Miles

Katrina is a good sport. While she complained the entire time she was getting ready, cursing me for taking her out to eat before going on this hike, she hasn't complained once since.

"This view, it's gorgeous!" She states, standing still for a moment, taking it all in.

"That it is," I reply, not staring at the beauty around me but at the one in front of me.

"You mentioned you came here as a child." Katrina comments, turning to face me, her lips still upturned in a smile, "Care to share some stories? I know nothing of your childhood."

I close the space between us, placing a soft kiss on her lips that has her blushing before I grab her hand and continue our upward trek through the forest.

My childhood isn't something I usually talk about, but for the Angel standing by my side, I'd share anything. "My childhood isn't that exciting. My father has groomed me to be the commander of the Army since I could walk, while my mother conditioned me to take the throne. However, once a year, my parents would take a break for an entire week, and I would get one too. During that break, we would come here, hiking this trail and taking in the sights. When I was younger, the first few times we came, I thought it was a test of endurance, so I ran up the trail, not taking the sights, wanting to be the first one up the mountain. My parents let me run off ahead, and they would walk leisurely up the mountain together. After the third time, I realized that it wasn't a test and that it was really a vacation with family, so each year after that, I took in the sights, just enjoying the peace and quiet and the beauty and relaxation of it all. During the time we were here, I felt like a family."

"And here I was thinking I had it rough," Katrina replies, her eyes filled with sorrow for the little boy I once was.

"Don't downplay your childhood for mine, Kitten. Everyone sees and feels life differently. What was traumatic or rough for you could be a breeze for someone else or vice versa. Your feelings, your emotions, and your views on the world are yours and yours alone; don't let others shape it."

"And here I was, thinking the Professor was the only smart one in the bunch," Katrina teases, bumping my shoulders.

"Shh..Look over there." I whisper, pointing toward a rock a few feet away from us.

"Miles, is that...Is that a Unicorn?" Katrina asks, her face lighting up.

"Well it was," I laugh, watching the white beauty run away, startled by Katrina's voice.

"Oh, No. I scared it. Poor baby was just resting." Katrina coos making me snort.

"If you look over there, you'll see a family of griffins hiding between those trees," I state, turning her toward the trees that hide the clearing on the other side. "It's baby season. You can see the mama with her two babes. Daddy's probably nearby hunting down some food."

"This is incredible," Katrina whispers, staring over at the little family.

She watches them for a while, enjoying how the little ones prance around and play, flapping their wings in an attempt to fly, laughing when their mama nips their hindquarters to keep them in line.

"How is it possible for them to be here?" Katrina asks when we continue on our way.

"It's hidden from the human eye. If they pass by, they'll only see empty fields owned by some corporation that isn't willing to sell the land."

"I've never really understood, besides their bloodline, how is it that humans are different from the divine? Weren't we all born from Jehovah?"

"Not exactly. The stars came first. It's said that they've always been here. Waiting for the perfect moment in time to create what we know as the world today. Jehovah and his siblings were born from the stars. The first Gods to grace this world. Then the stars gave them children, Jehovah's children being the titans, who later went on to have children of their own, even procreating with the children given to Jehovah's other siblings; thus, the bloodlines as we know them were born. Jehovah wanted more than the children the stars gave him. He envisioned a bigger picture. When he saw his siblings, he spoke of his need for more. His sibling Braham had wanted more, too, so he and Jehovah talked to the stars, and the stars blessed them with a gift. Angels. The archangels were given as a gift to Jehovah, and the remaining were given to Braham- the Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominion, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, and angels without power."

I stop to look over at Katrina to make sure she is following and doesn't have any questions; when she nods her head to continue, I do so.

"Jehovah loved his angels, but he was jealous that Braham was given more, so he took matters into his own hand and created man, breathing his life force into a wingless being he'd modeled after his angels. Afraid that the stars would be angered by his creation, Jehovah hid Adam in the Garden of Eden. Now, this is where it gets a little tricky. Some believe that Adam was lonely, so Jehovah created Eve from Adam's rib bone, not wanting to use his life force to create another being. Adam and Eve are then said to have eaten the forbidden fruit from a tree and were cast out of Eden to live in a barren land, where Eve gives birth to her children, thus creating Men and Women.

Some people believe that Braham noticed his brother was acting strange, so he sent his angels out to search the heavens to see what he was hiding. Lilith and Lucifer are said to have gone to Jehovah, begging him to take them in. Which Jehovah did with open arms, happy to build his family. Lucifer and Jehovah grew close, and Jehovah shared his secret with Lucifer, Adam. Intrigued by Adam, Lucifer would often visit and speak about Lilith. Lucifer shared the secret of Adam with Lilith, even though he'd sworn not to, and so Jehovah cast him from the heavens, his anger so fierce that Lucifer's wings caught fire, and he could no longer fly. By the time his body hit land, it had created a large boulder in the ground. With black wings and living in a land of fire, Hell was created by the first fallen Angel.

Having fallen in love with Lucifer, Lilith tossed herself from the Heavens, her wings turning black when she landed in Hell. When she descended into Hell, the fire began twisting her divine gifts into something dark, thus creating the first demon, a succubus. Angry with Jehovah for having cast them out, Lilith and Lucifer came up with a way to take away Jehovah's toy. Lilith was to go to Eden and kill Adam. But once she arrived in Eden, Lilith found she couldn't kill Adam. He was so innocent and charming. Instead, Lilith seduced him, laying with him night after night. Knowing that if she stayed away from Lucifer too long, he'd become suspicious, Lilith left Eden, but when she stepped onto the land outside, she was overcome with pain and ended up birthing a woman, thus becoming the mother of all women. Since Lilith was already a succubus by the time she birthed women, she passed down a small amount of her power to them, thus giving women the power of seduction.

After Lilith left Adam, he grew lonely and bored, and when Jehovah came to visit next, Adam told him of his loneliness. So Jehovah took Adam's rib bone and created another man, Steve, as a companion for Adam. Thus making Adam the father of Man. Adam was still not happy with his life in Eden, and when Jehovah visited him again, he told Jehovah of a beautiful woman who'd come to visit him, describing her beauty in great detail. Jehovah immediately knew the woman was Lilith. Angered by Lilith's trickery, Jehovah decided to create a female companion for Adam, modeled after Lilith. Adam was happy with his new companion and thanked Jehovah for his gift, the woman named Eve.

When Lilith had not returned for some time, Lucifer grew worried. He decided to check on Lilith himself. Disguising himself as a serpent, Lucifer visited Eden. When he arrived, he became angered as he watched who he believed was Lilith lie with Adam. Lucifer stayed in Eden, watching night after night as Adam found pleasure in Eve. One morning Eve stumbled upon the only tree in Eden that Jehovah forbade them to touch. Noticing that Eve was alone, Lucifer spoke in Eve's ear, begging her to take a bite of the fruit. Entranced by his voice, Eve picked the fruit from the tree and ate it, bringing it back home to share with Adam and Steve. And you know how the rest of the story goes."

Looking over at Katrina, I can see she's thinking over this new to her version. We walk in silence for a while, and just before we reach the top of the mountain, Katrina breaks her silence. "I like the original story better. To think Lilith is not only the mother of demons but also the mother of women is crazy. I can't wrap my hand around it. And besides, Jehovah gave Eve the golden key to seduction; he made her a woman."

I say nothing in return, as I have no thoughts on the matter... Everyone fucks everyone, and that's fine by me; it doesn't matter who or how as long as the parties involved are happy with the arrangement.