Lucifer: The story behind the angel

Chapter 18

Michael is about to heartlessly chuck Sariel off the side of the firmament.

When it seems like Michael is done calculating, he gives Sariel one last 'this is for your own good' look, and pushes him off. All we hear is a tiny screaming, and I run to the side to stand next
to Michael, and watch Sariel fall. It's actually not amusing, but Michael is smiling for some reason. He turns to the fledglings.
  "Fear can do amazing things. It is probably the best teacher, second only to pain." They only return a wide-eyed stare. He continues. "You see, when young Sariel figures out that his screams can't save him, he'll learn how to fly. He'll thank me when he's back." He's so far gone now I can't even see him.
  "Um, Michael... shouldn't we..." He shushes me, and looks down.
  "Eventually he'll figure it out. Any minute now... soon he'll be the best- you know what?  He's not going to." He hurls himself off the side with his wings tucked in to go faster. I take one final look at the fledglings and do a penguin dive off as well. I shoot down like a Roman arrow fired at an innocent Christian. I see Michael gaining on the falling Sariel, and I'm dropping altitude like nobody's business. My wings fan out beside me, elongated and thirsting for more air. I don't blame them. It was arid and hot besides the 200 mile an hour wind jetting up at me. He finally catches up to him, and grabs his entire body harshly. He stops midair, which I wince at, because I know how terrible that feels. I tilt my wings upward slowly, making me lose velocity, and eventually come to a stop right in front of Sariel and Michael. I sigh in relief seeing them both safe.

When we get back up to Heaven, half the battalion is out watching us, along with Raphael. The fledglings must have gotten them. Father stands to the left of Raphael, watching us intently. I immediately felt my cheeks get hot. As I land back on the firmament, I let my wings hang loose around me, since the muscles were heated from exercise. Michael drags the boy up to stand, which he is struggling with. He's panting loudly and his obsidian hair is hanging limply around his face. Michael glares at the battalion. "What are you all gawking at?" They immediately walk away, going back to their daily tasks. I give a nervous smile to Father, who smiles back, before turning to Michael.
  "Hello Father! You're looking quite well this fine, beautiful morning! The morning you have so generously provided. Thank you. For that." He has a cheesy, innocent grin on. Father smiles back at him.
  "You're welcome Michael. Now, would you care to explain what happened?" Michael's shiny brown eyes dart the other direction. He patted Sariel on the shoulder.
   "Well, the boy here had some trouble flying. So I thought it would be kind of natural to throw him from the nest, you know, kind of like a mother bird and her offspring. She doesn't teach them. They learn, or they die." Father looks away in thought. Then he bursts into laughter. He patted Sariel on the head, who looks confused and scared as all get out.
"Michael, I can say I definitely created you with a resourceful ideology." Michael breathes a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Father." He gestures to Sariel.
"But in the future, both of you, remember to start them off a little above the ground. You're angels, not birds, Michael." He says as he walks away. Sariel glances up at Michael.

"I think I'm ready to practice again."