The Scent of Chaos

                                    

                                          
As if I didn't feel bad enough, Courtney couldn't resist the opportunity of serving me an extra helping of steaming hot guilt like I was next in line at an all-you-can-eat-buffet. Losing Vycandor didn't just hurt. It crushed me. Not only because he was the one angel I was born to love, but because he was the other half of my soul. 
                          
How was I supposed to exist without him?  
                          
"No. I'm not going to let this happen." My voice broke on a sob. "I refuse to let him die like this."
                          
Courtney climbed into the back of the truck in an attempt to block me. "It's a little late for that, don't you think?"
                          
Angrily swiping the tears out of my eyes with the back of my hand, I stared at her accusingly. "You're in love with him! It's the only thing that makes any sense. That's why you're so pissed off at me." 
                          
"If that were even close to being true, I'd have to fall from grace first." She made a face as if the mere thought of giving up her immortality left a bad taste in her mouth. "And, anyway, angels aren't allowed to commingle with humans. That's how we ended up with you half-breeds in the first place."
                          
"You did not just call me a half-breed," I flared, shooting a blazing current of energy in her direction. Even at such close range, the shot missed horribly.  
                          
Courtney grinned devilishly. "You can't hurt me, Chaos. You're not allowed to use your powers against other angels." She nodded her head in the direction of the parking lot. "Unless it's to use them against angels that have already fallen from grace. Like the Angels of War. In which case, you have my full permission to go murder crazy and send them straight back to hell." 
                          
I shook my head to disagree. "But they didn't fall. They were poisoned. It's not like Serenity gave any of them much of a choice." 
                          
She rolled her eyes at me. "Again, if that were true...then you wouldn't be sitting here beside me." She waved an arm in the direction of the angels with their huge gargoyle-like wings waving back and forth in the darkness like a silent threat. "You'd be standing over there with them." The blank look on my face must have spoke volumes. "You refused to give up your soul," she insisted. "You had a choice, and so did they. All of the Angels of War chose to align themselves with the power of darkness. And now it's your turn to do the same." 
                          
My voice went high. "Excuse me?"
                          
"It's time to align your powers, Chaos." 

                          
A growl erupted with such force that it took Courtney and I both by surprise. When it happened again, it took a moment for us to realize that the loud, reverberating gurgling sound was coming from Vycandor.
                          
Courtney craned her neck to listen. "I can't believe it. Is he...is he...snoring?"
                          
I exhaled sharply with a sigh of relief. Vycandor was alive, and that's all that mattered. Shaking my head in dazed confusion, I remembered that Chevauna had called him a Polar-beast. Just as I'd expected, the word had meant nothing to me at the time.
                          
It meant everything to me now.
                          
"Courtney, do you happen to know what kind of animal is Vycandor's to call?" 
                          
She answered without ever meeting my stare. "What do you mean?"
                          
"I've watched drinkers and drainers shape-shift into all kinds of different animals. Jade shifted into a panther, Chad and Miguel shifted into a pair of mountain lions, and Chevauna turned into a wolf. But what I don't know is what kind of animal Vycandor can change into. I mean, I've watched him morph into a beast more times than I care to count. I just can't quite put my finger on what he is."