Leader of Stone

“Now, now. There’s no need for hostility. I’m merely a curious little bystander. Drawn in by the shapes I saw flying across the night sky. 

The gentleman's words caused the massive gargoyle to turn to him. Goliath was not afraid but there was a bit of caution in his motions. Something about the man made him wonder about Oberon and his children for a moment while his wings folded about his shoulders giving him a much more respectful approach to talking.

Katana bit her lip and looked downward toward the city. “Pardon me, Goliath-sama, I never meant to bring back bad memories of your past….. I-I know the feeling; to lose them all in one night.“ She saw the troubled look in his eyes before he answered her question. Was it concern? worry about her? Or did she strike a nerve?

Losing herself to her thoughts she disbanded from Goliath; her wings slowly losing the wind and gliding downward. Shaking her head she plastered a glare on her features. WHY must it be so… so DIFFICULT. she could just move past the fact and let it go couldn’t she? The faint whisper of car horns awoke her.

He glided until he glanced back to find Katana was not close to him as she had been before. The sound of cars honking got his attention and he moved over the area to spot the female gargoyle hanging onto a building's roof. The large leader swooped down with the right winds and landed gingerly on the roof before jogging over to Katana.

The remark posed as a question was left alone as Goliath moved from the edge of the balcony. His wings remained clasped at his shoulders while his tail drifted behind him. The giant Gargoyle made sure to pay attention to the human girl while making sure not to move too suddenly either. It was a time of being careful, and so he kept his calm demeanor intact until she mentioned her name to him.

"My name is Goliath, or so they dubbed me years ago. Pleasure to meet you, Pippa. I'm sorry for spooking you if I did but it's common when people do not know a gargoyle is a living breathing thing in most instances but not many remain in this time and age, such as my clan, I'm afraid. Obviously, we're creatures who stay as stone during the day and turn to this at night."

Moving his arms, he crossed them before his chest and sighed.

She thought back on her previous thoughts before the patrol. I cheated death, left my clan at the worst time, and now they are all dead. While I on the other hand, am still young and alive. Pushing those thoughts away Katana stared back at Goliath. “Thank you for your words of encouragement Goliath-sama.” A genuinely happy smile across her face. He would never see her as anything less than clan- and she wasn’t blood nor sibling.

Katana glided a little bit more faster so that she would be side by side with Goliath.The city was very beautiful at night; the lights reminded her of thousands of bright torches burning everywhere. As silence once more took over, her brain began to wander off. Maybe I can ask Goliath? Maybe he can give me words to put me at ease… “Goliath-sama, how did you feel coming here, to Manhattan after your sleep?” Katana asked hesitantly. She made her decision and dared to ask him- opening up a new troubled feeling inside her.

Gliding higher, he sighed only to look to her. She had the right to know a proper response. Something was troubling her after all.

"I was initially very confused and extremely angry. When I realized it had been so long I was still just as devastated as the night I returned to the castle to find my people destroyed." he murmured. "It was a strange land to get used to but we all learned and I found a good friend in Elisa. Once I adjusted, I was able to put the past behind me in order to think of the future. I've seen other clans in the world, and that put me at ease to know we are not the last clan in the world."

Of course that’s what Pippa would say if she wasn’t completely speechless. Out of literally every tale and rumor she had ever heard this was literally the last one she would see is true. A gargoyle, a living gargoyle of imposing stature with a booming voice. The whole shebang. 

She stared at him with her mouth gaping for a few moments until she got her head screwed back on her shoulders. She blinked and shook her head before speaking. “Am… Am I dreaming or just… completely insane?” She asked him, not quite expecting an actual answer. Pippa scrambled to her feet and brushed herself off, looking up at the creature. 

"Well, I was brought here and allowed to stay as a guardian of sorts to this clock tower." he murmured keeping a calm voice. It was easy to keep settled without flying off the handle. The human appeared to be quite young and he didn't want to scare her off completely if she was not going to cause him any sort of trouble in the long run.

“Please?” Anastasia asked innocently as she continued to reach.

All of her nights in the past were filled with flames, ambushed screams of terror, anger and with constant fighting- she had almost forgotten what a peaceful night was like. Goliath’s voice broke her train of thought, and she quickly snapped back to reality.

‘Do you want the answer you wish to hear, or the truth?’ Katana duly noted mentally. A troubled look plastered itself on her features for no more than a couple of seconds, then a fake smile- as usual. “Fine Goliath-Sama, thank you for your concern. Rest assured I will not be a burden for you to watch over for long- I will know these city routes soon.”

Hearing her answer, he took to looping around for a moment only to shake his head. "You never have been a burden and I doubt you ever would be. After all, you are part of my clan, Katana. As for the routes, it took me a great deal of time to learn them myself."

It was almost laughable she was writing about this, Pippa thought, heading to the top of the clocktower as the sun began to set. There was a rumour going around that the gargoyle statues at the top of the building came alive at night. Pippa of course being a skeptic with a slight fascination with ghost stories like this was intrigued enough to investigate, in the name of her paper of course.

Camera in hand, she waited at the top for some kind of sign of life but all she saw was stone, she scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Living statues, this is ridiculous. I mean, New York is a weird place but this is just… So stupid…” She walked to one of them, who was posing like he was somehow deep in thought, and playfully remarked. “Yeah, I’m trying to think of reasons to stay here too.”

Then the sun came up, and the stones began to shake. Pippa quickly hit the deck and waited to see what was going to happen next.

As his eyes faded from their flashed white color, he took note that he was not alone upon the Clock Tower roof. His wings folded and caped about his shoulders while he raised a brow toward the small intruder on his turf so to speak. Goliath could tell she was young when compared to other humans and so he merely stood silent for a few moments once the dust from the stone awakening had settled.

Her hand came up to cover his, and she leaned her head forward again to nuzzle him before resting her head to his chest. Her eyes closed as she rested the back of his hand against her chest, where her heart raced,

As he held her, he remembered the old days but knew they would not be the same any longer. No, they both had work to do to make their relationship stick and mean something in this new era. Feeling her heart beneath his hand, he remained still recalling the times his own had raced within his chest just at looking at her as a youngling. Those feelings were still there even through their battles against one another even if he had to wrestle with them. He would always care just as those vows had been meant when he uttered them with her long ago.

It was only a few days into this new world an Katana already missed home. She TRIED to think of other things, but it her old home and clan kept popping up.

The night had just begun and Katana looked around her to the faces of her new clan. She sighed tiredly. Time for their daily ritual, Nightly Patrol.

She could hear Goliath, her new leader, make up groups to patrol the city tonight. Then her name. She was with him, patrolling the west side of the city tonight.

The traveling via the magic he understood as he had done it himself before shattering the magic himself to keep others from using it for the wrong thing. As he glided through the air, he heard her words and smiled. Always so polite she was, but he could understand as he recalled a clan that was very similar in his travel thanks to his trip to Avalon.

Demona’s eyes went wide at the sudden weight on her back, and the warmth it brought. Damnit, every time he came around her anymore she wanted to cry. Tears brimmed at her eyes and filled them to overflowing. Softly she sobbed as he nuzzled her, holding her as he used to, and reminding her of what once was.

And she broke.

Demona spun in his arms and clung to him, arms under his and gripping his shoulders. Her wings drooped to rest around his shoulders, her face buried against his neck as she wept quietly. There was little else she could do at that point, cursing herself for unraveling as she seemed to do more often than not for him.

Several minutes elapsed before she felt calm enough to speak,

As she wept, he remained her silent support. Her body stayed in his loving grasp and he wiped the tears away with tenderness as she found her voice again. She was allowed to show emotion just as anyone else was and it was not rare for them not to cry. Goliath would shed tears as well and had on more than one occasion. His heart was not of stone despite his flesh turning into it during the day.

Their dance had been a strange one that went on for quite sometime. They had been apart and had tried to hate one another but he never could fulfilled it when they were enemies. He still cared then, and still did now and it showed in his mannerisms. His heart was often at war with itself leaving him pained despite the strong face he forced himself to keep.

Her question was honest, and Goliath understood she was not the kind to waiver in loyalties when it came to commitments in  relationships. He would be loyal as well.

“Does he? Or does he love what I used to be. I’m not that young Gargoyle anymore, Goliath,” she gestured to the city beneath them,

“I murdered dozens of people that night I turned the city to stone. I relished in the fact that they would never live again. A thousand years have gone by and I became that which we swore to protect people from,” Demona’s eyes closed and she shook her head. Even now she hated the humans, but they were too many in number now, and they had her outgunned. If she continued her crusade against them, eventually they would hunt the rest of her kind to extinction.

More than they already had.

"I am not either, Demona." he remarked only to listen to her point. He would not interrupt.

It was true, she had become a vengeful spirit but could he really blame her when he understood why she had that viewpoint for so long? If it had been the other way around, could he have kept his sanity and moral code intact for centuries? Goliath wasn't so sure. There had been a time when he had also slain humans and enjoyed the murder but it was in defense of his home and the people he swore to protect.

Looking out across the city, he dropped his hand from her as her last remark reached him.

"So far, you are doing well for peace but if you do not dare for more, I will."

                                    Together • We • Stand