I just want to thank the creators of DARK AGES for creating such a great background and Storyseeker for correcting my fics and helping me with great ideas, as for Worker72 and Doppleganger for their reviews.

3.Duties

04.08.98; 20:27; Castle Wyvern, highest tower:

With the dying of the last sunbeam and the rising of the night, first fine, then big drafts showed on the skin of the statue on the highest tower of the highest building in Manhattan.

This lasted two seconds, until the statue rose with a mighty roar, shaking away the pieces of stone skin covering him while the air over the castle filled itself with other roars, large and small ones.

The leader of the clan looked around, seeing his clan siblings jumping from their sleep perches to go after their activities and duties. Looking down from his perch Goliath discovered Brooklyn, still standing on the traditional sleeping perch of the second, stretching himself and removing the last parts of his stone skin.

Knowing that this was the best time when ever, Goliath jumped from his perch and glided down, landing besides his second who just had leaved his perch.

"Night Goliath." Brooklyn greeted his leader with a grin, feeling good since he had a woooonderful dream, including a beautiful gargess named Lana.

"Brooklyn," Goliath greeted back, his face being stern like his voice. "we have to talk."

Brooklyn looked surprised on his leader, surprised by the hardness in his voice.

Goliath meanwhile looked around, seeing Deborah and Hudson who, accompanied by Bronx, just left this level of the tower, sure haven't noticed that there was something to be talked between the leader and his second alone.

"About what?" Brooklyn asked, surprised.

"About Darlene's daughter." Goliath replied.

"Lana?" Brooklyn asked and when Goliath nodded he smiled "Yeah she is hot!"

"Hot." Goliath noticed, grossing his arms "I thought we had this with Angela already."

Brooklyn realised what Goliath was heading to.

"It wasn't like with Angela." he defended himself "I just showed my interest."

"I didn't see it so," his leader noticed "neither did the elders who saw it."

Brooklyn winced, he hadn't thought about that he had been watched, indeed he hadn't thought about much other than Lana a night ago.

"They saw it?" he asked.

"Yes, and they weren't pleased." Goliath said. "You know some in the clan just wait on a reason to doubt your place as my second."

Brooklyn, nodded, thinking about it.

"You order me to give up Lana." he concluded after some seconds.

Goliath slightly shook his head.

"No, I neither order you, nor your siblings to do so... as long as it doesn't go to far." he explained "But I have to remind you that, as second, your attitude has to be an example for the rest clan, as for your siblings."

Brooklyn looked to his leader.

"I understand," he promised him, sounding slightly depressed. "and I promise that this won't happen again."

"Good." Goliath told his second and laid the right claw on his Brooklyn's left shoulder "Everyone has to make sacrifices sometimes, but it is for the best of the clan."

Brooklyn nodded and his leader departed, going down the tower, leaving him alone.

The second of the clan Manhattan stayed so a second, before turning around and looking down to the courtyard where the clan... his clan went after their usual business.

being role model Brooklyn thought guess I never saw it such before

He saw three members of the clan leaving the castle into the direction of the clock tower... the police station where they were going to meet their partners for their night shift and noticed how he envied them for the easiness of their job.

chasing bad guys, helping good guys Brooklyn thought, studying how the long one with the brown-grey skin and the white hair, who was of the Moray clan once and now was part of his responsibilities would it be so easy

He let his head resting on his arms laying on the battlement, thinking...

When he had become second he had just thought on the honour this title brought. First in Goliath's absence during his Avalon tour, when they hadn't known if their leader ever came back, he had recognised what it really meant to be a second, even a leader, the responsibilities and duties it could bring.

seems like I hadn't learned it, yet Brooklyn thought sarcastically, looking down to some hatchlings playing in the courtyard. do they see me as role model?

He had done so back in Wyvern he guessed, first he had looked up to Deborah, then to Goliath and Demona....

Except the last one they had all been good examples and he had turned in a somehow good warrior and capable second hadn't he?

Brooklyn thought about how the hatchlings looked at him every time he taught them in his literature class and knew that they did.

being a role model he thought again guess this is one of the sacrifices I have to bring for the clan in this position

The second looked down from his position on the parts of the clan who had gathered in the courtyard and on the walls of the castle, discovering one of his rookery brothers embracing one of his rookery sister's in a clear way.

one more sacrifice