apologize," she stated quietly. "I immediately felt really stupid and jerkish after all that went down..thanks for pulling me out. I wasn't going to go berserk or anything, I was just upset." She sighed as he smiled down at her.

"Hey, no judgment towards you on my part," he grinned. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'd be even more okay if you hadn't lied about those imaginary strawberries," she grumbled. Spooky laughed loudly.

"I swear to God they're not imaginary! I really do have them. They're back at our base camp," he confirmed as they both stood up. She sighed and smiled sadly.

"Thanks for always keeping me from fucking up too hard." He shrugged.

"That's what friends are for, right, ya' freak?" They both laughed, the mood lighter now as they turned on their flashlights to follow the path down to their tent.

"Yeah, sure. I want that banana, too."

"Demanding little imp!" he gasped in mock shock.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hand it over," she snorted.

"Only if you give me the good sleeping bag and take-"

A loud scream suddenly erupted from the trees, causing screeching bats to fly for quieter cover and making both Lowen and Spooky jump. Lowen's previous feelings of calm was quickly replaced with the urge to fight. Her teeth clicked together and she let loose a growl from her throat.

"What the-?" Spooky gasped.

Neither one has sufficient time to finish their thoughts.

"Why, hello there. We heard there were mutants here," purred a voice that was flanked with the glow of flames. Lowen gasped and dropped her flashlight.

"SPOOK, GET DOWN!" She lunged sideways as a burst of fire barreled down the path to meet the both of them. She crawled on the ground as the flames extinguished, causing her vision to seem as if it become considerably darker. She whipped her head around frantically, intense fear building up in her chest. She couldn't see a thing. Before she had a chance to call out, a hot breath warmed her ear.

"Good evening," it hissed. "Time to go."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I'd appreciate some kind of feedback. Thanks for reading what I've got so far.